After a day's training, Ye Lingyue returned to her room.
Since she had just achieved the second level of body tempering, she didn't know if there were any changes to Hongmeng Sanctuary.
She mustered her consciousness and entered Hongmeng Sanctuary once more.
It was still a hectare large, but compared to before, the fog in Hongmeng Sanctuary was slightly thinner now. Nevertheless, she still couldn't see clearly what was behind the thick fog.
Ye Lingyue's eyes landed on that Gathering Elemental herb.
When she saw what was going on, Ye Lingyue's eyelid twitched.
Was she seeing it wrongly? One, two… She had only stayed outside for three days, but that one Gathering Elemental herb had grown into a full patch of them. Not only so, but every herb had also grown as tall as Ye Lingyue's knees.
There were even a few herbs that grew pale green seeds.
In three days, that one Gathering Elemental herb had grown seeds and grew into a large patch as well.
The elementary force in Hongmeng Sanctuary was denser than outside. Because of that, the herbs that grew there would grow at a hundred times faster than outside.
If it was another herb, like ginseng or a lingzhi, wouldn't she be rich?
However, now that she was penniless, where would she find the money to buy precious ginseng or lingzhi? Ye Lingyue helplessly shook her head.
"I'll pluck some Gathering Elemental herb first and see if I can secretly sell it to help with the family's allowance." Thinking about their family's living expenses, Ye Lingyue went forward and plucked several Gathering Elemental herbs.
She had just harvested the herbs when the cauldron in her palm shook. The herbs morphed into a green glow and the cauldron sucked them in.
However, within the time span of several breaths, the Gathering Elemental herb had all turned into a bright green potion.
"Is this medicinal potion?" Ye Lingyue took a waft. Compared to Gathering Elemental herb, the medicinal potion was a lot more concentrated.
Because she didn't know the potion's name, Ye Lingyue called the concentrated green medicinal potion 'Gathering Elemental Potion.'
With that, Ye Lingyue believed she could break through to the third level of body tempering in a brief period.
However, after she made the concentrated potion, she realized that the black cauldron on her palm had faded quite a bit. She felt dizzy and weak as well.
It seemed like using the weird cauldron to make a concentrated potion required an enormous amount of elementary force. With Ye Lingyue's current cultivation, she could probably only do it once a day at most.
After she had left Hongmeng Sanctuary, she sat down and meditated again to recover her elementary force.
Suddenly, the sounds of panicked footsteps alerted her.
"Little Miss, get up quick. The Master summoned Third Young Miss over." Aunt Liu looked terribly worried.
It had been a long time since Ye Fengcheng, Ye Qing's father, fell out with Ye Fengyu. After the woman broke Ye Qing's arm, Ye Fencheng must have ratted out Ye Fengyu to the family's master, Ye Gu.
Ye Gu was the Ye family master and was Ye Fengyu's biological father. He had great expectations and hopes for Ye Fengyu back then.
He was intently against Ye Fengyu marrying Ye Lingyue's father, but Ye Fengyu didn't listen and she ended up being abandoned by that man.
Both were terribly stubborn, and because of that, neither had spoken to each other for the past few years.
This time, with Ye Fengyu attacking and injuring Ye Qing badly, Ye Gu might punish her with the family's rules.
Hearing this, Ye Lingyue got up immediately. At another thought, she changed into a large and loose robe before she ran towards the Ye family's ancestral hall.
"Little Miss, come back!" Aunt Liu's cries of despair rang from behind her, but who was she to stop Ye Lingyue?
The Ye family's ancestral hall was completely silent and stern.
Ye Gu, the Ye family master, was sitting on the old armchair placed right in the middle of the ancestral hall. Several stocky men were standing beside him.
Ye Qing looked completely terrible. His servants assisted him as they trailed behind the Ye family's fourth son, Ye Fengcheng.
Both the father and son glared at Ye Fengyu.
The Ye family was considered a large and established family in the Autumn Maple town. The Ye family ancestor arrived at the Autumn Maple town with nothing back then. Fortunately, he found a large mine and used it to start his family's wealth.
During Ye Gu's time, he had five children. Among them, Ye Fengyu was the only girl. Amongst the next generation, there were seven boys and five girls. With that, they considered their family tree rich and large.
This time, after Ye Fengyu had injured Ye Qing that badly, everyone from the Ye family was all gathered in the ancestral hall.
Ever since Ye Fengyu arrived, Ye Gu kept his eyes shut and remained silent.
Ye Gu was already in his fifties, but because he usually practiced martial arts to strengthen his body, his complexion looked healthy. He kept a short mustache and looked the same as any other middle-aged man in his early forties.
"Father, you have to side with Qing'er this time. The Ye family's annual inter-family competition will start in two months. Qing'er has improved lately and we all had high hopes for him to enter the top three events. However, as we speak, he has a fracture in his arms. With his condition, he cannot join the event, much less practice for it!" Ye Fengcheng had a daughter and a son. However, his daughter practiced martial arts out-of-town while Ye Qing, being his only son, practiced martial arts under him. He greatly doted on his son.
"Kneel!" Ye Gu suddenly opened his eyes. His sharp and angry gaze glazed over to Ye Fengyu.
Ye Fengyu was once the daughter he paid the most attention to. From when she was three years old, he taught her martial arts and she should have become the Ye family's pride. She was the one who ruined everything herself.
She disregarded his opposition and married that ungrateful man, who later on left her. Her cultivation also degraded and that humiliated the Ye family.
Ye Gu could only close an eye on everything that had happened in the past. However, Ye Fengyu had disregarded her status as an elder and severely injured her nephew. This was something that cannot be forgiven.
When faced with her father's scolding, Ye Fengyu didn't defend herself and remained unmoved. She stood there straight like a straight pole.
Ye Gu's three other children remained silent on the side.
Both Ye Fengcheng and his son had gloating expressions. Ye Fengyu would die this time.
Seeing that Ye Fengyu wasn't kneeling or apologizing, Ye Gu's expression darkened. Ye Fengyu's defiance was challenging his power as the family master.
"They should be the one to kneel!" Within a short time, Ye Lingyue rushed into the ancestral hall.
In the entire duration of Ye Lingyue staying in the Ye family, she could only count with a hand the number of times she had seen the Ye family master.
Ye Lingyue's arrival broke the ancestral hall's stiff atmosphere.
Everyone in the Ye family instantly threw their attention towards Ye Lingyue.
Everyone was shocked. Wasn't that the fool, Ye Lingyue?
Seeing his granddaughter had trespassed the hall suddenly, Ye Gu was the most shocked one amongst all. His eyes constricted as he checked Ye Lingyue out.
Her small but exquisite sharp face and her bright and soulful eyes were full of emotions.
Was she her granddaughter, that fool, Ye Lingyue?
Ye Gu remembered that Ye Lingyue was small and as dark as a little monkey the last time he saw her.
Although the current Ye Lingyue wasn't tall, she still grew up well, especially her pair of moon-like eyes that exuded anima.
"Lingyue, who allowed you to come?" Seeing her daughter, Ye Fengyu hurriedly pushed her out.
The Ye family rules were extremely harsh. Just interrupting the Master when he was speaking was enough for Ye Lingyue to be whipped several times.
"The Ye family rules punish those who are at fault. My mother isn't at fault, so she shouldn't kneel. The ones who are at fault are them. They are the ones who should kneel." As she pointed straight at Ye Qing and his father, Ye Lingyue wasn't the least fearful.
"You little b*tch, don't accuse people anyhow. Your mother was the one who violated the family rules and bullied a weaker with her capability. She should be whipped twenty times!" Ye Fengcheng shouted angrily.
"If the strong bully the weak, they are up for punishment? Alright! Such significant family rules! Then let me ask you, what punishment should be given to Ye Qing, Wang Gui, and the rest for everything they did to me in the last few years? They confiscated our allowance and lied to the higher authorities! How should they be punished then?" With that said, Ye Lingyue pulled up her robe.
Harsh breaths rang in the ancestral hall.
When Ye Lingyue pulled up her robe, it exposed the inner parts of her arms, legs, and body parts. They were all covered with scars and bruises of different sizes.
The injuries included whipping scars, punch bruises, and scalding scars. Some wounds were black-purplish. It was obvious that they were old injuries.
What kind of life did this thin and weak teenager experience in the past decade?
"A**hole!" Ye Gu slammed the armchair into pieces. Anger and disbelief filled his face.
He gave Ye Fengyu and her daughter the cold shoulder on purpose for the past years, but they were still related by blood. Ye Fengyu was his daughter and Ye Lingyue was his granddaughter.
Although he didn't explicitly say it, he had never been stingy with giving them their material objects.
"Father! I don't know all of this at all."
"Master, please spare me."
Ye Fengcheng, Butler Wang, and the rest all knelt.
After her loved one hurt her, Ye Fengyu's heart was completely ashen. She wallowed in her misery that she never noticed how her daughter was all this time afflicted by the bullies.
"Ye Fengcheng, such an exemplary son you've taught!" By then, Ye Fengyu was an angry mother lion. She was just about to rush forward, but Ye Lingyue stopped her.
"Mother, I will take my revenge." A cold smirk appeared on Ye Lingyue's lips as her eyes brushed past Ye Fengcheng, Ye Qing, Butler Wang, and the rest.
Everyone who had bullied her would have to pay one day.
Everyone who Ye Lingyue had glanced at, all felt shivers running down their spines.
She was only thirteen years old. Why would such a strong murderous intent appear in her eyes?
Ye Fengcheng knelt on the floor and he could feel the coldness of the floor seep into his bones.
Keeping the Ye family mother and daughter was indeed a curse. He must think of a way to remove them for good.