Jin Sihuan's face was grim, but he also harbored a sense of foreboding.
"Big brother, what's wrong?" Jin Zaixing, still reveling in the good mood, asked, "Has Master Yu sent word that Ye Bufan has met his maker?"
"Pack your things, we're returning to the capital immediately." Jin Sihuan hung up the phone and, pulling Jin Zaixing and Jin Dalang, prepared to leave.
"Big brother, what's happening?" Jin Zaixing and Jin Dalang looked bewildered.
"It failed," Jin Sihuan said without much explanation, leaving their luggage in Jinhe as they headed straight for the exit.
"What? That's impossible. I heard Master Yu is a Martial Saint from the Five Poisons Sect. How could he fail?" Jin Zaixing doubted if he had heard correctly.
"Yes, big brother, if it really failed, why are we leaving? As a first-rate family from the capital, are we afraid of Ye Bufan?" Jin Dalang said to Jin Sihuan.
"Master Yu is dead, but those three Great Martial Vanguards are still alive. This means Ye Bufan likely already knows we were behind the attempt to kill him," Jin Sihuan stated.
"So, that means Ye Bufan has at least one Martial Saint-level existence behind him. Otherwise, he couldn't have killed Master Yu," Jin Zaixing analyzed seriously, listening to Jin Sihuan's words.
"So what? Does Ye Bufan really want to kill us?" Jin Dalang retorted with an air of defiance.
"Brother, you're being foolish. How many Martial Saints are there in our Great Xia? Even our ancestor is only at the peak Martial Saint level. If the opponent kills us, at most it will be an enmity. The Jin family has many collateral branches, and our ancestor wouldn't risk enmity with a Martial Saint for just a few of us," Jin Zaixing exclaimed.
Jin Sihuan called for the driver, got into the car, and while on the move, took out his phone and made a call.
"Hello," a middle-aged voice answered from the other end.
"Dad, the plan failed. We're on our way back to the capital now," Jin Sihuan said.
"What?"
A shocked voice also came from the other end of the phone.
"Master Yu is a Martial Saint! He failed too?"
"Just received the call," Jin Sihuan replied. "It's not wrong. Also, those three Great Martial Vanguards are no longer willing to serve our Jin family."
There was a three-second silence on the other end before the voice asked, "And Master Yu?"
"He's dead," Jin Sihuan said.
"Get back here immediately," the voice instructed.
The three brothers, after getting out of the car, booked the earliest flights and rushed towards Jinhe Airport.
"Brother, are we overthinking this? Ye Bufan won't kill us, will he?" Jin Dalang still felt Ye Bufan wouldn't kill the three of them, after all, they had a first-rate family from the capital backing them.
"Whether he will or not, it's always better to be safe than sorry. Caution ensures a safe journey," Jin Sihuan said.
Twenty minutes later, Jin Sihuan looked at the surrounding roads and suddenly realized something was wrong. This didn't look like the route he took when he arrived in Jinhe.
"Where is this place?" Jin Sihuan asked.
Jin Zaixing quickly grasped the issue, but the driver ignored their questions, accelerating the car and speeding away.
"Who are you?"
Jin Sihuan couldn't comprehend it. This was the Jin family's driver; there was no reason for him to try and kill them.
"Big brother, he's from the Jinhe Jin family," Jin Zaixing said. "There were rumors that the Jinhe Jin family had treacherous intentions. It seems this driver is here to send us on our way."
Upon hearing Jin Zaixing's words, Jin Sihuan's heart sank.
"Stop the car!" Jin Sihuan shouted.
The driver paid no attention to Jin Sihuan's command and continued driving, eventually heading into a remote mountain area on the outskirts of Jinhe.
"I'll teach you to stop!" In a fit of rage, Jin Sihuan unleashed a palm strike at the driver.
The driver immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. Jin Sihuan yanked the handbrake, and the car rolled over, crashing into a tree.
Jin Zaixing and Jin Dalang looked at their brother in shock. The three brothers had grown up together, and neither had ever seen their brother practice martial arts. Yet, Jin Sihuan had just struck the driver with a palm, sending him spitting blood. No one had expected their seemingly ordinary older brother to be so formidable.
"What are you staring at? Get out of the car," Jin Sihuan told his two younger brothers in the back seat.
Jin Zaixing and Jin Dalang got out. Jin Sihuan then took out his phone, only to find that there was no signal.
"Stop trying. If there was a signal here, I wouldn't have led you to this place," Jin Yuchen's voice rang out. Immediately, three advanced martial artists and five intermediate martial artists emerged from the surroundings, surrounding the three brothers.
Jin Sihuan looked around, took a deep breath, and pulled Jin Zaixing and Jin Dalang behind him.
Ye Bufan stood amidst the trees, watching Jin Yuchen handle his family matters. Jin Yuchen had initially believed he could resolve it himself, but Ye Bufan felt it was better to be cautious, fearing unforeseen circumstances.
"You two find an opportunity to escape quickly," Jin Sihuan said, then scanned the surroundings and called out, "Jin Yuchen, you and your father have truly hidden yourselves well. Everyone was deceived by your playboy facade."
"Hehehe, Cousin, you're not bad yourself. In such a short time, you've managed to hide so deeply that even your closest kin didn't know you were a martial artist," Jin Yuchen emerged from behind a tree.
"Isn't this specifically for situations like this, just in case?" Jin Sihuan sneered. "It seems you don't plan on letting us leave here alive? Killing your own kin will eventually draw suspicion from the Jin family in the capital. That's a serious crime. If you let us go, I can let this matter slide."
"Let it slide? When your father drove my father out of the capital, you didn't seem to let it slide. When my mother was killed by you, I also didn't see you offering to let things slide," Jin Yuchen retorted with a cold laugh.
"Your mother's death was an accident," Jin Sihuan said.
"Accident?" Jin Yuchen scoffed. "My father was once the most promising. But you? You killed my mother and drove my father to Jinhe. Did you ever consider this day?"
Jin Sihuan's eyes darted, and as Jin Yuchen was momentarily distracted, he produced several steel balls from his sleeve and threw them forward. The steel balls exploded, startling everyone.
"Don't let them escape," Jin Yuchen shouted.
However, to Jin Yuchen's utter disbelief, Jin Sihuan, who had just told Jin Zaixing and Jin Dalang to find an opportunity to escape, fled on his own, leaving only the two brothers behind.
Jin Zaixing and Jin Dalang stared in disbelief for a few seconds, unable to comprehend that their brother had just done such a thing.
Seeing this, Ye Bufan smiled faintly and vanished from his spot.