Rebirth of the Fallen Master

The Li Clan's Hatred

"What is this?" Li Ye asked as he looked at the object.

Ma Yuan smiled at him. "If you ever go to the Herbal Tower, just show this plaque to any staff member there. Anything Young Master wishes to purchase will be free of charge," Ma Yuan said, leaving Li Ye stunned.

"Isn't something this valuable a bit too much?" the young man asked in disbelief.

"Why is it too much? You saved his life. Even if you emptied his entire fortune, it still wouldn't matter," the Thousand Treasures Storekeeper remarked, causing Ma Yuan to smile.

Li Ye looked at the two men suspiciously. They seemed like strangers, yet at the same time, they gave the impression of being quite close.

"No need. It's enough that Master Ma is buying my spirit medicines," Li Ye declined as he returned the identity token.

However, Ma Yuan immediately handed it back. "The shopkeeper is right. Just keep this token. If Young Master ever needs my help, you can freely enter the Herbal Tower and come find me with this token," he said persuasively.

"Just accept it. Besides, if you ever cheat Ma Yuan by reporting the token as lost, he'll have no trouble tracking you down," the Thousand Treasures Storekeeper joked, catching Ma Yuan off guard. The man coughed awkwardly.

"I'm not as sly as you are," Ma Yuan muttered, clearly unhappy with the accusation. Li Ye finally understood what he meant.

"In that case, I'll keep it for now. If there's any problem with the prescription, you can find me at the Li Clan residence," Li Ye said at last.

"The Li Clan? I've met every young master of the Li Clan, but I've never seen you before," Ma Yuan said uncertainly.

"I've heard there's one young master who rarely shows himself. Are you Li Ye?" the Thousand Treasures Storekeeper guessed.

Li Ye smiled and nodded slightly.

That surprised Ma Yuan a little because the Li Ye he had heard about was nothing like the Li Ye standing before him.

"Oh, right. These are all the spirit medicines I have," Li Ye said as he handed over every bottle he had made to Ma Yuan, who had promised to buy them.

Ma Yuan then gave Li Ye twenty-four gold coins. Li Ye smiled happily upon receiving the money.

"Boss, I'll buy this set of needles," Li Ye said without hesitation, paying with the money he had just earned.

The shopkeeper smiled faintly at his behavior before handling the purchase.

"To be skilled in both alchemy and the healing arts, Your master's abilities must truly be extraordinary," Ma Yuan praised, causing Li Ye to turn toward him.

"A master?" Li Ye thought, trying to make sense of it. That's true. At my age, how could anyone believe I possess such vast knowledge? It's only natural for others to assume I have an extraordinary master.

"You're right," Li Ye replied casually.

"Since I have nothing else to do, I'll take my leave now," Li Ye said after obtaining everything he needed.

Ma Yuan nodded slightly, letting Li Ye leave. Meanwhile, the owner of the Thousand Treasures Store simply watched the young man's back with a relaxed expression.

Li Ye let out a sigh of relief after leaving the old shop. He quickly stored the set of needles away. After taking only a few steps...

"We've finally found you, Young Master."

Suddenly, two neatly dressed guards blocked his path. Li Ye looked at them suspiciously.

"Please come back. The Family Head is looking for you," one of the guards said while gesturing toward the road home.

The two guards immediately positioned themselves on Li Ye's left and right, as though afraid he might run away.

"What business is important enough to send two guards from the Li Residence to find me?" Li Ye asked.

Neither of them answered, and Li Ye calmly followed them, unwilling to cause unnecessary trouble.

Back at the Li Residence, Li Cu had already forced open Li Ye's room. Inside, there was nothing except a wooden chest filled with empty storage boxes.

"Li Ye! What did he do? Where are all those things?" Li Cu shouted as he searched through Li Ye's room with Aning beside him.

"It looks like he knew we were coming and already hid everything," Aning said after finding the room completely empty of valuables.

Bang!

Li Cu slammed his fist onto the table.

"Damn it! If only we'd arrived sooner," he cursed angrily.

"Young Master, I'll report this to the Family Head," Aning said. Li Cu nodded, and the servant hurried away.

Li Cu snorted and paced back and forth across the small room impatiently.

Not long afterward, Li Ye finally arrived under the escort of two Li Family guards. Li Cu immediately strode toward him impatiently.

"You! Where did you take all those things?" Li Cu hissed as he pointed at the chest inside Li Ye's room.

Li Ye merely glanced at him calmly.

"They're all mine. What does that have to do with you?"

"You!" Li Cu hissed through gritted teeth.

Li Xiang, who had just arrived after hearing Aning's report that Li Ye had disappeared, quickly walked over. His eyes carefully examined Li Ye.

"This boy was seriously injured before. Instead of dying, he looks perfectly healthy—and even bolder than before," he thought.

Li Ye looked at him for a moment.

"Uncle, you didn't come here just to make an issue out of the gifts Bai Lian gave me like Li Cu did, did you?" Li Ye sneered coldly.

"Nonsense! Do you even know what you've done wrong?" Li Xiang barked.

Li Ye immediately met the man's gaze with sharp eyes.

"My mistake? Uncle is just looking for an excuse to punish me, isn't he?" Li Ye mocked, making Li Xiang furious.

Smack!

Li Ye staggered back two steps, nearly falling, but managed to steady himself. His eyes widened in shock.

"They didn't even ask about my injuries," Li Ye thought as he touched his burning cheek. Meanwhile, Li Cu smiled smugly.

"Is this how the Li Family taught you?" Li Xiang hissed.

"Taught me?" Li Ye scoffed. "Other than punishing me, what has the Li Family ever taught me?"

"Father, look! He's finally showing his true colors and even dares to talk back to you!" Li Cu shouted while pointing at Li Ye. "If you keep letting him off, who knows what he'll do in the future? Don't be fooled by him again!"

Li Cu's words made Li Xiang clench his teeth.

"Li Ye, you truly don't know your place!" Li Xiang roared. "Your mind is twisted because you're jealous of your brothers. You harmed Li Cu, slandered him, and ruined his reputation."

"You even pretended to be seriously injured to gain the Bai Family's sympathy and fill your own pockets. I'm truly ashamed. Are you really my younger sister's son?" he sneered, questioning Li Ye's parentage.

Li Ye clenched both fists tightly, suppressing his anger. His eyes burned, and his blood boiled with every word Li Xiang spoke, yet he forced himself to remain calm.

"Uncle, if you hate me that much, then why don't we just sever our ties?" Li Ye hissed, causing Li Xiang's eyes to widen with rage.

"You dare talk back to me?" he snarled.

"If your mother weren't my own younger sister..." Li Xiang paused for a moment, as though holding back words that should never have been spoken. "...do you think you could still live such a luxurious life as a member of the Li Family?"

"A luxurious life? My status is even lower than the Li Family's pets. Where exactly is this so-called luxury?" Li Ye shot back.

For some reason, anger flooded his heart. Memories of spending more than a decade growing up alone within the Li Family filled his mind, making his emotions surge even more violently.

His hands trembling with restrained fury, Li Ye asked, "Uncle, have you ever cared about me even once?"

Li Xiang trembled with rage. His teeth chattered.

"Then blame your father instead!" he shouted, finally losing control. "If it weren't for your father, my younger sister's future would never have been ruined!"

Li Ye froze.