A young man and woman were standing alongside one another at the entrance of Seven Stars Town. As they gazed at the streets that were filled with people, they fell into a dazed state.
It had been thirteen years since they left this place, and in that time the town had transformed beyond recognition. The town had gotten much bigger, and it was now bustling with noise.
Seven Stars Town was built to be a satellite town of Seven Stars Sect. In the past, Seven Stars Sect was just an average Second Class Sect, and while it was pretty famous in the surrounding 1,000-kilometre radius, it was basically insignificant beyond that territory.
However, after the Disciple Recruitment where the appearance of the Ancestor sent a shockwave across the entire World, Seven Stars Sect directly became one of the First Class Sects in the Void Continent. Since the Sect was famous now, it could attract more people. As a result, Seven Stars Town became more prosperous.
The young man took a deep breath as he felt somewhat nervous.
Although he had asked Miao Fei Ping, who would go down the mountain from time to time, to send some letters to his Mother and Grandma, and he was aware that they were fine, he hadn’t personally seen it for himself yet.
He was still a young boy when he left home, but he was now an adult who had set off on his journey in the Martial Dao. He wondered if his Mother and Grandma would still recognise him.
“Big Brother Ye Bai,” Zhao Ya seemed able to detect a change in his emotions as she leaned close to him and took his hand.
“Let’s go,” Zhao Ye Bai took a deep breath and shuffled forward alongside Zhao Ya.
Soon, they stopped in their tracks in front of a shop.
Although it was a small place, it was quite bustling. The small number of tables inside the shop were all occupied, and even the tables set up outside were filled. On top of that, many people were waiting in line.
“It’s this place, right?” Zhao Ya looked around as she was uncertain.
She remembered that when they were kids, Uncle Yang would set up his stall here every day. When they were pursued by Miao Fei Ping and other kids, they would sneak under Uncle Yang’s cart and wait until their pursuers were gone before they would dare to come out. After that, Uncle Yang would give them each a sweet rice dumpling, which was the best food in the world to them.
Now, the cart was nowhere to be seen as it was replaced by this shop.
“It’s this place,” Zhao Ye Bai closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. Although thirteen years had passed, he would never forget the familiar smell of the soup and sweet rice dumplings.
According to Miao Fei Ping, his Mother and Grandma had saved some money and bought a shop to sell sweet rice dumplings. Their business was apparently booming.
When he opened his eyes again, Zhao Ye Bai saw two women who were busy at work. One of the women was facing away from them as she was roasting the sweet rice dumplings on a charcoal fire while the other woman was cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks left behind by the customers.
As though sensing something, the woman, who was cleaning up the dishes, looked up at the door.
As their gazes met, Zhao Ye Bai’s eyes reddened while he covered his mouth so that he wouldn’t burst into tears.
The woman was startled for a moment, then her expression was transformed by disbelief. She put down the bowls and walked out of the shop with a shaking figure before extending her hands.
“Xiao Bai?” The woman caressed Zhao Ye Bai’s face as she thought she was dreaming.
“Mother!” Zhao Ye Bai sniffled, “I’m back.”
Grandma, who was busy inside the shop, turned her head and saw the woman hugging Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya, all of them crying tears of joy.
Since Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya were back, they decided to close the shop early. This disappointed the customers who had been lining up to get their hands on the sweet rice dumplings; however, the people in town knew that the proprietress’ children were disciples of Seven Stars Sect, and their Master was the Ancestor of the aforementioned Sect. Hence, even though they were disappointed, they wouldn’t dare to voice their complaints.
When darkness descended upon them, Grandma Zhou and Yu Lu prepared a lot of dishes to celebrate, most of which were wolfed down by Zhao Ye Bai.
“Mother, when Miao Fei Ping said that you haven’t changed one bit over the years, I didn’t really believe him. But now it seems he was telling the truth,” While stuffing food into his mouth, Zhao Ye Bai stared at his Mother in amazement.
Thirteen years had passed, but his Mother still looked exactly the same as how he remembered her to be. It was as though she hadn’t aged a day.
Yu Lu touched her face and shot her son a glance, “I haven’t changed one bit? I look much older now.”
“That’s not true, Aunty Lu.” Zhao Ya shook her head on the side, “I remember that you looked exactly like this when I was a little girl. If we go out together now, no one will believe that we’re Mother and Daughter. They’ll naturally think that we’re Sisters.”
“Stop flattering me, you little ones,” Yu Lu hung her head low and chuckled.
She knew that her beauty might attract some unsolicited attention; therefore, after she sent Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya away to Seven Stars Sect in the past, she always covered her face with a veil when helping Grandma out at the stall. She wouldn’t dare to reveal her countenance in public.
Despite that, she still attracted the attention of some licentious men who passed by. However, anyone who dared to insult or profane her would suffer from all sorts of tragedies before they even stepped out of Seven Stars Town.
Moreover, these were not isolated cases. Once word got out, no one had the guts to say anything impolite to her again. It wasn’t until some time later that she found out her daughter had the luck to become a disciple of the Ancestor of Seven Stars Sect. Yu Lu believed that it was the reason the people from Seven Stars Sect protected her in secret. Those unlucky men must have been taught a lesson by the senior experts from the Sect.
That was the reason she finally had the courage to reveal her face.
“All you care about is your Mother. Have you forgotten about me?” Grandma Zhou seemed displeased.
Zhao Ye Bai hurriedly said, “That’s not true, Grandma. Compared to my Mother, your transformation is simply shocking!”
Zhao Ya kept nodding on the side, “You’ve gotten younger by at least forty years, Grandma!”
When they left home in the past, Grandma Zhou was old and frail. Thirteen years had passed, but Grandma had gotten younger instead of getting older. Her grey hair had turned black, and she no longer had a hunchback. Although she was already over 100 years old, those who were not aware of her real age might think that she was a woman in her fifties or sixties.
“Grandma, what have you and my Mother been eating over the years?” Zhao Ye Bai asked curiously.
As one’s cultivation increased, they might be able to reverse their ageing and remain young for the rest of their life. Nevertheless, Zhao Ye Bai’s Mother and Grandma were obviously mortals who had never cultivated before. The fact that one of them hadn’t changed one bit and the other had gotten younger was beyond his ability to understand.
Grandma burst into laughter, “What else would we eat other than some simple food? Your Mother and I have no idea what’s going on either. Rumours have been going around that our sweet rice dumplings make us stay young. That’s the reason business is going so well.”
“Does it have something to do with the sweet rice dumplings?” Zhao Ye Bai fell into his thoughts.
Grandma picked up some food and re-filled Zhao Ye Bai’s bowl, “Of course it has nothing to do with the sweet rice dumplings. They’re made from ordinary rice. Why would they be able to keep us young?”
Zhao Ya giggled, “I don’t know whether the sweet rice dumplings can keep you young, but I have some fruits that can definitely help prolong your lives.”
Upon finishing her words, she fished out eight Spirit Fruits from her Space Ring. Four of them were given to her Mother and the remaining four were given to Grandma Zhou.
“These fruits are beautiful,” Yu Lu stared fixedly at the Spirit Fruits, whose skin was translucent while rays of light could be seen swirling inside them. Moreover, the fruits exuded an exotic scent that made them seem very appetising.
Grandma Zhou asked, “Where did you get these from? They must be expensive.”
“They grew on a tree on the mountain. I picked them. They’re not valuable at all. Hurry up and eat them, Aunty Lu, Grandma. The fruits are beneficial to you.”
In the meantime, on Constellation Peak of Seven Stars Sect, Miao Fei Ping was all battered and bruised. This Spirit Peak was where the Elder Guan Qian Xing resided.
While running for his life, Miao Fei Ping begged for mercy in a loud voice, “Forgive me, Master! Please stop hitting me! You’re killing me!”
Despite his agility, he was unable to shake off his Master.
Guan Qian Xing was holding a rod while sticking close to Miao Fei Ping like a shadow. As he repeatedly struck his Disciple with loud thuds, he bellowed, “You unfilial brat! Do you know how hard it was for me to nurture that Fruit Tree? It took ten years to blossom, ten years to bear fruits, and another ten years before the fruits matured! There were only eighteen fruits in total, but that little girl directly snatched twelve of them! Do you know the pain I feel? My heart bleeds just thinking about it!”
While covering his head, Miao Fei Ping refuted, “Since you’re aware that it was Zhao Ya who picked the fruits, you should beat her up instead of me!”
Guan Qian Xing snapped, “Beat her up? Would I even dare to!? Moreover, Zhao Ya rarely steps out of Azure Jade Peak! If you hadn’t exposed it to her, she wouldn’t have found out there are such fruits in my place! Of course, I have to beat you up for this!”
Miao Fei Ping was lost for words. Since he was unable to flee, he decided to turn around and fall on his knees. While gazing at Guan Qian Xing with a pitiful face, he cried out, “Master, the fruits are indeed precious, but I’m your one and only Legacy Disciple, should I not be even more valuable? You’ll get new fruits after another thirty years, but if you kill me, where are you going to look for a new Disciple with such exceptional aptitude?”
With the rod raised, Guan Qian Xing fell silent for a moment.
Miao Fei Ping placed his index fingers on the corners of his mouth and pushed up, forcing a smile that was uglier than if he was crying, “Don’t you think I’m right, Master?”
“Nonsense!” Guan Qian Xing struck him again with the rod, “The fruits are really gone, and it’s not like you’ll die after a few hits! Right now I must vent my anger!”
Miao Fei Ping hurriedly got to his feet and dashed out of the mountain. While running away, he yelled, “Sect Master, save me!”
Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya went on to stay in Seven Stars Town for a month.
Rather than talking about the suffering he endured on the mountain, Zhao Ye Bai only told his Mother about the interesting things he had witnessed. He also said that he could now cultivate, so he would definitely become a powerful cultivator one day. Yu Lu attentively listened to him while staring at her children fondly.
She had never expected that, as a widow, she would be able to see her children growing into fine adults. As she reminisced, she couldn’t help recalling the stormy night some twenty years ago. Time flew by so quickly and everything seemed to have just happened the day before.
After a month, Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya were ready to leave.
Their mission was to experience the outside world, so although they were reluctant, they couldn’t stay in Seven Stars Town forever.
At the entrance of the town, Yu Lu and Grandma saw them off while giving them a lot of reminders.
“Come with me, Xiao Ya,” Yu Lu suddenly beckoned to Zhao Ya and walked to the side.
Upon getting close to her, Zhao Ya asked, “What’s wrong, Aunty Lu?”
Yu Lu fished out a handkerchief, which contained something, from her sleeve and passed it to her, “I’ve eaten two of the fruits you’ve given to me and saved the remaining two. If you’re able to meet your Uncle Yang on your trip this time, pass the fruits to him. If you can’t see him… you should just eat the fruits yourself.”
Zhao Ya pushed the fruits back to her, “Aunty Lu, I’ve already saved some fruits for Uncle Yang.”
She had picked twelve fruits from Constellation Peak. Eight of them were given to Yu Lu and Grandma Zhou. The remaining four inside her Space Ring were reserved for Uncle Yang.
“While you’ve saved some for him, these fruits are given to him by me. They’re different,” Yu Lu insisted.
After giving it a thought, Zhao Ya took the two spirit fruits. Following a giggle, she asked, “Aunty Lu, why don’t you come with us to look for Uncle Yang?”
Yu Lu extended her hand and poked the young woman’s forehead, “What nonsense are you talking about, silly girl? While you two can go over, what reason do I have to look for him?”
“If we really come across Uncle Yang, isn’t there something you want to tell him?” Zhao Ya asked.
Yu Lu hung her head low and pondered on it before shaking her head.
The young man and young woman finally set off on their journey. Even after they walked for a long time, once they turned their heads, they could still see two figures staring in their direction from the entrance of the town.
“Xiao Ya, what did my Mother tell you just now?” Zhao Ye Bai asked.
Zhao Ya replied, “Aunty Lu saved two fruits and told me to pass them to Uncle Yang.”
Zhao Ye Bai burst into laughter, “Grandma also saved two fruits and told me to pass them to him.”
“I wonder how Uncle Yang is doing now,” Zhao Ya looked into the distance. Before Uncle Yang departed, he had left behind an address; however, both of them had never heard of the place before. They wondered if they could meet him again during their adventure.
“Xiao Ya, there’s something I’ve always been curious about,” Zhao Ye Bai appeared puzzled as he suddenly thought of something.
“What is it?” Zhao Ya turned to look at him.
Zhao Ye Bai asked, “Do you know what Senior’s name is? We have stayed on the mountain for thirteen years, but I never found out his name.”
Zhao Ya shook her head, “I have no idea either, and Master has never mentioned it. When the Sect Master and Elders visited him, they always called him Ancestor. No one has ever called him by his name.”
Zhao Ye Bai said, “I’ve asked Miao Fei Ping about it before. Although he isn’t clear about it, he heard Elder Guan mention that the surname of Senior is Yang.”
“He shares the same surname as Uncle Yang?” Zhao Ya was surprised.
Zhao Ye Bai put on a grin, “They don’t just share the same surname. Have you ever realised that, just by looking at their backs, Senior and Uncle Yang are very similar?”
Zhao Ya pursed her lips, “But Master is not comparable to Uncle Yang at all.”
One of the men took good care of them as though they were his children while the other man had a distorted personality and would punish Zhao Ye Bai as he pleased. There was no comparison at all…
…
Time passed by and the pair’s horizons were truly broadened as they traveled. They encountered many different people and witnessed lots of interesting incidents along the way.
However, since they had lived on the mountain for a long time, they knew little about Human nature and it was expected that they would suffer a setback from time to time.
During their journey, they had helped the weak and taught bad guys a lesson. There were almost times when they were plotted against and harmed. Zhao Ya’s beauty would also frequently attract unsolicited trouble to them.
There was one time when they were drugged in a bandits’ inn and almost passed out. Upon realising that something was off, Zhao Ya made a decisive move by killing everyone in the inn. As a result, she became unconscious for three days before she awakened.
They started growing up as they gained more experience. It was then they found out the people in the outside world were not as amiable as Uncle Yang and the Seniors on the mountain. They had learned to be careful of the greed and trickery of other people.
Half a year later, they finally arrived at Green Mountain Town.
The reason they’d come to this place was that before Uncle Yang left Seven Stars Town in the past, the address he had left behind was in Green Mountain Town.
It seemed that his home was in Green Mountain Town.
The town wasn’t big, but there were some cultivators moving around. That was because Spirit Sea Temple was located just a few hundred kilometres away from this place. Spirit Sea Temple was considered a First Class Sect in the Void Continent. While the Temple Master was a powerful Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, there were also two Elders in the First-Order Emperor Realm.
Upon entering Green Mountain Town, the pair found an inn and settled down. After that, Zhao Ye Bai excitedly looked for the innkeeper and asked about the whereabouts of Yang Kai, but his efforts were to no avail. Although he was disappointed, he reckoned that they would find Uncle Yang sooner or later since they were in Green Mountain Town.
After a night’s rest, they started moving around the town and making inquiries. Restaurants where people from all walks of life would come together were places they would never miss.
A few days later, they still hadn’t found any useful information as the people in Green Mountain Town had never heard of Yang Kai before.
Zhao Ye Bai thought of looking into the matter by asking about sweet rice dumplings instead; after all, Uncle Yang had learned how to make sweet rice dumplings from Grandma Zhou and had been selling them in Seven Stars Town for years. If he had really returned to Green Mountain Town, he would probably sell sweet rice dumplings again to provide for his family.
By following this trail, Zhao Ye Bai really found out something useful.
He then excitedly returned to the inn and pushed the door open, “Xiao Ya, I know where Uncle Yang is!”
“Have you found him?” Zhao Ya asked with a pleasantly surprised look.
“More or less,” Zhao Ye Bai replied with a smile, “Someone told me that there’s a man who lives in a place about thirty kilometres away from Green Mountain Town. He will come to the town to sell sweet rice dumplings every few days. The appearance and age of that person described to me match those of Uncle Yang.”
“Should we go now?” Zhao Ya gazed at him.
Zhao Ye Bai nodded repeatedly. It had been thirteen years since he last met his Uncle Yang, and he couldn’t wait any longer as he was eager to reunite with him.
They then paid their fees and left the inn before heading in a particular direction.
Zhao Ya was now in the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage. On the other hand, after half a year of adventure, Zhao Ye Bai had achieved a breakthrough to the Qi Transformation Realm.
It only took them an hour to move across thirty kilometres.
The pair came to a place that looked like a village where dozens of families lived by the mountains and rivers. At the entrance of the village was a huge manor, which obviously belonged to a wealthy family.
Since it was dinner time, smoke could be seen billowing from every family’s home.
As soon as Zhao Ye Bai entered the village, he sniffled and became excited, “It’s the smell of sweet rice dumplings. Uncle Yang must be here!”
Zhao Ya nodded repeatedly.
Following the trail of the smell, they arrived at a house. Unable to wait any longer, Zhao Ye Bai shouted, “Uncle Yang! Uncle Yang!”
Upon hearing that, a man in his prime age stepped out of the kitchen and gazed at them in shock, “Who are you looking for?”
Zhao Ye Bai took a step forward and saluted him, “Mister, does Yang Kai live in this place?”
In response, the man shook his head, “I’ve never heard of this person before.”
Zhao Ye Bai was stunned, “Who made these sweet rice dumplings, then?”
“Are you here to buy sweet rice dumplings? I made them,” The man put on a sincere smile.
It was then Zhao Ye Bai examined the man and realised that the latter’s figure and age were indeed similar to those of Uncle Yang.
“Since you love to eat sweet rice dumplings, I’ll give some of them to you,” Upon finishing his words, the man returned to the kitchen. When he reappeared, there were some sweet rice dumplings in his hands as he passed them to Zhao Ye Bai.
Zhao Ye Bai instinctively took them, but he went on to ask, “Mister, have you really not heard of Yang Kai before?”
The man shook his head, “There’s no one in the village with the surname Yang. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the Village Chief about it. His child is a disciple of Spirit Sea Temple, and he’s quite knowledgeable. He knows things that commoners like us don’t.”
As he spoke, he pointed in the direction where the manor was located.
Zhao Ye Bai turned his head to take a glance before nodding, “Thanks for the information, Mister.”
They didn’t take the food for free as they passed the man some money before leaving.
Following that, they arrived at the manor that was in stark contrast to other buildings in the village.
The manor was huge, and could not have been owned by an average businessman. However, since a family member here was a disciple of Spirit Sea Temple, it wasn’t so surprising.
The pair then knocked on the door and waited for a long time before it was opened. A middle-aged man in extravagant clothes stuck out his head and his eyes brightened the moment he saw Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya. He especially couldn’t move his eyes away from Zhao Ya. Even though she had covered her alluring face with a veil to not draw unwanted attention, her demeanour alone was attractive enough to do so.
“Who are you looking for?” The man asked. Although he was an ordinary person who had never cultivated before, he had a family member who was a disciple of Spirit Sea Temple. Since he had come into contact with cultivators before, he wasn’t diffident when facing the people in front of him now.
“Mister, it’s said that you’re knowledgeable, so I’d like to ask you about the whereabouts of a person.”
The man replied with a smile, “I wouldn’t dare to say I’m knowledgeable, but I do know a little more than most people. Who is it that you want to know about?”
It was then Zhao Ye Bai brought up the name Yang Kai.
After giving it a thought with a frown, the man shook his head, “I’ve never heard of this person before.”
Zhao Ye Bai said anxiously, “That’s impossible.”
The man burst into laughter, “I’ve really never heard of him before. I’m familiar with the dozen villages in a radius of 100 kilometres around Green Mountain Town. I’d definitely remember if there was such a person.”
“How could this be?” Zhao Ye Bai appeared dejected. Before Yang Kai departed, the address he had left behind was in Green Mountain Town.
“Are you from Spirit Sea Temple?” The man asked.
Zhao Ya shook her head, “No, we’re from somewhere else.”
“You’re not from Spirit Sea Temple?” The man frowned. He initially thought that they were disciples of Spirit Sea Temple, but it turned out that he was mistaken.
Zhao Ye Bai relentlessly said, “Mister, please give it one more thought. Uncle Yang…”
“I said I don’t know him! Who cares what his name is?” The man was initially friendly, but upon realising that they were not from Spirit Sea Temple, he instantly became impatient.
After saying what he wanted, he shut the door with a loud slam and almost smacked Zhao Ye Bai’s nose.
A hint of ruthlessness flashed through Zhao Ya’s eyes, but as she recalled that the man was just an ordinary mortal, she clenched her teeth and held it in.
“Let’s go, Big Brother Ye Bai. Uncle Yang isn’t here.” Zhao Ya gently pulled Zhao Ye Bai’s arm.
Zhao Ye Bai appeared dispirited as his hope had turned into disappointment. He couldn’t accept the truth.
On the way back to Green Mountain Town, when Zhao Ya saw that Zhao Ye Bai remained sullen and silent, she couldn’t help but placate him by saying, “Since the address left behind by Uncle Yang was in Green Mountain Town, he must be here. We just have to keep looking for him. I’m sure we’ll find him sooner or later.”
“En,” Zhao Ye Bai nodded while looking listless. To him, Uncle Yang was as important as his Mother; both of them were his family members. Since he and Zhao Ya had started cultivating, they were no longer the same little kids they were in the past. It was expected that he wanted to let Uncle Yang enjoy a better life since he was a grown man and a cultivator now.
All of a sudden, Zhao Ya took his hand.
When Zhao Ye Bai turned his head, he saw Zhao Ya looking around with a serious expression. They were in the middle of nowhere, where the grass was tall and the tree leaves swayed with the wind.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in puzzlement.
“There’s a smell of blood!” Zhao Ya furrowed her brows. The next moment, her expression changed drastically as she shouted, “Watch out!”
As soon as she finished speaking, a gentle force exuded from her palm and sent Zhao Ye Bai flying away.
The next instant, a figure abruptly appeared as a sword light slashed across the place where Zhao Ye Bai was initially standing. If Zhao Ya hadn’t pushed him away in time, he would’ve been dead by now.
Zhao Ye Bai fell to the ground and rolled away. When he got to his feet, he saw that Zhao Ya had gotten into an intense battle with the attacker.
The person was holding a sword as he rained fatal attacks down on Zhao Ya.
On the other hand, Zhao Ya wielded her silver spear as she tried her best to counterattack, but she still fell into a disadvantage.
“An Immortal Ascension Boundary Master!” Zhao Ye Bai exclaimed.
He was fully aware of Zhao Ya’s capabilities as she was now in the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage. Moreover, she had been trained by her Master for years, and coupled with her exceptional aptitude, she was able to fight against people above her Realm. However, since the enemy that came out of nowhere could suppress her, there was no doubt that he was in the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Furthermore, he must be in the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage at the very least; otherwise, he couldn’t have suppressed Zhao Ya.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ye Bai noticed that their attacker was injured as his chest was covered in blood. He still seemed to be bleeding and it was this smell of blood that Zhao Ya had detected just now.
“How dare two young brats like you come to provoke me! You won’t leave this place alive!” The man roared through clenched teeth while launching his attacks. Zhao Ya was forced to retreat again and again and it was clear she was having difficulty persevering. The huge gap between their Realms couldn’t be made up for by aptitude alone.
Zhao Ye Bai stood anxious at the side. He had only made it to the Qi Transformation Realm recently, so even though he wanted to help out, there was nothing he could do. If he made a rash move now, he would just become a burden to Zhao Ya instead.
However, upon hearing the person’s words, he soon realised a problem, “Senior, please stop! We only passed by this place by chance! Are you perhaps mistaking us for someone else?”
This man was obviously pursued by some powerful enemies, which was why he was hiding in this place to recuperate. Unfortunately, Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya happened to arrive at this place. It would’ve been all good if they hadn’t discovered anything; nevertheless, the moment Zhao Ya pointed out that there was a smell of blood, this man could no longer keep hiding, which was why he appeared and attacked them.
As expected, the man frowned upon hearing that while his attacks slowed down.
Zhao Ya, who had been at a disadvantage, was slightly relieved, but the next instant, she saw the person charging towards Zhao Ye Bai.
This man was severely wounded, and seeing that he couldn’t defeat Zhao Ya in a short time, he decided to target the weaker Zhao Ye Bai in an attempt to hold him captive and gain control of the situation. He only slowed down his attacks earlier to get Zhao Ya to lower her guard.
The cold light of the sword filled Zhao Ye Bai’s vision and a powerful Divine Sense bound him to the ground, rendering him immobile.
“Die!” Zhao Ya bellowed as her silver spear suddenly radiated a dazzling glow. All her strength was infused into this spear.
The power of the attack far exceeded what could be achieved by the average True Element Boundary cultivator and sent a chill down the spine of the attacker, making it feel as if his soul was about to leave his body.
Unable to keep charging towards Zhao Ye Bai, the man turned around and pushed out his sword.
Blood was seen spurting into the air as the person’s figure was penetrated by Zhao Ya’s spear. He staggered backwards while covering his waist with his hand. With widened eyes, he stared dumbfounded at Zhao Ya.
He had never expected that he would be wounded by a young woman who was only in the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage. No ordinary True Element Boundary cultivator could use the power that she had showcased earlier, so there must be a powerful Master behind her.
The person gritted his teeth and glowered at Zhao Ya. Not daring to get into a prolonged fight with her, he stomped his foot on the ground and disappeared into the forest, leaving behind a trail of blood.
Zhao Ye Bai was reeling from the shock while watching that person leave. Although they had encountered danger a few times during their adventure, this time was definitely the most critical situation of all. Just now, for a moment, he had a feeling that he was at death’s door.
“Are you alright, Big Brother Ye Bai?” Zhao Ya asked caringly.
“I’m fine.” Zhao Ye Bai shook his head, but then his pupils contracted as he stared at Zhao Ya’s left chest, “Xiao Ya, you…”
Zhao Ya put on a smile. Blood streamed out of her chest and dyed her white clothes crimson. Her petite figure staggered for a moment before falling forward.
Zhao Ye Bai dashed forward and supported her weight. He could see that the redness expanded rapidly, which made him feel panicked, like his throat was tightening up, threatening to choke him to death.
“I’m… fine,” Zhao Ya said in a weakened voice.
Zhao Ye Bai was on the brink of bursting into tears. It wasn’t until this moment that he found out that while Zhao Ya had harmed the enemy, she was also injured. Moreover, she was severely wounded.
Upon finishing her words, Zhao Ya closed her eyes as her head slumped to the side.
“Xiao Ya!” Zhao Ye Bai was flustered as his entire figure shook uncontrollably. Fortunately, he could sense that she was still alive and had just passed out because of her injury.
He then hurriedly fished out a healing pill from his Space Ring and stuffed it into her mouth. At the same time, he infused his Yuan Qi into her body in order to help her refine the medicinal efficacies and stop her bleeding.
Zhao Ye Bai knew he shouldn’t stay here any longer. Although that man was defeated by Zhao Ya earlier, he might come back.
Zhao Ye Bai wouldn’t even dare to check on her now as he quickly carried her up and dashed in a different direction.
An hour later, a tiny log house came into his sight.
He had no idea why there was a log house in the middle of the mountain, but he supposed it was a resting place for hunters.
Upon opening the door, Zhao Ye Bai realised there was no one inside; however, this place was obviously cleaned up regularly as there wasn’t even a speck of dust.
The furnishing in the log house was simple, so Zhao Ye Bai gently put Zhao Ya down on the bed and smacked his face with both hands to force himself to calm down. He also took a deep breath before his figure finally stopped shaking.
He extended his hand and placed a finger under her nose and realised that her breathing had stabilised. It seemed that the healing pill had started taking effect.
Nevertheless, when he took a glance at Zhao Ya’s wound, he fell into a dilemma.
She had been injured on the left side of her chest. He had managed to help stop the blood from streaming out of her wound, but it still had to be dressed properly.
However, both of them were no longer children; they were fully grown adults. How was he supposed to help her treat a wound that was on her chest?
Nonetheless, her life was at stake here. If her wound was not dressed, she might lose her life to an infection.
Just when he had made up his mind to make a move, Zhao Ye Bai heard a series of footsteps approaching them.
He suddenly turned his head and yelled, “Who goes there!”
Presently, he was easily alarmed as he was worried that the formidable enemy would pursue them. If that was the case, he wouldn’t be able to ensure Zhao Ya’s safety even if he was willing to lose his life.
The footsteps outside the house came to a halt, and a moment later, a soft voice was heard saying, “Who are you? Why are you in my house?”
It was a woman’s voice!
Zhao Ye Bai quickly calmed himself down and pushed the door open. Lifting his gaze, he saw a woman clad in expensive clothes who appeared to be in her forties. She appeared slightly younger than her age as she had taken good care of her skin; however, there was a tinge of melancholy behind her eyes for some reason.
The woman must be from a wealthy family as the bodyguards behind her were now vigilantly staring at Zhao Ye Bai.
“Seven Stars Town’s Zhao Ye Bai greets Madame.” Zhao Ye Bai respectfully saluted her, “I had no idea that this house belonged to you. Please forgive me for causing any inconvenience.”
The woman examined him and seeing that he was acting politely, she nodded gently, “It’s fine. I don’t use this house often. Since you’re in need of a resting place, you can stay here for a few days.”
Upon finishing her words, she prepared to leave.
She initially decided to come here to get some rest, but since there was an outsider around, it was no longer appropriate for her to do so.
“Madame!” Zhao Ye Bai raised his hand and called out.
The woman turned her head and looked at him doubtfully.
Zhao Ye Bai cupped his fist, “My Sister and I came across a villain just now, and she was injured by him. As a man, it’s not appropriate for me to treat her wound. Will you please lend us a hand, Madame? We would be very grateful.”
“Your Sister is hurt?” The woman was astounded.
Zhao Ye Bai nodded, “She’s inside the house.”
“I’ll have a look,” The woman directly decided to enter the house.
On the other hand, the bodyguards looked cautiously at Zhao Ye Bai and one of them said in a small voice, “Madame, it might be a trap.”
“A life is at stake here,” the woman replied, then led the bodyguards to step into the house. Instantly, a metallic tang came right at their faces.
It wasn’t until the bodyguards saw the frail Zhao Ya on the bed that they believed Zhao Ye Bai’s words.
“Give me some medicine, then all of you should go out,” The woman waved her hand.
Zhao Ye Bai thanked her as he fished out all the necessary items from his Space Ring and put them down beside the bed. It was then he left the house with the bodyguards and closed the door before waiting patiently.
A moment later, someone was heard exclaiming from the house.
A stunned Zhao Ye Bai quickly asked, “What happened, Madame?”
The bodyguards immediately stepped forward in an attempt to barge into the house, but they were forcefully blocked out by Zhao Ye Bai.
“Don’t come in,” the woman was heard saying from the house a moment later. For some reason, her voice sounded shaky as she called out, “I’m fine! I’m fine!”
“Madame, are you really alright?” One of the worried bodyguards asked.
“I said I’m fine!” The woman replied in a firmer tone.
The bodyguards exchanged worried glances. Although they had no idea why the woman cried out just now, they reckoned that they shouldn’t barge in as she had said she was fine. They could only wait patiently.
A while later, the woman in the house said again, “Alright, you can come in now.”
An eager Zhao Ye Bai pushed the door open. When he looked up, he saw Zhao Ya calmly lying on the bed. The woman was just seated beside her as she looked down at her. She didn’t seem to mind the fact that her hands were covered in blood while her gaze was quite gentle.
The strange thing was, Zhao Ye Bai noticed that the woman’s eyes were slightly red, like she had cried earlier.
“I’ve applied some medicine and dressed up her wound. It seems that she’s a cultivator, so as long as she has enough time to recuperate, she’ll be fine,” the woman said.
“Many thanks, Madame!” Zhao Ye Bai cupped his fist as he was evidently relieved.
The woman examined his face for a moment before pretending to be nonchalant as she asked, “You are Brother and Sister? You don’t look alike.”
Zhao Ye Bai replied, “Xiao Ya and I are not biological siblings; however, since we grew up together, we’re just as close as the real Brother and Sister.”
The woman’s eyelashes fluttered as she looked down at Zhao Ya, “Did you offend someone?”
Zhao Ye Bai shook his head, “I have no idea. The reason Xiao Ya and I arrived at this place was to look for a family member, but it was to no avail. When we were about to go back, we came across a formidable enemy. Xiao Ya was hurt because she wanted to save me.”
The woman nodded, “In that case, we can’t stay here any longer. Who knows where the attacker is hiding? Your Sister is now wounded, so she’ll be in danger if that person finds her.”
Zhao Ye Bai replied, “I’ll bring her back to Green Mountain Town now.”
“Green Mountain Town is several dozen kilometres away from here. What if her wound exacerbates during the long journey? If you don’t mind, you can stay at my home for some time. My house is just at the bottom of the mountain, which is not far away from here.”
Zhao Ye Bai appeared to be hesitant and asked, “Will it cause you any trouble?”
He was worried that the enemy might retaliate against them and barge into the woman’s house.
The woman put on a smile, “Don’t worry. To be honest with you, my Son is a disciple from Spirit Sea Temple, and he’s a pretty successful cultivator now. That person would never dare to make a scene in my house.”
Zhao Ye Bai became startled for a moment, “Are you a family member of the Village Chief, Madame?”
She just said that her house was at the bottom of the mountain, which would put it in the village they had visited earlier. There was no way there were two people who were the disciples of Spirit Sea Temple in such a tiny village. If Zhao Ye Bai wasn’t mistaken, the woman should be the Village Chief’s Wife.
As expected, the woman nodded, “That’s right.”
Zhao Ye Bai rose from the chair and cupped his fist, “Many thanks for your righteousness, Madame. I, Zhao Ye Bai, am truly grateful.”
“Don’t be overly polite with me. I have a Daughter who is about the same age as her. If you don’t mind it, you can call me Aunty Mei.”
Zhao Ye Bai nodded and obediently called her Aunty Mei.
It was then that the woman smiled and nodded before she got up, “It’s getting late now. We should be on our way.”
Zhao Ye Bai nodded and carried the unconscious Zhao Ya up before following Zhen Xue Mei, who nervously reminded him to be careful so as not to irritate Zhao Ya’s wound. It appeared that she was even more anxious than Zhao Ye Bai.
As they moved forward, Zhen Xue Mei asked Zhao Ye Bai some questions while he replied to her honestly. Upon learning that it took them half a year to go from Seven Stars Town to this place, she was quite surprised.
Soon, they arrived at the manor that was located at the entrance of the village. Zhen Xue Mei pushed the door open and personally helped settle Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya down in a guest room. Following that, she ordered two clever maidservants to serve them before she returned to her room to get some rest, though she kept looking back as she left.
The candlelight flickered inside the room as Zhen Xue Mei was facing her dressing table. With reddened eyes, she started crying in silence.
A middle-aged man in extravagant clothes pushed the door open. He was the Village Chief, Xu Liang Cai, whom Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya had met some time ago.
There was a dark expression on Xu Liang Cai’s face as he took a seat and poured himself a cup of tea. Upon finishing the tea, he said, “I heard from the servants that you’ve brought two strangers home.”
Zhen Xue Mei fell silent.
Xu Liang Cai landed a fist on the table and yelled, “That’s ridiculous! Those people obviously have some kind of powerful enemy! By bringing them back here, it’s no different from inviting trouble to ourselves! What if their enemy invades our house? Although there are bodyguards here, they’re not very strong. How are they supposed to survive? Do you want our family to be destroyed?”
Looking at him through the reflection of the bronze mirror, Zhen Xue Mei asked, “Husband, do you remember Dong’er?”
Xu Liang Cai’s fury came to an abrupt halt, and then he knitted his brows, “Why did you bring that up all of a sudden?”
Zhen Xue Mei put on a cheerless smile, “She was just five days old when she was dumped on the mountain in the middle of winter. I quickly went to look for her, but I couldn’t find her regardless of how hard I tried. No one knew whether she was taken away by some beast.”
It was Xu Liang Cai’s turn to fall silent now.
Presently, Zhen Xue Mei’s face was covered in tears, “I carried her for ten months of pregnancy before I finally gave birth to her, but you secretly threw her away. How could you be so ruthless?”
Xu Liang Cai let out a sigh, “I had no choice back then. We were poor, so having another baby would put a strain on our finances. How were we supposed to provide for her? I was forced to do it. Now, I can even provide for ten kids, let alone one.”
Zhen Xue Mei sneered, “How much food would a baby need? You were forced to do it? Would you still have the heart to throw her away if she were a boy?”
An impatient Xu Liang Cai snapped, “Many years have passed, and you should put this matter down! Moreover, I looked for her in the past, but how was I supposed to find her when there are so many people in the world? You’re also aware that it was winter when the incident happened. She was just five days old. Even if she was not taken away by some beast, she would’ve been frozen to death.”
“I can never let this matter go!” Zhen Xue Mei said through clenched teeth, “She’s my Daughter!”
“Hao’er is also your child! How much care have you given him over the years? Why can’t you forget a dead person?”
“She is not dead!”
“Enough!” Xu Liang Cai landed his fist on the table again and stood straight up, “I think you’ve gone mad. You always go up the mountain whenever you feel like it. What could there be on that mountain after all those years? What do you think you can find? I’ve never interfered because I feel guilty, but I never expected that you would become so impudent now! Tell those people to scram tomorrow morning, or else I’ll personally chase them out!”
As he spoke, someone was heard knocking on the door from outside.
“What’s the matter?” Xu Liang Cai bellowed.
The servant outside the room replied, “Master, Madame, the Young Master is back, and he’s brought back some of his Fellow Brothers.”
Upon hearing that, Xu Liang Cai became elated as he quickly rose from the chair.
Before he even stepped out of the room, he heard someone calling out in an energetic voice, “Father, Mother, I’m back!”
Following that, a well-built young man stepped into the place.
An agitated Xu Liang Cai clenched the young man’s arms, “It’s really you, Hao’er!”
Xu Hao called out with joy, “Father!”
“That’s great! I’m glad that you’re back.” Xu Liang Cai examined him, “It’s been three years since we last met, and you’ve become stronger. How’s life in Spirit Sea Temple?”
Xu Hao replied with a smile, “Don’t worry, Father. My Master and Senior Brothers treat me very well.”
Xu Liang Cai felt relieved and gratified hearing that.
After Zhen Xue Mei was done with wiping her tears off, she came out and smiled amicably, “You’re back, Hao’er.”
“Mother!” Xu Hao called out excitedly. The Mother and Son then shared some joyous small talk.
Worried that his Son might notice that something was off about Zhen Xue Mei, Xu Liang Cai interrupted them by saying, “I heard from the servants that your Fellow Brothers have come here as well.”
Xu Hao nodded, “Yes. They’re outside right now, so I’ve ordered the chefs to prepare a banquet.”
“They must have helped you out a lot. As your Father, I have to personally thank them. You should come and introduce them to me.”
“Good.” Xu Hao nodded before turning to Zhen Xue Mei, “You should get some rest, Mother. I’ll visit you again tomorrow.”
“Go on,” Zhen Xue Mei looked smilingly at him.
A moment later, Xu Hao introduced his Senior Brothers to Xu Liang Cai. After the introductions were over, they were all seated.
Xu Liang Cai could see that there was a bulging package in front of the Senior Brother who was clearly the leader of this group, and he couldn’t help wondering what was inside.
When Xu Hao introduced his Senior Brothers, he had placed some emphasis on this person. That was the reason Xu Liang Cai found out that this Senior Brother, named Hu Xun, was the most powerful among them, and they all regarded him as their leader.
In fact, Xu Liang Cai was aware of who Hu Xun was even before today, but it was the first time he had met him. That was because Xu Hao had repeatedly mentioned this Senior Brother in the letters that he sent home. He said that this Senior Brother took good care of him in Spirit Sea Temple, and they were Disciples of the same Master. Hence, they were truly Senior and Junior Brothers.
That was the reason Xu Liang Cai was especially fond of Hu Xun. Although he was just an ordinary mortal, he was as hospitable to Hu Xun as possible because of his Son.
“Noble Nephew Hu, if I may ask, what is that?” Xu Liang Cai inquired curiously while looking at the package.
In an instant, the expressions of the people by the table became awkward.
Hu Xun looked smilingly at Xu Hao, who replied in his place, “Father, don’t be afraid, but the truth is it’s a head.”
Xu Liang Cai was stunned, “A head? Whose head is it?”
“It’s the head of a criminal!” Hu Xun explained, “The reason we came down the mountain this time was to hunt down this person. He had committed atrocious crimes in a lot of places, so the Sect Master ordered us to execute him. Upon receiving the order, we left the mountain together. We had exchanged some moves with him before, but this person was indeed powerful. Although we had badly injured him, he had managed to flee. We went on to hunt him down for a few days but to no avail. Not long ago, Junior Brother Xu said that his home was around here, so he proposed we get some rest here before continuing with the hunt. It never crossed our minds that we would come across our target’s corpse in the wild on our way here. Our task was completed just like that. Junior Brother Xu is truly our lucky Star!”
Xu Hao burst into laughter, “I didn’t expect that there would be such a coincidence.”
They still couldn’t believe it when they came across this guy. The target they had spent days tracking suddenly appeared in front of them, and he was already dead.
“I see,” Xu Liang Cai was still reeling from shock, but he wasn’t willing to lose his cool in front of his Son’s Senior Brothers and embarrass him, so he sported a calm expression.
Hu Xun said, “It’s a shame that we have no idea who killed this guy. If we knew, we could have thanked them.”
Xu Liang Cai said, “Noble Nephew Hu, perhaps the injuries you had inflicted on him were so severe that he was unable to recover and that was why he passed away.”
Hu Xun shook his head, “That’s not the case. I examined his wounds and realised that he was killed with a spear. We didn’t inflict such an injury on him when we exchanged moves with him some time ago. The person who had made a move might not be very powerful, but they had good timing. However, I believe that the person who finished him off was also badly injured after killing this thug.”
Xu Liang Cai became startled upon hearing that and muttered, “Could it be them?”
Xu Hao asked curiously, “Who are you talking about, Father?”
After giving it a thought, Xu Liang Cai briefly told them that Zhen Xue Mei had brought back two people from the mountain. He had heard everything from the bodyguards. When Zhao Ye Bai had a chat with Zhen Xue Mei, he talked about a fight previously, which was the reason Xu Liang Cai associated them with the killing of this criminal.
Upon hearing that, Hu Xun and Xu Hao exchanged glances. The former nodded and said, “In that case, I suppose they’re the ones. What a coincidence. Your Mother is a kind-hearted person. The average person might not be willing to bring injured people back to their home.”
Xu Hao put on a smile, “My Mother has always been like that.”
Hu Xun then gazed at Xu Liang Cai, “Sir, since they’re in your house, can you invite them to come over and meet us? It’s thanks to them that we were able to easily complete the task from the Master Sect. I’d like to thank them personally.”
There was a hint of hesitation on Xu Liang Cai’s face, “To be honest with you, it’s not convenient to do so. According to the servants who brought those people back, the woman is severely injured as she’s still unconscious now.”
Hu Xun quickly rose from the chair, “In that case, I’ll have to see her. I have some healing pills with me that might help.”
Seeing that the man was so persistent, Xu Liang Cai found it hard to turn him down and eventually nodded, “Please wait a moment. I’ll make the arrangements.”
Hu Xun cupped his fist, “Many thanks, sir.”
Xu Liang Cai stepped into the inner court and told a maidservant to pass on his word to Zhao Ye Bai, who soon rushed over and cupped his fist, “Zhao Ye Bai greets Sir Village Chief.”
“It’s you!” Xu Liang Cai stared dazedly at the man. He only knew that his Wife had brought two people home with her, but he hadn’t expected that they were the very ones he had met in the morning. He could instantly recognise Zhao Ye Bai when he saw him.
There was an awkward expression on Xu Liang Cai’s face, for he wasn’t very polite to the two of them earlier this morning.
After clearing his throat, he mentioned Hu Xun and the others as well as their suggestion to Zhao Ye Bai, who frowned upon hearing that and said, “Xiao Ya is still unconscious. Moreover, I’ve helped her consume some healing pills already. I thank Senior Brother Hu for his kindness, but it’s not convenient for him to see my Sister at this moment.”
It was then Xu Liang Cai said in a grim voice, “Noble Nephew Zhao, it’s not that I want to force you to do anything just because I’m older, but Noble Nephew Hu is a powerful disciple from Spirit Sea Temple. Since he’s sincere as he wants to express his gratitude, it’s hard for me to turn him down. Moreover, the medicine you have with you might not be as good as his. It will do your Sister no harm to let him have a look.”
Certainly, Zhao Ye Bai wasn’t willing to let anyone disturb Zhao Ya; however, since Xu Liang Cai, the owner of this place, had said so, it was difficult to reject him.
After a moment of deliberation, he nodded, “I’ll thank Senior Brother Hu in advance, then.”
With a smile, Xu Liang Cai patted the other man’s shoulder, “Wait a moment. I’ll tell them to come over now.”
Upon finishing his words, he turned around and left.
A while later, Xu Liang Cai brought two young men to come over. After some introductions, Zhao Ye Bai found out that the older one was the disciple of Spirit Sea Temple that Xu Liang Cai had mentioned, Hu Xun. The younger one was his son, Xu Hao, who was also a disciple of Spirit Sea Temple.
They then saluted one another. Although Hu Xun appeared polite, there was a faint sense of arrogance in his demeanour. Since Zhao Ye Bai was weaker, he was unable to see through the other party’s cultivation. On the other hand, Hu Xun could see at first glance that Zhao Ye Bai was only in the Qi Transformation Realm.
A doubt arose in his heart. [Since this man is so weak, could his companion be any more powerful? Was our target really killed by the two of them?]
“What’s your Sect, Junior Brother Zhao?” Hu Xun asked nonchalantly.
Zhao Ye Bai scratched his head, “I’ve never joined any Sect before.”
It was then Hu Xun came to the realisation that this person must have a terrible aptitude, so no Sect was willing to take him on as a disciple. That was why he only managed to make it to the Qi Transformation Realm at this age.
“What’s the Realm your Sister is in?”
Zhao Ye Bai never hid anything as he replied, “She’s now in the True Element Boundary Ninth-Stage.”
“True Element Boundary Ninth-Stage!” Hu Xun arched his brow. With such cultivation, it was possible that she had managed to kill their target; after all, they had severely injured him previously, so it was reasonable that the woman managed to get lucky and defeat him.
“I heard that your Sister was badly injured during the battle. It so happens that I’ve brought with me some special healing pills made in my Master Sect with excellent medicinal efficacies. May I go in and have a look?”
“This way, Senior Brother Hu,” Zhao Ye Bai extended his hand.
Before they even entered the room, they heard some footsteps approaching them. They turned their heads and saw Zhen Xue Mei emerging from the corner. It seemed that she had rushed over as she was panting heavily.
“What are you doing here?” Xu Liang Cai frowned.
A nervous Zhen Xue Mei replied, “The servants told me that all of you have gathered together here. I had no idea what was going on, so I decided to come over and see for myself.”
Xu Liang Cai said, “It’s nothing serious. Noble Nephew Hu just wants to check on the woman.”
It was then Zhen Xue Mei let out a sigh of relief.
To the side, Xu Hao spoke gently to Hu Xun, who then stepped forward, “Spirit Sea Temple’s Hu Xuan greets Madame.”
Zhen Xue Mei smiled and nodded, “There’s no need to be overly polite with me. Hao’er has repeatedly mentioned in his letters that you take good care of him in the Sect. As his parents, we’d should express our gratitude.”
Appearing to be humble, Hu Xun replied, “I don’t deserve your gratitude, Madame. Junior Brother Xu has an outstanding aptitude, and Honoured Master regards him highly. I’m only older than him by a few years as a Senior Brother, so it’s my duty to take care of him.”
After some small talk, they subsequently entered the room.
A faint smell of blood still lingered in the air, and Zhao Ya was lying there with her eyes closed as her face pale.
Zhao Ye Bai led them to the bed. When Zhen Xue Mei looked down, her eyes reddened in an instant as her eyelashes fluttered.
On the other hand, Xu Hao and the others were stunned as they stared fixedly at the woman on the bed. It wasn’t like they had never seen beautiful women before, but none of them were comparable to the one lying on the bed before them at all. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Zhao Ya’s beauty could cause the downfall of a city. When Zhao Ye Bai and her were travelling across the world, Zhao Ya’s beauty had attracted a lot of unwanted trouble.
After several incidents, she had no choice but to cover her face with a veil, which prevented many conflicts from happening.
Since she was recuperating in bed now though, her face naturally wasn’t covered.
Her pale face gave off a sense of morbid beauty. Any man who saw her in such a state would pity her and hope to become injured and lie on the bed in her stead.
Xu Liang Cai was amazed as well. Although he hadn’t managed to see Zhao Ya’s face in the morning, he had a feeling that this woman was extremely beautiful. When he finally saw her now though, her beauty still greatly surprised him.
At that moment, the room fell dead silent.
Realising that something was off, Zhen Xue Mei said with a frown, “Noble Nephew Hu, didn’t you say you’ve brought some healing medicine from your Master Sect?”
“En, here you go,” Hu Xun came to his senses and quickly fished out a bottle of Spirit Pills from his Space Ring. He was then ready to go over and feed Zhao Ya a pill.
Seeing that, Zhao Ye Bai hurriedly stopped him, “Senior Brother Hu, please leave it to me. I wouldn’t dare to trouble you.”
Hu Xun shot him a glance, but there was no reason for him to insist; therefore, he passed the bottle to Zhao Ye Bai, “Help her take one pill now, and do it again every six hours.”
“I’ll remember,” Zhao Ye Bai nodded, but he didn’t immediately feed a pill to Zhao Ya.
That was because before their departure, Zhao Ya’s Master had passed them a lot of Spirit Pills. Given Senior’s power and status, the medicines that came from him must be the best of the best. Regardless of how useful the Spirit Pills that were given by Hu Xun, there was no way they could be better than what were in Zhao Ye Bai’s possession.
The reason he even accepted this bottle of pills was that he didn’t want to offend Hu Xun.
In order to change the subject, Zhao Ye Bai hurriedly asked, “Senior Brother, given your vision, can you tell how badly injured Xiao Ya is?”
After examining her for a moment, Hu Xun replied, “Her aura is stable, and her vitality is ample. I believe she’ll be fine. However, I’ll need to carry out a thorough examination on her to find out more.”
“Please check on her now then, Noble Nephew Hu,” Xu Liang Cai said. As a sly old man, he could easily tell Hu Xun’s intentions.
Zhen Xue Mei furrowed her brows, “It’s not appropriate for a man to inspect an unconscious woman’s body.”
Xu Liang Cai shot her a glare, “What do you know? Unlike ordinary people like us, cultivators wouldn’t be bothered about such trifles.”
“I don’t think it’s a trifle. Men and women who are not family members are not supposed to come into contact,” Zhen Xue Mei refuted sternly.
Xu Liang Cai had never expected that his Wife would embarrass him in front of such important guests, so his face had reddened with exasperation.
Just then, a weakened voice was heard calling out, “Big Brother Ye Bai…”
When they turned their heads, they saw that Zhao Ya’s lashes were fluttering. Her clear eyes opened the next moment and seemed to become an abyss that could trap the gazes of all the men present.
“Xiao Ya!” Zhao Ye Bai quickly took a seat beside her and touched her forehead before appearing relieved, “You’re finally awake.”
To the side, Zhen Xue Mei shook slightly. It seemed that she wanted to step forward, but she stopped herself from doing so in the end.
Zhao Ya nodded slightly, then gazed at the people beside the bed with vigilance, “Who are they?”
Zhao Ye Bai comforted her by saying, “Don’t worry. They’re not bad people.”
He then went on to introduce these people to her.
Only after he was finished did Zhao Ya nod, “I’m fine. I just need some time to recuperate.”
Hearing that, Zhen Xue Mei hurriedly said, “Young Lady, please get some rest and don’t worry about anything. We’ll take our leave now.”
Without responding to her, Zhao Ya closed her eyes.
Seeing that, they could only leave with Zhen Xue Mei. Zhao Ye Bai saw them off and returned to the room.
Xu Liang Cai brought Hu Xun and Xu Hao back to the banquet. As they drank more wine, the atmosphere became merry.
The banquet ended in the middle of the night as they returned to their rooms to get some rest.
The next morning, the people of Spirit Sea Temple came together. Hu Xun, as their leader, said, “All of you should take the criminal’s head back to the Master Sect first. Junior Brother Xu doesn’t come back home frequently, so he’ll stay here for a bit longer.”
“What about you, Senior Brother Hu?” Someone asked.
Hu Xun replied, “During our mission, I sensed a turning point in my cultivation, so I want to spend some time comprehending it. This place is peaceful and serene, which suits my needs. I’ll remain here for a short time. Go back now and tell my Master about it.”
“Yes,” they all agreed immediately.
After seeing his Fellow Brothers of Spirit Sea Temple off, Hu Xun turned his gaze to Xu Hao, “Junior Brother Xu, how have I treated you over the years?”
Xu Hao replied firmly, “Other than my parents, Senior Brother Hu has treated me the best. You were the one who took care of me when I first joined the Sect. I’ll never forget the favour you’ve shown me.”
With a gratified expression, Hu Xun patted the other man’s shoulder, “I know you’re a grateful person. I’ve always focused on Martial Dao, so although I’ve come of age, I’ve never considered getting myself a partner. However, life is full of surprises. Since the right woman has appeared, I should give it a serious thought. Will you lend me a hand, Junior Brother?”
“Do you have your eyes on that woman, Senior Brother?” Xu Hao wasn’t a fool. Although Hu Xun had never made it clear, Xu Hao could understand what the other man was trying to say.
Anyway, no man wouldn’t be tempted by such an alluring woman. Last night, he was in a dazed state while cultivating as he couldn’t help thinking about the woman’s slightly pale face. Although the woman was clearly older than him by a few years, cultivators typically enjoyed a very long life; hence, the difference in their age didn’t matter.
If he was able to marry such a woman, Xu Hao was willing to pay half of his lifespan in exchange.
However, at this moment, Hu Xun was expressing his thoughts right in front of him.
Xu Hao was displeased and furious as someone else had his eyes on the woman he was interested in; nevertheless, when he was facing this Senior Brother, who had been taking care of him since he was a young kid, he had no way to vent his anger.
“Junior Brother, if you can lend me a hand and make it happen, I’ll put in a good word for you in front of Honoured Master. I’ll ask him to teach you the second part of the Tempest Art.”
Xu Hao was immediately tempted.
Although he was also a disciple of Spirit Sea Temple, his status was not comparable to that of Hu Xun. While Hu Xun was a Core Disciple in Spirit Sea Temple, Xu Hao was a less important Common Disciple. That was why Hu Xun was the leader that was in charge of the mission they were given by the Master Sect.
Over the years, he had only cultivated the first part of the Tempest Art and made it to the Third-Order True Element Boundary. In order to improve his cultivation, he had to get the second part of the Tempest Art.
However, his Master didn’t seem to have the intention of teaching it to him any time soon as he still wanted to give him more tests. This mission was one of the tests.
If Hu Xun was willing to put in a good word for him, Xu Hao could easily get the second part of the Tempest Art.
There wasn’t a lack of beautiful women in the world, but there was only one Tempest Art. Moreover, even if he competed with Hu Xun, he might not be the one who would marry the woman in the end.
Although he wasn’t really willing to give up, Xu Hao soon made up his mind and nodded, “Senior Brother, you’ve treated me like a real Brother all this time. If there’s any way I can help, just tell me right away.”
Hu Xun smiled and nodded before patting the other man’s shoulders, “You’re indeed my good Junior Brother. That woman is severely wounded, so it will take her a month or two to recuperate. En, help me find out about her background first.”
A curious Xu Hao asked, “That guy named Zhao Ye Bai said he hasn’t joined any Sect. I suppose the two of them had started cultivating due to some opportunity.”
Hu Xun replied, “That’s just what he said, we’d better find out more first.”
“Alright. Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I’ll look into it.”
In the next few days, Zhao Ya stayed in the room to recuperate. Zhen Xue Mei would visit her every day and stay for a few hours each time. She would talk to Zhao Ya when the latter was awake, and she would keep guard by her side when she was asleep.
On the other hand, Zhao Ye Bai felt apologetic as he thought that they had been troubling Zhen Xue Mei.
During this period of time, Xu Hao once brought Hu Xun to look for Zhen Xue Mei. They also visited Zhao Ya while they were there.
However, after that, Zhen Xue Mei would make sure to meet them outside the room whenever they came. She wouldn’t allow them to disturb Zhao Ya.
During Zhao Ya’s thirteen-year stay on Azure Jade Peak, her cultivation had been deliberately suppressed by Yang Kai, but while her cultivation improved slowly, her physique had been significantly improved.
Just like Zhao Ye Bai, her physique was one of the strongest among the cultivators in the same age and Realm; however, her frail-looking figure could easily fool others.
Although she was severely injured, it only took her five days to get out of bed, and it only took her another few days to start walking.
While her strong physique contributed to her rapid recovery, the Spirit Pills given by Yang Kai were another reason.
Following Hu Xun’s order, Xu Hao had asked his mother some indirect questions and found out more about Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya. Nevertheless, they rarely revealed any personal information, so the information Xu Hao could get was limited as well.
“They’re from Seven Stars Town?” Hu Xun frowned as the candlelight flickered in the room.
“Although I’ve never heard of Seven Stars Town before, I know a thing or two about Seven Stars Sect. It’s said that they were still a Second Class Sect in the past; then, all of a sudden, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master became their Ancestor. That’s how they instantly became a First Class Sect.”
Hu Xun nodded, “I’m aware of that as well. I suppose Seven Stars Town relies on Seven Stars Sect to exist.”
“In that case, they’re probably the disciples of Seven Stars Sect.”
Hu Xun gently knocked on the table, “That guy has a terrible aptitude as he’s only in the Qi Transformation Realm at such an age. He might be speaking the truth when he said that he has never joined any Sect. He probably has nothing to do with Seven Stars Sect. On the other hand, Zhao Ya might be from Seven Stars Sect. However, even if it’s true, she must be a Common Disciple.”
Xu Hao bowed his head, “You have a point, Senior Brother.”
Zhao Ya was older than him by a few years, but she was only in the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage, so he supposed that her aptitude was no better than his. Even if she was really a disciple from Seven Stars Sect, she wouldn’t be an important figure.
Following that, Xu Hao fawned over him by saying, “Given your cultivation and status, Zhao Ya is extremely lucky to have gained your favour.”
Hu Xun shook his head, “But that woman is pretty cold and dispassionate. It won’t be easy to win her heart.”
Over the past few days, they had been trying to come into contact with Zhao Ya, but during their rare encounters, she always sported an indifferent expression and wouldn’t even spare them a glance. On the other hand, she seemed very concerned about Zhao Ye Bai, which infuriated Hu Xun.
As a Core Disciple of Spirit Sea Temple, he managed to make it to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage at such a young age. In the Sect, he was always surrounded by Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters. There had never been a woman who dared to treat him coldly.
“Let’s not forget about your Mother,” Hu Xun glared at him as he spoke.
For some reason, Zhen Xue Mei had always stayed by Zhao Ya’s side in the past few days, which made Hu Xun unable to reveal his charm in front of the alluring woman.
There was a meek expression on Xu Hao’s face as he changed the topic by saying, “Zhao Ya has recovered pretty quickly. Despite her injury, she could start walking after a few days.”
Hu Xun said coldly, “I can’t stay here for a long time as we need to head back to the Master Sect as soon as possible. No one will be able to take responsibility if Honoured Master blames us.”
“What should we do, then?” While secretly taking pleasure in the other man’s misfortune, Xu Hao never revealed any emotions on his face. Although he didn’t have a chance to get Zhao Ya, he wouldn’t want to see Hu Xun getting together with her either. Returning to the Sect without achieving anything would be the best outcome for him.
There was a dark expression on Hu Xun’s face as a sense of coldness flashed through his eyes, “In that case, I’ll have to go hard on her. A woman will become obedient after she’s bedded.”
Xu Hao was stunned, “Senior Brother, you…”
Hu Xun said grimly, “You have to help me, Junior Brother.”
Upon hearing that, Xu Hao became anxious.
The next day, Zhen Xue Mei was talking to Zhao Ya in the room, and as usual, she was the one who did all the talking while Zhao Ya listened in silence.
Certainly, Zhen Xue Mei could see that Zhao Ya wasn’t paying attention to her, but she didn’t mind it. Fortunately, Zhao Ye Bai would join the conversation from time to time.
Whenever that happened, Zhao Ya would be all ears as she smiled with her mouth covered.
Just then, footsteps were heard rapidly approaching them. They turned their heads and saw Xu Hao rushing over.
“Hao’er!” Zhen Xue Mei rose from the chair, “What are you doing here?”
Xu Hao replied with a smile, “Father wants to see you, Mother.”
“Your Father is looking for me?” Zhen Xue Mei was surprised.
Xu Hao nodded, “Yes. I don’t know what the matter is, but he seems anxious.”
Zhen Xue Mei furrowed her brows, but she soon set herself at ease. She then said to Zhao Ya and Zhao Ye Bai, “Get some rest now. I’ll have a look.”
Zhao Ye Bai got up and said, “See you later, Aunty Mei.”
After she was gone, Zhao Ye Bai cupped his fist at Xu Hao, “We’re sorry for troubling you these past few days, Senior Brother Xu. Xiao Ya has mostly recovered, so we’ll be leaving soon.”
“You’re leaving so soon?” Xu Hao was shocked as he took a glance at the dispassionate Zhao Ya. He wasn’t willing to part ways with her.
Zhao Ye Bai nodded, “The reason we’ve come all the way here is to look for someone. Unfortunately, we haven’t had any clues yet, so we’ll have to keep searching.”
Xu Hao subconsciously nodded.
“This Hu can lend you a hand if you’re trying to look for a specific person; after all, this area is the territory of Spirit Sea Temple. If the two of you don’t mind, you can come to Spirit Sea Temple with me. I’ll definitely find the person you’re looking for.” Hu Xun’s voice was heard coming from outside. The next moment, he stepped into the room.
Zhao Ya slightly narrowed her eyes as she turned her face away.
On the other hand, Zhao Ye Bai frowned. This was Xu Hao’s home, so he could be forgiven for coming into the room without invitation; however, Hu Xun had crossed the line by doing so. With that said, Zhao Ye Bai wasn’t someone who liked to make things difficult for others, so he still politely cupped his fist, “Senior Brother Hu.”
Hu Xun didn’t even spare him a glance as he stared fervently at Zhao Ya as though he wanted to eat her alive, “Are you willing to come back to Spirit Sea Temple with me, Sister Zhao Ya?”
Zhao Ya didn’t even lift her gaze as she said coldly, “Scram!”
Hu Xun’s expression changed, then he took a deep breath and put on a grin, “Sister Zhao Ya, you’re a beautiful and intelligent woman, so I don’t believe you haven’t realised my feelings for you. Although I’ve met countless women in the past, you’re the only one who could make me fall in love. I sincerely want you to come to Spirit Sea Temple with me. Don’t worry, I’ll ask my Master to hold a wedding for us. We’ll live together forever, and you’ll be my only woman.”
Zhao Ye Bai was dumbfounded upon hearing that as he had never expected that a man could speak to a woman like that. This was something completely new to him.
At the same time, he felt displeased in his heart as he had the urge to beat someone up for the first time. He initially had a good impression of Hu Xun, but looking at him now, he just felt that the man was despicable and hideous.
“I told you to get out. Are you deaf or what?” Zhao Ya finally lifted her eyes. Her gaze was like an ice sheet that had been frozen for thousands of years.
Hu Xun let out a sigh, “Since you’ve refused a toast, you must drink a loss. Junior Brother Xu!”
There was a conflicted expression on Xu Hao’s face, but the next moment, he subdued Zhao Ye Bai.
A dumbstruck Zhao Ye Bai called out, “Senior Brother Xu?”
Xu Hao appeared guilty as he lugged Zhao Ye Bai away in silence.
A loud bang was heard coming from behind Zhao Ye Bai as Zhao Ya and Hu Xun exchanged moves. Seeing that Zhao Ye Bai was captured, she wanted to save him, but the well-prepared Hu Xun wouldn’t let her succeed.
After intercepting her, Hu Xun said, “If you’re obedient, Zhao Ye Bai will be fine; however, if you resist, I can’t guarantee whether that brat will survive.”
“I’ll rip your corpse into 10,000 pieces if Big Brother Ye Bai loses a single strand of hair,” Zhao Ya shot him a piercing glance.
Hu Xun roared, “Why are you so concerned about such a useless waste? I was already a True Element Boundary Master at his age, but he’s only in the Qi Transformation Realm! Only this Hu has the right to spend the rest of his life with you!”
“You’re the waste here!” Zhao Ya sneered as she extended her hand and summoned a silver spear before pointing it at him, “Tell Xu Hao to send Big Brother Ye Bai back, and I’ll spare your life.”
Hu Xun let out a sigh, “Since you’re so obstinate, don’t blame me for not treating you gently.”
Outside the court, Zhao Ye Bai sighed, “What’s the point of him doing all this?”
After lugging him out of the court, Xu Hao directly released him. He didn’t intend to restrict him in any way. Given the fact that he was a True Element Boundary Master, Zhao Ye Bai could never make a scene in front of him.
As he listened to the noises of the battle and sensed the clashes of powers, he felt bitter in his heart; after all, the alluring woman would belong to Hu Xun in just a moment.
When he turned his head and saw Zhao Ye Bai looking all calm, he frowned, “Aren’t you worried about Zhao Ya?”
A puzzled Zhao Ye Bai asked, “What’s there to worry about?”
On top of numerous healing pills, the pair had also brought two Artifact Armours with them when they left Azure Jade Peak to venture into the outside world.
Those Artifact Armours were given to Zhao Ya during the Disciple Recruitment of Seven Stars Sect in the past. At that time, Yang Kai kept those gifts for her.
It wasn’t until she had to leave the mountain that he gave some of the artifacts back to her.
However, both Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya had never thought about putting the artifacts on all along. They didn’t want to rely on any external aids during their journey as they wanted to push their limits and test themselves.
A few days ago though, Zhao Ya was severely injured, and she still hadn’t fully recovered even now. Worried that something might happen while she was in a weakened state, Zhao Ye Bai told her to put on her Artifact Armour.
Naturally, Zhao Ya wouldn’t disobey him.
The Artifact Armour was made by an Elder from Seven Stars Sect who was in the Dao Source Realm, so it was extremely valuable to a cultivator in the True Element Boundary. One could be well protected by putting it on. Even someone in the Transcendent Realm would not be able to harm Zhao Ya, not to mention that Hu Xun was only in the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Perhaps only people in the Origin Returning Realm and Origin King Realm could break through the defensive power of the Artifact Armour.
Xu Hao was dumbfounded as he gazed at Zhao Ye Bai. He couldn’t believe that such a person existed in the world. His Sister hadn’t fully recovered, and she was now locked in an intense battle with a stronger foe. If she was defeated, her modesty would be violated; however, this man was not anxious at all.
All of a sudden, Zhao Ye Bai appeared worried, “Xiao Ya hasn’t recovered yet. Her wound would be irritated by making a move.”
“That’s all you’re worried about?” Xu Hao thought that there must be something wrong with this guy’s head as the latter hadn’t realised the severity of the matter.
After giving it a thought, Zhao Ye Bai replied in a nervous tone, “Xiao Ya has a rather ruthless personality. I hope she doesn’t kill Senior Brother Hu.”
At that moment, Xu Hao no longer wanted to talk to him.
Just then, Xu Liang Cai and Zhen Xue Mei rushed over and a flustered Xu Liang Cai asked, “Hao’er, what’s going on?”
He was perplexed when Zhen Xue Mei looked for him just now. Before they could figure out what their son was up to though, they heard the noises of a battle, which was why they rushed over.
There was a meek expression on Xu Hao’s face as he blocked the entrance of the court, “Nothing. It’s just that Senior Brother Hu wanted to exchange some pointers with that young lady.”
“Exchange pointers?” Zhen Xue Mei’s expression changed, “That’s ridiculous! Xiao Ya hasn’t recovered yet, so how is she able to exchange moves with another person? Why didn’t you stop them, Hao’er?”
Upon finishing her words, she was ready to rush in and stop them.
“Mother!” Xu Hao steadfastly blocked the entrance as he pressed his lips together and shook his head.
Zhen Xue Mei’s face turned pale as she gazed at her son’s guilty-looking eyes.
It was apparent that the people in the court were not exchanging pointers.
Upon that realisation, Xu Liang Cai furrowed his brows.
Certainly, he was not pleased with Hu Xun’s action in his house, but that man was his son’s Senior Brother after all, and Xu Hao’s future hinged on him. Hence, despite his displeasure, he wasn’t willing to interfere in the matter.
To him, both Zhao Ya and Zhao Ye Bai were just strangers, so their life or death had nothing to do with him.
“In that case, we’ll just let them do whatever they want,” Xu Liang Cai said, then motioned to his Wife to stay out of it.
On the other hand, Zhen Xue Mei’s face was as pale as a white sheet while she clenched her son’s arms and begged, “Hao’er, stop your Senior Brother right now! Xiao Ya is still injured, she can’t fight with him!”
Xu Hao hung his head low and replied in a small voice, “Mother, I have no right to change Senior Brother Hu’s decision.”
“Why are you trying to interfere in the matter between the two of them? Go back now.” Xu Liang Cai extended his hand to pull Zhen Xue Mei, who flung his hand away.
With a despondent expression, she gazed at Xu Hao and said anxiously, “Hao’er, I don’t want anything to happen to Xiao Ya. Please tell your Senior Brother not to do this. You’re his Fellow Brother after all. I’m sure he’ll listen to you!”
Xu Hao shook his head with a helpless smile, “Mother, you have no idea about my Senior Brother’s temperament. Once he has made a decision, no one else can change his mind other than our Master.”
Xu Liang Cai clenched her arm and snapped, “Why are you being so meddlesome in other people’s affairs!? It’s completely normal that cultivators exchange pointers, so why are you making a scene here?”
“Don’t touch me!” Zhen Xue Mei flung his hand away again and attempted to step into the court, “I’ll stop them myself then!”
Following that, a loud noise was heard as Xu Liang Cai slapped across her face. He said through clenched teeth, “You wench! Will you only be happy by making our son lose his footing in Spirit Sea Temple!?”
Zhen Xue Mei covered her face and stared at him while feeling heartbroken. With her tears sliding down her face, she said in a shaking voice, “What do you know? What do you know!? You know nothing!”
Xu Liang Cai’s face fell, “I don’t have to know anything. Hao’er, take your Mother away.”
Zhen Xue Mei gritted her teeth and roared, “The woman in that court is your Daughter!”
Xu Liang Cai’s expression turned from furious to stunned while Xu Hao and Zhao Ye Bai were dumbstruck.
They stared at Zhen Xue Mei as they couldn’t believe what they had just heard.
As soon as Zhen Xue Mei finished shouting, she collapsed to the ground and wailed, “She is Dong’er!”
“W-What nonsense are you spouting?” Xu Liang Cai was trembling as he pointed at her.
Zhen Xue Mei covered her face with both hands as her tears uncontrollably streamed out of her eyes, “There’s a pink birthmark shaped like a plum blossom on her left shoulder. Although many years have passed, I still remember it clearly. There’s no way there’s another person with the same birthmark. Moreover, her facial features are similar to mine, or are all of you just blind?”
Xu Liang Cai staggered as though he had been struck by a hammer. His face turned pallid in an instant.
Disbelief was written all over Xu Hao’s face as he muttered, “She’s my Big Sister? Isn’t she supposed to be dead?”
Zhen Xue Mei explained, “She was injured previously. I saw the birthmark when I dressed her wound. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him,” She then pointed at Zhao Ye Bai.
Xu Liang Cai and Xu Hao turned to look at him at the same time.
A flushing Zhao Ye Bai replied, “Yes, there’s a birthmark on her left shoulder. It looks like a pink plum blossom.” He had seen it when they were little kids, but he never saw it again after they became adults.
“Aren’t you her Brother?” Xu Liang Cai was astounded.
Zhao Ye Bai explained, “We grew up together, but we’re not biological siblings. According to my Mother, a few days after I was born on a particularly stormy night, she heard a baby crying outside our house. When she opened the door, she saw Xiao Ya lying on the ground. She was wrapped in a piece of cloth at that time. Xiao Ya is aware of that as well.”
“How old are you now?” Xu Liang Cai asked.
“Twenty years old.”
The colour drained from Xu Liang Cai’s already pale face.
There was also a great storm on the day he dumped the child on the mountain. It was just like what Zhao Ye Bai had described.
Moreover, now that he thought about it, Zhao Ya’s facial features were indeed similar to those of Zhen Xue Mei, but they hadn’t paid attention to it previously.
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner!?” Xu Liang Cai stomped his foot on the ground.
Zhen Xue Mei couldn’t stop crying, “She was discarded in the mountains to die when she was a baby. Now that she’s a grown woman, what right do I have to say anything?”
She had never intended to expose this secret to anyone. In fact, she was already gratified that her daughter had grown up to be a beautiful young woman instead of being killed as a baby. She wouldn’t dare to ask for more.
Back then, she asked some people to build a log house on the mountain where the child was abandoned. She would stay in that house from time to time, and as she recalled that it was in that place where her child might have been taken away by some beast as a meal, she felt heartbroken and guilt-ridden.
Twenty years had passed, and she had found her child in the exact same place.
There was a moment when she thought that it was fate.
The Xu Family members sported different expressions, and it wasn’t until this moment that Zhao Ye Bai realised why Zhen Xue Mei had been so concerned about Zhao Ya as she would keep her company for a few hours every day.
He now knew that she had recognised her daughter when she was dressing the wound for Zhao Ya.
That must be the reason she exclaimed in the log house at that time.
[Xiao Ya has found her biological parents!] Zhao Ye Bai couldn’t help but put on a grin. He supposed it was good news.
“Hao’er, stop your Senior Brother now! She’s your Big Sister! It’s not too late yet!” Zhen Xue Mei looked pleadingly at her son.
Xu Hao nodded and shuffled towards the court.
Just then, a blast of wind spread around from the court as Xu Hao staggered backwards upon impact, widening his eyes and exclaimed, “Immortal Ascension Boundary!”
The clouds in the sky suddenly darkened as deafening thunder was heard.
World Energy Baptism!
This was a precursor to someone breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary. Of the two people in the court, Hu Xun was in the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage, so he wasn’t the cause of this phenomenon. The only possibility was that Zhao Ya was breaking through!
As lightning struck, the aura of the Immortal Ascension Boundary spread out wildly. The noises of the battle in the court intensified as Hu Xun could be heard crying out.
Xu Hao had no idea what was going on inside, and although he wanted to have a look, he was unable to even approach the courtyard.
An incense stick later, the noises slowly subsided.
Half of the manor had been destroyed from the fallout of the battle. Xu Hao immediately rushed towards the battlefield, and what came into his sight caused his pupils to contract.
There was a figure, whose white clothes were stained with blood, standing on the chaotic battlefield with a spear in her hand. Blood was seen dripping from the tip of the silver spear. In front of her, Hu Xun was leaning against the wall as he covered his own throat with both hands. His figure was battered and there were countless wounds all over his body. He was no longer able to speak as blood continuously streamed through the gaps of his fingers. With his eyes widened, he still seemed to be longing for life.
Xu Hao was flabbergasted.
Not only was Hu Xun defeated, but it also seemed that he wouldn’t survive.
The sight was unbelievable to Xu Hao.
It had to be noted that Hu Xun was in the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage while Zhao Ya had just achieved a breakthrough to the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
[How? How is it possible that Hu Xun was defeated?]
The next moment, Xu Hao felt a dense murderous intent fall on him like a tsunami. He instantly felt cold all over his body as though he had fallen into an ice cave.
A cold light expanded before his eyes and blinded his vision.
Zhao Ye Bai, who arrived just in time, hurriedly shouted, “Xiao Ya, stop! He’s your Brother!”
A gale swept past Xu Hao’s face as a spear point came into contact with his forehead, drawing a trickle of blood. His vision refocused as he could finally see that Zhao Ya was standing just three steps away from him while her spear was literally pressed against his head.
He was instantly drenched in cold sweat as he had just escaped from death’s door.
If Zhao Ye Bai hadn’t shouted in time, Xu Hao would’ve turned into a corpse by now. It was then he realised it wasn’t a joke when Zhao Ye Bai said Zhao Ya had a ruthless temperament.
“Xiao Ya!” Zhen Xue Mei wailed and rushed over before clenching her daughter’s arms. She appeared anxious as she examined her, “Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
There was a conflicted expression on Xu Liang Cai’s face as he glanced at Zhao Ya, but his attention was soon attracted to the dying Hu Xun. His expression changed drastically as he exclaimed, “Hao’er, check on your Senior Brother, now!”
Following a nod, Xu Hao dashed towards Hu Xun and inspected his wounds.
Zhao Ya’s surging murderous intent instantly dissipated the moment Zhao Ye Bai called out to her. With a caring gaze, she asked, “Are you alright, Big Brother Ye Bai?”
“I’m fine,” Zhao Ye Bai shook his head.
“What were you talking about just now?” Zhao Ya appeared puzzled.
Zhao Ye Bai parted his lips for a moment before letting out a sigh, “Xiao Ya, if I’m not mistaken, Aunty Mei is your Mother, and Uncle Xu is your Father. Also, Xu Hao is your younger Brother.”
“Mother?” Zhao Ya’s pupils contracted as she looked dazedly at Zhen Xue Mei. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
Like the pearls after the string snapped, Zhen Xue Mei’s tears slid down her face as she nodded repeatedly, “My child, I’m your Mother!”
In an instant, Zhao Ya’s mind descended into chaos; after all, she had just finished a life-and-death battle, and all of a sudden someone firmly claimed to be her Mother. She couldn’t wrap her head around the idea.
She wouldn’t have believed it if someone else had said it, but she would never doubt whatever Zhao Ye Bai told her.
“When you were injured previously, Aunty Mei was helping to dress your wound in the log cabin. That was when she saw the plum blossom birthmark on your left shoulder. Aunty Mei’s Daughter has the same birthmark. Moreover, your age matches that of her Daughter.” Zhao Ye Bai sighed.
Zhao Ya stared dazedly at the weeping Zhen Xue Mei. All of a sudden, she recalled that the older woman had said she had a daughter who was about the same age as her.
However, during Zhao Ya’s stay in this place, she had never seen this daughter that Zhen Xue Mei had mentioned before. She wasn’t a prying person though, so she had never asked about it.
It now seemed that she was the daughter that Zhen Xue Mei had talked about.
“I’m sorry, Xiao Ya. I didn’t take good care of you,” Zhen Xue Mei felt as if she would never stop crying.
Zhao Ya’s eyes slowly reddened as well. Staring at the woman in front of her, she called out gently, “Mother…”
Zhen Xue Mei covered her mouth as she sobbed. She had been waiting for twenty years to hear her daughter call her ‘Mother’. Now that her wish had been granted, she felt she could die with no regrets.
On the other hand, Xu Liang Cai was standing beside Hu Xun as he appeared apprehensive. Although Xu Hao infused his power into Hu Xun’s body in an attempt to save him, his efforts were in vain.
Initially, Hu Xun could still make some gurgling sounds through his throat, but just a while later, he fell silent as he widened his eyes. His hands went limp as his vitality dissipated.
Xu Hao slowly got to his feet, his face as pale as a sheet.
“He’s dead?” As if struck by lightning, Xu Liang Cai staggered backwards and fell on his bottom, “It’s over… It’s all over!”
Hu Xun was killed in his house, and the murderer was the daughter he had abandoned twenty years ago. There was no way those from Spirit Sea Temple would let them off. Not only was Xu Hao’s future destroyed, but their entire family was also doomed.
He suddenly got up and charged towards Zhao Ya before angrily slapping across her face.
Following a loud slap, a red mark appeared on Zhao Ya’s face.
“Look what you’ve done!” Xu Liang Cai was infuriated.
“What are you doing!?” Zhen Xue Mei quickly stood in front of Zhao Ya and spread her arms like a hen protecting her chick.
Xu Liang Cai snapped, “She’s a jinx! I threw her away twenty years ago, so why did she come back at this point? The moment she came back, she has given us such a calamity! If I had known this would happen, I would’ve strangled her to death myself!”
“Are you out of your mind!?” Zhen Xue Mei exclaimed.
Behind her, Zhao Ya hung her head low as her tears dropped to the ground. She muttered, “So… I was abandoned.”
Xu Liang Cai barked, “Yes, I was the one who threw you away on the mountain! Why were you not taken away by some beast!? Why are you still alive!?”
“Enough! Dong’er is your Daughter!” Zhen Xue Mei was so overwhelmed that she started trembling.
“She has brought such a disaster upon our family once she appeared! I don’t have a daughter like her! Now that Hu Xun is dead, what will happen to Hao’er? What will happen to our family? There’s no way those from Spirit Sea Temple will forgive us! We’re doomed! All this has happened because of her!”
Zhen Xue Mei roared, “Hu Xun was a wicked man. He wanted to violate Dong’er’s modesty! Was she not supposed to resist? He got what he deserved!”
“Shut up, you wretch!”
“Big Brother Ye Bai!” Zhao Ya suddenly gazed at Zhao Ye Bai and put on a gentle smile, “Will you please go somewhere else for a moment? I’d like to talk to my parents.”
Zhao Ye Bai frowned as he looked at the red mark on her face. Although he was hesitant, he still nodded in the end. He then walked out of the courtyard and disappeared from their sight.
Xu Liang Cai was still cursing when he abruptly stopped. When his vision focused, he found himself staring at the tip of a silver spear that was right in front of his face. In a shaking voice, he said, “W-What are you doing? I’m your Father. Do you want to kill me?”
Zhen Xue Mei was also dumbstruck as she shook her head at Zhao Ya with anxiety, “Don’t make any rash moves, Dong’er!”
Although she had always been resentful of Xu Liang Cai for throwing her child away, Zhao Ya was his daughter after all. It would be totally unacceptable if she decided to kill him.
Xu Hao’s heart leaped to his throat as he had witnessed how Zhao Ya mercilessly murdered Hu Xun. If she decided to kill here, he was powerless to stop her.
It seemed that only Zhao Ye Bai could stop her from doing anything irrational.
It was no wonder that she told Zhao Ye Bai to leave for a moment. It was apparent that she didn’t want the man to see her looking so cruel and heartless.
“When I was a young child, I already knew that I was picked up by Aunty Lu. She is like a Mother to me, and she treats me really well. There’s also Uncle Yang. Big Brother Ye Bai always said that if my Father were still alive, he would be as amiable as Uncle Yang; hence, I always believed that since I had a Mother and Father figure, I was not lacking anything. I left Seven Stars Town at the age of seven and joined Seven Stars Sect. Although my Master seems to be cold-blooded, he’s actually a good man. Moreover, I also have Big Brother Ye Bai.”
“What are you trying to say, Dong’er?” Zhen Xue Mei gazed at her with a horrified expression.
There was a faint smile on Zhao Ya’s face, “I’ve never thought about looking for my biological parents. To me, those who have raised me are my family members. As for all of you… you’re nothing to me.”
Xu Liang Cai gulped as he said meekly, “I’m your biological Father.”
Zhao Ya replied with a smile, “What right do you have to claim to be my Father when you didn’t even bother to raise me? Who do you think you are to give me orders?”
While she pushed her spear forward again, Xu Liang Cai staggered backwards and yelled, “Y-You can’t do this to me!”
“I guess I’ll be considered unfilial and wicked if I stabbed this spear into your head. Do you want to give it a try?”
Zhen Xue Mei’s face turned pale, “Please don’t, Dong’er!”
There was a cold expression on Zhao Ya’s face as she said through clenched teeth, “My name is Zhao Ya!”
All of a sudden, she put her spear away and bent her back to salute Zhen Xue Mei, “Many thanks for taking care of me in the past few days, Aunty Mei. Please take care of yourself in the future.”
Zhen Xue Mei cried, “You have to take good care of yourself too.”
With an impassive expression, Zhao Ya nodded and shuffled forward.
“There’s no way you can escape.” Xu Hao, who had remained silent for a long time, sighed, “Since Senior Brother Hu Xun is dead, his Life Lamp has undoubtedly shattered. Those from Spirit Sea Temple must be aware of his death by now. I suppose my Honoured Master is rushing over to this place.”
Xu Liang Cai nodded repeatedly, “You can’t just leave! Wait for those from Spirit Sea Temple to come and explain everything to them!”
Zhao Ya ignored him, but she soon stopped in her tracks and looked in a particular direction with an alarmed expression.
A figure suddenly appeared beside her as Zhao Ye Bai had returned. He took Zhao Ya’s hand and said anxiously, “We have to run, now! Something’s wrong!”
He was only in the Qi Transformation Realm, so his senses weren’t as sharp as Zhao Ya’s. Nevertheless, he instinctively felt uneasy, as though something terrible was about to happen.
The two of them left in a rush, but just a moment later, a figure descended from the sky along with a horrifying pressure.
As if struck by lightning, a dazed Zhen Xue Mei and a terrified Xu Liang Cai coughed out a mouthful of blood at the same time. It was the same case for Xu Hao, who was only in the True Element Boundary.
The figure landed in front of Hu Xun with his eyes narrowed while his murderous intent surged.
“Disciple greets Honoured Master!” While bearing the pressure forcefully, Xu Hao took a step forward and fell on his knees.
This person was none other than the Temple Master of Spirit Sea Temple, Jia Hong. As the Sect Master of a First Class Sect in the Void Continent, he was a powerful Second-Order Emperor Realm Master and was famous throughout the entire World.
Hu Xun and Xu Hao had the luck to become his Disciples, but Xu Hao was just an In Name Disciple while Hu Xun was a True Disciple. Jia Hong regarded Hu Xun highly because of his extraordinary aptitude. When the other Disciples brought the criminal’s head back to Spirit Sea Temple, Jia Hong was quite pleased; however, he had never expected that he would be informed of Hu Xun’s Life Lamp shattering just a few days later.
He immediately left the temple and arrived at this place. Given his Second Order Emperor Realm cultivation, it only took him a cup of tea’s time to travel from Spirit Sea Temple to this small village.
After examining Hu Xun for a moment, Jia Hong shot a dispassionate glance at Xu Hao and snorted.
He had quite a number of Disciples, and although Hu Xun was not bad, he was not the brightest. Regardless, he was Jia Hong’s Disciple. Since his Disciple was killed, Jia Hong, as the Master, could not just pretend that nothing had happened. The person who had the guts to do this would have to pay a hefty price.
He didn’t even ask Xu Hao who killed Hu Xun, because before he arrived at this place, he could already detect two auras with different strengths leaving this place in a hurry with his Divine Sense.
One of them was in the Immortal Ascension Boundary while the other was in the Qi Transformation Realm.
How could weak cultivators like them possibly escape from his senses?
The next moment, Jia Hong leapt into the sky like a Great Peng and disappeared.
A couple dozen kilometres away, Zhao Ya wrapped Zhao Ye Bai with her True Qi and flew forward. Just a moment later, she felt a fierce Divine Sense locking onto them.
Her expression changed as she yelled, “We should split up, Big Brother Ye Bai!”
She was aware that she was unable to resist the person who was coming for them. Regardless of how many treasures her Master had given her before they left, she was worried that she wouldn’t be able to keep her life this time. She was the one who killed Hu Xun, so it had nothing to do with Zhao Ye Bai. If they split up now, he would stand a chance to live. By sticking together, both of them would just be killed at the same time.
Without giving Zhao Ye Bai a chance to reject her, she gently pushed out her palm and sent him flying away. In the meantime, she shot off in a different direction.
Zhao Ye Bai fell to the ground and rolled away. With his face covered in sand, he looked up and saw a ray of light chasing after Zhao Ya.
With his eyes widened and he stomped the ground hard as he raced after them.
However, he was only in the Qi Transformation Realm, so he was unable to run as fast as Zhao Ya or as fast as Jia Hong could fly. Just a moment later, they were already out of his sight.
While he was anxious, he kept blaming himself.
They had come across a lot of dangers during their recent adventure, but it was always Zhao Ya who protected him. He felt like he was a burden that was practically useless.
Nevertheless, he knew that his aptitude was ordinary. Since he obtained the Secret Art in his dream three years ago, he had only managed to make it to the Qi Transformation Realm, so he was unable to help Zhao Ya out at all.
Despite that, he still tried his best to catch up.
In front of him, Jia Hong was moving at the speed of lightning as he could see Zhao Ya from a distance. He snorted at the fact that an Immortal Ascension brat had the guts to act impudently in front of him.
He extended his hand and surged his Emperor Qi as he prepared to launch an attack on Zhao Ya.
Instantly, Zhao Ya felt her entire figure stiffening as she was engulfed in the aura of death; however, the next moment, this feeling mysteriously dissipated.
Meanwhile, a myriad of expressions came over Jia Hong, who was behind her.
That was because just as he was preparing to make a move, he suddenly felt a sense of crisis befall him, as though he would suffer a terrible calamity if he dared to push out his palm.
Given his Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, Jia Hong knew well enough to not simply ignore this kind of instinctual warning; therefore, he didn’t dare to act rashly.
While feeling doubtful, he dispersed the power he had gathered, after which the sense of uneasiness faded.
He frowned and released his Divine Sense, but he couldn’t detect any anomalies in the surroundings, nor was there a formidable enemy nearby.
[Was it just my imagination?]
Thinking so, he prepared to attack again.
This time, he no longer had that kind of feeling, but after he pushed out his palm, the young woman in front of him staggered at just the right moment to completely avoid his blow, leaving her perfectly fine.
Jia Hong widened his eyes in disbelief.
The move he had just made was meant to end the young woman’s life, and given her mere Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivation, it was absolutely impossible for her to dodge it. However, she really managed to escape from death somehow.
Jia Hong had no idea what was going on.
He had made a move twice just now. The first time, he was stopped by the sense of unease he felt, and for the second move, he actually missed his mark. He had a feeling that something was off, so he wouldn’t dare to make any rash moves again; instead, he kept a fixed distance from the woman and observed her carefully.
These two figures flew forward, seemingly in tandem, at shocking speed.
Presently, Zhao Ye Bai was far behind them. He was initially anxious, but as time passed, he became immersed in a strange feeling while running at full speed.
It was as though he had merged with the World around him.
He had experienced the same feeling once three years ago. At that time, he was agitated by Miao Fei Ping’s words, causing his thoughts to run wild. For some reason, he then fell into a dream-like state where he found himself floating in a vast expanse of nothingness. It was Senior who woke him up in the end.
Senior told him that he had accidentally triggered the power of this World, and that this kind of power was extremely dangerous, so he had to be careful whenever he acted in the future.
Zhao Ye Bai would never dare to forget Senior’s warning and ensure that he never replicated that incident again.
However, none of that mattered at this moment. He was too weak as a Qi Transformation Realm cultivator, and only by leveraging on the might of this World could he possibly lend Zhao Ya a hand.
His eyes were clear and his emotions became as calm as a still tranquil lake.
While he was bolting forward, layers of ripples started spreading from Zhao Ye Bai, though he was unaware of this fact. The Space Dao Essence in the World around him was triggered and resonated with him.
Suddenly, he took a step forward and abruptly disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already in a faraway place.
While his figure kept flickered and disappearing, Zhao Ye Bai looked steadfastly towards the front as everything around him seemed to be slipping backward rapidly. Letting out a roar with pleasure, he felt as though he was a fish swimming in water for the first time ever.
Half a month later, Zhao Ye Bai finally saw a ray of light on the horizon; it was the powerful Master from Spirit Sea Temple.
[Xiao Ya is right in front of me!] Zhao Ye Bai dashed forward at even greater speed.
In the sky up above, Jia Hong, who had been chasing after Zhao Ya, noticed the anomaly happening to Zhao Ye Bai as well. When he looked down, he saw the little Qi Transformation Realm boy’s figure disappearing from time to time. The person seemed able to ignore the obstacles of space and move from one place to another in the blink of an eye.
Jia Hong widened his eyes in disbelief as he wondered to himself, [What kind of power is that?] He had never seen or heard of anything like that before and all he could tell was that the space around the Qi Transformation Realm boy was warping with each step the latter took.
While he was flabbergasted, he was also feeling extremely vexed and helpless.
During this pursuit, he had repeatedly attempted to kill or capture Zhao Ya; however, whenever he made a move, he would either be forced to stop following an invisible sense of warning, or his attacks would simply be rendered useless for some strange reason.
As an Emperor Realm Master, Jia Hong had actually been chasing after an Immortal Ascension Boundary Junior for half a month, but he still hadn’t achieved his goal. He wouldn’t have believed it if it wasn’t happening to him.
Now that he saw a Qi Transformation Realm brat using some strange power, Jia Hong felt that the experience over the past half a month had turned his worldview upside down.
It only took the boy a short moment to surpass him and reach the young woman. For every step the boy took, he seemed able to borrow some kind of power from this World.
No words could ever describe how astounded Jia Hong was.
“Big Brother Ye Bai!” Zhao Ya was shocked as well, “Why did you follow me?”
Presently, Zhao Ye Bai was covered in blood. Given his Qi Transformation Realm, if he couldn’t borrow this World’s Strength, he would’ve died of exhaustion after manipulating Space Principles so abruptly and frequently and wouldn’t have made it to this place. Despite that, every time he used Instantaneous Movement, his figure still had to bear immense pressure.
If it weren’t because his physique was quite robust, he would’ve been crushed to dust upon breaking through the Void.
“I have no idea why, but I was suddenly able to run really fast,” Zhao Ye Bai replied in a weakened tone.
Zhao Ya felt heartbroken for him as she engulfed him with her strength. At the same time, she fished out some Spirit Pills from her Space Ring and stuffed them into his mouth.
Zhao Ye Bai put on a silly smile, “I’m really glad that you’re okay.”
Ha had been extremely nervous while chasing after them; after all, many things could happen in half a month. He was worried that he would find Zhao Ya in a state he would never have the heart to see.
Zhao Ya snorted, “That bastard behind me is just toying with me. He seems to enjoy watching me run, so he never made any fatal moves!”
If Jia Hong had heard what Zhao Ya just said, he would have beat his chest and roared in indignation. Although he had only made a few moves, he was determined to end Zhao Ya’s life with each one, but for some unknown reason, all his attempts turned out to be futile, and Zhao Ya was still alive and well.
“I guess there’s something wrong with him,” Zhao Ye Bai said grimly, “This place is not far away from Seven Stars Sect. It will only take us a few days to return. With Senior around, that person won’t dare to harm you.”
“En.” Zhao Ya nodded.
In fact, she had been heading in the direction of Seven Stars Sect this whole time. She knew that it was impossible for her to go against an Emperor Realm Master, so she could only go back and seek her Master’s help.
“I’ll bring you out of this place!” Zhao Ye Bai took her hand and activated his new ability, causing the world to contort. The next instant, they disappeared from the spot.
Jia Hong wore a dark expression from a distance as he saw this.
He had faintly realised something during this pursuit, but things had come to a point where he was unable to back down. His Disciple was killed, so there was no way he could pretend that nothing had happened. He could only keep following this young couple and see what was waiting for him.
He no longer believed that he could kill Zhao Ya to avenge Hu Xun’s death, but this matter had to be resolved regardless.
“Seven Stars Sect…”
Jia Hong stopped in his tracks in front of the mountain entrance and looked up at the Sect’s name on its arching signboard.
The young man and woman that he had been chasing had entered Seven Stars Sect. As the Sect Master of Spirit Sea Temple, Jia Hong was naturally aware of Seven Stars Sect because both were First Class Sects. Although both Sects were far from one another, they would come into contact from time to time.
An elderly man was already waiting in front of Seven Stars Sect. When he saw Jia Hong, he cupped his fist, “Welcome, Temple Master Jia. I’m sorry for not receiving you earlier.”
Jia Hong replied impassively, “It’s been a long time, Sect Master Shang Guan.”
Shang Guan Ji said, “Our Ancestor is aware of your arrival and is waiting for you on Azure Jade Peak. This way, please.”
Upon hearing that, Jia Hong narrowed his eyes and fell silent for a moment, “Sect Master Shang Guan, what’s the relationship of the young man and woman with your noble Sect’s Ancestor?”
Shang Guan Ji replied with a smile, “You’ll find out about it after you go up the mountain.”
Jia Hong snorted, “This Jia is going now, then.”
He then strutted towards the peak of the mountain. Shang Guan Ji watched him leave without any intention to stop him.
In just a moment, Jia Hong arrived atop Azure Jade Peak. A man and woman were already quietly standing on the peak, the very two who had fled from Green Mountain Town.
Jia Hong wasn’t surprised to see them here as he furrowed his brows.
If these two people had something to do with the Ancestor of Seven Stars Sect, it explained why he had come across so many anomalies while chasing them.
He now firmly believed he wouldn’t be able to avenge Hu Xun’s death.
“My Honoured Master is waiting for you in the hall,” Zhao Ya said impassively.
Jia Hong arched his brow then went straight inside.
No one knew what Jia Hong and Yang Kai talked about, but just a cup of tea later, Jia Hong left the hall in a respectful manner and leaped into the sky without turning his head. He didn’t even bring up the fact that his Disciple was killed.
Zhao Ya and Zhao Ye Bai exchanged glances before letting out a sigh of relief, knowing that this matter was over.
“You two, come inside.” Yang Kai’s voice was heard coming from the hall.
Zhao Ya’s neck shrank as she was evidently afraid. Zhao Ye Bai took her hand and gave her an assuring look before leading her to the hall.
Although they had cultivated on the mountain for thirteen years, it was the first time they actually stepped into this hall.
Since the door was open, they entered right away and saw a person facing away from them with his hands behind his back.
“Master!”
“Senior!”
They saluted him respectfully.
The person then slowly turned around.
Zhao Ye Bai widened his eyes in disbelief, then called out in a pleasantly surprised tone, “Uncle Yang?”
Presently, the person in the hall was Uncle Yang, who had been like a Father to the young boy since he was born. During Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya’s adventures, they had taken the initiative to look for him in Green Mountain Town; however, instead of finding Uncle Yang, they had inadvertently bumped into Zhao Ya’s biological parents.
Zhao Ye Bai had never expected to come across Uncle Yang here after they were separated for thirteen years.
An excited Zhao Ye Bai asked, “Why are you here, Uncle Yang? Did Senior bring you here? Where is he?”
Yang Kai remained silent with a smile.
On the other hand, Zhao Ya was much calmer. Although she was surprised and doubtful the moment she saw Yang Kai, she soon realised what was going on.
“Big Brother Ye Bai.” Zhao Ya pulled Zhao Ye Bai’s sleeve, “If I’m not mistaken, Uncle Yang is Master, and Master is Uncle Yang!”
“How can that be?” Zhao Ye Bai burst into laughter, “Senior is a powerful cultivator while Uncle Yang is just an ordinary person. Moreover, they look totally different, so how can you mix them up?”
Zhao Ya explained, “Haven’t you always wondered why Master and Uncle Yang look so similar from behind? Moreover, you’ve just said that Master is very powerful, so it wouldn’t be difficult for him to hide his cultivation and change his appearance in front of us. Moreover, Uncle Yang and Master share the same surname. This proves that they’re the same person. It’s just that we were not aware of it.”
Zhao Ye Bai widened his mouth as he still couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
“Am I right, Master?” Zhao Ya asked directly.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “You’ve always been intelligent, Xiao Ya. You’re right.”
Zhao Ye Bai was dumbfounded as he couldn’t grasp why the powerful Senior became Uncle Yang all of a sudden.
While he was puzzled, he saw Yang Kai extending his hand to the side, after which a figure abruptly appeared. The figure looked just like the Ancestor they had been living with on Azure Jade Peak for the past dozen years.
As the two figures stood alongside one another, their frames were the same except for their appearances and temperaments. Zhao Ye Bai tutted in amazement.
“A clone?” Zhao Ya arched her brow.
Yang Kai waved his hand with a smile as the Ancestor of Azure Jade Peak disappeared. He then said, “Strictly speaking, the one you’re seeing now is also a kind of clone. Rather, this is my Soul Avatar.”
“Soul Avatar?!” Zhao Ya gasped as her chest heaved.
She was now an Immortal Ascension Boundary Master who had opened up her own Knowledge Sea, so she was aware of how to use her Divine Sense and what kind of capabilities it should have. That was also the reason she understood the wonders of a Soul Avatar.
Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar, however, had manifested into physical form, and even the Temple Master of Spirit Sea Temple, who was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, didn’t dare to make a scene in front of him and left the place without avenging his Disciple’s death. How horrifyingly powerful must his true body be then?
Zhao Ye Bai’s jaw hung so low that an egg could be stuffed into it.
Although he had no idea what Yang Kai and Zhao Ya were talking about, he couldn’t help thinking they were truly incredible. Admiration was written all over his face as his eyes were as bright as stars.
After a gulp, Zhao Ya asked, “How powerful are you really, Master?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Your Master’s cultivation is higher than the Heavens.”
His words rang a bell as Zhao Ya recalled that he had said the same thing when she agreed to become his Disciple in the past. At that time, she swore that she would become more powerful than her Master one day and let him have a taste of becoming a Worker.
Thirteen years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Zhao Ya couldn’t help but blush. She was young and naive back then, but she wouldn’t dare to have such disrespectful thoughts now. All of a sudden, a realisation dawned upon her, “When I was abandoned in the past, you were the one who picked me up from the mountain and sent me to Aunty Lu’s door.”
“Oh, how did you even figure that out?” Yang Kai was genuinely surprised.
Zhao Ya replied, “When I found out that I was abandoned not long after I was born, I couldn’t understand how I ended up in Seven Stars Town that was hundreds of thousands of kilometres away. I was just an infant at that time, and no beast could or would ever do that. Only a powerful cultivator could achieve such a thing. I was just venturing a guess, but your reply proved that my speculation was right.”
Yang Kai put on a smile and said with some mirth in his words, “A person that is too clever might become exhausted in life.”
Zhao Ye Bai scratched his head, “It’s better than being as foolish as me.”
Zhao Ya pouted, “You’re not foolish. If you were really stupid, Master wouldn’t have spent the last dozen years secretly training you.”
“Huh?” Zhao Ye Bai was perplexed.
Zhao Ya said, “Master is Uncle Yang. Have you forgotten how he treated you over the past dozen years?”
After giving it a thought, Zhao Ye Bai put on a grin, “Uncle Yang must have his reasons for treating me like that.” Although the two of them had spent the last over ten years on Azure Jade Peak, they were treated very differently. While Zhao Ya was treasured like a flower and carefully nurtured, Zhao Ye Bai was ignored like weeds. He had to do all sorts of manual work and would often be punished in Zhao Ya’s stead.
An annoyed Zhao Ya said, “I suppose you’re dumb after all. Uncle Yang doted on you when you were a child. Why do you think he’d suppress you and punish you over the years?”
A puzzled Zhao Ye Bai asked, “Why?”
Zhao Ya turned to look at Yang Kai, “You’ll have to ask Master about it.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Xiao Bai’s aptitude is indeed ordinary, but that’s not the reason I suppressed him. Even if there are ten Xiao Bai’s, they’re not comparable to you, Xiao Ya.”
Zhao Ye Bai flashed a smile at Zhao Ya to show that he was truly dumb.
On the other hand, Zhao Ya had sensitively caught the key part from Yang Kai’s words, “Big Brother Ye Bai might not be comparable to me when it comes to his aptitude, but he must have something that makes him special. Let me take a guess. I’ve always heard that when a powerful Master realizes his time is running out, he will look for a Legacy Disciple before his predestined time of death. Therefore, some unknown young people suddenly receive the inheritances of powerful cultivators and become rising stars. In that case, you’re probably dying soon, Honoured Master, and Big Brother Ye Bai has the chance to receive your inheritance.”
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched when he heard that.
On the other hand, Zhao Ye Bai was flabbergasted as he asked with anxiety, “Uncle Yang, are you dying?”
Yang Kai felt like he was on the verge of coughing up blood and in a grim voice he snarled, “My vitality is still vibrant. If you two don’t work hard, I’ll live long enough to attend your funerals!”
While reeling from the shock, Zhao Ye Bai let out a sigh of relief.
With a frown, Zhao Ya muttered, “When we were running away, Big Brother Ye Bai used a strange power that could ignore the obstacles of space. It allowed him to move faster than an Emperor Realm Master even though he’s just in the Qi Transformation Realm. Does your inheritance have something to do with this strange ability, Honoured Master?”
Yang Kai let out a sigh. He initially didn’t want to explain these things to them so soon, but Zhao Ya was too clever, which was why he was caught off guard.
He then raised his hand and manipulated the local Space Principles. Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya widened their eyes as they felt that the distance between Yang Kai and them was rapidly widening, as though they were now in different worlds.
However, the next moment, the original distance was restored. When they came to their senses, they realised that they hadn’t moved at all.
They were drenched in cold sweat due to the contortion of space.
“This is the Dao of Space, and usually, only powerful Masters have a right to come into contact with it, much less comprehend it. Xiao Bai had already shown his talent in this regard when he was in his mother’s womb. I didn’t want to waste a talented person like him, and the rest is history.”
Zhao Ya nodded as she finally figured it out, “The Disciple you’ve always wanted to take on is Big Brother Ye Bai.”
Yang Kai smiled, “While Xiao Bai can hope to receive my inheritance, it’s the same for you.”
“Me?” Zhao Ya was surprised, “I’ve never felt that kind of power before.”