My disciple, you are now invincible. Go down the mountain and wreak havoc on the world!

An aged and dignified voice came through the door, accompanied by the dull thud of a cane striking the bluestone slab, each sound heavier than the last, carrying a heavy sense of oppression as it approached.

Old Master Ye's expression changed drastically. The little bit of color that had just been brought back by the silver needles vanished instantly. His withered fingers gripped Ye Xunhuan's wrist tightly, and his voice was urgent and hoarse.

"It's Elder Ye Cang and the others from the Elder Council!"

"Xunhuan, hurry and go out through the back window. There's a secret passage in the rockery in the backyard that leads directly to the gate of the inner courtyard."

"They hold the imperial guard's seal, making them practically half of the state apparatus. You can't fight them alone!"

The old man has lived for nearly eighty years and is all too aware of the current situation.

Ye Hongtu dared to bring the elders' council members in at this time, clearly indicating that he was about to break off relations and plot a rebellion.

He had just woken up, had no troops or power, and no one believed what he said. Staying would only drag his newly adopted grandson into a dead end.

"Walk?"

Ye Xunhuan raised an eyebrow, pressed the strawberry lollipop in his mouth with the tip of his tongue, shook his head, and looked nonchalant.

"Old man, isn't it a bit unkind of you to kick your savior out the moment you wake up?"

"Besides, do you think those scoundrels outside are worthy of my permission to run away?"

"If word gets out, my master and the others will laugh their heads off. How will I ever be able to live in the mountains again?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud "crack" resounded. The solid wood door, which had already been kicked and cracked, was kicked hard from the outside again, splitting into four or five pieces of wood chips.

A group of people filed in, instantly filling the small ward to capacity.

The one leading the group was Ye Hongtu.

His right knee was swollen like a steamed bun, wrapped in thick gauze, and oozing dark red bloodstains.

Supported by two Filipino maids on either side, she twitched her lip in pain with every step she took.

He glanced up at the hospital bed, and when he met the old man's open eyes, his pupils contracted sharply, his heart skipped a beat, and he felt a sudden jolt.

There's no cure for a hundred days of slumber, so how did this wild boy manage to wake him up?!

Horrified—

It lasted only a moment before being suppressed by an even more ferocious aura.

With things having come to this point, there was no way to retreat. The only option was to throw all the blame on Ye Xunhuan and portray the old man as "bewitched by sorcery" so that he could rightfully seize power.

Standing beside Ye Hongtu was an old man in a black brocade robe, with white hair and beard, and a face deeply lined with wrinkles. He was leaning on a heavy dragon-headed cane, the golden eyes on the cane gleaming coldly.

He was none other than Ye Cang, the Grand Elder of the Ye Clan's Elder Council, who had been in charge of the clan's rules for decades and held extremely high prestige within the clan.

Behind him were four or five white-haired elders, followed by a dozen or so heavily armed guards, their guns pointed at the center of the room, safety pulled back, exuding a murderous aura.

Dr. Zhang, who was in the corner, was so frightened that his legs cramped up and he collapsed to the ground with a "thud," shrinking into the shadows against the wall, not daring to even breathe.

"Elder! Elders! You've finally arrived!"

Ye Hongtu took the initiative, his voice carrying just the right amount of grief and indignation.

He pointed at Ye Xunhuan, his arm trembling, his performance filled with tears:

"This kid is called Ye Xunhuan. He was originally a traitor to Medicine King Valley. He stole the Valley's most treasured book, the 'Medicine King Scripture,' and is one of the ten most wanted villains in the martial arts world, the lowest-ranked heretic!"

"He is skilled in sorcery."

"He has maintained close contact with Youge. According to reliable sources, he betrayed Youge in Jiangnan due to a dispute over the division of spoils and killed several key figures of Youge. He fled here, intending to drag our Ye family into this conflict."

He paused, glanced at the old man on the bed whose face was ashen, gritted his teeth, and raised his voice:

"Elders, we don't know what kind of unorthodox sorcery he used to infiltrate the old house and even bewitch Father with evil magic!"

"My father was clearly on his deathbed, even the renowned physician Zhang predicted his lifespan was nearing its end, how could he suddenly wake up?"

"This is clearly sorcery and mind control! He wants to use my father's name to seize the Ye family's military seal and the Medicine King's Key, turning the Ye family into a place where he can transfer the calamities to the Youge Pavilion!"

Upon hearing this, the clan elders behind him immediately erupted in uproar, their eyes filled with hostility as they looked at Ye Xunhuan.

They were whispering amongst themselves.

"This young man stole the Medicine King's Scripture? He's trying to shift the blame and drag the Ye family into war and conflict—what a treacherous scheme!"

"No wonder he dared to break into an old house at such a young age!"

"No wonder the old patriarch woke up so strangely; it was all due to sorcery!"

"The Netherworld Pavilion is a ruthless organization that kills without blinking an eye. If we get entangled with them, the Ye family will be finished!"

Ye Cang frowned and slammed his dragon-headed cane heavily into the ground.

With a "thud," the solid wood floor beneath our feet cracked with fine lines.

His sharp gaze swept over Ye Xunhuan, and he said in a deep voice, "Boy, is what Hongtu said true?"

"You trespassed into the Ye family mansion, used sorcery, bewitched the family head, colluded with the Youge Pavilion, caused trouble for Dongshui, and instigated conflict between my Ye family and the Youge Pavilion. Each of these is a capital offense."

"If you are willing to cripple your cultivation and hand over the Medicine King Scripture, I may spare your corpse."

"Wow, this is quite comprehensive. It's a shame it's not used to write a book or biographies."

Ye Xunhuan chuckled, leaned back leisurely against the bedside table, one foot dangling on the ground, making a slurping sound with the lollipop in his mouth, looking completely nonchalant.

He glanced at Ye Hongtu, then at the trembling Dr. Zhang in the corner, and said with a sneer:

"Old man, you call me one of the ten worst villains? I think you deserve to be on the list more than I do."

"Putting your own father to sleep for a hundred days, finding a quack doctor to feed him a life-threatening potion every day, embezzling family property, plotting rebellion and seizing power—your actions would rank in the top three on the list of villains."

"Nonsense!" Ye Hongtu shouted angrily, his face full of rage, putting on an act of upholding justice even at the cost of family ties.

"You wicked devil, who gave you the audacity to use sweet words to bewitch people!"

"Elders, please don't believe him!"

Ye Hongtu's words infuriated the old man on the bed. His chest heaved violently, and he coughed, covering his mouth, and shouted:

"Hongtu! You wicked child, shut up! Seeking pleasure is..."

"Father! Don't let this boy fool you anymore!"

Ye Hongtu abruptly interrupted the old man, putting on a convincing performance with a look of utter heartache:

"Father, you've been bewitched by this boy's sorcery, your mind has been clouded, that's why you're acting so strangely and mistaking relatives for family members!"

"This bastard child, who knows where he came from, using sweet words to deceive and bewitch you. Dad, think about it, how could a bastard who sprang from a rock possibly be of the Ye family bloodline?"

"However, Father, rest assured, your son will act on behalf of Heaven today, slaying this evil man, cleansing you of the poison and evil, and restoring peace to the Ye family!"

One sentence shut down all of the old man's words.

If the old man speaks up for Ye Xunhuan, it means he has been bewitched by sorcery and lost his mind.

The clan elders nodded in agreement, agreeing with Ye Hongtu's reasoning.

The old patriarch was in a coma for three months. When he suddenly woke up, he spoke up for a stranger of unknown origin. If he hadn't been bewitched, what was he?

"You! You unfilial son!"

The old man was so angry that he was trembling all over, and his hand was shaking as he pointed at Ye Hongtu.

But he had just woken up and was very weak. He was out of breath after saying just a few words and couldn't compete with Ye Hongtu, who was well prepared.

At this point, she was so angry that she rolled her eyes and fainted.

As Ye Xunhuan inserted silver needles into the acupoints to stabilize the old man's heart pulse, he listened intently, clicking his tongue in admiration.

He shook his head, looking regretful: "Ye Hongtu, with your ability to distort the truth, you could make a fortune just by setting up a fortune-telling stall down the mountain."

"And what about sorcery?"

"If I really knew sorcery, I'd sew your mouth shut first, so you wouldn't keep babbling on and on, it's so annoying."