Inside his dantian, the Small Cauldron shone brilliantly. After a long while, it spat out a ball of light.
Ye Yu reached out to catch it, examined it carefully, and said with some regret, "It's actually a stalk of Nine Heavens Soul Summoning Grass."
The Nine Heavens Soul Summoning Grass was an excellent treasure, the primary Spiritual Medicine for refining the Nine Revolutions Soul Returning Pill. It could revive the dead and regrow flesh upon white bones. With a Nine Revolutions Soul Returning Pill, saying one had an extra life would hardly be an exaggeration.
But for the current Ye Yu, it was of little use.
The Nine Revolutions Soul Returning Pill was a peak eighth-grade pill. Ye Yu did not yet have the ability to refine it, and besides, the other ingredients needed to refine it were exceedingly precious as well.
After pondering for a while, Ye Yu put the Nine Heavens Soul Summoning Grass into his Ring of Holding and entered meditation to rest.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Azure Prefecture had already erupted into an uproar. In the western part of Azure Prefecture, within the barbaric wilderness, a sudden disturbance in spiritual energy suggested that a secret realm had emerged.
On the eve of the War of a Hundred Dynasties, a secret realm had suddenly appeared in Azure Prefecture, setting the various imperial dynasties itching to make a move.
News had even spread from the Yunlei Two States that they, too, intended to contend for this secret realm.
Over those three days, Ye Yu activated the Small Cauldron every day. Yet, just as before, all three times yielded high-grade Spiritual Medicine that he had no use for at present.
Since he had never visited that secret realm in his previous life, Ye Yu did not know what might happen inside. Better safe than sorry, so he decided to refine some pills to bring along.
With that thought, Ye Yu headed outside the palace.
The Great Qin Capital bustled with crowds. Though it was somewhat less prosperous than Great Flame, the people living here were still carefree and at peace.
Under Qin Wushuang's deliberate arrangements, the news that Ye Yu, Great Flame's former Crown Prince, had come to Great Qin had long since spread.
The citizens of Great Qin warmly welcomed this Crown Prince who had shaken Azure Prefecture. They were no fools. Back then, Great Flame had been inferior even to Great Qin. When war broke out, who had allowed Great Flame to develop so rapidly in barely more than ten years?
The people had lived in peace and prosperity.
They had this Crown Prince to thank for it!
Amid the friendly greetings of the crowd, Ye Yu slowly arrived before Lingyun Pavilion.
Lingyun Pavilion, Azure Prefecture's foremost merchant guild, conducted business throughout the Qingyunlei Three States.
A saying circulated through Azure Prefecture: in Lingyun Pavilion, there was only what you could not afford; there was nothing you could not buy.
Naturally, those words might have been somewhat exaggerated, but they were enough to show Lingyun Pavilion's power and the sheer scale of its commercial empire.
Once, for the livelihood of Great Flame's people and to promote Great Flame's economic growth, Ye Yu had dealt with quite a few of Lingyun Pavilion's upper ranks. Now, he was thoroughly familiar with the place.
"Little Yu!"
Just as Ye Yu was about to enter, a familiar voice sounded behind him.
Ye Yu frowned and turned his head, only to see Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingshuang standing not far behind him, staring at him without blinking.
That cry of "Little Yu" had come from Ye Qingxuan.
"You really are like lingering ghosts. You actually chased me all the way to Great Qin." Ye Yu looked coldly at the two women, his voice impatient.
"What kind of attitude is that?!" Ye Qingshuang's face darkened as she rebuked him.
Even though their master had said Ye Yu was a seventh-grade alchemist, Ye Qingxuan still harbored doubts. In her eyes, Ye Yu was nothing but a lapdog. If it were not for the poison in her body, she would never have come looking for him.
"Shut up! Little Yu, come back with us. Only you can cure the poison in your second sister's body. Can you help your second sister this once?" Ye Qingxuan snapped at Ye Qingshuang, then spoke to Ye Yu.
Ye Yu gave a scornful laugh and looked at Ye Qingxuan with amusement. "If you hadn't been poisoned, would you have come looking for me?"
"What are you saying? You're my younger brother. No matter what, your second sister would have come to bring you back." Ye Qingxuan said, her expression somewhat unnatural.
"Doesn't your conscience hurt when you say that?" Ye Yu's mocking voice rang out. Then, he lifted his shirt.
Ye Qingxuan had not yet realized what Ye Yu intended to do.
But the people around them all sucked in sharp breaths.
Beneath that thin layer of clothing, savage and horrifying wounds could be seen everywhere.
The scars left by the Nine Nether Blood Spring had already faded considerably, but even more scars were fresh wounds.
They were all injuries inflicted over the past year in the Great Flame Imperial Palace, when these so-called sisters had found every conceivable excuse to beat him.
No matter how powerful the Illusory Dragon Wind Lightning Body was, it only strengthened the flesh. It could not erase scars.
These scars could be called proof of Ye Yu's achievements, but they were also a record of his humiliation.
"What? Does Second Sister think I haven't suffered enough injuries yet? Do you want to take me back and add a few more?" Ye Yu sneered.
Ye Qingxuan's brow twitched before she said, "Wasn't it because you did something wrong? If you hadn't done anything wrong, would I have treated you like that?!"
"Yes, yes, yes. Everything you say is right." Ye Yu lowered his shirt and echoed her words. Then he no longer had any intention of paying attention to either woman, turning to walk into Lingyun Pavilion.
"Stop right there! Doing this in broad daylight, in front of so many people, isn't it just because you want us to apologize and beg you to come back? For Second Sister's sake, I can apologize to you, but whether you can return isn't up to me!" Ye Qingshuang said through gritted teeth, her brows filled with unwillingness, as though speaking those words had dealt her the greatest humiliation.
Ye Qingxuan took a deep breath. "Ye Yu, my patience is limited. Don't go too far!"
"What? Can't keep up the act of being a good sister anymore?" Ye Yu looked at Ye Qingxuan's icy face with amusement.
"Do you really want me to reveal your secret? I'm telling you, don't force me. Once I say it, none of us will have peaceful days ahead!" Ye Qingxuan threatened.
Before passing out, Ye Qingxuan had seen that fleeting flash of blood-red light within the Memory Stone.
Though she had not seen it clearly, Ye Qingxuan believed it was irrefutable proof that Ye Yu had colluded with the Devil Race.
"Oh? My secret? Then go ahead and tell me." Ye Yu was intrigued. He truly wanted to know what leverage Ye Qingxuan thought she had over him.
"Fine! You said it, so don't blame me for showing no mercy!" Ye Qingxuan's tone was frosty. She then took the Memory Stone from her Ring of Holding and handed it to Ye Qingshuang.
Unable to wield spiritual energy now, Ye Qingxuan naturally left the task of playing the image to Ye Qingshuang.
Ye Qingshuang took it and eyed Ye Qingxuan suspiciously. However, she did not hesitate for long before beginning to pour spiritual energy into it.
Very soon, the Memory Stone shone brilliantly, and an image began to emerge above everyone's heads.
Ye Qingxuan glanced at the growing crowd around them, then at Ye Yu. "It's not too late to regret this. Are you going to cure my poison or not?"
"Play it already. I'm curious too, so quit dragging your feet." Ye Yu looked toward the image and waved his hand.
Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan shot Ye Yu a resentful glare, then signaled Ye Qingshuang to continue the image. Afraid the crowd would not understand, she even said warmly, "This is a Memory Stone from the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace of Great Flame. Take a good look at what kind of thing this Ye Yu you all worship really is!"
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