Ye Jingyu remained at the Residence of the Town Protector General, receiving the parade of visitors. A blank smile was plastered on his face, his demeanor impeccably fresh and spirited, wearing the unmistakable air of petty success. Yet, in the depths of his mind, he ceaselessly pondered why Qin Yunxiao had come to offer congratulations.
He was far too cynical to believe Qin Yunxiao had come seeking reconciliation. Given the fundamentally irreconcilable nature of their conflict, reconciliation was nearly impossible regardless of who was sent, let alone someone as devious as Qin Yan...
With Qin Yan's cunning, his presence here must signal some grand, ulterior motive. But Ye Jingyu could not fathom what it was. Of course, he was entirely unaware of the conversation between Qin Yunxiao and Qin Yuting...
His intellect was second to none, but he was no god; he could not possibly foresee everything...
After racking his brain for ages without finding a satisfactory answer, Ye Jingyu simply ceased thinking. Why trouble himself when he had the alleged sage, Zhuge Siyu—a counselor rumored to see five hundred years into the past and five hundred into the future—right by his side?
He cheerfully entertained the arriving guests. Though, naturally, those of true standing would not deign to appear personally; after all, he was merely a minor Baron...
As evening descended, Ye Jingyu, worn out from a day of social demands, stood in the backyard of his residence, watching Ni Bo—the colt—gallop restlessly in the clearing not far away. A faint smile touched his lips...
To the average eye, Ni Bo was simply a restless creature, an unruly colt who disliked confinement and seemed inexhaustibly fond of rolling and tumbling, as if he never knew fatigue. But Ye Jingyu knew better: Ni Bo was practicing an ancient, inherited battle technique, a gift perhaps from his Qilin father or his mother...
Little Tao Tao, however, although awake, was sprawled nearby, endlessly consuming the various spiritual elixirs Ye Jingyu had brought back from the Tiangang Mountain Range. It seemed as if nothing in the world could be more entertaining than eating...
It could be said that its prodigious maw rarely paused; even while walking, it was constantly chewing on various things. Ye Jingyu was beginning to understand that the more it ate, the stronger it became. Everything it consumed, from grand spiritual essences down to common grains, could fuel its power. Thus, it required no conscious training like Ni Bo; it simply had to keep eating...
Chi Yi Xiu and Hu Yan Qi, following their recent engagement in battle, were now training with fierce dedication. Their physiques, however, inherently prevented them from cultivating Zhenqi (True Qi). Nevertheless, Ye Jingyu had imparted to them a unique method of physical conditioning...
The Ba Yuan Jue could certainly not be shared, as without the Ring as a medium, even if taught, it would remain incomprehensible. Instead, Ye Jingyu had ingeniously synthesized a training method by weaving together elements of the Ba Yuan Jue and the Jing Lei Dao Jue...
Most martial artists absorb the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, converting it into Zhenqi to infuse their meridians, constantly refining them and gathering Zhenqi in their Dantian. But Ye Jingyu, through his own experience and practice, understood that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth could be used directly to temper the physical body...
This insight was derived from the principles grasped within the Ba Yuan Jue—a cultivation method Ye Jingyu had specifically forged for warriors like Chi Yi Xiu from the Southern Savage Forest...
Their meridians were completely blocked, yet they possessed an inherent, already formidable physical strength. If they mastered this set of techniques, what zenith of physical power would they attain?
Ye Jingyu did not know, but he was certain he needed a military force that was absolutely loyal and absolutely powerful...
Undoubtedly, the warriors from the Southern Savage Forest were his best option...
The remaining forty-odd Chi Yi tribesmen and twenty Hu Yan archers, including Hu Yan Meng herself, eagerly accepted any method that promised to amplify their strength...
Ye Jingyu even began contemplating when he should next journey back to the Southern Savage Forest to propagate this unique cultivation technique among all the Chi Yi warriors...
In this world, if there was anyone he could trust absolutely, these simple, honest folk from the wilderness were undoubtedly his sole choice...
Be it Ying Xiaoxiao, or Zhuge Yi Shi, or even the Third Young Master Luo Ruofeng—though they were all his companions, his comrades-in-arms—there was always an underlying element of self-interest between them...
This was unlike the Chi Yi warriors, who offered him only service without demanding any return...
Thinking of this, Ye Jingyu’s mind drifted to Bie Li—that figure resembling a perfect gentleman. The former Ye Jingyu had intensely disliked such 'gentlemen,' always suspecting that an absolute gentleman could not exist. However, Bie Li’s appearance had slowly begun to shift that perception; a man willing to risk death for him was undeniably trustworthy...
It was a shame that this man—besides the Southern Savage tribesmen, the one he trusted most—had still vanished without a trace...
"Big Brother, what are you thinking about..." At that moment, a sweet, clear voice sounded beside him...
Ye Jingyu turned his head to see Hei Ming Shixuan, dressed in a gossamer black skirt, her small feet bare, having approached him completely unnoticed...
Looking at little Shixuan’s doll-like face, a gentle smile curved Ye Jingyu’s lips...
She was an utterly adorable child...
Cute, incredibly cute, truly cute; someone one could cherish...
Her appearance was not as strikingly beautiful as her older sister’s, but her spontaneous actions were perpetually amusing, causing both laughter and dismay. And her glittering purple eyes made her presence impossible to ignore. If one truly searched for words to describe her, only three characters came to Ye Jingyu’s mind: Kawaii...
No matter how heavy his troubles, merely gazing upon that kawaii face invariably forced a smile from the deepest recesses of Ye Jingyu's heart...
"Are you getting used to staying here?" Instead of answering little Shixuan’s question, Ye Jingyu asked one that seemed utterly random...
"As long as handsome Big Brother is here, I can get used to anywhere..." little Shixuan replied with guileless honesty, her purple eyes sparkling intensely...
Ugh... Ye Jingyu was speechless. That answer was even more nonsensical. How long had she known him for that she could be accustomed to anywhere?
"Don't you miss your mother and father at all?" After returning, Ye Jingyu had consulted Zhuge Yi Shi, asking if he had ever heard of the Hei Ming family. Even the all-knowing Zhuge Yi Shi shook his head, only cautioning Ye Jingyu that Hei Ming Shixuan was far from simple, without offering further explanation...
He remained deeply curious about Hei Ming Shixuan’s true identity...
"No," Hei Ming Shixuan declared with firm finality, shaking her head...
"Why?" Ye Jingyu was baffled. He had desperately missed his own parents when he was her age, even though he never knew who they were...