Chapter Eighty-One: Framed and Betrayed!

"Impossible!" Master Wang barked harshly, "The other side was very clear—they must have Xu Zifeng!"

"If they can’t get him, they’ll destroy him."

"If the An family dares refuse, everyone present will be buried with them!"

As soon as his words fell, he shot a glance to his men, who had been prepared all along. They quickly overturned tables, chairs, and street stalls.

A dense web of bomb fuses was revealed at once!

"Holy hell, there really are explosives."

"So many… Enough to blow us up several times over."

"Who are these people, so ruthless? All this for one man? Do they really need to take all of us down with him?"

Instantly, the crowd was terrified out of their wits.

They pressed together at the center of the room, voices overlapping in panic and agitation.

"Looks like his words have enraged the other side," Master Wang sneered, casting a wicked glance at Ye Wushang. "Mr. Ye, do you still think the bomb threat is a hoax?"

This was his unique creation—the ‘Insect Gu Detonation Array.’

It relied on the breaking of Gu insects to trigger the bombs. When the Gu died, the bombs would explode!

The fuses couldn’t be disarmed.

The bombs couldn’t be neutralized.

No matter how capable Ye Wushang was, it would be to no avail!

"What you see on the surface is not always the truth," Ye Wushang had already made his move. Facing the threat, he remained unflinching, and replied evenly, "Master Xu is a guest invited by the An family. If they want him, they’ll have to wait for another day..."

"Enough, Ye Wushang!"

Before he could finish, Lan Ruoxue snapped, hurrying forward and hissing under her breath, "Will you stop this nonsense?"

"Is this really the time to show off?"

"The bomb fuses are out! Are you going to let them actually detonate?"

"Usually you can mess around and no one cares, but now everyone’s life hangs in their hands. Do you want to kill us all?"

Lan Ruoshuang picked up where her sister left off, berating him, "My sister is right. You’re nothing but a jinx, a harbinger of disaster. Get out of the way!"

"Move aside!"

"Enough with your nonsense. As the head of security, you didn’t even know bombs were planted. What kind of security is that?"

"The bombs are out and you’re still provoking the other side? If you want to die, don’t drag us with you!"

The other guests were equally indignant, denouncing him with sharp tongues and even hurling objects his way.

But Ye Wushang remained unmoved, his tone indifferent, "The bombs are real, but they won’t explode."

"What interests me more is who planted these bombs. Or is it a case of the thief crying 'stop thief'?"

Master Wang’s expression shifted.

Looking at Ye Wushang’s calm composure, he felt a sudden, inexplicable panic.

Before he could retort, Lan Ruoxue shoved Ye Wushang, exclaiming, "You’re impossible!"

"They want Xu Zifeng. Xu Zifeng is part of the An family. Whether to hand him over is up to President An, not you. What right do you have to decide for her—"

"He does."

An Lan interrupted, stepping forward to face Ye Wushang, her voice low, "Wushang, what do you really think of all this?"

"As I said," he replied, his gaze sharp as a blade, "the bombs are real, but they won’t go off."

"Lanlan, you have nothing to worry about."

"As far as I’m concerned, this isn’t about the bombs at all. I’d rather use this opportunity to deal with the Pei family..."

"Good!"

An Lan nodded emphatically.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, she felt an unshakable trust in him.

It seemed that as long as he was certain of something, it would never be wrong.

Though she was afraid, she trusted Ye Wushang even more.

"President Pei, Master Xu, we won’t hand him over."

"Go back and tell them: if they want medicinal cuisine, they can come openly and request it."

"Planting bombs in secret like this is shameless!"

Pei Huaide’s face was thunderous.

He hadn’t expected that, even with the bombs revealed, they would dare to talk tough.

He shot a look at Master Wang, who immediately understood, gesturing to the cords and speaking coldly:

"Since President An has made her choice, there’s nothing more I can do."

"The bombs are on a timer. There’s one minute left on the fuses. When the time is up, they’ll explode immediately."

"Besides, all exits are sealed. You’re taking everyone down with you!"

At these words, chaos erupted once more.

With time ticking away, everyone scrambled to find an exit.

But all ways out had been blocked; no one could get through, and the crowd grew more desperate.

Meanwhile, Master Wang twisted the small Gu containers, preparing to trigger the explosion as soon as he crushed them.

Pei Huaide and his son, fearing they’d be caught in the blast, hurried to a prearranged passageway, ready to escape at any moment.

"You jinx, you’re going to get us all killed!" Lan Ruoshuang shot Ye Wushang a venomous glare, pulling Lan Ruoxue along with her as they ran.

Only An Lan remained, standing firmly beside Ye Wushang, instinctively holding onto his arm.

While chaos reigned, the two of them stood unshaken.

Time slipped by.

In a blink, a minute had passed.

Click.

A crisp sound came from the bomb fuses’ timer.

Soft, yet as deafening as a tolling bell.

None of the guests had escaped the hall; all crouched on the floor, hands over their ears, awaiting death.

But after several seconds, nothing happened.

Master Wang, flustered, twisted the Gu containers repeatedly, but the insects did not emerge.

Without the Gu, the bombs could not detonate.

"What’s going on, Wang?" Pei Huaide came over, frowning.

Master Wang grew anxious. "Not sure. The Gu must be stuck. Give me a moment, I’ll try again."

He twisted harder this time.

But minutes passed, and still nothing happened.

"Are you sure about this, Master Wang? Isn’t this your specialty? It’s always worked before. Why isn’t it working now?" Pei Qinghu pressed impatiently.

By now, sweat was pouring from Master Wang; despite all his efforts, he achieved nothing.

The guests, once terrified, now grew puzzled.

One by one, they stood, looking suspiciously at the flustered trio on stage.

"Seems I was right," Ye Wushang sneered, stepping forward and with a flick of his hand, knocked over the two Gu containers.

Master Wang looked closely and was horrified to find all the insects inside—the very ones that were supposed to trigger the bombs—were dead!

"How could this be?"

He stared in terror at Ye Wushang.

He’d spent decades cultivating these Gu, which should have been nearly indestructible and possessed extraordinary vitality and intelligence. They had never left their containers, virtually unbreakable.

Yet now, not one had survived; all were dead, torn limb from limb.

Who was this man? How could he shatter the Gu and do so without anyone noticing?

His body trembled.

He nearly lost his footing.

For the first time, he felt true fear of someone.

"Idiot!" Pei Huaide shot Master Wang a furious glare and muttered, "Qinghu, get ready to implement Plan B."

"You did everything I told you, right?"

"Don’t worry, Dad. I’m reliable—certainly more than this old Wang," Pei Qinghu nodded.

Looking at Ye Wushang’s calm demeanor, his nerves were fraying. If not even Master Wang could deal with this man, he was more convinced than ever that the guy was as stubborn and repulsive as a stone from a cesspit.

If they didn’t kill him today, he’d be a disaster in the future!

"Wushang, how did you know the bombs wouldn’t go off?" An Lan, who had finally recovered, clung to Ye Wushang’s arm, excitement in her voice. "You have no idea, just now I was really—"

"That’s not important," Ye Wushang cut in. "What matters is who planted these bombs."

"President Pei keeps talking about ‘someone else.’ Who exactly is it? Shouldn't you give us an explanation?"

He smiled at Pei Huaide.

Pei Huaide stiffened, his face darkening. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You know very well why," Ye Wushang replied coldly. "The bombs are real, but the messenger has always been you."

"This so-called ‘other party’—who are they? Where are they?"

"As head of security, it’s my duty to ask so I can investigate. If you can’t answer, then I have no choice but to suspect that you’re the one crying 'stop thief.'"

"The one who wants Xu Zifeng is you."

"And the one who wants to kill us all—is you!"

With that, Ye Wushang stepped forward, looming over Pei Huaide, his gaze icy and menacing.

Such chilling intent made the air feel like an icehouse.

Even someone as seasoned as Pei Huaide couldn’t help but panic.

He instinctively retreated several steps and glanced at Pei Qinghu, who immediately said, "You want to know, do you?"

"Fine, I’ll tell you."

"This ‘other party’—is none other than you, Ye Wushang!"

Boom!

The words sent shockwaves through the room.

Even Ye Wushang frowned, not expecting them to turn the accusation on him and try to frame him!

"Pei Qinghu, don’t you dare slander him!" An Lan was furious, stepping in front of Ye Wushang and shouting, "Wushang is my security chief."

"He’s only responsible for on-site safety, never for making threats."

"Besides, he—"

"Then how did he know the bombs wouldn't explode?" Pei Qinghu pretended to suddenly realize something. "Actually, we’ve only ever communicated with the other side online."

"I didn’t know who it was before, but just now I realized—it’s him. He’s the mastermind who wants Xu Zifeng, the one behind the bomb threat!"

He stepped up to Ye Wushang, who instinctively tensed, but Pei Qinghu waved him off, "Why are you so nervous?"

"You’re so skilled—what could I possibly do to you?"

With that, he yanked at the hem of Ye Wushang’s jacket, then ordered someone to fetch a piece of bomb fuse and compared it, saying, "Everyone, look."

"There’s explosive powder on this fuse, and on Ye Wushang’s clothes as well."

"If he hadn't made the bombs himself, there’s no way so much residue would be on him."

"And this—this detonator I just found in his pocket—it’s identical in model and fit to the bomb fuses. The evidence is irrefutable. Do you still dare deny it?"