"If I don't cripple you today, I won't be called Ye Lingyue!" As a scary force grew within her, Ye Lingyue acted like she was a completely different person.
"Hey, the fool is acting out now. Everyone, move away. I will make this fool know the difference between a genius and a good-for-nothing." Ye Qing snorted while the servants that surrounded him giggled as they cleared the place.
Ye Qing was already in the third level of body tempering, and he had ranked in the top ten among the younger generation of the Ye family in terms of capability.
As for Ye Lingyue, she was a fool who had never learned martial arts before. She had absolutely no chance of posing a threat to Ye Qing.
Ye Qing despised Ye Lingyue so much that he didn't even bother using his elementary force.
It only took Ye Lingyue a few steps to go near Ye Qing, and with that, she used her fist to punch him in the chest.
When she aimed her punch out, there were barely visible punch winds that came with it. With that, Ye Qing finally realized that something was wrong.
Bang!
Ye Lingyue's eyes emitted a cold glint.
The servants were all shocked as they all witnessed Ye Qing take a few steps back from the impact of the punch.
"First level of body tempering!" Ye Qing's chest hurt terribly, but he paid no mind because he was more shocked about Ye Lingyue's punch.
Ye Qing could feel a weak elementary force oozing from Ye Lingyue's punch.
Although Ye Lingyue managed to punch him, she could feel that Ye Qing's flesh was as hard as an iron. This was the ability of a martial arts practitioner.
Wang Gui and his followers were shocked as well. It had only been two hours and not only did she already have her head straight, she even reached the first level of body tempering!
"Ye Lingyue, you dared to learn martial arts behind the Master's back? So what if you did? It would still be useless. I will make you pay twice for that punch earlier." Humiliated, anger rose within Ye Qing. He shouted as his fists flashed with two lighting-like currents.
"Little Miss, run quick. That is the 'Broken Thunder Fist.'" The sight before them alarmed Aunt Liu.
Young Master Ye Qing was using a Ye family's basic martial arts move, and the punch would be a strong one.
Ye Lingyue had just achieved the first level of body tempering and was not at par with Ye Qing. The boy was already at the third level of body tempering, and he was using all of his energy.
Within a second, a person who was silently standing outside appeared in front of Ye Lingyue like a lightning bolt.
Ye Qing's punch waved towards the newcomer. However, when his punch was half an inch away from the person, Ye Qing heard his wrist cracking. A strong opposing force then threw him out, and that caused him to fly towards the wall.
A terrible pain trailed from his arm; meanwhile, a god-like woman stood in front of Ye Lingyue.
The woman's sunken face looked pale. Regardless, she still looked powerful even without pulling an angry expression on her face. She had a tall frame, and she exuded an indescribable aura.
"Ye… Third Young Miss!" When the Ye family servants saw who it was, they were all scared to death.
Ye Fengyu, the third daughter of the Ye family master, was once the indisputable top of the Ye family.
She had achieved the first level of body tempering when she was three years old and achieved postnatal when she was fifteen. If she hadn't married the wrong man, she might have become the first connate master in the Ye family.
Although Ye Fengyu wasn't as strong as she was before due to her old injuries, she was still a postnatal master.
"Ye Fengyu, you dare to hurt me? My father will never let you off." Ye Qing was in terrible pain. Ye Fengyu had just dislocated his wrist and shattered his forearm bone into countless pieces with just one blow.
"Who do you think your father is? I will hit him too if he comes," Ye Fengyu simply said.
Because Wang Gui and his father confiscated their allowance, Ye Fengyu would go up the mountains to harvest some herbs and kill some wild beasts every few months to make up for their allowance. When she did so, she would be gone for at least ten days.
Ye Qing and his servants knew of Ye Fengyu's routine, so they would always come and bully Ye Lingyue whenever she was not around. However, they were never found out, for they've always been careful and only hit Ye Lingyue where she could easily hide the wounds.
Since Ye Lingyue was a fool, she didn't know how to complain about them either.
If Ye Fengyu hadn't returned earlier, she wouldn't know that they had bullied her daughter all this time. At the thought of it, Ye Fengyu felt even more guilty.
This group of people dared to injure her daughter, whom she could never even bear to scold.
It was fine if Ye Qing's father didn't come. But if he did, she would hit everyone that came with him!
"Just you wait. I will go tell Grandpa." Ye Qing didn't dare argue with Ye Fengyu and could only flee with the support of his servants.
Behind Ye Fengyu, Ye Lingyue poked her tongue out after hearing what her mother had said. She also silently gave her mother a thumbs-up.
Ye Qing's insults made Ye Lingyue misunderstand that her mother was a sad and deserted woman. Who knew that her mother was a super cool person who protected her people?
Ye Fengyu turned back and saw her daughter staring straight at her. Her daughter's eyes kept turning. She didn't look like a fool anymore.
Ye Fengyu froze for a second.
"Young Miss, Little Miss isn't a fool anymore," Aunt Liu informed.
Ye Lingyue rolled her eyes. 'Aunt Liu, this is the second time you've said that today.'
"Mother," Ye Lingyue called out after some hesitation.
Ye Fengyu froze as her eyes swelled with tears. She had waited for a full thirteen years to be called 'mother.'
Aunt Liu hurriedly got the mother and daughter to eat. As they did, Ye Fengyu started asking how Ye Lingyue became smarter.
Ye Lingyue replied ambiguously and said that she woke up like that after she had hit her head.
"Mother, I want to learn martial arts," Ye Lingyue said as she put down her chopsticks.
The duel she had with Ye Qing earlier on made Ye Lingyue recognize that she had to become strong to survive in this world.
No matter who it was, she will never let those who bullied her and Mother off that easily.
"Learning martial arts will be tough and it's not easily achievable in a short time. Lingyue, are you determined to do it?" Ye Fengyu stared at Ye Lingyue deeply.
"I won't give up. Mother, please let me learn." Ye Lingyue wasn't easily swayed.
Ye Fengyu realized that her daughter was completely different after this incident.
"Since you've made your mind about it, I will start to teach you the most basic skills. I have a Gathering Elemental herb that can gather the elementary force from the sky and earth. Plant it in your room. It will be useful for your cultivation in the future." Ye Fengyu's original intention during her visit to the mountain was to find some herbs useful for her injury and she found this Gathering Elemental herb by accident.
"Mom, if the Gathering Elemental herb is so precious, you should keep it for yourself." Ye Lingyue could tell that Ye Fengyu was suffering from an old injury that was especially hard to treat.
"Gathering Elemental herb wouldn't help with my wound. Only fifth-grade pills can help treat my injury." Ye Fengyu shook her head. No one knew her injury better than herself. After so many years, she no longer had hope of complete healing.
"Fifth-grade pill? Mother, would your injury heal if you have it?" Ye Lingyue continued asking.
"You foolish child, it's hard to find a fifth-grade pill even in the country city. How much more finding one in such a small town as Autumn Maple town. You were injured today, so go and sleep early after we finish dinner," Ye Fengyu bitterly said with slight exhaustion as she caressed her daughter's hair.
Having no other choice, Ye Lingyue carried the Gathering Elemental herb that looked the same as any other weed back to her room.
Because she had lost too much blood during the day, sleepiness overwhelmed Ye Lingyue not too long after she returned to her room and she fell asleep hugging that Gathering Elemental herb.