Chapter 99: Is there any movement?

They all cast meaningful glances at the son-in-law of the Shen family, signaling for him to leave quickly. After all, they were on good terms with Shen Chengde and did not wish to see the Shen family's son-in-law lose his life here.

Chen Yuyi, however, just smiled lightly. "Who is Ye Mei to you?"

"You know my elder sister?" The young lady Ye was clearly taken aback.

"Even she wouldn’t dare behave so presumptuously in front of me. Yet you dare?" Chen Yuyi continued coolly.

At this, Lady Ye seemed to realize something, her demeanor subdued. "May I ask if your surname is Chen, sir?"

Chen Yuyi nodded softly, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"So you are that gentleman!"

To everyone's surprise, she actually gave Chen Yuyi a deep bow. "I did not know you were here, sir; if I have offended, I beg your forgiveness!"

"What... what is going on here?" The few gentlemen present were quite bewildered. Just moments ago, it had nearly come to blows.

"So you really are connected to her. In that case, I won’t blame you. However, if my father-in-law ever comes here again and you dare do business with him, you'll answer to me," Chen Yuyi said. "And as for that woman—no matter where she is, if she ever approaches my father-in-law again, I will make sure she ceases to exist!"

He pointed coldly at the beautiful woman.

Ye Xuan now seemed completely changed, her head bowed. "I accept your command, sir. But might I beg you to stay for a moment?"

Chen Yuyi saw the flicker in her eyes, as if she had something to say, and nodded.

At this, the beautiful woman began to weep softly. "What have I done to be hated so? I am not even allowed to serve a man. Lady Ye, why do you not care for me anymore?"

Her voice was so plaintive and moving that even the gentlemen present nearly wiped their tears.

Suddenly, Ye Xuan strode over and slapped her hard across the face. "Pack your things and return to Lingshan at once. Without my permission, you are not to set foot in the mortal world again!"

The woman stood there stunned for a long while, clutching her cheek as she looked at Lady Ye. The force of Lady Ye’s authority left her terrified and speechless. She could tell Lady Ye was deadly serious, and a wave of fear swept over her, for her life and death were in Lady Ye’s hands. She scrambled up from the floor and, without daring another glance at Shen Chengde or anyone else, fled in haste.

Shen Chengde reached out, but could not stop her.

He was completely at a loss—what was happening? Though the beauty was gone, he felt a pang of disappointment.

"Gentlemen, please disperse," Ye Xuan now said to the others.

Though the gentlemen did not understand why Lady Ye was suddenly so respectful to the Shen family's son-in-law, they knew better than to ask questions. At the same time, they finally believed Shen Chengde’s earlier words—this son-in-law was anything but ordinary. They did not leave Jiangdao immediately, but found another place to drink and discuss the remarkable son-in-law of the Shen family.

In the end, only Shen Chengde remained.

"Master Shen, please wait a moment. I have important matters to discuss with your son-in-law," Ye Xuan said, paying him no further heed as she took Chen Yuyi into a study.

Shen Chengde could only shake his head and sigh, not daring to return home alone, and so obediently waited for his son-in-law.

Once inside, Ye Xuan suddenly knelt before Chen Yuyi.

"Please, sir, save me!"

Chen Yuyi looked at her. "You’re in trouble?"

"I beg you, sir, grant me a Hundred-Turn Pill!"

"You know I possess such a pill?"

"Sir, you produced two pills at the Jinxiu Manor—one cured a little girl's congenital blocked meridians, and the other made her mother young again. Miss An had already foreseen this, and she told me that should I ever meet you, I could request a Hundred-Turn Pill from you to resolve the meridian problem in my body."

She continued, "I never expected to truly meet you today! Had you not mentioned my elder sister, I would have offended you unforgivably! Please pardon me, sir!"

"Miss An is versed in divination?" Chen Yuyi recalled the mysterious woman and the rare medicinal herbs she possessed. In fact, he owed much of his own supply of elixirs to her gifts. Clearly, Ye Xuan was close to her. Giving her a Hundred-Turn Pill would be no loss, especially since such dreg-pills meant little to him and were destined to be given away sooner or later.

"Yes, Miss An is a master of fate and calculation. She once saved my sister and me from peril, so we have always regarded her as our lady. It’s just a pity she never told me you were the Shen family’s son-in-law, or I would have visited much sooner!"

"Very well, rise. Since you belong to Miss An, giving you a Hundred-Turn Pill is nothing. However, you are of half-demon blood—your meridians are unlike those of ordinary people. Aren’t you afraid there may be unforeseen consequences?"

"So you saw through my half-demon nature at a glance, sir. It is of no concern—Miss An once said that, although our meridians differ from those of mortals, your Hundred-Turn Pill is crafted by extraordinary means and is a true elixir even for half-demons."

"But why do you have meridian issues?" Chen Yuyi asked, curious.

"For those of half-demon blood like myself, meridian problems are innate. With certain cultivation methods we can suppress them temporarily, but only for a while. If we never break through, the meridians will eventually reverse and destroy us. My problem has already flared up ahead of time; that is why I must beg your aid!"

Chen Yuyi asked no more. It seemed the Bao father and son’s plot for the Shen family’s jade disc was for this very reason.

He immediately produced a Hundred-Turn Pill and handed it to Ye Xuan. She received it as if it were a precious treasure, her face breaking into a radiant smile. "Thank you, sir!"

"Enough, I’ve given you the medicine. In the future, if my father-in-law ever comes here, you know what to do."

"Ye Xuan understands. Rest assured, sir! Are you truly leaving now?" Her eyes lingered on him.

Chen Yuyi said nothing more, simply leaving the study, while Ye Xuan stood stunned for a moment before following after.

Without further delay, Chen Yuyi took his father-in-law, who was now as wilted as a frostbitten eggplant, back to the Shen household.

When Xu Ruizhi saw Chen Yuyi actually bringing Shen Chengde home, combined with what had happened aboard the Zhenren, her attitude toward her son-in-law changed dramatically.

"Yuer, where did you find this old rascal?"—she had even changed how she addressed him, clearly realizing at last what a treasure of a son-in-law she had.

"At Jiangdao," Chen Yuyi replied directly, though he made no mention of the beautiful woman, sparing his father-in-law some pride.

"Well, you old scoundrel, how dare you go carousing there!" Xu Ruizhi, furious, advanced to give Shen Chengde a beating.

Utterly terrified, Shen Chengde hid behind Chen Yuyi, pleading, "Good son-in-law, please save your father-in-law!"

Chen Yuyi could only shake his head with a wry smile. "Enough, Mom. Those father and son who were causing trouble for Dad have been dealt with by me. From now on, Dad will behave himself."

Xu Ruizhi was momentarily stunned when Chen Yuyi called her "Mom," but then her face blossomed with a smile. In the past, she would have made a snide remark, but now she found herself quite pleased to hear it.

She glared fiercely at Shen Chengde. "For Yuer’s sake, I’ll let you off for now. But if you ever stay out again, carousing God knows where, don’t expect to set foot in this house!"

Shen Chengde promised over and over, sighing inwardly. He would have no standing left in the Shen family from now on. Still, he was grateful that Chen Yuyi hadn’t mentioned the matter with the beautiful woman.

All this while, Shen Youlin had been watching Chen Yuyi, her eyes shining with a mysterious light. In her heart, this brother-in-law now seemed almost omnipotent.

By dusk, Shen Zhujuan had returned home as well.

Seeing her father safe and the family at peace, she cast a grateful glance at Chen Yuyi, as though silently thanking him for resolving this crisis.

Chen Yuyi merely smiled gently in response.

But that nonchalant smile left Shen Zhujuan strangely unsettled. She muttered inwardly, "He really is full of himself. All he did was bring Dad back—he must have frequented those places with him before, or how could he have found him so easily?"

She felt oddly uncomfortable. This man wasn’t even her real husband, so why should she feel this way?

After dinner, Xu Ruizhi called Shen Zhujuan into her room alone.

"Zhujuan, you and Yuer have been sharing a room for some time now. Is there any news?" she asked.

Shen Zhujuan felt as if struck by lightning, her whole body burning with embarrassment. Why was her mother calling him "Yuer" now, and what did she mean by "any news"?