Chapter 9
Shen Xingyan sighed. Conceding defeat, he took out another 500 Superior Spirit Stones and stuffed them into her hands. "That's enough now, isn't it?"
"Is that all I'm worth to you? Shen Xingyan, we're not done!" Luo Bingyao took the Spirit Stones and hurled them at his head one by one.
Shen Xingyan fled in a panic.
He thought ten thousand Middle-Grade Spirit Stones would be enough to send a girl away? He's exactly like his stingy father.
Shen Xingyan and Luo Bingyao—one scumbag, one wicked woman. They're made for each other. They should get together already and spare everyone else.
Fresh from her milk, Ye Zhenzhen lay contentedly on the bed. She had been growing sleepy, but when she heard Ye Qingchuan describe the scene so vividly, she couldn't stop laughing. Then she accidentally started hiccupping and couldn't stop that either.
Hahahahaha... hic... hahahahahaha... hic...
"Last time, he actually showed Senior Sister that kind of film. This time, he really picked up a rock and smashed his own foot. Let's see if he has the nerve to come looking for her again!" Ye Qingchuan said, tightening his grip on the Recording Stone.
He still had that spectacular footage of Shen Xingyan chasing the Clothes-Stealing Beast without a stitch on. In high definition and completely uncensored, no less.
Ye Zhenzhen: Fight magic with magic.
Let's see if that stinking scumbag dares take people to see films like that again! O(∩_∩)O Haha~
Chapter 9
"First Senior Brother is back! First Senior Brother is back!"
Cheers rang across Soaring Cloud Peak. Ye Ruheng's eldest Personal Disciple, Ye Qinghui, had returned, and Outer Sect and inner sect disciples who heard the news soon crowded around him.
Born with an Innate Sword Bone and a Supreme Heavenly Spiritual Root, Ye Qinghui had reached Foundation Establishment at ten and Golden Core at fourteen despite Cloudsky Sect's severe lack of cultivation resources. His swordsmanship was uncanny, swift, ingenious, and precise; his Sword Qi swept in every direction. He stood head and shoulders above the disciples of every sect. Ye Ruheng had chosen him as his successor as Sect Leader, and he was a favorite to win the upcoming Immortal Sects Grand Tournament.
But alas, heaven envied the gifted.
Three months earlier, on a mission to capture a demon, a Charm Demon had lured him into a trap, gravely wounded him, and stolen his Inner Core. The seventeen-year-old sword cultivator had been at Golden Core Late Stage, on the verge of reaching Nascent Soul. In an instant, he had fallen back to the very beginning—not even reaching Qi Refining.
Divine Healer Valley was said to be able to bring back the dead, put flesh on bare bones, restore an Inner Core, and replenish Qi. Ye Qinghui had spent over two months seeking treatment there. No one knew whether he had regained his Inner Core.
"Hui'er, did anything come of your trip?" Ye Ruheng was delighted to see his beloved disciple and immediately stepped forward to ask.
Ye Qinghui's expression darkened. He shook his head.
"Even Divine Healer Valley could do nothing..." Ye Ruheng patted his shoulder in consolation. "Never mind. Heaven never seals off every path. I'll think of another way. For now, go visit your master's wife and your Junior Sister, Ye Zhenzhen."
The Little Glutinous Rice Ball, barely two months old, lay on the bed sucking her thumb with all her might, making little smacking sounds. The moment she saw the white-robed young man come through the door, she stopped.
Oh my gosh, is that my First Senior Brother, Ye Qinghui?
No wonder they call him a flower atop a lofty peak. His features are like a painting, and he's as clear as the breeze and bright moon—so handsome and otherworldly, he looks like an immortal descended to earth.
Zhenzhen likes First Senior Brother so much. It's a shame he's beautiful, powerful, and doomed. First, his supposed close friend Ye Qingyun tricked him out of his Inner Core. Then villains plotted to cut off his sword-wielding right hand. When Cloudsky Sect was destroyed, he was the first to die trying to save it.
First Senior Brother, your life is so tragic!
"Who's speaking?" Startled by the sudden baby voice—and shaken even more by the terrible fate it revealed—Ye Qinghui took a deep breath and looked at the delicate little baby before him.
"Hui'er, those are your Junior Sister's thoughts," Xie Jingshu hurriedly explained. "Zhenzhen is protected by the Heavenly Dao. She can foresee the future and reveal it to us through her thoughts."
"Will the sect truly be destroyed?" Ye Qinghui cared deeply for the greater good. He did not fear his own death, but at the mention of the sect's destruction, both his hands clenched into fists.
"We've already foiled Immortal Venerable Shen and Ye Rufeng's plot to break the Barrier on our Back Mountain and seize our sect's secret treasure. But as long as those villains haven't given up, Cloudsky Sect remains in danger. We must guard against people connected to the Kongtong School, and we must also train harder so we can stand against them when danger comes," Ye Ruheng said, stroking his beard.
Until now, he had focused only on growing stronger through cultivation. He realized he also needed to watch what others outside the sect were doing. Even if he harmed no one, that did not mean no one would harm him. He could not shut himself away and stagnate.
"Martial Uncle actually colluded with the Kongtong School?" Still stunned, Ye Qinghui suddenly recalled something crucial from Ye Zhenzhen's thoughts. He crouched beside her and asked in disbelief, "Junior Sister, did you just say Qingyun tricked me out of my Inner Core?"
That's right. It was him.
Ye Qingyun was Ye Rufeng's eldest Personal Disciple. Close to Ye Qinghui in age and obsessed with the way of the sword, he had followed him around like a little tail since childhood, constantly asking him for guidance. But unlike Ye Qinghui, he had not been born with an Innate Sword Bone. His cultivation had stalled at Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and he had never managed to break through to Golden Core.
Some time ago, rumors had spread that a Charm Demon was wreaking havoc on Dabie Mountain, devouring villagers nearby and stealing the Inner Cores of countless passing cultivators. Ye Qinghui had been invited to go on Cloudsky Sect's behalf and eliminate the demon. Ye Qingyun had insisted on coming along to help.
The Charm Demon carried an enchanting scent. Affection glimmered in her eyes, and a single glance from her could leave a person spellbound and under her control. For that reason, the two men had worn specially made Artifact Masks that blocked both sight and air, protecting them from her charms.
They had gained the upper hand and were about to capture her together. But then Ye Qingyun suddenly claimed he could hardly breathe and tore off his mask. He quickly fell under the Charm Demon's spell. Like a puppet, he opened his mouth and leaned toward her lips, and she was about to suck away his Inner Core.
To save Ye Qingyun, Ye Qinghui drew his sword and fought the Charm Demon with all his strength. He drove her to flee underground and had barely pulled Ye Qingyun to safety when Ye Qingyun yanked off his mask.
After breathing in a waft of that enchanting scent, Ye Qinghui fell under the Charm Demon's spell. She tricked him out of his Inner Core and left him gravely wounded.