Bitter Medicine Is Hard to Swallow, Honest Advice Grates on the Ear

Ning Rongrong, Qin Ming, Dai Mubai, and the others were laughing uncontrollably. Even Zhu Zhuqing, who laughed the least, raised a hand to cover her face and hide the upward curve of her lips. The contrast was simply too great—so embarrassing it was like having Guru Guru Rolling Down the Mountain True Lord's embarrassing past exposed. It was clearly supposed to be a majestic qilin, yet it had become an adorable little ball. In that respect, it was oddly similar to Ye Qingcang, who had been invincible from the moment he appeared yet had such an ordinary nickname.

Yu Xiaogang, on the other hand, was not affected much.

He helped Tang San, who was coughing up blood, to his feet with concern.

Then he glared furiously at Ye Qingcang, who had caused all this. "You must apologize to us. Never mind that your mother and I are friends who have faced life and death together—even if we had no connection at all, even if you and Little San were merely two Soul Masters who did not know each other, how could a sparring match warrant such cruelty?"

The moment he heard that, Flender could no longer sit still.

He was bad, stingy, and vain.

He admitted all of that.

But his love for Liu Erlong had always been genuine and unrequited.

The kind where his heart belonged to her alone.

He had not expected Yu Xiaogang to seek out Liu Erlong. Now, he could not make Liu Erlong go back and pretend nothing had happened. However, as an outsider, even if Liu Erlong liked Yu Xiaogang and the three of them were caught in such a complicated love triangle, he still felt it necessary to step forward and clear Ye Qingcang's name.

In truth, from the moment Ye Qingcang warned Yu Xiaogang, Flender had already wanted to leave.

They were no longer young.

They had spent decades struggling through this world.

Even when he had heard that Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong had been forced apart, gone to find Liu Erlong, seen her consumed by inner demons and venting her emotions by slaughtering Slaughter Spirit Beasts, and tried to persuade her—that had all been nineteen years ago. Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong had not seen each other for years. The same was true for him and Liu Erlong. They all had their own lives now. If Liu Erlong was living well, he truly could not bear to disturb her life again.

When he was young, he had always thought the world was vast. He could make his home anywhere. If someone rubbed him the wrong way, he could beat them up. After all, he was young and had the right to act recklessly. The world was so large—was there really no place for him?

Now that he was no longer young, meeting old friends again and simply chatting and laughing together was actually quite nice. The loyalty of youth had become the resolve not to burden others, the broad-mindedness to bear the consequences alone. This did not mean he had become cowardly. It meant he chose to leave peaceful days to his former friends. A true friend should not drag old friends into trouble.

But he could not stop Yu Xiaogang!

And the facts now proved that Ye Qingcang's foresight had been entirely correct!

If they had not come, Liu Erlong would not have been put in a difficult position!

If they had not come, this rift between mother and son would not have appeared!

Yu Xiaogang had thought too much.

And reality had worn away all his edges.

Had he not considered that since Ye Qingcang could openly reveal that Xiao Wu was a 100,000-Year Transformed Spirit Beast, how could he possibly be the sort of petty man who plotted behind people's backs?

Would someone who plotted behind your back tell you that he was about to plot behind your back?

Still, there had been too many novel things along the way.

Soul Guidance Technology, Stellar Martial Arts.

Flower Path, Pavilion in Water.

By the time he and Yu Xiaogang broke into an argument, it was already too late.

This was their final chance to turn things around.

He had to seize it!

However, just as Flender thought this, Ye Qingcang, who had long since laid the trap and was waiting for Yu Xiaogang to jump into it, gave Flender no such chance. He directly tied the sack shut, ensuring Yu Xiaogang could not escape, then looked at Liu Erlong. "Mother, assuming you do not know the truth, do you need me to apologize?"

Liu Erlong looked into Ye Qingcang's resolute eyes.

In an instant, she understood exactly what her adopted son meant.

He was asking her: if you knew nothing and had to choose between me and Yu Xiaogang—if you could only choose one—whom would you believe?

Would she believe the adopted son she had picked up from the Star Dou Great Forest, the one who had saved her when she was plagued by inner demons, whom she had personally raised for more than ten years, and who had never disappointed her in any way?

Or would she believe her companion who had once faced life and death beside her, the lover with whom she had been only one step away from a happy ending, yet who now felt somewhat unfamiliar after more than twenty years apart?

"I..." Liu Erlong hesitated, unable to speak.

Yet Ye Qingcang had long anticipated this response.

It was an impossible choice.

It was like the question of a man's mother and wife falling into the water at the same time. If he could only save one, whom would he save first?

If he said he would save his mother...

He could go home and kneel on a washboard!

If he said he would save his wife...

He could relive the bamboo shoot stir-fried with meat from his youth!

If he said he would save neither of them...

Or that he would save himself first...

Congratulations. He would receive both of the above special treatments at once.

So Ye Qingcang had never asked this question to make Liu Erlong answer it!

He was completely cutting off one of Yu Xiaogang's excuses!

"Bitter medicine is hard to swallow, and honest advice grates on the ear."

"A son does not despise his mother for being ugly, nor does a dog despise its home for being poor."

"I will not make things difficult for you."

"Even if you are only my adoptive mother."

When everyone had expected the same answer, Ye Qingcang chose one that surpassed all expectations. He took a jade token from the thumb ring on his finger. Everyone recognized it as a Jade Seal Machine. He opened the audio recording interface and handed the Jade Seal Machine to Liu Erlong.

"Violet?" After doing all this, Ye Qingcang waved without turning around. Under Violet's control, a bright screen immediately projected footage of the recent battle onto the hanging curtain. It was impossible to tell whether he was disappointed or lonely. Though his attitude remained as calm as ever, everyone present seemed to suddenly understand the emotions he could not put into words. "You won, because I followed the rules of the game."

Ning Rongrong pressed her lips together.

Her gaze toward Yu Xiaogang was filled with disdain.

She could accept Ye Qingcang's defeat, because Ye Qingcang was already outstanding. She had even imagined that he might compromise for their sake, because such an exceptional genius surely had his own considerations behind everything he did. The things he had said to Yu Xiaogang could not possibly have been merely for the satisfaction of having the last word. But she could not accept Ye Qingcang admitting their shameful victory in such a humiliating manner!

Zhu Zhuqing's pretty face also turned cold.

Dai Mubai fell silent as well.

Ma Hongjun clenched his fists, but did not act impulsively again.

The respect Oscar had previously held for Yu Xiaogang also vanished from his eyes.

As the recording played frame by frame.

Even Tang San's furious shout of "Die!" could be heard with perfect clarity.

Liu Erlong's face gradually turned pale.

Yu Xiaogang's expression was equally ugly.

Only after the footage ended did the audio recording begin to play.

It laid Yu Xiaogang's disgraceful concerns bare before everyone, especially Ning Rongrong, who had been suspected. Her eyes nearly spat fire as she stared at Yu Xiaogang, gritting her teeth in rage.

"Of course, you can say this was a trap..." Seeing Yu Xiaogang open his mouth, Ye Qingcang spoke first and cut him off. He openly admitted everything. "Because it was indeed a trap. From a very young age, I understood one truth: people change. Let alone friends who have not seen each other for over twenty years—even after three years apart, a person may be completely different. Without strong medicine, one cannot see a person's true heart. And once this strong medicine was administered, it became as clear as the lines on one's palm who truly treated you well and who had come to you for certain purposes. What was damaged was my reputation; what was revealed was your heart and the hearts of these people. It is a pity you arrived a little too early. Otherwise, I could have tested the hearts of the others as well. You may believe it or not—the choice is yours. I merely did what a son ought to do..."