Gifts and Departures

Ye An returned home from the martial arts hall when the sky had completely darkened.

The lamp in the main room was lit, and his father, Ye Shouzhuo, sat by the table with a small wooden box placed in front of him.

The box was not large—a foot square—made of ordinary wood without any patterns. The corners were wrapped in leather, and the latch was made of brass, polished to a brilliant shine.

"Someone sent it," Ye Shouzhuo said, his voice carrying a trace of doubt. "It was delivered this afternoon without a name. They just set it down and left. I asked who it was, but they didn't say."

At this hour, who would send him things? The Qian Family had already given what they owed, and Qian Duoduo had even come by a few days ago, saying to speak up directly if he had any needs.

Ye An lifted the lid of the box, inside which lay a porcelain bottle and a letter. The porcelain bottle was cyan, its mouth sealed with wax, and it was far more delicate than the kind the Qian Family used to deliver pills. The letter paper was folded twice, with that bottle of pills resting on top of it.

Ye An picked up the letter first and unfolded it.

The handwriting was neat, yet the brushstrokes carried strength.

Respectfully to Young Master Ye. Hearing of your elder brother's misfortune, I feel deep regret. A pill to restore meridians is extremely rare in this world; Ruyan's heart is willing, but her strength falls short, and I hope the young master will forgive me. Furthermore, I hear the Anping County Martial Arts Hall Exchange Meeting is approaching by the end of the year, so I specially offer a meager gift to assist the young master in making diligent progress. Bowed in respect, Liu Ruyan.

Ye An finished reading the letter, fell silent for a moment, and then folded the letter back up and placed it back into the box. He picked up the cyan porcelain bottle, pried open the wax seal on the bottle's mouth, and poured out a pill.

The medicinal pill was round and smooth, its luster warm like white jade. The medicinal fragrance was rich yet not pungent, and just smelling it made one feel their qi and blood surging.

He had seen top-grade Body Tempering Pills at the Qian Family; the medicinal fragrance of top-grade Body Tempering Pills was already very strong, but the fragrance of this pill was even purer, as if all impurities within the medicinal herbs had been completely cleared away.

Flawless quality.

Ye An put the medicinal pill back into the porcelain bottle, replaced the lid, and tucked it into his bosom.

Ye An neither refused nor panicked. Liu Ruyan had sent it, so he would accept this favor and repay it another day.

He needed to break through to Third Body Tempering before the end of the year, which required resources. A flawless-quality Body Tempering Pill happened to be just right.

He kept this Flawless Body Tempering Pill in his heart.

The medicinal efficacy of a flawless-quality Body Tempering Pill was stronger than a top-grade Body Tempering Pill by more than just a single grade.

Previously, eating one top-grade Body Tempering Pill increased his daily cultivation progress by three or four points. Now, eating one Flawless Body Tempering Pill allowed him to gain five or six points a day. Coupled with Su Yuanshan's insights, Ye An's progress was like water rushing past opened floodgates, impossible to hold back.

[Azure Cloud Finger (Third Layer): 430/500]

[Azure Cloud Finger (Third Layer): 435/500]

[Azure Cloud Finger (Third Layer): 451/500]

[Qi-Nourishing Formula (Durchmusterung): 41/300]

[Qi-Nourishing Formula (Durchmusterung): 53/300]

In half a month's time, Azure Cloud Finger had increased by nearly seventy points, and even Ye An himself felt it was fast.

Every morning before dawn, he went to the martial arts hall to strike the iron plate. In the evening, he sat in meditation to practice internal cultivation. Ye An calculated that the bottle of Flawless Body Tempering Pills sent by Liu Ruyan was enough to last him until Third Body Tempering.

That evening, Ye An was striking the iron plate in the corner. Su Qing walked out from the back courtyard, holding a bowl of soup, and walked over to his side, placing the bowl on a stone pier.

"Drink it."

"I stewed this bone soup to nourish your body."

Ye An glanced at Su Qing, then looked at the bowl of soup.

Steam was still rising from the surface of the soup, with a few bits of chopped scallions floating on top.

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Ye An's tone was neither warm nor cold, uttering the four words very ordinarily.

Su Qing stood nearby for a moment, waiting for a long time, and seeing that Ye An did not speak, she took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Lin Shaoyun can get out of bed now."

The movements of Ye An's hands did not stop at all, yet he listened to Su Qing's words.

"His sister has come," Su Qing said of her own accord. "She arrived yesterday, rushing over from Cangwu Prefecture. It's the first time I've seen Lin Shaoyun look like that. Usually, he looks down on everyone, but toward his sister, he is utterly submissive."

Ye An did not pick up the thread of the conversation, continuing to practice Azure Cloud Finger.

"There's only him and his sister left in his family. Their parents passed away early, and his sister married into Cangwu Prefecture, doing business over there to support his martial arts training." She paused, as if hesitating whether to say what came next. "His sister came this time to take him away."

"Oh," Ye An finally responded, but the movements in his hands still did not stop.

True enough, during the period when he was injured, Zhou Yuanlong and Sun Wanqing hadn't even offered a word of inquiry, and that crowd that used to revolve around him could not be seen anywhere now.

After finishing, Su Qing got up and instructed, "Drink the soup while it's hot; it gets fishy when it cools." With that, she walked back to the inner courtyard.

Lin Shaoyun was already able to walk like a normal person.

His right arm was still wrapped in bandages, but it no longer needed to be hung in a sling.

His complexion was already much better than it had been back then, and when he walked, his steps were no longer crooked.

Now he was wearing a cyan robe, his hair tied up neatly just as before. When he walked into the training grounds, several disciples practicing there lowered their heads and pretended not to see him.

These people were all the ones who had been eager to fawn over him before.

Zhou Yuanlong stood under the veranda, and seeing Lin Shaoyun enter, he paused the folding fan in his hand and also pretended not to see him. Sun Wanqing stood beside him, glanced at Lin Shaoyun, and then glanced at Zhou Yuanlong, understanding tacitly.

Lin Shaoyun paid them no mind. He walked straight past them as if they were strangers.

Lin Shaoyun walked to the edge of the training ground and stopped beside a wooden dummy.

He stood here, looking at everything familiar in this courtyard.

The wooden dummy, the iron plate, the bluestone slabs... and the young man in the corner who was endlessly striking the iron plate.

Lin Shaoyun stared at that young man in a daze, and finally spoke.

"Ye An."

Lin Shaoyun walked over and came to a halt beside Ye An.

"Aning County is about to welcome an unpredictable vortex," Lin Shaoyun said calmly, speaking of an impending catastrophe. "If one fails to find the right position in this vortex, they are bound to be utterly destroyed."

Ye An did not respond, continuing as always to busy himself with raising the mastery of Azure Cloud Finger.

Lin Shaoyun continued, "I knew from the very beginning that the Four Major Families sought me out simply because I am at Second Body Tempering and have potential. They didn't want to make friends with me; they wanted to raise retainers.

"They raise me today so they can use me tomorrow.

"From certain aspects, we are the same kind of person. You won't be satisfied with a tiny Anping County, and neither will I.

"You will eventually break through to Third Body Tempering and go to a higher stage, and so will I. I didn't agree to the Four Major Families' enticements not because I am aloof, but because I don't want to stay in Anping County forever. I want to go to the Four Symbols Sect to see deeper cultivation formulas and more exquisite martial arts."

Clang—!

Ye An struck out with another finger, causing the iron plate to emit a clang.

Lin Shaoyun felt neither anger nor disappointment, as if he had long known Ye An would act this way.

"You work harder than I do, and successful people can never do without hard work."

"I hope we still have a chance to meet again."

He paused.

"Be careful of Shi Yong. His breakthrough to Third Body Tempering this time is an absolute certainty. Also, the Four Major Families—the Iron Fist Martial Arts Hall has them backing it."

Having spoken, Lin Shaoyun turned and left.

He did not wait for Ye An's reply, nor did Ye An's reaction matter.

He walked to the entrance of the martial arts hall, paused, and looked back to take in the entire training ground of the Green Bamboo Martial Arts Hall.

This single glance took in the entire first half of his martial arts journey.

Early the next morning, several disciples were heard gathering together and whispering.

"Did you hear? Senior Brother Lin has left."

"Left? Where did he go?"

"Cangwu Prefecture. His sister does business over there and took him over to recuperate from his injuries. He won't be coming back even after he heals; he's going to develop his career over there."

"Then his injuries..."

"I heard they can heal, but it will take a few months."

"Tsk, Zhou Yuanlong and Sun Wanqing didn't even offer a word of greeting, and those people who used to swarm around him can't be seen anywhere now. If it were you, you wouldn't come back either."

"True."

[Azure Cloud Finger (Third Layer): 468/500]

Third Body Tempering was right before him, and he, Ye An, was about to burst forth!

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