Ye Qingxian Endures Humiliation and Bears Heavy Burdens

Ye Qingxian's body stiffened for a moment, then he slowly turned his head and sure enough saw Zhu Ping'an's infuriating smiling face.

"Zhu Ping'an!"

Ye Qingxian ground his teeth. He had just been certain he'd shaken Zhu Ping'an off, and his route had been a chaotic, twisting mess, entirely on a whim—how the hell had Zhu Ping'an managed to follow him?

"Brother Ye, hello there, hello there."

Zhu Ping'an put on an air of familiarity, then looked toward a multicolored pool beside the dead monster, his face showing surprise.

"Oh? What's this? Could it be the Yijin Lingquan?"

The Yijin Lingquan could wash away all the impurities inside a martial artist's meridians, achieving the effect of marrow cleansing and tendon purification. Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but sigh—that bastard Ye Qingxian had some incredible luck, first the Rainbow Surprise Tai Sui and now the Yijin Lingquan.

Ye Qingxian quickly lifted the Breaking Dragon Spear, blocking Zhu Ping'an's path.

"This isn't some spiritual spring! Get the hell away from me!"

"Brother Ye, that's not very fair of you! Heavenly treasures belong to the virtuous. You're not trying to hog the Yijin Lingquan for yourself, are you?" Zhu Ping'an said with a faint smile.

"Hmph, you talk about belonging to the virtuous. What virtue do you, Zhu Ping'an, even have?" Ye Qingxian mocked.

With a crisp sword cry, the Chuyi Sword instantly left its sheath, a faint Sha Qi emanating from its cold, gleaming blade.

Zhu Ping'an: "Martial virtue is still virtue!"

Hearing this, Ye Qingxian nearly twisted his nose off in anger. Zhu Ping'an's words were shameless to the extreme, clearly meaning that if he didn't give it up, he'd just take it by force.

If it weren't for his wariness of the eight Leng Family martial artists behind Zhu Ping'an, Ye Qingxian would have struck already.

Eight First Rank peak martial artists, plus Leng Tianjiao and Zhu Ping'an—even with his high self-regard, Ye Qingxian didn't think he could take on ten.

"What exactly do you want?" Ye Qingxian gritted his teeth, forcing himself to swallow his anger.

"Ah, that's more like it. Harmony brings wealth—why make things so tense?" Zhu Ping'an sheathed his sword with satisfaction. "How about we soak in the Yijin Lingquan together?"

"...Fine!"

That word was practically squeezed out from between Ye Qingxian's teeth. Though he wished he could skin and dismember Zhu Ping'an, the man currently held the advantage, and he couldn't do a thing about it.

At this point, Yan Shubing, who had been watching from the side, couldn't take it anymore. She stepped forward with a pitiful look.

"Ping'an Ge, how can you bully Qingxian Ge like this? You have the Leng Family backing you, so you never have to worry about any training resources—you could have everything handed to you on a silver platter. But Qingxian Ge is different; he has to rely on his own hard work. Can't you put yourself in his shoes and understand that?"

"Bingbing, how is this bullying him? Soaking in the Yijin Lingquan together doesn't affect anything. It's not like I'm trying to seize it by force." Zhu Ping'an blinked innocently.

"This..." Yan Shubing didn't know how to argue.

"Don't worry, Bingbing. After we're done, it'll be your turn. I won't keep you from soaking," Zhu Ping'an reassured her.

"What?" Ye Qingxian bristled at that. "I discovered the Yijin Lingquan first! I killed the monster beside it! Why the hell do you get to go first?"

"Obviously! You've got athlete's foot on your face!" Zhu Ping'an said with utter confidence. "If you go first, what if you spread that athlete's foot to us?"

"You son of a—!" Ye Qingxian panted like an ox, his eyes bloodshot, barely holding back from running his spear through Zhu Ping'an.

"Ping'an Ge... are you looking down on Bingbing?" Yan Shubing spoke up, clearly unwilling to give up the first turn in the Yijin Lingquan either.

"Bingbing... let me be honest with you. I don't actually mind, but the Leng Family people definitely would. You know I'm a son-in-law married into the Leng Family—what status does a son-in-law like me have?"

Zhu Ping'an gave a bitter smile, his face full of helplessness as he whispered comfortingly.

"Bingbing, for the sake of our bright future, we'll just have to let you bear a little hardship for now."

Yan Shubing bit her silver teeth, then could only nod in resignation.

"Come on, brothers! Time to soak in the Yijin Lingquan!"

Zhu Ping'an turned and started calling out to the eight Leng Family martial artists. But they didn't move; the leader cupped his hands toward Zhu Ping'an.

"Son-in-law, you and the young lady go first. We'll soak after you're done."

"That works too."

Zhu Ping'an didn't refuse and stepped into the Yijin Lingquan. The spring water seemed to contain a strange power, constantly surging into his body through the pores on his skin, and when that power flowed out again, it carried impurities from inside him.

"So comfortable..."

The refreshing sensation of expelling impurities made Zhu Ping'an sigh in contentment.

On the shore, Ye Qingxian's face turned even greener, as if someone had force-fed him three pounds of shit. And to make matters worse, his face started itching again, and he couldn't help but scratch.

Leng Tianjiao also entered the Yijin Lingquan, but she didn't get too close to Zhu Ping'an, choosing a different direction instead.

Gray-black impurities from their meridians continuously flowed out of their bodies, turning the once crystal-clear, multicolored pool water murky.

After a good while, Zhu Ping'an stood up from the Yijin Lingquan. He felt completely refreshed and comfortable all over, like washing his face after a full ten hours of sleep.

Though the Yijin Lingquan didn't give him any substantial power boost, the single marrow cleansing and tendon purification would be a tremendous help for his future martial path.

Once Leng Tianjiao also left the Yijin Lingquan, the eight Leng Family martial artists couldn't hold back any longer. They quickly stripped off their shirts and plunged into the spring.

They were all First Rank peak martial artists; one marrow cleansing would greatly increase their chances of breaking through to Second Rank.

After all eight had finished soaking, the Yijin Lingquan had turned into a pool of black water, filled with the impurities they had expelled, faintly emitting a foul stench.

Though it didn't affect the spring's marrow-cleansing efficacy, the sight of it now was enough to make anyone keep their distance.

"Brother Ye! Your turn. Get in the pool quickly—marrow cleansing is a huge help for martial artists!" Zhu Ping'an laughed heartily.

Ye Qingxian clenched his fists, his entire body trembling slightly, panting like an ox, his eyes bloodshot—clearly at the peak of fury.

But after the rage passed, this time Ye Qingxian said nothing and made no move. He only slowly unclenched his fists, stepped past Zhu Ping'an, and walked toward the Yijin Lingquan.

Ignoring the black spring water and the faint stench emanating from the Yijin Lingquan, Ye Qingxian sat cross-legged inside it and began to wash his marrow and refine his sinews.

Zhu Ping'an narrowed his eyes slightly, a fierce killing intent flashing deep within them.

If Ye Qingxian had only raged impotently, or even turned and left in a huff, that would have marked him as a fool—nothing for Zhu Ping'an to fear. But the fact that Ye Qingxian actually endured it made Zhu Ping'an's murderous intent surge.

To bear humiliation and shoulder heavy burdens, to endure what others cannot—this was surely the mark of one destined for great things.

This boy must not be left alive!

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