Invitation to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well (3)

Invitation to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well (3)

"Don't think so badly of my sister?" Zhu Zhuqing froze when she heard that, then filled with anger and disdain. "I acknowledge your status, your achievements, your strength, and your methods, but that doesn't give you a reason to spout nonsense. If you don't know what happened, then please don't pass judgment, much less offer advice. Thank you!"

To Zhu Zhuqing, everything Ye Qingcang said was complete bullshit.

Not a single word was useful.

She understood what Ye Qingcang meant.

In short, he was telling her to think things over. Maybe her sister had never truly wanted to kill her and had only acted that way out of necessity.

That might fool a child, but it would never fool her!

Was her sister's sudden coldness fake?

Was all the targeting she had endured since childhood fake?

Were all the assassinations she had suffered along the way fake?

Even the wounds on her body—were they fake too?

If Ye Qingcang had instructed her in combat techniques, she would have gladly accepted it. No matter how much hardship she had to endure, as long as she improved, she would persist.

But when it came to her personal affairs, Ye Qingcang had no right to instruct her!

Never having suffered another's pain, do not urge them to be kind!

Ye Qingcang was overreaching!

"Fine..." Ye Qingcang's tone seemed to soften, as if he had backed down. But to Ning Rongrong, it sounded rather like he was coaxing a child. "Since you said thank you, and since you praised me, I won't say anything else. Good luck?"

Zhu Zhuqing's breathing gradually steadied.

The tremors in her body slowly subsided as well.

Yet Ye Qingcang's assured attitude only stirred Zhu Zhuqing's competitive spirit. This loyal little kitten had no idea what kind of hell she was about to fall into. With a cold little face, she nodded politely, then turned and left without a word.

Nodding to you was courtesy.

Not speaking was my temperament.

But compared to Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong thought much further ahead.

She glanced at Zhu Zhuqing's retreating figure.

Her gaze lingered briefly over Zhu Zhuqing's figure.

A flash of envy passed through her glass-like eyes.

Turning back, she looked at Ye Qingcang, who was controlling the Alchemy Array to refine Soul Bones, and asked a startling question. "Did that bastard Dai Mubai sell her out?"

Ning Rongrong did not think Ye Qingcang would lie to Zhu Zhuqing.

Nor did she think Zhu Zhuqing was worth Ye Qingcang resorting to deception.

Her father had told her many times that when a single leaf blocked one's sight, one could fail to see the mountain beyond.

Many times, even what one saw with one's own eyes was not necessarily real. Therefore, what Zhu Zhuqing had seen and heard might not necessarily have been the full truth.

It was true, but it had to be only a partial truth.

And since Ye Qingcang had chosen to warn Zhu Zhuqing, it could only mean that Zhu Zhuqing was currently in danger. This danger likely did not involve her life, because Blue Tyrant Academy's rules had been personally set by Ye Qingcang. Therefore, if the stark contrast Ye Qingcang had emphasized was the key, there was only one possibility: Dai Mubai had betrayed Zhu Zhuqing. Only that could have prompted Ye Qingcang's warning!

"You're very smart." Ye Qingcang maintained the Alchemy Array with one hand while multitasking. "But you should also know that people only believe the truth they see. As the saying goes, one won't turn back until one hits a wall. That's what it means. No matter what you tell her, she won't listen."

"I knew it..."

Ning Rongrong clenched her little fists viciously.

She recalled the conflict she had had with Dai Mubai at Shrek Academy's entrance more than two years ago.

She wanted to warn her friend Zhu Zhuqing, but suddenly realized that Ye Qingcang was right. No matter what she said, Zhu Zhuqing would not listen at this moment.

She sighed listlessly.

After several seconds of silence, she changed the subject. "I want to be friends with you..."

"Do you want to be friends with me, or does the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect want to be friends with me?" Ye Qingcang took a ten-thousand-year Soul Bone from the Alchemy Array. It was only palm-sized, yet beautiful as a work of art. He handed it to Violet to complete the packing process. "I have many friends. Anyone who isn't an enemy could become my friend, and I don't mind becoming friends with them. But friends are not all the same. I hope you understand that."

"Tell me about it?" Ning Rongrong tucked her hands away.

"I divide friends into six tiers."

"From lowest to highest, they are chance acquaintances, pleasant companions, kindred spirits, brothers-in-arms, entrusted with life and death, and everlasting bonds."

"Chance acquaintances, as the name suggests, are friends with whom you have crossed paths once. As long as they look agreeable, and as long as it does not harm your own interests, offering them help counts as the friendship of chance acquaintances."

"Pleasant companions, as the name suggests, are friends with common topics. You can chat well together, and both parties have certain standards for each other's identity, background, and interests. The friendship born from that is called pleasant companionship."

"Kindred spirits, as the name suggests, are friends who share the same ambitions and path. They have a common goal, and on the long road toward it, they can support one another. That is what kindred spirits are."

"Brothers-in-arms, as the name suggests, are friends you regard as your own brothers. This is also the limit ordinary friendship can reach. I treat you as a brother, and you treat me as one in return. We never doubt each other. That is brothers-in-arms."

"Entrusted with life and death means that if you die someday, you can safely entrust your children to me. If I die, I can safely entrust my children to you. Extending that further, it means that either of us can leave our final affairs to the one still alive, allowing the one who dies first to rest in peace."

"The final one, everlasting bonds, is a kind of friendship that exists only in fantasy. Taken literally, it means being friends through life after life. But to reach that realm, the requirements for both sides' strength are quite high. You could say it is merely a concept."

Ye Qingcang refined the twenty-sixth Soul Bone.

Even Qian Renxue was only at the brothers-in-arms stage.

The final two stages were practically just decorations.

"Is there a seventh kind of friend? For example..." Ning Rongrong blinked, flirting skillfully as she fully displayed the charm of the Little Witch. "A girlfriend?"

"A girlfriend?" Ye Qingcang laughed, as though he had heard a joke. "Girlfriend is simply a polite term. It does not belong to the category of friends, because I prefer to call a girlfriend a Lover. Lovers have another set of standards. I cannot see your sincerity, and you cannot see my true intentions. Do you want to try?"

"Why not?" The Little Witch, who feared neither heaven nor earth, had her own advantage: she could boldly throw a straight ball.

Reserve was a fine quality, but it could also be seen as waiting without the capital to act, or as a tactic to raise one's perceived value.

Ning Rongrong did not need reserve to embellish her character. If she did not like something, she rejected it. If she liked something, she admitted it. Life was short, so why hesitate? "I have to consider whether this is the only opportunity I'll ever have!"

"Perhaps you should add one more line..." Ye Qingcang refined the twenty-seventh Soul Bone and casually glanced at the crimson clouds on the horizon. "To restore the glory of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is the duty of our generation."

"I didn't fall for you because of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!" Ning Rongrong turned her head disdainfully. "Who I like is my own business. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect might be able to dictate matters of my marriage—for example, that I cannot remain unmarried for life, that I must marry a Support Type Soul Master, that I must marry a female assault-type Soul Master, and so on. But who I like, what kind of personality I have—none of that can be decided even by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

"Then what do you like about me?" Ye Qingcang uncovered another layer of truth. "The Magnetic Field Martial Arts in the middle volume of Stellar Martial Arts can optimize one's own magnetic field. No person's magnetic field is absolutely harmonious, except those who cultivate Magnetic Field Martial Arts. What attracts you is not me, but my optimized magnetic field. It is like an ugly duckling instinctively admiring a white swan. I'm not saying you are an ugly duckling, nor am I saying I am a white swan. I mean only one thing: what you may like is the halo around me, not me as a person. If those halos were on someone else, perhaps that is who you would like..."

"But if you refuse to give me the chance to understand you, then all I can like is that halo!" Clever Ning Rongrong used Ye Qingcang's own logic against him. "It is wrong to judge others arbitrarily. You cannot be certain that what I like is definitely your halo. Perhaps I like you, but you have to give me the opportunity to understand you. If you don't, then all I can see are the halos around you. It depends on your attitude—whether you are willing to let me understand you!"

"I really like your brave argument!"

"No, I should say... I really like that brave heart of yours!"

Ye Qingcang laughed.

He was not someone who liked playing guessing games.

He handed the thirty-sixth Soul Bone in his hand to Violet.

He clapped his hands, and the Alchemy Array shattered.

Then he turned to Ning Rongrong.

He looked at the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

He did not make things too clear, merely giving an ambiguous hint. "As a reward for your courage, I will give you an immortal herb that will benefit you. I will not stop you from getting to know me. After we return this time, an opportunity will arise for you to understand me. If you are willing, you can try to seize it. It will be difficult, and you may regret the choice..."

"I won't regret it."

"Even if I see your dark side."

It had to be said that Ning Rongrong truly deserved to be called the Little Witch who gave even Ning Fengzhi headaches. Not only were her thoughts difficult to grasp, but she was exceptionally clever.

She could pick up traces of meaning from just a few hints.

Among Shrek's three girls, Ning Rongrong was likely the most calculating.

"Call them all back." Ye Qingcang patted the box filled with thirty-six Soul Bones and instructed Violet, "The Soul Bones are all accounted for, so there is no need to keep hunting. We need to preserve the ecosystem. It's getting late as well. Have them come back so we can distribute these. We'll prepare to set off tomorrow. I have some things to explain too."

"Yes."

Violet took out the Jade Seal Machine.

After fiddling with it a few times, she sent out the messages.

In less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense, Blue Tyrant Academy's squads had returned.

Ye Qingcang clapped his hands.

The chatting and laughing students quickly fell silent.

Two or three seconds later, the entire area was quiet.

This scene also caught the attention of the groups from Tianshui Academy, Blazing Academy, Shenfeng Academy, and Spirit Hall, who all turned to look over.

"Thirty-six Soul Bones, thirty-six students."

"One per person. Come forward in order to collect them."

"According to the rankings on the three lists, from highest to lowest."

"Those not on the lists will collect theirs according to Soul Power rank."

"Any objections?"

Ye Qingcang spoke those matter-of-fact words in a matter-of-fact tone. Even though the groups from Tianshui Academy, Blazing Academy, Shenfeng Academy, and Spirit Hall had expected something like this—guessing that Ye Qingcang's orders for these students to hunt Soul Beasts and extract Soul Bones could not be that simple, and that he might hand out a few to motivate them—they still had not expected Ye Qingcang to be this generous. With one wave of his hand, he gave away all thirty-six ten-thousand-year Soul Bones!

"Thirty-six ten-thousand-year Soul Bones!" Yue Guan's eyes shone. One knew one's own circumstances best. To this day, he did not have a single Soul Bone on him. The few Soul Bones he could buy were all thousand-year ones. If Dugu Bo was the weakest among Titled Douluo, then Yue Guan was certainly the poorest. "Thirty-six of them, old ghost!"

Gui Mei understood Yue Guan's excitement.

Even with money, it was hard to find a suitable Soul Bone.

One issue was incompatible attributes.

What Yue Guan wanted was a Soul Bone from a plant-type Soul Beast.

Like A Yin's Soul Bone.

Soul Bones from other types did not suit him.

The other issue was their age.

Soul Bones and External Soul Bones were two different things. External Soul Bones could grow along with the Soul Master, but a Soul Bone's upper limit was determined the moment it was produced.

Soul Bones below ten thousand years were useless to Yue Guan.

Soul Bones over ten thousand years would not fall into Yue Guan's hands either.

Those who recognized their value had already absorbed them.

Those who did not recognize their value would not know what they were.

Still, it was painful to be able to look but not eat!

When Yue Guan saw Ye Qingcang pick out a twenty-thousand-year plant-type Soul Bone—the kind he had dreamed of—he stared at it like he was looking at his wife... No, he did not have a wife. That comparison was wrong. Rather, he stared at it like a dog staring at a bone, drooling with desire.

But Yue Guan had one admirable quality: he knew when to advance and retreat, and he understood propriety!

Since Ye Qingcang had taken that Soul Bone, Yue Guan did not dare snatch it by force.

Besides, he did not have the strength to snatch it anyway.

Like Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, Feng Xiaotian, Hu Liena, and the others, he could only watch helplessly as these Blue Tyrant Academy students of common birth received their Soul Bones and entered their respective tents to begin absorbing them.

Ten-thousand-year Soul Bones that most Soul Saints did not even possess!

A group of Soul Masters in their twenties, thirties, and forties were being equipped with them!

Does Blue Tyrant Academy still accept students?

I want to join too and mooch a Soul Bone!

Compared to Ye Qingcang, Yue Guan suddenly found his own leader, Bibidong, far less appealing. They were both God Trial Takers, but look at Ye Qingcang—how generous he was. These people were not ungrateful; it was no wonder that the students he had raised with Soul Bone after Soul Bone admired him so deeply. Then look at Bibidong, who wanted the horse to run fast without feeding it grass. If Bibidong gave him a ten-thousand-year Soul Bone, he would have no problem licking her feet!

But...

"A Soul Bone?" Yue Guan instinctively caught the Crystal Storage Box Ye Qingcang tossed over. He stared at Ye Qingcang in disbelief, his mind utterly blank. "Th-this... what does this mean?"

"I won't let my friends suffer losses." Ye Qingcang waved his hand, his generosity leaving the entire Spirit Hall group stunned. "Consider this Soul Bone both payment and a deposit. The payment is to compensate Chrysanthemum Elder for defying all opposition to support and escort Blue Tyrant Academy. The deposit is because I need a favor from Chrysanthemum Elder regarding something. I would like Chrysanthemum Elder, Ghost Elder, and several people from Spirit Hall to accompany me somewhere. At that place, there will be another payment for the favor I'm asking."

"Chrysanthemum Grandpa, please accept it..." Hu Liena noticed Yue Guan's hesitation. She shook Gui Mei's arm, signaling for his support. "Ghost Grandpa, what do you think?"

"Old chrysanthemum..." Gui Mei knew what Yue Guan was hesitating over. He was simply afraid of being held accountable by Bibidong. But since Hu Liena had stepped forward to share the responsibility, he had to give his brother a way out. "They've put it that way. You wouldn't reject their kindness, would you?"

"Then I'll gladly accept!" Yue Guan rubbed Hu Liena's head and silently remembered this favor. He did not count it as a favor from Ye Qingcang, because Ye Qingcang had just said he would need Yue Guan's help once they reached their destination. Doing his utmost to handle the matter for Ye Qingcang would be the best repayment. "We'll depart with Blue Tyrant Academy tomorrow morning!"

At last, the groundwork was finished.

This was so hard to write.

I did my best to help Qian Renxue repair her relationship with her mother.