Who Taught Him?

On the stone platform, Yang Yi slowly finished his cultivation, and the roiling blood and qi around him swiftly settled.

Several more days had passed since he discovered another crack in the Source Crystal that day.

Just an hour ago, a reminder had sounded outside the door, calling him out of seclusion.

The timing was just right. Before his final cultivation session, he had used up every last bottle of Myriad-Treasure Dew.

As he cultivated over the past few days, another crack had indeed appeared on the Source Crystal.

But... there was nothing to fear.

As long as the Source Crystal did not shatter completely, it was fine.

Ten days—an entire one hundred and ninety bottles of Myriad-Treasure Dew—nearly amounted to two months' worth of his normal consumption.

Yet the benefits he gained exceeded two months of ordinary cultivation, because the blood and qi tempered during every session was several times what normal cultivation produced.

If he truly calculated it, the gains from this round of cultivation were nearly equivalent to cultivating for an entire year!

And one year of his cultivation was equivalent to several years, or even longer, for others.

Even so, he had failed to break through into the Mistblood Realm.

It seemed the gap within the Mistblood Realm itself was quite vast.

Those who had just entered Lan Blood likely differed enormously in strength from old-established Lan Blood cultivators who had immersed themselves in the realm for decades.

After wrapping up the unused Hundred Herbs Liquid, Yang Yi slung it over his shoulder. Grasping the bolt of the heavy door with both hands, he gave it a light pull, and the doors flew open with a crash.

Compared with when he had entered before, the change was truly immense.

"Greetings, Attendant Yang." The guard who had previously helped fetch his medicine still stood faithfully outside.

"Thanks for the effort!" Yang Yi raised a hand and patted his shoulder. His friendly attitude nearly moved the guard to tears.

Following the passage upward, he reached the cave entrance, where two people stood outside.

One of them was Qiao Yingquan.

"Chief Steward!" In high spirits, Yang Yi greeted him warmly.

"Hmph!" A cold snort suddenly came from beside Qiao Yingquan.

Yang Yi followed the sound and discovered Shen Qian, who had joined the Qiao Household as an Attendant alongside him that day. For some reason, this fellow was glaring at him furiously.

"Judging by Attendant Yang's appearance, your harvest this time was considerable. Congratulations." Qiao Yingquan cupped his hands in greeting.

His attention diverted, Yang Yi returned the gesture. "So-so. Sorry for making the Chief Steward wait here."

Qiao Yingquan said, "I was not waiting here for Attendant Yang. I came to escort Attendant Shen here."

"Ah... oh, oh." Yang Yi realized he had misunderstood, but he was not embarrassed in the least. "Then Chief Steward, carry on with your business. I'll treat you to a drink when I have time."

With that, he walked straight ahead.

"Such insolence!" Shen Qian's face turned livid. Though they were both Attendants, he was at least older. Yang Yi should have greeted him with a bow no matter what. Yet this fellow had acted as though he had not seen him, not even offering a greeting. He truly was a wild brat whose feathers had not even grown in, ignorant of all etiquette.

Fortunately, Qiao Yingquan extended a hand. "Attendant Shen, please. By the time we arrive, the place inside should be mostly tidied up."

Shen Qian did not dare show Qiao Yingquan any displeasure. He nodded slightly. "Chief Steward Qiao, thank you for your trouble."

After Yang Yi cut in once, it was finally Shen Qian's turn.

Though no one led him, Yang Yi still knew the way back. He returned all the way to Bamboo Garden, only to find no sign of his uncle or aunt.

After asking the servants, he learned that his uncle and aunt had been managing the shop in the outer city these past days, and that it had already gotten on track.

Yang Yi was greatly astonished.

His uncle and aunt had spent their entire lives tucked away in a small mountain village. Even with a shop, what business could they possibly run? He had already prepared himself for the old couple to lose money while making noise, yet unexpectedly, the business was thriving?

Could it be that his uncle or aunt was actually a business genius? They had merely been crouching in a small mountain village before, talents buried and unable to spread their wings?

Only after the servant explained further did Yang Yi learn that Qiao Wuwang had helped them.

Third Young Master Qiao had hired them a shopkeeper... The shopkeeper handled everything large and small in the store, while his uncle and aunt merely assisted.

Under such circumstances, as long as they did not interfere recklessly, they only needed to sit back and wait for the money to come in.

That was not bad either!

At the very least, having something to do would keep the old couple from feeling stifled.

"Where are my elder brother and little sister?" Yang Yi asked again.

"Young Master Yang is cultivating inside, and Young Miss Yang is keeping him company," the servant replied.

"Cultivating..." Yang Yi hurriedly ran inside.

Was this not sheer nonsense? Before he went to the Yin-Yang Pool, he had taught Yang Yong only once. With Yang Yong's comprehension, he had not learned it at all. What if he rashly started cultivating?

He hurried into the courtyard and indeed saw Yang Yong practicing the Body Tempering Technique.

Just as he was about to stop him, he was suddenly astonished.

Though Yang Yong's movements were not as standard as his own, there were no mistakes or omissions. Moreover, judging by his breathing and exhalation, there was not a single problem.

The blazing sun hung high overhead. Yang Yong was drenched in sweat, while the flesh across his body continuously writhed.

Under the shade of a nearby tree, Yang Ya sat in a chair, gently waving a round fan in her hand. A fruit platter rested beside her.

The little girl's cheeks had filled out considerably again, and her complexion was good. At last, she looked like a healthy child.

As she ate grapes, she kept nodding. "Yes, just like that. When you exhale, make it heavier and longer than before."

At that moment, Yang Yong turned and spotted Yang Yi standing at the courtyard gate. His movements abruptly paused.

"Don't stop. Continue!" Yang Yi barked.

Yang Yong nodded slightly and continued with the movements that followed.

"Second Brother!" Yang Ya sprang to her feet and came smiling before Yang Yi. "You're back."

As she spoke, she took the bundle from his hand.

Yang Yi was briefly dazed. Every time he returned from the mountains in the past, Yang Ya would take his medicine basket like this whenever she saw him.

In a flash, it felt as though that had happened long ago.

Yet when counted from start to finish, it had only been a little over a month.

"Mm." Yang Yi answered, then tilted his chin toward Yang Yong. "Who taught him?"

Without someone carefully teaching him, Yang Yong could not possibly have improved so much in such a short time. To be honest, after witnessing Yang Yong's comprehension before, Yang Yi had already prepared for a protracted battle.

In a little over ten days, even counting the time needed for recovery, Yang Yong could have cultivated at most three or four times, even with the help of Hundred Herbs Liquid.

Yet his improvement was obvious to the eye. It could be said that he had fully entered the gate of the Body Tempering Technique.

"Guess!" Yang Ya narrowed her eyes.

"Third Young Master?" Yang Yi thought of Qiao Wuwang. Only he would come to the Yang Household, and Qiao Wuwang now cultivated the Body Tempering Technique as well. With his years of cultivation experience, teaching Yang Yong would certainly not be a problem.

"Nope." Yang Ya giggled.

"Then who could it be?"

Yang Yi was stunned. Within the Qiao Household, he had no other connections. Though he got along fairly well with Qiao Yingquan, Qiao Yingquan would never do something like this. He did not have that kind of spare time.

Besides, Qiao Yingquan might not even cultivate his Body Tempering Technique.

Fortunately, Yang Ya did not keep him guessing. With a smug expression, she said, "The person who taught Big Brother is far away at the edge of the sky, yet right before your eyes."

"You?" Yang Yi looked down at Yang Ya, then turned away with a scoff. "Quit fooling around!"

His smile slowly faded. Looking back at her, he found it hard to believe. "It really wasn't you, was it?"