Ye Tiancheng had originally expected everything to go smoothly. After all, the Su family was not someone to be trifled with, and no one dared to lay a hand on Su Muxian. However, the situation had spiraled out of control, far exceeding his expectations.
That day, Ye Tiancheng had escorted Su Muxian back to her hometown and was about to leave when Su Muxian stopped him.
With a pitiful expression, Su Muxian said to Ye Tiancheng, "Brother Ye, I don't know when I'll see you again. Why don't you stay here with me for one night?"
"Alright, Su Muxian. Don't worry, I won't abandon you. It's just that I need to adjust my own state for a while. Once I'm in good condition, I'll come back to find you immediately."
No matter the circumstances, Su Muxian had never doubted Ye Tiancheng's sincerity. Whatever happened, she believed in him completely, that he would come looking for her once he adjusted.
That night, a group of men in black arrived and, right in front of Ye Tiancheng, snatched Su Muxian away. When Ye Tiancheng clearly saw the face of the leader, a chill of fear ran down his spine.
It was Ouyang Xunuo. Ye Tiancheng had expected the Su family to find Su Muxian first.
Besides having money, the Ouyang family seemed to have no real power. This was far beyond Ye Tiancheng's expectations. Ouyang Xunuo's appearance caught him completely off guard.
"Apart from the Su family, no one else can take Su Muxian away."
Ye Tiancheng spoke too late, as the person had already been bundled into a luxury car by Ouyang Xunuo, and Su Muxian was no longer visible.
"If you were to grovel before me, I might have gone easy on you. But you, Ye Tiancheng, are truly despicable. You've stolen my wife for so long, almost a month now, and made my Ouyang family lose face. Now you dare to spout such nonsense. Do you even have the right?"
The weak are truly pathetic, trampled underfoot with no ability to resist. Ye Tiancheng felt a sense of despair. His true qi could not be gathered, and his abilities were greatly diminished compared to before.
Otherwise, these men in black would have been no match for Ye Tiancheng. With just a slight exertion of his true qi, these people wouldn't even know how they died. Now, everything had been completely reversed.
"Enough nonsense, Ouyang Xunuo. I will not let you take Su Muxian away."
Ouyang Xunuo smirked, as if he thought he was some kind of domineering CEO. He then began to order his subordinates to attack Ye Tiancheng viciously.
Ye Tiancheng could not use his true qi now. Relying solely on his physical strength, he was no match for so many people. He was quickly surrounded and beaten mercilessly.
"Stop hitting him, please! Stop! Don't hit Brother Ye, I beg you!"
Ouyang Xunuo was truly insidious. He had already captured Su Muxian and now deliberately released her just to witness Ye Tiancheng's miserable state.
"Su Muxian, don't beg them to stop. They won't kill me."
Although Ye Tiancheng's body was not as strong as before, and his true qi was almost completely dissipated, he still retained some to protect his body. Therefore, these ordinary people could not kill him.
With a surge of strength she didn't know she had, Su Muxian broke free from the men holding her and quickly ran to Ye Tiancheng's side, shielding him with her body.
"Please, don't hit Brother Ye anymore. Let's talk things through properly, don't resort to violence."
Seeing Su Muxian shielding Ye Tiancheng, Ouyang Xunuo was furious, but he did not want to harm Su Muxian.
Although the two had not officially registered their marriage, their wedding ceremony had already been halfway completed. Ouyang Xunuo genuinely liked Su Muxian and wanted to marry her and spend his life with her.
"Alright, stop hitting him. Halt."
The black-clothed subordinates obeyed Ouyang Xunuo's command and temporarily ceased their assault. Ouyang Xunuo walked over and roughly pulled Su Muxian, who was clinging to Ye Tiancheng, away.
"Su Muxian, I've already lost a lot of face for you. I hope you can consider my reputation and not act like you're dying for a man in front of so many brothers. I can't bear to watch."
Su Muxian looked at Ouyang Xunuo with a stubborn gaze. "I can return all the betrothal gifts to you, and our engagement will be canceled. Don't pester me anymore. You have no right to take me away."
"Su Muxian, you can't treat me like this. I truly love you, and we were only one marriage certificate away from becoming legal husband and wife."
"I don't want to be your wife. I used to think you were quite decent, but now, your actions, your behavior, make me even more disgusted."
Ouyang Xunuo took a half-step back. Su Muxian's words had indeed struck him. He had thought they were a loving couple destined to be together forever, but it turned out to be his own delusion.
"No, Su Muxian, you will come with me. I will treat you well."
Ye Tiancheng could see that Ouyang Xunuo's expression was not right, and his mental state seemed to be unstable. If it were before, Ye Tiancheng would have knocked him out with a single punch. But now, Ye Tiancheng could do nothing.
From the moment this incident began until now, Ye Tiancheng felt a deep hatred for his own powerlessness. He couldn't protect Su Muxian and felt like a useless weakling.
In this world governed by the law of the jungle, Ye Tiancheng's pride was useless. Even if he gritted his teeth, he couldn't win; he could only be crushed.
"Alright, Su Muxian, don't say any more. I know you're upset right now, but come with me first. Don't associate with this scum."
To prevent Su Muxian from causing further trouble, Ouyang Xunuo resorted to striking her with his palm, knocking her unconscious.
After knocking her out, Ouyang Xunuo picked Su Muxian up in his arms and carried her directly to the car.
"You stop right there, Ouyang Xunuo! I forbid you from taking her away! Put Su Muxian down!"
After putting her in the car, Ouyang Xunuo turned around and walked up to Ye Tiancheng, stomping hard on Ye Tiancheng's hand. Ye Tiancheng winced in pain but endured it, refusing to cry out, not wanting Ouyang Xunuo to look down on him.
"You piece of trash! Ye Tiancheng, you're bankrupt now. Perhaps you once had the right to be Su Muxian's son-in-law, but now that you're ruined, you're not even fit to carry her shoes. How dare you still act so arrogant and shout nonsense? You're truly audacious!"
As Ouyang Xunuo spoke, he kept grinding his heel, which intensified the pressure on Ye Tiancheng's hand. Ye Tiancheng could no longer bear the excruciating pain and finally let out a cry.
"Heh, I knew you weren't that tough. Ye Tiancheng, it's good that you know pain. Once you know pain, don't provoke me. I will definitely make Su Muxian fall in love with me, and we will live a very happy life. You, a penniless bum, can only watch from the sidelines, unable to do anything. This is your ultimate fate."
Ye Tiancheng felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling within him, wishing he could fight Ouyang Xunuo right then and there, even if it cost him his life.
But Ye Tiancheng was incredibly weak now, and his hand throbbed with pain, a piercing ache that drained his strength bit by bit.
It was a struggle for Ye Tiancheng to even stand, let alone engage in a fierce battle with Ouyang Xunuo.
"You scumbag! If I see you again, I'll kill you! However, this time, a death sentence is commuted, but a living one is not spared. You've caused me a lot of trouble, Ye Tiancheng. The suffering you endure from now on is what you deserve."
After speaking, Ouyang Xunuo got into his car and left. His subordinates stuffed Ye Tiancheng into a burlap sack and unceremoniously threw him into the river.
Ye Tiancheng felt water gushing into his nose and mouth. Fortunately, Ouyang Xunuo hadn't intended to kill him. The river wasn't deep, and the mouth of the sack hadn't been tied very tightly.
After struggling for a moment, the sack opened, and Ye Tiancheng managed to escape.
He felt as if he had suffocated. For a full three minutes, he had been unable to breathe fresh air. When he finally gasped for air, Ye Tiancheng breathed heavily, feeling as if he had come back to life.
No, Ye Tiancheng couldn't just think about himself. He had to find a way to rescue Su Muxian.
With Su Muxian, a young girl, in the hands of someone like Ouyang Xunuo, Ye Tiancheng worried about what might happen.
If Ouyang Xunuo were to act crudely, how could Su Muxian, a young girl, resist?
Thinking of this, Ye Tiancheng felt a burning agony in his gut, filled with anxiety.
Ye Tiancheng found the dilapidated pickup truck and decided to drive back quickly to rescue Su Muxian. However, halfway there, he was blocked by Fatty, who had run out.
"Brother Ye, why did you leave me behind? We agreed to face everything together. Are you going on some secret mission again without telling your brother?"
"Fatty, your face hasn't healed yet. Don't come with me. I'm going to get revenge on Ouyang Xunuo. He took Su Muxian, and it's very dangerous. I don't want you to share the danger with me."
The more Ye Tiancheng said this, the less Fatty could stand aside. He immediately jumped onto Ye Tiancheng's pickup truck.
"Alright, Brother Ye, stop refusing me. Take me with you. Don't worry about my face; it's almost healed and shouldn't be a problem."
Ye Tiancheng removed the bandages from Fatty's face and found that the wounds from the unknown insect bites had disappeared. Only some faint red marks remained.
"Fine, I shouldn't have left you here alone. We've repaid our debts, and you can go back to your normal life. I'll take you back first."
Fatty was happy that Ye Tiancheng was willing to take him and didn't want to say more, as it might lead to Ye Tiancheng kicking him out of the car.
And so, Ye Tiancheng set off in the pickup truck with Fatty, and the two began their journey back.
Due to the sudden turn of events, namely Su Muxian's abduction by Ouyang Xunuo, Ye Tiancheng had no time to focus on the matter of the Fuxi Qin fragments.
It seemed that to continue searching for the fragments, he would have to resolve Su Muxian's situation first. However, Ye Tiancheng did have some clues: there was an entrance to searching for the Fuxi Qin fragments in the cave at the Su family's old home. But all this would have to wait until Ye Tiancheng's true qi recovered.
Ye Tiancheng was extremely weak now. After only two or three hours of driving, he couldn't take it anymore and started coughing. Fatty noticed his condition and quickly told Ye Tiancheng to rest, offering to drive himself.
Their journey was difficult. The pickup truck was in particularly bad shape. It had previously fallen into a ditch, causing further damage to the tires.
"Brother Ye, I've never driven a car as strenuous as your pickup truck. Brothers, why don't we save up some money and get a new one? This car seems to have reached the end of its lifespan."