Having the genes of a demon king, I never intended to be a kept man.

I got off the high-speed train and returned to the mainland.

As soon as Ye Ge and the others exited the high-speed rail station, they saw a black luxury sedan belonging to the Ye family parked at the entrance.

The old butler, dressed in a black suit, stood beside the car and respectfully opened the door: "Young Master Yege, Miss Shenxue, please."

Ye Ge and Gao Shenxue got into the car.

The black sedan slowly started moving.

"Uncle Li, why are you in such a hurry to take us back? Has something happened at home?" Ye Ge asked.

He had been on countless missions to other places before, but never like this, being picked up and dropped off at the high-speed rail station.

The Ye family has always been guided by the eagle-like education system, unlike other imperial noble families that have never protected their young masters and ladies with absolute safety.

Only by growing up in an environment with a certain degree of crisis, injustice, and pressure can a person truly mature and become resilient—this has always been the Ye family's philosophy. Otherwise, if someone instinctively seeks the family's help whenever they encounter setbacks or difficulties, they are destined never to become a leader who can stand on their own.

"Something has indeed happened," Uncle Li said as he drove. "The head of the family should have called you, right?"

"You mean Duke Wang En rebelled?" Ye Ge asked, puzzled.

Uncle Li said, "You'll find out when you get home."

An hour later, we arrived at the Ye family's house.

The car slowly drove into the Ye family's gate.

Ye Ge squinted his eyes.

Before he even got out of the car, he saw more than a dozen unfamiliar luxury cars parked in the parking lot.

These cars have special license plates; they are unique to the Ye family and can only be owned by direct or collateral relatives of the Ye family!

This is quite a spectacle...

This is extraordinary...

As they entered the villa, Ye Ge and Gao Shenxue ran into Zhou Yuqing.

"Oh dear, Xiaoye and Xue'er are back."

Zhou Yuqing happily rushed over and picked up Gao Shenxue, taking several deep breaths of her breath.

Then he squatted down and hugged Ye Ge's head with both arms, playfully pressing it into his chest and kissing it hard several times.

"My two little ones, they've missed their mother so much..."

"...Waaah...Mom, stop it." Ye Ge broke free from her mother's embrace: "What happened?"

"Huh? Didn't your dad tell you that on the phone?"

“I already told you, Duke Wang En has rebelled.”

Ye Ge glanced at the villa entrance again: "Logically speaking, with something this serious happening, the Empire should definitely send troops to punish him. But judging from the current situation, it seems this matter is also related to our family?"

“Yes.” Zhou Yuqing shrugged. “However, the Empire no longer intends to send troops.”

"what?"

"The Empire's current intention is for the Southern Territory to resolve its own affairs."

Zhou Yuqing spread her hands: "The royal family just issued an order that all the innocent noble families in the Southern Territory who have not colluded with Duke Wang En will automatically form a righteous alliance army to fight against the alliance of traitors of Wang En."

Night Song: "..."

Ye Ge's lips twitched.

This royal family is just too damn...

Wang Enke is one of the four great dukes of the empire! He controls the southern border of the entire human territory!

This old fellow has been a duke for so many years, and he certainly didn't do it for nothing. Commerce, transportation, trade, logistics, construction, and war bases in the Southern Territory are all under his control!

He has rebelled, and the southern region is bound to descend into chaos!

The royal family isn't allocating a single soldier, leaving the southern border to resolve the issue internally? Is that acceptable?

This was a move that Ye Ge never expected...

Zhou Yuqing continued, "The Empire's explanation is that Count Nicholas, who is colluding with Duke Wang En, has amassed an army of 200,000 vampires and is poised to attack outside the Great Wall, the first line of defense for the human race."

"The royal family is worried that sending a large number of troops at this time will allow the vampires to take advantage of the situation, so they have not yet issued an order to send troops."

Ye Ge was both amused and exasperated: "Then aren't they afraid that with Wang En and the vampires joining forces, the Southern Territory will truly fall under their control?"

“Yes.” Zhou Yuqing nodded seriously: “The royal family said that he believes that our allied forces of honest and righteous nobles will definitely be able to defeat Wang En’s evil rebel army!”

Night Song: "..."

"...Awesome."

Ye Ge remained expressionless, offering no comment.

"However, the royal family did make a promise." Zhou Yuqing smiled faintly again: "Among the remaining major families in the Southern Territory, whoever can defeat the rebel alliance and capture Wang En will be granted the title of duke by the empire, making its head the new Grand Duke of the Southern Territory."

Ye Ge's eyes flickered.

"Really?"

"Correct."

"..."

Ye Ge fell silent, lost in thought.

Now he finally understood.

No wonder all the Ye family members scattered across the country suddenly returned...

Seeing Ye Ge deep in thought, Zhou Yuqing smiled and gently patted his head.

"Alright, stop thinking about it. Let's go inside. Your dad and grandpa should be waiting for you."

Ye Ge nodded and didn't think about it any further.

Led by Uncle Li, he and Gao Shenxue arrived at a dark hall.

This is the highest-level council hall of the Ye family, where important decisions are discussed internally.

Upon entering, Ye Ge saw many familiar yet unfamiliar faces.

Aside from his father, Night Owl, his grandfather, Night Spring, and the servants, there were eleven well-dressed young men and eight young women in the black hall, aged between eighteen and thirty.

These people are all members of the Ye family who possess the bloodline of demonized mutants; in other words, they are all Ye Quan's grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, and great-granddaughters.

Ye Ge was the youngest among them.

Nineteen men and women sat on chairs in two rows on the left and right, idly chatting with their nearest brothers and sisters.

As soon as Ye Ge entered, all the older brothers and sisters turned their attention to him.

Some eyes clearly showed hostility from competitors, some held amusement, some curiosity, and some even a hint of provocation.

The Ye family members have always been each other's biggest rivals since birth, and Ye Ge is the son of the current family head, Ye Xiao. Recently, he has also become the personal disciple of Lan Mi, the principal of the Imperial War Academy. This news has already spread, so these older brothers and sisters are naturally very curious about Ye Ge.

As a family of demonized humans, the Ye family's appearance genes are obviously perfect, and almost everyone in the house is a handsome man or a beautiful woman.

The men were tall and handsome, exuding an imposing aura; the women were beautiful and aloof, like black roses with thorns. However, almost everyone wore an expression of indifference and unruliness; the Ye family members were all proud and ruthless warriors.