Chapter 73

Suddenly, someone outside shouted, “Captain Yang is back!”

“How so fast? Wasn’t she still in Wucheng this morning?” someone said.

Liu Siyuan heard this, ignored the four of them, and walked out of the reception hall to meet Yang Yi.

Chen Cuilan’s face changed instantly; she tugged at her husband’s sleeve. “We just rushed over like this—will she be angry with us? She’s powerful now; I saw the news of her killing that Fire Demon, and my heart was pounding…”

“What’s there to fear? She’s just a little girl who grew up in our home—we fed her, clothed her, raised her to adulthood, even sent her to university! Even if she’s now the top Awakened, even if she turned into a god, if she dares to give us a single cold look, the whole world will see how ungrateful she is!” Yang Guangchang snorted, utterly unconcerned.

“Exactly! She’s so famous now, watched by the whole world—she fears scandal the most!” Yang Hui’s voice dripped with envy. “To protect her image, she’ll have to support us for life! Let us enjoy comfort and look down on her forever!”

“Exactly! We came here just to get Yang Ze a government post—he’s so young, his future is long, and he’s the only heir of the Yang family! We’ll rely on him someday! This Yang Yi… I’m skeptical. She’s a thankless wolf. After going to university, she came home twice, then after graduation, cut off all contact with us… Let’s just lay out the terms clearly!” Chen Cuilan wiped spit from her lips and began counting on her fingers:

“First, get Yang Ze a high-ranking official position. Second, arrange for Huihui to marry into a top-tier wealthy family. Third, buy us several large villas in the capital and other first-tier cities. Fourth, give us a few billion. Given her stubborn nature, that’s probably the limit—more than that, I don’t expect from her…”

“What? She dare not ignore us?” Yang Ze said carelessly. “She got lucky and awakened supernatural abilities. Since she could awaken, our family must have the gene. Tomorrow, maybe I’ll awaken—and I might be even stronger than her! Then, it won’t be us begging her—it’ll be her begging me!”

“So why not let her arrange a position for me first? Besides, even if I never awaken, she was raised by us. Now that she’s successful, shouldn’t she secure a good future for her own family—for her own sake?”

The four of them sat inside the reception hall, calculating their future bliss—when suddenly, a thunderous crash echoed outside, as if a massive boulder had fallen from the sky, shaking the entire earth.

“What happened? What’s going on? Is there an earthquake in the capital?” Chen Cuilan jumped in fright. Seeing her son and husband already sprinting out the door, she hurriedly grabbed her daughter’s arm and rushed out with her.

Outside, dust and smoke filled the courtyard. Cement cracked nearly ten meters outward from the center of the dust cloud, as if a colossal object had plummeted from the heavens and carved out a massive crater.

Before the dust settled, a figure slowly emerged from the concrete crater—it was Yang Yi. The earthquake-like tremor had been caused by her landing from the sky.

Liu Siyuan had assumed Yang Yi meant she’d return by plane when she said she’d be back soon—but she’d flown directly from Wucheng.

The straight-line distance from Wucheng to the capital is roughly seventeen hundred kilometers; even by plane, it takes two hours. Yet she’d flown back in less than half an hour since hanging up the phone.

Liu Siyuan hurried over, pointed to the stunned Yang Guangchang and the others, and briefly explained the situation.

Yang Yi ignored the crowd, walked over expressionlessly, glanced at them with cold detachment, and said in a flat tone: “Come inside.” Then she walked alone into the reception hall.

The four were unnerved by her dramatic entrance; they exchanged uneasy glances and followed her into the reception hall.

Yang Yi sat alone on the main sofa, arms crossed, legs crossed, leaning back naturally as if she owned the place. “Sit down,” she said, waving one hand casually toward Yang Guangchang and the others.

Liu Siyuan stood behind her like a spear, hands clasped, hanging naturally, eyes lowered, silent as a stone.

This posture alone drained three-tenths of their confidence.

“What brings you to the capital?” Yang Yi asked, her tone indifferent.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Yang Yi’s current demeanor radiated authority, utterly unlike her past self—they found her alien, and dared not speak.

Chen Cuilan recalled the news footage of Yang Yi slaying the Fire Demon. She couldn’t reconcile this imposing young woman with the little girl who once endured their abuse—her heart already trembled.

“Nothing much—we just haven’t seen you in a long time, everyone missed you, so we came to visit…” She spoke to Yang Yi in a gentle tone for the first time, sounding awkward and unfamiliar.

“I’m fine. Better than ever.” Yang Yi replied. Beneath her calm words, there seemed to be more—but no one paused to listen.

“Is there anything else?” Yang Yi asked again, softly.

“What’s that supposed to mean? What kind of attitude is this?!” Yang Guangchang finally snapped, feeling humiliated. “I’m your uncle! Is this how you treat your elders? We traveled thousands of miles to see you—and this is how you receive us? Do you think I won’t walk out that door and show everyone how the famous Yang Yi treats her own family?!”

“Then,” Yang Yi’s lips curled into a faint smile. She asked sincerely, “How should I have received you?”

Her mild tone misled them—they thought she’d finally bowed. The Yang Yi before them merged with the silent, timid, evasive girl of old. They felt as if they’d returned to their home’s usual dynamic, and their arrogance surged.

“Yang Yi, ever since you came to our home at age three—no father, no mother—we fed you, clothed you, raised you, even sent you to university—your cousins never had such treatment!” Chen Cuilan, still stung by her earlier subservience, now adopted a condescending tone to reclaim dignity.

“I remember—it’s because they failed the entrance exams.” Yang Yi still smiled faintly.

“Even if you passed, how can you not be grateful we let you go to university?!” Yang Hui burst out, furious and ashamed.

“All expenses during university—tuition, living costs—I earned them myself.” She stated calmly as ever.

“If we hadn’t agreed, you’d have married that idiot from town! How could you even go to university? Have you forgotten?!” Yang Hui blurted, her envy blinding her to Yang Yi’s current power.

“Oh? So I should thank you for not marrying me off to an idiot for a bride price to buy Yang Ze a house? Thank you for letting me earn my own tuition? Because of your kindness, I am who I am today? Is that it?” Yang Yi smiled—and the smile widened.

“I should thank you for tying me to the doghouse at age three and making me fight dogs for food. Thank you for forcing me to wash the entire family’s clothes in winter until my hands oozed pus. Thank you for letting your cousins push me into the river just to watch me drown for fun. Thank you, Auntie, for beating me with a clothesline because my cooking was burnt, leaving me covered in bruises. Thank you, Uncle, for kicking me off my chair into the courtyard just because you disliked me. Thank you for withholding meals, forcing me to stand or kneel for hours, beating me, slamming my head against walls… Ah, so many things to be grateful for. I’m lucky to be alive—it’s all thanks to your great kindness!”