Two Lineage Conflict
A month passed in the blink of an eye, Ye An spent this time consolidating his cultivation level.
I have gained some understanding of both the "Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Art" and the "Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Palm".
[Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Art - Qi Condensation Chapter (First Layer): 80/800]
[Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Palm - Part 1 (Initial Glance): 70/800]
Occasionally, I'll set aside time to hone my skills in using the Eight-Armed Asura technique.
During this period, the path for the circulation of True Essence has become much wider than before, like a narrow road being widened into an official road.
[Eight-Armed Asura (Two Arms): 80/1000]
Ye An tried simultaneously activating the Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Palm and the Eight-Armed Asura — the True Essence Arms supporting the Mountain-Supporting behind him, while his true body emerged from the Mountain-Shattering.
Ye An discovered that when both arms activated the Mountain-Supporting simultaneously, the thickness and coverage area doubled, and the consumption of True Essence also increased. However, this sense of "security" was more real than when using only one arm.
Ye An thought that if he could learn all Four Halls Martial Arts and then activate the Eight-Armed Asura, wouldn't he be able to use Four Halls Martial Arts simultaneously?
If I could actually do that, how terrifying would my strength have to be?
Ye An got up; as the manager of the Medicine Garden, he needed to go there today.
As Ye An passed by the Inner Sect, he saw a familiar figure—the same figure who had helped him before.
Lu Yun stood in front of a door, with two disciples blocking his way, preventing him from entering.
One of them, arms crossed, looked up and said, "Deacon Lu, this area is no longer under your jurisdiction. Please leave."
The other person stood silently to the side, but blocked the doorway and refused to move.
Ye An walked over from the corridor and asked, "Senior Brother Lu, what happened?"
The disciple with his arms crossed glanced at Ye An and realized he didn't recognize him.
However, since the other party addressed him as Senior Brother Lu Yun, his cultivation level was probably not very high. He arrogantly said, "Who are you? Are you his junior brother? Then you can't go in either. This is none of your business."
Lu Yun was stunned when he saw Ye An. He knew that Ye An had entered the Black Tortoise Hall and had even broken through to the Qi Condensation.
In his haste and panic, Lu Yun didn't think too much and simply recounted the events.
He had offended a minor steward when he went out on business before, and that steward was later transferred to the Inner Sect. He had always remembered this incident and today arranged for two disciples to guard the entrance and prevent him from entering.
The two disciples just watched them. The one with his arms crossed snorted, "If you want to catch up, go somewhere else. Don't waste other people's time here."
The disciple who had remained silent watched the two quietly. Often, he was forced to do things against his will. He didn't want to stop them, but his superior had ordered him to do so, and he had no choice.
He looked at Ye An, and the more he looked, the more uneasy he felt. So he nudged the arrogant disciple and whispered, "That's enough."
"Tch~"
After listening, Ye An understood the whole story. He released his True Qi slightly for a moment, just a moment, like a gust of wind spreading out from the spot and then returning.
With their Qi Condensation cultivation level, the two disciples fell silent and stepped aside to make way for them.
Lu Yun looked at Ye An, but before he could speak, Ye An had already walked ahead.
Ye An said to Lu Yun, "Let's go, I'll go in with you."
Lu Yun hesitated for a moment, but did not refuse and followed.
The two of them pushed open the door and went inside together.
The steward looked up when he heard the door open and saw Lu Yun walk in. He was about to speak to stop him, but his gaze fell on Ye An next to Lu Yun.
His words stuck in his throat; he couldn't say them.
Ye An did not deliberately conceal his aura; he could clearly distinguish the difference between the Late Meridian Opening and the Qi Condensation Initial Stage.
The steward quickly stood up and walked over to greet Ye An.
Ye An raised his hand. "My friend just wouldn't let me in from outside the door. I'd like to ask what happened?"
Two voices of doubt immediately made the manager panic and say, "No, no, it must be that the people below are ignorant."
"Steward Lu, come this way, I'll get your things done for you right away..." The junior steward took the documents from Lu Yun's hand. He knew that the problem wasn't too serious yet, but if he didn't do anything, it would really be over.
Lu Yun didn't say much. When he came out after finishing his business in the back, Ye An was already waiting for him by the pillar outside the door.
Lu Yun walked over and thanked him, saying, "Senior Brother Ye, I've remembered what happened today."
Ye An smiled and said, "It's nothing. I haven't forgotten how you helped me back then. By the way, I have something to do, so I'll be going now."
Ye An didn't reminisce and left.
Lu Yun stood there, watching Ye An's retreating figure, filled with emotion. The Outer Sect Disciple he had helped back then was now a Qi Condensation disciple of the Four Halls. Time really flies.
When Ye An arrived at the Medicine Garden, he saw Lin Qiushui looking worried. Thinking of Lin Wanyue, he went over and asked what was wrong.
Lin Qiushui looked up and saw it was him. She was stunned for a moment, not expecting Ye An to come and care about her.
"Something's happened to the Lin Lineage." Her voice was soft, but she explained the situation clearly, "The Song Family borrowed our Lin Lineage's transportation route to transport a batch of goods. The Lin Lineage agreed and received payment, but the goods were stolen en route. The Song Family is now demanding compensation from the Lin Lineage. And according to the Song Family, the losses are substantial. Now our Lin Lineage is worried about this..."
Ye An's brow twitched slightly after hearing this. "What a coincidence?"
A few words reached Lin Qiushui's ears, causing her to raise her head slightly, as if Ye An had spoken for her what she had been thinking but had never dared to say.
Lin Qiushui lowered her eyes. "I don't know... but the Lineage is saying we can't just accept this debt, but some elders say business requires regular contact and they want to pay a portion first to settle things peacefully..."
Ye An didn't press further, and after a while, he said, "Don't think too much about it. Just do what you need to do."
That evening, Ye An received two letters.
The first letter was from Lin Wanyue; after the ore was stolen, the Lin Lineage couldn't produce any evidence to refute it.
She discovered traces of the Heaven Overturning Cult's activities near the transport route at the Demon Suppressing Guard, but she was already being watched and needed someone to provide backup from the other side, so she thought of Ye An.
The second letter was unsigned, the handwriting was unfamiliar, and it contained only a few lines of text. Yet, the information conveyed in those few lines Celestial Person Ye An.
The information revealed in those few lines was enough for Ye An to realize that the connection between the Song Family and the Heaven Overturning Cult was much deeper than the ore robbery, and far more complex than simply "borrowing a transportation route".
The letter clearly stated that the Cangwu branch of the Heaven Overturning Cult Cangwu Sub-Altar was planning a resource mobilization targeting Cangwu Prefecture, and the role the Song Family played in it. As for who wrote the letter, Ye An had absolutely no clue.
"Whose prank was it? Or a trap? Or..." Ye An had no answer.
Ultimately, Ye An realized his own strength was insufficient, so he decided to first master the palm technique and wait patiently for specific news from Lin Wanyue.