Young Lady Ye felt the weight of Si Shen's gaze upon her and instinctively lowered her eyes, placing the basin onto a nearby table with a soft clink. It has become a habit for her to avoid people's direct gazes since attention was never focused on her as compared to her brother and she was used to hiding in his shadow.
Xue RenJie, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, furrowed his brow. He caught the intensity of Si Shen's stare and followed it to where it lingered on a hairpin nestled in Young Lady Ye's hair. His eyes sharpened as he recognized the faint resemblance between the hairpin and the bracelet.
On their journey to the Ye Mansion, Si Shen had shown him the bracelet—an identical replica of the half bracelet once given to Xue Ziqi. Seeing the hairpin, Xue RenJie could see why Si Shen was stunned.
"Master Si Shen?" Master Ye's voice broke the tense silence, his concern palpable as he noticed the growing attention on his daughter.
Si Shen flashed a reassuring smile, his demeanor calm, though the intensity in his eyes did not waver. "Apologies, Master Ye," he began smoothly, his voice carrying an air of curiosity. "I was momentarily distracted by the young lady's hairpin. It bears such a striking resemblance to something I've seen before. Might I ask where it was purchased?"
Young Lady Ye's fingers lingered on the hairpin, her expression tightening slightly, as though bracing for something. She answered cautiously, her tone measured. "Replying to Master Si Shen, this hairpin was given as a birthday gift by Second Young Master Xia," she said, her words slow but deliberate.
"Second Young Master Xia?" Si Shen's brow furrowed as he glanced at Xue RenJie. He had never heard of the Xia family having another son.
Master Ye coughed awkwardly as he explained that the second young master was not born from the first wife but from another woman of Master Xia. Master Xia brought back his son but not the mother as she was not a cultivator. It caused quite a scandal but nobody in Xia City wanted to offend the Xia Family so it was not publicly discussed. The other clans just turned a blind eye since the woman was not a cultivator. It was harsh but that is how society works, everyone is only interested in their own benefits. Nobody would care if an unmarried woman was disgraced in such a way, even her own son did not want any connections with her, looking down on her low status.
Si Shen nodded slowly, unsurprised. Even when he was alive, it was known to everyone that Master Xia was promiscuous but most families would still try their luck by sending their daughters to his bed, hoping that one of them would catch his eye, and be favoured enough to enter the Xia family as a concubine.
Young Lady Ye's expression darkened at the mention of the Second Young Master Xia's illegitimacy. A faint frown creased her brow as she bit her lip, swallowing back the sharp retort that rose in her throat. The subtle resentment was clear, yet she held her tongue. Si Shen and Xue RenJie, observing the flicker of emotions in her eyes, exchanged a silent glance—both sensing the unspoken tension between father and daughter.
However, Si Shen was not interested in the children's love life. "It looks very similar to something I've encountered before," he said, his tone firm in intent. "May I have a closer look at the hairpin?"
Young Lady Ye hesitated, her discomfort evident in the tight set of her shoulders but Si Shen had the backing of Xue RenJie. Even if she is not involved in the politics of the cultivation world, she is still a young lady of a prominent family in Xia City. She is fully aware of the consequences if she were to reject his request. She forced a smile, her movements stiff, and reluctantly removed the hairpin from her hair, offering it to Si Shen.
As the delicate ornament touched his palm, a sharp pulse of resentment energy coursed through him, faint yet unmistakable. Si Shen's expression shifted, his senses honing in on the object's strange resonance. He rotated the hairpin, channeling a sliver of his own resentment energy into it. In that instant, the same haunting visions flooded his mind. It was the same as the bracelet.
Si Shen's gaze flicked up, his eyes meeting Xue RenJie's with quiet understanding. Xue RenJie nodded almost imperceptibly, about to speak, but before he could voice his thoughts to Master Ye, a sharp movement interrupted them.
"Give me back my hairpin!" Young Lady Ye's voice cracked like a whip, filled with both desperation and fury. Her hands shot out, fingers trembling as they grasped for the hairpin.
Si Shen quickly lifted it out of her reach, his arm raised high above her head. The sudden action sent her stumbling forward, frustration and panic flashing across her face. Before she could move again, Xue RenJie stepped forward, positioning himself between her and Si Shen, his gaze unwavering as he shielded his partner.
Master Ye's voice, thick with indignation, boomed across the room. "Wan-er! What do you think you are doing in front of our guests?!" His fury was palpable, and he grabbed her arm, pulling her back forcefully, his face flushed with anger. "Apologize at once!"
Young Lady Ye, her cheeks flushed with a mixture of humiliation and outrage, stood frozen for a heartbeat before she finally found her voice. "Father! That hairpin is an engagement token between Second Master Xia and me! It is a precious gift from my beloved! How can I—"
The sharp crack of a slap interrupted her, the sound ringing through the room. Her cheek stung as she staggered back, stunned by the force of the impact. She raised a trembling hand to her face, the shock in her eyes gradually giving way to disbelief.
Master Ye stood trembling with rage, his finger pointed accusatorily at her. "Unruly girl!" he spat, his voice cold and unrelenting. "When you throw tantrums before, I've ignored them since you are my biological daughter. But we are before distinguished guests from the Xue Clan, do you think this is the time? It's just a hairpin from the Second Master Xia, why are you acting like this? Did you think that they covet your hairpin?" Master Ye spat on the ground in disgust, growing agitated.
Young Lady Ye's eyes filled with a mixture of hurt and fury as she stared at her father, the sting of the slap only amplifying the raw emotion welling up inside her. Yet, there was nothing she could do but lower her head, a silent weight settling over her shoulders as the oppressive atmosphere of the room thickened.
"That good for nothing has no talents and his mother is not even a cultivator. If not for Master Ye's kindness, he would have been left to beg on the streets. He wants to marry my daughter? Dream on! If you continue being like this, I'll send you to the young master from the Le Family, at least he is not a bastard and has some small talents. This way, at least my Ye family can collaborate with the Le family and earn some benefits. If you married that bastard child, you will only be looked upon. You are dragging our family down with your lovestruck brain, useless child." Master Ye continued with a cold snort, which made Si Shen narrow his eyes.
Master Ye talks as if his daughter was a commodity, to be sold to the one that brings in the highest benefits to the family. His daughter's feelings were trampled on and discarded without care. Nobody should treat their daughters like this and it angers Si Shen as it reminded him of his sister's situation. But Si Shen still fidgeted uncomfortably. This was their personal family matters. To air it out in front of strangers, the Ye family's dignity was being dragged through the mud. Si Shen had no desire to become entangled in their personal drama. Yet, despite his discomfort, his mind was clear on one thing: the hairpin in Young Lady Ye's possession could not be allowed to stay with her. Its power was dangerous, especially in the hands of someone whose cultivation and experience were still too low to handle it properly.
Before Si Shen could step in to defend the young lady, the hairpin in his hand suddenly began to tremble. His brow furrowed in confusion as he tightened his grip, trying to suppress the resentment energy that threatened to spill out. The hairpin's sudden agitation left him unsettled—he couldn't understand what had caused it to react this way. Then, his eyes snapped to Young Lady Ye, who had raised her hand, her expression unreadable.
Power surged around her like a tempest. A gust of wind howled through the room, sharp as blades, tearing through the furniture and splintering the air. The interior of the room was shredded as if caught in a storm, the force of the energy crackling violently.
The hairpin in Si Shen's grasp was suddenly yanked toward the young lady by an invisible force, catching him off guard. The moment the hairpin returned to her hand, Young Lady Ye delicately dusted it off, as if Si Shen had somehow sullied her precious accessory.
"Nobody understands our love as well as we do, Second Young Master Xia and I were fated to be. He is the only one who is sincere and genuine. You do not understand me, Father. Just like Mother, none of you understands."
With her words, the entire house seemed to tremble. The air thickened as an overwhelming surge of energy shattered the peace, splintering wood and sending furniture flying like debris in a storm. Si Shen had flicked his umbrella open the moment he felt the resentment energy explode, shielding Xue RenJie from the flying debris.
Xue RenJie, his hand moving like lightning, drew his sword. The gleam of its blade caught the sunlight streaming through the broken exposed roof, its sharp edge pointed menacingly toward the young lady.
Yet Young Lady Ye remained composed, her fingers deftly returning the hairpin to her hair. As her gaze lingered on the two men before her, she slowly raised a hand, pointing behind Si Shen.
A chill crawled up Si Shen's spine, and without hesitation, he snapped his umbrella shut, sweeping it behind him in one fluid motion. It collided with the claw-like fingers of Madame Ye, who had risen from her bed in a sudden frenzy. Her eyes were unfocused, her expression vacant, and saliva dripped from her lips like a mindless creature. Her nails, elongated and vicious, pierced the air as she swiped at Si Shen, the deadly intent clear in her every movement.
Si Shen deftly dodged, but Madame Ye's attack still managed to leave a deep gash across his abdomen.
"Si Shen!" Xue Renjie's voice cut through the air, laced with urgent concern. But Si Shen remained unmoved, his gaze fixed on the immediate threat. Without so much as a glance in Xue Renjie's direction, he tapped his umbrella sharply against the floor.
In an instant, dark tendrils of resentment energy shot up from the ground, their sinister forms writhing as they coiled around Madame Ye's limbs, restraining her movements.
"Oh? You actually dodged that…" Young Lady Ye's voice was tinged with surprise, her wide eyes locked onto the scene before her. She had never witnessed someone wield the same power she once controlled, and for a brief moment, wondered if Si Shen was actually one of Second Master Xia's people. She opened her mouth to question Si Shen, but her father's enraged shout shattered the moment.
"Unfilial daughter! What madness have you brought upon your mother?"
Master Ye, finally recovering from his shock, roared at his daughter with unbridled fury. His words, sharp as a blade, struck a nerve within Young Lady Ye. Her temper flared, and she retorted with scorn.
"You asked me what I did to Mother? How about you ask her what she did to me in the past?"