Best Young Master
Chapter 345 - 307 Mixed Feelings

Chapter 345: Chapter 307 Mixed Feelings

The inner courtyard was the most quaint among the three courtyards. Since the 1950s, it had been the residence of Ye Yuanshan. Over the years, it had hardly been renovated, except for the merging and opening up of the two adjoining courtyards to form the Ye Family Mansion.

While Ye Wentao and others felt suffocated and whispered among themselves, Ye Fan followed Ye Zhen to the inner courtyard.

In the light, Ye Fan took in everything within the inner courtyard and noticed a vegetable garden, not far from which was an ancient well.

"Xiao Fan, your great-grandfather came from a farmer’s background. After retiring, he returned to growing vegetables like before he joined the revolution. He didn’t use any chemical fertilizers, just water from that ancient well,"

Seeing Ye Fan’s gaze fixed on the vegetable garden and the ancient well, Ye Zhen said with a smile, "Of course, it’s winter now, the well water is frozen, making it impossible to cultivate."

"Old Ye has quite the elegant hobby,"

Hearing Ye Zhen utter the words "your great-grandfather," Ye Fan responded calmly.

Ye Zhen was taken aback for a moment, then thought about Ye Fan’s manner and did not find it surprising, simply smiling wryly to himself, chastising himself for being overly eager.

Not only him, but Ye Wenhao also understood that even with Ye Zhen’s support for Ye Fan just now, Ye Fan was not likely to directly accept both Ye Zhen and Ye Yuanshan.

After all, Ye Wenhao himself had exerted considerable effort to gain Ye Fan’s recognition, and it was only through a series of fortunate mistakes that it had come to fruition.

Upon entering the study, Ye Fan immediately noticed an old man with graying hair, reclining in a rattan chair, holding a purple sand pot and humming a tune.

"Grandfather,"

Ye Wenhao was the first to bow respectfully to Ye Yuanshan.

The respect he showed was not because Ye Yuanshan had held him in high regard and groomed him as the third generation heir of the Ye Family. It was because he knew it was through Ye Yuanshan’s immense wisdom, determination, and strategic planning that the Ye Family had gradually ascended within the elite, becoming a leading family and maintaining that position for many years.

And those who had once fought side by side with Ye Yuanshan had long since departed from this world.

"Wenhao, help me up,"

Ye Yuanshan smiled, waved at Ye Wenhao, then shifted his gaze toward Ye Fan, his eyes, although murky, suddenly sharp and bright.

Seeing Ye Yuanshan examining him, Ye Fan did not offer a greeting. Instead, he equally surveyed Ye Yuanshan, reciprocating the gesture.

Time had left its profound mark on Ye Yuanshan’s face. His forehead and cheeks were lined with wrinkles and age spots.

He seemed frail, requiring Ye Wenhao’s support even to rise, but simply sitting there, he exuded the aura of one who had held high office and immense power. His eyes, appearing cloudy yet sharply penetrating, inspired a natural sense of awe.

Even with the resentment harbored in his heart toward Ye Yuanshan and being an Innate Mage with a powerful consciousness, Ye Fan couldn’t help but feel startled by the aura naturally emanated by Ye Yuanshan.

That aura was honed through the blood of Ye Yuanshan’s enemies, tempered by years of political maneuvering, and solidified by witnessing a century of Huaxia’s evolution—a dense and oppressive presence.

Those eyes, seemingly ordinary, made one feel transparent at a single glance, as soft and quiet as a gentle breeze.

All this forced Ye Fan to acknowledge that the Ye Family’s enduring prominence in Huaxia of the twenty-first century was no fluke!

The experiences, wisdom, and courage this old man possessed were far beyond those of prominent figures in times of peace!

In front of Ye Yuanshan, the Ye Family Patriarch Ye Zhen seemed like a child just learning to walk.

"Old Ye,"

Despite his grievances, Ye Fan still bowed subtly to the elderly man after sensing his profound vigor.

"Just as I expected, you wouldn’t call me great-grandfather upon meeting me,"

Ye Yuanshan said with a faint smile, "And if I’m not mistaken, your bow was not because I am the behind-the-scenes power holder of the Ye Family, nor because Ye Zhen vented your frustration just now, right?"

"Hmm,"

Faced with Ye Yuanshan’s question, Ye Fan did not attempt to hide anything.

"Strong spirited, and far better than those weaklings of the fourth generation,"

Ye Yuanshan muttered complexly. After pondering for a moment, he continued, "Given your performance today, I assume you only consider returning to the Ye Family as a transaction, right?"

"Don’t you see it as a transaction as well?" Ye Fan countered.

"Er..."

Possibly not expecting such a direct response from Ye Fan, Ye Zhen and Ye Wenhao were slightly startled, fearing Ye Yuanshan might not take it well. To their surprise, Ye Yuanshan was delighted and laughed, "Ha ha... Ye Zhen once described you as ’cunning as a fox and fierce as a tiger.’ It seems very apt."

This time, Ye Fan chose to remain silent.

Although he considered himself to be of sound mind among his peers, he did not arrogantly assume that he could see through a person who had lived for over a century like Ye Yuanshan.

He waited, waited for Ye Yuanshan to state the purpose of their meeting.

Seeing this, Ye Zhen inwardly sighed, while Ye Wenhao felt a sense of pride, proud that his son could hold his own in front of Ye Yuanshan.

Even in Ye Yuanshan’s eyes, a glint of admiration flickered.

"Since you already understand what both of us need from this cooperation, I won’t beat around the bush."

Sensing the timing was right, Ye Yuanshan got straight to the point, "You first ended the career of the Bai Family Faction’s deputy flag bearer Guan Yi, disrupting the Bai Family’s plans and costing them several chess pieces. After that, you sent Guan Yi’s daughter and the Bai Family lad to prison. If not for Bai Guotao sacrificing pieces to save the king, even the Bai Family itself would have been affected. Your series of actions have been very slick, but at the same time, you’ve also wholly offended the Bai Family and their entire faction."

"So you want me to act as the Ye Family’s executioner, to continue battling with the Bai Family," Ye Fan smiled.

"You’re right to be the Ye Family’s executioner, but the Ye Family will also support you. Besides, even if you don’t want to be that executioner, the Bai Family Faction won’t let you go. This way, the cooperation will be beneficial for both of us," Ye Yuanshan stated flatly.

Ye Fan asked, "How strong will the support be?"

"As long as you follow the rules as you did before, the Bai Family Faction won’t be able to touch a hair on your head!"

Ye Yuanshan enunciated every word, "On the contrary, if you break the rules, the Ye Family will not come to your aid, including your father, who will not lift a finger, and the Ye Family will even deny your membership in our clan!"

Upon hearing Ye Yuanshan’s words, Ye Wenhao wanted to speak but stopped himself, eventually not daring to utter the words that reached the tip of his tongue.

Meanwhile, Ye Fan remained calm, "Continue."

"Second, within the entire Ye Family, apart from your father, I fear you harbor resentment towards everyone else, including myself," Ye Yuanshan added.

Hearing this, Ye Fan did not hide his feelings; instead, he smiled and said, "If that were not the case, you wouldn’t use me as a whetstone."

"Exactly!"

For some reason, seeing the smile on Ye Fan’s face, Ye Yuanshan suddenly felt he had underestimated Ye Fan, and his tone became more cautious, "Just as Ye Zhen told you, no matter which path you choose, the Ye Family will fully support you. This will inevitably deepen your differences with them. Whether they sharpen their blades on the whetstone or accidentally cut themselves, it all depends on their own skills. My only request is that if they don’t provoke you first, you should not, under the pretext of our cooperation, suppress or bully them. Do you agree?"

"I promised my dad I wouldn’t make things difficult for him," Ye Fan answered off-topic, indirectly responding.

Ye Yuanshan was momentarily taken aback, then said, "As for the third point, it concerns your intention to drive Nanqinghong out of Huaxia. Regarding this matter, the Ye Family will use all legitimate means to suppress and eliminate Nanqinghong, while your people will have the opportunity to eradicate them following the rules of Jianghu."

"What you require is that I still adhere to the rules. The rules here do not refer to those of Jianghu, but rather that I must not blatantly violate the law and the Yanhuang Organization’s regulations, and not even give the Ye Family’s opponents a shred of evidence of my control over the Dong Hai Gang, right?"

Ye Fan smiled and spoke for Ye Yuanshan, addressing the latter’s intended addition, "Your condition, then, is that my master must use Yan’s promise to help the Ye Family during the power transition in Huaxia."

As Ye Fan’s words echoed in his ears, seeing the self-assured demeanor of Ye Fan, both Ye Zhen and Ye Wenhao were startled, their faces changing color.

Ye Yuanshan, however, couldn’t help but laugh at his misperception, "You’re even smarter than I thought."

"Don’t worry, even if you don’t mention the final condition, I would still do it," Ye Fan remarked, unable to resist glancing at Ye Wenhao, "I will unconditionally support my dad’s rise to power."

Gasp!

Hearing Ye Fan’s words again, Ye Zhen immediately recalled Ye Yuanshan’s decision to disqualify Ye Wenhao as the Ye Family successor, tensing inexplicably and hastily looking at Ye Yuanshan.

Unlike Ye Zhen, Ye Yuanshan remained composed and silent with a smile, unclear whether he was playing dumb in this manner or suggesting to Ye Zhen to remain calm.

At the same time, Ye Wenhao trembled slightly, overwhelmed with emotion and warmth.

"Regarding our cooperation, that’s all."

Seconds later, Ye Yuanshan cleverly changed the subject, "By the way, you haven’t told me yet which path you intend to take?"

"The path of cultivation," Ye Fan declared earnestly.

"In that case, I will have Ye Zhen provide you with all the cultivation resources you need," Ye Yuanshan stated, his curiosity piqued as he tentatively asked, "Would you be interested in joining the Yanhuang Organization?"

"If I wished to, I could do so at any time."

Ye Fan replied with a nonchalant smile, indirectly giving his response. For him, even without Chu Xuanji as a backing, his innate talent alone would make joining the Yanhuang Organization not a difficult task.

Of course, if he were to join on his own, he would have to clearly delineate his ties with the Underworld.

Thus, his answer was actually a polite refusal.

"I’ve been foolhardy. Even if you were willing, your master probably wouldn’t consent," Ye Yuanshan chuckled. Though not a Martial Arts World person himself, he understood that martial arts masters took discipleships seriously, no less vigorously than noble clans chose their successors.

Ye Fan did not indulge in further explanations upon hearing this.

"Ye Zhen, inform them that they can start the meal," Ye Yuanshan instructed after Ye Fan’s silence, and then signaled to Ye Wenhao to help him stand up.

"Wait a moment."

Ye Fan suddenly interjected.

"Do you have more demands?" Ye Yuanshan was taken aback.

Ye Zhen was slightly displeased, believing that Ye Yuanshan had already been very generous, and any further demands from Ye Fan would be excessive.

Ye Wenhao, however, was puzzled - based on his previous conversation with Ye Fan, Ye Fan hadn’t mentioned any additional conditions.

"Happy Birthday."

Instead of directly answering, Ye Fan pulled out the quaint box from his pocket and handed it to Ye Yuanshan.

The scene froze at that instant.

In the quiet study room.

Ye Zhen’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Ye Wenhao’s mind cleared with emotion welling up in his eyes.

An array of feelings engulfed Ye Yuanshan.

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PS: I put a lot of dedication into writing this Chapter; I hope everyone likes it.

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