Chapter 1838: Substitution
"Good kid, you’ve got some guts, coming alone to threaten me." Huo Hua’s heart trembled; Ye Shikai’s dagger was pressed against his neck, and with the slightest draw, his life would be forfeit. Even if he dodged this blade, with Ye Shikai’s Inner Strength, all the people here together might not be a match for him. At such close range, Huo Hua knew there was no way he could avoid it. By contrast, Zhang Ting was just an ordinary person with no Inner Strength, at best a bit of basic fighting skill. To throw his life away for a woman like this would be a huge loss.
"You’re not bad either. This time I slipped up." Ye Shikai said coldly. Had he known it would turn out like this, he really shouldn’t have let Zhang Ting come. Delaying the case wasn’t the main issue; the key was that with her here, her life was now in danger.
"Enough, tell me your choice." Ye Shikai said coldly.
"Fine, I agree. Let her go." Huo Hua gave an order, and his men hurriedly released Zhang Ting. Ye Shikai reached out and yanked her over, while the others drew their daggers and surrounded the two of them in a tight ring.
"Well? I’ve already let this woman go. Shouldn’t you keep your word too?"
"Alright, I’m a man of my word. I never go back on a promise." Ye Shikai gave Huo Hua a hard shove, pushing him away, then quickly shielded Zhang Ting. Huo Hua’s men kept the two of them encircled, clearly on the verge of making a move.
"Everyone stand down." Huo Hua ordered. "We’re pulling out."
Only when Ye Shikai saw them withdraw from the alley did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. Letting the "prey" that was already in hand slip away was truly a pity, but fortunately, no one had been hurt or killed.
"So, how are you, you alright?" Ye Shikai removed the gag from Zhang Ting’s mouth.
"Huff... huff..." Zhang Ting panted heavily. On one hand, she regretted letting Huo Hua escape; on the other, being captured so easily left her burning with shame and anger.
"You obviously could’ve caught him just now. Why did you let him go?" Zhang Ting said excitedly.
"With my skills, catching him in this alley would’ve been easy as pie. But for his dozen or so underlings to kill you would’ve been just as easy." Ye Shikai said coldly. In the situation just now, it would have been simple for him to take Huo Hua down, but then Zhang Ting would have been left unprotected. If he had killed Huo Hua, she would have been killed by his men in the next instant. For safety’s sake, he could only let Huo Hua walk. Besides, right outside the alley was a busy area; if a fight really broke out, it would be hard to contain. So today’s matter could only end here.
Zhang Ting’s face flushed red; she felt guilty. Huo Hua’s escape was, to a large extent, her fault. Most importantly, she’d actually been "captured alive." Someone as proud as she was could not tolerate such a humiliating disgrace.
"You really don’t have to blame yourself. They’re all cultivators. In the eyes of ordinary people, they’re basically ’supermen.’ And we just got here, while they’re the local tyrants." Ye Shikai said calmly. "You’re okay, right? They didn’t lay hands on you, did they?"
"Relax, I’m fine. It’s just that my arm seems like it got sprained."
"Alright then, put some bruise liniment on it when we get back. It’s not safe here; let’s move." Ye Shikai said casually. Zhang Ting was still unwilling to accept it and wanted to go after them, but Ye Shikai directly dragged her away.
At the hotel.
"I didn’t expect this bunch to be such a pain." Zhang Ting said, rubbing medicinal liquor onto her arm while getting ready to make a call.
"What are you doing?"
"Making a report, of course. These guys are so tough, we have to get the chief to send reinforcements."
"Alright, alright, put the phone down." Ye Shikai quickly snatched the phone away.
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
"This is Hong Kong, not Yanjing. It’s not convenient to bring in so many police, and they don’t understand the situation here." Ye Shikai explained.
"Then what do we do, just the two of us handling the case? You saw it yourself today—there are so many of them. If we want to catch them, we have to call for backup."
"If they don’t understand the lay of the land, it doesn’t matter how many people come; it’ll just alert the enemy. But from the looks of it, we’ve already spooked them." Ye Shikai suddenly turned to Zhang Ting. "From now on, you have to get my permission before you act. If you get into trouble again, I might not be able to save you."
"You’re one to talk. Today you actually... said you’d die with him." Zhang Ting said, both ashamed and angry.
"That was just to scare him. Besides, given the situation back then, what else could I have done? If I hadn’t put a knife to his neck, you wouldn’t have walked out today."
"So what do we do next?" Zhang Ting asked.
"Since we’re in Hong Kong, we naturally have to find some people here to help."
..............................
The next day.
"Aren’t we going to investigate the case? Why are you dressed like that?" Zhang Ting came into Ye Shikai’s room and saw him in a full suit, looking very proper.
"I didn’t bring one when we left, so I went out and bought it last night. How is it, fits alright?" Ye Shikai stood in front of the full-length mirror, turning his body and straightening his tie.
"Don’t change the subject. I asked why you’re dressed like that. What, going on a blind date?" Zhang Ting shot back.
"Of course not. I’m going to meet someone. He’s from a prestigious local clan, so naturally I have to dress presentably." Ye Shikai said casually. At that moment, Feng Ling walked in from outside the door.
"What are you doing here?"
"I already reported what happened last night to the Family Head. Young Master should proceed with caution." Feng Ling said calmly. Yesterday, since they were investigating a case, she had no choice but to wait outside, and she hadn’t expected things to blow up like that.
"Don’t worry. Last night was an accident. Besides, she was the one in danger, not me." Ye Shikai pointed at Zhang Ting and said lightly, which left her quite depressed. Zhang Ting had already been annoyed with Feng Ling, and now with this on top of it, she was even more upset.
"The Family Head has given orders. For today’s actions, this subordinate must not leave Young Master’s side." Feng Ling said firmly.
"That’s fine. I’m not going to solve the case today; I’m going to find some help." Ye Shikai didn’t refuse.
"You’re going to find help? Take me with you." Zhang Ting said excitedly.
"The help I’m going to find isn’t just anyone. Your status is... special. Better if you don’t come. I hear Hong Kong has a lot of great food. You don’t have to do anything today—just go have some fun."
"You... hmph."
In Hong Kong, the Wu Family.
"Mr. Ye, such an honored guest, and we haven’t welcomed you properly." At the Wu Family gate, a young man stood at the head of a group waiting to receive them. When he saw Ye Shikai arrive, the young man hurried forward.
"Wu Yu—Mr. Wu—it’s been a long time." Ye Shikai bowed in greeting.
"The wind’s strong out here. Let’s talk inside."
Ye Shikai’s "help" was, of course, the Wu Family, one of the three great clans in Hong Kong. Last time in Hong Kong, he had helped Wu Yu seize real control of the family, and this time he could finally put that connection to use.