“What happened to Ye Feng?” Ye Nanshan demanded. “Say it already!”
Ye Nanshan grabbed the shoulder of the Ye Family clansman who had spoken and shook him forcefully, his emotions running high. If Ye Feng were to die at this critical moment and this hot potato disappeared, Ye Nanshan could rely on the favor of the Annihilation Pill to ask Elder Liuli for other benefits.
Beside him, Yue Wu’s heart jolted. She subconsciously stood up and stared fixedly at the Ye Family disciple who had spoken. If Ye Feng died, although the system mission would be judged as a failure, at least the great hatred of her previous life would be avenged. However, when that resolute figure flashed through her mind, Yue Wu found that she could not feel happy no matter what.
Elder Liuli, seated at the place of honor, watched Yue Wu’s loss of composure and felt a trace of interest in Ye Feng arise in her heart. When she had planned to come to the Ye Family, Yue Wu, who usually ignored everything outside and focused solely on cultivation, had actually taken the initiative to ask to accompany her.
Thinking about it now, it was most likely for this Ye Family’s Ye Feng.
Elder Liuli had also heard of Ye Feng’s reputation when he was young and had even entertained the thought of taking him as a disciple. It was just that later, when Ye Feng’s cultivation became blocked and he faded into mediocrity, Elder Liuli stopped paying attention. After all, not to mention the Great Qin Empire—even within the Martial Refinement Commandery alone, there were countless geniuses. A fleeting talent from a small family was naturally not worth her concern.
What puzzled Elder Liuli was that, according to what she knew, both Ye Feng and Yue Wu were reclusive by nature. How had the two of them even come to know each other?
Under Ye Nanshan’s pressing questioning, the Ye Family clansman named Ye Kai finally spoke. “Ye Feng said that Patriarch Ye Nanshan is just an old fool!” He continued loudly, “He said that even if you knelt down and begged him today, he still wouldn’t come!” Ye Kai added with relish, “He also said Elder Liuli is just an old undead, and that this old thing should come and pay him a visit instead!”
After saying this, Ye Kai felt extremely pleased.
In his view, even if Ye Nanshan considered their father-son relationship and chose not to pursue the matter with Ye Feng, Elder Liuli, as an elder of the Moonshade Sect, would never let Ye Feng off after being insulted by a junior.
What confused Ye Kai was that after he finished speaking, Elder Liuli showed no anger at all. Instead, Elder Liuli looked at him with a smiling expression.
The surrounding patriarchs of the various families looked at Ye Kai as if they were looking at a fool. Only Ye Nanshan’s face was ashen, killing intent surging.
“Could it be that I didn’t slander Ye Feng thoroughly enough?” Ye Kai was utterly confused. He hurriedly signaled to several Ye Family disciples beside him, planning to add insult to injury and push Ye Feng down even harder.
Before those Ye Family disciples could open their mouths, Ye Nanshan’s figure suddenly turned into a streak of light and flashed around Ye Kai and the others.
At the same time, his fists swung, leaving behind afterimages as they struck their bodies.
“Ahhh!”
After several miserable screams, Ye Kai and the others turned deathly pale, rolling on the ground and wailing in agony. Ye Nanshan had crippled their dantians. For the rest of their lives, they would never be able to cultivate again.
“Hmph, framing members of your own clan—this is your punishment!” Ye Nanshan shot them a cold glance and shouted sternly. “Get out of here now! Don’t stay here and embarrass me!”
The few of them turned pale, endured the tearing pain in their bodies, and staggered out of the great hall. Only then did they finally realize that their petty tricks had never escaped Ye Nanshan’s eyes. Regret filled their hearts, but it was already too late.
However, Ye Nanshan did not notice that at the instant Ye Kai left, a trace of confusion flashed through his eyes, only to quickly clear moments later.
The expressions of the surrounding patriarchs were also unpleasant.
These were all old, cunning figures; Ye Kai’s little schemes were something they had long seen through. What truly frightened them was Ye Nanshan’s cultivation.
They had originally thought that Ye Nanshan, like them, was only at the late stage Martial Spirit Realm. Unexpectedly, this old man had already broken through to the early stage Martial General Realm. In the Martial Spirit Realm, spiritual Qi filled the dantian and could flow through the meridians like gentle streams. But in the Martial General Realm, the spiritual Qi within the meridians could transform into raging waves, fierce and overwhelming. Whether in explosive force or offensive power, it far surpassed the Martial Spirit Realm.
The patriarchs who had originally planned to mock him all wisely fell silent. After all, in the Endless Continent, strength was the ultimate truth.
“I’ve let Elder Liuli witness a joke,” Ye Nanshan said with a bitter smile, cupping his hands. He knew that if this had been earlier, Ye Feng might still have had a chance to become Elder Liuli’s disciple.
But after Ye Kai’s incident, Ye Nanshan understood that Elder Liuli would likely develop a bad impression of the Ye Family, and Ye Feng would no longer have any chance of apprenticeship.
Just as Ye Nanshan was considering whether he should directly kill Ye Feng, this hot potato, to eliminate future trouble, Elder Liuli suddenly spoke. “Since Ye Feng, this young friend, is so hard to invite, then I’ll personally go and pay him a visit,” she said calmly. “Patriarch Ye Nanshan, please lead the way.”
Hearing Elder Liuli’s words, everyone was filled with disbelief.
Before coming, they had already thoroughly investigated the temperament of this great figure from the Moonshade Sect. She was known for being iron-faced and impartial, preferring to break rather than bend.
Why, then, was she being so tolerant toward a junior she had never even met?
Ye Nanshan reacted the fastest. He hurriedly stood up and led the way in front, while also explaining on Ye Feng’s behalf. “To be honest with you, Elder Liuli, Ye Feng cultivates almost without rest on a daily basis, forgetting food and sleep,” Ye Nanshan said earnestly. “Perhaps he was too immersed in cultivation and failed to come and pay his respects in time.”
Elder Liuli merely shook her head after hearing this and did not say anything further. Her desire to see Ye Feng was nothing more than an excuse.
In truth, Elder Liuli had learned a Qi Observation Technique in her early years. Just moments ago, she had felt a sudden intuition and casually used the technique to observe fortune.
What she discovered was that within the Ye Family, there was a strand of fortune blazing like the sun, almost blinding her old eyes. Even the fortune of the Moonshade Sect paled in comparison, like fireflies before a blazing sun.
Shocked to the core, Elder Liuli used the excuse of meeting Ye Feng to walk around the Ye Family and find the source of that sky-piercing fortune.
When the large procession headed toward Ye Feng’s small courtyard, the younger generation waiting outside the great hall were all dumbfounded. Although they did not know what had happened, they hurriedly followed behind.
Upon arriving outside Ye Feng’s small courtyard, Ye Nanshan, afraid that something else might go wrong, pushed the gate open with both palms. The courtyard gate swung open in response.
When everyone saw the scene before them, they were all stunned.
Ye Feng was lying on a reclining chair, basking in the sunlight. Beside him was a plate of fresh, juicy grapes.
Looking at Ye Feng’s relaxed and content expression, the gazes that several patriarchs directed at Ye Nanshan became rather strange. Some of them could not help but tease him aloud. “Patriarch Ye Nanshan, is this what you call forgetting food and sleep? A cultivation maniac?”