Chapter Seventy-Six: Boyi

In half a month, Ye Pei and Zi Qingrong followed the information provided by You Siwan and arrived at the eastern border of the Lin Clan’s territory, which belonged to the Xiao Tribe.

The timing was rather fortuitous, coinciding with the period when the leaders of each tribe traveled to the main city of the Lin Clan to pay their respects. Ye Pei and Zi Qingrong had no intention of visiting the Xiao Tribe, and went directly into Fire Eagle Town within the Xiao territory.

According to You Siwan’s information, Dongfang Boyi and his mother Sun Yanzhuo were living in seclusion here, and Ye Pei was determined to find the young man first, no matter what.

Finding him was not difficult. Although more than two years had passed since You Siwan had traveled here, the residence of Sun Yanzhuo and her son had not changed. Ye Pei quickly located the modest courtyard.

The place was far from grand, even inferior to the homes of ordinary wealthy families. It was hard to imagine that the wife and son of a former regional leader now lived here.

Ye Pei knocked on the door, and soon, it was opened.

The young man who answered looked to be about Ye Pei’s age. Though not handsome, his features were sharp and his brows held a trace of pride.

Seeing the attractive pair before him, Dongfang Boyi was puzzled. He and his mother rarely received visitors except occasionally from the Xiao and Yin tribes.

“May I ask who you are?” After a moment’s thought, Dongfang Boyi spoke.

Ye Pei smiled and clasped his hands in greeting. “I presume you are the young master Dongfang. May we come inside first?”

Dongfang Boyi frowned at the title, suspecting these two might have been sent by the Lin Clan to finish the job, and he quietly began to circulate his internal energy.

The advantages of the Secret Technique manifested in many ways. For instance, Ye Pei keenly sensed the unusual surge within Dongfang Boyi’s body.

“Hmph…” Ye Pei let out a breath, the corners of his mouth curling upward as he glanced at Zi Qingrong. She immediately understood and obediently stepped back a few paces.

Dongfang Boyi’s brows knit tighter, and he retreated a step, readying his stance.

Ye Pei made no aggressive moves, merely straightening his posture and smiling. He could feel that Dongfang Boyi’s inner strength was noticeably weaker than his own. Given the harsh conditions of the region, for Dongfang Boyi to cultivate his internal energy to this degree, he must have invested considerable effort—so his external martial skills were likely not strong.

At this moment, a middle-aged woman stepped out from the inner chamber. Despite the marks left by time, her bearing could not hide her innate dignity.

“Boyi, what’s wrong?” Sun Yanzhuo was visibly tense upon seeing the scene, sharing her son’s suspicions.

“Mother, don’t worry. I’ll handle this,” Dongfang Boyi replied confidently and steadily. His master had told him that with his current external skills and internal strength, even Lin Yufei of the younger generation was no match for him, unless facing Feng Tanyang. Otherwise, he would rarely meet an equal among his peers.

Little did he know his master was not so extraordinary.

In truth, even against Lin Yufei, he would struggle.

There was no flash of fire in Dongfang Boyi’s eyes, signaling he had no intention to use his internal strength directly. He planted his feet firmly, left hand clawed, right hand hooked.

“Tiger and Crane Double Forms,” Ye Pei smiled. “Very well…”

Ye Pei’s expression shifted; his right foot stayed put, left foot stretched forward, body half-crouched, left palm aimed at his opponent, right palm drawn to his waist, all the while smiling. “Young master Dongfang, come.”

...

A dull grunting sound echoed as Dongfang Boyi, brow furrowed, clutched his chest and retreated, while Ye Pei remained poised in his punching stance.

“Young master Dongfang, I held back with that bursting punch.”

---

Dongfang Boyi said nothing, steadying his breath and summoning energy from his core. Fire flashed in his eyes as he launched a straight palm strike at Ye Pei.

Ye Pei’s own eyes lit up, and he transformed his fist into a palm, mirroring Dongfang Boyi’s gesture precisely.

A muffled thud sounded. Ye Pei stood unmoved, while Dongfang Boyi retreated two or three more steps.

Seeing this, Ye Pei gestured for Zi Qingrong to return to his side, clasped his hands, and said, “Thank you for the exchange. Young master Dongfang, rest assured, I am not from the Lin Clan.”

Sun Yanzhuo hurried over to support her son, eyes alert and wary of Ye Pei.

After two rounds, Dongfang Boyi recognized the gap in their strength. He steadied himself, signaled his mother he was fine, and looked at Ye Pei, his anger gone. “Please, come inside.”

At this point, Dongfang Boyi regarded Ye Pei as a top-tier master. He had ambitious dreams but had never seen the true heights. From all his experience, Ye Pei was a figure beyond imagination. He realized that even clever tricks would be useless; if Ye Pei had come to kill them, mother and son were powerless.

Moreover, Dongfang Boyi considered another possibility. Ye Pei had not introduced himself directly but wanted to speak inside, suggesting his identity might be sensitive.

Ye Pei smiled, gently took Zi Qingrong’s hand, and followed Dongfang Boyi inside. Once seated, Dongfang Boyi inquired again about Ye Pei’s identity. “May I know your name?”

Ye Pei replied with a smile, “My surname is Ye, and my given name is Pei.”

Dongfang Boyi blinked, feeling the name was familiar but unable to recall where he had heard it.

Sun Yanzhuo was quicker to react, exclaiming, “Are you the Ye Pei who killed the entire younger generation of three families?!”

Ye Pei waved his hand, “The rumors are exaggerated. Of those five, only Lin Yufei and Lin Yukun died by my hand.”

Dongfang Boyi continued, “But during our exchange, I clearly saw fire in your eyes. Ye Pei… shouldn’t you be from the Vision Vein?”

Ye Pei answered, “Have you ever heard of a pill called Fire Eyes?”

Mother and son exchanged glances and shook their heads, “No.”

Ye Pei was unsurprised. “Regardless, you must have heard of my unique weapon.”

Dongfang Boyi nodded, “It’s said Ye Pei has mastered eighteen weapons, yet no one can see any on his person.”

Ye Pei laughed, “Oh… so that’s how the story goes.”

He reached to his waist, and with a flick of his hand, drew a jet-black belt sword.

It was rare for Ye Pei to let Chen Xue appear as a belt sword; usually, it was for convenience and concealment.

Before their eyes, the sword flashed with black light and transformed into a pitch-black spear.

This miraculous sight widened the mother and son’s eyes, convincing them of Ye Pei’s claim.

Their caution, however, was not much lessened. Dongfang Boyi asked, “What brings you here, Brother Ye?”

Ye Pei said, “We share the same goal, and could cooperate.”

Dongfang Boyi frowned, “What?”

---

Ye Pei said, “I wish to destroy the Lin Clan.”

He paused before continuing, “Don’t you?”

Dongfang Boyi instinctively clenched his fists. “Of course I do.” He had nothing to hide; the world knew he sought vengeance.

“Exactly. I’ve come to help you take revenge.”

“But…” Dongfang Boyi still did not fully trust Ye Pei. “I have no power to take revenge.”

Ye Pei said, “I can help you connect with the Feng family.”

That was a tempting offer; with the Feng clan’s help, his chances of revenge would greatly increase. Dongfang Boyi thought for a moment, “I still don’t understand why you want to help me. If you have ties with the Feng clan, you could trouble the Lin clan yourself.”

Ye Pei’s estimation of Dongfang Boyi rose. Though his martial skills were mediocre, his character could become that of a leader.

“Let me put it this way. My identity is sensitive, as you know. After the Lin Clan falls, this land will need a ruler. I won’t stay in the region forever, nor could I let the Feng clan grow unchecked. So I must support a new king.”

Dongfang Boyi believed this explanation.

Ye Pei continued, “But you’ll need your own strength. In the early stages of war, the Feng clan cannot openly support you, or else many tribes might join the conflict and things would spiral out of control.”

“I know…” Dongfang Boyi mused. “The Xiao and Yin tribes once received favors from my clan and depend on us; they can be counted as my strength. But… their armies are small, and even Lin Hezhi alone could give us trouble.”

Ye Pei said, “Don’t worry, I’ll deal with him for you.”

Dongfang Boyi said, “With Brother Ye’s martial skills, it’s certainly possible…”

Before he finished, Ye Pei interjected, “No, I can’t beat him directly. I’ll have to use cunning.”

Dongfang Boyi was surprised, “Brother Ye, your martial arts should be unrivaled in this region.”

Ye Pei laughed, “I’m not being modest; many here could defeat me.”

Dongfang Boyi blinked, unsure what to say.

Ye Pei said, “Time is of the essence. Tomorrow, we head to the Feng clan’s main city.”

“But…” Sun Yanzhuo’s expression was clearly uneasy.

Ye Pei was about to reply, but Dongfang Boyi spoke first, “Mother, don’t worry. With my current strength, revenge is impossible. Whether it’s a dragon’s den or a tiger’s lair, I must face it.”

Ye Pei smiled, “Indeed. In that case, tomorrow morning I’ll return here, and depart with young master Dongfang.”