The Ye Clan is not located in Heaven Dou City, but in a beautiful and secluded mountain area outside the city.
Initially, the Ye Clan ancestors simply chose a beautiful place to settle down. Soul Master with the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul were essentially "living bodhisattvas," naturally attracting countless ordinary people seeking medical treatment to come and rely on them. Over time, people gathered, and the Qingtang Town was formed.
Lin Kong and Ye Lingling rode in the same carriage, leaving Heaven Dou City. The wheels rolled over the dirt road in the suburbs. About half an hour later, the outline of a well-arranged cluster of houses appeared in the distance. Qingtang Town was already close at hand.
Under the old locust tree at the town entrance, several people were already waiting. Upon seeing the carriage approach, they quickly stepped forward, their expressions full of respect, and bowed, saying, "Miss Lingling, you're back."
As one of the only two remaining Nine Heart Begonia Soul Master in the world, Ye Lingling holds a pivotal position in the family, second only to the current family head. If nothing unexpected happens, she will be the next head of the Ye Clan.
"Mmm." Ye Lingling responded softly, glancing at Lin Kong beside her, her tone softening slightly, "Let's get out of the car."
"Okay." Lin Kong nodded in response.
The two stepped off the carriage and walked along the cobblestone path toward the town. All they could see were houses with white walls and black tiles. The faint scent of herbs wafted from the pharmacies along the street. The townspeople walked back and forth with peaceful expressions, creating a scene of tranquility and harmony.
Before long, the two arrived at the most magnificent Qingtang Inn in town. Pushing open the door, they found someone already waiting in the private room. The person had a refined appearance and a gentle demeanor characteristic of a doctor.
" Lin Kong, this is my fifth uncle," Ye Lingling stepped forward and introduced him softly.
Fifth Uncle Ye Qinian was the one who bought the fragments of the External Soul Bone to study the venom of the Man Faced Demon Spider.
Lin Kong quickly cupped his hands in greeting, displaying impeccable manners. "Greetings, Uncle."
"Hahaha!" Ye Qinian laughed heartily, stood up and walked forward, his gaze falling on Lin Kong. The more he looked, the more satisfied he became, praising him repeatedly, "Truly a young hero, a handsome and talented man! I've heard Lingling mention you before, and seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation!"
After some pleasantries, the atmosphere in the main room gradually quieted down, and it was time to get down to business.
Ye Qinian stroked his short beard, his eyes darting around a couple of times, and a sincere smile spread across his face, "Young friend Lin, to be honest, the venom of that ten-thousand-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider is crucial to a medicinal formula that our Ye Clan is currently researching. If we could have a sufficient supply of the venom, this formula would surely be successfully developed soon, and then it could be used to benefit the common people of the world!"
Fifth Uncle!
Ye Lingling's tone suddenly became urgent, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she looked at Lin Kong with a hint of apology, a trace of embarrassment flashing across her eyes—they had clearly agreed to everything before, so why did her fifth uncle try to deceive her with these high-sounding words when they met?
" Lingling, don't rush, let me explain slowly." Ye Qinian waved his hand, still with that earnest expression, but then changed the subject slightly, "Regarding the Gold Soul Coin, young friend Lin, just name your price! Although our Ye Clan can't compare to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School in terms of wealth and power, we are still willing to invest this amount in researching good medicines and benefiting the people!"
These words sound grand and righteous, but the underlying meaning is all too clear—ostensibly, they are trying to reason with people and appeal to their emotions, but in reality, every word and phrase is a form of moral blackmail under the guise of "benefiting the people."
Lin Kong picked up the cup of tea on the table, his fingertips gently tracing the rim of the cup, his expression calm and undisturbed. "I don't need Gold Soul Coin."
"What?" Ye Qinian was truly stunned, his face filled with disbelief.
Don't want Gold Soul Coin? Then why did you specifically take the External Soul Bone fragment to the auction house a few days ago?
Ye Lingling, who was standing to the side, was also a little surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Then what do you want?"
"I need some intelligence." Lin Kong put down his teacup, looked up at the two of them, his gaze sharp and clear.
Ye Qinian and Ye Lingling exchanged a glance, waiting for what was to come.
Lin Kong slowly began to speak, revealing his needs in detail. "Firstly, I need information about life-force attribute Soul Beast, especially records related to Plant-type Soul Beast; secondly, your Ye Clan has studied herbs and plant Soul Beast for generations, do you know where there are large areas inhabited by Blue Silver Grass Soul Beast?"
He knew in his heart that the bloodline of the Blue Silver Emperor flowed in his veins. Now that Ah Yin was not by his side, he either had to take her back from the Titan Giant Ape and get guidance, or go to the Blue Silver Forest by other means—only by stepping into that pure land of Blue Silver Grass could he fully activate the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline in his veins and allow the potential of his Martial Soul to achieve a qualitative leap.
The Ye Clan's inherited Martial Soul, Healing Begonia, is a plant-based Martial Soul with vitality attributes, so they must have some knowledge of it.
"This..." Ye Qinian's hand, which was stroking his beard, suddenly stopped, the smile on his face faded, and his eyes were full of hesitation.
Not only him, but Ye Lingling, who was standing next to him, also showed a similar expression, with a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
The importance of Soul Ring to Soul Master is self-evident. A suitable Soul Ring can enable Soul Master's strength to achieve a qualitative leap; conversely, if the Soul Ring and Martial Soul master are not compatible enough, it may even hinder the Soul Master's cultivation for a lifetime.
This is why, in the process of open and covert struggles, in addition to competing in the cultivation of Soul Master and the seizure of resources, the major forces also have a treacherous but effective tactic—slaughtering the specific Soul Beast needed by the opposing forces.
Cutting off the source of the opponent's Soul Ring is tantamount to cutting off their future.
To avoid this situation, powerful forces with deep foundations had long ago developed countermeasures. They would designate a region, create an exclusive artificial Soul Hunting Forest, and release a large number of Hundred-Year Soul Beast into it.
In this way, the young disciples within the sects can have a stable and safe source of Soul Ring when breaking through to the first or second ring, so that they won't fall behind in the most crucial initial stage due to Soul Ring issues. This is the case for the Star Luo Imperial Family's Royal Hunting Grounds and the Thunder Valley of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
However, this method can only cover the first two rings.
When it comes to the Third Soul Ring, which requires Thousand-Year Soul Ring, the artificial Soul Hunting Forest becomes less useful. After all, the cultivation of Thousand-Year Soul Beast takes a long time and consumes astronomical amounts of resources. No force can supply them in batches. Disciples can only venture into the vast wilderness of the Soul Hunting Forest and rely on luck to find Soul Beast that are compatible with their Martial Soul. Fortunately, Soul Beast at this stage are not too rare, and as long as you are willing to spend time, you can usually get something.
The situation of plant-based Soul Beast is even more unique.
They are naturally rooted in a certain place and cannot move. Once their whereabouts are exposed and known to hostile forces, the other party only needs to send a small team to uproot the entire plant Soul Beast settlement. At that time, not only will the source of Soul Ring for Soul Master be cut off, but if this settlement is also involved in the sect's special cultivation and medicinal herb supply, the losses will be incalculable.
It's no wonder the Ye Clan was so hesitant.
What Lin Kong was looking for was a large-scale settlement of Blue Silver Grass Soul Beast —such information was tantamount to a sect secret, how could it be easily divulged?
Just then, Lin Kong's expression suddenly changed drastically, and he leaped towards Ye Lingling.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
One after another, thick crossbow bolts came flying!