Chapter 37: The Banquet at Hongmen!

"It’s fine. I still have a billion left. I’ll bring it over later as capital."
Ye Tian frowned slightly, already making calculations in his mind. Indeed, these three thousand hardened men once lived well only by killing and looting. If they were suddenly forbidden from doing evil, they would need proper livelihoods to keep them in line.

"A billion!"
The worry that had previously creased Wang Zizai’s brow vanished instantly, his eyes lighting up. With such a sum, even if every brother received ten thousand a month, it would be enough to pay them all for three years. With this much money, there was no longer any need to fear unrest within the ranks.

"Boss, I thought you were just reckless and brash, but it turns out you’re a tycoon!"
As he spoke, Wang Zizai suddenly remembered that night when Ye Tian had shown up, looking like a penniless fighter ready to battle a hundred rounds without complaint.
So you’re loaded, but you still came to fight to the death? What an act...

"I’m no tycoon," Ye Tian waved his hand, looking troubled. "This money was given to me by someone else."
"By the way, how much is Xu Manjin’s fortune?"
"Come in and see for yourself," Wang Zizai replied, leading Ye Tian along the winding steel corridors to Xu Manjin’s private quarters.

Upon entering, they found the room littered with gold artifacts and various treasures, tossed carelessly into corners as if they were nothing but scrap. Even his bed was crafted entirely out of solid gold.

"How heavy must that be? How much is it worth?" Wang Zizai’s eyes gleamed with greed as he approached the bed like a hungry rat, taking a bite out of the edge.
"Nine-nines fine—pure gold!"

"Let me try too!"
Gu Qingcheng, unable to contain herself any longer, joined in. Though she’d spent years in the capital, she’d never seen such extravagant wealth and had always lived hand-to-mouth. She left her own bite mark on the golden bed.

Watching these two act like misers, Ye Tian couldn’t help but laugh.
"Tell the brothers to take this and exchange it for cash—we’ll use it as our funds." As he spoke, he walked over to the massive steel vault door, his hand forming a blade, and struck.

The precision-crafted steel lock shattered under his bare hand.

Good heavens, a human monster.
Wang Zizai gulped, stunned.

But his eyes soon blazed with excitement once more.
As the lock broke, the vault door slowly swung open, and an avalanche of cash poured out, forming a mountain at their feet.

"My god!"
"How much money is that?" Wang Zizai felt as if he were going mad. Judging by the sheer volume, it had to be at least two billion! Inside the vault, there were even more treasures, secret manuals, and rare medicinal herbs stacked up.

Xu Manjin’s personal fortune must approach ten billion! He truly deserved the title of underground emperor; his ability to amass wealth surpassed that of many top noble families. And these were real, tangible assets—not just the liquid capital big conglomerates boasted about.

"Take some out for the brothers..." Ye Tian began, but before he could finish, Gu Qingcheng clapped a hand over his mouth. In a sweet, commanding voice, she declared:

"No!"
"Leave half to me for safekeeping."
With that, she dove into the mountain of cash, murmuring blissfully, "With so much money, how could you just give it all away? I’ll keep it safe for you, so you can marry me with it someday."

"All right, we’ll keep half," Ye Tian said helplessly, looking at Wang Zizai.

Catching on, Wang Zizai quickly waved his hands. "We don’t need that much. Just twenty billion for operating costs. That’s more than enough."

"As you say. Just prepare the reports for me when the time comes."

"Yes, sir."

And so, Ye Tian took full possession of Xu Manjin’s fortune.

While the men were called in to move the cash, Ye Tian rummaged through Xu Manjin’s treasury. Unfortunately, most of what he found were martial arts manuals he had no use for—though they would surely fetch a fortune if sold.

Only a plain, antique box on the center table caught his attention. He opened it and found a pure white pearl inside, smooth and glowing softly. A red thread was strung through it, turning it into a necklace.

"Senior Sister, do you recognize this?"

"I don’t. It seems like a luminous pearl—expensive, but probably worthless otherwise."

Since she was unsure, they didn’t dwell on it. Ye Tian simply took the pendant and hung it around his senior sister’s neck.

"It’s pretty. Let’s call it a token of our bond."

"How perfunctory. Scoundrel." Though Gu Qingcheng said so, her lips curled nearly to her ears as she began playing with it like a cherished treasure.

Just then, Ye Tian’s phone rang.

The caller ID was an unfamiliar number from the capital.

"Hello, Young Master Ye."
A gruff voice came through the speaker.

"And you are?" Ye Tian’s brow furrowed. The caller had no note attached, yet knew his number and name—strange.

"Wu Ba of the Wu family!"

At those words, Wang Zizai, who had been joyfully hauling cash nearby, opened his eyes wide.

"Wu Ba? The head of the Wu family—one of the three great clans?"

"Yes, that’s me." The rough voice burst into hearty laughter, then became serious.
"Young Master Ye, I’ve thought long and hard. My Wu family did wrong by yours all those years ago, but we had no choice!"

Wu Ba’s tone was sorrowful as he continued,
"In truth, the three great families were only following the tides—there was someone else who wanted your Ye family wiped out!"

"So, what are you trying to say?"

At the mention of his family’s massacre, Ye Tian’s face finally darkened.

"Please don’t be angry, Young Master Ye. I mean nothing else," Wu Ba explained. "I believe that when one is wrong, one should admit it. My Wu family was misled and acted wrongly, and so I wish to offer you reparations!"

"A reparation, you say?" Ye Tian sneered.
"Bring me the severed head of your old master Wu, and I’ll consider forgiving your family!"

"Please, Young Master Ye, let’s not be hasty. Everything is negotiable." Wu Ba’s tone remained genial, almost obsequious.
"As it happens, my eldest grandson Wu Di is getting married. We’re inviting all the great families of the capital. If you’re willing, please honor us with your presence. I’ll tell you everything about the past, all the secrets. Whatever compensation you seek, just sit down and talk with us—we’ll make it right."

"The wedding feast is today at noon. I’ll be waiting for you at the Wu family estate."

With that, he hung up, not waiting for Ye Tian’s reply.

Ye Tian looked at Gu Qingcheng, whose beautiful eyes turned cold as she spat out three words:

"An ambush feast!"