354: Chapter 354 One Night, the Sima Family Was Swallowed Up!

The Capital, Jingtian Grand Hotel.

Ye Chen pushed open the suite door. Jin Meiting was sitting on the sofa, holding a book in her hands, but she was clearly distracted.

Seeing him enter, she immediately put down the book and rose to greet him.

“A-Chen, did things go smoothly?”

Ye Chen smiled and reached out to wrap his arm around her waist. “Smoothly, of course. But what about you? Why didn't you go watch the excitement?”

Jin Meiting gave him a sidelong glance.

“I'm not going to that kind of violent scene.”

“Besides...”

She paused and reached out to straighten his collar. “I wouldn't be able to help if I went; I'd only distract you.”

Ye Chen looked down at her, a wave of warmth rising in his heart.

This woman truly deserved her past reputation as a mob boss's wife; she really knew a man's heart.

Just as he was about to say something, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

Pulling it out, three words were flashing on the screen—

Xuanyuan Huo.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and pressed the answer key.

Before he could speak, Xuanyuan Huo's hearty, scolding laughter came from the other end.

“You little brat!”

“You really know how to cause trouble for me!”

Ye Chen chuckled, sat down on the sofa with Jin Meiting in his arms, and leisurely crossed his legs.

“Old man, isn't that a bit too distant of you to say?”

“You love to set me up, so aren't I just giving you a little surprise?”

Xuanyuan Huo's helpless voice followed.

“A surprise?”

“You call this a surprise?”

“Kid, do you have any idea? That bunch from Bureau 749 came to my place early this morning slamming tables!”

“They said I secretly brought out some genius from the Kunlun Ruins and broke the rules!”

“They told me to hurry up and send you back!”

Hearing this, Ye Chen couldn't help but laugh out loud. “A genius from the Kunlun Ruins? Which family's runaway young master do they think I am?”

Xuanyuan Huo snorted.

“Nonsense!”

“You're in your early twenties and crushed a Peak Celestial Master Realm expert with one foot. Who wouldn't think that?”

“If I didn't know your background, I'd think the same!”

As he spoke, his tone suddenly became a bit more serious.

“But having said that...”

“Just how strong are you, kid?”

“Give me the bottom line so I know what to expect!”

Ye Chen leaned back on the sofa and spoke slowly.

“Old man, do you want to hear the truth?”

Xuanyuan Huo didn't hesitate.

“Nonsense! Of course the truth!”

“You don't know, but the people from Bureau 749 are like crazy right now, asking all over the Capital about your origins!”

“And then there's the Chen family. Although they're quiet for now, they're definitely brewing some trouble!”

“If you don't give me the bottom line, I won't feel at ease!”

Ye Chen was silent for two seconds.

Then, he gave a soft laugh. “Old man, to be honest... I don't even know how strong I am myself.”

The other end of the phone went quiet.

It was so quiet that he could almost hear the sound of breathing.

After several seconds, Xuanyuan Huo's voice rang out again.

Only this time, it carried a hint of bewilderment.

“What?”

“You don't know how strong you are?”

“Are you playing with me, kid?”

Ye Chen shook his head, the smile on his face fading slightly.

“I'm not kidding you.”

“I really don't know.”

“Every time I think I've reached my limit, when I actually start fighting, I find I can be even stronger.”

“That Chen Nufang—I originally thought it would take some effort, but with one stomp, he was gone.”

“So...”

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness. “If you ask me how strong I am, I really can't answer.”

Xuanyuan Huo fell silent.

This silence lasted longer than before.

After a long while.

Only then did he let out a long breath.

“Alright, alright.”

“I think I understand.”

“You're just a monster, a monster who doesn't even know how strong he is.”

Ye Chen smiled. “Old man, I'll take that as a compliment.”

Xuanyuan Huo snorted.

“Less lip from you.”

“Let's talk business.”

“How do you plan to handle the Chen family?”

“Although Sima Ling was a live-in son-in-law, he did enter the Chen family's door after all.”

“By killing him, you've essentially slapped the Chen family's face.”

“Now that you've also crushed Chen Nufang, this grudge is set in stone.”

“Those old fellows in the Chen family are not to be trifled with.”

Hearing this, the smile on Ye Chen's face remained relaxed. “Old man, do you think I'd be afraid?”

Xuanyuan Huo froze for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.

“Fine, fine, fine!”

“I was overthinking it!”

“You even crushed a Peak Celestial Master Realm expert with one foot; those old things in the Chen family probably can't do anything to you either.”

As he spoke, his tone suddenly carried a hint of emotion.

“I really made the right choice asking you to be the Chief Instructor.”

“With you around, it'll be hard for this batch of Hidden Dragon Pavilion students not to succeed.”

Ye Chen smiled. “Yeah, anyway, when I can't handle things, you'll cover for me, right?”

Xuanyuan Huo: “...”

Ye Chen asked sarcastically, “Old man, why are you silent?”

“Alright, alright.”

Xuanyuan Huo irritably changed the subject, then told him to watch his safety, not to be too arrogant, and to call anytime if something happened.

Finally, he hung up the phone.

Ye Chen put away his phone and leaned back on the sofa.

Jin Meiting leaned against him and asked softly.

“A-Chen, that Chen family... are they very powerful?”

Ye Chen turned his head and gave a slight smile.

“Whether they're powerful or not, I don't know.”

“But I do know...”

“No matter how many people they send, I will make them regret it.”

Jin Meiting looked at him, the corners of her lips curling slightly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“Um...”

Holding Jin Meiting's graceful body, Ye Chen suddenly gave a wicked smile.

As it turned out...

Before he could take any action, Ye Chen's phone vibrated again.

The name “Chu Niubi” was flashing on the screen.

He was speechless.

But he still pressed the answer key.

Chu Niubi's excited voice immediately came from the other end.

“Master! It's done!”

“We swallowed it all!”

“The Sima Family's assets—real estate, finance, energy, film and television...”

“Thirty-seven companies, large and small, have all been taken over by my Chu family!”

Ye Chen, who was originally about to get angry, couldn't help but show a smile on his face. “Mhm, well done.”

Chu Niubi chuckled.

“Master, you have no idea, the scene last night was simply incredible!”

“The people in charge of those Sima Family assets were putting on airs at first.”

“And then?”

“Your disciple slammed the photos of the heads of Sima Li and his son onto the table!”

“Those people knelt on the spot!”

“Knelt in a perfectly straight line!”

Hearing this, Ye Chen couldn't help but laugh. “Alright, stop boasting and do a good job. Since you've swallowed the Sima Family's assets, make sure you hold onto them for me.”

Chu Niubi nodded vigorously, his voice full of solemnity.

“Don't worry, Master!”

“Your disciple understands!”

“From now on, these assets are the Chu family's lifeblood. If anyone dares to touch them, your disciple will fight them to the death!”

Ye Chen gave an acknowledging sound and hung up the phone.

Jin Meiting leaned against him and asked softly, “A-Chen, did the Chu family really swallow the entire Sima Family?”

Ye Chen nodded.

“Mhm, swallowed it all in one night.”

A flash of surprise crossed Jin Meiting's beautiful eyes.

The Sima Family was one of the Five Great Families of the Capital, entrenched for over a hundred years with deep roots.

Although the Chu family was a local power in Yanjing, in the Capital, they would at most be considered second-rate.

Swallowing the entire Sima Family in one night...

This speed was simply inconceivable.

But on second thought, with Ye Chen backing them up, it seemed perfectly reasonable.

Just as she was about to say something...

“BANG!!!”

The suite door was kicked open!

Jin Meiting's expression changed, and she instinctively shrank into Ye Chen's arms.

Ye Chen just gently patted Jin Meiting's shoulder, then raised his head, his gaze falling on the doorway.

Outside the door stood a dense crowd of people.

They were all in black uniforms, with the silver Bureau 749 badge embroidered on their chests.

With a rough glance, there were at least thirty of them.

Moreover, the aura of every single one of them was more than one level stronger than those Sima Yao had brought before.

Heaven Realm.

They were all in the Heaven Realm.

There were even a few standing in the front row whose auras were as deep as an abyss, faintly having already touched the threshold of the Celestial Master Realm.

However, what truly made Ye Chen's eyes narrow slightly was the old man standing at the very front.

The old man was about seventy years old, with a lean build, wearing a grey robe that was completely out of place with the group of black-uniformed Bureau 749 members behind him.

His hair and beard were all white, but his eyes were startlingly bright, like stars in a cold night.

He just stood there at the door without any movement or release of pressure, yet he gave off a sense of immovable weight like a mountain.

An expert.

And a true expert at that.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. “Bureau 749, what do you want with such a big formation?”