The Apricots Are Ripe, Coercion

The boundless starry sky was sprinkled with bright Xinghui, and the entire Cloud-Spreading Mountain was filled with the chirping of Insect Chirp.

In a small courtyard with blue bricks and black tiles, a string of writings has been left on the thin wooden threshold.

The entire text is written in an extremely elegant and graceful style, with each stroke powerful.

The woman in the green dress was still there, holding a carving knife in her hand.

She would only carve one stroke at a time, then take a break to observe for a while before continuing.

It was as if they were forging a peerless treasure, proceeding with such care and caution.

After carving the two characters, she compared them with the full text and glanced at it.

"It should be finished in about five more years!" Chu Yanqing smiled with relief, tossing the knife aside so it would land in the courtyard.

There was also an apricot tree at the entrance of the courtyard, but although it was full of apricots, no one came to pick them.

"Perhaps your tree isn't pleasing enough," Chu Yanqing commented, letting the apricot tree fall to the ground and turn to mud.

After all, this has been the case every year for the past fifteen years.

"Is it possible that Miss Chu is being wasteful?" Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.

A figure in white robes landed with remarkable ease beside them and sat down on the high threshold, watching the apricot trees under the starry sky, each apricot blossom bathed in a spiritual light.

The Insect Chirp of insects around me seemed to blend into one.

"You're so old, yet you still appear out of nowhere and play pranks on people. You're so boring!" Chu Yanqing was initially startled, but then she complained.

However, a sense of warmth welled up inside me.

The figure before her was always against her will, but it was this very figure who rescued her from the Azure Spirit Commerce Association and gave her endless fantasies!

They then left her to stay in Spirit Mountain, for three years, then twelve years, and who knows how many years she will stay there next time.

Seeing that Ye Jingcheng didn't speak, she seemed a little worried that Ye Jingcheng would leave again, so she spoke again:

"From now on, there will be no more Miss Chu, only Chu Qing, and the 'Yan' character will disappear too!"

"If you like, call me Xiaoqing; if you don't, just call Chu Qing!"

After she finished speaking, she looked at Ye Jingcheng.

His face still had those sharp features, as if it hadn't changed at all in thirteen years.

However, those eyes didn't seem so clear anymore.

Chu Yanqing thought of herself, as if she had previously thought the Chu Family was the same.

"What, you've broken through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, yet your vigor has diminished considerably? Do you think the mere Jin Family can make you submit?" Ye Jingcheng said.

He also recalled the scene of the arranged marriage many years ago, when the Ye Family's most dull-witted second brother became the bride, which seemed to proclaim the absurdity of the arranged marriage.

It was at that marriage alliance meeting that Ye Jingcheng saw Chu Yanqing, the female cultivator from the Chu Family who dared to challenge him even when she was only at the Qi Refining stage.

Then, not long after, they met in Taichang Market, where the latter had already Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

The two started competing again at the shop.

Chu Yanqing did not answer immediately, but remained silent for a while before speaking:

"It's not that I'm admitting defeat, it's just that I've come to terms with it. I'm already too busy refining all the Law Artifact artifacts for my family to bother with that!"

After Chu Yanqing finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Ye Jingcheng didn't know how to answer, and neither did Chu Yanqing.

As fellow geniuses and mentors of the Lineage head, they could talk at length about Lineage matters, discussing them for three days and three nights.

But even when avoiding the Lineage, I always felt that my words were inappropriate.

It seems that neither the Insect Chirp nor the starry night should be disturbed.

The two then looked at the apricot tree, as the starlight continued to fall.

Before long, a ripe apricot fell from its stem and landed on the ground, splashing a lot of juice.

It was clearly ripe, and its Spiritual Qi seemed to shatter upon impact, dissipating into the air.

All that was left was a pile of apricot flesh.

"Say that's a waste!" Ye Jingcheng walked to the tree, flicked his finger, and picked a spirit apricot.

After the apricots were picked, he spoke up:

"Such a spirit apricot would cost at least one Spirit Stone. In the Ye Family, even a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator only receives five Spirit Stone per year!"

In no time, Ye Jingcheng had picked a basket full of twenty-two fruits.

Five remain unpicked.

"Those five can still grow a little longer. After they're picked, those five will have more Spiritual Qi. Sometimes, having too many spiritual apricots isn't necessarily a good thing!"

Chu Yanqing took the basket, a smile appearing on her face. Her light blue gauze dress shone brightly under the starlight, and for a moment, Ye Jingcheng was stunned.

Whether he tries to avoid it or not, he can't help but admit it.

Chu Yanqing's beauty ranks among the top three of everyone he has ever seen.

"Let's pick those five too!" Chu Yanqing said, though.

Ye Jingcheng paused for a moment, then nodded. Picking a spirit apricot was quite simple.

Moreover, Ye Jingcheng also thought the scenery was beautiful.

A dazzling starry sky, apricot trees, green bricks and black tiles, and the Insect Chirp —just listening to them makes me feel at ease.

If we could have some of the spiritual tea that has been sun-dried for a long time, that would be even better.

All twenty-seven spirit apricots were placed in Chu Yanqing's hands, and the latter accepted them.

The touch of their hands made both Ye Jingcheng and Chu Yanqing feel slightly awkward.

Chu Yanqing recalled that year in Azure Spirit Market, when Ye Jingcheng had really hurt her deeply.

"What, shouldn't the annual salary for Foundation Establishment Late Stage be twenty-seven spirit apricots?" Chu Yanqing asked with a smile, seeing that Ye Jingcheng hadn't let go yet.

"That's right, but he's been in seclusion for quite a few years since he reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. I think twenty years is a bit short!" Ye Jingcheng released his hand and then took out another jade box.

Once inside, he took out the spiritual water and began brewing tea.

The aroma of Cloud-Hidden Tea was even more intense than that of the Luofu Tea that Chu Yanqing had served Ye Jingcheng.

Furthermore, the green tea leaves, like jade, are always more favored by female cultivators.

"Then, in your opinion, how many more years should we refine this weapon?" Chu Yanqing didn't answer.

He followed them in, landed at the table, and sat down gracefully.

Ye Jingcheng didn't speak, but instead poured spiritual tea for Chu Yanqing.

However, upon seeing the elegant characters on the threshold, Ye Jingcheng unconsciously overflowed his cup with spiritual tea.

It landed on the table.

The poem is on the threshold.

The poem was not short, and it matched the fact that he had taken away Taichang Market.

The two unfinished lines left him lost in thought.

"The mountain has trees, but the trees have no branches..."

"You're wasting your talent! This spirit tea costs hundreds of Spirit Stone per ounce!" Chu Yanqing said with dissatisfaction.

"One thousand!" Ye Jingcheng replied.

"So many." Chu Yanqing was taken aback, but she quickly realized that Ye Jingcheng didn't seem to have mentioned Spirit Stone.

A blush crept onto her face.

"Let's go to Soaring Cloud Peak. The spirit apricots at Cloud-Spreading Mountain are all picked; it's time to pick the spirit apricots at Soaring Cloud Peak!" Ye Jingcheng said.

At this moment, Chu Yanqing also became unusually quiet. Her face was flushed, and she swallowed the spiritual tea as if fleeing. After a long while, she finally uttered a single "hmm"!

After finishing speaking, he unconsciously added another sentence:

"The Spiritual Qi on Soaring Cloud Peak is much higher; a single spirit apricot would cost at least two Spirit Stones!"

"Two and a half!" Ye Jingcheng beamed with joy upon hearing this.

The two didn't say it aloud, but it seemed as if they had already said it.

The starry night stretches endlessly.

Taihang Mountain Range, Jade Dragon Valley!

The Beast Tide have come wave after wave, except for the initial Green Wind Wolf Plain Demon Race and Three-Eyed Demon Clan.

Now, the lion clan of Lion King Ridge has also joined the fray.

In addition to the cultivators from their respective Lineage who had received amplification, a large number of the Taiyi Sect disciples also arrived at Jade Dragon Valley at this moment.

Two more True Person arrived: Xuandao True Person and Chengxuan True Person.

Four True Person landed above Jade Dragon Valley, and opposite them were the Green Wind Demon King, the Three-Eyed Demon King, and the Cloud Lion Demon King.

True Person faced off, the Spirit Beast below charged towards Jade Dragon Valley time and again.

The entire Jade Dragon Valley's Array has been broken several times.

Fortunately, the Taiyi Sect had many disciples, and they eventually returned to fight back.

But the losses were devastating.

Even the Ye Family, including Ye Jingyun and Ye Jingli, seemed somewhat embarrassed at this moment.

Because many members of the Ye Family were torn to pieces right before their eyes by those Green Wind Wolves.

Even with many Spirit Beasts from the Ye Family blocking their way, it was still the same.

This was no longer a battle situation that the Ye Family could influence, especially since the Ye Family had only sent a portion of their cultivators.

"Watch out!" Ye Jingli shouted, shooting out thirty-six silver needles from his hand, killing a second-tier Wind Wolf that was about to pounce on Ye Jingting of the Ye Family.

"Jingting, even if you have Spirit Talisman, don't be so impulsive. Don't pursue a cornered enemy, even a cornered beast!"

Ye Jingting nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

"Thank you, Sixth Brother!"

Ye Jingting quickly stepped back, but in fact, it wasn't Ye Jingting who was reckless at all.

The Ye Family has suffered too many losses at this moment. Ye Jingting tried to save people, but almost lost her own life in the process.

Ye Jingyun came over from the side as well.

He had already thrown out quite a few Violet Firmament Talisman.

The thunderous Violet Firmament Talisman finally drove back many of the Azure Wolves, giving the Ye Family a chance to catch their breath!

"Sixth Brother, I feel uneasy!" Ye Jingyun also took the opportunity to transmit his voice.

This time, the Taiyi Sect had very few disciples from the Illusion Peak; most of them were disciples from the Martial Peak and the Purple Peak.

In the past, when there were disciples of Illusion Peak, they would take care of the Ye Family.

Now, on the contrary, they seem to be taking good care of the Jin Family and Azure Cloud Nunnery.

"It must be because the patriarch didn't come!" Ye Jingli's eyes also revealed hatred.

The person in charge of the Taiyi Sect has already spoken to them twice, specifically requesting that Ye Jingcheng come to Jade Dragon Valley.

But Ye Jingcheng had given instructions, so how could Ye Jingyun and Ye Jingli forget?

"I'll use the Thunder Rhinoceros Beetle in a bit!" Ye Jingyun was going all out at this moment.

Of course, the Thunder Rhinoceros Beetle he used were ordinary Thunder Rhinoceros Beetle, not the four Hidden-Wing Thunder Rhinoceros Beetle that Ye Jingcheng gave him at the end.

"Furthermore, this situation is not within the Ye Family, so everyone must be careful!" Ye Jingyun transmitted his voice to all members of the Ye Family.

This time, not only Ye Jingting participated, but Ye Qingwen and Ye Qingfeng also participated.

"Here it comes!" Ye Jingyun shouted, then unleashed a crimson flying sword, combined with the Violet Flame Longhorn Beetle's pupil technique.

Another Green Wind Wolf was slain.

But more second-tier Green Wind Wolf approached gently. This time, Ye Jingyun no longer threw the Violet Firmament Talisman. Instead, he threw the Spirit Beast Bag in his hand, and instantly ten Thunder Rhinoceros Beetle emerged ferociously, shooting out large swaths of lightning nets!

They instantly drove back the Green Wind Wolf.

Taihang Mountain Range, Soaring Cloud Peak, Ye Family, Ye Jingcheng landed in the Lineage hall.

He landed on Soaring Cloud Peak with Chu Yanqing, and before he could even drink a cup of tea, he was summoned to the Council Hall.

"Patriarch, that Taiyi Sect steward is in the front hall, being held back by Uncle Xingming!"

At this moment, Ye Qingyan also came over, and he was very excited to see Ye Jingcheng.

However, this moment was extremely urgent for the Ye Family.

Ye Jingcheng was also somewhat anxious at this moment, as he already knew that Tianfu True Person was in Jade Dragon Valley.

He certainly wouldn't go at this moment.

He had never practiced the Supreme Clarity Spirit-Guarding Art.

If he finds out, he might be forced into it, and even if some of his Lineage members die, there's nothing he can do about it now.

He dared not gamble at this moment; to gamble would mean utter ruin.

If Tianfu True Person possesses a unique method of possession, the entire Ye Family will be in trouble.

The Earth Dragon Demon King really couldn't save himself in front of four True Person!

"Qingyan, send a telepathic message to Uncle Xingming. My cultivation is not yet consolidated. My breakthrough was too fast, and my foundation is somewhat unstable. Tell them to wait a little longer!" Ye Jingcheng said.

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyan nodded repeatedly.

"Furthermore, have the remaining cultivators of the Lineage prepare, and have the mortals of the Lineage prepare as well. There will be Beast Tide in the Empty Spirit Mountain Range!" Ye Jingcheng's teeth clenched coldly at this moment!

Rather than being led by the nose, let's have another Beast Tide!

Ye Jingcheng only needs to send a telepathic message to Ye Haicheng, with the Earth Dragon Demon King's command, and the Beast Tide from Earth Dragon Valley will naturally not leave Jade Dragon Valley!

As for Tianfu True Person, let him come to Soaring Cloud Peak!

A ruthless glint flashed in Ye Jingcheng's eyes!