Chapter 26: A Real-Life White-Eyed Wolf

Little Mustache’s heart skipped a beat—hadn’t he already sold these two off? How were they here?

Could it be… they escaped?

“N-no, I don’t know them.”

His older brother and sister-in-law’s expressions changed.

The constable snapped, “Your brother and sister-in-law have already testified that these two spent the night at your house. You even prepared a room for them. And now you dare say you don’t know them?”

“Huh? I… haha, I must have remembered wrong.” His roguish attitude was downright infuriating.

Standing to the side, Xiao Jingyuan and Xia Mo exchanged glances—he wouldn’t be laughing for long.

“Young man, you better tell the truth before the constable. What exactly happened? Did you sell them, just as they claimed?”

“I did not.”

Without hesitation, Ye Lao’er denied it outright. The way he did so, so confidently and without a trace of fear, made him seem like a habitual offender.

“I knocked on their door early in the morning, but they were already gone. They even folded the blankets neatly before leaving. I imagine they must have run into those traffickers after they left my house. My lord, you have sharp judgment—please don’t wrongly accuse an innocent man.”

Tch, innocent man? Xia Mo couldn’t help rolling her eyes.

Ye Dasao clenched her hands tightly, panic creeping into her heart.

Her brother-in-law had clearly said he saw them leave and that they didn’t say goodbye because they were in a hurry. But now, why was his story different?

He was lying.

The constable looked at Xia Mo.

She said calmly, “It’s easy to tell if he’s lying. Just bring in those human traffickers and ask them.”

After all, they had been captured alive.

Ye Lao’er’s expression shifted instantly.

Those people… were still alive?

“Go, check if any of them are still breathing. If they are, bring them all here.”

Before long, five surviving traffickers were brought forward, including the very one Ye Lao’er had dealt with.

For the first time, fear flickered in Ye Lao’er’s eyes. His previous arrogance vanished as he darted his gaze around uneasily.

The constable took note of his reaction and sneered, “So you won’t cry until you see the coffin, huh?”

“Ye Lao’er, do you recognize these men?”

Ye Lao’er hung his head low, voice flustered. “N-no, I don’t.”

Ye Laoda and his wife exchanged looks. They knew their own family member well—his panicked state told them everything. He was lying. The fact that he didn’t recognize them would be the real surprise.

Ye Laoda frowned deeply. He vaguely recalled having seen one of them before—someone who had visited his younger brother a few days ago.

“Heh, don’t recognize them?” The constable turned to the dark-skinned man among the traffickers and said, “He claims he doesn’t know you. If you want to beg for mercy, now’s your chance to prove him wrong.”

The dark-skinned man immediately spoke up, “Ye Lao’er, how can you say you don’t know me? This morning, I bought those two from you for two taels of silver! How could you forget that?”

“Pah! Don’t spout nonsense! It never happened! My lord, human traffickers are heartless scum. You can’t just take his word for it.”

“No? We’ve been old pals for a while now! And you, Ye Lao’er, dare call me heartless? Pah! Even if I am, I’d never do something as vile as you! At least the money I earn is used to protect my own family. But you? You sold your own nephew!”

What?!

“What nephew?!”

The dark-skinned man sneered, “Your youngest son! This bastard was afraid you’d leave all your wealth to your youngest son and not to him, so he sold the boy off for three taels of silver and gambled it all away!”

Ye Laoda and his wife were utterly shaken.

The couple had always worked hard, raising several daughters but never having a son. It wasn’t until their thirties that they finally had a youngest son.

They had doted on him endlessly—only for him to be sold off.

They had always assumed someone jealous of their family had taken the child. Never did they expect it to be their own flesh and blood.

“Youngest brother, was Little Treasure’s disappearance just as he said?”

Ye Laoda’s hands were trembling.

Ye Lao’er frantically denied it. “Of course not! Big Brother, don’t listen to his lies! I don’t even know him!”

The dark-skinned man smirked. “The day you handed the child over to me, he was wearing a little blue jacket with a checkered collar, wasn’t he?”

Ye Dasao’s eyes widened in shock, clutching her husband’s arm. “That’s right! When Little Treasure disappeared, he was wearing a blue jacket with a checkered collar!”

“He took advantage of your absence and secretly handed the child to me through the back door. Think about it carefully—didn’t he disappear off to the gambling den right after your son went missing?”

Ye Laoda’s mind raced.

At the time, the whole family had been busy searching for Little Treasure. He had assumed his younger brother was searching as well. But later, a friend mentioned seeing him at the gambling den.

Ye Laoda had confronted his younger brother about it, but Ye Lao’er had denied it outright, insisting they had mistaken someone else for him.

He had even claimed to be out of town looking for the child.

Ye Laoda had trusted him, thinking that blood ties meant something.

But now, looking back, he realized he had overlooked too many details. His younger brother’s actions had been highly suspicious.

“You went to the gambling den today? Where did you get the money?” Ye Laoda strode forward and grabbed Ye Lao’er’s collar, his voice icy cold.

“I… Big Brother, I didn’t…”

The guards who had arrested him interjected, “We caught him red-handed at the gambling den.”

Ye Laoda lost all patience. With a powerful punch, he struck his younger brother square in the face. “And you still dare deny it?!”

The blow was heavy, sending blood gushing from Ye Lao’er’s nose.

Ye Lao’er, spoiled since childhood and never having suffered a beating before, instantly flew into a rage.

He started wailing, “Father, Mother! Before you died, you entrusted me to Big Brother, telling him to take care of me! Is this how he treats me? Aiyaaa! Father, Mother, open your eyes in the afterlife and see—he doesn’t act like an older brother at all!”

He flailed and screamed, rolling on the ground in a fit.

Ye Laoda, face dark with fury, felt his chest tighten.

His younger brother was a whole twelve years younger than him. After their parents died, he and his wife had practically raised the boy as their own, spoiling him.

Back then, when they had no son of their own, he had even considered leaving all his assets to Ye Lao’er.

But in the end, they had only raised a thankless wolf.

“How dare you bring up our parents?! I’ll beat you to death, you heartless beast!”

Ye Laoda pounced on him again, raining down punches and kicks.

This time, Ye Lao’er lost his temper completely and screamed, “So what if I sold him? What’s the big deal?! If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves! You were the unfair ones!”

Ye Dasao, eyes swollen from crying, yanked Ye Laoda away. She crouched down, voice taut with despair.

“Tell me the truth. Did you really sell Little Treasure?”

She couldn’t even fathom the betrayal—that the boy she had raised could do such a thing.

Ye Lao’er sneered, “So what if I did?”

Ye Dasao’s body trembled violently.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground.

Ye Laoda rushed to support her, his voice thick with grief.

“My wife…”