Staring at the familiar face before her, Xu Jingyao instinctively recoiled, unable to believe that the man who had watched her grow up, "Uncle Jun," was capable of this.
Given that the Xu family and the Luo family had been close allies for decades, their relationship was naturally quite intimate, leading to frequent interactions. Over time, the senior members of both families had come to know each other well. And the person who now stood before Xu Jingyao was none other than Wan Jun, one of the Luo family's retainers... and the personal bodyguard of young master Luo Fu.
With this connection, and the fact that Xu Jingyao and Luo Fu had known each other since childhood, she was naturally familiar with Wan Jun, who was always by Luo Fu's side. It was precisely because of this that when she discovered Wan Jun was the mastermind behind the plot to kidnap her, she simply couldn't bring herself to believe it.
"Miss Jingyao! I am truly sorry!"
At this moment, Wan Jun, stripped of all his strength, knelt on the ground, his head bowed, not daring to look at Xu Jingyao. He knew that with his identity exposed, the clandestine activities Luo Fu had been involved in would no longer be a secret. And what would become of the relationship between the Xu and Luo families? The answer was all too clear.
"Why... why?"
Xu Jingyao clearly couldn't accept any of this. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't fathom a reason for Wan Jun to target her. He had, after all, once risked his life to save her. How could he have changed so suddenly?
"I apologize!"
Wan Jun kept his head down the entire time, repeatedly apologizing, but refusing to say anything more.
"Uncle Wan! Please tell me, what is it..."
"Miss Jingyao, it's actually quite simple to learn the truth!"
At this point, Ye Ming looked at Xu Jingyao, whose eyes had begun to redden. He then took a step forward and said calmly, "But that's assuming you are prepared to accept the truth!"
Hearing this, Wan Jun, kneeling on the ground, trembled violently. He slightly raised his head, just in time to meet Ye Ming's deep gaze. In that instant, he felt as if the young man before him had seen through everything.
"Jingyao! It's alright!"
Nangong Qianyu, standing beside Xu Jingyao, clasped her slightly chilled hand and said with a gentle smile, "Didn't you just advise us earlier that evasion solves nothing and that we must face reality bravely! Now that it's your turn, have you forgotten?"
Nangong Qianyu's words were like a gentle, warm spring, soothing Xu Jingyao's desolate heart. She turned her head, once again feeling the warmth from her kind elder sister.
"I will face it bravely!"
She nodded firmly, her beautiful eyes shining with determination.
"Yes! That's the Jingyao I know!"
Nangong Qianyu affectionately looped her arm around Xu Jingyao's, then turned to Ye Ming and said, "Jingyao is ready. You can begin."
"Alright!"
Ye Ming nodded with a smile. He then shifted his gaze to Wan Jun, who was trying to forcefully rise, with one hand behind his back. Ye Ming shook his head and sighed, "Don't waste your strength. You can't take your own life in front of me."
As Ye Ming spoke, he casually waved his hand, sending a streak of white energy into Wan Jun's body. Instantly, all the acupoints within him were sealed, and his limbs became immobile. Suicide was out of the question.
"You..."
Wan Jun felt his body, now beyond his control, his face as pale as paper, all his remaining hope extinguished by the other party.
"If you wish to take your own life so desperately, it can only be to protect someone." Ye Ming turned back to Xu Jingyao. "Miss Jingyao! With your intelligence, can you truly not guess?"
By this point, the truth was no longer a closely guarded secret.
"I..."
Hearing Ye Ming's words, Xu Jingyao's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Just as he had said, if she calmed herself and thought carefully, she should have been able to guess the answer easily. Before, her state of mind had been disturbed, causing her to lose her composure. Now, with Ye Ming's reminder, the true mastermind quickly surfaced in her mind.
"Luo... Luo Fu!"
In less than half a minute, Xu Jingyao coldly spat out a name. Of course, this name was unfamiliar to Ye Ming and Nangong Qianyu.
"Luo Fu ordered you to do this, didn't he?" Xu Jingyao's expression grew colder, her eyes filled with anger.
"No! It has nothing to do with Young Master. All of this was my doing alone." Wan Jun did not confess, taking all the blame upon himself. "Kill me! I deserve to die! I was greedy for money and wanted to kidnap you to extort the Xu family. Really, kill me!" He desperately pleaded with Ye Ming to kill him quickly, his eyes filled with despair revealing a desire for swift release. If he died, everything would be over. However, reality was not about to grant him his wish.
"Alas! A loyal servant protecting his master! A pity! A great pity!" Ye Ming saw the resolve in his eyes and also sighed, feeling a sense of regret.
"Alright! The play has gone on long enough, isn't it time to make an appearance?" At this moment, Ye Ming's gaze suddenly shifted from Wan Jun, focusing on a large tree about a meter wide to his front-left, and he spoke coldly.
"Huh?"
Ye Ming's sudden action left Xu Jingyao utterly bewildered, not understanding what he was talking about. However, among those present, perhaps she was the only one unaware of Ye Ming's intention. Yet, after Ye Ming spoke, there was no movement from behind the large tree, as if he had merely been muttering to the air.
"Alas! Why must you force my hand!" Ye Ming merely shook his head with a helpless sigh.
"Come!" He simply extended his hand and then clenched his five fingers inwards. The airflow below him rapidly gathered in the air, accelerating counter-clockwise, eventually forming a small tornado.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Ah! Let... let go of me! Damn... damn it! Damn you!"
As the fierce tornado swept towards the area behind the large tree, the next moment, a terrified scream reached Ye Ming and the others' ears. In their sight, a blurred figure within the tornado high in the air was being violently torn apart by the internal force, letting out hoarse cries of terror. Fortunately, Ye Ming had controlled the power within, otherwise, that person would have been torn to shreds instantly, with no possibility of survival.
"Disperse!" Ye Ming waved his hand, and the airflow that formed the tornado slowly began to dissipate.
Bang!
"Ah!"
Deprived of the tornado's support, the man fell to the ground without surprise, and his screams once again echoed in the air.
"Miss Jingyao! If I'm not mistaken, he should be the one you mentioned... Luo Fu."