A Sense of Loss

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

Xu Yuan's days teaching the martial masters gradually fell into a steady rhythm, and he became increasingly familiar with the job.

His relationship with Ye Qing'er also grew much closer.

Without realizing it, Ye Qing'er's way of addressing him had changed from Martial Master Xu to Brother Yuan.

Although Xu Yuan corrected her several times, she merely pressed her lips together in a smile and refused to change it. After a while, he simply let it be.

After all, the closeness of a beautiful woman was always pleasing, especially when she handled herself with such proper restraint. How could he possibly dislike it?

As usual, after teaching the Laborers and Martial Students, Xu Yuan did not spend much time before heading to the quiet room to cultivate.

Though many people were dissatisfied with his behavior, they greatly admired his diligence.

Just imagine—if they themselves had broken through to the Second Meridian, they would probably have gone out to feast and make merry long ago. How could they still have the patience to remain in that pitch-black room?

After an hour had passed and Xu Yuan had exhausted his precious medicine, he went over to the two maids and bought a bowl of Meridian Nourishing Soup.

He immediately raised the bowl and gulped it down. Warmth spread through his abdomen, and his depleted strength grew once more.

"Refreshing!"

Xu Yuan picked up a sheet of rough paper, preparing to wipe the corner of his mouth.

"Brother Yuan, don't move yet."

To his surprise, Ye Qing'er suddenly took out a square of plain white gauze and carefully wiped away the medicinal stains at the corner of his lips.

Xu Yuan froze at once. His gaze fell upon her face nearby. She had applied only light makeup today, her skin delicate and fair. Under the bright sunlight, she was like a piece of jade—lustrous and translucent—even the fine hairs on her skin seeming to be coated in a layer of golden radiance.

"All clean, Brother Yuan." Ye Qing'er's bright eyes flickered. The moment she finished wiping him, she drifted away, leaving behind only a refreshing fragrance of camellias.

All around them, the other Martial Students felt as though their hearts were about to shatter. The envy and jealousy on their faces nearly overflowed.

Ye Qing'er was pure and lovely in appearance, gentle and amicable toward others. In their hearts, she was practically a goddess, yet this delicate flower now seemed about to be plucked by someone else!

After all, ancient society had always bound women with rules and conventions. Her initiative today undoubtedly revealed her feelings.

Yet even though the looks they gave Xu Yuan grew more dissatisfied, none of them dared to truly do anything.

He was already a Second Meridian martial master at such a young age. And what about them? Most of them probably could not even pass the First Meridian. They simply did not belong to the same world.

And they still dared to challenge him?

Wouldn't that be courting death?

"Train properly!"

Seeing the looks directed at him, Xu Yuan turned back and barked at them. Suppressing the strange ripples in his heart, he continued toward the quiet room.

By evening.

Sweat poured down Xu Yuan's body like rain. Only after completing another set of stance practice did he stop and look at the System Panel in his mind.

[Skills: Tai Chi Exercise (Major Accomplishment 21%) Stone Platform Stance Practice (Major Accomplishment 32%) Thunderclap Fist (Minor Accomplishment 11%)]

[Potential: 11 (Exceptional Bones)]

"It should take about another month before I can break through to the Third Meridian."

Xu Yuan picked up a cloth towel beside him, dried himself, changed into fresh clothes, and then left the quiet room.

Ever since he had agreed to reconcile with Quan Xiong, nothing else had happened.

During that time, he occasionally ran into Liu Yue. Liu Yue's attitude had been quite friendly, and he often greeted Xu Yuan with a smile.

However, Xu Yuan knew that the matter was not over. He did not care much about what Quan Xiong had done, but his elder brother could not simply turn a blind eye.

For the sake of letting them live more peacefully, Xu Yuan found it necessary to personally settle this grudge.

At that thought, Xu Yuan suddenly frowned.

"According to the Shangyang Family's custom, once a martial artist breaks through the Fourth Meridian, the Master Family will select a maid to marry him, in order to solidify the bond between the Lineage and the martial artist."

Moreover, this was not easy to deal with. After all, it was a marriage bestowed by the Master Family, a benefit granted by those above to those below.

If he refused, they might think him ungrateful, suspect that he harbored ulterior motives, and believe that he was unwilling to advance and retreat alongside the Lineage. The consequences could be grave or trivial.

After considering it, Xu Yuan decided to let nature take its course and see what happened when the time came.

Lying on his bed, Xu Yuan suddenly recalled the skin-to-skin contact with Ye Qing'er during the day, and his heart could not help but stir.

I really have been suppressing myself!

Unable to sleep after tossing and turning for a long time, Xu Yuan simply went outside and rinsed himself with cold water. Only then did those amorous thoughts subside, and he finally fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning.

Xu Yuan arrived at the training ground, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward that familiar corner.

But Ye Qing'er had not come today.

Li Hua and another unfamiliar maid had come instead.

When Xu Yuan asked her about it, Li Hua gave him an odd look. "Didn't the inner courtyard begin selecting maids some time ago?"

"Sister Qing'er went to try her luck, and she was chosen. She has now been promoted to a Three-stripe Maid and transferred to the inner courtyard..."

Xu Yuan was stunned upon hearing this, a sense of loss filling him. Only after a long while did he come back to himself.

It seemed she had deliberately gone to the inner courtyard. Having caught the eye of someone important, both her treatment and status would rise considerably. Naturally, she had to climb higher.

I was the one who had been reading too much into it.

Xu Yuan smiled at himself. His mood did not remain low for long before he quickly regained his calm.

He carefully recalled his interactions with her over the past few days and realized that she had actually been rather deliberate in what she did, constantly drawing closer to him in ways both obvious and subtle.

It was merely because he had a favorable impression of Ye Qing'er that he had not examined those details too closely.

Sure enough, there is no affection in this world that comes from nowhere.

Xu Yuan's eyes deepened as he saw through its roots.

She probably thought my potential was good and wanted to use me as a path. When a better opportunity appeared, she left without the slightest hesitation.

After understanding this, Xu Yuan instead felt somewhat fortunate. It was good that she had no intention of harming him. Otherwise, he would have fallen into her trap.

Knowing that she had left for the sake of her future, Xu Yuan did not feel disappointed.

Although maids held a status comparable to servants, and at times rose through the ranks much faster, their upper limit was only becoming the concubine of some young master. Compared with martial artists, they stood far lower.

Of course, the road of the Martial Path was also several times more difficult.

When the other Martial Students did not see Ye Qing'er today, they all felt somewhat disappointed. Yet upon seeing Xu Yuan approach, they immediately reined in their thoughts.

Although Xu Yuan's expression was calm, they inexplicably felt that he seemed even more oppressive today than before.

Like a bottomless, unseen deep pool, he made the Martial Students hold their breath for no reason. None of them dared say much, and they became far more obedient.