Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

  A leader looked at Ye Wanwan with great worry.

  Ye Wanwan wasn’t concerned though. She accepted the ship ticket money already, so how could there be no ship?

  Not long after the island was set aflame, dozens of ships appeared in the sea.

  Ships from Asura, the Fearless Alliance, and the Nie family thickly dotted the distance.

  The guards the Martial Arts Union placed around the island were scattered within several rounds of attacks.

  Although the Martial Arts Union didn’t place many guards around the island, they weren’t weak. However, they couldn’t withstand the surprise attack from three strong groups and were completely overwhelmed in terms of numbers alone.

  The process went smoother than Ye Wanwan expected.

  Every prisoner on this island successfully boarded a ship and escaped from this island.

  After returning to the Independent State, they didn’t launch a crusade against the Martial Arts Union though. Everyone was unusually tacit in remaining quiet.

  Even the Fearless Alliance didn’t retaliate against the Martial Arts Union in any way and didn’t interrogate them in any manner.

  The return of the missing leaders evoked a major ripple in the Independent State and caused Ye Wanwan to become the most frequently discussed topic of every resident’s conversation.

  The nefarious President of the Fearless Alliance actually discovered where the leaders were imprisoned and rescued them! This was a hot topic!

  As for the Martial Arts Union, they didn’t respond in any way, as though they were ignorant of this matter.

  For these returning leaders, their biggest priority was to rebuild their strength in the Independent State and recuperate for a while. No one was foolish enough to condemn the Martial Arts Union as soon as they escaped from the island.

  Moreover, none of them had concrete evidence that proved it was the Martial Arts Union who imprisoned them.

  …


  After returning to the Independent State, Ye Wanwan rested for two days before visiting the Ling residence.

  In the Ling residence living room:

  An austere elderly man’s gaze landed on Ye Wanwan, affection filling his eyes.

  “Worriless, come to Grandpa.”


  The elderly man waved his hand at Ye Wanwan.

  Ye Wanwan obediently nodded and sat down next to the elderly man.

  This elderly man was the patriarch of the Ling family, Ling Shichang, and he was Ye Wanwan’s grandfather.

  “Worriless, is there any news of your parents?”


  Ling Shichang asked Ye Wanwan after a long silence.

  “No, Grandpa.” Ye Wanwan shook her head.

  The Nie family, Asura, and the Fearless Alliance had dispatched a lot of people to search for Patriarch Nie and Madam Nie, but they were still empty-handed.

  Ye Wanwan previously thought Patriarch Nie and Madam Nie might’ve been captured to the island, but she didn’t discover any traces of them after entering the island herself.

  Hence, Ye Wanwan hypothesized that there was a great possibility her parents were in the hands of the Direct Line.

  Of course, this was mere conjecture and wasn’t proved.

  “Then the Ling family will also join the search,” Ling Shichang said after some time.

  Ye Wanwan’s eyes brightened.

  The Ling family’s intelligence network was immensely extraordinary. If the Ling family joined…


  “Worriless, Grandpa has heard about what happened to you, including your time in China and Lord Asura.” Ling Shichang abruptly changed the topic. “Grandpa missed you and your brother greatly these past years, but you should know about the situation with me and your parents…”


  Ye Wanwan’s eyes dimmed several degrees at the mention of Nameless Nie.

  “Oh right, Worriless, where’s your brother?”


  Chapter 2193: The battle between the Direct Line and the Collateral Branch

  Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

  Ling Shichang looked at Ye Wanwan and asked, “Grandpa… my brother, he recently accepted a mission and hasn’t returned yet.” Ye Wanwan forced a smile on her face.

  Nameless Nie’s matter wasn’t publicized, and the Nie family locked down the information immediately, so even the Ling family was clueless.

  “Alright. When your brother’s back, have him come to the Ling residence too,” Ling Shichang instructed.

  “Okay.” Ye Wanwan nodded.

  “Oh right, what’s the story behind the island? Who was the culprit?” Ling Shichang continued his line of inquiry.

  Ye Wanwan mulled over it for a moment before deciding to tell Ling Shichang the whole story.

  “It was the Martial Arts Union…”


  Ling Shichang frowned upon learning the truth. “What you’re saying is that the boy your grandfather rescued back then is the current president of the Martial Arts Union…?”


  “Yes.” Ye Wanwan nodded.

  “I will thoroughly investigate this matter.” Ling Shichang looked grim. “The Independent State might not be able to maintain its peace soon.”


  “Grandpa, what do you mean?” Ye Wanwan was surprised.

  “While you were on the island, the Direct Line announced it’ll start a war with the Independent State’s Collateral Branch and it started to make allies with all the major factions in the Independent State,” Ling Shichang replied.

  The Direct Line announced it would start a war with the Independent State…


  Ye Wanwan really didn’t know about this matter.

  “Oh right, Grandpa… How is the Collateral Branch differentiated from the Direct Line?” Ye Wanwan asked Ling Shichang.

  “To put it plainly, the Collateral Branch and the Direct Line are the descendants of the seniors who first inhabited the Independent State. The major clans like the ancient Si clan and the ancient Jiang clan are considered the Collateral Branch. The Direct Line was once ancient clans from the Independent State, but after the great battle between the Direct Line and the Collateral Branch, the Direct Line was defeated and expelled from the Independent State by the Collateral Branch,” Ling Shichang explained.

  “Then are the four great clans considered the Direct Line or Collateral Branch?” Ye Wanwan inquired.

  Ling Shichang smiled faintly. “Ah, Worriless, us four great clans are neither considered the Collateral Branch nor are we related to the Direct Line. It isn’t just the four great clans—aside from the ancient clans, none of the factions in the Independent State are members of the Collateral Branch or the Direct Line.”


  Ye Wanwan: “…”


  Ye Wanwan finally obtained a rough understanding of the Collateral Branch and the Direct Line.

  To put it plainly, this was completely a war between the ancient clans and didn’t have anything to do with them.

  Since it was unrelated to them, they could let them fight if they wanted. It wasn’t like it would affect the rest of them. The worst scenario was the Collateral Branch being kicked out.

  “Grandpa, since it doesn’t have anything to do with us, why should we get involved?” Ye Wanwan asked in incomprehension.

  “It does have something to do with us.” Ling Shichang explained, “The Direct Line emphasizes governance while the Collateral Branch emphasizes balance. If the Independent State is controlled by the Direct Line, it wouldn’t be a good thing.”


  “I see.”


  Realization dawned on Ye Wanwan after her grandfather’s explanation.

  After carefully thinking about it, the strongest factions in the Independent State were definitely the ancient clans right now.

  However, as Ling Shichang said, the ancient clans emphasized balance, so they would never manage business between the other factions, let alone interfere or favor one side.

  To put it precisely, the ancient clans were responsible for the rules and structure of the Independent State while the Martial Arts Union was responsible for executing those rules and structures. The other factions were just various residents.

  “Grandpa, who do you think has a greater chance of winning in the battle between the Direct Line and the Collateral Branch this time?” Ye Wanwan inquired.