It was embarrassing enough to learn of his grandson's foolishness, but to have it laid bare in public as well…

He even had the urge to disown Yu Chenright there and then.

Yu Chen cowered to the side, trying hard to get as little attention as possible. If these people also discovered thatYao Tanghad taken his space,Old Master Yuwould definitely punish him.

No matter what, it was still more important to stay alive.

Yu Chen was recognized as the number one in his generation within the Yu family. He had never felt so powerless as he did now.

He felt weak and afraid.

He never expected that pretending to be a member of the Xiao family would turn out to be such a big deal to the elders.

In all honesty, he thought it was nothing more than a trifle. But looking at his grandfather's eyes, he had an overwhelming sense of foreboding. He couldn't tell what was waiting for him in the near future, and he dreaded having to find out.

Xiao Bing had used the same formation to bring him inside the valley before.

Yu Chen had been dissatisfied initially, upset that she didn't treat him as one of her people. But then he thought it would be a clever way to get back at her if he brought in the outsiders and pretend to be her brother.

After much contemplation, however, his frustrations gradually ebbed away.

Yu Chen lowered his head as guilt swept over him.

If his grandfather took him now, he would be brought to the people of the valley to explain his actions, and he would most certainly get beaten up.He thought about his trusty whip and the barbs that lined its length. He thought of how he had used it on someone, tearing off that person's flesh with every flick of his hand. Then Yu Chenimagined himself being on the receiving end of the lashing, and a chill ran down his spine.

His eyes darted to Qin Hao's back, shielding him, and felt immense gratitude in his heart.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to side with these people.

At the very least, he wouldn't be beaten up by his grandfather.

Old Master Yu wasted no time and immediately backed down as soon asQin Hao spoke. He knew that this young man acted onCheng Yan's orders.

In short, Cheng Yanwasn't interested in seeing someone get beaten up before his eyes.

Still, that didn't mean that Old Master Yu's rage had abated. The fact that he had been refused the satisfaction of teaching his grandson a lesson only fanned the flames of his fury.

This was just too much.

Old Master Yu turned to Cheng Yan and clasped his hands together. "Young man, my ill-mannered grandson has made a huge mistake. Why don't you let me take him home and teach him a lesson? Once he is fully educated, I'm sure he will listen to you without any problems."

In the end, he still wanted to hit Yu Chen.

Yu Chen trembled under his grandfather's ominous gaze. He quickly ducked and did not dare to raise his head again.

Cheng Yan glanced at him and smiled. "Is that so? But we are not familiar with the valley. Can you lend us your grandson for a while? We need a guide. After all, it won't be good if we happen to enter some forbidden area, don't you agree?"

He wanted Yu Chenas their guide?

Old Master Yu's eyes bugged out of their sockets, and the corner of his mouth twitched. He was at a loss for words.

These people had never left this place since their arrival.

They had been tending to the unconscious girl all this time. What would they need a guide for?

In short, that talk about Yu Chenwas nothing more than a formality.

What Cheng Yanreally meant was that they had no intention of lettingYu Chengo back to the Yu family.

Old Master Xiao, who stood next to Cheng Yan, understood this as well. These people could not afford to let their hostages go, or they would be gambling away their ticket to safety.

If the valley folk wanted to do something to them later, they needed some trump cards to trade with.

It made sense for them to want to hang on to Yu Chen, andXiao Bing, too.

The only problem was that none of them knew how long the two would have to stay.

Old Master Xiao shot his granddaughter a sorrowful look. He finally understood—his granddaughter had simply suffered a misfortune she did not deserve.

And all because of Yu Chen!

If he hadn't brought these brats along, Xiao Bingwouldn't have had to set up an illusion, nor would she have let them into the valley.

Yu Chen was the root of all their troubles.

Something dark flashed in Old Master Xiao's eyes. He stared at Yu ChenandXiao Bing, but said nothing.

Yes, it was only reasonable that the young man beside him refused to let the two go.

From what Old Master Xiao could tell, the young man didn't mean any harm to them at all. Otherwise, he would have already wreaked havoc in the valley, considering how powerful he was.

If that happened, then the Xiao family would doubtlessly have something to seek revenge for.