Volume One, Chapter Thirteen: Can You Do It?

In the dead of night, the Ye family residence was still brightly lit.

Inside the ancestral hall, Ye Qingcheng, dressed in coarse mourning clothes and wearing a white hat, was keeping vigil by the old master’s coffin.

Even now, she could not accept the reality.

Her grandfather was dead, yet she hadn’t even seen him one last time.

“Qingcheng, if grandfather knows from the afterlife, he wouldn’t want you to be so heartbroken…” Chen Fan spoke to comfort her, but all he received was Ye Qingcheng’s cold glare and merciless words: “Why are you still alive? Ten years ago, why didn’t you die?”

“Why wasn’t it you who died? If I hadn’t gone looking for you, how could grandfather have died…”

“Get lost, I don’t want to see you!”

In Ye Qingcheng’s heart, the Ye family’s decline and her grandfather’s tragic death were all because of the Chen family, because of Chen Fan.

She hated Chen Fan, and even more, she hated herself for being a weak woman.

Unable to avenge her grandfather!

“I… sigh…” Chen Fan opened his mouth, but the words he wanted to say dissolved into a sigh.

He had no way to refute Ye Qingcheng’s accusations.

Ultimately, it was his fault; the Chen family owed the Ye family.

Chen Fan did not leave; he sat at the gate of the ancestral hall, gazing up at the pitch-black sky.

The Ye family members were all busy.

Everyone knew that the quieter tonight was, the fiercer the storm would be tomorrow.

The next day, at the Ye family estate.

Ye Qianshan and the other Ye family descendants wore extremely grim expressions.

According to custom, today was the day for relatives and friends to pay their respects.

There is a saying: happy occasions go uninvited, but funerals bring themselves.

Yet by noon, no guests had arrived.

Recalling the heyday of the Ye family, the estate had once been bustling to the point the threshold was worn down.

But now, with the old master’s passing, the halls were desolate; not a single mourner had come.

Although the Ye family members had prepared themselves mentally, the emptiness was still unsettling.

After all, many had once benefited from the Ye family’s kindness.

But now, not one person came.

How chilling that was.

However, no one else could be blamed.

Last night, the four great families had issued a warning: whoever dared to visit the Ye family to pay respects would be deemed an enemy.

To prevent anyone from coming, the four families had stationed troops guarding all four directions.

Any who dared to approach would be put to death without mercy!

Jincheng, a minor family of little standing.

A middle-aged man bowed deeply toward the direction of the Ye family and apologized, “Old Master Ye, may you rest in peace. Forgive this junior for being unable to see you off.”

He had received favors from the Ye family and wished to go, but he could not.

Behind him were many younger members of his clan.

He could not let his actions implicate them.

Yet some, knowing full well the dangers, still pressed forward.

From the east, a lone wanderer strode on foot toward the Ye family, wielding a great blade.

Soon, he was stopped by guards blocking the path.

“My Ma family is conducting business ahead; passage here is forbidden.”

“I am Wang Wu, wielder of the great blade, here to mourn at the Ye residence!”

“Those who block me will die!”

“Kill!”

Without further words, battle erupted at once.

To the west, a pair of traveling swordsmen—a husband and wife—fought fiercely with enemies blocking their way; the man wielded a silver spear, the woman danced with a silver whip.

Similar scenes unfolded at the other two directions.

Inside the Ye family old mansion, the matriarch stood vigil by the coffin.

Ye Qingcheng knelt on the ground, burning spirit money in the brazier.

It was nearly noon.

Food and wine had long been set on the table, yet no guests had arrived.

Ye Qianshan could no longer hold back. He stepped forward and said, “Mother, no one has come. Let’s take our seats. After the meal, we’ll see Father off.”

Upon hearing this, the old matriarch rose to speak.

But just then, a servant at the door suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, “Guests have arrived!”

A burly man, covered in wounds and dragging a bloodied great blade, limped toward the hall.

He shouted loudly, “Wang Wu, wielder of the great blade, here to pay respects and send off Old Master Ye!”

“Mr. Ruan and his wife have come to mourn and see off Old Master Ye!”

Voices came before the guests themselves.

A middle-aged woman appeared, a silver whip tied at her waist, a silver spear in her right hand, supporting a one-armed man with her left as they walked step by step toward the ancestral hall.

“Zhao San has come to mourn and send off Old Master Ye!”

“Li Si has come to pay respects and see off Old Master Ye!”

“…”

One after another, guests arrived to mourn, all bearing wounds.

The Ye family members were deeply moved at the sight.

The old matriarch quickly rose to greet them, “I, the old lady, thank you all!”

Then she turned to Ye Qianshan, “Qianshan, go quickly fetch the physician from the Medical Hall to treat them.”

Just then, Chen Fan stepped forward. “No need, I will treat them!”

Ye Qingcheng frowned deeply and scolded, “Stop making trouble! These people are so severely injured; only the doctors from the Medical Hall have the skill to treat them.”

The old matriarch hesitated, “Xiaofan, can you really do it?”

One must understand that injuries to warriors were no ordinary matter; a single misstep could leave lasting complications.

Moreover, among these guests were men grievously wounded, even missing limbs.

Chen Fan said nothing but approached the Ruan couple.

He turned to the middle-aged man, “If you don’t want to remain one-armed and want to wield your silver spear again, come inside with me for treatment.”

“Can I really wield the silver spear again?”

The man froze, incredulous as if he had misheard.

He had lost an arm in battle.

It was not unusual to reattach a severed limb.

But he knew well that from now on, he could never raise his spear again.

“Just trust me.”

“All right!”

The man decided to give Chen Fan a chance, a last effort.

Fifteen minutes later, the man emerged from the room, his face alight with excitement.

He never imagined such a skilled healer existed.

His severed arm had been reattached and moved freely as if nothing had happened.

“Next!”

Inside, Chen Fan’s face was pale; his voice trembled slightly.

Reattaching a limb was simple, but restoring the injured to their former strength without loss was a feat rare even in all of Huaguo.

Even Chen Fan had expended vast reserves of energy.

Each patient entered the room weak, needing support; each emerged able to walk on their own.

When the last patient was treated, Chen Fan came out, utterly exhausted.

Not just a warrior, but even an ordinary person could have felled him with a single punch.

“We thank the young divine doctor for saving our lives.”

The Ruan couple, Wang Wu, and the others all knelt on one knee, cupping their fists in gratitude.

These travelers had seen much of the world but never encountered a healer as skilled as Chen Fan.

Chen Fan quickly helped them to their feet.

Just then, a Ye family member came running in, staggering, shouting, “Matriarch, bad news! The four great families have brought their troops and are storming in!”

Ye Qianshan’s face turned pale with panic. “How many troops?”

“The four great families have sent out their entire forces!”