Chapter Five: Coercion (Please Keep Reading!)

Su Ye watched as Su Jiao departed, leading away a group of maids and servants. Only when their figures vanished did he turn toward the servant of Rong’an Hall who had tried to block his way earlier.

“Lin Sheng, have these past years treated you well?” Su Ye’s gaze landed on the stooped old man, a cold smile flickering across his lips.

This man, Lin Sheng, had once been a trusted family servant of the Lin household, deeply relied upon by Su Ye’s mother. Yet it was he who had inflicted the gravest wounds upon her. Su Ren’s swift takeover of the Lin family business owed much to Lin Sheng’s betrayal.

Lin Sheng dared not meet Su Ye’s eyes. He had always kept a close watch on Su Ye, knowing well that Su Ren had raised him into a timid good-for-nothing. But now, the Su Ye standing before him seemed utterly transformed.

“Young Master, this old servant knows he was wrong! I’ve wronged your late father and madam…” Lin Sheng’s mind spun with fear and regret. He didn’t know what had changed in Su Ye, but he understood his own predicament clearly: if he didn’t win Su Ye’s forgiveness now, he would not escape disaster.

Lin Sheng fell to his knees before Su Ye, tears of remorse welling in his aged eyes. He kowtowed repeatedly, soon staining his brow with fresh blood.

Around them, the servants of Rong’an Hall looked on in astonishment at the conduct of the Su family’s chief steward. Unease filled their hearts, and they quickly dropped to their knees as well, not daring to utter a sound.

“Is this how you once knelt to Su Ren?” Su Ye’s voice was icy as he looked upon Lin Sheng, whose very presence reeked of decay. With a flick of his whip, he struck Lin Sheng’s back, the blow falling heavily.

The force was immense. Lin Sheng, already in his twilight years, could not withstand it and was knocked to the ground by the lash. Su Ye did not restrain himself; he struck four more times in quick succession, and soon Lin Sheng’s back ran with blood, his body crumpling limply as if lifeless.

“I’ll spare you for now. Once I’ve settled my affairs, I’ll come back for you,” Su Ye said coldly, stepping over Lin Sheng’s prone form and striding deeper into Rong’an Hall.

Rong’an Hall was vast, and Su Ren’s quarters lay at its farthest end. At this hour, Su Ren was still abed, unaware of the commotion at the entrance.

Su Ye walked purposefully through the hall. The servants, having witnessed his ruthlessness, dared not block his way and allowed him to enter Su Ren’s bedchamber unhindered.

Su Ren was not yet thirty, but his feelings for Madam Hua had long since grown cold, and in recent years he had taken several new concubines.

Outside his bedchamber, several maids kept vigil through the night. They had already heard rumors of the events outside Rong’an Hall. When they saw Su Ye stride boldly into Su Ren’s room, not one dared to stop him. Some even dropped to their knees in terror, fearing to provoke his ire.

Human nature bows to power and preys on the weak; had Su Ye not shown his strength, these maids would surely have driven him out already.

Su Ye sighed inwardly, ignoring the maids as he walked straight to Su Ren’s bedside.

The bed was crafted from precious red sandalwood, its natural fragrance said to benefit the body and ease sleep. A sheer white veil obscured the figures on the bed, but Su Ye could make out two forms—one male, one female. The man was his own father, Su Ren. The woman he did not recognize, likely one of Su Ren’s newly acquired concubines.

With a crack of his whip, Su Ye sliced through the air, sending a thunderous snap that swept away the bed’s curtains and startled both sleepers awake.

The concubine, lying naked in Su Ren’s embrace, shrieked in terror at the sight of Su Ye standing by the bed like a god of death.

Su Ren awoke with a start and, seeing Su Ye at his bedside, felt a surge of burning rage.

“Su Ye! You unfilial wretch, get out of here this instant!” Su Ren roared, pointing at Su Ye with venomous eyes filled with murderous intent.

Su Ye regarded the man before him—so different from the Su Ren of his memories. Once tall and handsome, a paragon of beauty who had been welcomed into the Lin family for those very qualities, Su Ren had now grown obese, his once fine features lost beneath layers of flesh.

A derisive smile curled Su Ye’s lips. He flicked his whip, wrapping it tightly around Su Ren’s neck, cutting off his furious tirade.

The whip gradually tightened, its barbs digging into Su Ren’s flesh. After years of luxury, Su Ren had never known such pain. He howled in agony, then launched into a stream of curses—accusing Su Ye of unfilial conduct and even invoking memories of Su Ye’s late mother.

Cold light flashed in Su Ye’s eyes. He drew the whip tighter, blood trickling from Su Ren’s neck to soak his flabby flesh in crimson.

The concubine shrank into the corner, trembling and clutching the quilt, sobbing softly for fear that Su Ye would turn on her next.

Su Ye said nothing, only tightened his grip until Su Ren’s breathing grew ever more labored. Su Ren’s angry glare faded to a desperate plea as his face turned beet red, terror replacing fury as the reality of death closed in. Only now, at the brink, did he beg for mercy from the son he had always neglected.

Su Ye watched the changing emotions in Su Ren’s eyes, his sneer deepening. Only when Su Ren teetered at the edge of death did he finally release the whip from his father’s neck.

“Hand over the key to the secret vault,” Su Ye said softly, his icy gaze fixed on the coughing Su Ren.

Su Ren froze, even his coughing halted. He looked at Su Ye in panic and quickly denied it. “What secret vault? I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

That secret vault was the true repository of the Su family’s wealth, a secret known to him alone. How had Su Ye discovered it?

Suddenly, Su Ren’s pupils contracted, and he cursed a woman under his breath.

“If you truly wish to die, I’ll gladly oblige,” Su Ye said, flicking his whip so that it danced before Su Ren’s eyes. At the sight, Su Ren’s massive body trembled, and the terror of death returned to haunt him.