Chapter 114: You have returned?

"Will you be alright on your own?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. This is my home, after all."

She watched Si Nuosang as she spoke. Si Nuosang nodded in return.

She then entered the room. If she guessed correctly, this must have been the room belonging to Ye Xuan's mother. Even though there were guest rooms available, Ye Xuan had arranged for her to stay in his mother’s elegant quarters, clearly showing her great favor. There was even a guqin placed in the room. To be honest, she was only somewhat familiar with the instrument.

She walked over and plucked a string lightly. The pitch was perfectly accurate, which surprised her. For a qin that had been left untouched for so long, the tuning was remarkably precise; either someone played it often, or it was being maintained regularly. But since the mistress of the house had passed away, there would only be someone cleaning it periodically—no one would come just to tune it. It was truly strange.

Perhaps she was overthinking it, or perhaps someone who understood the instrument visited often and tuned it occasionally. She could not speak to Ye Xuan about this. Given how much he valued this place, he would surely be enraged. By the sound of it, he absolutely detested anyone disturbing the memories of his mother.

She tried to play it gently. The notes were beautiful, but they did not form a melody. Suddenly, she heard a flurry of hurried footsteps outside.

She quickly opened the door and saw the guards gathering toward a single location.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, catching a young maid passing by.

"Nothing at all, Miss Si. It is just the guards' routine training."

"Oh, but at such a late hour?"

"Yes, once in the morning and once at night," the maid replied. Si Nuosang nodded. It seemed Ye Xuan knew what he was doing; this was a very militarized approach. For training a large group, this was an excellent practice—the morning and night hours were the most rigorous tests of endurance.

"Is there anything else, Miss Si?"

"No, you may go." She waved with a smile, signaling the maid to leave. The young girl jogged away, carrying a tray of fruit, seemingly headed to deliver it to someone.

Si Nuosang sat alone on the steps outside, feeling bored, and gazed up at the stars filling the sky. They were truly beautiful.

Elsewhere, Ye Xuan was locked in a confrontation with Ye Quan.

"Yes, now that I have returned, I must seriously consider the matter of taking over."

"You are too impulsive right now. How can I entrust the Ye Estate to you? You’ve tangled with the Minglou organization—do you think I don't know that?"

"That only proves that I understand this world better than you. I reached the core of Minglou, and what’s more, I left it unscathed. Do you think I lack the capability? I am not impulsive; it is precisely because I am not impulsive that I have returned to see you. If it were the old me, I would never have returned for the rest of my life. I could never forget the moment you killed my mother."

Ye Xuan slammed his fist onto the table. At the mention of that woman, a flash of tears appeared in Ye Quan's eyes.

"Your mother betrayed me!"

"That is no reason to kill her! She was your wife and my mother. Did you never consider what I would think, watching you kill her right before my eyes? I would hate you—I hate you."

If Ye Xuan’s icy gaze could freeze a man, Ye Quan would have been frozen solid countless times.

"Do you really hate me that much?"

"Hate? Of course. But that is not important now. What matters is that I know my identity and my responsibilities. And Grandfather doesn't have much time left, does he?"

When Ye Xuan mentioned his grandfather, Ye Quan sat back down in his chair.

As its name suggested, the Ye Estate was divided between night and day. The organization was managed by two groups: one governed the darkness, and the other, the light.

Those of the darkness were the previous generation, who had left the world under the guise of death to manage the underground affairs of the Ye Estate. Those of the light were the current generation, living under the sun, open and upright. The true dark operator of the Ye Estate was Ye Quan’s father, Ye Xiong, while Ye Xuan managed the daylight affairs.

Ye Xiong’s health was failing, so Ye Quan would soon depart the Ye Estate under the guise of death to take over the darkness. Ye Xuan would then officially take over the estate, becoming the new generation's leader.

Although the actual power of control lay mostly in the hands of those in the shadows, as the name implied, they were destined to remain in the dark, never appearing in the light with their true faces. This had been the rule of the Ye Estate for over a hundred years.

"Your grandfather’s health is improving. While I don't know how much longer he can hold on, he will certainly last another year. During this time, you must strengthen yourself in preparation for taking over the estate."

Ye Quan knew the rules, so he said no more, indicating he would abide by them.

"Understood. I will temper myself well. Is there anything else? If not, I shall return to rest."

From beginning to end, he had not shown a single pleasant expression toward Ye Quan.

"One last thing: if you love this girl, do not be with her. Because you will end up like me—stained with the blood of the person you hold most dear."

"What do you mean? I won't. I absolutely will not."

"There are things you do not yet know."

"What things?"

"You will know in time."

"I want to know now."

Ye Xuan looked at Ye Quan’s expression, sensing that something was bound to go wrong between him and Si Nuosang.

"You can ask your grandfather. He knows better than anyone."

"What are you implying?"

"If you want to be the successor, that is a hurdle you must overcome."

Ye Quan watched Ye Xuan, not wanting him to go down that path because it was too cruel. He had already experienced that cruelty and did not want his own child to suffer the same. When Ye Xuan had left, Ye Quan was truly happy, yet Ye Xuan had joined Minglou to take revenge on him. Everything had unfolded beyond his expectations.

Now that he had returned, matters had become simple and brutal.

"Is that so? I will ask Grandfather. But please, do not act so mysterious. I am not afraid."

"Of course you aren't. You ran away from home at a young age and infiltrated Minglou, rising to the upper ranks. I don't doubt you’d be afraid. But your departure truly made me happy. Yet you returned. You shouldn't have come back. This Ye Estate is far more complex than you imagine."

Ye Quan's look of concern only made Ye Xuan feel repulsed and confused.

"I am going to find Grandfather now."

"Very well. He is currently at the training grounds. You can enter through the secret passage behind you."

He pointed to the bookshelf behind him. Ye Xuan pressed the mechanism, and a well-lit tunnel opened up. He could hear the sounds of training in the distance.

He followed the tunnel until he reached the underground training facility. He saw over a hundred men training, with black-clad guards standing all around. In the center sat an old man with white hair.

That man was Ye Xiong, the Master of the Night.

"Xuan'er, you've returned?"