Chapter 14 The Annoying Guy

After listening to Huang Li’s account, Yan Zhen wrinkled his nose and muttered, “What an annoying fellow.”

Huang Li vaguely heard something but couldn’t make it out clearly, so she asked, “Grandmaster Yan?”

Yan Zhen sighed lightly, “Ah, you two follow me inside.”

Huang Li hesitated, unsure whether entering would lead to trouble, but Zhou Yimin knew well that Grandmaster Yan always spoke his mind. He urged in a low voice, “We must trust the Grandmaster.”

Hearing this, Huang Li steeled herself and agreed—after all, if you doubt someone, don’t employ them. What if she offended the Grandmaster?

Yan Zhen, unaware of Huang Li and Zhou Yimin’s thoughts, saw the two humans agree and reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of Five-colored Jade for Huang Li to hold.

Huang Li took it, her face showing a hint of relief. “This is the same Evil-warding Jade that Yimin has, right?”

Only upon seeing the jade did she realize that, having known the purpose of the Five-colored Jade earlier, she should have bought a piece in the shop. But at the time, her mind was preoccupied with her husband’s situation, and she hadn’t thought of it. Fortunately, Grandmaster Yan had given her one now. Regardless of whether things would be resolved smoothly, she would prepare a generous reward for him.

Yan Zhen smiled faintly. “Mm.”

Huang Li felt as if she had swallowed a calming pill and decisively said, “No time to waste—shall we go in now?”

Yan Zhen nodded. “Mm.”

·

The mansion was eerily quiet. After unlocking the door with her key, Huang Li cautiously stepped back.

Yan Zhen took the lead, guiding Huang Li and Zhou Yimin inside.

Huang Li whispered from behind, “This is the living room. To the right is the dining area, and further back is the gym.” She pointed ahead. “That’s the spiral staircase leading straight to the second floor. Our master bedroom is on the left—it’s quite large, with a small study inside. Behind it is a guest room and a workspace. The floor above has a home theater and game room…”

In City B, such a mansion would cost hundreds of millions, and its interior design was impeccable. Normally, anyone entering would feel immense comfort. But now, with the incident, stepping inside felt entirely different.

As Huang Li described the layout to Yan Zhen, she also felt something strange—the place felt unfamiliar. Though everything was the same as before, there was an overwhelming sense of oppression. The space was still vast, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling of confinement.

Fortunately, just as Huang Li began to feel agitated, the Five-colored Jade in her hand emitted a cool sensation, which she absorbed. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, leaving her sharply alert. The confinement and oppression vanished.

Huang Li exhaled slowly, feeling deeply relieved.

Earlier, standing at the entrance with Zhou Yimin’s Five-colored Jade, she hadn’t felt much discomfort. But walking into the villa was different from standing at the door. Thankfully, the jade was still effective.

However, her expression remained serious.

In contrast, Yan Zhen, who had been frowning outside, gradually relaxed the deeper they went.

Zhou Yimin noticed this and cautiously asked, “Grandmaster Yan, how does it look?”

Yan Zhen said, “Let’s go to the second floor first.” He paused, glancing at Huang Li. “Your husband is upstairs, right?”

Huang Li quickly replied, “Most likely. He’s usually in the master bedroom.”

Yan Zhen turned back and ascended the spiral staircase.

Huang Li and Zhou Yimin followed closely behind, but as they climbed the stairs, a sudden illusion overtook them—countless blades and weapons seemed to slash toward them, the terrifying aura of slaughter filling their minds, piercing their skulls with a deafening buzz. In the next moment, the illusion of weapons vanished, only to be replaced by waves of malice rushing at them. They saw all the people who had ever held grudges against them, every unhappy incident from their past, every person who had wronged them, all resurfacing vividly. Even resolved conflicts and past harms seemed to replay before their eyes…

Though both knew subconsciously that none of this could be real, the emotions tied to those memories—the resentment, the anger, the pain—flooded back with such intensity that their heads felt ready to burst under the pressure.

The overwhelming negativity stirred up their inner turmoil, and as they stared at Yan Zhen’s back ahead of them, dark thoughts surged uncontrollably:

“Why should we have to grovel before some young upstart like him?”

“What a shame. We could’ve just taken the Mountain of Gold and run—after all, the unlucky ghost is already dealt with, isn’t it?”

“What does my husband matter? If he dies, the company will be all mine!”

“Why did I ever care about my wife and kids? With enough money, I could have any pretty girl I want!”

“That guy in front is so annoying…”

“Yan Zhen is unbearable—kill him! Kill him!”

Their eyes became bloodshot, their gazes dazed, as if the slightest additional provocation would push them over the edge.

Ahead, Yan Zhen heard their ragged breathing and turned around.

His gaze met their blood-streaked eyes.

Yan Zhen: “…”

Are humans really this fragile?

Considering this job was closely tied to Dan Zai, Yan Zhen fished out another piece of Five-colored Jade from his pocket.

The jade’s effect was potent—adding another piece didn’t just incrementally increase its power but multiplied it several times over. Almost instantly, Huang Li and Zhou Yimin’s dark emotions dissipated, replaced by shame as they recalled their current situation.

But…

In the next second, their shame turned to horror.

Yan Zhen had little patience for humans who were weak at every turn. Knowing the higher floors would be even more oppressive, he clenched his hand slightly.

Multicolored powder sifted through his fingers, cascading to the ground.

Huang Li: “…”

Zhou Yimin’s voice was hoarse: “Grandmaster, you—”

Yan Zhen didn’t respond. As he continued climbing, he let the powder scatter across different steps.

With each step, Huang Li and Zhou Yimin felt noticeably lighter. As they ascended further, the first jade’s powder ran out, but Yan Zhen produced another, crushing it in his fingers to release more.

By the time they reached the top of the spiral staircase, Yan Zhen had crushed four or five pieces of Five-colored Jade. The oppressive, suffocating atmosphere had almost completely vanished.

But just as Yan Zhen was about to step onto the second floor—

**Boom!**

Two enormous figures suddenly materialized, one on each side, lunging down with terrifying force!

Huang Li and Zhou Yimin’s eyes widened in terror, their hearts pounding wildly.

The figures were horrifying—towering far above human height, their massive forms radiating overwhelming power.

The creature on the left resembled an ox with two heads, eight legs, and a horse’s tail, its voice booming like a drum. The one on the right also had an ox-like shape, but with sharp, bristling fur that made it look utterly ferocious.

They charged together with overwhelming force.

Yan Zhen flicked his hand in clear annoyance. “Troublesome.”

With another “boom,” the two massive figures were casually dispersed by that single flick of his wrist.