Chapter 169: I Don't Believe He's Dead
Upon hearing this, whatever affection Wang Qiaoqiao had for Xiao Ye vanished in an instant. She shook her head repeatedly. "I don't want to see it!"
The moment the news was out, the Xiao Family began preparing for the funeral.
The venue was a large funeral home, where they rented the finest hall.
The Xiao Family even purchased a high-quality coffin and placed Xiao Ye inside.
The funeral home staff prepared a great many chrysanthemums, arranging them around the body.
The Zhuo Family of the Imperial City.
When Zhuoran received the news, he was stunned for several seconds before he could process it. "What? Master Xiao is dead? This... This is impossible!"
'He's the disciple of the Lingxiao Daoist. How could he just die like that?'
Zhuo Qinglin clearly didn't believe it either, but the men he'd sent had already examined the body. Xiao Ye was well and truly dead.
"Father, you must accept what's happened. Now that Xiao Ye is dead, should we continue with the next step?"
After the Zhuo Family made contact with Xiao Ye, they immediately launched a thorough investigation into his background.
They had originally planned to secretly help the Lin Family, but now that Xiao Ye was dead, the Lin Family was nothing more than a group of useless strangers to them.
"The next step..." Zhuoran mused. "Wait, you said you saw the body, correct?"
"That's right. No breath, no pulse, and ice-cold. His body was already starting to stiffen. There's no way he could be anything but dead."
Zhuoran thought back to what he knew of the Lingxiao Daoist—a truly god-like figure.
'As his sole disciple and heir to all his abilities, how could he possibly die so easily?'
'At the very least, wouldn't the Lingxiao Daoist have given him some means of saving his own life?'
"We'll proceed. For now, help the Lin Family for a while. Let's set a one-year time limit."
"If Master Xiao still hasn't reappeared after a year, we'll wash our hands of it."
"But if he does show up, it will be a heaven-sent opportunity for us to rise to the top!"
"I don't believe Master Xiao died just like that. I absolutely refuse to believe it!"
「South City.」
「In the conference room.」
Chu Yan was in the middle of presenting the concept for a new product.
Her secretary suddenly burst in and whispered urgently, "President Chu, I just got word... Mr. Xiao... he's passed away!"
CLATTER!
The tablet in Chu Yan's hand fell to the floor.
"What did you say?"
The secretary repeated herself.
Paying no mind to the ongoing meeting, Chu Yan stumbled out of the conference room. Without even grabbing her coat, she yelled, "To the Imperial City!"
"Wait, President Chu, put on your coat! I'll book the next available flight right away. Please, try not to panic. Calm down."
Chu Yan gasped for breath, feeling a sharp, stabbing pain in her chest.
After a long moment, she finally recovered her composure and returned to her warm office.
The more she thought about it, the more something felt wrong.
'Would Xiao Ye really die?'
'She had witnessed his incredible abilities with her own eyes.'
'No, Xiao Ye would never die. This is probably just some kind of scheme!'
At this thought, Chu Yan let out a sigh of relief. Only then did she notice the soreness in her tense muscles.
'But whether it's real or not, I have to go!'
Meanwhile, at the Huo Family's residence.
As soon as Huo Wenhao entered the villa, he saw his father and older brother in the living room, both with grim expressions.
"Dad, Big Brother, what brings you here?"
"Wenhao, I came because I have something to tell you. Pack your things immediately. We're flying to the Imperial City tonight."
"The Imperial City?" Huo Wenhao still had no idea what was going on. "What for?"
"Master Xiao is dead. We're going to his funeral."
"Master Xiao is dead? How is that possible!" Huo Wenhao couldn't believe it. "Are you kidding me? Even I'm still alive and kicking. There's no way anything could have happened to Master Xiao!"
But his laugh died in his throat when he saw his father's expression remained unchanged. A bad feeling welled up inside him. "He's... really dead?"
"I don't know if it's real or a trick, but I had my men look into it. The body is, without a doubt, Master Xiao's."
Huo Wenhao still found it hard to believe. 'I have to go see for myself!'
The Yuan Family of Shanghai also received the news and immediately prepared to fly to the Imperial City.
「Jiangcheng.」
「The Ye Residence.」
As a famous actress, Ye Baiwei had her own sources of information. Moreover, she had people keeping tabs on Xiao Ye, with instructions to report any news about him to her immediately.
So, she learned of Xiao Ye's passing almost immediately.
She recalled her past experiences with Xiao Ye, a pang of sadness striking her heart.
Ye Baiwei stood up, got in her car, and drove to the Lin family's home.
"Lin Chuyue."
"Bai Wei, what are you doing here?"
Lin Chuyue had just gotten back from the office and seemed to be in good spirits.
Ye Baiwei took a deep breath. "I have to tell you something."
"What is it?" Seeing the look on her face, Lin Chuyue was suddenly struck by a bad feeling. 'For Ye Baiwei to come and tell me in person... could it be about Xiao Ye?'
"Did something happen to Xiao Ye?"
"Yes. He... he may have passed away. I imagine you would have gotten the news soon anyway. The funeral is tomorrow!"
Lin Chuyue swayed, collapsing limply onto the sofa.
'Xiao Ye... dead?'
'This... This is impossible!'
Lin Chuyue stared in disbelief as a sharp pain clenched her heart.
She clutched her chest, her breathing growing labored, as if a heavy stone had been dropped upon her.
Without even realizing it, her voice began to tremble and her vision blurred. "Xiao Ye is so skilled. How could he possibly die?"
Seeing her like this, Ye Baiwei felt terrible as well. "I heard he died of an illness, but I don't think that's the real reason."
"I don't know of any illness that kills that quickly. Chuyue, do you know something?"
Lin Chuyue's vision blurred completely as a single tear traced a path down her cheek.
'Of course she knew. She knew there were people out to get Xiao Ye.'
'She knew those people were dangerous, that their methods were endless.'
'She just never imagined that something would actually happen to him...'
Lin Chuyue suddenly shot up and scrambled upstairs.
She grabbed her coat, intending to leave.
Ye Baiwei quickly stopped her. "I've already booked a flight for tonight. We'll go to the funeral together tomorrow."
"You can't do anything by rushing out now. Chuyue, you need to calm down."
Lin Chuyue sank weakly onto the sofa. She covered her face, unable to hold it in any longer, and let out a heart-wrenching sob.
Images of Xiao Ye flooded her mind.
The way he looked when he saved her...
His roguish, carefree demeanor...
The way he looked when he kissed her...
Ye Baiwei wanted to say something, but ultimately held her tongue. She simply sat beside her, gently patting her back again and again.
Lin Chuyue hugged her and broke down, wailing.
"I don't believe he's dead!"
"He was so full of life! I just saw him a few days ago, how can he be dead?"
"He's so powerful, he can't be dead! This has to be a lie to trick me!"
Ye Baiwei sighed. "Yes, he must be tricking you."
'She, too, hoped that Xiao Ye wasn't dead...'
That night, countless people made their way toward the Imperial City.
Planes from all corners of the country landed at the airport, one after another.