《Divine Doctor Abandoned Girl》 Chapter 1 1 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Great Xia Nation, Autumn Maple town. In the ancestral hall of the Ye family, there were all sorts of offerings placed on the table made from sandalwood. Right in the middle of the hall were several joss sticks placed in a simple and worn out black cauldron on the floor. Smoke also filled the hall. 1A small figure pushed the door open and entered the hall. It was a girl of about thirteen years old. Her face was only the size of a palm while her facial features were extremely exquisite. It was a pity, however, that her messy hair and dazed eyes buried her beauty like a pearl covered in dust. 4The teenager had just approached the table when several people appeared from around her. 1¡°That¡¯s great. We caught the thief.¡± Several evil slaves caught the teenager¡¯s limbs and pressed her down on the floor. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The teenager was clearly shocked and wanted to struggle out of the people¡¯s hold on her. However, how could her strength compare to those evil slaves? They had been learning martial arts and were all on the first level of body tempering! ¡°Ye Lingyue. So it was you, foolish girl. Who gave you the courage to steal the table¡¯s offerings and eat them?¡± asked the slave called Wang Gui. He was the Ye family¡¯s Sixth Young Master, Ye Qing¡¯s close aide. The teenager they held against the floor was Ye Qing¡¯s younger cousin, Ye Lingyue. Although she was a young miss of the Ye family, her status was inferior to that of the slaves in the Ye family. It was all because Ye Lingyue was a fool and a humiliation of the Ye family. ¡°No¡­ Sick¡­ Clean.¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s face paled. ¡°How dare you quibble?¡± Wang Gui unreasonably asked as he slapped Ye Lingyue several times. As a martial arts practitioner, Wang Gui¡¯s slaps were enough to make Ye Lingyue¡¯s face completely swollen. When he hadn¡¯t yet appeased his anger, he kicked Ye Lingyue¡¯s abdomen. Ye Lingyue¡¯s body flew like a kite whose string had snapped, and she collided against the big cauldron placed in the hall. A soft hum of pain left her lips. ¡°The fool isn¡¯t moving anymore. She better not be dead.¡± Seeing that Ye Lingyue wasn¡¯t moving, several of the Ye family¡¯s slaves thought that she was dead. ¡°How will she die so easily? This fool has been living for at least a decade being hit and bullied by everyone, yet she¡¯s still perfectly alive. Young Master said that she¡¯s an example of a cheap person having a tough life.¡± Wang Gui¡¯s mind was also vicious. His eyes then glanced over the joss stick cauldron beside Ye Lingyue. Thirty years ago, the Ye family master bought the Ye family¡¯s ancestral hall along with the joss stick cauldron, which remained there since. Wang Gui went forward and pushed the cauldron cap open. He then scooped a handful of the joss stick ash. ¡°All of you, open the fool¡¯s mouth. Since she wants to steal and eat the offerings, let¡¯s have her eat all she wants today.¡± The slaves giggled at Wang Gui¡¯s words. To them, Ye Lingyue was inferior to that of a wild dog. After they had pressed each of Ye Lingyue¡¯s limbs down, they funneled all the ash that hadn¡¯t been cleaned for god knows how long, into her mouth. At that same moment, a round object slipped into Ye Lingyue¡¯s throat. When that thing entered her stomach, Ye Lingyue, the foolish girl, felt a fiery heat burning in her dantian. The unending nibbling and uncomfortable heat made her feel like she would burn to death. Uncomfortable¡­ Ye Lingyue felt really uncomfortable. She grabbed her throat. It was as if something was drilling through it. Even when bloody scratch marks covered her neck, the heat still burned greatly. Feeling terribly uncomfortable from the pain and heat, she hit her head against the joss stick cauldron and blood instantly oozed out from her forehead. ¡°Sh*t. Is the fool really dead?¡± Wang Gui approached the girl and realized that she wasn¡¯t moving at all. The slaves all looked at each other, and it was only then that they felt fear creep through their bodies. Although the fool¡¯s status was low and nobody paid her attention, she was still a proper young miss in the Ye family. ¡°What are you spacing out for? Let¡¯s go look for the Young Master,¡± Wang Gui said in distraught. After this, the group fled away. In the ancestral hall, Ye Lingyue¡¯s small figure curled up. The burning feeling came wave after wave. ¡°Mother,¡± Ye Lingyue helplessly called out, but no one answered her. The burning sensation slowly dissipated, but by then Ye Lingyue¡¯s organs had already twisted on its axis. Sometime later, a loud crack echoed in her mind. It sounded like something exploded in her dantian. A red glow had flashed in Ye Lingyue¡¯s body before it spread to the rest of her body. Her finger twitched. Her eyes suddenly opened. Her previously dazed eyes were now sparkling like the stars. Her surroundings became clearer as she sat up. A sharp flash appeared in her eyes as well. All she saw was an old but simple and humble house. There was a table right in the middle of the room, and on top of it were offerings and ancestral plates. ¡°I¡­ was reborn,¡± Ye Lingyue muttered softly as she glanced at her hands. They were small and thin, and it had all sorts of wounds on them. This was the body of a girl who had been terribly bullied. She stood up and tried to recall the memories of the body she was in. However, because her head wasn¡¯t straight before, she could only recall several snippets of memories. It seemed like she still needed some time to get used to this body. Just as she was about to leave the hall, a soft buzz rang in Ye Lingyue¡¯s ear. Not too far from her, something was happening: the blood stain Ye Lingyue left on the ancient joss stick cauldron¡­ permeated into the cauldron at a visible speed. A gust of cold air blew under Ye Lingyue¡¯s feet. However, her strong curiosity told her to walk forward. The moment her hand touched that cauldron, something weird happened. Woosh¡­ The ancient cauldron, that was heavy enough that it needed several people at once to carry it, transformed into a black glow and then penetrated her palm. Chapter 2 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The moment the cauldron fused with her body, it felt like a small snake had bitten her palm. By the time Ye Lingyue regained her senses, the cauldron had already disappeared from her sight. Ye Lingyue glanced at her palm, only to find a small sketch of a cauldron etched on her skin. It looked just like the cauldron she saw earlier on, only that it was the size of a nail. After the cauldron entered Ye Lingyue¡¯s body, the mark seemed as if someone had permanently etched it on her palm, just like a birthmark. No matter how hard she tried to wipe it away, it wouldn¡¯t fade. Her mind was buzzing with questions, but she knew she wouldn¡¯t get an answer in a short period. Instead, she decided to return to her house first. Using her body¡¯s instincts after she had left the ancestral hall, she walked towards the courtyard behind it. The Ye family¡¯s northern estate was split into two portions, and this included the ancestral hall and the backyard. Ye Lingyue, her mother and an old maid had been living in the backyard for years, staying alive with the minuscule allowance they had. As she walked, several short houses appeared in front of her. The houses looked like they used to be wood sheds before. Several chickens were roaming around and a large patch of vegetables was growing in front of the house. Apart from those, there was nothing else. It was where Ye Lingyue stayed. ¡°Little Miss, you¡¯re back.¡± An old woman, with a completely wrinkled face, walked out. She kept coughing as she hurriedly welcomed Ye Lingyue. This old woman was her mother¡¯s loyal maid, Aunt Liu. All these years, it was Aunt Liu who took care of her and her mom. ¡°Aunt Liu, your body hasn¡¯t recovered yet. Why are you up?¡± Ye Lingyue suddenly remembered that Aunt Liu usually was the one in-charge of cleaning the ancestral hall. Aunt Liu fell ill for the past few days. Wanting her to rest, the ¡®foolish Ye Lingyue¡¯ insisted on taking over to clean the ancestral hall for the meantime. It was because of that reason that she bumped into Wang Gui and his followers, which ultimately ended up with her death. 1It was a very simple sentence, but Aunt Liu felt extremely shocked hearing it. Her eyes swelled with disbelief. ¡°Little Miss, is your head straight now?¡± Aunt Liu agitatedly grabbed Ye Lingyue¡¯s hand and checked the younger girl out. Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes were completely clear, the same as every other normal person. Overwhelmed with her emotions, Aunt Liu cried as she hugged Ye Lingyue. ¡°Aunt Liu, stop crying. The wind is strong out here, let¡¯s go back in first.¡± Ye Lingyue exclaimed in her mind that being a fool had its benefits. At least in that way, no one would suspect her even if she acted like she lost her memories. Back in the room, seeing that Ye Lingyue looked like a mess, Aunt Liu hurriedly brought some lukewarm water for Ye Lingyue so she could wash up. After that, Aunt Liu hurriedly went to prepare some food. Using the chance that Aunt Liu wasn¡¯t around, Ye Lingyue looked around the room. The place they lived at was a cramped one, with only a few ugly, simple-looking furniture inside; namely a dining table, several long benches, and a mirror beside the table. She went forward and saw ¡®Ye Lingyue¡¯s¡¯ reflection in the mirror. She had child-like facial features, but she still looked exquisite and natural at the same time. Although her skin was yellowish, and she looked a little thin and frail, her eyes sparkled like the moon, and the eyelashes that surrounded it were long and curled. Putting the mirror down, Ye Lingyue saw two books supporting one of the table¡¯s legs. She picked them up and saw ¡®Great Xia¡¯s Ambitions¡¯ and ¡®Introduction to Martial Arts¡¯ on them. It had been a long time since anyone had flipped through those books, for a thick layer of dust had covered its surface. She picked them up and started to flip through them, slowly getting a rough understanding of the world she was in. She had been reborn into a country called the Great Xia Nation. There were many county governments in the Great Xia Nation, and the Autumn Maple town of the Ye family was in the most northern end of Great Xia. The geography within Great Xia was extremely complicated. Feral wild beasts lurked in some mountains and deep valleys that no one visited. In the Great Xia, no matter if it were commoners or descendants of well-known families, eight or nine out of ten would practice martial arts. There were different levels in a martial arts practitioner¡¯s cultivation, namely the nine levels of body tempering, postnatal, and connate. The difference between a martial arts practitioner and a normal person was that the dantian of a practitioner would collate an internal energy called elementary force. Elementary force? Ye Lingyue froze slightly. She could feel weak energy pulsing in her dantian. Could it be that the fool was a martial arts practitioner and had elementary force in her dantian too? What she was feeling was very similar to the book¡¯s description of the first level of body tempering! ¡°Little Miss, why are you holding the books used to hold up the table?¡± At this, Aunt Liu¡¯s curious voice interrupted Ye Lingyue¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Aunt Liu, did I learn martial arts before?¡± Ye Lingyue put down the books. She was sure that although that energy was weak in her dantian, it was the elementary force that the book had described. ¡°When you were little, you learned a few moves from Young Miss.¡± Aunt Liu put down the utensils to set the table. If she could gain elementary force just from learning a few moves, could it be that this body¡¯s former self wasn¡¯t exactly a fool and was instead a martial arts genius? Ye Lingyue was still confused as she glanced up at the table to see a bowl of brown rice and a plate of dry-looking vegetables. ¡°Do we usually eat those?¡± It was no wonder Ye Lingyue¡¯s body was thin and frail. ¡°Little Miss, we don¡¯t have money anymore. Butler Wang and his son confiscated the northern estate¡¯s allowance.¡± Aunt Liu sighed. Butler Wang was Wang Gui¡¯s father and the butler in-charge of the northern estate in the Ye family. She and her mother¡¯s status¡¯ probably was so low that even the family¡¯s servants bullied them and even confiscated their allowance. ¡°Does Mother not care about the allowance?¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s mother was the third daughter of the Ye family¡¯s master and therefore was the Ye family¡¯s Third Young Lady. How could anyone treat her like that? Bang! Somebody had kicked the door open and a teenager proudly walked in with a hoard of servants following behind. ¡°So what if she cares? Indeed, a fool is a fool. Do you think your Mother is still the Ye family genius that everyone pays attention to? She¡¯s only a good-for-nothing now. Who cares about a good-for-nothing?¡± The teenager dressed to the nines had his nostrils pointing up. He looked like a calf and acted extremely arrogant. 2This teenager, who had arrogantly trespassed their residence, was Ye Lingyue¡¯s cousin, Ye Qing. After Wang Gui and his followers ¡®killed¡¯ Ye Lingyue, they grew scared and quickly sought help from their master to clean the situation. After Ye Qing had searched all over the ancestral hall and didn¡¯t see Ye Lingyue¡¯s body, he was quick to assume that she was still alive. When he arrived at the backyard, Ye Qing caught on to Ye Lingyue and Aunt Liu¡¯s conversation. But he didn¡¯t expect that the fool would become clever instead of dying. ¡°Sixth Little Master, how can you speak of Third Young Lady like that? She¡¯s still your aunt.¡± Seeing Ye Qing and his gang behind him, Aunt Liu knew that they didn¡¯t come on good terms. She hurriedly pulled her Little Miss behind her. ¡°What aunt? How dare she deserve that title? She¡¯s only a divorced good-for-nothing. Because of that, she humiliated the entire Ye family,¡± Ye Qing spat. ¡°What did you say? Say it again!¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s gaze was as cold as iron. Because anger had built up inside of her, the newly grown elementary force within her pulsed harder, too. ¡°I can even say it a hundred times more. Fool, let me tell you. Because of another woman, your father chased your mother out and even beat her! That alone humiliated the Ye family! Both of you are b*tches that nobody wants. You even shamelessly leach off from the Ye family.¡± Ye Qing and his servants laughed out loud. Ye Qing and his people would say this every time they bullied ¡®Ye Lingyue.¡¯ Back then, every time ¡®Ye Lingyue¡¯ heard the same statement, she would only cry and beg for forgiveness. But now, everything was different. The thirteen-year-long hidden hatred inside of Ye Lingyue¡¯s heart exploded like a volcano! Ye Lingyue pushed Aunt Liu away and instantly kicked Ye Qing with all her strength. Chapter 3 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°If I don¡¯t cripple you today, I won¡¯t be called Ye Lingyue!¡± As a scary force grew within her, Ye Lingyue acted like she was a completely different person. ¡°Hey, the fool is acting out now. Everyone, move away. I will make this fool know the difference between a genius and a good-for-nothing.¡± Ye Qing snorted while the servants that surrounded him giggled as they cleared the place. Ye Qing was already in the third level of body tempering, and he had ranked in the top ten among the younger generation of the Ye family in terms of capability. As for Ye Lingyue, she was a fool who had never learned martial arts before. She had absolutely no chance of posing a threat to Ye Qing. Ye Qing despised Ye Lingyue so much that he didn¡¯t even bother using his elementary force. It only took Ye Lingyue a few steps to go near Ye Qing, and with that, she used her fist to punch him in the chest. When she aimed her punch out, there were barely visible punch winds that came with it. With that, Ye Qing finally realized that something was wrong. Bang! Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes emitted a cold glint. The servants were all shocked as they all witnessed Ye Qing take a few steps back from the impact of the punch. ¡°First level of body tempering!¡± Ye Qing¡¯s chest hurt terribly, but he paid no mind because he was more shocked about Ye Lingyue¡¯s punch. Ye Qing could feel a weak elementary force oozing from Ye Lingyue¡¯s punch. Although Ye Lingyue managed to punch him, she could feel that Ye Qing¡¯s flesh was as hard as an iron. This was the ability of a martial arts practitioner. Wang Gui and his followers were shocked as well. It had only been two hours and not only did she already have her head straight, she even reached the first level of body tempering! ¡°Ye Lingyue, you dared to learn martial arts behind the Master¡¯s back? So what if you did? It would still be useless. I will make you pay twice for that punch earlier.¡± Humiliated, anger rose within Ye Qing. He shouted as his fists flashed with two lighting-like currents. ¡°Little Miss, run quick. That is the ¡®Broken Thunder Fist.''¡± The sight before them alarmed Aunt Liu. Young Master Ye Qing was using a Ye family¡¯s basic martial arts move, and the punch would be a strong one. Ye Lingyue had just achieved the first level of body tempering and was not at par with Ye Qing. The boy was already at the third level of body tempering, and he was using all of his energy. Within a second, a person who was silently standing outside appeared in front of Ye Lingyue like a lightning bolt. Ye Qing¡¯s punch waved towards the newcomer. However, when his punch was half an inch away from the person, Ye Qing heard his wrist cracking. A strong opposing force then threw him out, and that caused him to fly towards the wall. A terrible pain trailed from his arm; meanwhile, a god-like woman stood in front of Ye Lingyue. The woman¡¯s sunken face looked pale. Regardless, she still looked powerful even without pulling an angry expression on her face. She had a tall frame, and she exuded an indescribable aura. ¡°Ye¡­ Third Young Miss!¡± When the Ye family servants saw who it was, they were all scared to death. Ye Fengyu, the third daughter of the Ye family master, was once the indisputable top of the Ye family. She had achieved the first level of body tempering when she was three years old and achieved postnatal when she was fifteen. If she hadn¡¯t married the wrong man, she might have become the first connate master in the Ye family. Although Ye Fengyu wasn¡¯t as strong as she was before due to her old injuries, she was still a postnatal master. ¡°Ye Fengyu, you dare to hurt me? My father will never let you off.¡± Ye Qing was in terrible pain. Ye Fengyu had just dislocated his wrist and shattered his forearm bone into countless pieces with just one blow. ¡°Who do you think your father is? I will hit him too if he comes,¡± Ye Fengyu simply said. Because Wang Gui and his father confiscated their allowance, Ye Fengyu would go up the mountains to harvest some herbs and kill some wild beasts every few months to make up for their allowance. When she did so, she would be gone for at least ten days. Ye Qing and his servants knew of Ye Fengyu¡¯s routine, so they would always come and bully Ye Lingyue whenever she was not around. However, they were never found out, for they¡¯ve always been careful and only hit Ye Lingyue where she could easily hide the wounds. Since Ye Lingyue was a fool, she didn¡¯t know how to complain about them either. If Ye Fengyu hadn¡¯t returned earlier, she wouldn¡¯t know that they had bullied her daughter all this time. At the thought of it, Ye Fengyu felt even more guilty. This group of people dared to injure her daughter, whom she could never even bear to scold. It was fine if Ye Qing¡¯s father didn¡¯t come. But if he did, she would hit everyone that came with him! ¡°Just you wait. I will go tell Grandpa.¡± Ye Qing didn¡¯t dare argue with Ye Fengyu and could only flee with the support of his servants. Behind Ye Fengyu, Ye Lingyue poked her tongue out after hearing what her mother had said. She also silently gave her mother a thumbs-up. Ye Qing¡¯s insults made Ye Lingyue misunderstand that her mother was a sad and deserted woman. Who knew that her mother was a super cool person who protected her people? Ye Fengyu turned back and saw her daughter staring straight at her. Her daughter¡¯s eyes kept turning. She didn¡¯t look like a fool anymore. Ye Fengyu froze for a second. ¡°Young Miss, Little Miss isn¡¯t a fool anymore,¡± Aunt Liu informed. Ye Lingyue rolled her eyes. ¡®Aunt Liu, this is the second time you¡¯ve said that today.¡¯ ¡°Mother,¡± Ye Lingyue called out after some hesitation. Ye Fengyu froze as her eyes swelled with tears. She had waited for a full thirteen years to be called ¡®mother.¡¯ Aunt Liu hurriedly got the mother and daughter to eat. As they did, Ye Fengyu started asking how Ye Lingyue became smarter. Ye Lingyue replied ambiguously and said that she woke up like that after she had hit her head. ¡°Mother, I want to learn martial arts,¡± Ye Lingyue said as she put down her chopsticks. The duel she had with Ye Qing earlier on made Ye Lingyue recognize that she had to become strong to survive in this world. No matter who it was, she will never let those who bullied her and Mother off that easily. ¡°Learning martial arts will be tough and it¡¯s not easily achievable in a short time. Lingyue, are you determined to do it?¡± Ye Fengyu stared at Ye Lingyue deeply. ¡°I won¡¯t give up. Mother, please let me learn.¡± Ye Lingyue wasn¡¯t easily swayed. Ye Fengyu realized that her daughter was completely different after this incident. ¡°Since you¡¯ve made your mind about it, I will start to teach you the most basic skills. I have a Gathering Elemental herb that can gather the elementary force from the sky and earth. Plant it in your room. It will be useful for your cultivation in the future.¡± Ye Fengyu¡¯s original intention during her visit to the mountain was to find some herbs useful for her injury and she found this Gathering Elemental herb by accident. ¡°Mom, if the Gathering Elemental herb is so precious, you should keep it for yourself.¡± Ye Lingyue could tell that Ye Fengyu was suffering from an old injury that was especially hard to treat. ¡°Gathering Elemental herb wouldn¡¯t help with my wound. Only fifth-grade pills can help treat my injury.¡± Ye Fengyu shook her head. No one knew her injury better than herself. After so many years, she no longer had hope of complete healing. ¡°Fifth-grade pill? Mother, would your injury heal if you have it?¡± Ye Lingyue continued asking. ¡°You foolish child, it¡¯s hard to find a fifth-grade pill even in the country city. How much more finding one in such a small town as Autumn Maple town. You were injured today, so go and sleep early after we finish dinner,¡± Ye Fengyu bitterly said with slight exhaustion as she caressed her daughter¡¯s hair. Having no other choice, Ye Lingyue carried the Gathering Elemental herb that looked the same as any other weed back to her room. Because she had lost too much blood during the day, sleepiness overwhelmed Ye Lingyue not too long after she returned to her room and she fell asleep hugging that Gathering Elemental herb. Chapter 4 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t know how long she had slept for, but her nose suddenly felt itchy and a refreshing scent unique to an after rainfall overwhelmed her senses. Ye Lingyue opened her eyes and found that she was in a white and hazy field. She looked down. The pot of Gathering Elemental herb she was hugging had disappeared. A few steps away from her, there was a well-grown weed. Wait, wasn¡¯t that the Gathering Elemental herb? Ye Lingyue remembered clearly that when her mother gave her the herb, it looked dry and yellowish. She had only taken a nap, yet the Gathering Elemental herb already transformed. Its branches were strong, its leaves green, and it looked like it was growing well. Ye Lingyue took a few steps forward and saw a black lava stone beside her. On it, three large words were carved¡ª Hongmeng Sanctuary. Those three large words were carved into the rock in a sharp font and were a few inches deep. Little did she know, someone had carved that using his finger. Ye Lingyue took a few more steps forward. However, she realized that the surrounding fog grew thicker and that she couldn¡¯t go forward anymore. This place called Hongmeng Sanctuary was only a hectare large, and she had no idea where the place would lead to. ¡°Lingyue, it¡¯s dawn now. It¡¯s time to get up and start practicing.¡± Ye Fengyu¡¯s voice trailed into her ear. Regaining her senses, Ye Lingyue realized that she had already left Hongmeng Sanctuary the moment she opened her eyes. When Ye Lingyue left, a pair of baby blue eyes appeared among the fog. After Ye Lingyue had left Hongmeng Sanctuary, all of her thoughts returned to the realization that her mother was going to start teaching her martial arts that day. ¡­ Three days later, dawn breathed into the trees outside of the Ye family¡¯s northern estate. A slender figure was jogging around the northern estate. Ye Lingyue¡¯s legs had a bag of iron sand tied to each of them. She had been running for at least two hours. 1Ye Fengyu was a very strict person. From the day Ye Lingyue learned martial arts, Ye Fengyu had already set up a strict martial art learning plan. Every dawn and dusk, Ye Lingyue must go out and run for two hours before she meditates for another two. Dusks and dawns were the times when the elementary force from the sky and earth was the most abundant. Such high-intensity training seemed impossible for the lean and weak Ye Lingyue to accomplish. However, after the first day, Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t give up and persevered. Sweat slowly dripped on the ground and it left marks with every step she took. All of Ye Lingyue¡¯s muscles and bones were protesting like crazy. However, she didn¡¯t give up. Her sweat fell like rain, and it made her look like she had just crawled out of the water after jogging for four hours. Ye Lingyue finally sat down with her legs crossed to meditate. Ye Fengyu asked her to run for two hours and meditate for another two in the morning and night. But Ye Lingyue wanted to train harder, so she ran for four hours and meditated for another four twice a day. Even if her memories weren¡¯t very clear, Ye Lingyue could vaguely remember that her head became straight after she had accidentally swallowed a pill from the weird cauldron. That pill still had some lingering effects that helped speed up Ye Lingyue¡¯s training results. That was why she trained even harder. The harder she trained, the faster her body digested the medicinal effect within her. By then, she should have more or less used up the effects it had. Whoosh, whoosh¡­ Like countless air vents, Ye Lingyue¡¯s nose, mouth, skin, and even the pores on her body were all greedily sucking in the elementary force from the sky and earth. From afar, Ye Fengyu was silently observing Ye Lingyue¡¯s training. Ye Fengyu thought that her daughter¡¯s fascination in training was just temporary. However, after seeing how her daughter had trained in the past few days¡­ She knew that the child was burning with determination to train. Was it a good thing for a girl to be so strong-headed like her? Complicated emotions brewed in Ye Fengyu¡¯s orbs. At that exact moment, Ye Fengyu¡¯s eyes twitched a little. She noticed that a layer of copper-like glow seemed to flow over Ye Lingyue¡¯s skin. That glow was the strengthening of the skin which was made possible by the elementary force. It would be hard for normal punches and kicks to hurt Ye Lingyue now. However, the strengthening of the body¡¯s skin was only achievable if the person had achieved the second level of body tempering. There were nine levels to a practitioner¡¯s body tempering stage. Ye Lingyue had achieved the first level of body tempering earlier somehow, and Ye Fengyu thought that it only happened by chance. However, within three days, her daughter broke through to the next level again. This wasn¡¯t a coincidence. After a full four hours, when she had used all of her divine force up, Ye Lingyue finally opened her eyes. She jumped up and felt that her body was as light as a bird. ¡°Why does it feel like the elementary force in my dantian is denser now?¡± It surprised Ye Lingyue. ¡°That¡¯s because you just broke through to the second level of body tempering.¡± Ye Fengyu walked over with a smile. She broke through again. This time, she broke through while she was meditating! ¡°Mother, when I fought with Ye Qing that day, he used a punching skill. Lingyue wants to learn that, too.¡± Taking the chance, Ye Lingyue requested after seeing Ye Fengyu¡¯s elated face. Ye Lingyue was a girl who did not easily forget anyone who had crossed her. She would take revenge for what Ye Qing did. ¡°You want to run just after learning how to walk? The punching skill Ye Qing used is a basic martial arts skill our Ye family has. They call it Broken Thunder Fist. The Ye family rules say that you can only start learning it after you¡¯ve reached the third level of body tempering. Once you achieve it, I will teach you that.¡± Seeing the anticipation on her daughter¡¯s face, Ye Fengyu smiled wordlessly and wiped the sweat off her daughter¡¯s forehead. ¡®She will definitely achieve the third level of body tempering one day,¡¯ Ye Fengyu thought. Chapter 5 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After a day¡¯s training, Ye Lingyue returned to her room. Since she had just achieved the second level of body tempering, she didn¡¯t know if there were any changes to Hongmeng Sanctuary. She mustered her consciousness and entered Hongmeng Sanctuary once more. It was still a hectare large, but compared to before, the fog in Hongmeng Sanctuary was slightly thinner now. Nevertheless, she still couldn¡¯t see clearly what was behind the thick fog. Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes landed on that Gathering Elemental herb. When she saw what was going on, Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyelid twitched. Was she seeing it wrongly? One, two¡­ She had only stayed outside for three days, but that one Gathering Elemental herb had grown into a full patch of them. Not only so, but every herb had also grown as tall as Ye Lingyue¡¯s knees. There were even a few herbs that grew pale green seeds. In three days, that one Gathering Elemental herb had grown seeds and grew into a large patch as well. The elementary force in Hongmeng Sanctuary was denser than outside. Because of that, the herbs that grew there would grow at a hundred times faster than outside. If it was another herb, like ginseng or a lingzhi, wouldn¡¯t she be rich? However, now that she was penniless, where would she find the money to buy precious ginseng or lingzhi? Ye Lingyue helplessly shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll pluck some Gathering Elemental herb first and see if I can secretly sell it to help with the family¡¯s allowance.¡± Thinking about their family¡¯s living expenses, Ye Lingyue went forward and plucked several Gathering Elemental herbs. She had just harvested the herbs when the cauldron in her palm shook. The herbs morphed into a green glow and the cauldron sucked them in. However, within the time span of several breaths, the Gathering Elemental herb had all turned into a bright green potion. ¡°Is this medicinal potion?¡± Ye Lingyue took a waft. Compared to Gathering Elemental herb, the medicinal potion was a lot more concentrated. Because she didn¡¯t know the potion¡¯s name, Ye Lingyue called the concentrated green medicinal potion ¡®Gathering Elemental Potion.¡¯ With that, Ye Lingyue believed she could break through to the third level of body tempering in a brief period. However, after she made the concentrated potion, she realized that the black cauldron on her palm had faded quite a bit. She felt dizzy and weak as well. It seemed like using the weird cauldron to make a concentrated potion required an enormous amount of elementary force. With Ye Lingyue¡¯s current cultivation, she could probably only do it once a day at most. After she had left Hongmeng Sanctuary, she sat down and meditated again to recover her elementary force. Suddenly, the sounds of panicked footsteps alerted her. ¡°Little Miss, get up quick. The Master summoned Third Young Miss over.¡± Aunt Liu looked terribly worried. It had been a long time since Ye Fengcheng, Ye Qing¡¯s father, fell out with Ye Fengyu. After the woman broke Ye Qing¡¯s arm, Ye Fencheng must have ratted out Ye Fengyu to the family¡¯s master, Ye Gu. Ye Gu was the Ye family master and was Ye Fengyu¡¯s biological father. He had great expectations and hopes for Ye Fengyu back then. He was intently against Ye Fengyu marrying Ye Lingyue¡¯s father, but Ye Fengyu didn¡¯t listen and she ended up being abandoned by that man. Both were terribly stubborn, and because of that, neither had spoken to each other for the past few years. This time, with Ye Fengyu attacking and injuring Ye Qing badly, Ye Gu might punish her with the family¡¯s rules. Hearing this, Ye Lingyue got up immediately. At another thought, she changed into a large and loose robe before she ran towards the Ye family¡¯s ancestral hall. ¡°Little Miss, come back!¡± Aunt Liu¡¯s cries of despair rang from behind her, but who was she to stop Ye Lingyue? The Ye family¡¯s ancestral hall was completely silent and stern. Ye Gu, the Ye family master, was sitting on the old armchair placed right in the middle of the ancestral hall. Several stocky men were standing beside him. Ye Qing looked completely terrible. His servants assisted him as they trailed behind the Ye family¡¯s fourth son, Ye Fengcheng. Both the father and son glared at Ye Fengyu. The Ye family was considered a large and established family in the Autumn Maple town. The Ye family ancestor arrived at the Autumn Maple town with nothing back then. Fortunately, he found a large mine and used it to start his family¡¯s wealth. During Ye Gu¡¯s time, he had five children. Among them, Ye Fengyu was the only girl. Amongst the next generation, there were seven boys and five girls. With that, they considered their family tree rich and large. This time, after Ye Fengyu had injured Ye Qing that badly, everyone from the Ye family was all gathered in the ancestral hall. Ever since Ye Fengyu arrived, Ye Gu kept his eyes shut and remained silent. Ye Gu was already in his fifties, but because he usually practiced martial arts to strengthen his body, his complexion looked healthy. He kept a short mustache and looked the same as any other middle-aged man in his early forties. ¡°Father, you have to side with Qing¡¯er this time. The Ye family¡¯s annual inter-family competition will start in two months. Qing¡¯er has improved lately and we all had high hopes for him to enter the top three events. However, as we speak, he has a fracture in his arms. With his condition, he cannot join the event, much less practice for it!¡± Ye Fengcheng had a daughter and a son. However, his daughter practiced martial arts out-of-town while Ye Qing, being his only son, practiced martial arts under him. He greatly doted on his son. ¡°Kneel!¡± Ye Gu suddenly opened his eyes. His sharp and angry gaze glazed over to Ye Fengyu. Ye Fengyu was once the daughter he paid the most attention to. From when she was three years old, he taught her martial arts and she should have become the Ye family¡¯s pride. She was the one who ruined everything herself. She disregarded his opposition and married that ungrateful man, who later on left her. Her cultivation also degraded and that humiliated the Ye family. Ye Gu could only close an eye on everything that had happened in the past. However, Ye Fengyu had disregarded her status as an elder and severely injured her nephew. This was something that cannot be forgiven. When faced with her father¡¯s scolding, Ye Fengyu didn¡¯t defend herself and remained unmoved. She stood there straight like a straight pole. Ye Gu¡¯s three other children remained silent on the side. Both Ye Fengcheng and his son had gloating expressions. Ye Fengyu would die this time. Seeing that Ye Fengyu wasn¡¯t kneeling or apologizing, Ye Gu¡¯s expression darkened. Ye Fengyu¡¯s defiance was challenging his power as the family master. ¡°They should be the one to kneel!¡± Within a short time, Ye Lingyue rushed into the ancestral hall. In the entire duration of Ye Lingyue staying in the Ye family, she could only count with a hand the number of times she had seen the Ye family master. Ye Lingyue¡¯s arrival broke the ancestral hall¡¯s stiff atmosphere. Everyone in the Ye family instantly threw their attention towards Ye Lingyue. Everyone was shocked. Wasn¡¯t that the fool, Ye Lingyue? Seeing his granddaughter had trespassed the hall suddenly, Ye Gu was the most shocked one amongst all. His eyes constricted as he checked Ye Lingyue out. Her small but exquisite sharp face and her bright and soulful eyes were full of emotions. Was she her granddaughter, that fool, Ye Lingyue? Ye Gu remembered that Ye Lingyue was small and as dark as a little monkey the last time he saw her. Although the current Ye Lingyue wasn¡¯t tall, she still grew up well, especially her pair of moon-like eyes that exuded anima. ¡°Lingyue, who allowed you to come?¡± Seeing her daughter, Ye Fengyu hurriedly pushed her out. The Ye family rules were extremely harsh. Just interrupting the Master when he was speaking was enough for Ye Lingyue to be whipped several times. ¡°The Ye family rules punish those who are at fault. My mother isn¡¯t at fault, so she shouldn¡¯t kneel. The ones who are at fault are them. They are the ones who should kneel.¡± As she pointed straight at Ye Qing and his father, Ye Lingyue wasn¡¯t the least fearful. ¡°You little b*tch, don¡¯t accuse people anyhow. Your mother was the one who violated the family rules and bullied a weaker with her capability. She should be whipped twenty times!¡± Ye Fengcheng shouted angrily. ¡°If the strong bully the weak, they are up for punishment? Alright! Such significant family rules! Then let me ask you, what punishment should be given to Ye Qing, Wang Gui, and the rest for everything they did to me in the last few years? They confiscated our allowance and lied to the higher authorities! How should they be punished then?¡± With that said, Ye Lingyue pulled up her robe. Harsh breaths rang in the ancestral hall. When Ye Lingyue pulled up her robe, it exposed the inner parts of her arms, legs, and body parts. They were all covered with scars and bruises of different sizes. The injuries included whipping scars, punch bruises, and scalding scars. Some wounds were black-purplish. It was obvious that they were old injuries. What kind of life did this thin and weak teenager experience in the past decade? ¡°A**hole!¡± Ye Gu slammed the armchair into pieces. Anger and disbelief filled his face. He gave Ye Fengyu and her daughter the cold shoulder on purpose for the past years, but they were still related by blood. Ye Fengyu was his daughter and Ye Lingyue was his granddaughter. Although he didn¡¯t explicitly say it, he had never been stingy with giving them their material objects. ¡°Father! I don¡¯t know all of this at all.¡± ¡°Master, please spare me.¡± Ye Fengcheng, Butler Wang, and the rest all knelt. After her loved one hurt her, Ye Fengyu¡¯s heart was completely ashen. She wallowed in her misery that she never noticed how her daughter was all this time afflicted by the bullies. ¡°Ye Fengcheng, such an exemplary son you¡¯ve taught!¡± By then, Ye Fengyu was an angry mother lion. She was just about to rush forward, but Ye Lingyue stopped her. ¡°Mother, I will take my revenge.¡± A cold smirk appeared on Ye Lingyue¡¯s lips as her eyes brushed past Ye Fengcheng, Ye Qing, Butler Wang, and the rest. Everyone who had bullied her would have to pay one day. Everyone who Ye Lingyue had glanced at, all felt shivers running down their spines. She was only thirteen years old. Why would such a strong murderous intent appear in her eyes? Ye Fengcheng knelt on the floor and he could feel the coldness of the floor seep into his bones. Keeping the Ye family mother and daughter was indeed a curse. He must think of a way to remove them for good. Chapter 6 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Ye Lingyue¡¯s action this time implicated more people. With Master Ye Gu furious, he ordered to chase Wang Gui and his father out of the Ye family. As for Ye Fengcheng and his son, they were both punished to twenty whippings, all because Ye Fengcheng didn¡¯t properly teach Ye Qing manners and morals. Ye Qing was also grounded and was made to reflect on his mistakes for a month. As a result, they made no more decisions regarding Ye Qing¡¯s injured hands. Such a punishment was nothing to Ye Fengyu and her daughter. It wasn¡¯t enough for them to give up on their hatred. Ye Fengyu¡¯s expression was grim as she left with Ye Lingyue. ¡°Stop there.¡± Ye Gu¡¯s low voice stopped Ye Fengyu. Ye Gu appeared in front of the mother and daughter. His face remained terribly tensed as hesitation flashed past his eyes. Ye Lingyue tugged her mother¡¯s hand. She could tell that her grandpa was one with a soft heart despite his harsh words. ¡°Lingyue is already thirteen years old. From tomorrow onwards, she should go to the family¡¯s martial arts hall to learn martial arts.¡± Ye Gu glanced at Ye Lingyue. In the ancestral hall, Ye Qing and his father froze from what they¡¯ve heard. Ye Gu¡¯s words were for everyone to hear. Telling Ye Lingyue to attend martial arts class also meant that the Ye family master finally recognized her. From that day onwards, she was a member of the Ye family. With what happened in the ancestral hall, the entire Ye family knew that Ye Lingyue wasn¡¯t a fool anymore. The northern estate¡¯s allowance returned to normal as well. Ye Lingyue, her mother, and Aunt Liu finally had a better life. However, it was difficult to thaw a block of ice. Ye Fengyu¡¯s relationship with the family master barely improved. The next morning, Ye Lingyue¡¯s older cousin, Ye Yinshuang, appeared outside of the northern estate. ¡°Sister Lingyue, Grandpa told me to bring you to the martial arts hall.¡± Ye Yinshuang was Ye Lingyue¡¯s second uncle¡¯s daughter. She was one year older than Ye Lingyue. She had tan skin and a round face and eyes, and she looked like she had a really good temper. Yinshuang led Lingyue out of the Ye family estate. Ye Yinshuang was fairly curious about Ye Lingyue as well. She had only heard from the adults that her Third Aunt¡¯s daughter was a mentally challenged girl who suddenly snapped out of her daze in the last few days. When she saw Ye Lingyue, the girl looked really pretty and was very friendly as well. Ye Yinshuang immediately liked her the moment she saw her. Since both were of the same age bracket, they got along really well together. The Ye family¡¯s martial arts hall was on the southern side of the Autumn Maple town. It had a large field and several tiles-roofed houses. The Ye family had been living in Autumn Maple town for over twenty generations and that was over five hundred years. Adding up the main family branch and the side family branches, there were several thousand family members. They were considered one of the top families in Autumn Maple town. She had just entered the martial arts hall when she saw over seventy children and teenagers standing on the open field. They arranged the children according to their age and were standing in four rows. The first row comprised of children aged six to eight years of age, followed by a row comprised of children aged nine to twelve years of age. Next to it are children aged 12 to 15 years of age, and the last row comprised of those over 15 years of age. Every child was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and long pants made from rough fabric. Sweat covered their foreheads. Since it was Ye Lingyue¡¯s first day at the martial arts hall, she didn¡¯t know anyone. Walking in with Ye Yinshuang already attracted the attention of several children from the side family branches. ¡°Sister Yinshuang, who is this pretty sister?¡± Ye Yinshuang was part of the main family. Seeing that the teenager she brought in was really pretty, all the children went forward to surround them. ¡°She¡¯s my younger sister from the main family, Ye Lingyue.¡± Ye Yinshuang introduced her cousin. However, hearing that she was Ye Lingyue, all the teenagers surrounding them moved away as if they¡¯d seen a ghost. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± It confused Ye Lingyue. ¡°It¡¯s because of Ye Qing. While he was being punished at home these past days, he said he will settle scores with you once he returns. However, you don¡¯t need to be afraid. We¡¯re not allowed to carry on personal fights in the martial arts hall. I will protect you on our way back and forth here.¡± Ye Yinshuang waved her fist around, looking completely like an older sister. After all, she was on the third level of body tempering. Hence, she wasn¡¯t afraid of Ye Qing. ¡°Is Ye Qing very strong?¡± Ye Lingyue knew that after she had offended Ye Qing, he and his father would never back down on her. ¡°How strong can he be? He¡¯s just arrogant. The real powerful one is Ye Qing¡¯s older sister, Ye Liuyun.¡± Ye Qingshuang wanted to say more when the head instructor of the martial arts hall arrived. The two had no choice but to stop their conversation and start practicing. Compared to Ye Fengyu¡¯s training routine, the training at the Ye family martial arts hall was nothing to Ye Lingyue. It had only been one morning, but Ye Lingyue was already used to the hall¡¯s training. When the hall dismissed them, Ye Lingyue thought of an excuse to part with Ye Yinshuang and went to the town¡¯s market alone. Autumn Maple town¡¯s market was at the most crowded street in town. The market sold all sorts of items, from medicinal herbs, weapons, and everyday items. Even though the northern estate had regained their allowance and seemed like their lives had already improved, their allowance was only enough to settle the three¡¯s daily expenses. Ye Lingyue¡¯s allowance was only a pitiful twenty coins. In the past, it might have been enough for the foolish Ye Lingyue. However, for Ye Lingyue, who wanted to break through to the third level of body tempering as soon as possible, it was far from being enough. Ye Lingyue was already at the second level of body tempering. If she wanted to break through to the third level as soon as possible, she would need some medicinal support apart from training hard. However, she only had the Gathering Elemental herbs, so she went to the market to see if there were any suitable herbs. Besides, Ye Lingyue had another wish in mind¡ªto find a spiritual herb that could heal her mother. She must let her mother retake the genius title she once had. That was why she needed money! A lot of money! Chapter 7 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios There was a medicinal shop in front of her, and it was the largest shop in town. Ye Lingyue first entered a grocery shop to buy a bamboo hat. She wore it before she entered the medicinal shop. In the shop, there were all sorts of medicinal herbs Ye Lingyue couldn¡¯t name. Nevertheless, it still dazzled her eyes and as expected, the prices weren¡¯t cheap. Seeing that the person who had entered the shop was wearing a hat and looked mysterious, the shop staff didn¡¯t bother to approach her. ¡°I want to sell Gathering Elemental herb.¡± Ye Lingyue went forward. She lowered down her voice on purpose so no one would suspect how old she was. Since the Gathering Elemental herb could gather the elementary force from the sky and earth, they were especially good for martial arts practitioners under the third level of body tempering. Some better-off families in Autumn Maple town would plant several Gathering Elemental herbs in their courtyards or rooms. Ye Lingyue took out her Gathering Elemental herbs. There were about ten of them, and she had just plucked them before she left the house that morning. ¡°We don¡¯t take unknown herbs here,¡± replied the staff grumpily. He didn¡¯t even glance at the herb. Ye Lingyue could see his despise for her as well. She retracted her hand. She would never sell the herb to people who didn¡¯t see the value of it. ¡°Miss, hold on!¡± The manager of the shop rushed over and took Ye Lingyue¡¯s Gathering Elemental herbs to look at it carefully. The branches were tall and firm. Its leaves were full and dense and there were no bug holes on them at all. The more the manager looked at it, the happier he got. That damned staff! He almost chased a valuable guest away! With the manager¡¯s experience, how could he not tell that those Gathering Elemental herbs were not that simple? The worst out of the batch of Gathering Elemental herb Ye Lingyue harvested from Hongmeng Sanctuary was at least three years of age. There were even some that were five years old. With decades of experience the manager had in managing a medicinal shop in Autumn Maple town, he became rather intelligent and learned how to read people well. He checked Ye Lingyue out silently. Seeing that she had worn a hat, he knew that she wanted to hide her identity. Hence, he didn¡¯t ask much about her. ¡°Miss, sorry for the inconvenience earlier. We would like these Gathering Elemental herbs. The three-year-old ones are a hundred taels each while the five-year-old ones are two hundred taels each. The ten-year-old ones are five hundred taels each and anything above fifteen years old would be eight hundred taels. If Miss has more Gathering Elemental herbs in the future, we will buy them at this price. The older they are, the higher the selling prices are.¡± The manager looked absolutely sincere. With a rough calculation, the batch of Gathering Elemental herb she brought should be able to sell for a thousand taels. If she changed it to silver taels, it was about one silver tael. The northern estate¡¯s monthly allowance was only ten silver taels. When she took the silver taels, Ye Lingyue was silently happy. Her space¡¯s Gathering Elemental herbs can grow into a large patch once every few days. Apart from extracting them into a concentrated potion, she would be able to sell at least a hundred Gathering Elemental herbs in a month. This was a very ludicrous transaction. ¡°Manager, I want to ask one more thing. Do you sell any fifth-grade pills here?¡± Ye Lingyue asked. ¡°Fifth-grade pills? Miss, you must be joking. Why would such a small place like this have a fifth-grade pill? Even the county city doesn¡¯t sell that type of pill, and each pill would cost countless thousands of gold taels.¡± The manager shook his head. ¡®Countless thousands of gold taels?¡¯ A gold tael was ten silver taels. One silver tael was a thousand copper taels. Oh my god, how many Gathering Elemental herbs would that take? It flabbergasted Ye Lingyue. From what Ye Lingyue knew, the Ye family¡¯s annual income was not over ten thousand golden taels either. Besides, the road to the county city from Autumn Maple town was extremely far. Ye Lingyue could only put down her intention to buy a fifth-grade pill for now. She sighed before she left the shop. ¡°Manager, isn¡¯t that just Gathering Elemental herb? Why are we buying them at such a high price?¡± The staff couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°You brat, what do you know?¡± The manager hit the staff¡¯s head. ¡°Normal Gathering Elemental herb can only be planted in a backyard, but those that are three years old or more are different. Once we send them to the hands of the people in the county city, they can cultivate the herb to become a first-grade spirit potion or even a spirit pill. When that happens, the price is at least ten times its original.¡± The manager hurriedly ordered his staff to send the Gathering Elemental herbs to the county city. After Ye Lingyue had taken her money, she spent some time walking around the market. She wanted to buy some new spirit herb seeds but to no avail. After returning to the northern estate, Ye Lingyue got Aunt Liu to prepare a bucket of hot water. She had sweated a lot at the martial arts hall, so she wanted to take a shower. After taking off her clothes, Ye Lingyue took out a bottle that contained the Gathering Elemental potion she made earlier. The Gathering Elemental herb could gather the elementary force in the sky and the earth. After extraction, one could use the Gathering Elemental potion to train the body. The green liquid had a unique fragrant. After pouring a drop into the bathtub, countless green runes appeared on the water surface. Sitting in the water, Ye Lingyue closed her eyes. The effect of the pill in her body had more or less diminished. In the last few days, there was a minimal increase in her dantian. But with the concentrated Gathering Elemental potion, she would be able to help her body absorb the elementary force in the sky and earth much better. The green liquid slowly permeated into Ye Lingyue¡¯s body. Countless invisible elementary forces swarmed into her body. Her bones and muscles pleasantly hummed while her nervous system also grew a lot stronger. Ye Lingyue only got up when her body had absorbed all the Gathering Elemental potion in the tub. In a flash, two weeks passed by. Within those two weeks, Ye Lingyue persevered in her training and after every training, she would bathe in Gathering Elemental potion. In the short two weeks, her body drastically changed. Her originally thin and weak body had grown a lot taller, like a willow growing in spring. Her skin had also become as smooth and fair as an unshelled egg, making her look completely different from the foolish girl that everyone bullied. This day, Ye Lingyue bathed in the Gathering Elemental potion as per usual. In the last few weeks, the amount of Gathering Elemental potion Ye Lingyue used varied each time. She even had to use a full bottle of Gathering Elemental potion in recent days. There were pros and cons to such usage. The pro was that Ye Lingyue¡¯s elementary force had grown tremendously. The con was that the Gathering Elemental herb growing in Hongmeng Sanctuary was decreasing in her inventory, not to mention that she had to sell them to the medicinal store. Ye Lingyue closed her eyes, and her heart ached from pouring a full bottle of Gathering Elemental potion into the bathtub. With a large amount of Gathering Elemental potion entering her body, her dantian fierily pulsed. Fire surged out of her dantian and spread to the rest of her body. Suddenly, Ye Lingyue opened her eyes. ¡°Third level of body tempering!¡± Ye Lingyue jumped out as excitement filled her black eyes. She broke through once again. Chapter 8 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios It only took three days to break through from the first level of body tempering to the second level! Now, it only took her fifteen days to break through from the second level of body tempering to the third level! Ye Lingyue was probably the only one in the Ye family to have such an alarming break through speed. Even Ye Fengyu, who was once the Ye family pride, was dumbfounded when she heard that her daughter had broken through once more. However, it could be because her daughter had the talent to cultivate! Ye Fengyu could only tell herself that. After Ye Lingyue had reached the third level of body tempering, Ye Fengyu must start teaching her daughter the Ye family¡¯s basic skills as promised. ¡°Great Xia¡¯s martial arts is split into nine types. The ¡®Broken Thunder Fist¡¯ I¡¯ll be teaching you today is one of the type nine moves, and it is a unique fist technique our Ye ancestors created. This technique is as strong as thunder and agile as lightning. After you¡¯ve mastered it, you can emit six rays of blue lightning glow. It will enable you to break rocks and jades, hence why they called it the Broken Thunder Fist.¡± Ye Fengyu knew very well that her daughter was already attracted to martial arts. However, according to the Ye family rules, only those who have reached the third level of body tempering were allowed to learn the basic skills. Hence why it was only until then that Ye Fengyu could teach Ye Lingyue the skills. There were nine types of martial arts. Ye Lingyue had only just started, so knowing the levels was not her principal concern. She only knew that when she dueled with Ye Qing that day, he had used the Broken Thunder Fist. However, Ye Qing only emitted two rays of blue glow, so he must not have mastered the technique yet. ¡°I will do the Broken Thunder First first. Please watch carefully.¡± With that said, Ye Fengyu waved her sleeve as her back arched a little. Next, Ye Lingyue watched as Ye Fengyu moved her legs. Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at her mother without blinking. At the end of the move, six lightning bolts crackled like a storm, and instantly, even the surrounding air twisted. Ye Fengyu wasn¡¯t quick in her demonstration, but after she had finished the move, Ye Lingyue could only remember half of the move. Ye Fengyu was very patient as she did the move again. This time, Ye Lingyue finally remembered the entire set of moves. ¡°Although the Broken Thunder Fist is only a type nine move, if you can muster all six lightning bolts and form a broken thunder force, it will be enough to break a large rock. You¡¯ve just learned it, but as long as you can remember the steps, it will be a¡ª¡± Ye Fengyu kept her fists as she spoke. However, the moment she finished speaking, Ye Lingyue moved with her eyes full of spirit, moving like how Ye Fengyu did earlier. After a full move, she heard a loud crack and saw a blue lightning bolt emitting from her fist after she threw the punch. That blue lightning bolt merely held on for a moment. But undoubtedly, it was the Broken Thunder Fist. ¡°There¡¯s only one.¡± Ye Lingyue pouted, fairly unhappy with herself. Even a person like Ye Qing could emit two rays of lightning. Yet, she could only emit one. Ye Fengyu was speechless. Her daughter could emit one lightning bolt in her first attempt at the Broken Thunder Fist. After her daughter had straightened up, she brought her too many surprises. ¡°Your speed isn¡¯t on par yet. Practice a few more times and you will naturally be able to emit more lightning rays.¡± Ye Fengyu didn¡¯t know to laugh or cry. Just like that, the mother guided and the daughter practiced. Without them realizing, the skies turned black. It was only until two lightning bolts flashed in the dark that the mother and daughter duo entered their house on a cheerful note. Not too far away, Ye Gu stared at the mother and daughter with a grim expression. 1The sky was transitioning from the dark. Outside of the northern estate, a shadow shook about. Countless piercing punching sounds pierced the air. At dawn, four thunder crackles resounded one after another as the lightning bolts landed on an old tree. In an instant, the tree branches turned charred. ¡°I¡¯ve finally emitted four lightning bolts. However, there¡¯s still a long way before I can emit six.¡± Ye Lingyue wiped the sweat off her forehead. After countless days of practice, she seemed to have some accomplishments in her Broken Thunder Fist. At dawn, Ye Yinshuang came to bring Ye Lingyue to the martial arts hall as per usual. ¡°Lingyue, your skin is really good. We all train under the bright sun together. But why didn¡¯t you get tanned?¡± Seeing how Ye Lingyue looked more and more pretty, Ye Yinshuang was envious. Yinshuang was fifteen years old that year and girls her age were usually vain. Her facial features were pretty good. But because she had trained in the martial arts hall since she was young and stood under the bright sun every day, her skin became more and more tanned. She looked like a small piece of charcoal! Because of this, her siblings and cousins at the Ye family laughed at her. ¡°I usually use this medicinal potion to bathe. I think it¡¯s because of it. If you like it, you can take one and try it.¡± Ye Lingyue smiled brightly. Ye Yinshuang treated her pretty well, so giving her a bottle of concentrated Gathering Elemental potion wasn¡¯t difficult. Ye Yinshuang happily took the bottle. The two finally arrived outside of the martial arts hall. However, the moment they arrived at the entrance, they saw Ye Qing blocking them from entering with his followers. ¡°Ye Lingyue, have you eaten the courage of a panther to dare to come to the martial arts hall?¡± Since Ye Fengyu had broken both of Ye Qing¡¯s arms, Ye Qing had been recuperating at home. Once he was better, the first thing he did at the martial arts hall was to settle things with Ye Lingyue. ¡°Sister Lingyue is Third Aunt¡¯s daughter. Her surname is Ye as well. Why can¡¯t she come to the martial arts hall?¡± Ye Yinshuang placed her hands on her waist, looking like she was about to scold everyone that crossed her. ¡°How is she a Ye family member? She¡¯s only a little b*tch the Hong manor chased out.¡± Ye Qing laughed out loud. ¡°Ye Qing, you little¡­¡± Ye Yinshuang had already treated Lingyue as her good friend. With how righteous she was, anger filled her and she hurriedly approached the boy. Suddenly, it seemed as though a layer of copper glow covered her body. It was a sign of being in the third level of body tempering. However, Ye Qing remained calm as he coldly chuckled twice. Suddenly, his bones shook and loud cracks sounded. Bones branched out from his back and a pair of iron-like arms waved towards Yinshuang. His arms and bones were as strong as iron. It was the sign of being in the fourth level of body tempering. It was no wonder Ye Qing was fearless. It turned out that in the two weeks he had been recuperating, Ye Fengcheng gave him countless spiritual herbs. In his misery, he got it good from breaking through to the fourth level of body tempering. ¡°The fourth level of body tempering!¡± With Ye Qing being in the fourth level of body tempering, he was way ahead of Ye Yinshuang. Ye Yinshuang knew it was bad, but it was already too late for her to fall back. Just as Ye Qing¡¯s arms were about to hit Yinshuang, two blue lightning bolts moved ahead of Yinshuang and hit Ye Qing. ¡°Broken Thunder Fist.¡± Two rays of blue bolts formed a powerful force like a lightning flashing past. Ye Qing¡¯s arms turned numb as he took a large step back. Ye Qing had the upper hand at first. But suddenly, the situation changed and everyone glanced towards where the blue bolts originated in shock. Taking a proper look, the one who threw a punch was Ye Lingyue. ¡°Ye Lingyue, you dare to learn the Ye family martial art skill in secret? I will go tell Grandpa about it!¡± The Broken Thunder Fist had charred the skin on Ye Qing¡¯s arms. However, instead of being angry, he was happy instead. The Ye family rules said that one can only learn the basic skills after achieving the third level of body tempering. It had barely been a month since Ye Lingyue joined the martial arts hall. For a mere first level of body tempering to know how to use the Broken Thunder Fists, Ye Fengyu must have secretly taught her! What a good Ye Fengyu! He hadn¡¯t settled their previous animosity yet, but now she dared to violate the family rules once again. This time, he must chase this useless mother and daughter out of the Ye family. ¡°Ye Qing, what else do you know apart from ratting out to Grandpa and your father? My mother properly taught me about the Broken Thunder First. We didn¡¯t violate any family rules,¡± Ye Lingyue seriously said. ¡°You¡¯re lying. Unless you broke through to the third level of body tempering, you can¡¯t learn the Broken Thunder Fist.¡± Ye Qing was angry. ¡°If you can break through to the fourth level, why can¡¯t I break through to the third level?¡± Ye Lingyue smirked, looking at Ye Qing like she was staring at an idiot. Chapter 9 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Why can¡¯t I break through to the third level of body tempering?!¡± To Ye Qing¡¯s ears, Ye Lingyue¡¯s simple words sounded like a slap to the face. Ye Qing had practiced for so many years and had used a large amount of Gathering Elemental herb grown at home to break through to the fourth level. Never would he believe that Ye Lingyue could break through to the third level of body tempering within a month. However, what was with the two lightning bolts she made?! ¡°Ye Qing, you¡¯re just envious and jealous that Lingyue emitted two lightning bolts within a month of learning martial arts. She¡¯s clearly more gifted than you are. You only got to the fourth level of body tempering by throwing money in.¡± Ye Yinshuang had long been unhappy with Ye Qing. He was only arrogant because his father was in charge of the family¡¯s mining development, and that he was richer than the rest of the family. If Lingyue didn¡¯t react in time, Ye Qing would have hurt her already! ¡°She¡¯s just a good-for-nothing. If she dares, let¡¯s have a duel.¡± Ye Qing¡¯s throat was completely red as he waved his fists around, wanting to hit Ye Lingyue. So what if she made two lightning bolts? He was already at the fourth level of body tempering. How can he possibly lose to a mere third level? ¡°What are you doing? Have you forgotten the rules here in the martial arts hall?! Are all of your butts itchy for a beating?¡± The head instructor of the martial arts hall walked in and saw Lingyue and Ye Qing agitating each other. He hurriedly separated the two. ¡°If you like to fight that much, then do it at the inter-family competition instead. Since all of you started a ruckus here, I¡¯ll punish each of you to two additional hours of training.¡± The head instructor glared at Ye Lingyue, Ye Qing, and Ye Yinshuang. All of them were young masters and young misses from the main family and will be the Ye family¡¯s main support in the future, so the head instructor could not do anything to them. The instructor had said his words mindlessly, but the three who had started the whole commotion took the words seriously. Especially Ye Qing. He knew very well that he couldn¡¯t attack Ye Lingyue in the martial arts hall. Ye Yinshuang also escorted her back and forth to school. So, the only time he could teach Ye Lingyue a proper lesson was during the Ye inter-family competition. During the inter-family competition, he will humiliate that little b*tch and make the Ye family mother and daughter lose their faces completely. Only then will he be ecstatic. After they had been dismissed, Ye Qing stopped Ye Lingyue once more. ¡°Ye Lingyue, if you dare, let¡¯s meet at the inter-family competition and see whose ranking is higher. However, with your ability, I think you¡¯ll only embarrass yourself,¡± Ye Qing clamored. Hearing this, Ye Yinshuang hurriedly sent a gaze to her side. Although Ye Lingyue stopped Ye Qing earlier, Ye Qing was already in the fourth level of body tempering. If Ye Lingyue did her best, she definitely would not be Ye Qing¡¯s opponent. ¡°Let¡¯s fight. What will happen if we lose?¡± Ye Lingyue ignored Ye Yinshuang¡¯s reaction on purpose and asked Ye Qing in return. ¡°If you lose, you have to act like a dog and crawl on the floor for three rounds. You will have to crawl and say, ¡®Ye Lingyue is a b*stard and the Ye family mother and daughter are unwanted b*tches.''¡± With that said, everyone around Ye Qing laughed out loud. ¡°And, what if I win?¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s expression seemed to brew a storm. ¡°If you win, even a pig can climb up a tree. So if you do, you can ask for anything.¡± Ye Qing was laughing so bad his tears were falling out. ¡°Alright. In that case, let¡¯s ask our cousin to be the witness.¡± Ye Lingyue and Ye Qing clapped to seal the promise. Both of them promised to fight during the inter-family competition, which would take place in a month. By then, they will see who was better. Seeing Ye Lingyue and Ye Qing place their bets, Ye Yinshuang became worried and she panicked. ¡°Lingyue, you¡¯re too rash. How can you catch up to Ye Qing in a month? Besides, there are many masters in the competition. It¡¯ll be your first time taking part in the inter-family competition, too. Ye Qing is trying to humiliate you and your mother on purpose.¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s entire face was red from panicking, making her look even darker. ¡°Yinshuang, you don¡¯t have to worry. I have a plan,¡± Ye Lingyue comforted Ye Yinshuang. Ye Lingyue wasn¡¯t a rash person. She only dared to go against Ye Qing, who was at the fourth level of body tempering, because she was sure of herself. She used the Broken Thunder Fist sparingly that day and only emitted two lightning bolts on purpose! She believed that if she could emit four bolts, she would end up in a draw with Ye Qing, who was at the fourth level of body tempering. After returning to the northern estate, Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t tell her mother about her bet with Ye Qing right away. She went straight to her room and thought about her fight with Ye Qing that day. Compared to two weeks ago, Ye Qing did improve a lot. In the nine levels of body tempering, they classified every three levels as a small set. From the first to third level, it focused more on cultivating the skin. Once at the third level, the skin would be as hard as copper and would be able to withstand punches and hits. From the fourth to the sixth level, it cultivated the bones to become like iron. At the sixth level, one can fight with a wild beast with bare hands. From the seventh to the ninth level, they cultivated the organs to become hard as gold and it would be hard for a normal weapon to penetrate one¡¯s body. If Ye Lingyue wanted to win, she must break through to the fourth level of body tempering. However, breaking through to that was difficult. After all, breaking through to the next level meant requiring at least twice the time it required before. Ye Lingyue exclaimed silently in her mind and decided to go into Hongmeng Sanctuary to harvest some new Gathering Elemental herbs. The moment she entered Hongmeng Sanctuary, Ye Lingyue froze. All the Gathering Elemental herbs that were growing well were all slanted and broken. Her heart ached terribly at it. Suddenly, she saw a white, furry little thing in the grass. That little thing had yet to discover its unwanted guest. Its butt was up in the air as it used his claws to dig into the ground. Under its foot was one of the oldest Gathering Elemental herbs, a ten-year-old one. There were even animals in Hongmeng Sanctuary? Surprised, Ye Lingyue walked forward carefully. Just as she was about to grab the little thing, the white furball twitched and moved. It avoided her hands like a white flash. With this, Ye Lingyue finally saw how the little thing looked like. So, so adorable! It was a furry fox¡­ dog. It was only the size of a teacup and was round from head to toe. It had short arms and legs, and dew covered its fair and untainted fur. It had large, baby blue eyes and a sparkling black nose with dirt on it. When it saw Ye Lingyue, nervousness flashed in the little fox-dog¡¯s bright blue eyes. ¡°Little thing, are you from here?¡± Ye Lingyue took a few steps forward. However, that little thing was especially on guard and rushed into the white fog. It ran so fast that it was much faster than the postnatal master, Ye Fengyu. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s gone. So, it¡¯s been hiding in the white fog all along.¡± The white fog was something Ye Lingyue wasn¡¯t able to go through for the time now, so she had no choice but to grumpily stay. Glancing back at the messy patch of Gathering Elemental herbs, Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyebrows furrowed then eased apart again. After several hours, Hongmeng Sanctuary regained its peace. In the white fog, that fox-dog confirmed again and again that Ye Lingyue was gone before it reached its short legs out to climb out of the white fog. All the Gathering Elemental herbs on the ground had been plucked away and the new ones would take at least a day before it can grow again. Squeak¡­ The little fox-dog¡¯s nose wrinkled as it angrily called out, but it still sounded soft. It suddenly smelled something nice. It hurriedly looked around and saw a bowl of fragrant goat¡¯s milk on the ground. Squeak¡­ Confused, the little fox-dog stopped by the goat¡¯s milk for a while, smelling it. It then raised its claws and arrogantly pushed the goat¡¯s milk away and then ran back into the white fog. 1 Chapter 10 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The next day, Ye Lingyue went to find her mother, Ye Fengyu. ¡°Mother, I won¡¯t be going to the martial arts hall in the next month. I want to go to the mountain,¡± Ye Lingyue told Ye Fengyu about the bet she made with Ye Qing. She initially thought her mother would scold her. However, Ye Fengyu fell silent after hearing the story. She then went to her room and returned with a bag containing a bottle of alcohol ointment and three-days worth of dry food. ¡°Lingyue, you¡¯re all grown up now. You already know how to tell right from wrong. Your martial arts cultivation has been growing at a fast pace in the last few months, but you haven¡¯t had a proper fighting experience yet. That¡¯s only a superficial strength. This is the luggage I bring with me when I go to the mountain, so take it with you. I don¡¯t have any other requests, as long as you come back a month later and defeat Ye Qing during the inter-family competition.¡± Ye Lingyue took to heart Ye Fengyu¡¯s words. ¡°Mother, if I meet a small wild beast in the mountain, how should I tame it?¡± Before Ye Lingyue left, she suddenly thought of something. The little fox-dog in her space was especially cute, but it kept its guard and was very quick. Ye Lingyue wasn¡¯t able to catch it at all. Yesterday, she left a bowl of goat¡¯s milk for it, but it didn¡¯t even touch the bowl at all. It seemed like the little thing didn¡¯t like milk. Perhaps she could think of other ways to tame it. In the many years that Ye Fengyu had gone to the mountain, she encountered different wild beasts. She even caught some rabbits for Ye Lingyue before. However, Ye Qing and his people would snatch the foolish Ye Lingyue¡¯s rabbits to grill, and they ate them instead. After so many times, Ye Fengyu stopped catching wild rabbits to avoid making the foolish girl sad. ¡°You cannot tame a mature wild beast, but you can try feeding it some raw meat or grass if it¡¯s a young wild beast. However, wild beasts are unfeeling, so it¡¯s not much of a use to tame them. A spiritual beast pup, on the other hand, is a different story,¡± Ye Fengyu answered casually. ¡°What¡¯s the difference between a wild beast and a spiritual beast?¡± Ye Lingyue remembered that the little fox-dog¡¯s speed and agility were definitely different from the usual wild beast. ¡°Spiritual beasts have feelings and can even form a spiritual contract and bond with humans. However, it¡¯s more of the fact that only larger sects possess the methods to form spirit contracts with the beasts. They are incredibly rare in the Great Zhou nation as well. Real spiritual beasts are often of high nobility and wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to form a contract with humans.¡± In Ye Fengyu¡¯s thirty years of life, she had only seen spiritual beasts in the Great Xia nation¡¯s large cities. From Ye Fengyu, Ye Lingyue found out that in the Great Xia nation, they classified wild beasts into three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Meanwhile, they ranked spiritual beasts into nine levels. In the wild mountain outside of Autumn Maple town, there were usually only some beginner herbivore wild beasts and intermediate carnivore wild beasts. ¡°Lingyue, after you have entered the mountain, you can only move around the middle portion of the mountain and the mountain valley. You¡¯re not allowed to go up to the top,¡± Ye Fengyu warned Ye Lingyue. Those in the third level of body tempering would be able to deal with elementary and intermediate wild beasts. However, there were only a handful of people at the top of the mountain, so it was hard to say what kind of wild beasts lurked there. Ye Fengyu had given her a few more instructions before Ye Lingyue took her luggage and left the northern estate. Before she entered the mountain, Ye Lingyue went to the medicinal shop first. After she had broken through to the third level of body tempering, the Gathering Elemental potion was no longer of use to her. She also knew that the older the Gathering Elemental herb was, the more expensive they were. It was rare to find a wild Gathering Elemental herb that was a decade old. However, in Hongmeng Sanctuary, one year was only a day¡¯s time in real life. Ye Lingyue had stored several Gathering Elemental herbs and she would be able to sell them now. Inside the shop, the manager that had attended to Ye Lingyue before had been staring at the door in anticipation for the past two weeks. The moment he saw Ye Lingyue¡¯s familiar figure, the manager immediately welcomed her. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re here. Are you here to sell Gathering Elemental herbs again?¡± The manager¡¯s eagerness weirded Ye Lingyue a little. ¡°I have ten fifteen-year-old Gathering Elemental herbs, twenty ten-year-old ones and the remaining thirty are all about four-years-old.¡± Ye Lingyue took out the Gathering Elemental herbs she had. Fifteen years, ten years¡­ The manager didn¡¯t even take a proper look at the herbs and immediately took out the money and passed them to her. ¡°Manager, you gave me 10% more money.¡± After counting the money, Ye Lingyue was a little shocked. ¡°The extra money is especially for you. If you have any Gathering Elemental herbs in the future, we will take all of them.¡± The manager was smiling so brightly that it formed into barely visible slits. The manager happily stared at the batch of Gathering Elemental herbs. Even though he paid Ye Lingyue 10% more, he would still earn twice the amount he used to buy the Gathering Elemental herbs by reselling it to a medicinal shop in the city. While this 10% wasn¡¯t much for the medicinal shop, it was different for Ye Lingyue. Because of this, she got over two silver taels more. Summing up all that she had received, she already saved up 28 silver taels. Ye Lingyue said nothing else. After she bought some bug-repelling powder from the shop, she was about to say goodbye but halted. ¡°Manager, there isn¡¯t enough green-wood fruit in the store. Without it, we won¡¯t be able to make any alcohol ointment.¡± One of the staff in the shop looked terribly worried. Alcohol ointment was a very commonly used ointment. It wasn¡¯t hard to make and any medicinal shop could make it. One of the ingredients used in making alcohol ointment was green-wood fruit. ¡°Then let¡¯s not sell alcohol ointment for the time being. You should know that green-wood fruit grows in the back of the Seven Stars mountain. Several people recently went to harvest herbs there, but some beasts attacked them and some of these people died. Now, who would dare to go harvest any more herbs?¡± The manager sighed. This matter had troubled him lately as well. Hearing this, Ye Lingyue glanced at the green-wood fruit the staff was holding and kept it in her mind. Chapter 11 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Ye Lingyue left the town and headed towards Seven Stars mountain, which was just on the outskirts of town. Seven Stars mountain was the largest mountain outside of Autumn Maple town. It was more than a thousand feet tall and known in the vicinity as a treasure mountain. The northern part of the Seven Stars mountain never saw the sun. It was dry and cold and contained an alarming amount of iron ores. That was the location of the Ye family¡¯s mining area. The southern part was just the opposite. There was sufficient rainwater and sunlight. With that, countless precious herbs were abundant there, while all sorts of wild beasts also appeared there from time to time. Ye Lingyue¡¯s main goal for this time was to explore the Seven Stars mountain¡¯s southern part. Before noon, Ye Lingyue was already standing at the foot of the Seven Stars mountain. She wiped the sweat off her forehead. Looking around, unknown purple wildflowers were blooming all over the mountain and trees towered all around. After Ye Lingyue broke through to the third level of body tempering, her hearing and sight had improved a lot. With a twitch of her ears, she could hear the growling of wild beasts from the mountain. Opening her luggage, she saw some alcohol ointment, a dagger, a waterproof fire torch, some coarse salt, some dry food, and a bottle of water. Water was obtainable. There were countless creaks in the mountain, so finding a water source should be an easy feat. However, as Ye Lingyue stared at the dried food, she realized that she only had enough food for three days at most. That also meant that she must start hunting and live off of wild beasts three days later. Three days passed in a blink of an eye. At the foot of the mountain, a fat and large-eared violent rabbit was currently on a grass patch. As it nibbled on the grass, its ears stood up. It was an elementary herbivore wild rabbit and its meat was delicious. Suddenly, its ears moved as if it sensed impending danger. The violent rabbit¡¯s forepaws twitched while its strong hind paws stopped moving for a second. Like a mini canon, its body jumped over two feet away and scurried off. An agile body suddenly sneakily approached from the side. Muttering a soft cry, the person¡¯s hands grabbed the hind paws of the violent rabbit. She immediately pressed the rabbit against the ground, and after a few struggles, she had rendered the beast immobile. A blue lightning bolt struck at the rabbit¡¯s crown. The violent rabbit instantly fell back on the ground and stopped breathing. ¡°We have meat to eat today.¡± Ye Lingyue looked completely different from when she just went into the mountains. Her hair was messy while her clothes were dirty, too. The only thing that remained unscathed was her fair and pretty face. After she had caught the rabbit, she smiled so brightly that her eyes were barely visible. When she first entered the Seven Stars mountain, she thought that hunting a wild rabbit was easy. However, after a few days, she realized that hunting wasn¡¯t as easy as it seemed. Violent rabbits were an elementary, herbivore wild beast. It wasn¡¯t dangerous, but its hind paws were extremely strong. Once it uses all of its energy into a kick, it could smash a muscular man¡¯s rib cage into pieces. Earlier, Ye Lingyue had also almost taken a beating from the violent rabbits. Fortunately, after a few days, she had become more agile in hunting. Ye Lingyue skinned the violent rabbit and split the rabbit meat into two portions. She kept a portion to eat for dinner. As for the remaining portion, she carefully cut it into slices after some pondering, and then she entered Hongmeng Sanctuary. In Hongmeng Sanctuary, everything was the same. However, at the place where the Gathering Elemental herb was originally grown, a few more herbs were growing there. The herbs were ones that Ye Lingyue found after she had entered the mountain. As she decided to spend time on the mountain, Ye Lingyue came up with two goals. One was to enhance her fighting skills, which would then add up to her experience. While the other one was to search for precious herbs and grow them in her space. Her mother¡¯s injury needed a fifth-grade pill to treat it. However, if she could take some herbs, they would still be helpful to alleviate her injury. After she had entered Hongmeng Sanctuary, Ye Lingyue took out the pieces of rabbit meat. In Hongmeng Sanctuary, she waited for a full hour, but she still didn¡¯t catch any glimpse of the little fox-dog. ¡°Isn¡¯t it coming out yet?¡± Ye Lingyue was a little disappointed. In the last few days, she had intentionally harvested all the Gathering Elemental herbs. With nothing to eat, the little fox-dog must be famished. Suddenly, there was a noise coming from the white fog. The little fox-dog carefully crawled out. Seeing Ye Lingyue, it squeaked and instantly jumped a few yards away. Apprehension filled its baby blue eyes. ¡°I brought some rabbit meat for you. Eat them.¡± Ye Lingyue took a step forward. The little fox-dog took a step back. However, its eyes were fixed on the rabbit meat Ye Lingyue was holding. The fresh rabbit meat smelled enticing. Ye Lingyue thought to herself as a friendly smile appeared on her lips. She put the rabbit meat by her feet and nodded at the little fox-dog. The little fox-dog tilted its head as if it was trying to understand what Ye Lingyue¡¯s nod meant. Ye Lingyue silently motivated herself to be more patient. This time, the little thing didn¡¯t run away right after seeing her, so perhaps it would come closer the next time. Ye Lingyue turned around and took a few steps back. The little fox-dog waited until Ye Lingyue had turned around and left. It then squeaked and rushed in front of the rabbit meat. After taking a bite, it let out a happy squeak. It gobbled up a good part of the violent rabbit meat in a short period. No one could tell that the little thing had such a huge appetite. Eating until its small belly was round, the little fox-dog licked its mouth and cleaned the oil off its claws with its pink tongue. It was still lost in the taste of the meat. After all of that, the little fox-dog slowly returned into the white fog. ¡°That little thing probably ate the rabbit meat, right?¡± After Ye Lingyue left Hongmeng Sanctuary, her attention was still on the adorable little pup¡¯s condition. She needed to think of a way to get more rabbit meat by tomorrow. Ye Lingyue then decided to continue walking deeper into the mountain. Chapter 12 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After the first successful feeding, Ye Lingyue fed it a second time, then a third time¡­ To let the adorable little pup like her more, Ye Lingyue changed her patterns and hunted different wild beasts every day. There were winter chickens, spores, and more. It would be a different wild beast every day. Apart from leaving a small portion for her consumption, Ye Lingyue would cut the remaining portions into pieces and give them to the adorable little pup every time. This also resulted in Ye Lingyue¡¯s actual fighting skills to greatly improve. She became more agile as the elementary force in her dantian grew drastically. It was around the third time of feeding that the adorable little pup stopped avoiding Ye Lingyue when it ate. It would appear every day at a fixed time, walking out of the white fog and waiting for Ye Lingyue. ¡°The little thing didn¡¯t scurry away after seeing me. This is a good sign.¡± Seeing this, Ye Lingyue smiled. Judging from the little thing¡¯s reaction, Ye Lingyue was sure that it wasn¡¯t a simple wild beast. It didn¡¯t seem like an intermediate carnivore wild beast either. Why would the little thing appear here? Who left it here? Ye Lingyue stared at the thick white fog, confusion filling her mind as she wondered what was hiding behind it. Day after day, the adorable little pup stopped being so guarded against Ye Lingyue, and it allowed Ye Lingyue to stand ten meters away from it. After around fifteen days, Ye Lingyue had hunted a wild pig with great luck. The wild pig was at least over two hundred pounds heavy. ¡°The wild pig meat is tough and hard to eat. Perhaps I can grill the meat this time.¡± Ye Lingyue thought for a while before she grilled a wild pig leg. She even sprinkled some coarse salt on it. Not knowing if the little thing could get used to this new taste, Ye Lingyue entered Hongmeng Sanctuary again with anticipation. In Hongmeng Sanctuary, the adorable little pup was already waiting for her. When it saw Ye Lingyue, it hurriedly ran over with its short legs. After biting a mouthful of the grilled pork meat, the little thing shivered and it poked its pink tongue out. Tears welled up in its blue eyes. ¡°It¡¯s too hot, you impatient little thing.¡± Ye Lingyue laughed as she ruffled its head. The adorable little pup¡¯s fur was soft, like a good piece of silk. It made Ye Lingyue love touching it. This time, the little thing didn¡¯t avoid her touch. It was no longer against Ye Lingyue¡¯s attempts at getting closer to it. As Ye Lingyue caressed its head, it continued to nibble at the pork leg with small bites. Ye Lingyue noticed that the adorable little pup ate in a rather elegant manner like someone had taught it before. Ye Lingyue couldn¡¯t help but think that even her thoughts were ridiculous. The little thing felt satisfied after tasting the grilled meat for the first time. It finished the entire pork leg, making Ye Lingyue flabbergasted with its appetite. After it had eaten the grilled pork leg, the adorable little pup moved beside Ye Lingyue. It raised a leg and peed at her feet. 2¡°You little thing¡­¡± Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. Although she suddenly got peed on, Ye Lingyue¡¯s heart was warm. She knew that for canines, such action meant that the adorable little pup had accepted her. Ye Lingyue played for a while with the adorable little pup before she left Hongmeng Sanctuary. After two weeks, Ye Lingyue had become experienced in hunting wild beasts in the belt of the mountain, and it wasn¡¯t challenging to her anymore. It would be hard to find any more precious herbs in that area too, so Ye Lingyue decided to head further up in the mountain to test her luck. If she was lucky, she would be able to find the out-of-stock green-wood fruit further up the mountain. Herbs that were in demand would sell at a much better price than the Gathering Elemental herb. The more she went further up, the fewer traces there were of human activity. However, there were so many precious herbs that had dazzled her eyes, even ones that she couldn¡¯t name. Walking for about three hours, the mountainous route became tougher to trudge on. A fruity fragrance filled her senses. Taking a glance towards that direction, Ye Lingyue found a patch of thick and dense woods. On a strong tree, there hung several jade-green fruits the size of persimmons. Green-wood fruit. Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes brightened as she walked towards it. Perhaps it was because it had been a while since someone harvested it, fruits filled the branches. Ye Lingyue took some and suddenly heard some rustling behind her. From the woods walked out a gray-furred, iron-armed ape. This type of iron-armed ape was incredible. It was even taller than a grown man as its arms rested below its knees. Using its full strength, it could smash a rock into two pieces. It was a wild ape and was well known in the Seven Star mountain. It was comparable to a high-class carnivorous wild beast. At that moment, it was staring right at the green-wood fruit Ye Lingyue was holding. All of its furs were standing up, looking furious. Loud snorts sounded from the iron-armed ape¡¯s nostrils. With a wave of its arms, it pushed away all the trees and bushes around it. It was not good. This patch of green-wood fruit forest was the iron-armed ape¡¯s territory. Ye Lingyue¡¯s chest tightened. She remembered that she read in ¡®Great Zhou magazine¡¯ that some high-class carnivorous wild beasts have really strong territorial instincts. No wonder so many herb harvesters were killed. The iron-armed ape growled out loud as its iron-like arm smashed towards Ye Lingyue. Ye Lingyue was quick to react, and the elementary force in her dantian congregated in her fist. Putting pressure on one leg, her body agilely avoided the iron-armed ape¡¯s attack. Lightning bolts flashed on her fists and with three loud cracks, she instantly produced three Broken Thunder fists. As the Broken Thunder Fist landed on the iron-armed ape¡¯s left arm, its muscles split open. The iron-armed ape angrily growled out once more after its flesh split apart like a blooming flower. The iron-armed ape whined and its tall body trembled. Ye Lingyue¡¯s Broken Thunder Fists had shattered its forearm bones. Beep¡­ But with the iron-armed ape¡¯s left arm injured, it grew even more violent. It used all of its brute force to tear a piece of wood that was as thick as its arm and it threw it at Ye Lingyue. On its way over to smash her, wood and dirt flew everywhere. Knowing that she wasn¡¯t strong enough to defeat the ape head-on, Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t dare to go against it just like that. Using the remaining elementary force within her, she hurriedly ran into the depth of the woods to hide. With the iron-armed ape ruling the area for many years, when had it ever suffered like this? It immediately ran after Ye Lingyue, chasing after her nonstop. It was a good thing that there were many trees in the woods. Since the ape was hurt, Ye Lingyue managed to put some distance between them as quickly as possible. After a long chase, the ape lost track of Ye Lingyue. It could only look around for her in confusion and anger. Not too far away, in an old tree¡¯s hollow, a pair of eyes were staring at the sight. It was an old tree that a lightning bolt had killed. It even had dry tree branches. All that was left was its hollow tree trunk that Ye Lingyue hid in her panic. Indeed, the iron-armed ape didn¡¯t notice her. After a round of searching, it had no choice but to walk away. Just as Ye Lingyue was about to take the chance to flee, she realized that the tree walls were slippery. She then lost her footing and rolled into the tree hollow that seemed to have no depths. Chapter 13 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Losing her balance, Ye Lingyue cried out in her mind. The entire tree was hollow inside. In her panic, Ye Lingyue hugged her head by instinct as she crouched into a ball and rolled down straight. It was fortunate that Ye Lingyue was already in the third level of body tempering, so her skin was as hard as copper and was barely injured after rolling down. It was only when her feet had touched the soft soil that Ye Lingyue let go of herself. At the bottom of the tree hollow, the floor was flat and exuded a clear pine fragrance. However, it was a little dark inside. It was a good thing that she still had the fire torch with her, so Ye Lingyue hurriedly lit it up. The fire torch lit up the entire hole and she realized that the bottom of it seemed to be a storage space. Small items filled the space together with some items that looked like animal bones. There were even many unknown rotten fruits. It seemed that she had accidentally fallen into a tree hollow where the iron-armed ape stored its items. Ye Lingyue raised the torch and looked around. On the left side, she saw several earthen jars with banana leaves covering them. She lifted the banana leaves and saw a jar full of fine, delicious wine. Its fragrance swelled in the room and instantly, it filled the entire tree hollow. Even Ye Lingyue, who didn¡¯t like to drink, felt extremely enticed. Besides, the weirdest thing was that Ye Lingyue had only taken in a few whiffs of the wine, but she could already feel the elementary force in her dantian recovering like a high-tide appearing. This wine was a good thing! Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes brightened at the thought. She moved forward and took a few sips of wine. Who knew that the wine tasted extremely sweet and delicious that Ye Lingyue ended up drinking a good half of the jar. By the time she felt a wee bit intoxicated, her body started to sway. She could not stand properly, and it was as if she was a drunken man. She collapsed on the floor and fell unconscious. In her unconscious state, her body excreted a large amount of black substance. What Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t know was that the wine she just drank was called the Hundred Fruits wine, brewed from various herbs and precious fruits the iron-armed ape collected from the mountain. After drinking it, not only can one improve their body condition, it also cleanses the bones. The iron-armed ape¡¯s unnatural strength and strong body condition were also because it drank Hundred Fruits wine. A cup of this wine was especially precious to any martial arts practitioner below the connate level. However, Ye Lingyue had drunk a good half of a jar like Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruits. It was extremely wasteful of her to do so. This time, Ye Lingyue slept for three full days and nights. By the time she woke up, she hurriedly jumped up and realized that a layer of black mud-like dirt had covered her up. She even smelled terrible. However, at the same time, she felt lighter in her limbs. Not only so, the elementary force in her dantian drastically grew. ¡°Could it be the fifth level of body tempering?¡± Ye Lingyue called on the new elementary force within her. Like an opened dam, it flowed out rapidly and swarmed within Ye Lingyue¡¯s body. In her happiness, Ye Lingyue did a Broken Thunder Fist. Doing the move, she looked cooler and less uneasy as compared to before. She was beginning to look like a smooth, flowing liquid. ¡°Broken Thunder Fist.¡± From Ye Lingyue¡¯s hand, five lightning bolts appeared and morphed into five half-moon rays. The rays hit the tree and fire sparked all over. With a loud bang, the entire tree burned brightly. Five bolts. She could emit five lightning bolts now. Ye Lingyue stared at her hand in disbelief. Although Broken Thunder Fist was only a type nine move, most of the Ye family members needed at least five years to be able to emit at least four lightning bolts. However, it had barely been a month since Ye Lingyue started learning it. ¡°Haha. Iron-armed ape, I have to thank you for this time.¡± Ye Lingyue started laughing out loud. She didn¡¯t hold herself back either and took all the remaining six Hundred Fruits wine jars with her. Anyway, with Hongmeng Sanctuary, it was fairly easy to take away several jars of wine. Ye Lingyue was planning to move the wine into Hongmeng Sanctuary when she heard a loud and angry growl. Suddenly, she saw the same iron-armed ape rushing over. It turned out that Ye Lingyue¡¯s Broken Thunder Fist had alerted it. When it saw that its hollow tree was ruined and that Ye Lingyue was even trying to steal its precious wine, it triggered the iron-armed ape that it angrily growled. It created a strong airwave and launched it at Ye Lingyue. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s only been three days. Why is the iron-armed ape so much slower?¡± Ye Lingyue was shocked, but she hadn¡¯t realized yet that after drinking the Hundred Fruit wine, she had broken through two levels straight. Her bones had been cleaned as well and her ability differed vastly from before! With a jump, Ye Lingyue aimed at a dead corner and several Broken Thunder Fists hit the ape¡¯s head. With the punches, five lightning bolts instantly smashed the ape¡¯s head into a watermelon-like mash. Before it could even cry out, the ape¡¯s two hundred pounds body fell back. White brain mash and red blood seeped into the ground afterward. With that, it couldn¡¯t be any less dead. After killing the ape with a punch, Ye Lingyue was still a little shocked. She only let out a sigh of relief a few moments later. ¡°This thing¡¯s skin is worth quite a bit, but its meat doesn¡¯t taste good.¡± At this thought, Ye Lingyue suddenly remembered that she had been asleep for three days after getting drunk in the tree hollow. She had almost forgotten about the adorable little pup in Hongmeng Sanctuary. Chapter 14 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Ye Lingyue and the adorable little pup had built a rather strong relationship in the recent days. To the adorable little pup, having meat to eat at a fixed time was already its daily habit. Ye Lingyue being unconscious for three days also meant that the adorable little pup in Hongmeng Sanctuary had also been starving for three days. The adorable little pup waited here and there but didn¡¯t see any delicious meat or Ye Lingyue, so it worriedly paced around Hongmeng Sanctuary. When it finally saw Ye Lingyue, it rushed towards her. Tears welled up in its eyes and it looked pitiful as if it had been abandoned. ¡°Little thing, I¡¯m sorry to have forgotten you. Let me grill some meat for you right now.¡± Ye Lingyue looked guilty as she took out the fire torch. She then grilled the raw meat on the spot. The meat fragrance filled the area, and in a few moments, she finished cooking. The adorable pup instantly stuffed itself, only finishing its meal when its stomach was filled to the brim. It also let out a burp. However, unlike before, the adorable little pup didn¡¯t leave after eating. ¡°Squeak.¡± The adorable little pup approached Ye Lingyue and sniffed her. It suddenly poked its tongue out and licked Ye Lingyue¡¯s leg. When she was in the mountain, Ye Lingyue had injured her leg as she faced a life and death situation with the iron-armed ape. Since she already finished up the alcohol ointment she had, she paid no attention to the wound. But surprisingly, the adorable little thing did. After it had licked at her wound, it felt itchy and numb. Was the little thing worried about her injury? Ye Lingyue felt extremely touched. She had finally gotten into the little thing¡¯s good books. ¡°Little thing, I have to leave now.¡± Ye Lingyue patted the adorable little thing¡¯s head. As if understanding what Ye Lingyue meant, the adorable little thing¡¯s white fur puffed out. ¡°Squeak¡­ Squeak. Squeak.¡± The adorable little thing instantly bit the helm of her skirt and crunched up into a ball, unwilling to let go. It was as if it was afraid that Ye Lingyue would disappear for a few days again. After spending some time with Ye Lingyue, the adorable little thing believed in her completely. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Seeing the adorable little thing act that way, it confused Ye Lingyue. Tears and some hesitation filled its eyes. However, it ultimately decided. Suddenly, the adorable little thing opened its mouth and bit at Ye Lingyue¡¯s leg, causing some blood to appear by its lips. Ye Lingyue¡¯s blood and the adorable little thing¡¯s blood formed two separate hexagonal stars. They then congregated together and formed two ancient contracting runes. Not minding the pain anymore, Ye Lingyue stared at the bright red runes shining and a thought flashed in her mind. Spiritual contract¡­ Was this the spiritual contract that came with a spiritual beast that her mother talked about? Ye Lingyue watched as her blood-derived rune shot into the adorable pup¡¯s body, while the pup¡¯s blood-derived rune shot into hers. The moment the spiritual contract¡¯s runes entered their bodies, Hongmeng Sanctuary changed as well. The thick white fog that surrounded it vanished, and with that, the one-hectare wide space turned into a vast field. Apart from the fresh change in the size of Hongmeng Sanctuary¡¯s space, two little wooden huts also appeared opposite of each other, taking up the northern and the southern parts. The elementary force in Hongmeng Sanctuary grew a lot denser as well. Did Hongmeng Sanctuary level up? Ye Lingyue understood that the new changes in Hongmeng Sanctuary were because of the spiritual contract she formed with the adorable little pup. ¡°Squeak. Squeak.¡± After the adorable little thing had formed a spiritual contract with Ye Lingyue, it happily hopped on the spot. However, Ye Lingyue couldn¡¯t understand what it was saying at all. The adorable little pup was a spiritual beast without a doubt. However, it was still too young. It was fortunate that it could spiritually communicate some simple words with Ye Lingyue after they made a contract. ¡°Squeaky, are you asking me to take a look at the two wooden huts?¡± Ye Lingyue walked towards the huts. Hongmeng Sanctuary¡¯s original owner must have owned them. It had been years since anyone last stayed in the wooden huts. Ye Lingyue entered the left hut. Inside the hut, there was a bed, some of the most basic daily necessities, and some books. Most of them were literature books. A man called Immortal Hongmeng left a book behind, called the Hongmeng Guide. After reading the guide, Ye Lingyue suddenly understood many things. This master called Immortal Hongmeng was Hongmeng Sanctuary¡¯s first owner. At the same time, he was also the original owner of the black cauldron in Ye Lingyue¡¯s right hand. To hide away and live with his lover, Poison Supremacy Jadehand, Immortal Hongmeng used his precious treasure called the Qian cauldron to create Hongmeng Sanctuary. It was essentially a cave outside of space. Back then, the two of them were well-known figures in the world, but with different recognitions in society. One of them was known for helping and saving lives, while the other was known for being evil and killing countless people. These two opposites became each other¡¯s lovers. But after deciding to retire and hideaway, it wasn¡¯t a happily ever after for them. Because of their different ideology, a tremendous fight broke out that they ultimately ended up attacking each other. Hate suddenly filled the loving couple¡¯s relationship. In her anger, Poison Supremacy Jadehand left Hongmeng Sanctuary. After that, Immortal Hongmeng regretted what had happened and left Hongmeng Sanctuary to find Poison Supremacy Jadehand. However, it was a pity that neither of them returned after they had left. Squeaky was a spiritual baby that Poison Supremacy Jadehand took care of back then. After they abandoned the place, they left Squeaky sealed inside the Qian cauldron. It had already been thousands of years until Ye Lingyue accidentally broke the Qian cauldron¡¯s seal, which also accidentally opened Hongmeng Sanctuary hidden in the Qian cauldron. Chapter 15 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios At the end of Hongmeng¡¯s personal letter, he mentioned something. ¡°Because of the difference in the host¡¯s strength, the Qian cauldron user will be strong when his opponent is strong, and weak when his opponent is weak. However, if one is diligent, he only needs to constantly improve his strength. Use the cauldron more and it will unleash its might one day.¡± After reading the letter, Ye Lingyue looked at the cauldron mark on her hand and all sorts of feelings welled up in her heart. She did not expect that this small black cauldron had such an amazing ability. In those days, Immortal Hongmeng had excellent medical skills and was the best in his field. He even used the Qian cauldron to refine Hongmeng Sanctuary. In Ye Lingyue¡¯s hands, the Qian cauldron could only purify medicinal liquid. And that was because of her lack of cultivation. After learning the origin of the Qian cauldron, Ye Lingyue said in her heart that she must not disclose the secrets of the cauldron and Hongmeng Sanctuary in the future unless she had no other choice. ¡°Squeak.¡± The little cute dog was pulling Ye Lingyue¡¯s pants leg, motioning her to go to the other hut. The thatched hut was where Poison Supremacy Jadehand used to live. She was Immortal Hongmeng¡¯s lover. Ye Lingyue went in, and there were also more books inside, but they differed vastly from Immortal Hongmeng¡¯s collection of books. Poison Supremacy Jadehand¡¯s books were all poison scriptures. Among them, one book attracted Ye Lingyue¡¯s attention, and it was a secret scripture called ¡®The Thirteen Needles of the Otherworld.¡¯ It turned out that ¡®The Thirteen Needles of the Otherworld¡¯ was Poison Supremacy Jadehand¡¯s unique skill. It was different from general acupuncture techniques for its main use was to kill. There were a lot of lethal points and harmful effects in the human and animal body recorded in the secret scripture. ¡°These two old seniors are interesting. One only wants to save people, the other only wants to kill.¡± Ye Lingyue laughed. She then memorized the mental cultivation method and mantra of the Thirteen Needles of the Otherworld. For the next ten days, Ye Lingyue stayed in Hongmeng Sanctuary. Every day, she would read the medical books and poison scriptures Immortal Hongmeng and Poison Supremacy Jadehand wrote. Ye Lingyue had an amazing memory. After reading all those, she had already familiarized everything that was written. By then she had a general understanding of various medical cases and poisons of the land. ¡°After reading all the books, it¡¯s time to try how to use psyche.¡± Ye Lingyue walked out of Hongmeng Sanctuary and went to the green-wood fruit forest she visited before. According to the records Immortal Hongmeng wrote, she could conclude that he was different from ordinary martial arts practitioners. Not only did he cultivate elementary force, but he also used psyche. In Hongmeng¡¯s letter, he had written the simplest mantra for the cultivation of the psyche. Ye Lingyue practiced for a while and roughly mastered the basics of psyche. With the help of the psyche, one could move things from the outside world into Hongmeng Sanctuary. Ye Lingyue silently chanted ¡®Green-wood fruit¡¯ but failed the first time. She still could not do it the second time. ¡°I¡¯m too hasty. I should try to move some smaller things into Hongmeng Sanctuary.¡± Since Ye Lingyue was not in a hurry, she tried to move a leaf, a stone, and then a fruit into Hongmeng Sanctuary. Two days later, after repeated cultivation, Ye Lingyue could make the large green-wood fruit tree in front of her disappear with a move of her mind. There was an additional green-wood fruit tree in Hongmeng Sanctuary and it grew lavishly. ¡°It worked.¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s feat was remarkable. Now that she had moved the green fruit tree into Hongmeng Sanctuary, she would be the only one to supply green-wood fruits in Autumn Maple Town. This was much more valuable than Gathering Elemental herbs! After using her psyche for a day, Ye Lingyue had moved dozens of green-wood fruit trees around the mountain ridge into Hongmeng Sanctuary. But after doing all those, Ye Lingyue felt severely strained. ¡°Oh no. The Ye inter-family competition began already.¡± After she finished everything, Ye Lingyue counted the days she had been in the Seven Star Mountain and realized that it had been more than a month! In fact, it was already the third day of the competition. Upon this realization, Ye Lingyue was beyond surprised. The competition was almost coming to an end. If she did not go down the mountain soon, she would lose her bet. With Squeaky tagging along, she hurried down and rushed to the Ye family¡¯s martial arts school. Inside the Ye family¡¯s martial arts school, the competition had run for three days already. There were hundreds of the Ye family¡¯s disciples under the age of 20 in the schoolyard, and they all formed a circle. Ye Fengcheng and other young masters of the main family were all at the side as spectators. Under several temporary built pergolas, the head of the Ye family and several elders were sitting on the wooden armchairs. With eyes blazing, they directed their attention to the competition happening inside the ring. The Ye inter-family competition happens once every three years. Young men and women from the main family or side family branches could take part in the competition. They regarded those who could climb up the top ten ranks as elite disciples of the Ye family. With that, they would get more resources and martial arts skills more than the others in the future. Those that land in the top three of the competition could enter the Ye family¡¯s martial arts temple to choose a basic martial arts skill. They considered it a great honor if one could enter the tower as an elite disciple of the Ye family. Ye Lingyue¡¯s mother, Ye Fengyu, passed the competition and won first place at 13 years of age. Because Ye Lingyue was mentally impaired in her early years, she never had the chance to take part in the competition. This was her first inter-family competition. Chapter 16 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Inside the ring, two teenage boys were having a fierce fight. ¡°Go down.¡± There was a loud shout and Ye Qing swept his leg out like a tiger, kicking a disciple off the ring. ¡°Young Master Ye Qing¡¯s strength improved a lot. Judging from his cultivation, he should have broken through the fourth level of body tempering,¡± an elder by the side praised. Ye Qing had won five rounds in a row since taking part in the competition. He also ranked third place in the competition. He might have ended up in the top three and be granted with honor. He was also Ye Fengcheng¡¯s son, who was in charge of the Ye family¡¯s mine. It was said that Ye Fengcheng was a candidate as the next head of the family. The elders of the Ye family would naturally butter up to him. ¡°His fist techniques are too fierce and powerful, but it¡¯s not flexible.¡± Ye Gu shook his head. Ye Gu swept around the crowd with the corner of his eye. A trace of disappointment flashed past his eyes when he could not get a glimpse of the mother and daughter of the Ye family. He thought that the girl would join the competition this time. After Ye Qing won, he had a proud expression on his face as he glanced at the crowd in search of a particular face. It had been three days, but he hadn¡¯t seen that little b*stard, Ye Lingyue. He snorted. ¡°Ye Yinshuang, where¡¯s that fool? Didn¡¯t she make a bet with me that she will take part in the competition? It¡¯s the third day already. Could it be that she couldn¡¯t afford to lose and became a scaredy-cat?¡± Ye Qing had just finished speaking when someone laughed from below the ring. After realizing that Ye Lingyue hadn¡¯t attended the martial arts school for the past month, Ye Qing was certain that the fool ran away. ¡°Ye Qing, don¡¯t assume things too much. If Lingyue doesn¡¯t show up, I will take her place.¡± Ye Yinshuang leaped to the ring like an agile bird. Ye Yinshuang had also won five rounds and ranked seventh in the competition. ¡°Come on then. If you lose, you¡¯ll have to crawl like a dog with that fool.¡± Ye Qing guffawed. He thought in his heart, ¡®Ye Yinshuang, don¡¯t think I¡¯m not aware that you¡¯ve just broken through the fourth level of body tempering the other day. Do you think you can compete with me? Dream on.¡¯ ¡°Ye Qing, take that.¡± The elementary force from Ye Yinshuang¡¯s body surged out. Her body surged as she went up against Ye Qing. But at that moment, there was a sneer on Ye Qing¡¯s lips. A silver metallic light flashed past his arm and four lightning bolts suddenly shot towards Ye Yinshuang. Four lightning bolts? It shocked Ye Yinshuang. She did not expect that Ye Qing could hit four lightning bolts at one go. If the four lightning bolts hit Ye Yinshuang, it might hurt her so badly. Ye Qing was too much for being so hard on a member of the main family. Ye Gu was frowning as he watched the scene before his very eyes, and something shot out from between his sleeves. At that moment, Ye Yinshuang¡¯s knees felt numb and she fell to the ground. As she stumbled, four lightning bolts flew over her head. Ye Yinshuang thought that she would get hurt this time, but she had unexpectedly avoided it. Even her eyes were full of disbelief. ¡°Ye Qing, I am your opponent.¡± A clear female voice fell across the crowd and into the ears of everyone. The crowd dispersed and a dirty-looking person walked over. When the person walked closer, the people could then see that the person who spoke was Ye Lingyue. ¡°That¡¯s Ye Lingyue, the mentally impaired daughter of the Third Young Miss.¡± ¡°Why does she look like a beggar?¡± Under the scornful eyes of the people, Ye Lingyue¡¯s expression was calm as she passed through the crowd. Ye Gu¡¯s eyes flashed. The others ignored what had happened in the ring, but Ye Gu, who was a Postnatal Peak Master, knew exactly what had happened. There was an inconspicuous stone by Ye Yinshuang¡¯s foot. That stone was¡­ ¡°Lingyue, you¡¯re here.¡± Her appearance surprised Ye Yinshuang. The way Ye Lingyue looked had changed a lot compared to a month ago. Although her clothes were in rags, her temperament was like a sharpened sword with an unusual edge all over her body. Ye Lingyue nodded and stepped into the ring. ¡°Ye Lingyue, how dare you still come? It¡¯s a pity you came late. Today is the last day of the competition. You¡¯re bound to lose,¡± Ye Qing mocked. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. The rules of the Ye family¡¯s competition states that newcomers can challenge the top ten players at will, and the winner can take their place. You¡¯re the first one I want to challenge.¡± Ye Lingyue pointed to Ye Qing. ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡± Ye Qing snorted and jumped. His fists were full of elementary force, unleashing Broken Thunder Fist into full play. He then smashed his fists towards Ye Lingyue. Four lightning bolts akin to hungry wolves rushed towards Ye Lingyue. Ye Lingyue did not avoid it and instead raised her hands so that their fists would collide. Boom¡­ Five lightning bolts engulfed Ye Qing¡¯s four lightning bolts. Ye Lingyue¡¯s fist smashed Ye Qing¡¯s fist technique, and from there, her punch landed on Ye Qing¡¯s stomach. Bones cracking from Ye Qing¡¯s abdomen resounded in the air, and soon, Ye Lingyue threw him out of the ring like a leaf. As he flew, he accidentally dropped something on the ring. ¡°Ugh.¡± Blood spurted out of Ye Qing¡¯s mouth. ¡°How could it be¡­ five bolts?¡± Looking at the ring, Ye Gu¡¯s pupils constricted. Five lightning bolts. That girl had unleashed a Broken Thunder Fist with five lightning bolts. Broken Thunder Fist was a fist technique that most of the Ye family¡¯s disciples from the main family know. However, those who could master five lightning bolts and above were all young people in their twenties and thirties. Ye Lingyue was only 13 years old. From what Ye Gu knew, Ye Lingyue had been practicing Broken Thunder Fist for over a month. Ye Gu¡¯s eyes became slightly dazed and his gaze on Ye Lingyue also gradually changed. The same aloof and uninhibited figure, and the same stubborn temper. The Ye Lingyue in front of him was so similar to Ye Fengyu from before. The venue was in an uproar. After winning, Ye Lingyue¡¯s expression was calm. She stood on the ring looking down at Ye Qing, who was like a pool of mud. ¡°Ye Qing, you lost. Admit defeat. Didn¡¯t you say you will pay me back twice?¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s words were like sharp needles, making Ye Qing turn pale. ¡°Ye Lingyue, don¡¯t go too far.¡± Ye Qing looked guiltily at his father, Ye Fengcheng. Ye Fengcheng¡¯s expression was livid. He fixed his stare at Ye Lingyue, but Ye Fengcheng did not dare to be presumptuous in the presence of Ye Gu. Crawling like a dog and to call his father a b*stard in front of the whole Ye family. If Ye Qing did that, how could he and Ye Fengcheng keep a foothold in the Ye family? Ye Qing wanted to faint at this moment. ¡°Ye Qing, are you going back on your words?¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s tone was pressing. ¡°Lingyue, since we are cousins, let¡¯s just forget about this bet.¡± Ye Qing¡¯s voice was a little weaker. Forget about it? Ye Lingyue smiled coldly. She was about to refuse when her eyes landed on the thing Ye Qing had dropped on the ring. Chapter 17 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios It was a piece of jade with an emerald green color, but the craftsmanship looked ordinary. How could a rich young master like Ye Qing be interested in such a thing? Just when she was wondering about it, the cauldron seal on Ye Lingyue¡¯s palm quivered slightly. It felt very similar to when she was refining the Gathering Elemental potion. This piece of jade was strange. ¡°Ye Qing, when you bullied and humiliated me that year, did you ever think that you and I were cousins? Or was that what Ye Fengcheng taught you, to be unwilling to admit defeat?¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes moved and her gaze landed on Ye Fengcheng below the ring, whose expression did not look so good. How could a person like him be the head of the family in the future if he had raised his son to go back on his words? Ye Fengcheng felt indignant but did not dare to say anything. ¡°But it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no room for discussion,¡± Ye Lingyue drawled. Asking Ye Qing to insult Ye Fengcheng in front of others was to insult the head of the Ye family. Ye Qing¡¯s dumb mind did not think of it, but it did not mean that Ye Lingyue had not thought of it. Ye Qing secretly rejoiced. The little b*stard was timid and dared not offend him. ¡°I will change the bet, then. You have to crawl on the ground like a dog for just one round and this jade will be the rest of your payment.¡± Ye Lingyue snatched the jade from the ground before Ye Qing could react. Ye Qing¡¯s expression changed when he heard what she had said. That piece of jade was not an ordinary jade. It was called Dark Elemental Jade and wearing it, one would be able to absorb elementary force ten times faster. Martial arts practitioners below the Postnatal level considered it a treasure. For Ye Qing to enter the top three in the competition, Ye Qing¡¯s elder sister sent him the jade. This was also why Ye Qing could produce four lightning bolts. ¡°No, I¡¯ll give you ten silver taels, just give me back the jade.¡± Ye Lingyue saw Ye Qing¡¯s nervous expression and it made her more sure that the jade was not ordinary. Was he treating her like a beggar, trying to send her off with ten silver taels? ¡°Sl*t, put the Dark Elemental Jade down.¡± Seeing that Ye Lingyue had seized the jade, Ye Fengcheng could not hold it in anymore. He shouted angrily and rushed like a hawk. His fingers were like hooks as he clasped Ye Lingyue¡¯s shoulder. Ye Lingyue felt a piercing and cold elementary force penetrating her body. Ye Fengcheng¡¯s sudden action shocked Ye Gu and the disciples of the Ye family. ¡°Ye Fengcheng, draw back your hand!¡± Someone swept up from below the ring and a surge of powerful elementary force rushed towards Ye Fengcheng. To dodge it, Ye Fengcheng had to let go of Ye Lingyue. Ye Fengyu released her elementary force inside the ring. It was so powerful that it even made the bones in Ye Lingyue¡¯s body shiver. It was as if she had fallen into the icy water. ¡°Ye Fengyu, what makes you think you can be so arrogant?¡± Ye Fengcheng snorted. ¡°I beat you out of the ring with a slap that year.¡± Ye Fengyu¡¯s gaze was sharp and cold. Ye Fengcheng was shaking with anger after she had brought up the past. His eyes were red and an elementary force that was no less than Ye Fengyu¡¯s rushed out. The ring shook and they were already having an in-fight before even exchanging actual blows. Seeing the Third Young Lady, the martial arts school was in an uproar. How many years had it been? Ever since the third daughter of the Ye family returned to the Ye family, she was like an invisible person. She had lost her bravery and was already a useless person. But the Ye Fengyu in front of them had an imposing air to her. ¡°Rock Shattering Force.¡± Before Ye Fengyu and Ye Fengcheng could do anything, they suddenly heard Ye Gu¡¯s angry shout, and a strong elementary force burst out from Ye Gu. Ye Gu stood between them, and beside him, an elementary force spread out like waves. With Ye Gu¡¯s intervention, cracks on the paved ground opened inch by inch. Ye Fengyu and Ye Fengcheng¡¯s angry expression froze and they took three steps back. Ye Lingyue was shocked when she saw this. Ye Gu¡¯s elementary force had destroyed the whole ring. The head of the Ye family and a Postnatal Peak powerhouse, Ye Gu, was like a green pine standing in the ruins of the ring and his face was full of anger. ¡°What is going on?!¡± Ye Gu¡¯s gaze was sharp like knives as he looked at everyone¡¯s faces. He finally stopped on Ye Lingyue and Ye Qing¡¯s faces. The latter¡¯s face turned even paler and could not say a word as Ye Gu stared at him. Ye Lingyue, on the other hand, calmly looked at Ye Gu and told him about the bet she had with Ye Qing. Ye Yinshuang and the people in the martial arts school were her witnesses. ¡°Father, this is a joke among children. You can¡¯t possibly take it seriously,¡± Ye Fengcheng pleaded. ¡°Nonsense. Ye Fengcheng, it¡¯s a joke now that your son lost the battle. But if it were my daughter, then you and your son could humiliate her? Your son is a treasure, while my daughter is grass?¡± Ye Fengyu¡¯s voice raised a little. ¡°Enough. This time, it¡¯s Ye Qing who lost. It¡¯s natural for him to admit defeat.¡± Ye Gu was still angry at Ye Fengcheng¡¯s rashness. How could he bear the heavy responsibilities in the future with such a character? ¡°Grandfather!¡± Ye Qing begged. He could not believe that his grandfather, who had always doted on him, would make things difficult for him for this fool. Ye Gu ignored him and Ye Fengcheng shook his head at Ye Qing as a warning. Ye Gu valued promises. But Ye Fengcheng knew that he must not lose his position in his father¡¯s heart because of his son¡¯s bet. He was fighting for the position to become the head of the family, for crying out loud! Ye Qing knelt to the ground with his head lowered, and he crawled. He was used to being a young master, so the rough gravel on the ground made his knees hurt. The sweat on his forehead fell drop by drop, and he looked like a dog like that. ¡°He would have such a day, too.¡± ¡°Who asked him to bully people every day?¡± Those disciples from the main and side branches, who Ye Qing had bullied, added insult to his injury. There were mocking voices, laughter by his ears, and even countless eye rolls. All these touches of sarcasm made Ye Qing, who had never suffered in his daily life, feel an unpleasant feeling rush to his heart. After crawling a few steps, he spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted. Seeing Ye Qing had fainted from anger, Ye Fengcheng glared at Ye Fengyu and Ye Lingyue. He then picked up his son and left in a flurry. Ye Lingyue looked at the two of them leaving, and she had a calm expression on her face as if the victorious moment never happened. Ye Gu saw all of this. This child did not get arrogant after she had won, and she was not discouraged by failure. Her character was stronger than Ye Qing. Chapter 18 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After Lingyue had defeated Ye Qing, she temporarily took his spot. The competition continued. Because Ye Gu had destroyed the ring, they temporarily moved the competition to the school field. At that moment, a young girl of fifteen to sixteen years old walked out of the crowd. Her oval face and almond-shaped eyes looked matured and dignified. Ye Lingyue did not recognize her face and thought she probably was not from the main family, but a sister from one of the family branches. ¡°I¡¯m Ye Ning, nice to meet you Sister Lingyue,¡± Ye Ning said and threw back her long hair, looking unrestrained and sharp. ¡°Since it¡¯s Ye Ning. Ye Lingyue is unlucky this time.¡± Ye Lingyue heard those broken bits of voices from below the ring. Only the top three of the Ye family¡¯s competition could get a reward. For the disciples of the side branches of the Ye family, whose resources were much lesser than the main family, the reward was undoubtedly very important. Earlier on, they had qualms as Ye Qing was Ye Fengcheng¡¯s son. Some disciples were stronger than Ye Qing, but no one dared to challenge him. Ye Ning was one of them. Ye Lingyue was different. Although she belonged to the main family, her mother had a tainted relationship with the head of the Ye family. This was no secret to everyone. Ye Ning was stronger than Ye Qing in terms of strength. She had the nickname ¡®Little Ye Liuyun,¡¯ and that alone proved how her talent was superb. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Ye Fengyu¡¯s daughter can only stop here,¡± one elder said in regret. When Ye Fengyu saw Ye Ning, she was also slightly moved. She could see that the young girl¡¯s pace was steady and her elementary force was at the fourth level. Her daughter had only gone into the mountains for a month¡­ So, it was almost impossible for her to break through the third level of body tempering to the fourth within that period. Ye Yinshuang stood by the side, her round face red with worry. ¡°That child has great talent,¡± Ye Gu said, but no one knew which one he was praising. ¡°Sister Lingyue, I will do my best.¡± Ye Ning looked at Ye Lingyue. This girl, who was a few years younger than her, had a kind of power that made people dare not look down on her. ¡°Me too.¡± Ye Lingyue smiled, her eyes curving like a crescent moon and glowing. Ye Ning stepped out and an elementary force gathered on her slender palms. Her hands then turned into claws, like an eagle¡¯s, and it grabbed onto Ye Lingyue¡¯s shoulders. Type nine move, Bone Breaking Claw! In the Ye family¡¯s martial arts moves, Bone Breaking Claw was similar to Broken Thunder Fist. But Breaking Bone Claw was more feminine, so it was suitable for women to learn. When the Bone Breaking Claw was practiced to the maximum level, six shadow claws would appear and the technique would compete with the Broken Thunder fist. Ye Ning¡¯s attack was quick. Fortunately, Ye Lingyue was also quick to react as she had been hunting in the mountains for the past month. She moved to the right and dodged Ye Ning¡¯s attack. Her hands clenched into fists and went towards Ye Ning¡¯s face. Five lightning bolts flashed brightly. Ye Ning¡¯s pretty face paled. She noticed that Ye Lingyue had almost mastered the Broken Thunder Fists. Ye Ning then drew out five shadow claws to meet head-on with Ye Lingyue. ¡°Five lightning bolts of Broken Thunder Fists versus five shadow claws of Bone Breaking Claw. These little fellows are good.¡± Ye Gu¡¯s expression changed when he saw this. The fist and claw techniques they used were very skillful, and at one glance, it was obvious that they had practiced hard. ¡°But in terms of age and elementary force, I¡¯m afraid the little girl is not Ye Ning¡¯s opponent.¡± Ye Gu was happy, but he could not help sighing. Ye Ning should be at the fourth level of body tempering, but Ye Lingyue was¡­ With similar martial arts skills, the cultivation of elementary force would become the key to success. Boom¡­ However, as soon as Ye Gu¡¯s voice fell, he saw that the two of them had collided with each other with elementary force surrounding them. In the eyes of the crowd, they thought Ye Ning won, but she flew out like a fallen leaf swept by the wind. She spat out a mouthful of blood and rolled to the ground. ¡°What!?¡± Ye Fengyu¡¯s body tightened, and she clenched her fists tightly. It horrified Ye Gu that he almost jumped up. He and one elder of the Ye family stared at Ye Lingyue as if they were looking at the most incredulous thing. Being able to knock Ye Ning out, whose body tempering was at the fourth level¡­ Could it be that Ye Lingyue¡­ Ye Lingyue was at least at the peak of the fourth level of body tempering. In the Ye family¡¯s martial arts school, the disciples who had humiliated Ye Lingyue with Ye Qing earlier were all stunned. ¡°Lingyue, you won!¡± Ye Yinshuang was the first to rush up. She was amazed at how talented her little cousin was! Ye Lingyue smiled and walked to Ye Ning¡¯s side to help her up. ¡°You¡¯re really good. I¡¯m ashamed of myself. But I will not lose to you the next time we fight,¡± Ye Ning gracefully said. She was not embarrassed¡­ She had a straightforward character. Ye Lingyue nodded and the two retreated. After defeating Ye Ning, Ye Lingyue¡¯s strength was obvious to all. In the following rounds, no one challenged Ye Lingyue, and neither did she challenge anyone. At the end of the competition, she won third place. Compared to Ye Fengyu competing for the top in the competition that year, Ye Lingyue¡¯s performance was fair, but it was enough for her. She only wanted to prove to everyone that no one should look down on the people from the northern estate again with her around! Chapter 19 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After the competition, Ye Lingyue followed Ye Fengyu and returned to the northern estate. Ye Fengyu said nothing and did not look so good. After returning to the northern estate, she ignored Ye Lingyue and went back to her room. ¡°Is Mother angry with me?¡± Ye Lingyue held Aunt Liu and asked. ¡°Little Miss, Third Young Miss is not angry with you. She is worried about you. When you were in the mountains for a month, she was always thinking about you,¡± Aunt Liu comforted after hearing the uneasiness in Ye Lingyue¡¯s voice. Hearing this, Ye Lingyue felt a warm feeling in her heart. Although she was not the ¡®mentally challenged girl¡¯ anymore, she could still feel Ye Fengyu¡¯s concern all the time even after she had recovered her consciousness. This time, Ye Fengyu did not hesitate to stand up against Ye Fengcheng in her attempt to protect Ye Lingyue. From her room, she could hear the sounds of her mother coughing intermittently. Ye Lingyue knew that her mother was not feeling well because she had used most of her elementary force. If only she could find the fifth-grade pill. But then again, that particular pill needed tens of thousand taels of gold, and where was she going to get it? Ye Lingyue frowned. After giving Aunt Liu a wild game animal to cook, Ye Lingyue went back to her room. She took out the jade she received earlier on and looked at it in her palm. The jade was not that big and the craftsmanship was only well-to-do. It was only the size of a child¡¯s palm, and the emerald green body of the jade looked a little gray under the light. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look special,¡± Ye Lingyue mumbled. Dark Elemental Jade could speed up the martial arts practitioner¡¯s absorption of elemental force. However, since Ye Lingyue was using the Gathering Elemental potion, her elementary force absorption was faster than that of ordinary people. When Ye Lingyue was about to throw the jade aside, the Qian cauldron on her right hand trembled. Baffled by what was happening, a white puff of air suddenly appeared in the cauldron and it looked like a strand of hair. ¡°Is this the cauldron breath?¡± Ye Lingyue recalled that in Hongmeng¡¯s letter, he mentioned that the cauldron was spiritual. It was used to refine medicine all year round and the cauldron would produce a special gas called cauldron breath. What Ye Lingyue was witnessing was the exact cauldron breath that he had mentioned. When that white cauldron breath saw the Dark Elemental Jade, it rolled and rushed towards it as if it were delicious food. When the cauldron breath dove into the jade body, a strange image suddenly appeared in Ye Lingyue¡¯s mind. The jade in front of her eyes disappeared and everything turned into a patch of emerald green before her. Was she actually seeing what was inside the jade? Different from what Ye Lingyue saw earlier, she saw a dozen small black spots after the cauldron breath entered the Dark Elemental Jade. Those black spots must be the impurities inside the jade. These black impurities were the reason the jade was a grade lower. The cauldron breath became extremely active when it saw the black impurities. It moved around and ate up the small black spots. In a short amount of time, the black spots inside the jade all disappeared and the color of the jade became greener. The cauldron breath by then looked a little cloudy, and it went back into the cauldron after it satisfied itself with ¡®eating¡¯. It no longer moved about afterward. This scene stunned Ye Lingyue. She looked at the Dark Elemental Jade once more and realized how clear it had become after the cauldron breath purified it. It looked like a pool of lake water, and it was as if the craftsmanship was re-done, making it fuller and more exquisite this time. The most peculiar thing? The jade felt cool as she held it in her hand. If Ye Qing and his father were to see the jade again, they would not guess that it was the same inferior grade Dark Elemental Jade they once had. Since Ye Lingyue was bad at recognizing the changes that happened with the jade, she let Ye Fengyu check it. Seeing the item, it rendered Ye Fengyu stunned! ¡°Where did you get this Dark Yin Jade?¡± ¡°I won this jade from Ye Qing.¡± Ye Lingyue felt strange. ¡°But you won a Dark Elemental Jade, how did it become a Dark Yin Jade?¡± Ye Fengyu¡¯s eyesight was better than Ye Lingyue. Dark Elemental Jade was an inferior grade spirit jade used to gather elementary force, but Dark Yin Jade was a medial grade spirit jade used by Postnatal martial arts practitioners to absorb the Yin energy to break through to the Postnatal realm. Although it was just a word difference, the price had quite the contrast. A piece of Dark Yin Jade the size of a nail was worth five hundred silver taels. The one Ye Lingyue possessed was worth at least one thousand silver taels. If Ye Fengcheng knew that he had lost a Dark Yin Jade, he would not have given it up so easily. One thousand silver taels! Ye Lingyue could not help sweating in her palms. It was a pity that one thousand silver taels still was not enough to buy a fifth-grade pill for her mother. As for how the Dark Elemental Jade became a Dark Yin Jade, Ye Fengyu did not think much about it. ¡°Yue¡¯er, keep this piece of jade properly and don¡¯t let outsiders find out about it. After you break through the fifth level of body tempering, you can use the Dark Yin Jade in many ways. You can use it to separate the Yin energy in the elementary force from the sky and earth, train your muscles and bones, and use it to break through the Postnatal realm.¡± At the beginning of the fifth level of body tempering, a part of Yin energy could be integrated into the body. The earlier the integration, the more beneficial it would be for Postnatal cultivation in the future. Ye Fengyu thought her daughter had only broken through the fourth level of body tempering. Little did she know, she was already at the fifth level. ¡°I understand. By the way, Mother. When I was cultivating in the mountains, I found a type of wine by chance, and it somehow helped me breakthrough. You should drink some of it too, and it may be good for your injury.¡± Ye Lingyue took out a small bottle of Hundred-fruit wine. Chapter 20 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Ye Lingyue¡¯s rapid progress in her cultivation this time would no doubt raise her mother¡¯s suspicion, so she had long prepared her explanation. The bottle of Hundred-fruit wine was different from the wine Ye Lingyue found in the tree hole. Ye Lingyue already purified it once with the Qian cauldron, and it enhanced the effect of the wine. The wine aroma filled the whole room after they opened the cork. Ye Fengyu¡¯s expression changed and she looked at the bottle of wine in surprise. Was this what they called monkey wine? Ye Fengyu heard from an old hunter before that there were iron-armed apes in the Seven Star Mountain. They were particularly good at brewing monkey wine, which is very nourishing and good for repairing damaged bones and muscles. She had been on the mountain countless times but never had she encountered a drop of monkey wine. It was her daughter¡¯s first time in the mountain, but she managed to find some? No wonder Lingyue¡¯s strength soared so much! Could it be that even God thought that she was too decadent these years, that He let her daughter find the monkey wine instead? ¡°I still have several bottles with me. Mother, try the Hundred-fruit wine first,¡± Ye Lingyue said. And as she did, a rustling sound came from her clothes. ¡°Squeaky.¡± A small head poked out of her robe. Ever since forming a spiritual contract with Ye Lingyue, Squeaky was not willing to stay in Hongmeng Sanctuary alone. Ye Lingyue could only hide it in her clothes, and surprisingly, it ate and slept well. When she was fighting in the ring earlier on, it was just sleeping soundly. The little fellow had woken up and felt its stomach growling, so it stuck its head out to find something to eat. ¡°Mother, I still have one more thing to tell you. I saw this spiritual being on the mountain and I want to raise it.¡± Ye Lingyue looked at Ye Fengyu and pulled a face as if to plead. Squeaky also understood the meaning of Ye Lingyue¡¯s words. It then pulled a pitiful look towards Ye Fengyu using its baby blue eyes. It held its forelegs together, assuming a pleading stance at the same time. Seeing how her daughter and the cute little dog looked, Ye Fengyu was caught between laughter and tears. Just like that, the northern estate had a new member. After she took the Dark Yin Jade in her possession, Ye Lingyue went back to her room. As she looked at the Dark Yin Jade, she thought to herself that with the cauldron breath, she would be able to refine medicine. But she didn¡¯t know whether the cauldron breath could swallow other things besides the black spots inside the jade. Ye Lingyue looked around and found a cup. Holding it in her hand, the cauldron breath lazily went to the object. A porcelain white image briefly flashed past her mind. After that, the cauldron breath rushed out and went back to the cauldron. As for the cup, there were no color changes. Ye Lingyue tried it on all kinds of things in the room and she soon found a pattern. The cauldron breath could easily enter smaller things, especially those that are alive or spiritual. However, Ye Lingyue noticed how the cauldron breath was weak. If it wanted to enter things with a larger dimension, there would only be a blurred image inside her mind. ¡°The cauldron breath is still weak. I can only refine medicine and purify things to strengthen it in the future,¡± Ye Lingyue said to herself. Ye Lingyue was sleepy after the day¡¯s event, and she fell into a deep sleep that night. The next day, Ye Lingyue had just woken up when Ye Yinshuang excitedly came to the northern estate. ¡°Congratulations, Lingyue. Yesterday was so exhilarating! You don¡¯t know how happy I was when Ye Qing was crawling like a dog.¡± Ye Yinshuang¡¯s face was full of joy. Ye Qing had always been fearless because of his status in the family. But yesterday, someone finally taught him a lesson for the first time. And that person was Ye Lingyue, the person he looked down on. Such news spread like wildfire throughout Autumn Maple town. ¡°Lingyue, what a cute little fox you¡¯re carrying!¡± Ye Yinshuang saw the small head that had poked out from Ye Lingyue¡¯s clothes. ¡®You are the fox. Your whole family is a skulk of foxes.¡¯ As Squeaky saw Ye Yinshuang reach out her hands, it grabbed at her with its little claw with a quick swoosh. It then puffed out its cheek as if fruits were stuffed inside. Squeaky¡¯s reaction meant that it was angry, and with just one touch, there were serious consequences. As such, there were several scratches on the back of Ye Yinshuang¡¯s hand. Its speed and ferocity were not in line with its cute appearance. What a fierce little fellow! It surprised Ye Yinshuang. She was already at the fourth level of body tempering, so that meant her skin was tough. But after Squeaky had given her a causal scratch, and it was strong enough to wound her. ¡°Yinshuang, this is the little beast I¡¯ve just started raising. It¡¯s called ¡®Squeaky.¡¯ It¡¯s shy around strangers, so it¡¯s better not to pet it,¡± Ye Lingyue said with some embarrassment. Perhaps it had been in Hongmeng Sanctuary for too long that Squeaky was wary of people. It also did not allow Ye Fengyu and Aunt Liu to touch it. What Squeaky liked the most other than eating was to stick close to Ye Lingyue. When Ye Yinshuang heard this, she could only draw back her hand and dared not to provoke Squeaky. ¡°It¡¯s getting late. It¡¯s time for us to go to the martial arts school. I haven¡¯t been there for a month,¡± Ye Lingyue said with a smile. ¡°Why are you still going to the martial arts school? I almost forgot about it. My father asked me to inform you to go to the martial arts tower. Don¡¯t forget that the top three of the competition can enter the martial arts tower and choose a new martial arts skill. This is much more important than going to the martial arts school.¡± Chapter 21 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios There were all kinds of basic martial arts skills collected and improved by many generations of the Ye family in the Ye family¡¯s martial arts tower. Only those who ranked in the top three of the Ye inter-family competition or even people with grand achievements could be granted admission into the tower. The martial arts tower was located in the heavily guarded southern estate. Ye Lingyue did not even dare to approach the area before. ¡°Father, I¡¯ve brought Lingyue over.¡± The one guarding the martial arts tower was Ye Huangshu, Ye Yinshuang¡¯s father. Although Ye Huangshu and Ye Fengcheng were brothers, they had distinct personalities. Ye Huangshu was not business-minded but was honest and reliable. Hence, Ye Gu assigned him guarding the martial arts tower, which was an important place for the Ye family. Ye Lingyue looked at her second uncle. Ye Yinshuang looked like him since both had round faces, but Ye Huangshu had sharper facial features. To guard such an important place, Ye Huangshu¡¯s cultivation must be strong. ¡°Second Uncle,¡± Ye Lingyue called out to him. Other than Ye Fengcheng and his son, Ye Lingyue¡¯s other uncles were good to her and her mother. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Ye Huangshu looked at Ye Lingyue. Ye Huangshu had never looked at his third sister¡¯s daughter carefully before, but now he took a closer look at her. He found out that although she had lost her dazed look from before, she still had some youthful glow to her face, eyes, nose, and lips¡ªher facial features were all exquisite. She was so young but had such breathtaking beauty. Once she grows up, she would be a beautiful woman. Ye Huangshu could not help but think of his third sister, Ye Fengyu. She was similar to Ye Lingyue when she was her age. She was young and full of vitality, and her beauty was unparalleled. But she got into trouble with people who she should not have provoked and landed into such a miserable state. ¡°Lingyue, you did well in the family competition. Why didn¡¯t you challenge Ye Sheng, who was in the first place though?¡± Although Ye Huangshu did not attend the competition that day, he learned what had happened through his daughter. The opportunity to challenge Ye Sheng cropped up, but she didn¡¯t take it. ¡°Ye Sheng is the Big Uncle¡¯s son. He is three years older than me and is at the seventh level of body tempering. I am not his match at the moment,¡± Ye Lingyue said after thinking for a brief while. The one in the first place could enter the martial arts tower, as well as the second and third place. Having already offended Ye Qing and his father, she dared not to offend the eldest of the family. What a clever child! Ye Huangshu was secretly surprised. Ye Lingyue¡¯s words made sense. Ye Sheng was the first grandson of the Ye family and his status was naturally different from Ye Qing. She was not his match now, but that did not mean that she would not be in the future. This child knew that she was depending on others for a living, but deep in her bones, she had some sort of pride that would not lose to anyone. This child would become an outstanding person in the future. His daughter was a year older than Ye Lingyue, but in terms of astuteness and wit, she was not even Ye Lingyue¡¯s match. 1Ye Huangshu could not help but secretly rejoice that he did not object to his daughter becoming friends with Ye Lingyue. ¡°The rule of the martial arts tower is that you can only enter after you have reached the third level of body tempering. You haven¡¯t tested your elementary force yet, so before you enter the tower, we need to test it,¡± Ye Huangshu said. He then took Ye Lingyue to an elementary force stone tablet in front of the tower door. The numbers one to nine were carved on the elementary force tablet, which respectively symbolized body tempering levels one to nine. After the ninth level, they considered one as a Postnatal practitioner. Ye Lingyue did not take part in measuring her elementary force on the tablet test because she was still dazed before. Following Ye Huangshu¡¯s instructions, she punched the stone tablet. On the elementary force tablet, the elementary force was like an arrow and it suddenly jumped to level three under Ye Huangshu¡¯s gaze. Ye Huangshu wanted to end the test already, but the elementary force on the stone tablet did not disperse. Instead, it jumped up two places and stopped after reaching the fifth level. ¡°Fifth level of body tempering. Lingyue, you are already at level five?¡± If Ye Huangshu hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes, it would be hard for him to believe that Ye Lingyue, who was only 13 years old, reached the fifth level of body tempering. The information he received was that Ye Lingyue was only at the fourth level of body tempering. ¡°I broke through when I was training in the mountains. Second Uncle, can I go in now that I¡¯m done with the test?¡± Ye Lingyue asked. ¡°Of course. The martial arts tower is divided into three levels. The first level is the basic martial arts skill with no grade, including some fist and foot skills. The second level is the nine types of martial arts skills, and as for the third level, only the head of the Ye family and several elders can enter. Remember, don¡¯t be greedy. You can only choose one skill; otherwise, you will be punished by the family rules,¡± Ye Huangshu reminded. He then watched her walk into the martial arts tower. ¡°Out of all her misfortunes, Third Sister is still fortunate enough to have such a daughter. It¡¯s a pity that Third Sister had to be injured¡­¡± Ye Huangshu was filled with emotions. For a moment, he watched Ye Lingyue¡¯s back in a daze. After Ye Lingyue had gone into the tower, Ye Huangshu thought of something and immediately sent someone to go to Ye manor. ¡°What? Ye Lingyue already broke through the fifth level of body tempering?¡± This news shocked the members of the Ye family, including Ye Gu. ¡°It is true. The second Master tested her with the elementary force tablet,¡± the servant reported. In the Ye family, there were only 30 martial arts practitioners who had reached that level of body tempering. And among them, only three people had reached that level at thirteen years of age¡ªYe Lingyue was the third; Ye Qing¡¯s sister, Ye Liuyun was the second; and the first was Ye Lingyue¡¯s mother, Ye Fengyu. However, Ye Lingyue was different from Ye Fengyu. She had been practicing martial arts for less than one year, to be exact. It was less than three months. ¡°Pass the message down that the people from the northern estate are to move out and move into the eastern estate today,¡± Ye Gu said. When Ye Fengyu and Ye Gu fell out, she moved into the northern estate with her daughter and had been living there for ten years. Now, both mother and daughter were moving back to the eastern estate, which meant that Ye Gu was one step closer to forgiving Ye Fengyu. Ye Fengcheng gritted his teeth as hatred filled his heart at the thought of the past where everyone thought highly of Ye Fengyu and how she had overshadowed everyone in the Ye family. ¡°Father, since Ye Lingyue broke through the fifth level of body tempering and surprisingly reached it at thirteen, it¡¯s time for her to take part in family affairs according to the Ye family¡¯s rules,¡± the eldest son, Ye Fengyun, suggested. The male and female martial arts practitioners of the Great Zhou nation could join the army, do business as long as they are thirteen years old, and are to be treated equally. They considered someone in the fifth level of body tempering an essential person to the Ye family and must take on the responsibilities of the family in the future. Since Ye Gu had accepted Ye Fengyu and her daughter, they considered Ye Lingyue a grandchild of the main family. The earlier she takes on the family affairs, the better it would be. ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to talk to Ye Lingyue after she comes back from the martial arts tower. Fengyun, go and tell Fengyu that Lingyue need not go to the martial arts school from tomorrow onwards. She is to go to the quarry to have a look around and be in touch with some main family¡¯s business.¡± Chapter 22 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Ye Lingyue, who was still in the martial arts tower, was not aware of what the head of the Ye family had arranged for her. Ye Lingyue entered the martial arts tower, and it was the dazzling decoration that had attracted her the most. The Ye family martial arts tower had stood for about four to five hundred years already. It had a quaint air to it, and upon entering, one would see a small gold cauldron with several Gathering Elemental joss sticks placed in it. One would feel refreshed upon entering the martial arts tower. In the Great Zhou nation, medical skill records and school-related books were written in paper, while they carved basic martial arts skill records in stone tablets. In the Ye family martial arts tower, there were many stone tablets of different sizes sitting on the shelves. There were different kinds of materials as well. Disciples who enter the tower cannot take the stone tablets home, and instead, they must copy it down to learn it. The copies they made were the only ones they could bring out of the tower. The fist and foot techniques on the first level did not attract Ye Lingyue¡¯s attention. Ye Lingyue continued to the second level. Few martial art skills were on the second level. There were only about 20 type nine moves that the Ye family ancestors have accumulated throughout the years. Ye Lingyue saw the stone tablet of the Broken Thunder Fist skill on the second floor. After frolicking around, she saw over ten types of skills; Blazing Whip, Stone Breaking Claw, and Qingyun Footwork. Ye Lingyue was not interested in these martial arts skills either. ¡°Squeak.¡± Just when Ye Lingyue was in the middle of deciding, Squeaky jumped onto a shelf and stretched its paws to grab something. A martial arts skills stone tablet the size of a palm fell off the shelf. Ye Lingyue quickly caught it with her hand and pulled Squeaky back, to not be found out by Second Uncle. ¡°Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade.¡± Ye Lingyue smiled when she read the stone tablet. For generations, it had always been men who were warriors in the Ye family. Why was there such an elegant sounding martial arts skill in the tower? Ye Lingyue could not help but look at it a few more times. She then found out that this refined sounding basic martial arts skill was a type eight move. And according to the stone tablet, if one could attain the highest level of Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade, its strength would be greater than most of type eight martial arts moves. Although type eight moves and type nine moves differed only in one level, there was still an enormous difference in it. For example, when two martial arts practitioners, who were both at the ninth level of body tempering, exchange blows, the one using a type eight martial arts skill would win over the one using a type nine martial arts skill. Ye Lingyue heard from her mother that there were only three kinds of type eight martial arts skills in the whole Ye family. One of them was the ¡®Rock Shattering Force¡¯ Ye Gu used to force Ye Fengyu and Ye Fengcheng to step back during the competition. The second level of the martial arts tower was all type nine moves, and they could only find the type at the third level. So why was it placed there? ¡°That is ¡®Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade.¡¯ It¡¯s a type eight martial arts skill, but other than the ancestor of the Ye family who created this, for so many years, no one in the Ye family tried to learn it. In the hands of ordinary people, it is not even as good as a type nine martial arts skill, so we placed it on the second floor.¡± Seeing that Ye Lingyue had not come down from the second floor after a long time, Ye Huangshu came up. When Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade was first placed in the martial arts tower, many descendants of the Ye family were eager to learn this type eight martial arts skill. But after two months, almost all the descendants of the Ye family could not release the power of Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade. After a long time of trying to figure it out, they dropped the skill to a lower level. Some even said that it was an incomplete skill and that a Ye ancestor did not create it. The particular ancestor of the Ye family who created the skill was a legend of the Ye family. He came to Autumn Maple town alone and started up the Ye family¡¯s business with his bare hands. When the ancestor was still alive, the Ye family entered a period of great prosperity and even had dealings with the imperial court of Great Xia. It was a pity that after the ancestor¡¯s death, the Ye family gradually declined. Now in Autumn Maple town, the most powerful was the only thing they were famous for. This Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade was a famous and unique skill of the Ye family, and back then, the ancestor was invincible in Autumn Maple town with this martial arts skill. When Ye Huangshu was younger, he had also studied this basic martial arts skill. But after six months of learning it, he did not make any progress and ultimately gave up. ¡°Lingyue, I think you have an excellent fist technique, but you still lack some movement techniques. It¡¯s better to choose another skill,¡± Ye Huangshu reminded her. ¡°Second Uncle, thank you for your kindness, but I still want to learn Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade.¡± Ye Lingyue made up her mind. She copied down Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade and left the martial arts tower. ¡°This child has outstanding talent, but she is headstrong. She will suffer in the future if she doesn¡¯t listen to her elders.¡± Seeing that Ye Lingyue did not listen to his advice, Ye Huangshu was a little upset. After shaking his head, he put that stone tablet back. 1After Ye Lingyue had left the martial arts tower, she was in no hurry to get back to the northern estate. Seeing that there was no one around, she took out the copied martial arts skill and read it. ¡°It¡¯s strange that the ancestors of the Ye family knew psyche too,¡± Ye Lingyue wondered. She was very smart and felt that the cultivation technique of Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade was familiar after one look. In retrospect, it turned out that a few words in the mantra were similar to the psyche cultivation technique in Immortal Hongmeng¡¯s letter. Not everyone could cultivate the psyche. To make the Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade useful, one needed to have a psyche as a base and combine it with martial arts skills. The reason many descendants of the Ye family could not learn it was because they did not know their psyche. ¡®Twisting Flower¡¯ meant controlling the enemy with the psyche, while ¡®Crushing Jade¡¯ meant attacking the enemy¡¯s weak point with elementary force. One was controlling and the other attacking, it could defeat the enemy and win easily. Ye Lingyue read and gestured at the same time. Unknowingly, she was practicing Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade towards a tree beside her. Ye Lingyue¡¯s hands were like a butterfly, landing on the tree trunk and gesturing. Elementary force surrounded her dexterous fingers and her fingertips flashed with white light. Ye Lingyue¡¯s hands brushed past the tree trunk lightly like a horsetail whisk. It seemed that there was a twisting force that passed through Ye Lingyue¡¯s hands. She did not exert any force from her side, but it seemed that a different powerful force grasped the tree that was deeply planted in the soil. The soil that was then separated from the tree stuck on to Ye Lingyue¡¯s hands. Gathering power in her hands, she heard a few cracks, and it broke the thick waist of the tree into several sections. It was evenly broken as if an ax had cut it. ¡®How powerful!¡® It surprised Ye Lingyue. It was a type eight move. It was very powerful with just the first use. And when using it, there was no elementary force at all. It was like a showy and impractical martial art, but she did not expect it to have such power. Hearing footsteps behind her, Ye Lingyue quickly hid. ¡°Which brat cut down the boxwood tree that Master had just planted?¡± Ye Lingyue heard the voice of the Ye family¡¯s servant coming from the yard. The boxwood on the ground had been split apart. Ye Lingyue stuck out her tongue when she heard this and sprinted away. Chapter 23 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Ye Lingyue rushed back to the northern estate to tell her mother the good news. Upon her arrival at the northern gate, she noticed Aunt Liu and a servant moving things outside. Her mother, Ye Fengyu and Big Uncle, Ye Fengyun were standing outside the estate, talking. ¡°Third Sister, Father said that from today onwards, you are to move to the Qiaochu Wing in the eastern estate, where there are still several maids and servants who are deft.¡± Ye Fengyun was the eldest son of the Ye family, and he had a square face. His appearance was the most similar to the head of the Ye family, Ye Gu. Move? Ye Lingyue looked at her mother and saw that she had no objection to it. The environment was good at the eastern estate and would be appropriate for her mother¡¯s healing. ¡°Lingyue, why didn¡¯t you tell me you¡¯re back? You already broke through the fifth level of body tempering?¡± Ye Fengyu also learned from her elder brother about how her daughter had broken through to the fifth level. ¡°I thought you already knew about it. I had a breakthrough last night after waking up from sleep,¡± Ye Lingyue explained vaguely. She had a breakthrough after sleeping. Ye Fengyun coughed after hearing this. His eldest son, Ye Sheng, took half a year to break through to the fifth level of body tempering. It was annoying that this niece of his had a breakthrough after waking up from sleep. Ye Fengyu was caught between laughter and tears, but she also knew that it probably was the Monkey Wine¡¯s effect on her. She didn¡¯t say anything, though, for it was not convenient for her to talk about such things in front of her brother. Ye Lingyue looked at her mother again and felt happy when she found that her mother¡¯s complexion was ruddy. She looked more energetic than usual after drinking the purified monkey wine. ¡°Lingyue, I heard that you went to the martial arts tower today. Which basic martial arts skill did you choose?¡± Ye Fengyun stepped forward with a smile. He had two sons and had always wanted a daughter. Seeing Ye Lingyue¡¯s clever and beautiful appearance, he liked it very much. ¡°Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade.¡± As soon as Ye Lingyue¡¯s voice fell, the two elders were surprised. Ye Fengyu opened her mouth, wanting to say something while Ye Fengyun, on the other hand, laughed. When Ye Fengyu went into the martial arts tower for the first time, the first basic martial arts skill she picked was also Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade. After she failed to learn it, she changed it to Qingyun Footwork. ¡°She¡¯s still a child so she should suffer some setbacks. She can still change to another skill in the future.¡± After her daughter had become clever, she was cautious and smart with how she approached things. She would never act rashly. Since she wanted to learn, Ye Fengyu just let her be. After they had moved into the eastern estate, Ye Fengyun called out to Ye Lingyue. ¡°Lingyue, you are now an elite disciple of the Ye family. According to the family rule, when boys reach the age of thirteen, they will have to go to the mine to train and girls have to go to the quarry to study the business. Tomorrow you will have a look at the quarry with your cousin, Ye Sheng.¡± After Ye Fengyun gave the instructions, he left with his servant. Aunt Liu was still busy with the new servants so Ye Lingyue took the chance to go into Hongmeng Sanctuary. As soon as she returned to Hongmeng Sanctuary, Squeaky spread its short legs and ran around. After getting Immortal Hongmeng¡¯s letter, Ye Lingyue became more and more adept at controlling the whole of Hongmeng Sanctuary. She knew that if she wanted Hongmeng Sanctuary to raise its level and make the elementary force inside more abundant, she had to plant more spirit plants and also improve her strength. ¡°Squeaky.¡± Squeaky was sprawled under a green-wood fruit tree that Ye Lingyue planted. Half a month had passed and the green-wood fruit tree, which used to be one meter high, had grown to three or four meters high. Because there was no one picking them in Hongmeng Sanctuary, the green-wood fruits gave off an attractive fragrance and the tree branches were bending with their weight¡­ Squeaky was salivating at the green-wood fruit. It wanted to climb up and eat it, but the tree trunk was too smooth. Squeaky fell from the tree after clawing at it and it looked really funny. Ye Lingyue used her mind and a green-wood fruit fell from the tree and landed beside Squeaky. It hurriedly used all its limbs to tightly hold the fruit that was half the size of its body. ¡°There¡¯s so much green-wood fruit. It seems like this time, I will make a lot of money.¡± Ye Lingyue looked at the green-wood fruit on the tree, her eyes curving into crescents. She seemed to be seeing countless silver taels waving at her. In the medicinal shop of Autumn Maple town, the manager¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed tightly. The green-wood fruit had been out of stock for a month. There were brave herb harvesters who entered the mountain, but according to them, more than a dozen green-wood fruit trees around the ridge were all gone. They disappeared, and not a kernel was left. ¡°Bandits must have cut those trees down. What are we going to do about the alcohol ointment now that there are no more green-wood fruits?¡± The manager sighed. If there was no other way, he could only spend a lot of money to buy some green-wood fruits from a county city. But the green-wood fruits needed to be fresh when used to make alcohol ointment. If the green-wood fruits were more than three days old, the effect of the ointment won¡¯t be as good. ¡°Manager.¡± A familiar voice pulled him back from his thoughts. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re here. Are you here to sell Gathering Elemental herbs again?¡± The manager forced out a smile and went forward. ¡°No, I¡¯m here to sell green-wood fruits,¡± Ye Lingyue said and took out a green-wood fruit. That fruit was glossy and green, and it was three to four times bigger than an ordinary green-wood fruit. Not only that, but it was also very fresh. ¡°Green-wood fruit? Where did you get such a fresh green-wood fruit?¡± The manager swallowed and wanted to grab the fruit over. ¡°An old friend of mine used special methods to bring it in from outside. He can supply about 25 kilograms a day, but as for the price¡­¡± Ye Lingyue left the manager hanging. ¡°The price is negotiable. It¡¯s fine even if the price is 50 percent more expensive with such quality. I am willing to pay 1 and a half silver taels for one green-wood fruit, and 250 silver taels for 25 kilograms,¡± the manager agreed in a hurry. ¡°No, Manager. I¡¯ll sell it to you at the normal price, and will only offer my supplies to you. But I have one condition. You must help me find where the fifth-grade pills are.¡± Ye Lingyue shook her head. She had Hongmeng Sanctuary and the cauldron breath in her hands, it was just a matter of time for her to earn money. She just wanted to help her mother recover quickly. ¡°This¡­ Okay, I promise you.¡± However, fifth-grade pills are indeed rare. You cannot even find it in a county city. How about this, you give me a month. If I have any news, I will inform you immediately.¡± Although the manager of the medicinal shop did not know Ye Lingyue¡¯s identity, she had solved his urgent problem. Besides, the herbs the girl brought every single time were top notch. The manager thought that he had so much use for her in the future and thus was willing to be on good terms with such people. After the two reached an agreement, Ye Lingyue said nothing and delivered a batch of green-wood fruits. Chapter 24 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The next day, just after dawn, Ye Lingyue completed her daily cultivation. She followed Ye Fengyun¡¯s arrangement and went to the Ye family¡¯s quarry. The Ye family built themselves up from the mining business. The quarry was used to cut, sort, and screen through the ore mined from the Seven Star mountain. After the preliminary extraction, they sell them off in the county city. The quarry could also carry out small-scale ore trading to supply the daily use of the iron shops and townspeople in Autumn Maple town. The Ye family¡¯s quarry was also a small market. 70 to 80% of the Ye family¡¯s income depended on the quarry, so the importance of the quarry was second to the Ye family¡¯s mine. ¡°Lingyue, this is your first time to the quarry, so I¡¯ll take you around.¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s eldest cousin, Ye Sheng, whom she had seen once during the competition, was tasked to show Ye Lingyue around. Ye Sheng was a handsome sixteen years old boy. But as the eldest grandson of the Ye family, he was a little arrogant. At first glance, Ye Sheng did not have much of an impression of Ye Lingyue. He only knew that she was a fool from the moment she was born. This time, Ye Lingyue had amazed everyone with her prowess during the competition and his father, Ye Fengyun, was full of praises for Ye Lingyue. He kept saying that she was a genius. Seeing her that day, Ye Sheng thought that she was not that special. She was just lucky to have defeated Ye Ning and thus was called a genius. His father was a little over the top. In Ye Sheng¡¯s view, Third Aunt was indeed a genius when she was younger, but that did not mean that her daughter was a genius as well. The only genius who Ye Sheng acknowledged was Ye Liuyun. Ye Sheng did not agree to it, so when he showed Ye Lingyue around, he was slightly impolite. Ye Lingyue noticed this but did not speak out loud and just followed behind Ye Sheng, casually asking him about the quarry. ¡°Lingyue, you are a member of the Ye family. Do you know what our family¡¯s major business is?¡± Ye Sheng asked Ye Lingyue as they walked. ¡°The mine and iron ore. I heard that the Ye family¡¯s ancestor founded the Ye family after he discovered a big mine in the mountains.¡± Ye Lingyue knew a little about the history of the Ye family. ¡°Wrong. How can an ordinary iron ore support the whole Ye family? What the Ye family is good at is refining iron and dark iron.¡± Ye Sheng pouted his lips and looked down on Ye Lingyue¡¯s ignorance. Even a three-year-old child in the Ye family knew such a simple thing, but Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t. ¡°Please do guide me along, Big Cousin.¡± Ye Lingyue did not care and instead asked him for guidance. ¡°Iron and dark iron is different. For example, the two piles in front of us. The gray pile is iron and the one that is silver is dark iron. The two only differ slightly in color, but there is an enormous difference in price. Ordinary workers can cut and extract iron, but for dark iron, only martial arts practitioners at the third level of body tempering can cut it. While only those at the fifth level of body tempering can extract it.¡± Ye Sheng picked up a piece of iron and dark iron as he continued explaining it to Ye Lingyue. Ye Lingyue also learned a lot about iron and dark iron from Ye Sheng. In Great Xia, iron could forge utensils. But dark iron could forge weapons and equip the army. The production of dark iron was minimal and it was very difficult to extract. Even the Ye family could only extract it at a preliminary stage. Among the iron ores produced by the Ye family¡¯s mine every year, the proportion of dark iron and iron was a hundred times different. But since the Ye family had a small portion of dark iron, they could keep standing for many years in Autumn Maple town. They went around the quarry. When the workers of the quarry, the merchants, and townspeople who came to do business saw Ye Sheng, they could not help but call out ¡®Young Master Ye Sheng¡¯ respectfully. Ye Sheng had a high-ranking position in the quarry. Those very people saw a beautiful girl following Ye Sheng around, and they all could not help but look at her. Ye Sheng did not introduce her to them, and it was obvious that he intended to let Ye Lingyue feel left out of place. ¡°I still have something on. In front of you are the iron ores and dark iron ores. You can learn how to distinguish them first. The processing plant is right in front. If you are interested, you can have a look.¡± After explaining, Ye Sheng left and let Ye Lingyue think over it herself. Ye Lingyue stood in front of the ores for a moment. Ye Sheng let Ye Lingyue distinguish the iron ore from the dark iron ore. After mining these ores, they looked strikingly similar. Other than experienced masters, it was difficult for ordinary people to distinguish them. There were many mine workers before who had used the inferior iron ores to pass off as dark iron ores in search of extra profits. Learning how to distinguish an iron ore from dark iron ore was the first thing a member of the Ye family needed to learn. For others, it was difficult to distinguish the two kinds of iron ores with the naked eye, but it was very clear in Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes with the help of the magical cauldron breath of the Qian cauldron. With a slight movement of her fingertip, the cauldron breath inside the Qian cauldron burrowed into a piece of dark iron ore. It was like what Ye Sheng said. The gray one was iron and the silver one was dark iron. Most of the dark iron ores that the Ye family mined was a mixture of iron and dark iron. Under close observation, she found that there were a lot of impurities in the pile of dark iron ores, and the percentage of dark iron in each piece was minimal. The dark irons were about 10 to 20% pure. Such dark iron ores were impossible to sell in the County City. It first needed extraction by a martial arts practitioner before they could be sold. The grade of the dark iron ore was much lower than that of the Dark Yin Jade. When the cauldron breath saw the impurities in the dark iron ore, it circled lazily and then shrank back. Bang, bang, bang. She could hear a loud clunking from in front of her. Ye Lingyue went forward and saw that it was busy in the processing plant. About 20 to 30 martial arts practitioners were cutting and forging dark iron ores. There was a loud shout. To Ye Lingyue¡¯s side, a third level body tempering martial arts practitioner gathered some elementary force into the iron ax. With a swing of the ax, he cut the dark iron ore into several parts. They then handed the cut dark iron ore over to a fifth level body tempering martial arts practitioner. The other party was holding a hammer, and he struck down on it. With a clang, the hammer hit the dark iron ore. An elementary force coated the hammer, and when the hammer fell on the iron ore, the force was strong that concentrated that shrills rang. With the fall of the hammer, Ye Lingyue could see many stone chips falling out. They also hammered impurities from the iron ores. Different from any other ordinary iron shop, the workers that handled the dark iron ores in the quarry were not regular people. If one looked closely, they were using elementary force when cutting and forging. After cutting and forging, a piece of dark iron needed about two hours for it to shrink by half, but the composition of dark iron inside should increase by 30 to 40%. Only these dark iron ores are eligible for selling in the County City. Ye Lingyue went out of the processing plant amid the shrill noise. ¡°It¡¯s too much work. I wonder if the Qian cauldron can purify the dark iron.¡± When Ye Lingyue walked out of the processing plant, she was holding a dark iron ore and iron ore piece. Chapter 25 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios There were a lot of iron ores and dark iron ores in the Ye family¡¯s quarry, so taking two pieces would only go under the radar. Earlier on, Ye Lingyue observed the entire process on the side. She saw how much of a work cutting and extracting iron ores was. With the speed of a martial arts practitioner at the fifth level of body tempering, he could at most extract three refined dark iron ores. The dark iron ore was just 30% to 40% pure, but extracting it was still such a heavy task. Ye Lingyue thought that since the Qian cauldron could purify herbs and swallow impurities, perhaps it could also extract dark iron ores. Ye Lingyue found a remote area and extracted the dark iron ore. With a ¡®poof,¡¯ the cauldron sucked in a dark iron ore the size of a palm. After seven and a half minutes, there was a dark iron block the size of cobblestone in Ye Lingyue¡¯s hand. She hurriedly tested it with the cauldron breath. ¡°50%!¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s hand could not help but shake. This was amazing! The thing in her hand was a refined dark iron ore with 50% purity. Ye Sheng mentioned that their quarry could only refine dark iron ores roughly around 30-40%, and only a handful of rich and powerful chambers of commerce in the country could refine dark iron ores to 50%. If the martial arts practitioners back in the processing plant saw what she had done, they would be envious and hateful. Ye Lingyue tried again and extracted the iron ore. The iron ore she refined had a purity of as high as 60%. And Ye Lingyue also found that after extracting the two iron ores, the cauldron breath was much thicker than when she was purifying the Gathering Elemental potion. Extracting iron ores was helpful for the coagulation of the cauldron breath. Then again, it also consumed a lot of elementary force. With Ye Lingyue¡¯s cultivation at the fifth level of body tempering, she could only extract the refined dark iron ore for about five times a day. Ye Lingyue put away the refined dark iron ore and then wandered around the Ye family¡¯s quarry. She saw that people had gathered in front. Big Cousin Ye Sheng and several people in charge of the quarry were discussing something. ¡°Young Master Ye Sheng, the purity of this batch of dark iron ores is as high as 40% and it¡¯s a rare excellent product in ten years. If I didn¡¯t need money, I wouldn¡¯t sell it to the Ye family¡¯s quarry.¡± A man who looked like a merchant from out of town was bargaining with Ye Sheng. Ye Sheng was patrolling around the quarry when he came across this merchant named Chen. He claimed to be a quarry merchant from a neighboring town. A few days ago, he had gathered a batch of high-quality dark iron ores from the mountains. He was planning to sell it to the county city, but his mother suddenly fell ill. Since he direly needed money, he came to the Ye family¡¯s quarry to sell it. Dark iron ores of 40% purity were no ordinary product. The whole of the Ye family¡¯s mine could not even dig up over 50 kilograms of it in a year. This merchant had over 500 kilograms on hand. If they were to refine it a little more, it would be a business with great profits when they sold it to the county city. Ye Sheng was slightly moved when he saw this. He summoned several quarry masters to check the ores. After a thorough look at it, everyone thought that there was no problem with the color or weight of the batch of iron ores. It should be genuine. But the price the merchant asked for was a little high. 500 kilograms of raw ores for 20,000 taels of gold. The amount was almost the same as how much the Ye family¡¯s quarry earned in a year. Ye Sheng could not afford it if something went wrong. Ye Sheng wanted to ask Ye Fengyun to come over to decide, but this merchant said that he was in a hurry to get the money. If they wanted him to wait, he would go and sell the ores over to the Song¡¯s quarry instead. He could not wait any minute longer. Speaking of the Song family, every townspeople of Autumn Maple town knew that the Song family and the Ye family were rivals. In terms of family history, the Ye family had a much longer history in Autumn Maple town than the Song family. The Song family had only risen in the recent century, but the head of the Song family was a Postnatal peak master and was similar to Ye Gu in terms of strength. Both families have always been fighting over the mines and the supply of dark iron ores. If they sold the high-quality dark iron ores to the Song family, then Ye Sheng would become the eternal sinner of the Ye family. ¡°We¡¯ll take this batch of iron ores. But the quarry can¡¯t get 20,000 taels of gold at once. I can only gather 5,000 taels of gold as a deposit. We will pay the rest of the money to you in three days.¡± Ye Sheng gritted his teeth. He ordered someone to bring out 5,000 taels of gold over and was ready to hand the money over and get the goods. As long as the Ye family gained this batch of high-quality dark iron ore, they could earn 50,000 taels of gold once they sold it. When that merchant heard this, a strange smile appeared on his lips and Ye Lingyue caught it. ¡°Hold on, Big Cousin. Can I have a look at the ores?¡± A crisp female voice cut in suddenly. The eyes of the people in the quarry lit up. A beautiful young girl dressed in blue came out. ¡°Lingyue, what are you doing? This is your first day here at the quarry. What do you know?¡± Ye Sheng was eager to buy this batch of dark iron ores, but upon seeing Ye Lingyue being nosy, he did not sound pleased. Stepping forward, he grabbed Ye Lingyue for her to move back. However, Ye Lingyue held out two fingers and tapped his wrist lightly. Ye Sheng suddenly felt numbness on his wrist, and with that, Ye Lingyue easily slipped away from his grasp. It embarrassed Ye Sheng to have his attack countered by his cousin. Picking up a piece of ¡®high-quality¡¯ dark iron ore, she played with it in her hands. The cauldron breath in Ye Lingyue¡¯s hand had already entered the ¡®high-quality¡¯ dark iron ore. This was no insignificant matter! This so-called ¡®dark iron ore¡¯ was a rip-off and only contained a relatively small percentage of iron, let alone dark iron. The merchant covered the ores with iron on the surface only. What clever skills of deception! No wonder Ye Sheng and those quarry masters were deceived. Snorting, Ye Lingyue used her strength and there was a crack. She tightened her index and middle finger and that piece of supposedly dark iron ore broke into four pieces. ¡°Is this dark iron ore? Why did it break apart so easily with a pinch, like it was tofu?¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s words made Ye Sheng, who was about to scold her, turn pale. High-quality dark iron ore was extremely hard. So, how could Ye Lingyue crush it with just a pinch? Ye Sheng and the quarry masters hurriedly stepped forward and their expression changed when they looked at it. These dark iron ores were fake. ¡°B*stard. These are fakes. Take that liar down.¡± After the merchant had almost ripped him off, Ye Sheng felt fear in his heart. He ordered someone to take the merchant away. However, when the merchant knew that his lie had been caught, his face turned pale and black blood flowed out of his mouth. His legs kicked, and as he fell on the ground, he died. Chapter 26 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios There was a sound of a cup falling to the ground inside the Ye manor. The descendants of the Ye family, other than Ye Fengyu, were called over. Even Ye Huangshu who constantly guarded the martial arts tower was called over, too. The Ye family almost got into trouble earlier that day. The head of the Ye family was red with anger. Ye Sheng dejectedly knelt on the ground. The people from the eldest branch of the Ye family were all on tenterhooks. Ye Sheng knew that he could not hide the incident that had happened back at the quarry, so he hurried back to the manor to ask for punishment. ¡°Father, I think it¡¯s not entirely Ye Sheng¡¯s fault. I have seen those fake dark iron ores and it did not look strange at all.¡± After receiving the news, Ye Fengcheng also came back from the mine. He had seen the ores back in the quarry, and even though he had been in and out of the mines for over 20 years, he could not easily tell that it was fake at first glance. Those were ordinary rocks, but he did not know which method was used to coat those rocks with half an inch of dark iron ore. If it was him managing the quarry, he would have been deceived too. ¡°That Merchant Chen took a highly toxic drug, but we can¡¯t find the source. Someone must have planned this. This brat is so muddle-headed that he almost made a big mistake.¡± Ye Fengyun glared at Ye Sheng. This brat was a letdown. He was planning to let Ye Sheng be in charge of sending ores to the city next time. But after a close call, he would inevitably be punished by the family rules and be locked up for a month. Those who were observant would immediately recognize that someone was trying to set up the Ye family. Only the Song family would do such a thing in the whole Autumn Maple town. It was a pity that the only witness immediately poisoned himself. The person sent out to investigate found out that the merchant was a ruffian from a neighboring town. He had no more leads after that. It was hard for the Ye family to accuse the Song family without any evidence and could only suffer this loss in silence. ¡°Fortunately, it¡¯s all thanks to Lingyue¡¯s ingenuity. Otherwise, our loss would have been great,¡± Ye Huangshu, who stood on the side, remarked. The person who rendered a great achievement, Ye Lingyue, was standing on the side. Other than speaking a few words at the quarry, Ye Lingyue had been quietly waiting by the side all this time. Her disposition made Ye Gu very satisfied. He heard that it was Ye Lingyue¡¯s first time at the quarry that day. This girl surprisingly ended up as a blessing to the Ye family. If it wasn¡¯t for her, the Ye family would have lost at least 5,000 taels of gold, which was half a year¡¯s profit of the Ye family. ¡°Lingyue, even your Big Cousin could not tell they were fake. How did you find out that there was something wrong with that batch of ores?¡± Ye Gu saw that Ye Lingyue kept silent. His voice surprisingly turned gentle, knowing that she might still be in shock after what had happened. ¡°Master, it¡¯s by accident. I can¡¯t be compared to Big Cousin. I just thought that the merchant looked a little strange and tried to sound him out on purpose. Who knew that I had a stroke of good luck.¡± Ye Lingyue sheepishly scratched her head and pulled a charming smile, like she had no bad intentions. Could it be that this girl was just lucky? Ye Gu was puzzled. He thought that before Ye Lingyue went to the quarry, she had never seen a dark iron ore in her life. If so, she could not have distinguished the real from the fake! Well, perhaps it was just a coincidence. Girls were more observant as compared to men like Ye Sheng. ¡°No matter what, you have accomplished something big this time. Tell me, what do you want as a reward?¡± Ye Gu was fair in meeting out rewards and punishments. Ye Sheng made a big mistake, thus he would be confined for a month as punishment. Ye Lingyue, who did a great job, would be rewarded. Ye Fengyun and Ye Huangshu became nervous when they heard that Ye Gu was rewarding Ye Lingyue. Ye Lingyue was rising too rapidly in the Ye family these recent weeks. If this went on, she would probably become the second Ye Fengyu. ¡®If she dared to have any improper desires¡­¡¯ Ye Fengcheng glared coldly at Ye Lingyue. ¡°Master, if it¡¯s possible, I¡¯d like to help out in sorting and cutting the ores in the quarry.¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s reply made the people in the Ye family surprised. Cutting and sorting the ores? What kind of reward was that? Wasn¡¯t a reward supposed to be gold, silver, martial arts skills, or weapons? Which young master and a young lady of the Ye family was willing to do such rough work at the quarry? It was hard work and this Ye Lingyue was foolish to have wanted such a reward. ¡°This¡­ Of course. Go and get a token from your Big Uncle then you can freely go in and out of the quarry.¡± Ye Gu did not expect that Ye Lingyue would ask for such a reward, and he could only agree to it. When Ye Lingyue came out of the hall, Ye Sheng came up to her, looking ashamed. ¡°Lingyue, thank you so much this time.¡± Ye Sheng did not like Ye Lingyue before, but she did him a big favor by accident in the quarry earlier on. She even tried to defend him in front of the Master! Ye Sheng¡¯s liking for Ye Lingyue rose and his attitude towards her became natural and friendly. ¡°Big Cousin, you¡¯re too polite. We are family, you don¡¯t have to thank me.¡± Ye Lingyue looked flattered. ¡°If you have any problems or if anyone dares to bully you in the future, just tell me.¡± Seeing Ye Lingyue looking at him with full respect, Ye Sheng felt pleased. He patted Ye Lingyue¡¯s shoulders casually before leaving. At the same time, the Song family in Autumn Maple town. ¡°What? The plan failed? How do you even do things?¡± The head of the Song family, Song Wanshi, smashed the red sandalwood table in front of him with a punch. The exquisitely crafted white porcelain cup on the table was about to fall to the ground. Suddenly, the cup stopped in mid-air. It moved strangely in the air and then landed steadily on a pair of hands. Not a drop of water in the cup splashed out. The owner of those hands was a young man with yellow skin. The facial features of the man were considered proper, but it was a pity that his pair of eyes looked overly lewd, making him look slightly sinister. ¡°Master Lian, please excuse us.¡± The head of the Song family then remembered that they had a distinguished guest at home. In Autumn Maple town, the head of the Song family, who was on equal footing with the head of the Ye family, was as docile as a kitten in front of the young man who looked no more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I have accepted your money and must take care of the problem. Since I promised to help you get rid of the Ye family, there will be a next time and it will not fail.¡± The young man, who was known as Master Lian, gave a determined smile. ¡°With you here, the Ye family is nothing. In a month, it will be that Ye Gu¡¯s fifty-fifth birthday. At that time, I¡¯d have to trouble Master Lian again.¡± When the head of the Song family thought of how the Song family would dominate the place after they got rid of the Ye family, he gloated in his heart. They looked at each other with a smile and there was a murderous intent in both of their eyes. Chapter 27 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Just like that, Ye Lingyue worked in the Ye family¡¯s quarry and dealt with the various dark iron ores and iron ores. Because of the Qian cauldron, the hard work in the eyes of others was just a practice in Ye Lingyue¡¯s mind. On one hand, she was constantly cutting iron ores to refine her Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade skill. On the other hand, every time she cut iron ore, she carefully used the cauldron breath to purify it. For her not to be discovered, Ye Lingyue only increased the purity of the iron ores to 40% each time. Without her realizing, Ye Lingyue had been in the Ye family¡¯s quarry for a month. Within this period, the cauldron breath in the Qian cauldron became thicker. Not only that, but the elementary force in Ye Lingyue¡¯s body had also increased a lot. She could feel that she was almost at the peak of the fifth level of body tempering and would breakthrough any time. ¡°Little Miss, you¡¯re here,¡± the martial arts practitioner of the Ye family greeted Ye Lingyue respectfully once he saw that she had arrived at that quarry. When Ye Lingyue first came to help out in the quarry, there was a great commotion. Such a delicate young lady from the main family and yet, she chose to do rough work. Everyone bet on how long Ye Lingyue could last. But after spending one day in the quarry, Ye Lingyue made the men there all dumbfounded. This Little Miss was good with words and had a good memory. She was different from other young masters and young ladies from the main family. After she started working at the quarry, she was very approachable and had familiarized the names of everyone working there. Sometime after, people learned that Ye Lingyue was already at the fifth level of body tempering at such a young age. She even cut the ores quickly and neatly. She also had a pair of sharp eyes. It was said that even the masters could not distinguish between dark iron ores and iron ores, but Little Miss only needed to touch them with her hands to be able to distinguish them clearly. In the past month, Ye Lingyue was like a fish in water in the quarry. It was early in the morning when Ye Lingyue arrived at the quarry. Upon her arrival, she saw several workers rushing out and some were even injured. ¡°Little Miss, don¡¯t go in. There is a vicious dog in the quarry. It bites people and has hurt several brothers already.¡± It was still early in the morning, and those guarding the quarry were ordinary workers with the third level of body tempering at most. When Ye Lingyue heard this, she ran towards the quarry. A vicious dog was barking in front of her. A distance away, a dog that was at waist height came out. With one look, one could tell the dog was strong and covered in dirt. There were several pieces of torn cloth and flesh at the corner of its mouth. It was a mess in the quarry; workers were fleeing in a fit of panic! ¡°Squeak!¡± Ye Lingyue was about to make a move when Squeaky jumped out of her clothes. Squeaky was usually inseparable from Ye Lingyue. It was very lazy and only knew how to sleep in Ye Lingyue¡¯s clothes. But that morning, it seemed to have noticed something unusual. The moment it found that the culprit was a vicious dog, its blue eyes were full of disdain. Feeling Squeaky¡¯s strange behavior, Ye Lingyue stopped and retreated to the side. She saw Squeaky landing on the ground with a light thud, and it strode towards the vicious dog. A dog the size of a teacup and a dog about the size of a calf confronted each other, and it looked funny. Fortunately, there were no people around; otherwise, it would cause a stir. That dog saw the little guy and grinned viciously, barking a few times. ¡®Squeak!¡¯ A sharp shriek sounded from Squeaky¡¯s mouth when it saw that the dog still dared to be rampant. That shriek was quite different from Squeaky¡¯s usual cute appearance. It was like a cold arrow that went straight into the dog¡¯s ears. After hearing that shriek, the fierce dog felt an invisible pressure¡ªits limbs trembled and its knees turned weak. It fell in front of Squeaky shivering. What was this? When Ye Lingyue saw this dramatic scene, she did not know whether to laugh or cry. But fortunately, the dog had been subdued and could not hurt others. ¡®Squeaky~¡¯ Squeaky wandered to Ye Lingyue¡¯s side and called out in a cute voice. ¡°You¡¯re saying that the fellow is sick and you want me to have a look?¡± Ye Lingyue looked awkward, but she understood what Squeaky meant. Although she had read many medical books of Immortal Hongmeng, she had never attended to anyone, let alone a dog. Seeing that Ye Lingyue was not going forward, Squeaky bit Ye Lingyue¡¯s right hand and dragged her. ¡°You want me to treat him with the Qian cauldron?¡± Ye Lingyue quickly understood what Squeaky wanted. Qian cauldron had such an ability? Ye Lingyue mustered up her courage and went forward. The dog seemed to understand that Ye Lingyue was there to help it. Its eyes were wet with tears and it looked very pitiful. ¡°I¡¯ll just make every possible effort.¡± Ye Lingyue put her hand on the dog¡¯s body. After the Qian cauldron on her palm had moved, the cauldron breath came out and went into the dog¡¯s body. A crisscross image of muscles and vessels immediately appeared in Ye Lingyue¡¯s mind. What surprised Ye Lingyue was that she saw a black spot the size of a nail on the head of the dog¡ªand it was expanding. It was obvious that the dog was ill. Ye Lingyue then realized that it was because of this illness that made the dog so grumpy. The cauldron breath became active when it saw those black spots. It swam up and attacked the black spot. However, compared to the impurities in the Dark Yin Jade or the dark iron ores, the cauldron breath took a longer time to swallow the black spot. After a quarter of an hour, the black spot on the dog disappeared and Ye Lingyue was covered in sweat. ¡°The vicious dog is over there!¡± Several martial arts practitioners at the fifth level of body tempering angrily rushed over with sticks, spears, and other weapons. ¡°Little Miss, why are you here? And the dog?¡± Everybody¡¯s mouth hung open. The vicious dog that allegedly bit several people earlier on was wagging its tail and lying at Ye Lingyue¡¯s foot in obedience. In the morning light, Ye Lingyue wiped the sweat on her face and a dazzling smile appeared on her face. ¡°Interesting. What an interesting little thing!¡± When Ye Lingyue and the martial arts practitioners left, a man wearing a half mask came down from the eaves. Chapter 28 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The man was dressed in a golden velvet black robe. Because of the mask, half of his face could not be seen clearly. It only showed a beautifully curved lip and a long narrow eye. The man¡¯s cherry-colored lips curved and his long black hair cascaded down his shoulder, making it look like his body was taller. There was also an indescribable wild air around him. With just one look, one could easily recognize that he was dangerous, and yet he still had a charming vibe to him. And though the man had been standing there for a long time, his presence was like a mist. No one noticed his existence. He had seen Ye Lingyue and Squeaky¡¯s interaction, but no one knew whether his remark referred to Ye Lingyu or Squeaky. The man then disappeared, as if he never existed in the first place. The incident of the vicious dog soon came to pass. Ye Lingyue was full of joy after she had cured the dog, for that would mean that the Qian cauldron could cure diseases! But then Ye Lingyue understood something. Immortal Hongmeng was superb with anything medical, but she noticed that he did not leave any acupuncture techniques in his letter. He recorded some cases that he wanted to treat, but couldn¡¯t do so since the cauldron breath was too weak against it. If she could cure the dog, then did that mean she could also treat other people? For example, her mother¡¯s injury! With that on her mind, Ye Lingyue¡¯s heartbeat sped up. She could not wait to go back to Qiaochu Wing. Ye Lingyue made an excuse to use Aunt Liu as an experiment. But to her disappointment, when she tried to put the cauldron breath into Aunt Liu, she could only see a vague shadow. There were still some differences between the human body and the canine body. It seemed like the cauldron breath was still a little weak. It might be a few more months before the cauldron breath could see through the human body. Ye Lingyue was a little discouraged. She only had one thought in her mind and that was to speed up her cultivation. Few days passed in the blink of an eye. Ye Lingyue had delivered another batch of green-wood fruit within that time frame. Summing up how much she had earned from before, Ye Lingyue had four to five hundred taels of silver on hand. With the amount of money she had, Ye Lingyue bought some herb seeds and fruit seeds in the medicinal shop. The variety of herbs in Hongmeng Sanctuary was gradually becoming plentiful. During mornings, it was the best time to absorb dark energy. Ye Lingyue sat cross-legged on the bed, and the Dark Yin Jade hung in front of her chest. The Dark Yin Jade sucked all the elementary force from the sky and earth and turned it into wisps of black breath. Those breaths were the dark energy Ye Fengyu mentioned before. When a martial arts practitioner reached the fifth level of body tempering, they would gradually absorb the dark energy separating the sky and earth. After it had entered the body, the dark energy would gather in the veins and cleanse the eight channels of the body. When these channels were fully opened, it would mean that one had broken through from the body tempering realm to the Postnatal realm. It would take five or even ten years for an ordinary martial arts practitioner to reach this level. But since Ye Lingyue had the Gathering Elemental potion with her and was now in possession of the Dark Yin Jade, she would naturally get twice the result with half the effort when cultivating. Relying on the Dark Yin Jade, a lot of pure dark energy entered bit by bit into Ye Lingyue¡¯s body, slowly washing her body¡¯s eight channels. With a bang, it opened one channel. ¡°Body tempering, level six.¡± Ye Lingyue opened her eyes. Now that the first channel on her body had opened, the elementary force in her body also increased by a few notches thus enabling her to break through to the sixth level of body tempering. Ye Lingyue jumped out and the rooster crowed three times outside. Walking to the yard, Ye Lingyue did a set of Broken Thunder Fist. Her punches were like rolling waves, each punch splitting the air in the dark. ¡®Boom, boom, boom.¡¯ With a shout, she punched, swept her legs, and used her strength. Her punch hit the rockery beside her like a lightning bolt. Her punches pulverized the rockery, and soon powder fell to the ground. ¡°Six lightning bolts. I finally completed the Broken Thunder Fist.¡± Ye Lingyue nodded. Even if she were to go against Ye Sheng although she was still on the sixth level of body tempering, she would still win using the six lightning bolts of the Broken Thunder Fist. After doing a set of fist techniques, Ye Lingyue noticed that her consumption of elementary force dwindled. Hence, she used this opportunity to practice Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade until the break of dawn. ¡°Since the appearance of the cauldron breath, my cultivation and recovery speed of elementary force greatly accelerated. This Qian cauldron is worthy of being the most precious treasure Immortal Hongmeng left.¡± After breathing out slowly and wiping the sweat on her forehead, there was a faint flush on Ye Lingyue¡¯s face. The smell of food floated out from the dining room. Ever since moving to the eastern estate, Ye Lingyue received better treatment. She was still growing, so Ye Fengyu ordered the kitchen to prepare enough food. Besides, Ye Lingyue had been secretly putting some Gathering Elemental potion into her mother and Aunt Liu¡¯s food. Their bodies grew stronger without them knowing. Even old Aunt Liu was in good spirits in the past few days and it cured even her old ailments. After breakfast, as Ye Lingyue was preparing to go to the stone house, she saw Aunt Liu gloomily looking at Qiaochu Wing¡¯s account book. Ye Fengyu and her daughter had idle characters, so it was her that managed the accounts instead. ¡°Aunt Liu, is there something wrong with the accounts of Qiaochu Wing?¡± Ye Lingyue went over. ¡°No, since moving here, we¡¯ve had regular allowances. But Little Miss, in a few days, it will be the master¡¯s fifty-fifth birthday. We should prepare a birthday gift.¡± It worried Aunt Liu it seemed. Ye Gu¡¯s birthday was an enormous event in the Ye family. Before, when Ye Fengyu and Ye Gu were in a stalemate, Ye Fengyu never once attended nor needed to prepare a gift. But it was different this year. Little Miss did well in the competition and was working in the quarry. The Master valued Little Miss and everyone knew that. Aunt Liu did not want Ye Lingyue to suffer any grievances if ever they didn¡¯t come up with a birthday gift. Life became better after they had moved to Qiaochu Wing, but their allowance was just enough for daily expenses and the monthly salary of their servants. As for the things in Qiaochu Wing, they were all worthless and were not fit as gifts for the Master. ¡°I see. Aunt Liu, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. I¡¯ve already prepared a gift for Master, so you don¡¯t have to fret over it.¡± As soon as Ye Lingyue heard her sentiment, she assumed the responsibility of finding the perfect gift so Aunt Liu would not worry too much. Chapter 29 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios A few days later, it was finally the day of Ye Gu¡¯s birthday banquet. Early in the morning, Ye Lingyue changed into a pale blue silk dress with orchids of the same color embroidered onto the skirt. Her long black hair was also braided into a Wishing bun, and that made her look energetic, bright, pretty, and playful. Under Ye Lingyue¡¯s insistence, Ye Fengyu agreed to attend the birthday banquet, so she did her best to dress up and put on some makeup. When Ye Fengyu was done, Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes widened until they were perfectly round. From her point of view, ever since her mother drank the Hundred Fruits Wine, her complexion had improved greatly. The way she dressed up that day made her skin look even fairer. She looked like a pretty Empty-Valley orchid. Staring at the mother and daughter, Aunt Liu sobbed happy tears. Ever since Little Miss became clever, Young Miss started to smile more, too. Thank the Gods for not abandoning this pair of pitiful mother and daughter until the end. Ye Lingyue held her mother¡¯s hand with Squeaky in tow as they arrived at the main hall to greet the birthday celebrant. Because it was the Master¡¯s birthday, they decorated the whole Ye family manor with the word ¡®Longevity.¡¯ The words were even made from gold foil. Swaying with the wind, lanterns hung from everywhere, and in the backyard, where Pine trees and Cyprus trees stood, ninety-nine tables were set up for the happy banquet as well. Even an opera performance was set for the event, too. The birthday celebrant, Ye Gu, looked perfectly healthy and flushed as he stood at the door in his long birthday robe. He happily welcomed all the guests in. The moment the Ye mother and daughter appeared, the noisy backyard instantly hushed down. The two were great beauties. When they walked in together, their beauty shone and attracted the attention of several people. ¡°Those two¡­ When did we have such beautiful people in Autumn Maple town?¡± ¡°That is the Ye Third Young Miss and her daughter. I never thought that they would attend today¡¯s birthday banquet, too.¡± ¡°Could she be the famous one in Autumn Maple Town back then? If so, then wouldn¡¯t the person next to her be the Great Xia Hong Family¡¯s¡ª¡± Some of the guests¡¯ discussions trailed into Ye Lingyue and her mother¡¯s ears. As Ye Lingyue listened, she could feel her mother freezing on the spot for a moment. But she then directed a glare towards those talkative guests. They hurriedly hushed themselves. In the Ye family, any word related to that family, even if they were homonyms, shouldn¡¯t be mentioned at all. ¡°Third Sister, you¡¯re here¡­ Lingyue is here, too.¡± When Ye Fengyun saw Ye Fengyu and her daughter, he couldn¡¯t help but nod. Although Ye Gu remained quiet, his eyes couldn¡¯t help but glance towards Ye Fengyu and her daughter every few moments. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no wonder why the magpies had been crying non-stop the moment I woke up this morning. It turns out that Third Sister is here.¡± Ye Fengcheng walked over with his family. Ye Qing looked outstanding amongst his family in his bright outfit. When he saw Ye Lingyue, he glared ruthlessly at her. Ye Fengcheng arrived in front of Ye Gu and respectfully greeted the latter. He was also holding a gift box. ¡°My dear Father, Fengcheng brought my family to greet you with a happy birthday.¡± With that said, he passed the gift box he was holding to his father. Ye Gu opened the gift box and saw a red silk box inside. In it, there was a piece of dark iron ore the size of a fist. The surface of the dark iron ore was so smooth that it sparkled. ¡°A 50% pure dark iron ore?¡± Ye Gu¡¯s expression turned bright with happiness. The piece of dark iron ore that Ye Fengcheng gave him was the first 50% pure dark iron ore that the Ye Family had extracted. If they had 50% dark iron ore, it meant that the Ye family¡¯s position in mining rose even more. This was a piece of great news! ¡°Yes, Father. It took three days and nights to extract this piece of dark iron ore, with the help of our mining masters.¡± Ye Fengcheng looked arrogant. Compared to Ye Fengcheng¡¯s gift, the birthday gifts the other Ye family men gave seemed like nothing now. Suddenly, the fourth son took all of the attention at the birthday banquet. Most of the guests had arrived and the gifts came streaming in. ¡°Third Sister, where is your gift? It¡¯s Father¡¯s birthday and everyone prepared a gift. Third Sister, did you come empty-handed?¡± Ye Fengcheng suddenly said and pointed the arrow towards Ye Fengyu. A gift¡­ Ye Fengyu slightly froze. Her daughter was the one who had convinced her to come, and in their rush, she didn¡¯t manage to prepare a birthday gift. ¡°Fourth Uncle likes to joke around. Of course, my mother prepared a gift. This jar of wine is what my mother specifically prepared for Grandpa,¡± Ye Lingyue smartly said as a jar bottle of wine appeared in her hand. Her voice was bright and sweet as she called out ¡®Grandpa.¡¯ It was so sweet that it entered Ye Gu¡¯s heart in an instant. 1Ye Gu¡¯s eyes seemed to water a little. It was Lingyue¡¯s first time calling him grandpa! Suddenly, Ye Lingyue watched her grandpa turn around slightly to wipe his eyes with the back of his hands. He then turned back around. ¡°Good. Lingyue is indeed filial and knows that Grandpa likes good wine.¡± Ye Gu hurriedly took the jar of wine. Ye Lingyue found out that her grandpa had no other hobbies apart from liking wine and weapons. The Ye family even built a special wine cellar and treasure pavilion. ¡°It¡¯s only a jar of wine. She probably bought it from the town¡¯s restaurant.¡± Ye Fengcheng hummed coldly. It was merely a jar of wine and should probably cost only half a silver tael at most. Meanwhile, his dark iron ore was made from the efforts of countless people and was worth at least 10 golden taels. The moment he finished speaking, Ye Gu had already opened the cap. All he saw was a slightly yellowish but clear liquid, and a whiff of fragrance filled his senses. Just a few whiffs of that particular wine was enough to make one happy with life, and even the fragrance permeated the air. All the guests in the background swallowed intently. Even a fool could smell that the jar of wine the Ye family Third Young Miss gave was not an ordinary one. ¡°This is? Could it be the legendary Hundred Year Monkey Wine?¡± Ye Gu¡¯s eyes sparkled as he shed all of his strong aura as the Ye family master. He instead looked like a drunkard possessed him. ¡°It is Hundred Year Monkey Wine. For Grandpa¡¯s birthday, Mother went into the mountains and searched for it for three months, but she only managed to find this one jar.¡± Ye Lingyue blinked as she comfortably lied. Didn¡¯t Ye Fengcheng say that it took three days and nights for that useless piece of iron? In that case, she¡¯ll just exaggerate it and say that it took three months instead. This supposedly Hundred Year Monkey Wine was made by extracting the concentrate of a jar of Hundred Fruits Wine thrice. Monkey Wine was a rare find, not to mention a Hundred Year Monkey Wine. ¡°Congratulations Ye Master. Hundred Year Monkey Wine can lengthen your life and help with improving your cultivation. It¡¯s a rare and precious treasure! Even the Xia emperor in the Capital might not even be able to drink it, yet the Master can. You¡¯re really lucky!¡± The boss of the local restaurant, present as a guest, hurriedly went forward and congratulated Ye Gu. ¡°Good. Very good. This is the best gift I have received today.¡± The moment Ye Gu heard it, his face flushed healthily as he praised the wine several times. His voice even trembled slightly as his gaze on Ye Fengyu and her daughter softened even more. Chapter 30 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios With the Hundred Year Monkey Wine and the 50% dark iron ore, it doubled the happiness for the Ye Master¡¯s birthday banquet! Everyone knew that Ye Gu was already at the peak of postnatal. Now that he had received a jar of Hundred Year Monkey Wine, it would be an absolute help for him to break through from the postnatal peak. As for the 50% dark iron ore, it meant that the Ye family¡¯s mine had reached a higher level. Because of this, Ye Gu¡¯s face happily flushed as he drank to no ends during the entire dinner. Halfway through, however, the Ye family butler arrived and whispered something into Ye Gu¡¯s ear. His expression darkened. ¡°Old Brother Ye, why didn¡¯t you inform me about your birthday banquet today?¡± The doors opened and the Song family master, Song Wanshi, walked in arrogantly with several of his Song family members. Why was he here? The guests that were all happily drinking froze. Everyone knew that the Ye family and the Song family had been at odds for the Seven Stars Mountain mining rights. Ye Gu and Song Wanshi¡¯s abilities were similar, both were at the postnatal peak. However, their personalities were drastically different. Ye Gu¡¯s personality was fiery and straightforward, while Song Wanshi was cunning and petty. If it wasn¡¯t for the town leader¡¯s intervention, they would have already killed one another. ¡°Brother Song is known for being busy. How would I dare trouble Brother Song with just a mere birthday banquet?¡± Ye Gu asked indifferently. No matter how unwilling Ye Gu was, everyone who came was still considered as guests. He had no choice but to get up and welcome him. The Ye family¡¯s principal members also all walked forward, and they stood beside Ye Gu with guarded expressions. Ye Lingyue remained seated beside Ye Fengyu. In the past days of helping at the Ye family quarry, she heard some things Song Wanshi had done from the workers. She even heard that the fake dark iron ore incident was Song Wanshi¡¯s doing. From Ye Lingyue¡¯s point of view, Song Wanshi was a few years younger than Ye Gu. He was slightly fat and had cunningness flashing in his inverted triangular eyes. This person wasn¡¯t a good person. Ye Lingyue, in her thoughts, suddenly felt her eyebrow twitch when she discovered a rather unfriendly gaze looking at her. As Ye Gu and Song Wanshi faked being friendly with each other, the gaze that made Ye Lingyue uncomfortable came from the left of Song Wanshi. It was a young man who looked pale. That man was wearing a luxurious outfit but had slender limbs. He didn¡¯t look like a martial arts practitioner nor a cultivator. The thing that made Ye Lingyue the most uncomfortable was that the man stared at her and her mother in a way that she felt goosebumps. 1¡°Mother, is that man part of the Song family?¡± Ye Lingyue nudged Ye Fengyu beside her. That person felt a little weird. ¡°It seems like he¡¯s a guest of the Song family. He¡¯s such a frivolous man.¡± Ye Fengyu glanced at the young man once, and she could already see the lust in his eyes. Instinctively, she pushed her daughter behind her to hide her away. The Ye family and the Song family were considered as two separate strengths in Autumn Maple town. Both would hire martial arts practitioners or some academics and act as the family¡¯s guests. The man was so young but could stand next to Song Wanshi, so his identity was a striking question. Guest? Somehow, Ye Lingyue felt that the man was very dangerous. He felt even more dangerous than Song Wanshi. Such a pretty pair of sisters. He never expected a broken place like Autumn Maple town to have such soft beauties. Amongst the Song family¡¯s entourage, the man who Song Wanshi called Master Lian noticed Ye Lingyue and Ye Fengyu the moment he arrived at the banquet. Amongst the mother and daughter pair, one of them had an aura like an Empty-valley orchid while the other was young and playful. They matched Master Lian¡¯s taste perfectly. By the time they finished dealing with that old man, Ye Gu, and after the Ye family lost their leader, he would get Song Wanshi to give him this pair of sisters. Master Lian swallowed his saliva as he unwillingly looked away. ¡°Brother Ye, since I was busy, I wasn¡¯t able to prepare a grand gift for you. But I have a humble one here. Brother Ye, please accept it.¡± Song Wanshi¡¯s eyes darkened as he laughed, and he ordered his men to bring a gift box in. Ye Gu took the gift box and examined it carefully, but he saw nothing wrong about it. Behind Song Wanshi, Master Lian was smiling coldly. Just as Ye Gu was about to open the gift box, the Qian cauldron in Ye Lingyue¡¯s hand trembled. ¡°This feeling!¡± Alarms rang in Ye Lingyue¡¯s heart. There was no mistake. She was sure that it was psyche. Ye Lingyue immediately found out that someone in the Song family practiced psyche as well. That psyche came from that gift box¡­ Ye Lingyue stared blankly at it. Since Ye Lingyue was still fairly new to psyche cultivation, she could only vaguely see a hint of cold glimmer. A sharp weapon! Grandpa was in danger. However, it was a little late to say anything by then for Ye Gu had already opened the gift box. That cold glimmer sparkled as the air instantly distorted. Only a puff was heard. With a sharp howl, an ominous shadow exploded from within the gift box. Ye Lingyue instantly used all of her energy and with a short ring, she tipped the dagger¡¯s trajectory off. And it was this barely visible difference that made that fatal dagger brush past Ye Gu¡¯s ear and stabbed straight into the opera stage behind him. Ah! Screams instantly filled the stage. The stage¡¯s pillar broke into two pieces after a sparkling dagger pierced through its foundation. They failed! Both Song Wanshi and Master Lian¡¯s expression darkened. What happened? ¡°Song Wanshi, what is this?!¡± Ye Gu was also frightened that cold sweat covered his body. A sharp dagger was hidden in the gift box. If he wasn¡¯t that lucky for the dagger to barely miss him, the dagger would have stabbed through him as it did to that pillar. ¡°Brother Ye, please calm down. It¡¯s only a silly joke. With Brother Ye¡¯s ability, how can you not dodge a dagger?¡± Song Wanshi forced a smile out, but his expression still looked terrible. ¡°Scram. The Ye family doesn¡¯t welcome you.¡± Ye Gu was angered. Song Wanshi ruined a good birthday banquet just like that. 1¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave first.¡± Song Wanshi folded his palm together and left with his entourage. ¡°Father, do we just leave this be?¡± Several of Ye Gu¡¯s sons all stared at each other, wearing glum expressions as well. ¡°It will be the mountain hunt in a few more days. We¡¯ll settle things with that old man then.¡± The banquet ended on an unhappy note. Even Ye Gu was filled with anger as well. He had lost all his strength to even send his guests off, and he gloomily returned to rest in his room. Ye Lingyue finally sighed in relief, but sweat still covered her palms. It was only after the Ye family had sent their guests away, that they ordered their servants to tidy the mess and end the night like that. The originally noisy backyard instantly fell quiet. In the middle of the night, a tiny figure entered the backyard. That person bent down and searched around the stage that had yet to be dismantled. ¡°It¡¯s that.¡± The figure searched for a while before it found what it had been looking for. She took it and kept it to herself. She then sneaked out of the backyard. Chapter 31 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After that figure left the backyard, it moved towards the Qiaochu Wing. It entered a room and with the reflection of the torch, the face that appeared was Ye Lingyue¡¯s. What was Ye Lingyue doing at the courtyard in the middle of the night? Ye Lingyue carefully took out the thing she found earlier. It was a dagger about the width of two fingers and the length of three inches. Its two edges were as thin as paper, and with a soft knock, it buzzed like a nest of bees. ¡°What a good thing. The Song family is generous. This is a dark iron dagger with 60% purity.¡± The thing that Ye Lingyue went to search for in the courtyard in the middle of the night was the ¡®gift¡¯ that almost killed Ye Gu during the day. Ye Gu was still angry while the other Ye family members couldn¡¯t tell the specialness of this ¡®gift.¡¯ Ye Lingyue was the only one who noticed that it wasn¡¯t a normal dagger. First, it was a dark iron dagger with 60% purity. Extracting a dark iron ore of 60% purity was something that the current Ye family couldn¡¯t do, not to mention making it into a dagger. Everyone that came in contact with dark iron knew that extracting a pure dark iron was difficult. It was even harder to make weapons out of it! From what the workers from the quarry said, no one in Autumn Maple town had such strong skills. Only those people in the county city could make a dark iron into a weapon. However, this was not what Ye Lingyue was most concerned about. Instead, she was most concerned about the last bit of psyche lingering on the dagger. If Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t use her psyche earlier on that day to make the dagger turn a different angle in the last second, Ye Gu would have died on-the-spot. ¡°What a cunning Song family to dare to plot against our Ye family. You will pay for it one day,¡± Ye Lingyue said in a hushed voice. But on the flip side, the dagger opened a completely new door of cultivation to Ye Lingyue. The time Ye Lingyue got in touch with her psyche had been short and there wasn¡¯t much written about psyche cultivation in the Hongmeng Guide either. She had only used her psyche on moving things between Hongmeng Sanctuary and the outside world. Moreover, she had only used her psyche once to sneak attack a person using a flying stone. However, after seeing the dagger, she finally knew that psyche could be used for assassination as well. Ye Lingyue was playing with the dagger in her hands, and just as she planned to control it, the dagger emitted a repulsive force from within. It seemed like a trace of the original owner¡¯s psyche remained in the dagger. ¡°I must find a way to make this dagger mine.¡± A thought appeared in Ye Lingyue¡¯s mind as the cauldron energy from the Qian cauldron in her right hand became active. The cauldron breath entered the dagger, and as it did, the dagger seemed to feel the cauldron¡¯s invasive energy. It trembled nonstop as the cauldron breath instantly swallowed the remaining psyche that it contained. Ye Lingyue put a bit of her psyche into the flying dagger. ¡°Squeak?¡± Seeing that Ye Lingyue was still awake, Squeaky, who had woken up from the sound, gloomily glanced at the flying dagger. ¡°Go!¡± All it heard was a soft cry as the flying dagger flew straight towards Squeaky like lightning. ¡®Squeak!¡¯ Squeaky was so scared that all of its furs stood up and completely lost its drowsiness. Rolling and crawling at the same time, it rolled down the bed and fell on its back. The dagger stopped moving when it was an inch away from Squeaky. Seeing how Squeaky looked, Ye Lingyue was laughing so badly that tears were rolling down her cheeks. Seeing that its Master was making fun of it, Squeaky was so angry that it angrily turned around with its butt facing Ye Lingyue. It was completely ignoring her. On the same night, other people couldn¡¯t fall asleep as well, and that included Song Wanshi and his men. Since everyone in Autumn Maple Town was asleep at that hour, most sounds were already hushed. However, in the study of the Song family head, Song Wanshi, the lights were still bright. Song Wanshi furrowed his eyebrows in worry. He looked depressed as if he had swallowed a fly. When he went to wish Ye Gu a happy birthday earlier on that day, he had made the best preparation and had his men hide outside of the Ye family manor. All he needed was to kill Ye Gu for him to be able to attack the Ye family. Who knew that they were so unlucky that even Master Lian¡¯s careful plan failed? ¡°Master Lian, what is this? How would the dagger miss? Or did you get some benefits from the Ye family and cheated on me?¡± After failing twice in a row, Song Wanshi had some suspicions. ¡°Song Wanshi, what are you talking about? Are you questioning my ability or the Alchemist Association¡¯s ability?¡± Master Lian lashed out angrily. With a loud bang, he slammed a wooden badge onto the table. That badge had a cauldron-shaped emblem on it. Seeing that badge, Song Wanshi didn¡¯t dare to act out anymore, no matter how angry he was. Pulling a respectable look, he apologized nonstop. ¡°Master Lian, I was just agitated at that moment. I wouldn¡¯t dare suspect Master Lian, the new alchemist, even if I have a hundred sets of courage.¡± The Ye family would be extremely shocked if they saw this wooden badge as well. Anyone who walked in the Great Xia nation, especially those who earned a living in the county cities, would know the meaning this badge held. That badge represented the Great Xia¡¯s Alchemist Association. It was well known in the Great Xia nation, and even in the great land with nine states. ¡°Hmpf. I¡¯m glad that you know. Since I took 50,000 gold taels from you, I will help you eliminate the entire Ye family. The Ye family just got lucky twice in a row.¡± At the thought of what happened in the morning, Master Lian felt furious as well. If it wasn¡¯t because he needed a lot of money to become an alchemist, he wouldn¡¯t have come to such a torn place like Autumn Maple town. That morning, he had sacrificed his psyche flying dagger to kill Ye Gu. That dagger was his life-savior. As someone who was working his way to becoming an alchemist, Master Lian¡¯s elementary force cultivation was merely at the seventh level of body tempering. However, with that flying dagger, he would be able to attack and kill a postnatal master with one simple move. It was weird now that he thought about it. He had used that dagger to handle many enemies before, but it had never missed as it did earlier on. Did the Ye family have a psyche master with them as well? In Master Lian¡¯s mind, this thought flashed in his mind, but he firmly rejected it in the next second. If it turned out that the Ye family had a psyche master, it would be enough for the Ye family to call the shots in the entire Autumn Maple town, even if that said psyche master was just an alchemist in training. Besides, there weren¡¯t many alchemists in the entire Great Xia, not to mention in Autumn Maple town. Everything that happened earlier must have been an accident. ¡°This time, I¡¯ll consider myself to have missed. But don¡¯t worry, things wouldn¡¯t happen for the third time. There won¡¯t be any mistakes the next time.¡± Master Lian laughed coldly. After the roosters crowed for the third time in the Ye family manor, Ye Lingyue finally kept the flying dagger. After a night of practice, Ye Lingyue was already very familiar with using the flying dagger. ¡°I¡¯m already at the sixth level of body tempering. With the help of this psyche flying dagger, I will be able to cross levels and kill someone who is at the eighth level of body tempering. However, where did the Song family get this dagger from? Or is it possible that the Song family has a psyche-cultivating master hidden in their household?¡± Ye Lingyue then kept the dagger away and then took a short nap before she prepared to go to the quarry as per usual. Chapter 32 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The moment she left the yard, Ye Lingyue saw Squeaky sitting by the gates with a plate of fragrant seeds. This good little thing. After it got familiar with everything in Qiaochu Wing, it became more fearless. Although its character wasn¡¯t the best, its adorable appearance made everyone dote on it. Even Ye Fengyu who never liked wild beasts would smile at the sight of Squeaky shamelessly bootlicking any of the adults. At that moment, Squeaky was hugging a fragrant seed with its claws and was happily nibbling on it. Not too far away, a big yellow dog was resting on the ground. It had a bright and shiny coat, and when it stood on all its four paws, it looked sturdy. That very dog was the same fierce dog Ye Lingyue had treated using the Qian cauldron before. This fierce dog also had some emotions to it. The day Ye Lingyue saved it, it realized that Ye Lingyue had an incredible treasure on her. After that day, it kept pacing outside of the quarry. Seeing that Ye Lingyue was heading back home, it slowly followed her until they reached the Ye family estate. Ye Lingyue had chased it away several times on the way home, but the dog would appear and continue following her from behind shortly after. When the Ye family butler saw the fierce dog, he said in his amazement that the dog looked sturdy and probably descended from a wolf bloodline. It might as well stay in the yard to guard their manor. Ye Lingyue thought about it and decided that she should get Squeaky another playmate. So, she kept the dog in Qiaochu Wing and called it Da Huang. ¡®Squea¡ª¡¯ Squeaky threw the seed shell away after it had finished eating it. Hearing the sound, Da Huang pounced over like a soldier who had gotten his general¡¯s orders and ate the seed shell. ¡®¡ªeak!¡¯ Squeaky called out once more and Da Huang hurriedly ran back. Running back and forth, they looked like something serious. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell that you still have some leadership in you.¡± After staring at it for a while, Ye Lingyue found it even more amusing. The little thing had no capabilities itself and only knew how to trouble Da Huang. In the last few days, she had seen Squeaky doing it several times already. As if knowing that Ye Lingyue was going out, Squeaky hurriedly dived into her sleeve and went out with Ye Lingyue. She walked to the quarry and ended up seeing someone familiar standing outside of it. ¡°Big Cousin, why are you here?¡± The person Ye Lingyue saw was Ye Sheng, who had been grounded for a month. Ever since the fake dark iron ore incident, Ye Sheng was made to reflect on his mistakes and wasn¡¯t even allowed to attend Ye Gu¡¯s birthday banquet. ¡°It will be Autumn Maple town¡¯s triennial mountain hunt in five days. This time, I will lead our Ye family members to take part in it.¡± Seeing Ye Lingyue, Ye Sheng smiled. By then, he had already fully accepted her as his cousin. ¡°Lingyue, prepare yourself too. I recommended you to go with us and take part in the hunt.¡± The ¡®Autumn Maple Town¡¯s Mountain Hunt¡¯ was what its name was. It was a hunting competition held at the Seven Stars mountain which goes on for three days and nights. Any martial arts practitioner under the age of 20 years old in the town would be able to participate. The mountain hunt was different from the training Ye Lingyue had in the mountain before. Autumn Maple Town¡¯s Mountain Hunt allowed one to enter the top of the mountain where there were many tigers, wolves, panthers, and many other carnivorous wild beasts. Those wild beasts were ferociously strong and even ate human meat. Even a postnatal master would find it hard to escape if they came into contact with a group of tigers and wolves. When the mountain hunt was first held, the town leader had suggested it with an intent to train the town¡¯s younger people. However, ever since the rise of the Ye family and the Song family in the town, the original purpose of the mountain hunt changed. It was an unspoken reward that whichever party hunted the most wild beasts would be given the priority to mine in the Seven Stars mountain¡¯s mining area. With this, the Autumn Maple town¡¯s mountain hunt appeared to be even more important. They settled Ye Lingyue¡¯s participation in the mountain hunt very quickly. Apart from her, there were four other people taking part. They were Ye Sheng, Ye Qing, Ye Ning, and another member from the branch family, Ye Ying. On the day of the hunt, Ye Lingyue rushed to the Seven Stars mountain. Thud, thud, thud¡­ She had just arrived at the foot of the mountain when she heard horses¡¯ hooves running from behind her. It had rained yesterday, so the path was muddy. The horses flew by her and the mud splattered all over Ye Lingyue. It slightly angered Ye Lingyue. When she looked up, she saw five tall and large horses running past her. Sitting on the horses were several fierce-looking young men, and they were all wearing the Song family badge on their front side. It was the Song family again¡­ Ye Lingyue huffed and slowly continued walking forward. Those Song family members rushed their way through on their horses and then stopped at the foot of the mountain where Ye Qing, Ye Ning, and several other Ye family members were already waiting. Seeing the pretty Ye Ning, a teenage boy about sixteen years old tightened his legs over the horse to slow it down, and he arrogantly dawdled over. ¡°Who do we have here? So, it¡¯s Ye Qing, you useless thing. I heard you lost to a fool during your inter-family competition, and yet you still dare to come to the mountain hunt?¡± Song Han, the youngest son of the Song family head, Song Wanshi, was the one who spoke. This person used his sixth level of body tempering cultivation to bully boys and take advantage of girls in Autumn Maple town. He was a well-known bully. Seeing that Ye Ning was pretty, he had disturbed her several times already. Knowing how he was the Song family¡¯s youngest son, Ye Ning did her best to avoid him. But she did not expect to bump into him again during the mountain hunt. ¡°Song Han, who are you calling a good-for-nothing?¡± After Ye Lingyue had defeated Ye Qing, the defeat was stuck in his mind. Not only so, since Ye Qing had some feelings for Ye Ning, being taunted like that in front of the person he liked made Ye Qing feel even more humiliated. ¡°Hey, are you not happy now? Ye Qing, if your older sister didn¡¯t protect you, do you think you will be where you are today? Ye Ning, how about you join my group instead? A good-for-nothing that can¡¯t even defeat a fool will only hold you back during the hunt.¡± With that said, Song Han coyly leaned down, wanting to use his hand to caress Ye Ning¡¯s face. In his fit of anger, Ye Qing hurriedly stepped out. With a crazy speed, he kicked Song Han¡¯s horse. Seeing that, Song Han hurriedly jumped up and carried his horse, which was an easy 300 pounds, up with a hand. Ye Qing never thought that Song Han would be able to do this, so his expression instantly changed. ¡°A good-for-nothing is a good-for-nothing. You can¡¯t even deal with an animal.¡± Seeing this, Song Han laughed out loud. However, right at that moment, Song Han¡¯s horse neighed loudly as a flying stone hit its knee. The horse kicked its front legs in shock. Caught off guard, it kicked Song Han away and he fell on the mud least elegantly. Mud instantly covered his shirt and he looked horrible. ¡°Who?! Who dared to come up against me?!¡± Still shocked, Song Han shouted angrily. ¡°Hey, Song Second Young Master. Didn¡¯t you yap about how a person who couldn¡¯t even defeat a fool is also a good-for-nothing? Then, in that case, since you are kneeling in front of that so-called fool now, aren¡¯t you even worse than a good-for-nothing?¡± Suddenly, there was a pair of small boots in front of Song Han. Chapter 33 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Less than a good-for-nothing? Wasn¡¯t it so? At that moment, both Song Han¡¯s legs were buried deep in the mud and he was covered all over in it. He panted nonstop and it looked like he was kneeling. ¡°You¡¯re seeking for death!¡± Song Han already knew that the girl in front of her was the Ye family¡¯s fool, Ye Lingyue. With dark eyes, his expression also darkened that it achieved the color of a liver. He mustered his strength under his knees and leaped up into the air. Seeing that someone humiliated their young master, several of the Song family servants pounced at Ye Lingyue like hungry wolves. Who knew that Ye Lingyue was already prepared for it? With a few steps and with her hands thrown back, she easily caught one of the Song family guards and threw it at Song Han. It caught Song Han off-guard and his punch easily broke several of his guard¡¯s bones. ¡°Hey, Song Second Young Master. Are your skills that inferior to mine that you¡¯re using your guards to vent out your anger?¡± Ye Lingyue remarked as she laughed, her body wriggling like a snake. With a flash, two of the Song family guards bumped into each other. They cried out in pain and landed on the floor, rolling. At that moment, Song Han pounced over. But Ye Lingyue had seen everything clearly beforehand. She opened her fist and then pushed Song Han¡¯s hand away with her palm. Song Han felt an unstoppable force meeting with his arm, and with that, he quickly tripped over. Ye Lingyue coldly chuckled as she continued to hold on to Song Han. She then threw Song Han, a grown man who weighed about a hundred and thirty pounds, with a flick of her wrist with ease. But she pulled him back after. With everything that had happened, Song Han lost his fierce attitude. Even the Song family guards were all sprawled on the ground. They all looked as terrible as they could be, and they were also calling out for help. On the side, Ye Qing and Ye Ning were also flabbergasted. When did Ye Lingyue become so strong? Wasn¡¯t her cultivation only at the fourth level of body tempering during the inter-family competition? Her opponent, Song Han, was already at the sixth level of body tempering. But in Ye Lingyue¡¯s hands, it was as if he was a mere scarecrow, up for Ye Lingyue to play with. Actually, both Ye Lingyue and Song Han were at the sixth level of body tempering. When it came to elementary force, Song Han wasn¡¯t necessarily weaker than Ye Lingyue. However, since Ye Lingyue caught him off-guard and he fell off the horse, he fell under a very disadvantageous position which led him trapped under Ye Lingyue¡¯s weird ¡®Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade¡¯ move. He got his limbs held in place, and thus, Ye Lingyue had the opportunity to roughly hit him. ¡°Stop it!¡± A thunder-like growl made the people from the Ye family all look over. Great, a helper had arrived. Ye Lingyue kept away her elementary force, and Song Han instantly fell onto the floor with a loud thud. The entire place went silent, and everyone instantly fixed their eyes on Ye Lingyue. It was then that Song Han finally saw how great of a beauty the Ye family fool was. He stared at her slightly new, loose-sleeved martial arts outfit which fit her well around the waistline. And as she looked opposite to the wind¡¯s direction, he could see her heart-shaped face, her small nose and well-defined, nicely drawn eyebrows, and the two casual braids that softly rested on her shoulder. Looking at her sides, he realized that she didn¡¯t bring along any guards or aides and merely brought a scrawny dog with her, unlike the usual missus or young masters taking part in the mountain hunt. ¡°You are Ye Fengyu¡¯s daughter, Ye Lingyue? Were you the one who injured all of them?¡± The new arrivals were several young men and women. They were all riding horses, and the person who spoke was the oldest amongst them all. His eyebrows were thick and his gaze sharp, making his aura look extraordinary. When he saw Ye Lingyue, he didn¡¯t even get off the horse and looked down at her with an expression filled with arrogance. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s tone didn¡¯t sound polite at all. ¡°How daring of you to humiliate a Song family member!¡± Anger filled the oldest man¡¯s eyes. ¡°If I¡¯m a coward, why would I come and take part in the mountain hunt? I might as well just go home and be a baby,¡± Ye Lingyue scoffed. ¡°What are you? Even Ye Liuyun wouldn¡¯t dare to talk to me like this if she was here.¡± Ye Lingyue had angered the man. If it wasn¡¯t for her status, he would have instantly killed this daring girl. ¡°Song Guangyi. Who are you then to dare to talk to a Ye family member like that?¡± Ye Sheng and several others walked over with large strides. They happened to see this confrontation and thought that the Song family was making things difficult for Ye Lingyue and the rest. So they shouted as they walked over. ¡°Ye Sheng, just nice! How do you lead your team? This girl attacked and injured several of our Song family people out of nowhere.¡± Song Guangyi was Song Han¡¯s older brother and Song Wanshi¡¯s eldest son. He was terribly gifted in practicing martial arts and was already at the eighth level of body tempering at a young age. He was undeniably the top amongst the Song younger generation. He had been learning martial arts out of town in the last few years, so it was a little unexpected that he suddenly returned for this mountain hunt. ¡°Lingyue, what happened?¡± Ye Sheng furrowed his eyebrows. The Ye Lingyue he knew wasn¡¯t someone who started trouble. ¡°On the way up here earlier, Song Han and the rest had their horses galloping at full speed and spilled mud on me. I was just returning what they did to me.¡± Ye Lingyue pointed at the mud stains on her skirt. It was alright when she hadn¡¯t said it, but after she did, Ye Sheng and Song Guangyi noticed several mud stains on Ye Lingyue¡¯s skirt. Then they glanced at Song Han. Not only was his face swollen, he also had several broken teeth as well. Mud had covered him entirely, that no one could even see his face. He looked just like a mud monkey while his guards looked even worse with their broken legs and arms. No one could tell that with how weak Ye Lingyue looked, her attacks were even more ruthless than the local mafia. Ye Sheng held back the urge to burst out in laughter as he quietly gave Ye Lingyue a hand gesture of admiration. The corners of Song Guangyi¡¯s lips twitched as well. He looked like he was about to burst out in anger. ¡°Nephew Ye, Nephew Song, this is just a mere warm-up before the mountain hunt, so why are you so fixed on this?¡± A kind-looking elder walked over. When Song Guangyi saw the elder, his anger instantly left him and he didn¡¯t dare to even let out a quiet fart. It was an elder of Autumn Maple town, Old Town Leader Liu. Talking about this Old Town Leader Liu, everyone in Autumn Maple town knew of him and he was the only connate master in town. When he was younger, he was once the Chief Commander in the Great Xia military camp. There was even a rumor saying that the Town Leader has been keeping in contact with the Great Xia¡¯s military. Everyone knew that the largest purchaser of dark iron ores in the Great Xia nation was the Great Xia military. That was why both the Ye and Song families didn¡¯t dare to offend the Old Town Leader. It was also because of calm Old Town Leader Liu¡¯s existence that the Ye and Song families could live peacefully and obediently like kittens in Autumn Maple Town in the last few years. It was Ye Lingyue¡¯s first time seeing the Old Town Leader. All she saw was his white hair and a long beard. He didn¡¯t look like a martial arts practitioner at all. But from the smart glimmer hidden in his eyes, he wasn¡¯t a simple person at all. With Old Town Leader Liu around as a mediator, the Ye and Song families could only stop fighting for the time being. After a while, the other martial arts practitioners and families in Autumn Maple town slowly arrived. They waited until it was around noon before Old Town Leader Liu finally announced that Autumn Maple town¡¯s mountain hunt had officially started. Chapter 34 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Once the mountain hunt began, Autumn Maple town¡¯s youth of different strengths shot into the woods, with the Ye family and the Song family in the front line. Birds flew around in a rampage and loud growls of wild beasts shook everyone¡¯s eardrums. In an instant, the entire Seven Stars Mountain trembled nonstop. Once everyone left, Old Town Leader Liu walked to a deserted corner where a luxurious horse carriage had parked at. In front of the carriage, two handsome horses stood. One of them was white while the other was black, and both looked at least twice the size than the regular horses. ¡°Sir, the hunt has begun.¡± Old Town Leader Liu looked completely different from the kind and friendly image he had earlier. His back was completely straight, like a precious sword about to make its cold and fierce attack. Inside the carriage sat a vague figure. Even though there was a curtain separating them, the figure¡¯s extremely dignified aura stopped anyone from daring to look into the carriage. ¡°Hm.¡± A low and lazy voice trailed out from within the horse carriage. Suddenly, a breeze blew past. Old Town Leader Liu merely felt a chill against his cheek when the horse carriage trembled lightly and the person in the horse carriage immediately disappeared. In the Seven Stars Mountain, with Ye Sheng as their leader, four other Ye family members stood at the center of the waist of the mountain. As a strong breeze blew at them, the remaining Ye family members rubbed their hands together, ready to start. ¡°The mountain hunt will continue for three days and nights. The party that hunts the most number of wild beasts will be the winner. During the last mountain hunt, Sister Liuyun had just gone out of town to further her studies. Hence, the Song family took the chance and won the competition. With that, they ended up getting the first mining rights to the northern hill¡¯s largest mining mountain. But this time, we must win and take back the mining mountain no matter what!¡± Ye Sheng said proudly and determinedly. ¡°The Ye family will win!¡± Ye Lingyue and her cousins all shouted in unison. Behind them, several growls made the Ye family freeze. Growl¡­ Growl¡­ Behind them, they saw a large entourage behind them. It turned out that after the Song family members had entered the mountain, they instantly abandoned their horses and followed after the Ye Family. However, there was a snow-white mastiff running ahead of the Song family entourage. ¡°Song Guangyi, you brought a snow mastiff for the mountain hunt?!¡± When Ye Sheng and the rest saw that the snow mastiff was the size of a wolf cub, everyone¡¯s expression changed instantly. The snow mastiff was a low-level spiritual beast. Their noses were especially sensitive and they were very good at following people. Just a snow mastiff was worth a thousand white silver taels in the county city. To win this time, the Song family had actually made use of their snow mastiff. ¡°Who forbid us from using snow mastiffs for the mountain hunt? Besides, didn¡¯t you bring a dog with you as well?¡± Song Guangyi and his brother scoffed as they glanced at Ye Lingyue. Ye Lingyue had a yellow dog following beside her as well. Squeaky, that lazy bum, was the one that brought it along¡­ Ye Lingyue laughed bitterly. She didn¡¯t plan to bring it with her. Seeing Da Huang, the snow mastiff felt especially arrogant and proud as it angrily growled at it. Suddenly, a claw appeared on Da Huang¡¯s neck and a ball-like thing appeared. Squeaky had brought its ride. It had been hugging Da Huang¡¯s neck the entire way and the bumpy ride made it down. It instantly crawled onto Da Huang¡¯s head and shouted sharply at the snow mastiff. ¡°Squeak!¡± It shocked the snow mastiff. It was initially fierce, but it suddenly fell silent and moved behind Song Guangyi. ¡°You useless thing, why are you hiding?! Let¡¯s go!¡± Song Guangyi kicked at the snow mastiff. He then glanced at that useless mix-breed dog and hummed lowly. ¡°Ye Lingyue, just you wait.¡± Song Han had already changed into a clean set of clothes, but he still had a swollen face that looked like a pig¡¯s head. When he passed by Ye Lingyue, he ruthlessly glared at her. The southern hill of the entire Seven Stars Mountain was very huge, but it was difficult to find a large beast, too. ¡°Let¡¯s go in too.¡± Although Ye Sheng was angry that the Song family violated the rules, he had no other solution about it. So the five of them hurriedly advanced into the mountain together. ¡°Lingyue, thank you for earlier.¡± Ye Lingyue and Ye Ning were the only girls in the team. Since their cultivation wasn¡¯t too bad, they calmly followed after the rest of the Ye family members into the mountain. ¡°Ye Ning, why are you thanking her? I could have dealt with Song Han even if she did nothing. Don¡¯t think that I will thank you.¡± Ye Qing was unhappy as he glanced at Ye Lingyue and recalled the humiliation she gave him during the inter-family competition. Why would she be so nice to help him? To be frank, she was just acting kind. ¡°I just helped since we¡¯re all Ye family members.¡± Ye Lingyue nodded at Ye Ning. She then approached Ye Sheng, for she was too lazy to talk to Ye Qing. ¡°Big Cousin, since the Song family has a snow mastiff, it would be a lot easier for them to find a wild beast. How about we go to the top of the mountain and specifically hunt advanced-level beasts? In that case, we¡¯ll have higher chances of winning,¡± Ye Lingyue suggested. Of course, Ye Sheng thought about Ye Lingyue¡¯s suggestion before. In the mountain, there were three types of beasts fit for hunting, namely elementary herbivore wild beasts, intermediate carnivore wild beasts, and advanced carnivore wild beasts. From those, an advanced carnivore wild beast was equivalent to ten elementary wild beasts and five intermediate wild beasts. However, most of the advanced wild beasts lived at the top of the mountain. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll listen to you. Let¡¯s walk towards the top of the mountain. However, the top of the mountain is very dangerous. There are all sorts of poisonous snakes and wild fierce beasts in there. Everyone, please be careful. None of us should break out of the team no matter what.¡± Ye Sheng decided almost immediately and changed their route to the top of the mountain. The closer they were to the top of the mountain, the harder it was to walk. They could see Pine and Cyprus trees taller than ten meters everywhere, together with wild bushes covered in sharp pricks. Growl! Suddenly, a wild black panther appeared from behind a rock. It bared its white and sharp teeth, and with a simple jump, it pounced towards Ye Sheng, who was closest to it. The wild black panther was a type of carnivorous wild beast. Its limbs were extremely strong while its sharp claws were its best weapon. The moment the black panther pounced over, a strong force different from elementary force enveloped it. Clang! Ye Qing quickly punched out. Five thunder rays ruthlessly struck at the black panther¡¯s waist that its spine cracked with a loud cackle. It died straight away as its body fell on the floor, bones poking out of its back. 1¡°A wild black panther¡¯s attacking strength is alarming. It is terribly quick as well. However, when it uses all of its strength and is in the middle of a jump, its body defense force is at its weakest. That is the best time to attack. When you come across it, you must take the chance and never back away like a coward,¡± Ye Sheng hurriedly explained as he showed them how to. He was the strongest amongst the five, being at the seventh level of body tempering. At the same time, he was the only one who had taken part in the mountain hunt before. As he spoke, another loud growl trailed from within the woods. It turned out that the black panther¡¯s growl earlier had alerted its friends over. Several black panthers appeared from all around and attacked the remaining Ye family members. The remaining three hurriedly regained their senses and took on a black panther each. There was a loud crack. Ye Sheng raised an eyebrow. From his left, Ye Lingyue stretched a hand forward and aimed straight for a female panther¡¯s neck. Like she was cracking a piece of rock, she broke the neck quickly and simply. She killed the panther with ease. This¡­ Ye Sheng broke out into a smile. It seemed like he had been worried for nothing. Chapter 35 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios With Ye Sheng¡¯s demonstration and Ye Lingyue¡¯s quick actions, adrenaline instantly filled the remaining three Ye family members. They attacked quickly and ruthlessly and killed the remaining three black panthers within a few moments. They killed five wild black panthers equivalent to five intermediate wild beasts the moment they entered the mountain. This was an excellent start for them. ¡°Good. Everyone did well, especially Lingyue. You¡¯re even more used to attacking them than me.¡± Ye Sheng had also noted that Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t flinch from fear and seemed like it wasn¡¯t her first time hunting in the mountain. ¡°I stayed in the mountain for a month earlier. During that time, I¡¯d bumped into wild black panthers several times.¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s expression was indifferent, and her words made the remaining members shocked. She was only thirteen years old, yet she had stayed in the barren Seven Stars Mountain for a month. Such courage was incomparable to any other normal people. It was no wonder her ability improved so quickly and Song Han had no chance of retaliating her attack earlier. Ye Ning and the rest showed their admiration for the girl while Ye Qing gritted his teeth hard, keeping quiet. 1As she spoke, Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyebrow twitched. She lifted her right hand and grabbed the female panther¡¯s body in a weird manner. Woosh! A hundred steps away, the sound of an arrow breaking through the skies rang. Several feathered iron arrows instantly burrowed into the panther¡¯s body. Almost at the same time, Song Han appeared with the snow mastiff. The sudden flying arrows instantly alarmed the Ye family members. ¡°Song Han, what is this?!¡± Ye Sheng suddenly felt fear overwhelm him. If Ye Lingyue wasn¡¯t quick to react, she would have been a corpse now. ¡°What is this? You stole my prey, yet you¡¯re questioning me? Look at that black panther, isn¡¯t there an arrow wound on it?¡± Because Ye Lingyue injured Song Han earlier, he had been hating on her. He intentionally broke off from his team and took the chance to find her and attack her. He shot several arrows out, thinking that it would hit Ye Lingyue and kill her. Who knew she managed to avoid it? These arrows he used were not ordinary arrows, and Master Lian made them. He was the alchemist apprentice that his father hired using a hefty amount of money. Not only were they especially accurate, but they are extremely powerful as well. They were the arrows that Song Guangyi specifically prepared to kill advanced wild beasts. Ye Sheng and the rest inspected the panthers and finally saw a minor wound at the stomach of the black panther that jumped out first. If they didn¡¯t inspect it, no one would be able to tell at all. The mountain hunt had rules that whoever attacked first would own the prey. ¡°Even so, you cannot shoot people anyhow.¡± Ye Ning and the rest were angry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I thought that it was an animal there.¡± Song Han laughed coldly. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, that black panther is yours. However, we were the ones who killed the remaining black panthers, thus they should belong to the Ye family.¡± Ye Lingyue wasn¡¯t angry either. Instead, she walked towards that snow mastiff in a friendly manner and caressed it. When no one paid attention to her, Ye Lingyue¡¯s finger lightly slid over a certain temple under the snow mastiff¡¯s nose. Song Han didn¡¯t notice it at all. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re tactful.¡± Song Han didn¡¯t expect for Ye Lingyue to give in so easily either. He carried that black panther and happily left. ¡°Lingyue, wouldn¡¯t it be too easy to let him go like that?¡± Ye Ning and the rest couldn¡¯t let their anger go. ¡°Easy?¡± The corners of Ye Lingyue¡¯s lips twitched as a smile appeared on her face. ¡°We don¡¯t know who has benefited yet. Big Cousin, please take the arrows out.¡± After the arrows were taken out, Ye Sheng took a careful look at it. His expression changed immediately. ¡°Why would the Song family have this? This is 50% pure dark iron ore.¡± Ye Sheng finally realized the seriousness of the situation. Ye Fengyu had just extracted 50% dark iron. No one expected the Song family to have 50% dark iron ores as well. If this were true, it would be a significant blow to the Ye family. 1¡°Let¡¯s keep the arrows first. We might need to use it at the top of the mountain.¡± Ye Lingyue patted her cousin¡¯s shoulder, thinking about how worried her cousin would be if he knew that the Song family knew how to extract and make a 60% dark iron dagger. They exchanged several 50% dark iron arrows with a black panther. That Song Han must be a great idiot. At the top of the mountain, Song Han sneezed loudly beside several tents. ¡°You used three dark iron arrows for a black panther?! Why do I have such a stupid brother like you?!¡± Song Guangyi looked angry and disappointed at his brother. Not only so, after it had returned to Song Guangyi, the snow mastiff had also lost its energy somehow. It was no longer as energetic as before, making Song Guangyi even more annoyed. ¡°Song Eldest Young Master, why are you so angry? They are only a few nothings from the Ye family.¡± Master Lian walked out of the tent. When they saw Master Lian, the two Song young masters hurriedly welcomed him. ¡°Master Lian, you don¡¯t know that there¡¯s a fierce woman that¡¯s really hard to deal with in the Ye family. That woman also blocked the arrows you made for us.¡± Song Han described everything that had happened earlier. ¡°Oh? That person is rather capable, to be able to block my arrows.¡± Master Lian caressed his chin as unhappiness filled his eyes. ¡°Yes. That woman did not take the Song Family seriously, and in a way, she isn¡¯t respecting the Master properly. How about the Master takes the initiative and¡ª¡± Song Han drew a thumb across his neck. ¡°You idiot! I¡¯m a well-respected person, yet you¡¯re asking me to go kill a girl?¡± Master Lian angrily shouted. Though he wasn¡¯t a righteous person, he was just too arrogant to do it. Besides, it was Town Leader Liu who hosted the mountain hunt this time. That person was a connate master and was in contact with those few old men in the county city¡¯s Alchemist Association. If he found out about it, the consequence would be unimaginable. ¡°Master Lian, my brother didn¡¯t mean that. Why do we have to do the dirty work ourselves? What I meant was that the Master doesn¡¯t have to do it personally. As we speak, the Ye Family is heading towards the top of the mountain. Master Lian, you just have to use some simple methods and get those sticky wild beasts to attack them.¡± Since Song Guangyi was far more intelligent than Song Han, he saw through Master Lian¡¯s hesitation and hurriedly added his insights. ¡°This method seems plausible. Let me think about it.¡± Hearing this, Master Lian agreed, but he was still rather reluctant. ¡°We¡¯ll thank Master Lian, then. Once the Song family wins the competition and keeps our stakes on the mining mountain, we will definitely give 30% of the mine¡¯s profit to Master.¡± Song Guangyi¡¯s full promises made Master Lian happy. However, he didn¡¯t think that someone from the Alchemist Association entered the Seven Stars Mountain as well. At some spot at the top of the mountain, a strong mountain breeze rapidly crashed against the cliff. A man in a black robe stood by a cliff. He recalled his consciousness and opened his eyes to see the depthless cliff before him, and as he did so , his cold and sharp orbs exuded seriousness. 2 Chapter 36 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After climbing up for a day and night, the Ye family members finally arrived at the top of the Seven Stars Mountain. Throughout the day, the Ye family hunted over ten intermediate wild beasts. One of them was even an advanced white-headed tiger. Their results were pretty good so far. To make it convenient for them, Ye Sheng and the rest took off the fur, horn, or teeth of the wild beasts, so they took more time around the waist of the mountain. By the time they arrived at the top of the mountain, it was already dawn. ¡°Let¡¯s rest here for four hours. I¡¯ll take guard.¡± Ye Sheng could tell that the younger Ye family members were terribly exhausted. Everyone hurriedly set up their tents and went to sleep. As the sun rose, Ye Lingyue suddenly heard Ye Sheng¡¯s loud shout from outside her tent. She hurriedly got out. Ye Qing and the rest also hurriedly went out and everyone saw a suspicious black shadow moving towards the cliff. ¡°Something happened. Let¡¯s go.¡± Ye Qing said worriedly and hurriedly followed after the black shadow. ¡°Don¡¯t be rash. The cliff is extremely dangerous and there are several large beasts there.¡± Ye Lingyue hurriedly stopped Ye Qing. ¡°If you fear death, you don¡¯t have to follow us.¡± Ye Qing rolled his eyes at Ye Lingyue. Ye Ning and the rest were also terribly worried, so they all followed Ye Qing towards the cliff. That black shadow had already landed by the cliff. On top of a cliff that was several hundred yards tall, there were several healthy-looking old and tall trees, and on top of its branches, there were several large eagle nests on it. The silver-clawed eagle was the boss at the top of the Seven Stars Mountain. Its eagle claws were enormous and could grab a grown horse right away. ¡°Ye Lingyue, let¡¯s see how you¡¯ll die this time.¡± Song Han¡¯s eyes cunningly glimmered as he took out a pack of powder and threw it towards the eagle nests. That pack of powder was a type of beast powder that Master Lian made. Once a wild beast takes a whiff, it would go feral. The Ye Family would shortly arrive after a while. Song Han guffawed as he hid in the woods, waiting to see a good show. However, Song Han didn¡¯t notice that as he threw the pack of powder away, a weird gust of wind blew from the bottom of the cliff, and some powder got blown to the helm of Song Han¡¯s shirt. By the time Ye Qing and the rest arrived at the cliff, there was no one around. They didn¡¯t even see Ye Sheng. Hoo¡­ Hearing a weird wind sound trail from the bottom of the cliff, Ye Qing, who was closest to it, looked down. However, one look and Ye Qing felt like his head was going to explode. By the scarily high cliff, several hundreds of intermediate wild silver-clawed eagles suddenly rushed over. It had sensed humans. It was the silver-clawed eagles¡¯ mating season this time of the year, and any human approaching them would make them extremely anxious. ¡°Move away quickly.¡± Taking in an icy breath, Ye Qing called out to tell the group to retreat immediately. A silver-clawed eagle spread its sharp claw and grabbed Ye Qing¡¯s shoulder. With a loud tear, it punched a large hole in Ye Qing¡¯s protective gear. By then, Ye Lingyue had also rushed over. Looking ahead of her, countless silver-clawed eagles were flying over the cliff like a dark cloud hanging over them. The silver-clawed eagles surrounded Ye Qing, as well as two others, and they couldn¡¯t escape at all. Instantly, Ye Lingyue took out a dark iron arrow and threw it towards the iron-clawed eagle leading the herd. It was indeed an arrow made from 50% dark iron ore. With a dark glimmer, it pierced through a silver-clawed eagle¡¯s wing and the eagle fell in an instant. The sudden arrow made the herd of silver-clawed eagles extremely shocked. They all beat their wings and flew higher. ¡°Squeak!¡± Squeaky seemed to have found something and jumped onto Ye Lingyue¡¯s shoulder. It then pointed at the woods beside them. Glancing over, Ye Lingyue found Song Han. ¡®Song Han, that little¡­¡¯ Seeing the man, Ye Lingyue already knew what was going on. Squeaky and Ye Lingyue could read each other¡¯s minds, so it already knew what was going on with a glance at its owner¡¯s eyes. ¡°Squeak!¡± Da Huang barked loudly before it pounced towards the woods. Song Han never thought that someone would discover him. Hearing a weird noise by his ears, he turned around and saw a large dog pouncing onto him with a dark glint in his eyes. He didn¡¯t know what was wrong with that big dog. It furiously attacked him like a wild beast red-eyed from killing. It ran and chased after Song Han. Alarmed, Song Han ran towards the cliff and into the herd of eagles. The moment Song Han appeared, the Ye family members instantly understood what was going on. ¡°Song Han, why are you here?¡± Ye Qing¡¯s eyes were completely red as he immediately understood what was happening. ¡°He was that black shadow earlier and intentionally lured us to the cliff.¡± Ye Lingyue entered the fighting circle. ¡°Ye Lingyue, don¡¯t slander me.¡± Having no other option after Da Huang had chased Song Han out, he got furious. Since he was out in the open, several silver-clawed eagles came after him and injured him all over. However, at that moment, a loud screech rang and everyone felt their eardrums throbbing from it. From the depths of the cliff, a silver-clawed eagle king flew up into the sky. Every bit of its silver features seemed covered in oil, glowing in the light. Its pair of claws even emitted a cold spark. It was an advanced beast, the silver-clawed eagle king. Even Ye Lingyue¡¯s scalp turned numb at the sight. The silver-clawed eagle king was a king amongst the advanced wild beast. Even a practitioner at the eighth level of body tempering might not be at par with it, not to mention Ye Lingyue¡¯s group that was at the sixth level of body tempering at most. As if smelling the beast powder on Song Han, the silver-clawed eagle immediately grabbed Song Han. ¡°Save me!¡± Song Han cried out incessantly, but who would be able to take care of him at that moment? The silver-clawed eagle king threw him down the cliff and his voice echoed in the abyss for a few seconds before it disappeared. After the silver-clawed eagle king had killed someone, the murderous intent on it grew thicker. ¡°Sister Ye Ning, immediately send a signal out for the others. Everyone, push your backs against each other and try to break out of the circle by force.¡± Ye Lingyue knew that it would be hard for them to remain unscathed today. If they got distracted, no one would be able to leave the place. The silver-clawed eagle king had already scared the remaining of them that they were in a daze. Hearing Ye Lingyue¡¯s instructions, they hurriedly followed and pressed their backs against each other and faced the silver-clawed eagles surrounding them. The silver-clawed eagle king hovered in the air for a moment before its enormous wings trembled and spread apart, creating a crazy storm. Instantly, all four of them, including Ye Lingyue, were lifted from the ground and it looked like they were about to fall into the crazy tall abyss. The silver-clawed eagle king¡¯s sharp claws grabbed Ye Lingyue, and within a second, Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes shined ruthlessly as she grabbed the silver-clawed eagle king¡¯s sharp claws instead. ¡°Flying dagger, go!¡± With a loud buzz, the flying dagger stabbed into the silver-clawed eagle king¡¯s abdomen and blood instantly poured out of it. It cried out as a thick wave of pain overwhelmed it. The silver-clawed eagle king that had been ruling over the Seven Stasr Mountain was badly injured and its body hit against the mountain cliff. Ye Lingyue fell as well and then rolled down the cliff. In her panic, Ye Lingyue felt a few vines under her hands. Just as she was about to grab them, countless silver-clawed eagles flew towards her and ruthlessly pecked at her. Chapter 37 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Within a fraction of a second, Squeaky, who was in Ye Lingyue¡¯s arms, jumped out. ¡°Squeak!¡± Squeaky¡¯s baby blue eyes sparkled with golden hues, and all of its furs stood up. The moment the silver-clawed eagles saw Squeaky¡¯s eyes, they all cried out loudly and fell from high in the air. The shock they experienced brought them to their death straight away. Taking this chance as a quick break, Ye Lingyue grabbed the vine. However, in her fight earlier on, she had used all of her energy and earned an awful injury. She glanced above her, only to see a white layer of clouds. She didn¡¯t know where she was. Climbing up was impossible. Ye Lingyue looked around her and suddenly saw a thick vine on her left. It grew a little weird and behind it, there was a broad-looking cave. After some thought, Ye Lingyue sucked in a breath and put some strength on her legs, wanting to use the shaking vines to jump into the cave. Just as Ye Lingyue jumped into the cave, more than a dozen silver-clawed eagles flew over as well. However, just as the eagles approached the cave, they all shivered terribly, as if they had noticed that something really scary was inside. After screeching several times, they flew far away from the cave. The cave was dark and eerie looking, and the moment Ye Lingyue entered the cave, she saw the silver-clawed eagle king¡¯s body in it. It turned out that during the mess earlier on, the silver-clawed eagle king¡¯s body had fallen here as well. The flying dagger was still stabbed into the silver-clawed eagle king¡¯s heart. Ye Lingyue walked forward and took out the flying dagger. She then cut off the eagle¡¯s claws. She glanced into the depths of the cave and saw a vague glow illuminating from inside. It was also different from normal mountain caves. Not only was this cave not moist and cold, but the temperature inside was a few temperatures higher than outside. After Ye Ning and the rest sent out their rescue signals, Town Leader Liu should have arrived in a short while. She wouldn¡¯t be able to escape for now, so she decided to take a few steps further into the cave to take a look. The more she walked in, the more the temperature in the cave rose. Not only that, Ye Lingyue also saw many skeletons and bones along her way. Judging from the skeletons, some belonged to tigers, wild boars, and even some humans. ¡°Squeak?¡± As if sensing something, Squeaky tightened its hold on Ye Lingyue¡¯s sleeve. It looked alarmed. Hiss¡­ From the other side of the mountain, something slowly slithered over. When Ye Lingyue realized that something was wrong, she saw a snake-like monster that was as thick as a wooden barrel. However, it was different from the usual snake. The monster in this cave had golden-red skin and was sticky from head to toe. It didn¡¯t have legs under his abdomen, nor did it have eyes. At the top of its head, there was a red crown, shaped like a poisonous tumor, and below it was a mouth with three petal-like flaps. Its speed was so quick that a short slither allowed it to move several dozens of feet in a blink of an eye. Wherever it slithered past, it instantly turned black. Hiss¡­ The monster didn¡¯t have any eyes, but its scent was very sharp and sensitive. It realized that there was a foreign aura in the cave, so it instantly spat out a mouthful of red fire. Without hesitating, Ye Lingyue instantly sent that flying dagger over. However, once the flying dagger came into contact with the fire, the flying dagger stopped in its flight. It then landed on the floor with a loud clang. No matter how Ye Lingyue tried, she wasn¡¯t able to call on it anymore. The fire was so scary that it could erase the dagger¡¯s psyche straight away. At that instance, Ye Lingyue knew that she had faced a tremendous problem. This monster looked like it had been resting in the Seven Stars mountain for many years, and it was far different from the other wild beasts. Could it be a legendary spiritual beast? Ye Lingyue heard from her mother before that amongst the spiritual beasts, the snake beasts grew legs after a hundred years and grew a crown after five hundred years, then horns after a thousand years. Could it be that the one in front of her was a five-hundred-year-old monster snake? Hiss¡­ Angered by Ye Lingyue¡¯s action, the monster hissed loudly as its body curled up intensely and swept towards Ye Lingyue. Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t dare to fight it head-on, so she pressed herself against the cave wall. With a tumble forward, she managed to avoid the attack. However, another earth-shaking attack followed. Ye Lingyue was already at a point where she couldn¡¯t move back anymore. An unprecedented feeling of danger overwhelmed her. Would everything end there for her today? She can¡¯t die. She can¡¯t die. Her mother wasn¡¯t well and she hadn¡¯t taken her revenge yet. She couldn¡¯t die no matter what. Ye Lingyue grit down on her teeth in determination as a shout similar to that of a trapped beast rolled out of her throat. She couldn¡¯t let it go now, she couldn¡¯t let herself die there. ¡®Oh yes, Hongmeng Sanctuary!¡¯ Just as Ye Lingyue was about to hide in Hongmeng Sanctuary¡­ ¡°Pft¡­¡± A hoarse chuckle rang by her ear. This sudden laughter made Ye Lingyue and the monster tremble unconsciously. There was someone else in the cave?! A hand suddenly appeared on Ye Lingyue¡¯s waist and carried her up. The newcomer was very tall, and in her panic, Ye Lingyue could only hug his waist like a koala. Before she could have a proper look at the person, Ye Lingyue felt an intense elementary force break through the air around her like an angry wave. A white glow flashed before her eyes. That elementary force came together and formed a sharp and invincible sword aura. With a scary destructive power that could ruin the sky and the earth, it morphed into an out-pour of swords and slashed towards that monster, splitting it into two pieces before it could even avoid it. Boom! Once that out-pour of swords slashed over, the entire cave tumbled loudly. As it shook, it destroyed half of the enormous cave. What a scary elementary force! Ye Lingyue couldn¡¯t help but look up. At that moment, the person looked down as well and their eyes met each other. From Ye Lingyue¡¯s point of view, the newcomer¡¯s jawline was beautiful. Moving her gaze further up, she saw a golden mask. He was a tall and cool-looking man, and he had a pair of beautiful, amber-colored orbs. He was wearing a luxurious-looking black robe while his long hair landed on the tip of Ye Lingyue¡¯s nose, making it itch a little. Ye Lingyue widened her eyes as she stared at the man. Who was he exactly? Someone like him definitely didn¡¯t exist in Autumn Maple town. Ye Lingyue believed that as long as this scarily strong man was willing to, he could turn the entire Seven Stars Mountain into flat ground. Devil¡­ He was too devilish. This man had arrived in the cave long ago¡­ But he did nothing and watched her failed attempt at dealing with the monster! ¡°What are you laughing at?!¡± Ye Lingyue couldn¡¯t help but burst out in anger. ¡°You¡¯re too weak.¡± The man¡¯s lips tugged lazily, and he sounded much of a tease, too. His tone filled with detest as Ye Lingyue¡¯s reflection appeared in his eyes. By then, she had puffed her cheeks like an angry little bun. She looked really¡­ delicious. Was he laughing at her? Anger swelled in Ye Lingyue as she easily threw a slap at the man¡¯s face. ¡®Bang.¡¯ He quickly grabbed her hand and then threw Ye Lingyue against the cave wall. The man¡¯s face was so near that Ye Lingyue could feel his breath on her face. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to thank me for saving your life like this..¡± With that said, his eyes sparkled and he pressed his lips against hers. Chapter 38 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios An ambergris scent enveloped the man, and it smelled really good. Ye Lingyue was completely frozen. 1¡°Shameless!¡± Ye Lingyue froze. Just as she thought something else would happen, her hand regained its freedom. The man had already moved away, but he was holding something else. The man was holding Squeaky, who was struggling with all of its strength. So he wanted to grab Squeaky. She thought that¡­ Ye Lingyue heaved a sigh of relief as her ears heated up. ¡°An ancient beast clan has actually fallen so low to seal a soul bond with a human.¡± The man glanced at Ye Lingyue teasingly and then at Squeaky, who he was holding. He could kill it but not humiliate it, alright?! ¡°Squeak!¡± It angered Squeaky that it raised its front claw to grab at the man. ¡°Hm?¡± The man hummed coldly. His eyes were so cold they were suffocating. As if sensing the man¡¯s scary aura, Squeaky, who was still struggling, instantly froze. Its claws also froze in midair, fear filling its eyes. ¡°Return it to me.¡± Ye Lingyue snatched Squeaky back and carefully caressed it. After the little thing left Hongmeng Sanctuary, it had yet to encounter such a scary figure before. ¡°Squeak~ Squeak~¡± Squeaky regained its sense of security after returning to Ye Lingyue¡¯s arms. It snuggled against Ye Lingyue and its eyes almost turned into heart shapes. Indeed, Master¡¯s arms were still the most comfortable. ¡°It¡¯s a male. You¡¯re not allowed to hold him in your arms anymore,¡± the man domineeringly said. Ye Lingyue glared at him. What had that got to do with him? With this threat, Squeaky, who was about to snuggle into Ye Lingyue¡¯s coat, obediently stopped moving. Its short legs twitched like it was numb. Slowly, it climbed onto Ye Lingyue¡¯s shoulder and shrunk there, unmoving. Anger grew in Ye Lingyue. Glancing behind her, she saw that the man¡¯s sword aura had ruined a good half of the cave. A huge stone had blocked the path she came in by. If she continued walking deeper into the cave, it would be the monster¡¯s nest. Ye Lingyue couldn¡¯t be sure if the monster had another friend inside. It seemed like she had to depend on this man if she wanted to leave the cave. The golden-masked man looked calm and indifferent as he ignored Ye Lingyue, and he continued to walk forward. Ye Lingyue first glanced at the dead monster and then at the man who was slowly walking ahead. She then stomped on her feet and hurried after the man. The man was tall and had long legs, so his one step was equivalent to several of Ye Lingyue¡¯s steps. But it was a good thing that he didn¡¯t walk too fast, for Ye Lingyue managed to follow behind him and remained a few steps behind him. The more they walked further into the cave, the more Ye Lingyue felt the surrounding temperature grew hotter. However, when she saw what was at the end of the cave, she was greatly shocked. She didn¡¯t think that the bottom of the Seven Stars Mountain would be an entrance to an underwater volcano. The monster had probably lived there for a very long time, hence it could spit out such a powerful fire. The man had already stopped and his gaze landed in the middle of the volcano where a golden-syrup fruit and spirit herb rested. The spirit herb exuded a pleasant fragrance that immediately made Ye Lingyue more energized. Looking at the herb¡¯s surroundings, there was a fire-like red glow. Bright Sun Ginseng? After Ye Lingyue had gotten Immortal Hongmeng and Poison Supremacy Jadehand¡¯s true teachings, she became more familiar with the herbs available in the land as well. A wild Bright Sun Ginseng was a fifth-grade spirit herb and only grew at places with extreme yang. It could treat countless diseases and strengthen the body. If a patient sucked a slice of it, it would lengthen their lives for at least three years. If a martial arts practitioner consumed the entire herb, their elementary force would increase by a significant amount. However, a spiritual beast often lurked around where a spirit herb grew. It seemed the monster from earlier had only stayed in the cave for this Bright Sun Ginseng. That Bright Sun Ginseng¡¯s golden-syrup fruit was almost red from its original gold color. When it¡¯s fully red, that means that the Bright Sun Ginseng was completely mature. The golden-masked man didn¡¯t speak at all as he leaned against the cave wall. He rested with his eyes closed, but he would open them to glance at Ye Lingyue from time to time. Ye Lingyue was very wary of the golden-masked man as well. However, she didn¡¯t dare to stay too far from him, in case another monster was in the cave. It was a good thing that Ye Lingyue had some dried food and drinkable water with her. As for the man, he didn¡¯t drink or eat, though it looked like he wasn¡¯t affected at all. There was no day or night in the cave, so Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t know how long she had held onto for. They waited, and when the Bright Sun Ginseng¡¯s fruit turned completely red, the golden-masked man jumped dozens of feet into the air. The boiling volcano entrance seemed nothing to him. Clapping his hands together, he pulled the Bright Sun Ginseng by its roots, and happiness flashed in his amber eyes. However, just as the man was still in the middle of the air, several of the bright fruits above the largest fruit flashed and turned into a red fog. The fog instantly sprayed at the golden-masked man. Not good. The fog was poisonous! The poison might be nothing to other people, but for him at that moment¡­ The man¡¯s expression changed as a gust of heat spread to the rest of his body. He lost control of his body and fell to the lava rocks. Seeing this, Ye Lingyue, who had been standing by the side, instinctively pounced over and used her Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade. The power of Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade hurriedly pulled the man over. However, a second was enough for the golden-masked man to catch the chance to break away. His body tumbled forward in the air and threw himself higher. He landed on the floor heavily with a loud thud and the Bright Sun Ginseng he was holding dropped to the floor, too. Ye Lingyue stared at that Bright Sun Ginseng and without hesitation, she reached out to snatch it away. However, even though Ye Lingyue was quick, the golden-masked man wasn¡¯t slow either. His tall body pounced over and pressed Ye Lingyue under him, which made the two of them roll on the floor. Anger filled the golden-masked man¡¯s eyes as he pressed Ye Lingyue¡¯s hands down. ¡°Woman, you dare to steal from me?!¡± ¡°What steal? No one owns the Bright Sun Ginseng and anyone who sees it has a share. The only one that won¡¯t take it is a fool.¡± Ye Lingyue watched as the man¡¯s eyes turned red and his breathing turned heavy. She suddenly remembered that the fog the Bright Sun Ginseng exuded out earlier was poisonous. The golden-masked man probably couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. ¡°Then I¡¯ll treat you as a dead person.¡± The man¡¯s voice was as chill as bones as he grabbed Ye Lingyue¡¯s neck in the next second. No one dared to take his possessions before. He had always been a cold and heartless person. However, the little woman under him made him feel different. The man suddenly growled out softly. It turned out that Ye Lingyue had stopped struggling and bit at his hand. She had used all of her energy for this bite and blood instantly swelled out. ¡°Woman, let go. Don¡¯t force me to attack you.¡± The poison in him was hitting him wave by wave. The scent of blood and the faint fragrance Ye Lingyue had were both agitating the poison in the man¡¯s body. Chapter 39 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The more he ordered her around, the more unwilling Ye Lingyue was to let go. With how hard she was biting his hand, the golden-masked man had no doubts that she would bite a piece of his flesh if she continued. He grabbed Ye Lingyue¡¯s chin and pulled her off his hand using his brute force. Seeing Ye Lingyue opening her mouth once more to bite him again, the man did not hesitate to lean down and bite her lips. 1When their lips touched, Ye Lingyue widened her eyes and she clenched her jaw shut tightly. Their teeth collided against each other. 1Were this man¡¯s teeth made of iron? Hissing from the pain, Ye Lingyue relaxed her jaw, only to have the golden-masked man push both sets of teeth apart. A powerful iron taste instantly filled his mouth. The golden-masked man knew that it was the taste of his blood. This woman was really ruthless. What was worse? She was struggling nonstop under him. Her body was one without experience, and he usually wouldn¡¯t bother even looking at it. However, after the Bright Sun Ginseng poisoned him, he felt unusually tortured with how she was struggling. The poison pulsed within him. Like the strongest aphrodisiac, the more the person used their elementary force to suppress the effect, the stronger the reaction they would have. Heat flowed towards his abdomen. 1At that moment, Ye Lingyue felt that something was wrong. The golden-masked man was hot all over, like a piece of red burning iron. His expression was also filled with pain. In her shock, Ye Lingyue forgot to struggle. Was he poisoned? The golden-masked man froze as a fragrant and delicious taste appeared on her lips, overpowering the taste of his blood. The fragrance, which was as refreshing as snow, trailed into his body bit by bit, tingling within him as if electric currents were flowing within. It felt oddly comfortable. The Bright Sun Ginseng¡¯s poison seemed to calm down slowly. Ye Lingyue struggled with all she had, but the man¡¯s body was as heavy as a wall. ¡°Hmpf¡ª¡± Just as Ye Lingyue was about to bite his tongue, she felt her right arm touch something¡­ Bright Sun Ginseng? It turned out that amidst her struggle, Ye Lingyue touched the Bright Sun Ginseng the man was holding. Since the poison was slowly acting up inside the golden-masked man¡¯s body, he had no time to pay any attention to Ye Lingyue¡¯s little thoughts. Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes lit up as the cauldron breath in her hand entered the Bright Sun Ginseng. Noting that the girl under him had stopped struggling, it surprised the golden-masked man. However, she ¡®tasted¡¯ really good, so his actions became gentle. Like two beast cubs giving each other warmth, they could only hear each other¡¯s heartbeat. From the fight they were originally in, they ended up cuddling each other with their lips still pressed together. However, after some time, Ye Lingyue finally let go of the Bright Sun Ginseng fruit after she felt that her cauldron breath had almost swallowed all its essence. The red tint in the golden-masked man¡¯s eyes slowly faded away as he stared at Ye Lingyue. Ye Lingyue¡¯s outfit was in a mess. Her dazed eyes were moist and her lips swollen. She looked extremely enticing. ¡°You saved me.¡± The golden-masked man¡¯s voice was low and hoarse. It was void of the original coldness it had. The poison in him was slowly fading, even though he couldn¡¯t understand why her ¡®that¡¯ was able to heal him. After he regained his calmness, the golden-masked man remembered what had happened earlier. ¡°I¡¯ve repaid your favor. It¡¯s clear between us now.¡± Ye Lingyue glanced at the Bright Sun Ginseng on the floor. The man kept the Bright Sun Ginseng and had glanced at Ye Lingyue before he left. ¡°My name is Wu Zhong. Ye Lingyue, remember this name.¡± Suddenly, the man disappeared as quietly and quickly as he had appeared. How did he know her name? Ye Lingyue froze, but she then looked at herself. The wooden name tag she used for the mountain hunt was gone. That man must have taken it. ¡°Bad guy. Who would want to remember your name, anyway?¡± As Ye Lingyue wiped her mouth with all of her strength, anger flashed past her eyes. She would just treat it as if a dog bit her on the lips. 1Ye Lingyue hadn¡¯t even realized that she had just given the man her first kiss. However¡­ Ye Lingyue started laughing. She had reaped quite a bit this time. If that guy knew that he had taken a useless Bright Sun Ginseng away, his eyes would probably pop out of his head. The cauldron breath had fully sucked the essence out of the fifth-grade Bright Sun Ginseng. This incident was a real fortune despite the misfortune she was in. As she sat inside the cave, she moved some cauldron breath inside her to absorb the medicinal effect of the Bright Sun Ginseng Actually, with Ye Lingyue¡¯s current cultivation, she wouldn¡¯t be able to absorb the medicinal effect of such a high leveled spirit herb like the Bright Sun Ginseng. However, she was fortunate enough that she had a treasure like the Qian cauldron. Through the extraction of the cauldron breath, the medicinal effect of the Bright Sun Ginseng calmed down a lot. Ye Lingyue¡¯s body kept absorbing the ginseng effect. Ye Lingyue¡¯s originally depleted dantian and elementary force quickly recovered. Not only so, but she could also feel the elementary force in her body pulsing like crazy. Bang¡­ Her elementary force instantly broke through the ceiling of the sixth level of body tempering, the seventh level¡­ then the eighth level. Under the effect of the Bright Sun Ginseng, Ye Lingyue¡¯s cultivation broke through rapidly. Ye Lingyue only opened her eyes after a long time. She glanced at the time. It had been two days since she was trapped inside the cave, and so the mountain hunt should end soon. ¡®How are Ye Sheng and the rest?¡¯ Ye Lingyue thought as she walked towards where she came from and saw that the originally blocked cave exit had been cleared. The monster¡¯s body and the silver-clawed eagle king¡¯s body were still lying from a distance. She walked towards the cave opening to take a look at it. But she saw several thick vines by the cave entrance. ¡°I hope I can still make it in time for the mountain hunt.¡± At this thought, Ye Lingyue grabbed the vines and speedily climbed up. What Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t know was that in the two days she was missing, the Seven Stars Mountain had fallen into a mess. After the appearance of the silver-clawed eagle king and Song Han and Ye Lingyue falling down the cliff two days ago, the Ye family members thought that she was already dead. Because of Song Han¡¯s death, the Song family members clashed with the Ye family, too. Even Ye Sheng got injured from the brawl. If Town Leader Liu didn¡¯t step forward and interfered, someone might have died. ¡°Song Guangyi, you killed Lingyue! The Ye family will definitely not let you off!¡± One of Ye Sheng¡¯s arms had an injury. He was in deep regret. If he hadn¡¯t been lured away, Cousin Lingyue wouldn¡¯t have died. ¡°Song Han had died as well. He¡¯s my biological brother and an actual Song family young master. What is Ye Lingyue? She¡¯s only a b*tch that no one wants!¡± Song Guangyi shouted angrily. He was still in despair from losing his brother. From Song Guangyi¡¯s point of view, they had planned everything perfectly. Song Han¡¯s death must have been because the Ye family had played them. ¡°Dear Nephews, please stop fighting now. Miss Ye and Young Master Song¡¯s deaths are accidents. The abyss is very deep and many silver-clawed eagles are resting there. It will be hard for us to search for them there. Let¡¯s wait until the end of the mountain hunt to send people down to look for them,¡± Town Leader Liu said, wanting to calm the two parties. Although he had calmed both parties, the Ye family¡¯s morale greatly stooped down with Ye Lingyue¡¯s disappearance and Ye Sheng¡¯s injury. When it came to the third day¡¯s morning, the Ye family¡¯s mountain hunt performance was not as great as they were before. There were at least two hours before noon, and those who took part in the mountain hunt returned one by one. Chapter 40 ¡°The Song family hunted five advanced wild beasts, twenty-five intermediate wild beasts, and fifty beginner wild beasts.¡± ¡°The Ye family hunted three advanced wild beasts, twenty intermediate wild beasts, and twenty beginner wild beasts.¡± ¡°The Long Breeze Martial Arts Hall hunted¡­¡± After Town Leader Liu had counted all the wild beasts, the Ye family members all wore disappointed expressions. On the other hand, the Song family members were all cheering. They would win the Autumn Maple town mountain hunt again! ¡°In the triennial mountain hunt, the winner this year is¡­¡± Town Leader Liu had yet to finish speaking when someone stopped him. ¡°Please wait. There are still some changes to the final count.¡± When Ye Lingyue appeared before everyone, they were all shocked. Everyone from the Ye family all surrounded her. Ye Lingyue glanced at everyone. Big Cousin Ye Sheng nursed an injury while everyone else looked dejected. The Ye family members had been guilty about causing Ye Lingyue¡¯s ¡®death,¡¯ especially Ye Qing and the other two. They all understood that if Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t sacrifice herself to the silver-clawed eagle king towards the end, they would all have died at the bottom of the cliff. That was why when they saw that Ye Lingyue was still alive, everyone was happy from the bottom of their heart. Was everyone¡­ worried for her? At this thought, warmth filled Ye Lingyue¡¯s heart a little. This was the first time that her Ye family showed her some warmth. ¡°Miss Ye, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re alright. Everyone had been worrying about you for the past few days.¡± Town Leader Liu glanced at Ye Lingyue and thought that it was a miracle. Compared to when he saw her at the start of the hunt, this Ye family little girl looked more energetic and the elementary force that surrounded her grew stronger. It also seemed that her abilities had greatly improved. ¡°Lingyue! It¡¯s great that you¡¯re alright. If you weren¡¯t, I don¡¯t know how to face the Master and Third Aunt after we return home¡­¡± When Ye Sheng saw Lingyue, guilt suddenly filled his eyes, and his voice sounded choked. He was the leader of their entourage this time. If Lingyue had died, he really couldn¡¯t face the elders in their family anymore. Seeing that Ye Lingyue was still alive even after falling down the abyss, and yet Song Han¡¯s death was still unknown, the Song family members¡¯ expressions looked even worse. Song Guangyi especially. He directed his eyes towards Ye Lingyue and they were as dark as a poisonous snake. ¡°Town Leader, the Ye family¡¯s hunt needs to be counted once more.¡± Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t forget what she came for. She glanced at the animal carcasses on the floor and understood the situation. ¡°Oh? Did Miss Ye manage to hunt other animals?¡± Town Leader Liu asked. The Song family members were indifferent. She was merely an immature girl. How would she be able to hand over more hunts with her capability alone? ¡°I have a silver-clawed eagle king and an unknown monster that the Town Leader needs to assess,¡± Ye Lingyue said as she took out the claws of the silver-clawed eagle king and a piece of skin she tore off from the monster. It wouldn¡¯t be easy for her to bring two gigantic monsters with her when she climbed up the abyss, so she just extracted their claws and skin and brought them along. During the mountain hunt, extracting the main parts of the wild beasts had become an unspoken habit. ¡°These are the claws of a silver-clawed eagle king and as for this skin¡­ It¡¯s the skin of a spiritual beast, one at the peak of the fourth-level. It is a golden crow snake. Miss Ye, please tell me where you found this spiritual beast.¡± Old Town Leader Liu carefully looked at that beast skin, before his eyelids trembled. Even his expression morphed into a shocked one. When was there a spiritual beast at the peak of its fourth-level present in Seven Stars Mountain? This was monumental news! A fourth-level peak spiritual beast? The Ye family, who had already lost hopes of winning the mountain hunt, were first shocked upon hearing Town Leader Liu¡¯s words. They then all broke out into a loud cheer afterward. A fourth-level spiritual beast! It was a fourth-level spiritual beast! Even if it was a first-level beast, it would be enough to win over countless advanced-level wild beasts. On the other hand, the Song family members turned pale, looking even worse than if their fathers were dead. ¡°Town Leader, did you make a mistake? A spiritual beast never appeared in the Seven Stars mountain before!¡± Song Guangyi was not willing to give up. ¡°Are you saying that I assessed it wrongly?¡± Old Town Leader Liu unhappily glared at Song Guangyi. The latter instantly shut up, not daring to say anymore. In the end, Old Town Leader and Ye Sheng went together to the cave by the cliff and found the bodies of the silver-clawed eagle king and the golden crow snake. With the power of the fourth-level spiritual beast, the Ye family managed to come from behind and clinched the top place for the mountain hunt. ¡°Lingyue, it¡¯s all thanks to you this time.¡± ¡°Lingyue, marvelous job!¡± Ye Sheng and Ye Ying both glanced at each other before they carried Ye Lingyue up to put her on their shoulders. They all cheered as they walked down the mountain. Seeing that they were escorting Ye Lingyue back to the Ye family, Ye Qing¡¯s eyes filled with envy and admiration at the same time. No matter how much he didn¡¯t want to admit it, Ye Qing knew very well that he had lost completely to Ye Lingyue after the mountain hunt. Seven Stars mountain regained its peace. Old Town Leader Liu bowed respectfully beside a horse carriage. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve followed your instructions and counted that golden crow snake under the Ye family¡¯s score.¡± With Town Leader Liu¡¯s experience, how could he not tell that Ye Lingyue didn¡¯t kill that fourth-level peak golden crow snake? ¡°Investigate all of Ye Lingyue¡¯s information.¡± In the carriage, the golden-masked man smirked as he played with the wooden name tag carved with Ye Lingyue¡¯s name. She had an ancient spiritual beast and had a special physique to be able to touch poison. ¡®Ye Lingyue, who are you exactly?¡¯ Ye Lingyue, who was currently sitting on her cousins¡¯ shoulders, suddenly felt a shiver trail down the back of her spine. She turned back but saw nothing. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but shiver. The news of the Ye family overturning their defeat and winning reached the Ye family in an instant. This result shocked the entire Ye family. After all, Ye Gu heard that the Song family¡¯s Song Guangyi had broken through to the eighth level of body tempering. Their Ye Sheng, who was the strongest amongst those that went on behalf of the Ye family, was only at the seventh level of body tempering. Comparing the two, they differed vastly from capabilities alone; hence why their victory surprised Ye Gu this time. It was definitely a great surprise for the Ye family to be able to win without Ye Liuyun helping them. In Qiaochu Wing, Ye Fengyu, who had been waiting desperately for three days, finally sighed in relief. The Ye family master, Ye Gu, and his family were also all waiting in front of their estate. ¡°You did great! Everyone did well this time. Everyone who took part in the mountain hunt will have their monthly allowances doubled. Apart from this, you can all get a weapon from the Ye family¡¯s treasure pavilion.¡± Hearing their victory made Ye Gu forget all about the unhappiness he received from his birthday banquet. This time, the Song family had lost the first mining rights to the largest mining area in the Seven Stars Mountain, and they lost Song Han as well. It was really satisfying. ¡°Grandpa, we have to thank Lingyue this time.¡± The moment Ye Sheng returned to the Ye family, he retold the entire story from top to end. The danger they experienced made Ye Gu¡¯s expression change instantly. Chapter 41 Ye Lingyue was only at the fifth level of body tempering, and dealing with a silver-clawed eagle king was already very dangerous for her. A fourth level spiritual beast also appeared! After hearing this, Ye Gu¡¯s expression turned more serious. ¡°Grandpa, to be honest, I didn¡¯t kill that spiritual beast. When I fell into the cave, I was unconscious for two days. When I woke up, I saw that the monster had died inside the cave.¡± Ye Lingyue hid the fact that she had encountered a golden-masked man. ¡°It seemed someone strong had visited that cave. However, Lingyue, it¡¯s already a great fortune that you killed the silver-clawed eagle king,¡± Ye Gu exclaimed in amazement. ¡°Grandpa, there is one more thing. During the mountain hunt, we found that the Song family used this type of arrow.¡± With Ye Lingyue¡¯s hint, Ye Sheng took out a few 50% dark iron arrows and passed them to Ye Gu. After Ye Gu saw the arrows, his expression changed immediately. He immediately called Ye Fengyun and Ye Fengcheng over to discuss. Both Ye Lingyue and Ye Sheng moved back, understanding their intentions. ¡°Father, there is something weird about this. The Song family¡¯s iron extraction technique has never been as good as ours. How are they able to make such a sharp arrow?¡± The moment Ye Fengyun saw the dark iron arrows, he furrowed his eyebrows tightly. ¡°Big Brother, it probably wasn¡¯t the Song family who made this arrow. They probably made use of their high-quality iron ores from the Seventh Northern Hill and hired a large merchant organization in the county city,¡± Ye Fengcheng scoffed. ¡°However, the Song family¡¯s good days are already over. We won the mountain hunt this time and the mining rights of the Seventh Northern hill would be ours for the next three years.¡± The Seventh Northern Hill mining areas were the most resource-abundant. It also had the largest mining mountain in the entire Seven Star Mountain. It was only after the Song family got hold of the Seventh Northern Hill mines that their mine trade became comparable to the Ye family. Throwing the Seventh Northern Hill away meant that the Song family had lost their right arm. ¡°Things are hard to predict. You two keep a close eye on the Song family in the next few days. We must make them hand over the Seventh Northern Hill mines as soon as possible.¡± Staring at those arrows, Ye Gu furrowed his eyebrows tightly. He had a strong gut feeling that things would not be that simple. After Ye Fengcheng had left the main hall, he saw Ye Qing standing at the side with his head down. ¡°You useless thing. You couldn¡¯t even win a fool. If your older sister was around, how can that good-for-nothing show off?¡± Even though they won the mining rights to the Seventh Northern Hill, the thought that it was all because of Ye Lingyue made Ye Fengcheng feel anger swelling up within him. That Ye Fengyu had overshadowed him since they were young. How can the useless thing she gave birth to be stronger than his son? At the mention of his older sister, Ye Qing looked even more depressed. His father only cared about his older sister, Ye Liuyun. To his father, he was nothing. ¡°It¡¯s good that Liuyun will return after six months. When that time comes, we¡¯ll see how that Ye Lingyue can continue to be so arrogant¡­¡± Ye Fengcheng scoffed as he ignored Ye Qing. In Qiaochu Wing, Ye Lingyue explained the entire situation of the mountain hunt to Ye Fengyu. ¡°Lingyue, you were able to win the mountain hunt this time because of luck, not because of your capability. From tomorrow onwards, I will double your cultivation training. Apart from going to the quarry, I won¡¯t allow you to frolic around.¡± Seeing that her daughter had returned safe and celebrated, Ye Fengyu wore a smile on her lips. However, in the next second, she worried about Lingyue once more. Ruthless people comprised the Song Family. With Song Han¡¯s death and losing the rights to mine at the Seventh Northern hill mines, the Song family would definitely put the blame on her daughter, Lingyue. It was hard to avoid hidden and silent attacks. If she was as strong as she was back then, she wouldn¡¯t be afraid of the Song family. But at the moment, her body¡­ At this thought, Ye Fengyu furrowed her eyebrows tightly and wore a frown. ¡°Mother, why are you furrowing your eyebrows again? Is your illness acting up again? I just learned a massage technique. How about I try it on you?¡± Ye Lingyue said as she pushed Ye Fengyu into her room. ¡°You little girl. How did you learn so many things?¡± Ye Fengyu knew that her daughter was obedient, so she followed her daughter¡¯s wishes and laid down. Ever since she got injured quite badly, her bones and veins would throb in severe pain every spring and autumn. But after drinking the Hundred Fruits Wine that Ye Lingyue had brought back, her body grew more agile and it ached less. Nevertheless, regaining her original strength was still impossible. Ye Fengyu laid on the bed. The first massage technique that Ye Lingyue used on her was called Tui Na massage, which was a loosening pinch and pull massage that Immortal Hongmeng left behind. Throughout the massage, Ye Fengyu closed her eyes in comfort. It was only then that she knew that her daughter wasn¡¯t lying. After a while, sleepiness overwhelmed her and she fell into a deep sleep. Seeing this, Ye Lingyue quietly used her cauldron breath. After Ye Lingyue had absorbed some medicinal effect of the Bright Sun Ginseng, she realized that the cauldron breath had grown fairly stronger and even grew to a size of a small thumb when it was just as thin as a hair strand before. Moreover, controlling it became easier, too. Before, the Qian cauldron¡¯s cauldron breath could only see black spots in Da Huang¡¯s body and couldn¡¯t see through a human body. This time, Ye Lingyue wanted to see if it could see the black spots in the human body. After the cauldron breath had entered Ye Fengyu¡¯s body, in Ye Lingyue¡¯s mind, the fog she saw before seemed to be swept away and it slowly showed a portion of Ye Fengyu¡¯s body condition. It thrilled Ye Lingyue. But she calmed down and focused on controlling the cauldron breath to swim towards Ye Fengyu¡¯s body. ¡°This is?¡± Ye Lingyue realized that her mother¡¯s body was still considered healthy. However, there were many black spots on several of her major acupuncture points. No matter the sizes or color, the black spots were a lot more serious than what she saw on Da Huang before. ¡°It¡¯s them. They are the ones that caused Mother to suffer so much in the last few years,¡± Ye Lingyue said in her mind. However, because there were too many black spots, Ye Lingyue couldn¡¯t remove all of them in one go. Hence, she decided to start swallowing the black spot at her dantian. When the cauldron breath approached the black spots, it attacked ferociously. It was about an hour later that Ye Lingyue finally kept her cauldron breath, and by then sweat had covered her forehead. The cauldron breath had completely swallowed the black spot that rested on Ye Fengyu¡¯s dantian. When Ye Fengyu woke up and saw her daughter¡¯s exhausted face, Ye Fengyu felt guilty. She was too insensitive as a mother. How could she forget that her daughter had just returned from the mountain hunt? She should have asked Lingyue to go and rest first. ¡°Mother, try to feel if your body feels better.¡± Swallowing the black spot in Ye Fengyu¡¯s body was a lot more difficult than saving Da Huang, but Ye Lingyue wanted to know if it was effective as soon as possible. Ye Fengyu breathed in quietly and realized that her body felt more energetic than before. It also didn¡¯t feel as difficult to use her elementary force as compared to before, so she was both surprised and elated. Seeing Ye Fengyu¡¯s expression, it also thrilled Ye Lingyue. It seemed like as long as she used the cauldron breath to swallow the black spots a few times more, her mother had a chance of recovering her cultivation! Chapter 42 After she had finished the first cauldron breath treatment for her mother, Ye Lingyue finally returned to her room at ease. She sat down and crossed her legs to absorb some Bright Sun Ginseng medicinal effect the Qian cauldron had and regained some of her elementary force. Ye Lingyue also realized that apart from her cultivation breaking through two levels straight after she had absorbed the Bright Sun Ginseng the first time, the medicinal effect grew weaker when she absorbed more of it after. However, the remaining effect of the Bright Sun Ginseng was probably enough to support her to break through to the ninth level of body tempering. With a call in her mind, she entered Hongmeng Sanctuary. It had barely been a few days since she came, but Hongmeng Sanctuary had changed once more. The green-wood fruits smelled enticing hanging on the green-wood fruit trees, and at the fields, various plants and fruits that Ye Lingyue planted before were all growing healthily. Ye Lingyue casually plucked a peach and took a bite. As she chewed, she realized that the peach tasted a lot juicier and more refreshing compared to those bought outside. What was more amazing was that there was even a hint of elementary force in the peaches. It seemed that with Hongmeng Sanctuary¡¯s transformation, the fruits also became spiritual fruits. If people ate these spiritual fruits often, it would be beneficial for them whether it was for their body or their cultivation. However, Hongmeng Sanctuary still had a limited space, so the number of spiritual herbs and fruits she could plant were also limited. At this thought, Ye Lingyue suddenly thought that if normal fruits could mutate in Hongmeng Sanctuary, what would happen if she kept living objects in Hongmeng Sanctuary? Like Da Huang, for example. Thinking of the mischievous Squeaky, Ye Lingyue immediately left Hongmeng Sanctuary and then returned with Da Huang in tow. Entering an unknown environment made Da Huang a little uneasy. However, it immediately realized that the elementary force in Hongmeng Sanctuary was extremely abundant. Elated, it happily ran about the place. ¡°Squeak!¡± Seeing Da Huang running about its territory messily, Squeaky instantly jumped out and shouted at Da Huang. This was a hilarious sight for Ye Lingyue. Ever since they met the golden-masked man, Squeaky had been quiet for a while. However, suddenly, it seemed to return to normal. Squeaky and Da Huang running around Hongmeng Sanctuary made Ye Lingyue feel a sense of unexplainable comfort. After watching the two play together for a while, Ye Lingyue finally remembered that it was time to bring some green-wood fruits to the medicinal shop. After plucking some green-wood fruits, Ye Lingyue plucked some fresh fruits and vegetables as well and passed them to Aunt Liu. She then headed to the medicinal shop. As per usual, Ye Lingyue disguised herself before she entered the medicinal shop. When the manager saw her, he welcomed her passionately once more. After she had passed the manager the green-wood fruits, Ye Lingyue asked about the fifth-grade pill once more. Although she had the cauldron breath, her mother would recover a lot sooner with the pill. However, it was a pity that the manager still could not find out anything about a fifth-grade pill. ¡°Manager, where is the frozen grass I wanted?¡± Just as Ye Lingyue was chatting with the manager, an arrogant voice interrupted the two¡¯s conversation. Two people walked into the store. When she heard the voices, Ye Lingyue hurriedly turned around and acted like she was looking at other herbs, while the manager hurriedly apologized and moved to serve them. The people who entered the medicinal store were Song Guangyi, whom Ye Lingyue had seen before, as well as Master Lian, whom she had seen once during the birthday banquet. Ye Lingyue still didn¡¯t know Master Lian¡¯s identity. Song Guangyi, on the other hand, was the Song family¡¯s eldest young master. With how strong the Song family was in Autumn Maple town, everyone knew him well. What was he doing in the medicinal store? ¡°Song Eldest Young Master, Master Lian. We have prepared the frozen grass for you. Would you want to take them now or would like me to send them to the Song estate?¡± asked the manager politely. Frozen grass? Ye Lingyue could remember that Immortal Hongmen had recorded that type of grass in the encyclopedias he had left. The herbs on the land all had their characteristics and elements they belonged to. The Bright Sun Ginseng belonged to fire and must grow in an extremely hot environment. And frozen grass was a water type, a first-level spirit herb. This type of spirit herb can help reduce heat. Once planted in the courtyard or indoors during Summer, water would congregate and cool down the surrounding. That was why countless rich families would plant frozen grass in their yards during summer. However, it was still spring. The weather wasn¡¯t too hot yet. Besides, why would Song Guangyi need to come and buy mere frozen grass himself? There must be something wrong. Ye Lingyue thought quietly as she listened to the conversation. ¡°Send a thousand frozen grass to the Song estate. Remember to not leak this out as well.¡± After Song Guangyi paid, he was about to leave with Master Lian. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Just as Ye Lingyue thought the two would leave, Master Lian suddenly turned around and approached Ye Lingyue. Ye Lingyue¡¯s heart tightened. Was her identity exposed? Panic filled her eyes. Even the flying dagger she hid was preparing to fly out. ¡°These green-wood fruits are pretty good. I want all of them. Remember to send them to the Song family together with the frozen grass,¡± Master Lian blurted as he pointed at the batch of fresh green-wood fruits Ye Lingyue had sent over. Master Lian was training to become an alchemist, so he could easily tell that the quality of those green-wood fruits was different. One might not be able to find such excellent quality green-wood fruits even in the county city. Ye Lingyue¡¯s heart eased a little. It seemed like he only saw her green-wood fruits. The manager¡¯s expression was dark and sorrowful. However, he couldn¡¯t reject the request either and had no choice but to send that batch of green-wood fruits to the Song estate along with the frozen grass. Once Song Guangyi and Master Lian had left, the manager heaved a lengthy sigh. ¡°Manager, you don¡¯t have to worry about the green-wood fruit. I can give you another batch in two days. Who was that person beside Song Eldest Young Master, though? And why were you so polite to them?¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s input made the manager happy. If they didn¡¯t have any green-wood fruits, their stock of alcohol ointment would run out again. ¡°Miss, you might not know, but that Master Lian is someone from the county city¡¯s Alchemist Association. He is not someone that us nobodies could easily offend.¡± After they had closed several deals between them, the manager already trusted Ye Lingyue quite a bit. Hence, it was easy for him to tell her about the rough situation between the Alchemist Association and Master Lian. After the manager finished talking, Ye Lingyue finally knew that this Alchemist Association was rather capable. It was the only force comparable to the Great Xia military. The positions of the alchemists of that association were even greater than the Great Xia officials. However, the selection of alchemists was very strict. Looking at Autumn Maple town, there hadn¡¯t been an alchemist in the last few decades. ¡°Miss, if you¡¯re interested, you should get the chance to visit the county city. There is a branch of the Alchemist Association there and they sell herbs, pills, and weapons. It is a much stronger place as compared to a small place like ours.¡± After the manager finished talking, Ye Lingyue nodded and finally left the store. By then, the Song family horse carriage had left long ago. Thinking about what the manager said, Ye Lingyue walked back to the Ye estate in deep thought. Chapter 43 Although she did not know much about alchemists, Master Lian¡¯s sudden appearance, made Ye Lingyue feel puzzled. She thought about the flying dagger in her arms and the psyche that the dagger used to have. Was it Master Lian¡¯s doing? And those frozen grass, what was the Song family plotting again? Unknown to her, she had walked in the Ye family¡¯s manor and came across Ye Fengyun, Ye Fengcheng, and a group of the Ye family¡¯s martial arts practitioners. ¡°Lingyue. You¡¯ve just finished the mountain hunt, so why aren¡¯t you resting?¡± Ye Fengyun asked when he saw Ye Lingyue. The mountain hunt this time was unusually dangerous. Ye Fengyu knew quite well that it was all thanks to Lingyue¡¯s encounter with a spirit beast that they won the hunt. That somehow prevented Ye Fengyun from being embarrassed. Although Ye Fengyun knew afterward that Ye Lingyue encountered the spirit beast only by chance, Ye Fengyun still had a good attitude towards Ye Lingyue, for she had brought many good things after her head straightened up. ¡°Big Uncle, I¡¯m fine. Where are you going in a hurry?¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s inquiry brought about Ye Fengcheng¡¯s snort. ¡°You¡¯re just a junior. There¡¯s no place for you to ask what your senior is doing.¡± ¡°Fengcheng, you¡­ Don¡¯t mind your Fourth Uncle. Thanks to your luck, we have the rights to the Seven Northern Hill mine. Your Fourth Uncle and I will find Old Town Leader Liu to see if we can finish the transaction for the mine as soon as possible.¡± Ye Fengyun knew that his Fourth Brother had a grudge against Third Sister and her daughter, so he could only helplessly shake his head. ¡°Speaking of the Song family¡­ Big Uncle, when I was passing by the street, I think I saw Song Guangyi and a young man enter a medicinal shop. They bought a cart of herbs. I wonder if it has anything to do with Seven Northern Hill mine?¡± Ye Lingyue could not say that she encountered them, so she twisted the story slightly. Ye Lingyue did not know what use the frozen grass had, but she hoped that Ye Fengyun and the others would be careful. ¡°The medicinal shop has nothing to do with the Seven Northern Hill mine. Don¡¯t think you know everything just because you have been in the stone house for a few days. Big Brother, it¡¯s getting late. Let¡¯s go find the Town Leader quickly so the Song family will not go back on their words,¡± Ye Fengcheng said impatiently. Ye Fengyun nodded at Ye Lingyue, then hurriedly left with the others. To the surprise of the Ye family, with Town Leader Liu presiding over the meeting, the Song family did not go back on their words this time. They promised that they would hand Seven Northern Hill over to the Ye family three days after they had settled the accounts for it. It had lifted the weight off of Ye Gu¡¯s shoulders. But when Ye Lingyue got the news, she thought otherwise. However, the upcoming weapon choosing at the Treasure Pavilion diverted her mind. For the victory of the Autumn Maple mountain hunt, Ye Gu not only increased their monthly allowance, but he also rewarded them by letting them enter the Treasure Pavilion to choose a weapon. For the younger generations of the Ye family, it was a big temptation. After all, their ancestors left a lot of weapons and armors in the Ye family¡¯s Treasure Pavilion for so many years now. And wearing those, it could save lives in times of danger. A few days later, under Ye Sheng¡¯s lead, Ye Lingyue and the rest went in. All kinds of collections of the Ye family¡¯s Treasure Pavilion were revealed to them. There were two rooms in the Treasure Pavilion, one was full of weapons of different sizes; from short to long weapons, and there were even bows, arrows, and hammers. The second room contained unique kinds of armor, including wrist guards, leather armor, helmets; some of which were both for men and women. ¡°Lingyue, you can choose whatever you lack. You can choose first.¡± Ye Sheng knew that Ye Lingyue had achieved the most this time. He was not petty, so he let Ye Lingyue be the first to choose. The others did not have any objection to this arrangement, even Ye Qing was silent. Choose what she lacked? Ye Lingyue pouted. She was lacking in everything. She did not have any weapons and armor. Who asked her to be a foolish girl with only a mother and no father. But which one should she choose? Before entering the Treasure Pavilion, Ye Fengyu had reminded Ye Lingyue that it was fine for her to choose a weapon or armor. She should not blindly choose the valuable ones but should choose the ones that were most suitable for her. Although the weapons and armor in the Treasure Pavilion were all good, ordinary weapons and armor were nothing in Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes after she had gotten her hands on the flying dagger. After choosing for some time, Ye Lingyue still had not made up her mind. ¡°Big Cousin, you better choose first. I¡¯ll have another look.¡± Ye Lingyue smiled apologetically and let the others choose first. Ye Sheng and the others already had put their minds on which weapon or armor they wanted, and they used them almost immediately. At that moment, Ye Lingyue went to a shelf and the Qian cauldron in her hand suddenly jumped. Ye Lingyue had this kind of feeling before. She could not help but look at the shelf and found that there was a dirty stone resting on it. The stone looked ordinary and did not look like it had been forged. It did not look like it belonged inside the Treasure Pavilion either. Ye Lingyue was curious, so she picked up the stone. She had just held it in her hand when Ye Lingyue felt that something was wrong. The stone was heavy and that surprised Ye Lingyue. She quickly used the cauldron breath to check its origin. Ye Lingyue saw a lot of dense light spots in the stone, and the strangest thing was that these light spots seemed like liquid. She was inexperienced except for identifying dark iron. Hence, she could not pinpoint where that thing came from. ¡°Ye Lingyue, the ore you¡¯re holding is ancient. The Ye family¡¯s ancestors found it in the Seven Star Mountain in the early years. No one knows what kind of ore it is, so they put it in the Treasure Pavilion,¡± Ye Sheng explained as he saw Ye Lingyue holding a stone. ¡°Big Cousin, then I¡¯ll take this ore.¡± Ye Sheng did not understand Ye Lingyue¡¯s choice, but since they were told to choose what they want, he was not in the position to say anything about Ye Lingyue¡¯s choice. After the selection, other than Ye Lingyue choosing a strange stone, everyone else had made their selections. Ye Sheng chose a spear, Ye Qing a leather armor, and Ye Ning and Ye Ying each picked a weapon they wanted. After getting their weapons, the five of them walked out of the Treasure Pavilion while chatting. However, they had just taken a few steps when a martial arts practitioner hurried forward and whispered something in Ye Sheng¡¯s ear. ¡°Outrageous! The Song family is going too far!¡± After hearing what the man had to say, an angry expression replaced Ye Sheng¡¯s happy one. ¡°Big Cousin, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Ye Lingyue saw this and knew that something bad had happened. ¡°It¡¯s about the Seven Northern Hill mine. It¡¯s all over now. The mine is all destroyed.¡± Ye Sheng¡¯s words made the others look at one another. Ye Sheng said nothing else and rushed down Seven Star Mountain with the four of them. Chapter 44 Seven Northern Hill mine was located in the north of Seven Star Mountain. Other than a few mining areas that were in the open air, most of them were located in caves. Although Ye Lingyue had been in the Seven Star Mountain for more than a month, it was her first visit to the northern part. Different from the southern part that was lush all year round, the northern mountain did not have much vegetation. The bare rocks were exposed and it looked very desolate. In the past, mine cars and miners were going in and out of the Seven Northern Hill. However, upon entering the mine that day, there were few people already in it, and it was a depressing scene. Ye Lingyue followed Ye Sheng and hurried deep into the mine. They had just arrived outside Seven Northern Hill mine when Ye Lingyue heard Ye Gu¡¯s angry voice. After nearly ten years of mining, a third of the mine cave in the Seven Northern Hill had been excavated. The mine area was wide, about half the size of Autumn Maple town. Pine oil torches lit up the mine cave. Ye Fengyun and Ye Fengcheng, the two brothers in their thirties, had their head lowered as they were being scolded. ¡°B*stards. How did you two supervise the work? Why did the ore become like this overnight?¡± Ye Gu¡¯s eyes were red from anger and the veins on his forehead were throbbing. Some ores were scattered at his feet. There were two distinct colors of dark iron ores. The one with poorer purity was grayish-black and the one with over 40% dark iron was grayish silver. However, the ores in the Seven Northern Hill mine were reddish. Carefully looking at them, the reddish tint was a rust moss on the ores. Anyone who had been in contact with the iron ore trading knew that rust moss would grow out of ore if it was damp and improperly preserved. To keep the ores dry, they kept the mine cave dry all year round. It was difficult to refine ores with rust moss. Fearing that the Song family would do something to the mine on the Seven Northern Hill, Ye Gu had specially ordered Ye Fengyun and Ye Fengcheng to take charge of the mine handover. The two brothers hadn¡¯t properly slept for the past few days. They took the Seven Northern hill mine from the Song family and they had seen the ores inside. Who would have known that in the next few days, they would find that the rust moss had covered most of the ores? Moreover, the rust moss was still proliferating. There was even an enormous area of them growing on the mountain wall of the mine cave. If that continued, they might destroy the whole of Seven Northern Hill mine. What was worse, to obtain the Seven Northern Hill mine, the Ye family¡¯s mine had been handed over to the Song family, so the Ye family didn¡¯t have any other mines under their care. If the incident about Ye Sheng almost getting scammed was drizzle for the Ye Family, then the mine crisis was a tidal wave that might destroy the Ye family business with a hundred years history. Some miners who heard about the news left the Ye family and went to work for the Song family. There was a rumor going around that the Ye family would collapse this time. ¡°Father, when Big Brother and I took the mine over, the ores inside were all normal.¡± Ye Fengcheng was the main person in charge of the mine. Looking at the piles of wasted ore, he felt like a knife twisted into his heart. ¡°Grandfather, Father, what happened to these ores?¡± Ye Sheng and Ye Qing entered the mine cave, where the ambiance was miserable. ¡°Go out. What are you children doing in the mine?¡± Ye Fengcheng was upset and seeing his son and the other children, he got even more depressed. As soon as Ye Lingyue entered the mine, she felt that the air was damp. Seeing what Ye Gu and the others were fretting about, she did not step forward to be scolded and circled the mine cave. ¡°Big Uncle, why are there frozen grass in the mine cave?¡± Ye Lingyue could see at one glance that there were clumps of white grass growing on the mountain wall and some inconspicuous corners. Thinking of how the Song family had bought a lot of frozen grass from the medicinal shop, Ye Lingyue quickly recalled the records of frozen grass in Hongmeng¡¯s letter. ¡°Frozen grass? What is that? These are just some weeds.¡± Ye Fengyun did not have the mood to care about those weeds. ¡°They are not weeds. Frozen grass is a kind of grass that gathers water vapor. When they are inside the mine cave, it will only take one night to rust the ores and grow a large amount of rust moss.¡± Ye Lingyue had a headache. Although her uncles were experts in ore mining and refining, they knew nothing about herbs. She had kindly reminded them earlier to investigate why the Song family bought a huge number of frozen grass. Now it was clear that the Song family used it to destroy the whole Seven Northern Hill mine. ¡°What! Lingyue, are you telling us the truth?¡± It shocked Ye Gu and Ye Fengyun when they heard this. As for Ye Fengcheng, his expression did not look good either. ¡°Could it be that the Song Family planted these frozen grass? Damn the Song family, I will never let them off.¡± Ye Gu was furious. He punched the mountain wall with one hand and it produced a hole in it and rocks scattered all over the ground. ¡°Grandfather, it¡¯s not the time to find the Song family to settle this. The important thing now is to remove the rust and refine the ores again.¡± The people present understood Ye Lingyue¡¯s words. Removing the rust was easy to say, but doing it was difficult. ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say. We can only remove rust moss with an elemental fire of high temperatures. In Great Xia, only a few big chambers of commerce and the Royal Alchemy houses have them. Even if we removed the rust, we still need a lot of money. We can¡¯t afford it even if we were to use up our family¡¯s fortune.¡± Ye Fengcheng was crossed. Ye Fengcheng had never heard of such a thing called frozen grass, and this incident was seen through by a 13-year-old girl¡ªthat made Ye Fengcheng very embarrassed. Ye Lingyue had the Qian cauldron and it was easy to remove the rust moss from the ores. But if she did so, it would reveal that she had such an important treasure. The Seven Northern Hill mine cave was too large, so it would be difficult for Ye Lingyue¡¯s cauldron to digest so many ores at once. ¡°It¡¯s not only the elemental fire that can remove rust moss. From what I know, lava can also remove rust moss.¡± Ye Lingyue remembered clearly that Immortal Hongmeng had written similar records in his letter. ¡°The temperature of lava is similar to that of elemental fire, but where are we to find lava at this time?¡± After hearing Ye Lingyue¡¯s suggestion, Ye Gu nodded, then shook his head. ¡°We will save the Ye family as long as we can remove the rust moss. Grandfather, do you believe me?¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes twinkled as she stared at Ye Gu. She also knew that it was difficult for everyone to believe her words immediately. Ye Gu was skeptical. Now that there was no better way out for the Ye family, he would trust his granddaughter and make every effort. Seeing Ye Gu believing her, Ye Lingyue no longer hesitated and she took Ye Gu to the cliff cave where she had found that Golden Crow Snake earlier. Chapter 45 Ye Gu had lived in Autumn Maple town for most of his life. This was the first he knew that there was an underground volcanic crater in Seven Star Mountain. This volcanic crater had a lengthy history. The lava inside was as hot as fire, and when they placed the ore with rust moss into the lava, the impurities and rust moss on the dark iron ore peeled off like a cracked old tree bark when it met with the golden-red lava. The size of the dark ironstone was increased by 50 to 60%. Ye Gu took out the dark iron ore and looked at it, his eyes widening. He was not seeing things, was he? 60%! This was a rare dark iron with 60% purity. It took only half the time to purify the iron ore with lava, and the composition of dark iron jumped to 60%. Ye Gu had never imagined such an unexpected gain. This time, if it wasn¡¯t for the Song family using the frozen grass, the Ye family would not have used the lava by accident. ¡°Hahaha. God is blessing our Ye family. Song Wanshi, you old man. You must be kicking yourself with regret this time.¡± Ye Gu laughed loudly, his low spirits all gone. ¡°Lingyue, you are the blessing of the Ye family.¡± Ye Gu¡¯s eyes flashed with excitement, looking at Ye Lingyue with approval and with bursting emotions. This child, who was once regarded as a disgrace by the Ye family, had already grown up. She solved the Ye family¡¯s crisis very well in these two incidents. Ye Gu sighed as he saw a shadow of his third daughter, Ye Fengyu, on Ye Lingyue. ¡°Grandpa did you and your mother wrong in the past few years¡­ and made the two of you suffer.¡± Ye Lingyue felt a slight lump in her throat. She finally got Ye Gu¡¯s approval. ¡°Grandpa, these are what I should do. The Ye family took me and my mother in, and I still remember all of your kindness.¡± Ye Lingyue told herself that the moment she became clear-headed. Those who betrayed her, she would pay them back 100 times; and those who helped her, she would repay them accordingly. Although Ye Gu had neglected her and her mother for so many years, he had never shortened their supply of food and clothing. It was just evil slaves who cut in between and made their lives a mess. ¡°We are all family, so why are you saying that? Lingyue, don¡¯t tell anyone for the moment that the Ye family could remove the rust moss. Song Wanshi just wants to see our Ye family die. This time, I want him to see who will die first,¡± Ye Gu said menacingly and a fierce glint flashed past his eyes. Ye Gu asked Ye Huangshu to secretly select a reliable group of the Ye family¡¯s disciples and let them secretly transport the wasted iron ore to the cliff for refining. This was to be carried out in secret so that they would keep the Song family in the dark. ¡°Big Cousin, what are you going to do with these frozen grass?¡± After Ye Lingyue and Ye Gu had separated, she went back to the Seven Northern Hill mine and saw that Ye Sheng was ordering people to transport the frozen grass cleared from the mine cave. Ye Lingyue had already reminded Ye Fengyun earlier that as long as they removed the frozen grass in the cave, the rust moss on the dark iron ores would slow down its proliferation and then vanish. So Ye Sheng brought people over to pull out the frozen grass. ¡°These weeds almost killed our Ye family. Of course, I¡¯m going to burn them with fire.¡± Ye Sheng trampled a clump of frozen grass. ¡°Big Cousin, can you give them to me?¡± Ye Lingyue looked at those frozen grass. There were nearly a thousand clumps of frozen grass. It was not an inconsiderable amount and it was a pity to put them to waste. ¡°Do you want it? You can take it. It can¡¯t be eaten so what use does it have?¡± It was getting more difficult for Ye Sheng to see what his cousin was thinking. He could not understand a word about the frozen grass and even about the lava she mentioned in the cave. But it did not matter if he did not understand it. Ye Sheng only knew that his cousin was a favorite in the Ye family, and she was a blessing in Grandfather¡¯s eyes. He had to give whatever she wanted, even if it was a bunch of weeds or a pile of gold. ¡°Thank you so much, Big Cousin. Someone come and send all these to the Qiaochu Wing.¡± Ye Lingyue took all the frozen grass back to Qiaochu Wing. As soon as she had gotten back to Qiaochu Wing, Ye Lingyue immediately moved those frozen grass to Hongmeng Sanctuary. Looking at its master staring excitedly at those frozen grass, Squeaky found it strange. It walked to the frozen grass, opened its mouth, and took a bite. Who knew that when it entered Squeaky¡¯s mouth, it frowned. Bah¡­ It was like eating ice and there was an astringent taste. It tasted bad. ¡°Little foodie, this is not for eating. These are my magic weapons for managing the Song family.¡± Ye Lingyue grimly laughed. The Song family had set up the Ye family again and again. If she did not manage the Song family this time, she would not be called Ye Lingyue. In the following ten days, the Ye family was still smelting numerous 60% dark iron ore in secret. After keeping watch on the Ye family, the Song family found that there were no movements from the Ye family. They thought that the Ye family was still worried about the waste of iron ore. ¡°Master Lian, it¡¯s thanks to your idea this time. Never would I have thought that such small frozen grass could bring down the Ye family.¡± In the Song manor, Song Wanshi and Master Lian were drinking happily. ¡°You¡¯re flattering me. Master Song, since I promised to help you defeat the Ye family, I will keep my promise.¡± Even Master Lian was drunk, and beside him were two beautiful maids of the Song family. He was touching the face of one woman with his left hand and had his right hand around the waist of the other. He had a lewd expression on his face. ¡°Master Lian, the Ye family¡¯s mine is gone, but when can we get rid of them?¡± If Ye Gu was still alive, Song Wanshi would not be able to dominate Autumn Maple town. ¡°Soon. I¡¯ll do it when I get the right opportunity,¡± Master Lian said. Holding the two beautiful maids in his arms, he strolled to his room. Song Wanshi smiled, his face was full of flattery. ¡°Father, how long do we have to wait on this guy?¡± Song Guangyi had a glum expression on his face. This Master Lian was a greedy man. He had been dissatisfied with him for a long time. ¡°Soon, we can stop entertaining that after he helps us get rid of the Ye family. But before that, we should be careful of the Ye family. Is the operation of the mine going well these days?¡± Song Wanshi was also fed up with Master Lian. He was so lecherous that he had secretly seduced his concubines. Master Lian had made Song Wanshi his cuckold, but he dared not say anything and could only accept it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am keeping watch. There will be no mistake.¡± Song Guangyi nodded. What the father and son of the Song family did not expect was the moment Song Guangyi had vowed solemnly, someone had taken advantage of the night and entered the Song family¡¯s mine unknowingly. Chapter 46 The one who had snuck into the mine was Ye Lingyue. The Song family¡¯s mine at that moment used to be Ye family¡¯s mine. Ye Lingyue found the topographic map of the mine from the stone house and memorized it. With the cover of the night, she successfully infiltrated into the depth of the Song family¡¯s mine. Compared to the Seven Northern Hill mine, this mining area was smaller by 20 to 30%, and the quality of the ores was not as good. However, with the help of Master Lian, the Song family could refine the dark iron of 50% purity. ¡°Since you dared to use the frozen grass against the Ye family, I will let you have a taste of what it feels like to be deceived.¡± A smile appeared on Ye Lingyue¡¯s lips. She took out several bottles of potions from her arms. These potions were not ordinary goods. After Ye Lingyue had moved a thousand frozen grass to Hongmeng Sanctuary, it took ten days to cultivate them into ten-year-old ones. Ye Lingyue then refined all these 10-year-old frozen grass into ice poison. Master Lian was in a hurry and those frozen grass he planted on Seven Northern Hill were only around a year old. Although those frozen grass could make a dark iron ore rust, the rust only grew on the surface and didn¡¯t affect the quality of the ore. But if they stained the dark iron ore with the ice poison in her hand, not only would the rust be growing. Ye Lingyue poured the ice poison onto a piece of iron ore and in a blink of an eye, a piece of iron ore completely corroded. Not only that, but the soil touched by the ice dew also turned rusty red. As long as ice poison covered the Song family¡¯s entire mining area, it would become a wasteland and nothing would grow on it from then on. Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes were cold, and she rushed out of the Song family¡¯s mining area. When it was dawn, the miners of the Song family also began a busy day of work. A quarry master of the Song family walked into the mining area, bleary-eyed. But when he saw the situation in front of him, he let out a scream of horror. ¡°Oh no. Master, something bad happened.¡± The quarry master was so scared that he stumbled as he ran towards the Song manor. When Song Wanshi and his son got the news, they rushed to the mining area with Master Lian. Under the morning light, the Song family¡¯s entire mining area had turned into a reddish hue. All the ores, including the mine area that had not been excavated, rusted overnight. That rust was not the common rust moss and was more like a rust disaster. ¡°Destroyed. It¡¯s all destroyed! Master Lian, what on earth is going on?¡± Song Wanshi had a lump of anger in his throat, unable to push it up or down. ¡°This¡­ I don¡¯t understand it as well. There is no frozen grass nearby. What is the matter with these ores?¡± Even Master Lian¡¯s eyes were opened wide. He had been training to be an alchemist for so many years, but he had never encountered dark iron ores having such serious rust. ¡°Master Lian, is there any other way to save this mining area?¡± Song Wanshi¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°The ore and soil have been destroyed. There is no other way to save it even if we have a high-grade elemental fire.¡± It shocked Master Lian. The person who had done this was too vicious. He had destroyed the entire mining area. Master Lian would not know about frozen grass that was ten years old, let alone about ice poison. Because this kind of special ice poison was not accessible to ordinary alchemists. Ice poison was a kind of poison that Ye Lingyue had learned from Poison Supremacy Jadehand. The Hongmeng letter and Qian cauldron which Immortal Hongmeng left were all medical cases and methods to refine pills. Poison Supremacy Jadehand was different. Poison Supremacy Jadehand left two things behind. Other than ¡®Thirteen Needles of the Otherworld,¡¯ there was another book called ¡®Five Poisons Treasure Book.¡¯ There were poisons of all kinds recorded in the book, and this ice poison was one of the water poisons. Of course, these things were unimaginable to Master Lian or Song Wanshi. Who would have guessed that such a vicious technique came from a 13-year-old girl? ¡°It must be Ye Gu that old b*stard. No, I¡¯m going to see the Town Leader.¡± Song Wanshi¡¯s heart ached. Someone destroyed his mine and it must have had something to do with the Ye family. Song Wanshi could not stomach this insult. Taking Song Guangyi with him, he angrily went to look for Town Leader Liu. Old Town Leader Liu had no choice but to summon the people from the Song and Ye family. ¡°What a joke! Whenever something happens to the Song family mine, you¡¯ll accuse us of doing it. But if it was the other way around, who would we go to then?¡± Hearing this, Ye Gu was furious. There were cracks in the armrest of the boxwood chair that was under his hands. ¡°Hmph. If you didn¡¯t do it, why would the mine turn into this? In a hundred years, no plants or trees could be grown there, let alone mine. It¡¯s clear that you are burning our bridges down.¡± Song Wanshi was so angry that he insisted that Ye Gu was the one who ordered people to do it. And Ye Gu was also insisting that the Song family was responsible for what had happened to the Ye family¡¯s mine. The two heads of the family were all red-faced as they quarreled and almost ended up in a brawl. ¡°Master Ye, Master Song, have you quarreled enough?¡± Old Town Leader Liu shouted with great dignity. Ye Gu and Song Wanshi stopped their quarreling. ¡°The Seven Northern Hill mine is already under Ye family¡¯s possession. As for Master Song, Seven Star Mountain is so big and there are many mines. If one mine is gone, there are still others. As compensation, those mines that have not yet been developed will be temporarily under the Song family, However, 40% of the ores you develop will be in the possession of Autumn Maple town.¡± Old Town Leader Liu was annoyed by the quarreling and with a wave of his hand, he decided the matter. When Ye Gu heard this, he did not look so good, but Song Wanshi¡¯s expression relaxed slightly. ¡°Also, I received the news that sometime later, the county will hold a smelting conference. The first place in the conference will probably become the supplier of dark iron for the Great Xia military,¡± Old Town Leader Liu said meaningfully. Supplier of dark iron to the military? It was a lucrative opportunity! If they could get involved with the military, it would mean that their position would rise. In the county city, even a small family could occupy a position there. Ye Gu and Song Wanshi immediately understood this, and after thanking the town leader, they left respectfully. Seeing that the heads of the Song and Ye family had gone, Old Town Leader still had a thoughtful expression on his face. ¡°Master, what are you going to do? Why did we let the Ye family take part in the smelting conference? Is it because of that little girl from the Ye family? The county city is not like Autumn Maple town. It¡¯s the county city¡¯s Alchemist Association lair. The Ye family may not be able to win the first place in the smelting conference.¡± However, Master¡¯s thoughts were not what servants like him could figure out. The Old Town Leader could not figure it out for a while, so he did not think about it anymore. Chapter 47 When the Ye family learned that something had happened to the Song family¡¯s mine, they were secretly rejoicing. Although the Song family had a new mining area under their possession, they were all insignificant mining areas and only had a slight chance to become something great. This time, it was really like the old saying, ¡®What goes around comes around.¡¯ The Ye family had refined several dark irons of 60% purity during that period, and that made Ye Gu and the Ye family brothers in high spirits. On the next fair, they had decided on selling a batch of 60% dark iron to buy some pills and equipment for the younger generation of the Ye family who had potential. ¡°Fengcheng, I have one more thing for you to do. During this time, you have to gather your best ironsmiths to do more smelting. There will be a smelting conference coming up and the Ye family must win no matter what.¡± A strange look flashed in Ye Gu¡¯s eyes. The military¡­ He did not expect that after so many years, the Ye family finally had a chance to work with Great Xia¡¯s military. This time, the Ye family could not miss such an excellent opportunity. Whether the Ye family could recover its prosperity depended on how they would act this time. Ye Gu¡¯s expression was imposing and nobody knew what he was thinking. They hadn¡¯t announced the smelting conference yet, and neither Ye Gu nor Song Wanshi disclosed it, so Ye Lingyue wasn¡¯t still aware of it. After the ice poison incident, Ye Lingyue stepped up on her cultivation as per Ye Fengyu¡¯s instructions. She tried to break through to the ninth level of body tempering. Besides cultivating, Ye Lingyue would massage her mother with the cauldron breath every few days. Under Ye Lingyue¡¯s treatment, the cauldron¡¯s breath had swallowed most of the black spots in Ye Fengyu¡¯s body, and the only thing left to repair were the channels. With the help of the spiritual fruits and herbs from Hongmeng Sanctuary, Ye Fengyu¡¯s complexion looked better day by day. Ye Lingyue felt that it would not take long for her mother to recover completely. To prevent the emergence of frozen grass, Ye Fengyun asked Ye Lingyue to visit the Seven Northern Hill mine now and then. Ye Lingyue was wandering around in the mine as usual. After the incident of the ice poison, the Song family had behaved themselves. Everything was normal in the mine. After looking around, Ye Lingyu was about to leave when suddenly, she heard a mine worker cry out in pain. Ye Lingyue immediately went towards that direction. Deep in the mine cave, ores, carts, and shovels were scattered everywhere. At the bottom section of the cave, there was a half-opened wellhead. Ye Lingyue saw several miners. One of them was holding his leg and crying out in pain. His swollen leg was as thick as his waist; his face was purple and it seemed like he was poisoned. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The miners seemed to have seen a savior as soon as Ye Lingyue appeared, and they quickly gathered around her. ¡°Zhou Fu found a sealed underground well. When he opened it, a tiny insect crawled out of it and bit him. He became like this afterward!¡± The miners were all talking at the same time. The miner who was bitten was holding his leg, and he was slowly losing his consciousness. Ye Lingyue ordered the people to lift him to the side where there was enough light. Looking into his eyes, she found that he was still responsive with the way his pupils constricted. She then looked at his injured leg. There was a minor wound on his ankle, and it looked like ant bite marks. Ye Lingyue quickly took out the flying dagger and made a gash at his wound. Bluish-purple blood flowed out from it and the blood smelled terrible. As soon as it flowed, a layer of frost appeared on the ground. It was an amazing poison! Were there such poisonous insects in this area? It shocked Ye Lingyue. She was much more sensitive to this kind of Yin and Yang energy than others because of her Qing cauldron. ¡°Look after him first, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes swept around and then she went in the direction of the well. She noticed several ants climbing out the well. They were three to four times the size of ordinary ants, and they had a pair of sharp mandibles at the corner of their mouths. Whoever started the trouble should end it. Hongmeng¡¯s letter showed that if one was poisoned, he only needed to find where the poison came from. Blood from insects and snakes or powder made from ants and scorpions could cure poison when placed on the wound. Looking at the ants, they should have crawled out from the well that was not too far away. Ye Lingyue waved her fists and emitted a blue flash of light. The ants immediately died. After pinching up a few ants, Ye Lingyue quickly used the Qian cauldron to refine them into ant powder. She then returned and scattered the ant powder on the miner¡¯s wound. As soon as the powder touched the wound, the bluish-purple swollen part faded away. After several minutes had passed, there was less swelling on the miner¡¯s leg and his breathing became stable. The miners who had gathered around Ye Lingyue looked at her in a unique light after they had seen her cure the miner with ease. This young lady of the Ye family could be called a saint. ¡°Take him out and let him drink some saltwater. Go to the accountant¡¯s room to get a silver tael and don¡¯t do any heavy work for ten days.¡± After telling them this, Ye Lingyue asked the other miners to carry the injured miner out. ¡°Little Miss, should we seal that well?¡± Several miners took Ye Lingyue to the underground well. It was obvious that it was the Song family who had left the well there. Perhaps it was because there were poisonous ants below the well that the Song family sealed it with a big iron cover that weighed about 25 to 30 kilograms. The miner named Zhou Fu accidentally broke the well, hence there was a crack on the cover. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take a look at it first.¡± Ye Lingyue squatted down and put her right hand on the crack. As soon as she was near, Ye Lingyue felt Qian cauldron move and a cold and piercing air blew up from the bottom of the well. It was as if there was an ice chamber below. And the longer she had her hand over the well, the stronger the chill was. This chilly air would damage a martial arts practitioner¡¯s muscles and bones even if they were of the Postnatal level. No wonder the Song family would seal it up. But Ye Lingyue was different. She had a cauldron that could swallow all kinds of Yin and Yang energy, and she had taken the Bright Sun Ginseng before. According to her estimation, she could stay in this well for up to four hours. ¡°Open up the well and then get out of here. I¡¯m going down.¡± Ye Lingyue suspected that there was something strange underground, so she decided to have a look. When the miners heard this, they all urged Ye Lingyue not to go down the well. They knew that the head of the Ye family valued this young lady. Ye Lingyue said nothing else. Waving her hands, she motioned for everyone to leave. She gathered some elementary force on her feet and stomped heavily. She then kicked the iron manhole cover away, which roughly weighed over 20 kilograms. Arching her back, she burrowed into the well. When the miners saw this, they were afraid that something might happen to Ye Lingyue, so they immediately went to inform the Master and Ye Huangshu. Chapter 48 Ye Lingyue slid into the well and found that the well was only ten meters deep. When she fell to the bottom, she saw a path to the right. After lighting up the fire starter, Ye Lingyue looked around and found that the soil nearby was frozen. In such an environment, even Ye Lingyue, who was already at the eighth level of body reforming, felt cold. She had to use the medicinal power of Bright Sun Ginseng she had stored in the Qian cauldron. As soon as the fifth grade Bright Sun Ginseng exerted its medicinal effect, a fire sparked inside Ye Lingyue¡¯s body and that warmed her up. Ye Lingyue thought for a moment and swept her eyes around. She found that other than the path, there were no other ones. The poisonous ants in the cave had a whiff of human scent, so they quietly crawled over while Ye Lingyue was observing her surroundings. Squeaky, who was resting on Ye Lingyue¡¯s shoulders, moved and caught a poisonous ant. Raising its paw, it swatted at the poisonous ant as if it were a fly. Wasn¡¯t it too cruel and violent? ¡°Squeak~¡± The little one had an attentive expression as it handed the poisonous ant to Ye Lingyue. The poisonous ant did not affect Squeaky. By then, Ye Lingyue was even more confused about what kind of spirit beast the little guy was. ¡°Marvellous job. I¡¯ll reward you with a roasted chicken leg after we get out of here.¡± Ye Lingyue patted Squeaky¡¯s head in approval and the latter¡¯s eyes brightened. It had a gluttonous expression on its face, too. ¡°The Yin energy inside the underground well is so thick.¡± Ye Lingyue quickly passed through the cave, and along the way she encountered poisonous ants. Squeaky would then kill those ants for her. Without her knowing, Ye Lingyue had entered the deepest part of the cave. The Song family might have never been to this area before. After the Song family discovered the well, they sent several people down one after another, but they could not stand the attack of the Yin energy and the poisonous ants, so they had no choice but to give up the idea of developing the well and sealed it up. After running all the way, Ye Lingyue¡¯s pace slowed down. She noticed that there were no poisonous ants around and it seemed that there was something there that made those poisonous ants dare not approach. ¡®Rustle?¡ª¡¯ Ye Lingyue¡¯s ears pricked up. There was a sickly sweet smell in the air and that meant an even worse poison was around. Ye Lingyue did not dare to be careless. Holding the flying dagger, she leaned her upper body slightly forward as she ambled along, just like a beast ready to kill its prey at any time. A scorpion appeared in front of her. It was white and a marble-like carapace covered its body. Its tail was long, roughly around half a meter long, and at the top of its tail, it had a sharp barb. There was a pair of big pincers in front of it that made it look even more fierce. ¡°Dark Yin Jade Scorpion?¡± Its sudden appearance surprised Ye Lingyue, but then her heart jumped as she remembered something. Dark Yin Jade Scorpion was a first-grade spirit beast, and it lived by devouring Dark Yin Jade ores. With the presence of the Dark Yin Jade Scorpion, wouldn¡¯t that mean that a Dark Yin Jade mineral vein is also present in the Seven Northern Hill mine? This was a big discovery. Ye Lingyue had a piece of Dark Yin Jade the Qian cauldron had purified before. The price of a jade ore was several times higher than that of dark iron. However, it was not the time to feel happy. Holding her breath, Ye Lingyue calmed herself first. It was a first-grade spirit beast. Although it was at a lower level than the Golden Crow Snake, she had no other help this time and it was Ye Lingyue¡¯s first time facing a spirit beast head-on. The Jade Scorpion sized up Ye Lingyue. It had never met an outsider after dominating the well for so long. Realizing that Ye Lingyue was just a weak martial arts practitioner, the Jade Scorpion, which had low spiritual intelligence, hissed. Its long tail nimbly stabbed towards Ye Lingyue. Ye Lingyue stepped on the ground and jumped up and down the narrow corridor to avoid the scorpion¡¯s attack. The Jade Scorpion¡¯s body was extremely flexible as it had been devouring Dark Yin ores all year round. Its tail was as flexible as a whip. ¡°Flying dagger, go.¡± Ye Lingyue observed for a moment and mapped out the Jade Scorpion¡¯s attack pattern. Her call made the flying dagger cut towards the Jade Scorpion¡¯s tail. For a while, the Jade Scorpion seemed to be fighting with two martial arts practitioners. The flying dagger with psyche was sharp that it cut the Jade Scorpion¡¯s tail off with a puff. The Jade Scorpion was in great pain. A pair of pincers waved towards the flying dagger, and when they collided, sparks flew around. The flying dagger was very agile. With a turn of the blade, it stabbed the Jade Scorpion¡¯s eyes. Ye Lingyue gathered elementary force and cast out Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade. With a few cracks, she had smashed the Dark Yin Jade Scorpion¡¯s head, and soon, its body broke into several sections. After killing the Dark Yin Jade Scorpion, Ye Lingyue collected the body of the Jade Scorpion and moved forward. Walking for a while, a jade-ribbon mineral vein appeared in front of her. The jade quality of the vein was excellent and it was lengthy. It rested on the surface, like an elevated river suspended on the ground, running through the whole mine cave. The glittering white jade light lit up the whole tunnel as bright as the day. ¡°It¡¯s a Dark Yin Jade vein.¡± Ye Lingyue looked down and picked up some ores. The quality of those ores was slightly worse than the Dark Yin Jade she had purified previously. Depending on the situation, they could mine this jade vein for at least three to five years. If the head of the Song family knew that there was a Dark Yin Jade vein in the Seven Northern Hill mine he had lost, he would be furious. At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed in the mine cave. Ye Gu had rushed over with his sons. ¡°Lingyue is reckless.¡± Ye Gu had learned about the underground well from the miners. Lingyue had just gone into the well that the Song family did not dare go to. If anything happened¡­ at the thought of it, it frightened Ye Gu. ¡°She asked for it.¡± Ye Fengcheng was sharp-tongued. He was eager for something to happen to Ye Lingyue. As soon as Ye Gu arrived at the mouth of the well, he saw Ye Lingyue climbing out. It looked like she did not lose a strand of hair, let alone hurt. ¡°Lingyue, you are too reckless.¡± Ye Gu relaxed slightly, but he still had a fierce expression on his face and was about to scold Lingyue. ¡°Grandpa, there is a Dark Yin Jade vein under the well.¡± Ye Lingyue had just finished speaking and Ye Gu and the others gaped at her as if lightning had struck them. Dark Yin Jade vein. It was a Dark Yin Jade vein! Not only did the Jade vein produce Dark Yin Jade, but when martial arts practitioners below the Connate stage cultivate near the jade vein, they would absorb the natural Yin energy released from the vein and that would greatly accelerate their cultivation speed. ¡°Lingyue, are you sure that it¡¯s a Dark Yin Jade vein?¡± Ye Gu asked with disbelief, his voice trembling. The people from the Ye family regained their senses after a while, too. Chapter 49 The discovery of the Dark Yin Jade vein was undoubtedly the largest discovery the Ye family had in these hundreds of years. It surprised Ye Gu. He immediately went into the underground well with Ye Fengyun and Ye Fengcheng. After seeing the jade vein of excellent quality, they finally believed everything Ye Lingyue said. ¡°Father, this is marvelous news. This time, the Song family can¡¯t win us now.¡± Ye Fengyun saw the jade vein that was like an elevated river, and he was so amazed. ¡°As long as we sell the Dark Yin Jade, not only in Autumn Maple town, no one from the county city will dare to look down on our Ye family ever again.¡± Ye Fengcheng stood beside the jade vein, absorbing the pure Yin energy from the jade. He then felt the elementary force rolling inside his body. ¡°No, I will not excavate this jade vein for the time being. This jade vein will be the hope for our Ye family to rise again.¡± Ye Gu became cool-headed after being happy. Looking at the path, even a Postnatal Peak master like him felt cold standing next to the jade vein. Hence, it was hard for Lingyue to go down there with just a fifth level of body tempering. It was easy to see that Ye Lingyue¡¯s perseverance and courage were far superior to those of ordinary people. ¡°Father. Do you want this jade vein as a place for the children to cultivate in the future?¡± Ye Fengyun knew his father¡¯s thoughts better. ¡°Yes, I plan to mine a small part of Dark Yin Jade vein and send it to the Capital to refine into Dark Yin powder. This would help the disciples in the family who are above the fifth level of body tempering to breakthrough to the Postnatal realm. From now on, all the disciples of the Ye family who have broken through the Postnatal realm, including a few of you, must enter the Jade vein to cultivate in seclusion.¡± Ye Gu was much more shrewd than his eldest and fourth son. In his eyes, 60% dark iron was enough for the Ye family to reach the top in Autumn Maple town. However, if the Ye family were to go to the county city with no Connate masters in command, they would be like sheep among wolves, which was dangerous. After all, the value of a Dark Yin Jade vein meant innumerable Postnatal masters and money. ¡°Father is right. We must keep the secret about the Dark Yin Jade vein. I will talk to Lingyue later.¡± Ye Fengyun also agreed with his father. ¡°Fengyun, when you visit the county city next time, bring Sheng¡¯er and Lingyue with you. They are the best among the younger generation in the family and it¡¯s time to broaden their horizons.¡± Ye Gu¡¯s words shocked Ye Fengcheng. Ye Fengcheng felt upset when he heard that Ye Lingyue, that brat, was to go to the county city. He had fought for this opportunity for his son Ye Qing for more than a year. But Ye Lingyue had made significant contributions to the Ye family in the recent months, and even Ye Fengcheng could not find any reason to refute Ye Gu¡¯s favoritism. After Ye Fengyun and Ye Fengcheng left the well, there was a trace of excitement in Ye Gu¡¯s eyes as he walked to the jade vein. ¡°Ancestors, your spirits in heaven must protect our Ye family and revive our family,¡± Ye Gu said and punched the jade vein. The sharp fragments of the jade cut Ye Gu¡¯s hand and blood flowed out, but Ye Gu did not look like he was in pain. After Ye Lingyue left the cold underground well in the Seventh Northern Hill, she jogged back home. Arriving at Qiaochu Wing, Ye Lingyue immediately entered Hongmeng Sanctuary. The saying, ¡®Taking advantage of every opportunity to benefit oneself,¡¯ described Ye Lingyue. After seeing the Dark Yin Jade vein, how could she completely hand it over to the family? The Dark Yin Jade vein was long, so it wasn¡¯t much of a deal for her to take a few pieces of Dark Yin Jade ore from her family¡¯s mine. Ye Lingyue was thinking about this and took some jade ores. There were more than a thousand Dark Yin Jade ores in the two houses at Hongmeng Sanctuary. Because of Ye Lingyue¡¯s cauldron breath, her mother¡¯s injury was almost to the point of recovery. But to cure her completely, she still needed a lot of pure Yin energy to repair the bones and muscles. If it was Ye Fengyu alone, it would take at least five or six years for her to replenish so much Yin energy, and Ye Lingyue did not want her mother to wait for that long. So, Ye Lingyue diverted her thoughts to a pill called Dark Yin Pill. This spirit pill was only a second-grade spirit pill and was only a grade higher than the Gathering Elemental potion. However, for those Postnatal martial arts practitioners with damaged channels, it was the best tonic for nourishment. To refine the Dark Yin Pill, one needed an extensive amount of Dark Yin Jade ores. It was going to be Ye Lingyue¡¯s first time to refine spirit pills. Ye Lingyue grabbed a piece of Dark Yin Jade ore and controlled the cauldron breath. The Qian cauldron swallowed the Dark Yin Jade ore, but after a while, there was a ¡®pop¡¯ and a ball of gray thing appeared. ¡°It failed?¡± Ye Lingyue sighed. Sure enough, it was much harder to refine spirit pills than to refine Gathering Elemental potion. But that did not discourage Ye Lingyue, so she continued to grab a piece of Dark Yin Jade ore to refine it. After wasting five to six Dark Yin Jade ores, the Qian cauldron spat out a spirit pill with an uneven surface. ¡°Dark Yin Pill?¡± Ye Lingyue felt overjoyed. Although it looked a little ugly, it was undoubtedly a second grade Dark Yin Pill. Refining a Dark Yin Pill for the entire afternoon, the sky outside had already turned dark. Ye Lingyue was determined to continue refining pills the next day. For the next few days, Ye Gu and the others did not disclose the news of the Dark Yin Jade vein to the public and Ye Lingyue devoted herself to refining the spirit pills in Hongmeng Sanctuary. With the sufficient spiritual air in Hongmeng Sanctuary, Ye Lingyue continued refining pills while absorbing elementary force. Unknown to her even, her efficiency in refining pills had greatly improved. From the initial scrap of five to six Dark Yin Jade ores to only scrapping one to refine a Dark Yin Jade Pill, the surface of the Dark Yin Pill became even smoother. Seven days later, the Dark Yin Pills that Ye Lingyue refined had a line of blue patterns on them. Ye Lingyue remembered that Immortal Hongmeng said that the blue pattern represented the quality of the pill. It had changed from a common spirit pill to a low-grade spirit pill, which meant that her level of refining had improved. After leaving Hongmeng Sanctuary, Ye Lingyue put a Dark Yin Pill into Ye Fengyu¡¯s water as usual. ¡°Lingyue, I found you at last! Tomorrow morning, you will go to the city with Father and me.¡± Covered in sweat, Ye Sheng came in, and he smiled when he saw Ye Lingyue. The past few days, Ye Lingyue was very secretive and Ye Sheng had looked for her several times but could not find her. Ye Sheng had finally caught her and could not help but complain. ¡°Going to the city?¡± Ye Lingyue brightened when she heard this. ¡°Yes, the Master allowed us to visit and have a look around the county city. We will also learn from Fifth Uncle how to buy and sell dark iron.¡± Ye Sheng and Ye Lingyue¡¯s fifth uncle was Ye Gu¡¯s fifth son. He was in charge of the trade of the Ye family¡¯s dark iron, and he was in the county city all year round. Ever since learning that there was an Alchemist Association in the county city, Ye Lingyue had always wanted to go there. But unfortunately, she did not have the skills. It was fortunate, this time, that such a rare opportunity cropped up for her. Chapter 50 It was sunny the next day. Ye Fengyun had prepared a convoy early in the morning. Among them, there were four carriages for transporting ores, and one was for passengers, where Ye Lingyue was sitting at. Big Uncle was thoughtful. He considered it that it was Ye Lingyue¡¯s first trip; he was afraid that she would not feel comfortable. Ye Sheng was not so lucky. He ordered him to ride a horse ahead and scout the road. Ye Lingyue got on the carriage and looked at the convoy. She realized that the people with the convoy were all elites of the Ye family¡ªthe worst of which was at the fourth level of body tempering. Aside from Ye Fengyun, there was another Postnatal master from the side family. One could regard such a convoy line-up as the best. They were transporting 60% dark ironstones and a small amount of Dark Yin Jade ores. It was no wonder Ye Gu and Ye Fengyun placed so much importance on it. Not long after the Ye family¡¯s convoy left Autumn Maple town, the Song family heard about the news. ¡°Ye Fengyun set out with his convoy. It¡¯s strange. Isn¡¯t the Seven Northern Hill mine in a total wreck? So where did the Ye family get the iron ores to sell?¡± Upon hearing such news, it puzzled Song Wanshi and his sons. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s some ores in stock from the past years. Master, don¡¯t worry. I have eyes and ears in the city. I¡¯ll know as soon as I ask around.¡± Master Lian did not think that the Ye family could use the rusty dark iron ores. ¡°Father, I heard that the foolish girl who caused Second Brother¡¯s death is also with them. Do you want me to kill her?¡± Song Guangyi had been brooding over the death of his second brother. ¡°Why do you have to do it by yourself and get blood on your hands? She¡¯s just a cheap bastard. We can just spend some money and let someone cripple her dantian, sell her to the brothel as a prostitute, and then humiliate the Ye family,¡± Song Wanshi said in a gloomy tone. There were many people at the fifth level of body tempering in the county city. It would be easy to get rid of that bastard from the Ye family when Ye Fengyun and the others are not paying attention to her, and that could also humiliate the Ye family. It was like killing two birds with one stone. ¡°Father is wise. I¡¯ll do it now.¡± Song Guangyi hurriedly went to carry it out. Without her realizing it, Ye Lingyue had been reborn for over four months. It was almost midsummer and the weather was getting hotter day by day. Ye Fengyun set out in the morning when it was cooler. At noon, when the sun was high, Ye Lingyue was fine in the carriage. But Ye Sheng, who was in charge of scouting the road in the front, was not so lucky. Taking advantage of Ye Fengyun not paying much attention, Ye Sheng snuck into Ye Lingyue¡¯s carriage. ¡°Wow, Cousin. Why is it so cool in your carriage?¡± Ye Sheng¡¯s throat felt parched from the heat, but as soon as he got into the carriage, he felt cool. At a closer look, he found that Ye Lingyue had placed a pot of frozen grass on the carriage. There was a small table with a bowl of fresh fruits and a pot of iced green bean with lily bulb soup atop it, too. It looked very comforting. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to the frozen grass Big Cousin gave me. Come, eat some melon.¡± Ye Lingyue handed Ye Sheng a white melon. Ye Sheng took a bite and sweet melon juice filled his mouth. ¡°Delicious. Where did you buy this melon? I¡¯ll ask the yard to buy some back.¡± Ye Sheng had never eaten such a delicious white melon before. The heat in his body disappeared and he felt more energetic. Ye Lingyue¡¯s lips curled up. She had grown the white melons in Hongmeng Sanctuary herself, and no one could find it elsewhere. If Ye Sheng was not her relative, it would be rare for him to eat such a melon. Just then, Ye Fengyun was shouting for Ye Sheng from outside and Ye Sheng quickly went out. It turned out that Ye Fengyun decided to take a rest under a shade by the river since it was too hot. He planned to set out in the afternoon. The convoy stopped and Ye Lingyue got out of the carriage to get some air. A wide river with reeds on both sides of it was ahead of them. Some gray ducks were playing by the river, too. A few days ago, it had rained so the river was full. In the middle of the river, several boats were floating along with the fast current. ¡°Oh no! Someone fell into the water.¡± There was a sudden cry from the river. Ye Lingyue looked up and saw that someone fell into the river from a boat carved with a dragon and phoenix. Ye Lingyue saw that the moment they fell into the water, a suspicious figure flashed by on the boat. Then several people jumped off the boat. But the current was too fast! It even took them 15 minutes to get the person out of the water. It was a chaotic mess on the boat and she could faintly hear shouts of ¡®help¡¯ and ¡®find a doctor.¡¯ The boat anchored to the bank of the river and several people came down from the boat in a panic. One of them was an elegant old man in a yellow shirt. When he saw the people from the Ye Family, he hurried forward to ask for help. ¡°Do you have a doctor among you? Our Prin¡­ Young Master fell into the water and drowned. Does anyone know first aid?¡± ¡°Old Sir, there is a doctor in our team, but he only knows how to treat physical injuries.¡± When Ye Fengyun saw the old man¡¯s dressing, he knew that they must be rich people from the city, and it would not be good to offend them. Ye Fengyun and the others had a monumental task, so even the doctor of the Ye family came with them. They invited the doctor to the boat and soon he came down, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s been 15 minutes since he drowned. We can¡¯t save him.¡± ¡°Big Uncle, I¡¯ve seen a method on how to save a drowning person from a book. Why don¡¯t you let me have a try?¡± Ye Lingyue spoke from the side. ¡°Lingyue, can you do it?¡± Ye Fengyun guessed that the status of the people on the boat was not so simple. He was a little worried and afraid that Ye Lingyue would get into trouble. ¡°If you know a way, Miss. Please try it. We can¡¯t let anything happen to our Young Master.¡± The old man saw that Ye Lingyue was young, and he had some doubts in his heart. But his Young Master had drowned and was in critical danger. Since Ye Lingyue claimed she had a way, the old man in yellow would grasp at straws and ultimately decided to let her have a try. ¡°Big Cousin, go up with me.¡± Ye Lingyue shot Ye Sheng a look and both of them followed the old man up the boat. After they had entered the cabin of the boat, Ye Lingyue caught a whiff of the pleasant smell of incense. The decorations around were all exquisite and it seemed like the status of the man who had fallen into the water was far from normal. There was a bed in front which the bodyguards and attendants surrounded, and on top of it lay a person. ¡°There should be a sufficient supply of air around the drowned person. Those that are irrelevant, please ask them to go out.¡± There was an irresistible power in Ye Lingyue¡¯s voice. Hearing this, the old man in the yellow shirt hurriedly ordered everyone to retreat out. Ye Lingyue and Ye Sheng then saw how the ¡®unlucky Young Master¡¯ looked like. She thought that the unlucky man would look like he had a short life, but as she looked, it turned out that he was a sturdy man like Ye Sheng and could not help but think that he was handsome. They considered Ye Lingyue as a beautiful woman, but the man on the bed was a celestial being. This young master was not old and was, at best, a teenager. He was about sixteen or seventeen years old; he had long, black eyebrows; slender and sharp eyes; straight and long nose; full lips; and his skin was fair that all his pores are closed. It was as if he had never been under the sun. There was a small cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye, which set off his handsome face and gave him a charming air. Chapter 51 ¡°My God, how are there such beautiful people in the world!?¡± Ye Sheng exclaimed. ¡°Miss, have a look quickly. Can we still save my Young Master?¡± The old man in yellow was no longer surprised by this kind of situation. His Young Master had always looked celestial since he was a child. No matter men or women, young or old, his looks would infatuate everyone. However, the old man could not help but feel surprised when he saw that although there was a surprise in Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes, it disappeared in a flash. Young Master¡¯s appearance did not bewilder her at all. Ye Lingyue¡¯s posture when she had asked the others to leave was not like that of a young girl. Ye Lingyue went forward to take the ¡®unlucky Young Master¡¯s¡¯ pulse. The moment she touched his hand, Ye Lingyue¡¯s fingertip felt a piercing coldness that made her stiffen. She had never felt so cold even when she had touched a Dark Yin Jade. Ye Lingyue felt strange and let the cauldron breath enter the young man¡¯s body. But at that moment, a strong repulsive force rushed out from the young man¡¯s body. And as it did so, Ye Lingyue felt as if she had hit a wall and her hand bounced away as a reflex. ¡°Miss, I forgot to say that Young Master¡¯s body¡¯s temperature is much lower than that of ordinary people since he was young.¡± The old man had seen the countless surprised expressions on many doctors¡¯ faces as they took in his Young Master¡¯s temperature, and he thought Ye Lingyue would react the same way. Cold body? Things might not be that simple. She had the cauldron breath since she was reborn, and in that span of time, it was the first time she encountered a force fighting against the existence of the cauldron breath. What secrets did this young man have in his body? Ye Lingyue looked at the young man again. His eyes were tightly closed and his long eyelashes were like feathers on his cheek. His lips were pale from the lack of blood, and his breathing and pulse had stopped not too long ago. It was no wonder the doctor from the Ye family said that it was hopeless. Ye Lingyue thought for a moment and asked Ye Sheng to help her open up the man¡¯s collar, and she asked him to remove the unlucky Young Master¡¯s belt. ¡°Big Cousin, carry him to the shore. Put him on your back with his face turned up and run for thirty minutes.¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s words astonished Ye Sheng and the old man. What kind of treatment was that? He had never heard of it before. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. My Young Master¡¯s body is precious.¡± The old man shook his head. ¡°No matter how valuable his body is, it¡¯s all in vain if he¡¯s dead. It¡¯s up to you if he lives or dies.¡± Ye Lingyue glanced at the old man. The old man¡¯s voice was stuck in his throat. He was also a high-ranking man in his past years, but when was he ever questioned like this? A young girl questioned his authority, and he felt a little angry about that. However, he had no choice but to let Ye Sheng carry his Young Master to the river bank. The sun during summer was harsh. Ye Sheng did not dare disobey Ye Lingyue¡¯s words, and he ran like a fool along the river bank with the young man on his back for thirty minutes. ¡°Cousin¡­ Is it done? I¡¯m almost paralyzed.¡± Ye Sheng thought the young man was light, but how could he be so heavy on his back? He had run for too long that he was already so exhausted. ¡°Help him up.¡± After Ye Sheng held the young man up, Ye Lingyue punched the young man twice in the chest. ¡°W¡ªwhat are you doing!¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s action shocked the old man and his men. This person beat Young Master. ¡®Cough¡­ Cough.¡¯ At that moment, the young man, who had been unconscious for some time, woke up and coughed up some water, color returning to his face. Eyelashes fluttering, he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were misty and looked a little melancholic. It was as if one¡¯s heart would become wet after taking one look at him. ¡°Young Master, you are finally awake.¡± The servants, including the old man, wailed and surrounded the young man. The old man quickly ordered for someone to take a brocade box over and took a piece of ginseng from it. He then put it into the young man¡¯s mouth. Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyebrows twitched when she saw the ginseng inside the brocade box. Was she seeing it wrongly¡­? Wasn¡¯t that the Bright Sun Ginseng she saw at the lava crater? Ye Lingyue¡¯s heartbeat sped up, and that strange golden mask man appeared in her mind again. Could it be that the golden-masked man was looking for the Bright Sun Ginseng to save this ¡®unlucky Young Master¡¯? This was such a coincidence. The young man recovered some vitality after taking the ginseng, and then the old man explained what had happened to him. ¡°Teacher, sorry to have made you worry. I felt short of breath in the cabin, so I went to the deck to get some air. I am not sure if it was because of the waves that shook the boat but I suddenly felt dizzy and fell into the water.¡± The voice of the young man was very pleasant, like musical strings. Listening to his tone, he did not know that someone had pushed him into the water. He also learned from the old man that it was the Ye family who had saved him. ¡°Thank you very much for saving my life.¡± The young man walked forward to Ye Lingyue and bowed. When he looked up, he could see Ye Lingyue¡¯s face. He realized that she was about thirteen or fourteen years old. The young girl¡¯s skin was soft and tender; she had brushed her hair back, showing her jade-like forehead. Her nose was small and beautiful, her eyes were like a new moon, and there a smile graced her lips. The young man had seen countless noble ladies and court ladies, but no one was as fresh and natural as Ye Lingyue. She was just like a cool breeze in summer. What was more? He did not expect his savior to be so young! As he stared at Ye Lingyue, he got even more distracted. And as Ye Lingyue stared back at him, a blush appeared on the young man¡¯s face and he looked away in a hurry. ¡°Teacher Mu, please take a bag of golden leaves and give it to this young lady.¡± The young man felt that he was getting more short of breath. She wondered what kind of person they were that they could give golden leaves that easily? ¡°Thank you.¡± Ye Lingyue accepted the gold leaves as she needed money to use at the county city. If this unlucky Young Master did not meet her today, or if she never remembered the procedure on how to treat a drowned person, he would have been in serious danger. Ye Sheng was looking on with envious eyes. Why did all the wonderful things happen to his cousin? She only moved her mouth and he was the one who did the manual work. ¡°I¡¯m Feng Shen and I¡¯m in Glass City to recuperate. If you are free, you can go visit the Feng Manor along Black Bamboo street.¡± After a few polite words, the young man got onto the boat where the servants and the old man in the yellow shirt were. Wasn¡¯t Glass City the county city the Ye family was going? If given a chance, she wanted to find out what mystery the young man¡¯s body hid. Ye Lingyue was deep in thought as she watched the boat slowly move down the river. After a moment, there were only streaks of water left. ¡°Lingyue, we should be on our way.¡± While saving the young man, the sun was not shining as fierce as before. Seeing that it was late, Ye Fengyun urged everyone to move as he was afraid that they would not be able to reach Glass City before dark. Chapter 52 After the boat had sailed, Feng Shen went back to the cabin. In the cabin, the old man in yellow and the servants were already waiting there. ¡°B*stards, where are the people on duty today when the Young Master was drowning?¡± The old man¡¯s white beard was trembling and he had a furious expression. If they had not met with someone who had the means to help, Young Master Feng Shen would have died. ¡°Please punish us, Young Master.¡± All the servants kneeled and their knees made a sound as they did so, and they were all well-coordinated as if they were military-trained. They were well aware that if they didn¡¯t encounter a benefactor, Young Master Feng Shen would have been in serious danger. They would then return to Northern Qing where the Qing Emperor would punish them. ¡°Teacher, it wasn¡¯t intentional.¡± Feng Shen had a good-tempered expression on his face. Some servants who were still standing breathed out a sigh of relief. Feng Shen was merciful and it seemed like he wanted to be understanding of his men even when met with such a situation. He was a coward, like what those rumors pictured him to be. ¡°Young Master, every nation has its laws and every family has its own rules. They should never have broken the Feng manor rules.¡± The old man had a glum expression on his face. The old man started to talk nonstop, saying that if anything had happened to Young Master, he would not know how to face the Feng family¡¯s ancestors and the people. ¡°If that is the case, punish three of them as a warning for others.¡± Since Feng Shen had a weak immune system, he caught a cold right after falling into the water and his head felt a little heavy. He then randomly pointed his finger and it landed on the people who stood at the side. The servants he pointed at stiffened. Before they could even resist, Feng Manor guards grabbed their hands and pressed them to the ground. ¡°Young Master, spare us. We did nothing wrong since we are not on duty today.¡± Those three people had innocent expressions on. They wanted to struggle, but they did not have the strength to resist the Feng manor guards who were Postnatal peak and Connate masters. ¡°Why did the three of you show up on the deck when you¡¯re not on duty? Drag them out and kill them.¡± Feng Shen held his forehead with his right hand, looking like he was going to fall if the wind blew at him. A trace of coldness flashed past his deep eyes. The guards then dragged the servants out, and soon there were no more sounds. ¡°Young Master, you are feeling unwell again. Would you like to have another Bright Sun Ginseng?¡± Looking at Feng Shen¡¯s weak appearance, the old man ordered someone to put a fur coat around Feng Shen while he took out the Bright Sun Ginseng. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this illness is getting worse or if the effect of this Bright Sun Ginseng is not as good as before.¡± Feng Shen waved his hand, his face looking a little pale. He had been sickly since he was a child so he would know if the medicine had any effect just by taking it. ¡°Young Master, you don¡¯t have to worry. Heaven protects the good and they will cure your illness one day.¡± The old man sighed in his heart. Why did such a beautiful boy with a delicate heart suffer from such an incurable disease? If it wasn¡¯t for Feng Shen¡¯s illness acting up along the way, they would not have stopped in Glass City. He hoped that this trip to Glass City would improve the Young Master¡¯s illness. Glass City was one of the ten famous cities of Great Xia and they named it after its location by the glass-like river. Because of the delay, it was already dark when the Ye family and their party arrived at Glass City. From a distance, one could see the lights from two lighthouses at the gate of Glass City. Several people were waiting when they arrived at the gate. ¡°Fifth Brother.¡± Hearing Ye Fengyun¡¯s cry, Ye Lingyue drew apart the carriage¡¯s curtain and saw a man in his thirties scurrying towards them from the city gates. That was Ye Huangxuan, Ye Gu¡¯s fifth son. Speaking of this Ye Huangxuan, he was an unusual one in the Ye family. The Ye family were all martial arts practitioners, but Ye Huangxuan did not like martial arts since he was a child, so Ye Gu sent him to Glass City to study. Fortunately, Ye Huangxuan lived up to the expectations. After finishing his studies, he stayed in Glass City, and within a few years, it revealed his talent for business. Several brothers of the Ye family stayed in Autumn Maple town while Ye Huangxuan stayed in Glass City. He was in charge of selling the dark ironstones of the Ye family into the major chambers of commerce in Glass City. When Ye Lingyue saw this Fifth Uncle, she found that he was different from the other uncles. His cultivation was not high and was at most at the eighth or ninth level of body tempering. However, he looked amiable and had that unique merchant¡¯s wisdom in his eyes. ¡°Big Brother, you¡¯re here. Ye Sheng, you¡¯re here, too.¡± Ye Huangxuan seldom went back to the Ye family, so he did not know that Ye Lingyue had become clever. When he saw Ye Lingyue jumping off the carriage, it stunned Ye Huangxuan at first. When did the main family have such an outstanding niece? ¡°You don¡¯t recognize her, do you? This is Third Sister¡¯s daughter, Lingyue. Father asked me to take her to the city to look around.¡± Ye Fengyun kept the explanation brief, telling Ye Huangxuan about Ye Lingyue becoming smart, taking part in the mountain hunt, and even discovering the ice herbs. ¡°That¡¯s great. We should celebrate. You¡¯ve just arrived here so let me show you around Glass City and I¡¯ll take you to Drunken Immortal House for dinner.¡± Ye Huangxuan and Ye Fengyu were close since they were young, so he had a good impression on Ye Lingyue. They went to the Drunken Immortal House. As soon as they entered the restaurant, Ye Huangxuan let Ye Sheng and Ye Lingyue pick some dishes they liked. They could not help smacking their lips when they saw the menu. ¡°Fifth Uncle, the things in this city are expensive. This dish costs a few taels of silver. It will cost one hundred taels of silver for the whole table.¡± Ye Sheng felt his heart ache. ¡°Haha. You still know how to save money for your Fifth Uncle. This Drunken Immortal House is not an ordinary place. The dishes here are all medicinal meals. After eating, you can get rid of the impurities in your body and improve your cultivation. Even the people from the Alchemist Association in Glass City eat here,¡± Ye Huangxuan said with a smile and ordered some dishes. After the dishes had been served, Ye Fengyun and his son were full of praises for them. Ye Lingyue also picked up food with her chopsticks and fed it to Squeaky, who rested on her shoulder. Squeaky sniffed at it and immediately turned away, looking uninterested. Its appearance made the two seniors of the Ye family amused. Compared to the spiritual fruits and vegetables grown in Hongmeng Sanctuary, the dishes didn¡¯t taste as good. With how Ye Lingyue fed Squeaky, his taste buds had turned rather selective. Ye Lingyue smiled. If they could sell the dishes of Drunken Immortal at an unreasonable price, then the dishes made from her spiritual fruits and vegetables could fetch an outrageous price as well. ¡°Lingyue, forgive me if I¡¯m wrong. This little beast of yours is a spiritual beast, right?¡± Ye Huangxuan noticed the little beast perched on Ye Lingyue¡¯s shoulder. Seeing its bright eyes and smooth and clean fur, it seemed like it could understand human speech. ¡°If you have time, you can go to the spiritual beast shop in the city to see what type of spiritual beast it is,¡± Ye Huangxuan said. ¡°Squeak,¡± Squeaky cried out in discontent. One should not confuse it with inferior spiritual beasts. Ye Fengyun and Ye Huangxuan hadn¡¯t seen each other for a long time and had many things to talk about. As they talked, they saw several people in blue robes coming in. Chapter 53 Those people were all dressed in the same way. Blue robes with a yellow silk sash around their waist and clogs. The person leading them had a cauldron emblem sewn on the collar of his robe. As soon as those people came in, the bustling restaurant became quiet. ¡°It¡¯s the people from the Alchemist Association.¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s ears were sharp, so she heard the whispers among the diners. As soon as they entered the door, the group of people went straight to where the Ye family was sitting. ¡°This table is Master Huang¡¯s seat. Give it up.¡± Their arrogant attitude made the Ye family stunned. Ye Sheng was about to get angry, but Ye Huangxuan shook his head and stood up with a smile on his face. ¡°So, it¡¯s Master Huang¡¯s seat. I¡¯m sorry. We will move away now.¡± With that, Ye Huangxuan bowed to the leader of the group. ¡°Well, who is this? It¡¯s Ye Huangxuan. Why did the Ye family send dark ironstones to the city this time? Don¡¯t send the Ye family¡¯s garbage to the Alchemist Association again. The association doesn¡¯t take scraps that are 50% and lower.¡± Master Huang was an alchemist of the Alchemist Association, and he had had dealings with Ye Huangxuan several times before. ¡°Why do you talk like that?¡± Ye Sheng was young and vigorous. He was about to reason with Master Huang, but Ye Fengyun pressed him down. The Ye family had no firm foothold in Glass City yet, so it was not a wise move to offend the Alchemist Association. Ye Lingyue stood up slowly. When she was next to Master Huang¡¯s side, she shook her hands and something fell onto his clothes¡­ After the members of the Alchemist Association had taken their seats, they ordered a table of dishes and ate and drank. ¡°Fifth Uncle, why did you treat them so nicely?¡± After they had found a table to sit down again, Ye Sheng looked indignant. ¡°Ye Sheng, listen to Fifth Uncle. The people of the association are not who we can offend.¡± Ye Huangxuan asked the others to sit down. Knowing that it was Ye Lingyue and Ye Sheng¡¯s first time in the county and were not clear about the situation and forces of the county, he patiently explained it to them. In Glass City, unlike Autumn Maple town which was close to Seven Star Mountain, the commerce was prosperous and the forces in the city were as complex as the roots of an old tree. The four most powerful forces in Glass City, besides Chief Manor, were the three non-governmental forces; the Alchemist Association, Extraordinary House, and Shanhai Gang. Among them, the Chief manor and Alchemist Association were not to be trifled with. The Chief Manor was under the support of military forces while the Alchemist Association was in control of most of the weapons and pills trade in Glass City. In the past years, because the Ye family could only produce iron ores of 40% purity, the association had always rejected them. As for the origin of the Alchemist Association, it was rather a long story. The so-called alchemists were a special group of people proficient in magic, medicine, fate, fortune, and so on. They differed from martial arts practitioners since they cultivate the psyche while the martial arts practitioners cultivate elementary force. Generally, they divided alchemists into quasi alchemists, alchemists, and senior alchemists. Among the alchemists, they were divided into nine levels. In the country, only a few people could cultivate psyche, which made alchemists a scarce resource. In Great Xia, people highly respected them and their status was comparable to that of some ordinary officials. For example, the president of Glass City¡¯s Alchemist Association was already at the eighth level of alchemy. Even the chief of Glass City had to be polite to him. With that said, Ye Lingyue and Ye Sheng understood why their Fifth Uncle did not dare to provoke the association. ¡°Master Huang, whom you saw just now, is an alchemist of Glass City affiliated to Glass City¡¯s Alchemist Association. He was the person in charge when our family sold dark ironstones to the Alchemist Association. Because we refused to give him any benefits, he¡¯s been putting our family in so much trouble.¡± Ye Huangxuan shook his head as he said this. He did not want to talk about the negative side of the trade in front of the younger generation. After hearing this, Ye Sheng could only hold it in his heart even if he was angry. As for Ye Lingyue, she was deep in thought after learning about the association¡¯s origin. It turned out that as long as one cultivated their psyche, they could become an alchemist. She just did not know what level she had achieved with her psyche, whether she was a quasi alchemist, or a level one or two alchemist. Perhaps she would only know after she had paid a visit to the Alchemist Association. But before that, she had to give Master Huang a proper greeting. Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes turned and the corners of her mouth lifted. One, two, three¡­ she counted silently in her heart. On the table, Master Huang and the others were talking about off-color jokes and drinking wine. Suddenly, he felt an itch on his buttocks, so he scratched at it. However, the itch became massive that Master Huang had to put down his chopsticks and scratch at it as if there were no one else present. But as he scratched on, it became painful. Soon, he had scratched off a bloody piece of flesh from his buttocks. The more he scratched, the itchier it was. It was terrible! Master Huang panicked, and the people who came with him were in a fit of panic. ¡°Quick, take Master Huang back to the Alchemist Association.¡± All of them were panic-stricken. They helped Master Huang, who was then shouting, and rushed him to the Alchemist Association. Witnessing this scene, it also stunned the people from the Ye family. Why did it seem like something had possessed him when he was fine a moment ago? Ye Lingyue sneered in her heart. No one should offend the Ye family. She would let this pretentious Master Huang have a taste of how powerful the ice poison was. When Master Huang had his nose in the air and insulted the Ye family, Ye Lingyue sprinkled a little ice poison on his clothes as she stood up. The ice poison would rust ores or soil surfaces, but if a high concentration of ice poison touched the human skin, it would itch and fester. When scratched, it would be worse than death. They took Master Huang to the Alchemist Association. After hearing cries resonating in the air, a middle-aged man stepped out of the association. The man was also dressed in blue robes and clogs, with a yellow sash around his waist. However, unlike Master Huang, there were three cauldron emblems sewn on his collar, which showed that he was a third level alchemist. ¡°Master Song, come and have a look. We were having a meal with Huang Zhi in the Drunken Immortal House. He had only taken only a few bites when this happened.¡± The people who brought Master Huang over did not have good expressions on their faces, and they did not dare touch Master Huang. By the time they arrived, the left half of Master Huang¡¯s lower body was already a bloody mess; the flesh was falling and blood was flowing like a stream. The bones inside became a grayish-blue color. ¡°What a potent poison! Use the crane to inform the president.¡± Master Song had been in Glass City for so long, but it was his first time seeing such a powerful poison. Master Song, who was a third level alchemist, was not sure how to treat this kind of poison. Master Song ordered people to carry Master Huang in and took out a small crane folded with yellow paper. After writing a few words on it, the small crane shook its wings, flew out of the association and towards a certain direction in Glass City. Chapter 54 The lights were dim in Glass City at night. The crane flew into a deep street with winding paths. Black bamboo trees stood on both sides of the street, and there was only one mansion around. Glazed tiles and red painted columns filled the area, and at one glance, the courtyard of the mansion seemed empty. But if one listened carefully, one would find that guards hid in every corner of the courtyard. If one did not take notice of the plaque ¡®Feng Manor¡¯ placed at the gate of the mansion, one would have mistaken it for the chief¡¯s manor in Glass City. Inside Feng Manor, an old man in blue was diagnosing a young man on the bed. The old man was thin with white hair and beard, and his eyes glimmered from time to time. ¡°President, how is Young Master¡¯s body?¡± Standing beside the bed was the old man in yellow whom Ye Lingyue met by the river during the day. On the bed lay the sick Young Master Feng Shen. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Young Master Feng is feeling unwell because he caught a cold, and still suffers from the cold illness. I have ten heart nourishing pills here. Take one every morning together with a warm wine on an empty stomach, and within ten days he will feel better.¡± The old man in blue was the president of Glass City¡¯s Alchemist Association, Liao Chen. He was an eighth level alchemist that Ye Huangxuan mentioned earlier on. He and Old Mr. Mu had been good friends for many years. They invited him to Feng Manor because Feng Shen was not feeling well. ¡°Then what about Young Master¡¯s cold illness?¡± Old Mr. Mu looked at the president with a hopeful face. President Liao shook his head, looking helpless. Feng Shen was also pitiful. Although he was of high status, he had been suffering from a cold illness since he was born. From the look of it, he might not live to be twenty years old. No wonder the Northern Qing Emperor would let him stay in Great Xia, which had a warmer temperature, to recuperate. ¡°Teacher, don¡¯t make it difficult for President Liao, I know my body.¡± Feng Shen sat up, his long eyelashes lowered and a glum expression appeared on his face. He looked like a porcelain doll that was about to break. Even the Master Alchemist, Chen Hongru, known as the number one alchemist in Northern Qing, could do nothing about his illness. What more with the Alchemist Association? Suddenly, there was a sound of wings flapping inside the room and a small crane flew in. Under the light, it circled President Liao. Feng Shen heard that the alchemists of the Alchemists Association differed from ordinary martial arts practitioners. They used cranes to transmit messages and linked it with their psyche, and it would then report the message after it had found the specific person the message was for. ¡°It¡¯s a message crane from the Alchemist Association.¡± President Liao smiled and the crane fell into his hands. ¡°An unknown poison affected Alchemist Huang from the association. Please hurry back to the association.¡± After he had spread out the crane, a line of small characters was written in it. After reading the letter, the small crane burned and became ashes. Master Song, a level three alchemist, could only use their crane psyche just once. Feng Shen was looking at it with bright eyes and a face full of interest. He had a weak body since he was a child, so he seldom went out. This time, coming to Great Xia to recuperate was the farthest he had ever gone out. It was a pity that his illness acted up after he fell into the water. After reading the crane¡¯s message, President Liao was visibly moved. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there¡¯s something urgent in the association and I have to hurry back. Young Master Feng seems to have some interest in the crane. I have an idle crane with me. If Young Master Feng doesn¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± President Liao was an observant person. He knew that this weak Feng Shen had a very special status in Northern Qing and Great Xia. At any opportunity to get close to him, President Liao would instantly grab at it. The crane President Liao gave Feng Shen was not comparable to the crane Alchemist Song made. It was made of gold paper and under the light, it shone and looked exquisite. Feng Shen did not refuse and accepted the crane. Since President Liao was concerned with what had happened in the association, he rushed back to the association. At that moment, Huang Zhi was dying¡ªbones were the only ones left in his lower body. ¡°President, you¡¯re back.¡± When Alchemist Song and the others saw President Liao, it was as if seeing their savior. ¡°This is¡­? A poison from the evil side of the central plains?¡± President Liao¡¯s expression clouded over as he recognized the poison on Alchemist Huang¡¯s body. Evil side? The alchemists present had a change of expression. They knew that there were several kinds of alchemists in the mainland, including those who specialized in making pills, weapons, poisons, and curses. The so-called evil side referred to those evil alchemists who specialized in using poisons and curses to harm people. Alchemists who cultivated evil methods mostly lived in the central plains, but why would they come to Glass City? ¡°Huang Zhi, tell me quickly. Who did you provoke this time?¡± Alchemist Song questioned Huang Zhi. ¡°President, I¡¯m wronged. I didn¡¯t provoke anyone. I was only having a meal in the Drunken Immortal House. Everyone saw it, too.¡± Huang Zhi¡¯s face was pale and his words were feeble. How would he dare provoke evil alchemists from the central plains? ¡°President, you must save me.¡± ¡°You are poisoned with a soft water-type poison. It already penetrated your bones and it¡¯s hard to get rid of it. If you want to live, you have to cut off your lower body.¡± Presiden Liao was also helpless. He knew that Huang Zhi had offended many people because of his attitude and this time, it would serve as a lesson for him. He just did not know which cult from the central plains would make such a powerful water-type poison. As soon as Huang Zhi heard this, he fainted because he could not accept such a reality. But little did President Liao expect, the ¡®evil alchemist¡¯ he was talking about had arrived at Ye Huangxuan¡¯s home. Ye Lingyue sneezed loudly. She rubbed at her nose and walked into the house. Ye Huangxuan had already established his business in Glass City. After they got out of the restaurant, they went back to his house. Fifth Uncle¡¯s family was very warm. After a few greetings, Ye Lingyue returned to her room. ¡°I wonder how Master Huang is doing.¡± Ye Lingyue recalled the incident about Huang Zhi¡¯s poisoning, and she raised her eyebrows at the thought of it. This was the first time Ye Lingyue had used poison on people. She had to say, Poison Supremacy Jadehand¡¯s poison was indeed amazing. If she could make good use of the poison, it would protect her life if ever she encountered strong opponents. Because Autumn Maple town did not have a variety of herbs, Ye Lingyue had no chance of making poison. But since she was already in Glass City, things would be different. There were all kinds of herbs in Glass City and one could buy if only they had the money. Ye Lingyue decided that tomorrow morning, she would go and have a look around Glass City and canvass raw items to make some poison as a means of self-defense. Chapter 55 The next day, Ye Fengyun went to the city to buy some things. Ye Huangxuan proposed to take Ye Sheng and Ye Lingyue for a walk in the city. They went to several chambers of commerce in the city, inquired about the price and market of dark iron ores, and even met some people from the chamber of commerce. Because the quality of the dark iron ores sent from the family was excellent this time, many chambers of commerce offered high prices to buy them. However, Ye Huangxuan rejected all of them. Ye Huangxuan was very smart. The dark iron ores this time were the best ones from the Ye family in years. He planned to take the dark iron ores to the Alchemist Association. The three of them went to the Alchemist Association. About half an hour later, a magnificent tower appeared. Outside the tower, there was an enormous bronze cauldron that looked like it weighed 500 kilograms. Besides the alchemists, many merchants came to buy and sell from the tower. They divided the Alchemist Association into four levels. Only the first and second levels were open to the public. The first level sold all kinds of weapons, and the second level sold pills and some groceries. As for the third and fourth levels, they were the levels for making weapons and pills. It allowed only those from the association to go in and out. It was Ye Lingyue and Ye Sheng¡¯s first visit to the Alchemist Association and compared with the many pills and weapons in the association, the Ye family¡¯s Treasure Pavilion was not as good. ¡°Fifth Master Ye.¡± Ye Huangxuan had just entered the door when a chubby man with a smile walked over. The chubby man¡¯s fair flesh made his alchemist robe seem tight. But Ye Lingyue noticed that there were two cauldron emblems sewed on his collar, which made him a second level alchemist. ¡°Master Chang, why didn¡¯t I see Master Huang?¡± Ye Huangxuan did not see Huang Zhi and found it a bit strange. ¡°Huang Zhi is no longer in charge of reception in the front hall. Is Fifth Master Ye here to sell dark iron ores? You know the rules, the association doesn¡¯t accept dark iron ores that are 50% or lesser,¡± Chang Que said with a smile. After hearing this, it relieved Ye Huangxuan. Chang Que was much more reliable than Master Huang, and this time, the Ye family¡¯s business had a chance. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Chang. These are dark iron ores the Ye family refined just recently.¡± In his excitement, Ye Huangxuan took out a piece of dark iron while Chang Que glanced at it. After inspecting the purity of the ore, Chang Que¡¯s little eyes shot out two beams of light. The Ye family had brought over dark iron ores of 60% purity this time. He immediately invited Ye Huangxuan to go into the inner hall to discuss, and he left Ye Lingyue and Ye Sheng to wait in the Alchemist Association. Ye Sheng lingered on the first level, dazzled by all kinds of weapons. Ye Lingyue was more interested in the pills on the second level, so she left Ye Sheng and went to the second level. The Alchemist Association had indeed lived up to its reputation. Ye Lingyue noticed that although the price of pills here was higher, the quality was better than others. As she was looking at it, Ye Lingyue found that besides the shelf of pills, there were also some colorful papers, made from many kinds of materials; including the common papyrus paper, hemp paper, silver-tin paper, and gold foil paper. Even the price for the most common papyrus paper was as high as 500 taels of silver for a piece. The price was sky-high. ¡°Little friend, that¡¯s the rune paper used to make alchemy beasts.¡± A kind voice sounded in her ear. Ye Lingyue looked back and found a white-bearded man in blue standing behind her. Ye Lingyue looked at his collar. There was no cauldron emblem, so he might be the clerk of the Alchemist Association. ¡°Old Sir, what is an alchemy beast?¡± Ye Lingyue was not shy and chatted with the old man. She learned from the old man that rune paper was a kind of special paper. As long as it was an alchemist, one could make them into different alchemy beasts with the psyche. As for what kind of beast one could make and how powerful it would be, it was all related to the psyche of the alchemist. As he spoke, the old man took a piece of rune paper, and without moving his hands, the rune paper folded by itself. Soon, a small crane appeared in front of Ye Lingyue. With a move of his mind, the crane flew around Ye Lingyue. ¡°!¡± Upon seeing the crane, Squeaky, who was lying on Ye Lingyue¡¯s shoulder, widened its eyes as it grabbed at the small paper crane. ¡°Haha. Little fellow, you won¡¯t catch it.¡± Squeaky had amused the old man and he laughed. How could he catch a crane that easily? Wouldn¡¯t he catch it? That might not be the case. Ye Lingyue¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Old Sir, let¡¯s make a bet. If my little beast catches it, you¡¯ll give me ten pieces of rune paper. How about that?¡± Ten? That was five thousand taels of silver. This little girl had an enormous appetite. Ye Lingyue¡¯s bet also intimidated the old man who had met all sorts of people in the Alchemist Association. However, the old man immediately thought that the crane with which he had infused his psyche was difficult to catch. Even those Postnatal peak masters in Glass City might not be able to do it, let alone a little beast. ¡°Let¡¯s bet. If you win, I¡¯ll give you ten rune papers, but if you lose, you have to give me your little beast.¡± The old man agreed to have a bet with Ye Lingyue. ¡°No problem.¡± Ye Lingyue had seen Squeaky¡¯s speed many times. ¡°?¡± Squeaky snuck a glance at Ye Lingyue and then looked at the old man who was smiling confidently, its bright eyes looking a little dazed. ¡°Squeaky, listen carefully. Catch that paper crane. Otherwise, I might have to give you to the old man. Remember, if you are with him, there will be no meat, fruits, or Da Huang and me to play with you.¡± Ye Lingyue had just finished when Squeaky¡¯s dazed eyes disappeared. No meat to eat, miserable! No fruits to eat, more miserable! No Da Huang and Master, even more miserable! The crane in the sky immediately became Squeaky¡¯s number one enemy. There was a swoosh and with a push of its hind legs, it drew a dazzling white light in the air. There were two words to describe that speed and force¡ªswift. The old man, who was waiting for the show to unfold, had his smile frozen on his face. After a 360 degree somersault, Squeaky fell back to Ye Lingyue¡¯s shoulder in a steady motion. It held the crane with its paw and that crane struggled under him. Catching the crane, Squeaky did not forget to stick out its tongue at the old man and shook its buttocks. ¡°Old Sir, you lost.¡± Squeaky clowning around was not a surprising scene for Ye Lingyue anymore. However, it was the old man¡¯s first time seeing such a cute pet. For a while, he did not know whether to cry or laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll admit defeat. Ten rune papers it is. But little friend, you are not an alchemist. Even if you get the rune papers, you can¡¯t make an alchemy beast. How about this, I have a simple mantra here. Practice it, and if you are successful, you can come and see me at the association someday.¡± The old man immediately took ten pieces of rune paper and gave it to Ye Lingyue. He also gave her a mantra to cultivate the psyche. ¡°Thank you very much, Old Sir.¡± Ye Lingyue was slightly surprised. After receiving the mantra and rune paper, she left. ¡°President, why did you give the mantra for alchemist cultivation to a stranger?¡± The clerk next to him felt strange when he saw it. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just feel that the child is interesting.¡± President Liao smiled. Chapter 56 When Ye Lingyue came downstairs, she received some pleasant news. The association finally agreed to buy the Ye family¡¯s dark iron of 60% purity. For the first time in many years, the association recognized the Ye family¡¯s dark iron. ¡°That¡¯s great. I will write a letter to Father when I get back. This time, our Ye family can finally hold our heads high.¡± Ye Huangxuan¡¯s excitement flushed his face. ¡°Fifth Uncle, the money the association is paying is 20% lower than that from other chambers of commerce. Isn¡¯t this a money-losing business?¡± Ye Sheng was not happy when he heard the price. These 60% dark irons took the Ye family a lot of effort to make. ¡°Silly boy, getting the recognition of the association is more important than money. As long as we become the supplier of the association, we can enjoy a 20% discount whenever we buy weapons and pills from them. You won¡¯t think much about it for now, but when the time comes that you¡¯ve reached Postnatal or Connate level, you will know the function of the weapons and pills of the Alchemist Association,¡± Ye Huangxuan said as they walked out of the association. Seeing that Ye Huangxuan was happy, Ye Lingyue said that she wanted to walk around the city alone and buy some gifts for the sisters at home. Ye Huangxuan did not think much about it and went back to the mansion with Ye Sheng. Ye Lingyue wandered around the street, selected some specialty products and rogue powder, and inquired about the location of Extraordinary House¡ªthe largest chamber of commerce in the city. Fifth Uncle said earlier on that the Alchemist Association only provided finished pills and weapons. If anyone wanted to buy herbs in bulk or sell their pills, they had to go to Extraordinary House. Different from the calm and quiet atmosphere at the Alchemist Association, the Extraordinary House was located on the most prosperous commercial avenue, surrounded by carriages and horses. There were all kinds of people there. ¡°I want to buy these medicinal herbs. Does the Extraordinary House sell them?¡± As soon as Ye Lingyue entered the door, she handed the attendant a list. There were no less than 40 kinds of medicinal herbs written on it. At the sight of those medicinal herbs, the attendant looked at who it was and saw a beautiful female customer. But looking at those medicinal herbs on Ye Lingyue¡¯s list, he found that they were not ordinary herbs. They were all poisonous insects and herbs, and the amount she was buying was pricey. It was hard to link the two together. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that the Extraordinary House doesn¡¯t have such medicinal herbs?¡± Seeing that the attendant was not speaking, Ye Lingyue felt dissatisfied. ¡°Miss, to be honest, we have common herbs in Extraordinary House. But we don¡¯t have the kinds of medicinal herbs you want, especially the eggs of Agkistrodon Acutus.¡± It troubled the attendant. ¡°What if I¡¯m willing to pay a high price for it?¡± Ye Lingyue took out several golden leaves with one hand and threw it over. Who didn¡¯t love golden leaves? Thinking about it, the attendant finally thought of an idea. ¡°Miss, we don¡¯t have Agkistrodon Acutus eggs. However, at the Treasure Hall of the Extraordinary House, there will be a small treasure gathering taking place today. Someone will sell a batch of Agkistrodon Acutus eggs for sure.¡± Treasure Hall was a major feature of Extraordinary House. As long as the goods were valuable, one could sell them in the Treasure Hall of Extraordinary House. Extraordinary House provided the venue and did not ask for the origin of the items. However, after the transaction of the items, those who took part in the event will pay a 10% handling fee to Extraordinary House. They would then keep all the information about the customers a secret. Other than consignment sales, Treasure Hall also provided treasure authentication service. Confirming the authenticity of the treasure, they would impose a 10% handling fee. Whether or not the customers wanted to sell, it depended on the guests¡¯ wishes. Hearing the attendant words, it moved Ye Lingyue¡¯s heart. She had an item that she wanted to check its authenticity. The mysterious stone she had gotten from the Ye family¡¯s martial arts tower was still unknown. Although Ye Lingyue had used the cauldron to check the internal structure of the stone, the cauldron breath could not refine that piece of stone. She did not want to send the stone to the Alchemist Association. Perhaps the Treasure Hall could help her. After thinking about it, Ye Lingyue took out the mysterious stone, then some Dark Yin Pills she had refined and handed it to Extraordinary House. After that, they took her to the Treasure Hall on the fifth level of Extraordinary House. Treasure Hall was a hall of a few thousand square meters in size. Superior fur carpets and red jade corals from the southern seas decorated the place. When Ye Lingyue entered, fifty to sixty people had already filled the place, some of whom were old and some were young. Besides the customers, Ye Lingyue also felt several cold elementary forces scattered around the Treasure Hall. That aura was not inferior to that of Ye Gu and Song Wanshi. It seemed that there were many masters in this building. Ye Lingyue chose a seat to sit down and there happened to be a woman in red beside her. She was about twenty years old. She had almond-shaped eyes and rosy cheeks and looked very beautiful. The woman in red nodded at Ye Lingyue when she saw her. There was still 15 minutes before the treasure gathering would start, so they talked to each other. ¡°Is this your first visit to Extraordinary House?¡± The woman in red could not but feel curious the moment she saw that Ye Lingyue was young and had no elders accompanying her. ¡°I just came to Glass City and heard that there are many wonderful things in Extraordinary House, so I came to have a look,¡± Ye Lingyue replied. ¡°Then you came to the right place. The things in Extraordinary House are very good. And if Sister has enough money, this hall has many wonderful things to buy.¡± The woman in red was very knowledgeable and explained the situation in Glass City in a few words. Just then, a manager of Extraordinary House came out of the hall. ¡°Everyone, welcome to the Treasure Authentication Conference. In the first half, guests have placed 23 items in the Treasure Hall on consignment. Each item is marked with a base price and interested guests can bid at will. Every one bid will be increased by 100 taels.¡± The manager showed several items up for selling according to the number. The first item was the Dark Yin Pills that Ye Lingyue had taken out at will. Ye Lingyue was not clear about the specific value of these Dark Yin Pills. She had many Dark Yin ores on hand and had improved her refining skills, which would mean that the quality and quantity of the refined Dark Yin Pills had greatly improved, too. Other than her and her mother¡¯s use, there were more than enough so she took it out to see how much she could sell them for. Seeing that they had brought up Dark Yin Pills, the guests were slightly angry. Although Dark Yin Pills were second-grade pills, it was not an uncommon item in the market. In the Alchemist Association, one pill costs 200 taels of silver. ¡°The first item is five Dark Yin Pills. Those who are breaking through to Postnatal level or are already Postnatal martial arts practitioners should pay attention. Don¡¯t underestimate these Dark Yin Pills. They differ from those of the Alchemist Association. They are all Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills,¡± Having seen the guest¡¯s snarky attitude, the shopkeeper calmly picked up one pill and said. Chapter 57 Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pill? The moment they said the words, the originally bored customers became serious. Every martial arts practitioner would know that pills were greatly useful for cultivation, especially the Dark Yin pill¡ªa pill that is necessary for people to break through to Postnatal and Connate. Which family clans in Glass City didn¡¯t have any youngsters with potential? On this land, they split the pills into nine grades. Amongst each level of pills, they were further differentiated by normal, blue-patterned, yellow-patterned, and red-patterned. The pills available in Glass City¡¯s markets were usually normal pills in the fourth-grade or even below that. The Alchemist Association was selling them, too, and the pills were only available for normal martial arts practitioners or merchants. Starting from the blue-patterned pills, it meant that the quality of the pills was at least a level higher. The Alchemist Association rarely made blue-patterned and yellow-patterned pills, mostly only providing them to the Royal family or some officials and established families. Only Alchemy Masters could make red-patterned pills. That was why red-patterned pills were extremely rare and hard to find within Great Xia. However, the items that Treasure Hall was selling this time were Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills that the Alchemist Association would never sell in the common market. ¡°After taking the Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pill, it can help the martial arts practitioner absorb the Yin energy from the sky and earth for the next ten days and cleanse your body and veins. The starting bid price for a Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pill is five hundred taels. The bid will begin now.¡± The Extraordinary House¡¯s manager was also a master at bidding. With his explanation, the popularity of the pills grew instantly. One had to know that a normal Dark Yin Pill could only help one absorb the Yin energy for three days and the Alchemist Association sold them for two hundred taels each. Ye Lingyue felt extremely shocked by the manager¡¯s words. She had merely taken out five Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pilld and didn¡¯t expect that it would be worth so much. Compared to this, the price of green-wood fruits was a lot lesser. It was no wonder that people in Glass City said that the Great Xia¡¯s Alchemist Association was extremely rich. The first Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pill was sold to a Postnatal practitioner at the price of eight hundred taels. Next, they sold the second and third pills at eight hundred taels and nine hundred taels respectivey. ¡°We have already sold three of the five Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills. Everyone, the Extraordinary House will sell the remaining two Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills together. This is the Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pill that even the Alchemist Association doesn¡¯t have. If you miss it, it¡¯ll be extremely hard to find this steal again.¡± When there were only two Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills left, Extraordinary House¡¯s manager suddenly changed his selling strategy. The people who weren¡¯t willing to take part in the bid earlier due to its outrageous price had all placed their bids in a mad rush to get the pills. ¡°A thousand taels.¡± ¡°A thousand and one hundred taels.¡± ¡°A thousand and two hundred taels.¡± ¡°A thousand and five hundred taels!¡± At this moment, someone screamed their bid. Who was this wealthy person? Ye Lingyue and the rest of the guests glanced over. All they saw was a man in a green outfit standing there. When they saw him, the expression of Extraordinary House¡¯s manager changed a little. It was because five cauldrons were embroidered on the man¡¯s sleeves. He was Glass City¡¯s Alchemist Association¡¯s Vice-President. Someone from the Alchemist Association was taking part in the bid as well? The Alchemist Association¡¯s vice-president happened to pass by to buy a batch of herbs. After hearing that a Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pill had appeared in the Treasure Hall, he changed his mind and suddenly took part in the bid. He wanted to see what type of person dared to make pills without the Alchemist Association¡¯s knowledge, especially a Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pill. The guests all chattered amongst themselves. The Alchemist Association had made their move too, so it seemed like those pills were real. However, the moment the Alchemist Association appeared, everyone else from Glass City fell silent. No one dared to offend the Alchemist Association. The Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pill was a precious find, but there were only two of them. If they offended the Alchemist Association, where would they go if they wanted to buy pills in the future? In the end, Glass City¡¯s Alchemist Association bought the remaining pills with a thousand and five hundred taels. Actually, the price was far more than what the Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills should be worth. It was fortunate that the Alchemist Association¡¯s vice-president didn¡¯t buy them for his cultivation. Ye Lingyue made a quick calculation in her mind. After deducting the handling fees, she would be able to get a thousand, three hundred and fifty taels still. The amount was already way above her expectations. A second-grade Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pill could already sell at such an outrageous price. It was no wonder the Manager of the medicinal store said that fifth-grade pills required tens of thousands of gold. After the auction of the Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills, there were about five more items, including weapons and several stone carvings of type eight or nine martial arts skills. With ¡®Broken Thunder Fist¡¯ and ¡®Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade¡¯, Ye Lingyue was not interested in the remaining items at all. The girl dressed in red beside her remained quiet all the while as well. It was only when they were at the tenth item that Ye Lingyue finally heard the Agkistrodon Acutus¡¯ eggs. ¡°We have thirty Agkistrodon Acutus eggs here. After a mercenary team hunted and killed a couple of Agkistrodon Acutus, they raided the nest and obtained the eggs. This spiritual beast is a level two, and once the eggs are incubated, they will hatch into snakes. The eggs could also be used in medicine. We are selling the thirty Agkistrodon Acutus eggs together and the starting bid is at a thousand taels.¡± When the manager of Extraordinary House said the starting price, Ye Lingyue cursed in her mind. She thought that she had earned quite a bit with the Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pill. Who knew that the most important ingredient of making poison, the Agkistrodon Acutus eggs, would be so expensive? As a result, she had no choice but to use several of the golden leaves she had. Then again, the Agkistrodon Acutus eggs were worth the price as well. After all, level two spiritual beasts weren¡¯t that easy to deal with either. Besides, if one incubates and hatches an egg at the Spirit Pet shop, the price of it would skyrocket. Not to mention, if it went to the Alchemist Association for them to make it into pills, their wealth would multiply. ¡°A thousand and one hundred taels.¡± ¡°A thousand and three hundred taels.¡± As expected, the price of the thirty Agkistrodon Acutus eggs climbed steeply as the owners of several spirit pet shops and the vice-president of the Alchemist Association threw their bids out after the bid started. The price only slowed down when it reached two thousand taels. After all, no matter how high the price was, one might as well hire a small mercenary team to go to the forest and hunt for the eggs instead. ¡°Two thousand and three hundred taels.¡± When the time was about right, Ye Lingyue said her bid. Hearing that someone had suddenly added their bid, the Alchemist Association and the people from the spirit pet stores glanced at Ye Lingyue. The person didn¡¯t look familiar, so everyone was curious. Which family did this person belong to that she dared go against the Alchemist Association? However, in the next moment, they saw the girl dressed in red sitting beside Ye Lingyue. When they saw the girl, even the vice-president of the Alchemist Association¡¯s expression changed a little. With how close Ye Lingyue was sitting next to the girl, they thought they were from the same party. That girl also naturally received several probing gazes. However, she remained unmoved as she casually took a sip of tea, not bothering to stop the misunderstanding. After Ye Lingyue had called her bid, everyone else suddenly fell silent somehow. In the end, she got those thirty Agkistrodon Acutus eggs at the price of two thousand and three hundred taels. Chapter 58 After successfully getting the Agkistrodon Acutus eggs, Ye Lingyue was in a great mood. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell that Sister¡¯s likes are rather special.¡± The girl smiled with her lips pursed. Seeing that Ye Lingyue looked pretty and playful, she thought that Ye Lingyue liked jewelry and makeup like normal girls do. Who knew that Ye Lingyue would buy a scary thing like Agkistrodon Acutus eggs? ¡°It¡¯s just a personal preference. I noticed that Sister said nothing so far. Do you not like any of them?¡± After many rounds of bidding, the girl never properly looked at any of the items. From her gestures and speaking, Ye Lingyue knew that she came from a noble family. But she had no idea what kind of item would be enough to make the girl take part in the bids. ¡°The thing that I¡¯m interested in is coming up. I came today to bid for a gift for my father. It will be his fiftieth birthday in a few days.¡± The girl hid nothing and told Ye Lingyue that she had moved to Glass City a year ago with her parents. The two merrily chatted for a while more before Extraordinary House¡¯s manager ordered someone to carry the last item up on the stage. All they saw were two palm-sized, black things that looked like a stone and yet a wood at the same time. The moment they brought the item up, it filled the entire Treasure House with a calming fragrance that made people feel at ease.. ¡°The things I want to buy are those hundred-year aloes.¡± The girl briefly explained the origin of the aloes to Ye Lingyue. The aloes were a type of crystal that grew on a fragrant tree in the southern parts of Great Xia. One just had to cut a small piece out and use it to burn incense or crush it into powder. It was commonly used to treat many illnesses and was a treasure that was better than pills. The girl¡¯s father had an old injury, so the aloes would be greatly beneficial for his healing. After finding out that today¡¯s Treasure House¡¯s auction was selling those particular aloes, the girl had rushed over. ¡°I believe that many people came for these hundred-year aloes. The starting price of these aloes is ten thousand taels.¡± The manager of Extraordinary House didn¡¯t introduce the aloes too much. After all, aloes were a rare find and the people interested in it were all respectable people in the city. Just a small piece of thing needed ten thousand taels?! Was wood more expensive than gold during this age?! Ye Lingyue stared at those aloes with great amazement. At first, she thought that her Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills were already worth a lot, but it was incomparable to those aloes. ¡°Eleven thousand taels.¡± The girl spoke first, taking the first bid with a thousand more taels. There were people wary of the girl¡¯s status. Since the price of these aloes was quite high as well, only a few placed their bids. ¡°Twenty thousand taels.¡± Towards the end, a fat merchant-looking man continued to call for bids with the girl. ¡°Sister, don¡¯t you think that fatty is pushing the price higher? He kept chatting with his partner beside him as if they¡¯re calculating something.¡± Just as they pushed the price up to thirty thousand taels, Ye Lingyue couldn¡¯t help but whisper to the girl beside her. She had been staring at that fat merchant the whole time and felt that something about him looked wrong. With Ye Lingyue¡¯s reminder, the girl carefully observed that fatty and her eyebrows furrowed together tightly. The thought of getting the aloes earlier had muddled her mind. But after recollecting her thoughts and looking at the situation more carefully, she realized that the fatty was one of the infamous dishonest merchants in the city. This person usually earned from selling counterfeit items or stolen items. Could those aloes be¡­ ¡°Wait a moment. Manager, I would like to take a look at those aloes.¡± The girl stopped the auction. According to Extraordinary House¡¯s rules, the buyer can check the item in the middle of the auction. She believed in Extraordinary House, that was why she didn¡¯t suspect whether or not the aloes were real. However, after taking a closer look, the origin of the aloes might be problematic. The manager of Extraordinary House recognized the girl as well, so he invited her up to the stage. The girl flipped the aloes over. It was definitely hundred-year aloes, but¡­ The girl stared at the aloes and found traces of blood at the bottom. A few days ago, a merchant association was escorting a piece of hundred-year aloes and passed by Glass City. Halfway through, a gang attacked them and looted from them and even killed over twenty people from the merchant association! The girl¡¯s face paled as she quietly put down the piece of aloes and stopped giving her bid. Seeing that the girl suddenly gave up on bidding, it confused the fat merchant and his partner. So they had no choice but to ¡®buy¡¯ that piece of bloodied aloes with thirty thousand taels. The first half of the auction ended and it was time for the second half, which was the time for treasure validation. The second half was different. People would just validate items and not sell them out. For those people known for collecting rare items and are well-experienced with validating treasures in the city, this part was a lot more interesting than the auction. The manager of Extraordinary House ordered his men to carry the items awaiting validation onto the stage and placed them in the middle. At a glance, Ye Lingyue saw at least twenty different items awaiting validation. The people from the Extraordinary House had already validated the mine stone Ye Lingyue brought. But since the validation master in the Extraordinary House couldn¡¯t tell what kind of stone it was, they placed it in an inconspicuous corner. Ye Lingyue quietly wished for someone to be able to identify where that piece of stone came from. The girl in red was a little depressed about not being able to buy the hundred-year aloes, so she remained disinterested and just casually glanced at the items. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, her eyes suddenly rested on a corner of the Treasure Hall. At the same time, the vice-president of the Alchemist Association noticed the stone. The two hurriedly approached it. ¡°This is?¡± That girl was already in front of the stone, her voice filled with uncertainty. She picked up the stone and carefully looked at it. The more she looked at it, the more surprised she was. The Alchemist Association¡¯s vice-president also picked up that stone. He weighed it with his hands. His fingers carefully tapped against that stone before he shook it by his ears. The sound of water gushing rang in his ears. ¡°Ambergris iron!¡± Both the vice-president and the girl were sure that this piece was the third-ranked legendary iron amongst all iron, the Ambergris iron. ¡°Sister, what is the ambergris iron?¡± Ye Lingyue walked towards the girl. The girl casually told Ye Lingyue about the origin of the stone. The Ambergris iron was one of the best stones. Along with the famed Nirvana iron and Meteor iron, the Ambergris iron is one of the top three valuable iron in the land. Its origin was legendary. An ancient dragon¡¯s ambergris dripped on a piece of dark iron ore, which led the ore to mutate into a different type of iron. The weapons Ambergris iron made were extremely flexible and it could casually stretch out and constrict. Weapons made of Ambergris Iron were excellent weapons that every martial arts practitioner hoped to get. ¡°Does this mean that this piece of stone is worth a lot? How does it compare to the hundred-year aloes earlier?¡± Ye Lingyue¡¯s eyes sparkled brightly that took the form of a golden coin. Chapter 59 ¡°In terms of value, ambergris iron is better than others. Unfortunately, there isn¡¯t too much ambergris iron ore. Even if it is completely refined, it will probably be the size of a bullet. It can¡¯t even be used to make a dagger for a woman¡¯s self-defense.¡± The woman in red felt that it was a pity. It could not even make a dagger? Ye Lingyue¡¯s heart sank a little. ¡°Although it can¡¯t be used to make weapons, just adding a little ambergris iron to a weapon will greatly improve its strength. It could even make any weapon level up to a Yellow grade weapon,¡± the vice president of the Alchemist Association added. There were five grades among weapons: Heaven, Earth, Black, Yellow and Normal. Only alchemists with five cauldrons emblems or more could refine weapons of Yellow grade, and the probability of failure for refining it was very high. But as long as they added ambergris iron, the probability of making Yellow grade weapons was much higher. ¡°So, the value of this ambergris iron is about 20 to 30 thousand taels.¡± Both the woman in red and the vice president estimated the price of the ore. They called the manager over at once. It shocked the manager to learn that the ambergris iron was a rare ore in the world. ¡°Manager, can you introduce me to the owner of this ambergris iron? I want to buy this iron ore for a high price.¡± The woman in red did not buy the hundred-year aloes and was thinking of which other items she should choose as a birthday gift. Seeing the ambergris iron, she wanted to buy it on the spot. ¡°Manager, we will pay a high price for it as well.¡± Seeing the rare ambergris iron on the market, the vice president of the Alchemist Association could not hold it in anymore. He lost the bid for the Agkistrodon Acutus eggs earlier and felt regretful, but he did not expect that he would see an ambergris iron. If the president knew about it, he would be overjoyed. Both of them surrounded the manager and asked him who the owner of the ambergris iron was. ¡°Both of you are regulars of Extraordinary House and you should know the rules of the House. I¡¯m very sorry, I can only convey your intention to purchase it, but I can¡¯t guarantee the identity of the other party and whether or not they want to sell it.¡± The manager shook his head and declined politely. They had never guessed that the actual owner of the ambergris iron was right in front of them. Ye Lingyue stuck out her tongue in her heart as she listened to their conversation. After the treasure gathering conference, Ye Lingyue paid the handling fee and bought the Agkistrodon Acutus eggs from Extraordinary House. ¡°Master, are you the one who refined the ambergris iron ore and the one who made the Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills?¡± The one receiving Ye Lingyue was a different person. It was the shopkeeper who presided over the conference earlier. When he saw that Ye Lingyue had the Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills and owned the ambergris iron, he believed that she was a high-level alchemist, but then she did not look like it because of her age. ¡°It was my master who refined the Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills and ambergris iron. He is a reclusive master.¡± Ye Lingyue had already thought of an explanation. ¡°I see. Please discuss with your master whether you can sell Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills and other pills to Extraordinary House. We will purchase them at a price no lower than the auction price and we will split the proceeds at a ratio of 20:80 per pill sold. You will get 80% and we will get 20%.¡± For many years, the Alchemist Association in Glass City had been monopolizing the sales of Blue-Patterned Dark Yin Pills and other pills. The Extraordinary House had always wanted to take part in pill trading, but they had no pills to sell. But with Ye Lingyue¡¯s ¡®Master¡¯, they had the backing to fight against the Alchemist Association. Ye Lingyue thought about it. She needed a place where she could sell her Dark Yin Pills, and Extraordinary House was undoubtedly the most suitable place. ¡°Manager, I¡¯d like to agree to it, but my master only refines pills a few times a month. I can only give you the Dark Yin Pills once every month, 50 pills at a time.¡± Glass City was not where the Ye family was based, and Ye Lingyue could only visit Glass City a few times a month. 50 pills a month was enough for her to earn tens of thousands of taels every month. ¡°Besides, I need help from Extraordinary House to find a way to refine ambergris iron.¡± After acquiring the ore, she had tried to refine it with Qian cauldron several times, but she failed. It seemed like refining ambergris iron was different from ordinary pills or ores, and they needed special methods. ¡°Please give us three days. By then we will inform you of its specific refining method.¡± The manager was efficient and immediately agreed to all the requirements Ye Lingyue asked for. When Ye Lingyue walked out of the Extraordinary House, she saw the woman in red who sat at the same table with her earlier. She looked rather unhappy. The woman in red had an unlucky streak. She lost the bid to ambergris iron and even the hundred-year aloes, and she still had her father¡¯s birthday gift to worry about. Ye Lingyue walked over to her with quick steps. ¡°Sister, are you still worried about the birthday gift?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been thinking about it for more than half a month. Glass City is so big, but I can¡¯t even find an appropriate gift.¡± The woman in red smiled when she saw that it was Ye Lingyue. How could Glass City be one of the top ten famous cities? Compared with the Capital, it was just a place in the middle of nowhere. ¡°I don¡¯t know if Sister¡¯s father is a good drinker. I have some Hundred Years Monkey Wine at my house. If you don¡¯t mind, I can give some to you.¡± Ye Lingyue and the woman in red felt like old friends the moment they met. With her help, Ye Lingyue learned about the origin of ambergris iron. She still had the last three jars of monkey wine with her. Since her mother had the Dark Yin Pills, it wouldn¡¯t be much of a loss if she gave the woman a jar. ¡°Hundred Year¡¯s Monkey Wine? Do you have it?¡± The woman in red became ecstatic. Her father was from the military and was good at drinking. After the military reassigned him to Glass City, he had kept complaining that Glass City¡¯s wine was like horse urine and was tasteless. It was just that it was difficult to find such a wine. Did the little girl have that kind of wine in her home? The woman in red wanted to go pick up the wine with Ye Lingyue, but she had to return home as soon as possible to tell her father about the hundred-year aloes having blood on them so the perpetrator could not get away. ¡°If you are free, you can send someone to pick it up at the Ye manor in Cuihu Alley and tell them my name, Ye Lingyue,¡± Ye Lingyue said in understanding since she saw the woman¡¯s dilemma. ¡°Thank you very much, Sister. I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Lan Cai¡¯er. I¡¯m twenty years old this year. You can call me Sister Lan. I¡¯ll meet up with you when I¡¯m not so busy.¡± After parting with Lan Cai¡¯er, Ye Lingyue was ready to return to Ye manor. As she walked, she saw the fat merchant she saw in Extraordinary House earlier with a sly-looking man. It seemed that they were following her. Ye Lingyue calmly walked ahead. After a few distances, she suddenly quickened her pace and turned into an alley. ¡°Keep up with her.¡± When the fat man and the sly-looking man saw that Ye Lingyue had disappeared, they followed her closely. Chapter 60 There was a long alley ahead. Ye Lingyue ran to the end and stopped, and she saw two men smiled menacingly as they approached her. ¡°Why are you following me?¡± Ye Lingyue pretended to be afraid. ¡°Why? Little girl, who asked you to offend someone you shouldn¡¯t have.¡± The Song family had ties with the Shanhai Gang in the city. Song Guangyi wanted to find someone to get rid of Ye Lingyue, so he sought help from the young leader of Shanhai Gang in Glass City and gave him a picture of Ye Lingyue. He asked him to get rid of her. The young leader of the gang assigned Ba Sanquan, who was at the sixth level of body tempering, to be in charge of it. Ba Sanquan had been roaming around the city for a few days. Since people from the manor constantly accompanied Ye Lingyue whenever she went out, he could not find a chance to carry out the plan. Ba Sanquan had a sworn brother, and he was the fat merchant who had planned to blackmail the woman in red using the hundred-year aloes. The fat merchant¡¯s surname was Chen. In Glass City, he was a well-known dishonest merchant and people called him Fatty Chen. Ba Sanquan, on the other hand, was the elder sworn brother of Fatty Chen and a scoundrel in Glass City. Fatty Chen, relying on his relationship with his sworn elder brother, secretly colluded with the Shanhai Gang to do things like robbing traveling merchants. After killing people and robbing the hundred-year aloes, they wanted to make a fortune through it. But who knew that when they were about to scam the woman in red, she suddenly changed her mind; hence, they could only take the aloes back. The two of them had put in so much effort in it that it made them furious. They bumped into Ye Lingyue just when they were in a fit of anger. Recognizing her as the woman the young leader was looking for, they were ecstatic. ¡°Big Brother, this girl is so fair and delicate. Let me have a delightful time with her first before selling her to Brothel.¡± Fatty Chen saw Ye Lingyue¡¯s beautiful face, and he immediately had a lewd expression on his face. The leader mentioned that the young lady of the Ye family was only at the fifth level of body tempering. With Fatty Chen, Ba Sanquan could take her down in two or three moves. ¡°You¡¯re impatient. But we¡¯ll just do as you say. I¡¯ll keep watch outside and won¡¯t let anyone in. Do whatever you want, but remember, don¡¯t torture her to death.¡± Ba Sanquan laughed and walked to the entrance of the alley to stand guard. Fatty Chen was also at the fifth level of body tempering. But since he was a man, it would be easy for him to get rid of a little girl who was visiting the city for the first time. Fatty Chen approached Ye Lingyue step by step. But at that moment, he noticed a strange smile on Ye Lingyue¡¯s lips. A cold flash of light flashed in the middle of the air and something stabbed towards his face. At the entrance of the alley, Ba Sanquan heard Fatty Chen¡¯s scream. Looking into the alley, he saw that Fatty Chen¡¯s left hand had been cut off. ¡°Fatty, what¡¯s the situation?¡± Ba Sanquan looked at Ye Lingyue again, only to find that she did not look as afraid as before. Beside her, a dagger was suspended in mid-air and it looked very strange. ¡°This woman attacked me!¡± Since Fatty Chen¡¯s mind was full of lust, Ye Lingyue¡¯s dagger attacked him. It had cut his left hand off, which left him in pain and fury. Ba Sanquan threw a bottle of healing elixir to Fatty Chen to stop his bleeding. ¡°Big Brother, let¡¯s cut this girl into pieces.¡± Fatty Chen wanted to kill Ye Lingyue at that moment. Though he was fat, he was flexible and was a fifth level body tempering martial arts practitioner. They attacked at the same time, jumping up and using their moves, wanting to take out Ye Lingyue. Ye Lingyue frowned and the flying dagger moved like a snake. ¡®Whoosh!¡¯ It flew past Fatty Chen¡¯s head and Fatty Chen shrank his neck. He could feel a cold sensation on the top of his head, and it turned out that the dagger had sliced his hair off. What a powerful flying dagger! If he had been slow to avoid it, it would have cut his head off. The flying dagger could fight against two people with ease. Moving back and then forward, it prevented Fatty Chen and Ba Sanquan from getting close to Ye Lingyue. Ba Sanquan also saw that the flying dagger was extraordinary. His eyes darkened slightly and there was a crackling sound coming from his right palm. A layer of elementary force that flickered like a flame covered his palm, too. Flame Fist was one of the basic martial arts skills Ba Sanquan had. In his early years in the Glass City, he relied on Flame Fist and killed people without having to throw out three punches. A fierce flame attacked the flying dagger. The fire made up of elementary force trapped the flying dagger. It struggled in mid-air and its attack weakened a lot. Ba Sanquan was like an eagle as he dashed towards Ye Lingyue with a punch. ¡°You¡¯re seeking death.¡± Ye Lingyue clicked her tongue. Her eyes turned cold and with a wave of a hand, she gave the flying dagger a killing order. The flying dagger stabbed Fatty Chen¡¯s heart and got rid of him first. At the same time, her fingers turned into claws and she turned them towards Ba Sanquan. Type eight martial arts skill, Twisting Flower and Crushing Jade. Ba Sanquan felt that a powerful force had trapped his fists. It also seemed to suck him in. The elementary force flame in his fist disappeared almost immediately. Ba Sanquan was like a chick preyed on by an eagle. Ye Lingyue caught him by the hand and her powerful elementary force kept him from moving. A crack resounded and Ba Sanquan¡¯s arms broke into pieces. Then there were several more cracks and Ba Sanquan suddenly kneeled on the ground, having no power to fight back. How could she be at the fifth level of body tempering with such skills? She should be at the seventh or eighth level of body tempering. Looking at Fatty Chen, who was swimming in a pool of blood, Ba Sanquan had no power to fight back. He knew now that the delicate-looking young lady of the Ye family was so vicious. Who was the real bully these days? ¡°Tell me, who sent you?¡± Ye Lingyue kicked Ba Sanquan¡¯s back and he did not know which acupoint she had hit because his entire body twitched in pain. ¡°No one sent me.¡± Ba Sanquan was strong-willed and refused to disclose the person behind their scheme. ¡°If you can, then kill me.¡± His threat did not intimidate Ye Lingyue. She walked next to the dead Fatty Chen. After pulling out the flying dagger from him, she took out a medicine bottle. She poured out a small amount of liquid, and in a moment, Fatty Chen¡¯s body disintegrated at a fast speed. His body turned into a pool of foul water, leaving only his bag behind. ¡°You saw that? If you won¡¯t tell me, you will end up like him.¡± Ba Sanquan sucked in a breath. He was also a dangerous man, but he had never seen such vicious methods. In his eyes, Ye Lingyue was even scarier than the devil. ¡°I¡¯ll say it. I¡¯ll say it all. It¡¯s the Young Master of the Song family, Song Guanyi, from Autumn Maple Town who asked me to do it. He is friends with our young master and asked him to kill you. You better be wise and spare my life, otherwise, our young master who is a Postnatal master won¡¯t let you off. He is a Postnatal master.¡± Ba Sanquan thought that Ye Lingyue would be afraid once she heard the Shanhai Gang leader¡¯s name and let him go. Who knew that Ye Lingyue would raise her hand and swing the dagger down. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you won?¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I will let you go if you told me.¡± After hearing her last words before his death, Ba Sanquan¡¯s body fell limply towards the ground.