Qingcheng, Ye Family.
The Ye Family had long since lost its former glory. To be more precise, the Ye Family was on the verge of disappearing from Qingcheng altogether.
In the past, when the Ye Family was powerful, they had offended nearly every other prominent family in Qingcheng. Now, the Li Family, the Zhang Family, and even the City Lord's Mansion were all exacting their revenge on the Ye Family.
Almost all the territory and shops that the Ye Family once owned had been swallowed up by these other families. Worst of all, no member of the Ye Family dared to leave the house!
If anyone ventured out, they would surely be beaten to death!
The Ye Family had fallen into utter despair.
In the water prison of the Ye Family, the former Great Elder of the family was locked away like a dying dog.
When he learned that Ye Lang had been killed, the last shred of hope for the Great Elder vanished, and he often became deranged.
On this particular day, Ye Cang came to the water prison.
Ye Cang walked up to the Great Elder's cell and looked at the disheveled man inside, his expression calm. "You and I have fought for our entire lives, yet I never imagined that the Ye Family would fall into ruin at the hands of the two of us."
The Great Elder inside the water prison sneered. "Ye Cang, people say that I am short-sighted, but how are you any different?"
Ye Cang nodded. "I am indeed short-sighted. But the Ye Family will not perish just yet. One day, we will rise again."
The Great Elder laughed mockingly. "Do you really think he will still care about the Ye Family? If that's what you're hoping for, then you are merely daydreaming! You know his character better than anyone. The Ye Family betrayed him, and he will never care for us again!"
Ye Cang remained silent for a long while before smirking. "You should not forget one thing. There are rumors that if a person's power reaches a certain level, their bloodline will mutate. Once that happens, all those with a blood connection will also benefit, their strength increasing immensely."
"Wishful thinking!" The Great Elder sneered. "How strong would one need to be to achieve something like that? I doubt anyone in Jiang Country has that kind of power. Do you really think Ye Xuan could do it?"
Ye Cang took two steps forward and smiled. "Do you know why I insisted on making him the heir back then?"
The Great Elder stared at Ye Cang, saying nothing.
Ye Cang smiled. "Besides his personal strength, there was another reason—his mother."
Ye Xuan's mother!
The Great Elder frowned. He remembered her—a seemingly ordinary woman who had suddenly disappeared when Ye Xuan was just a child and had never been seen since.
Ye Cang's right hand clenched slowly. When Ye Xuan's mother left the Ye Family estate with the mysterious figure in black, he had been present. He had clearly seen just how terrifying that figure in black was.
They had been floating!
What kind of powerhouse could float in mid-air?
A Skywalking Realm expert could only stay airborne for a short time. Yet that man—he had been levitating, his feet off the ground, with not the slightest trace of profound energy fluctuations around him!
When the two disappeared, it had been by tearing open the space itself!
Tearing open space!
He had only ever heard of such a thing in legends!
After that, he had immediately named Ye Xuan as the heir because he believed that the mysterious woman would one day return to take Ye Xuan and his sister away, and when that happened, the Ye Family would benefit greatly.
But what he hadn't expected was that the woman had been gone for nearly ten years, with no word at all.
That was when doubts began to arise.
He began to suspect that Ye Xuan and his sister had been abandoned.
That was why his attitude toward Ye Xuan had gradually changed. What he hadn't expected was that Ye Xuan had become a sword cultivator—a remarkably powerful one, at that. He knew that it must have something to do with the mysterious woman.
Ye Cang withdrew from his thoughts and cast a cold glance at the Great Elder inside the water prison. "The stronger Ye Xuan becomes, the more the Ye Family will be ridiculed, the more shame we will bear. But we will endure—endure until he ascends to the pinnacle and changes his bloodline. Even if the hope is slim, we still hold on to a glimmer of it. As for you, you will have no hope for the rest of your life. I won't kill you—you'll be kept here, so Ye Xuan will know that the Ye Family is trying to make amends. We'll wait for him to let go of his grudge, even if it takes ten, twenty, or thirty years. As for you—you'll stay here until you die!"
With that, he turned and left.
Inside the water prison, the Great Elder remained silent for a long while before bursting into hysterical laughter, a crazed look on his face.
After a moment, the Great Elder laughed maniacally, "Ye Cang, Ye Cang, you are even more foolish than I thought!"
He knew Ye Xuan's personality better than anyone else—he was a man who would never forget a grudge.
Let go of his grudge?
If Ye Xuan still hated the Ye Family, it meant there was still hope for the family. However, Ye Xuan didn't even hate them anymore!
If he didn't even hate them, how could he let go of his grudge?
...
Three days later, in Qianshan City.
Qianshan City was a bustling metropolis located in the southern region of Jiang Country, surrounded by countless mountains, hence the name Qianshan City. The reason for its prosperity was the presence of Jiang Country's largest merchant association—Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
Drunken Immortal Pavilion, a mysterious organization, had branches in hundreds of countries across Qingzhou. Wherever they set up shop, that city would flourish.
They possessed a unique mode of transportation—the Cloudship!
Cloudships were a type of flying transport that made it easy to travel between cities and even between nations.
Ye Xuan had come to Qianshan City to board a Cloudship that would take him to the Imperial Capital—the most prosperous place in Jiang Country!
In front of the city gate, on a horse-drawn carriage, Ye Ling blinked as she looked at the vast Qianshan City in front of her. "Wow, Brother, this city is so big—much bigger than Qingcheng!"
Ye Xuan nodded with a smile. "It is indeed very big."
Ye Ling gently tugged at Ye Xuan's arm, pouting a bit. "Brother, can we go shopping later?"
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
They had been traveling constantly, and even he found it tiring, let alone Ye Ling.
A bit of relaxation would do them good.
With that thought, Ye Xuan took Ye Ling into the city.
The streets were wide, spanning several dozen feet, and bustling with traffic. Compared to Qingcheng, Qianshan City was much livelier!
Ye Xuan first took Ye Ling to an inn, where he rented just one room. Given Ye Ling's unstable condition, he didn't want her staying alone.
After settling in, Ye Xuan took Ye Ling shopping.
Ye Ling darted from one place to another, her delight palpable, like a joyful little spirit.
Soon, her hands were filled with trinkets.
Seeing Ye Ling so happy, Ye Xuan couldn't help but smile as well.
As the siblings passed a small vendor, the mysterious woman's voice suddenly echoed in Ye Xuan's mind. "Wait a moment!"
Startled, Ye Xuan quickly pulled Ye Ling to a stop.
"Senior?" Ye Xuan asked internally.
The mysterious woman said, "At the vendor beside you, there's a purple ring—buy it!"
Ye Xuan turned to look at the vendor. He scanned the items and soon spotted a rather inconspicuous purple ring in the corner.
The vendor was a middle-aged man. When he saw Ye Xuan looking, he smiled and asked, "What would you like to buy, young man?"
Ye Xuan picked up the purple ring. "How much is this?"
He didn't question why the mysterious woman wanted him to buy this seemingly ordinary ring, because he knew there must be a reason. After all, the mysterious woman rarely spoke, let alone made requests.
The middle-aged man glanced at the ring and said with a smile, "Ten gold coins."
Ye Xuan frowned slightly. Ten gold coins was quite expensive! Still, without hesitation, he handed over the ten gold coins.
Seeing that Ye Xuan didn't haggle, the vendor grinned and eagerly took the coins, practically jumping for joy. He would have sold it for even three gold coins!
Ye Xuan was about to leave when a voice called out from the side, "Wait a moment!"
Ye Xuan turned to see a little girl about Ye Ling's age walking over.
The girl had rosy cheeks, wore a white coat, and had a small braid. She was adorable.
She glanced at the ring in Ye Xuan's hand, then turned to the vendor. "I'll pay twenty gold coins for that ring!"
The vendor hesitated—after all, he had already sold it to Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan looked at the girl and smiled. "Little sister, this ring—"
"Who's your little sister?" the girl interrupted coldly.
Ye Xuan's expression froze, momentarily speechless. What kind of temper did this little girl have?
Beside Ye Xuan, Ye Ling frowned and said, "Why are you talking like this? My brother meant no harm!"
The girl looked at Ye Ling and seemed startled. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, which soon turned into shock, and then joy.
Her expression changed several times, leaving Ye Xuan bewildered.
Ye Ling also felt uncomfortable being stared at and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
The girl's expression returned to normal. She seemed like she wanted to say something but hesitated. After a moment, she asked, "What's your name?"
Seeing that the girl was no longer arrogant, Ye Ling answered, "Ye Ling."
She hugged Ye Xuan's arm. "This is my brother, Ye Xuan!"
The girl gave Ye Xuan a cold glance, then looked back at Ye Ling, as if debating something.
Ye Xuan pulled Ye Ling to leave, but just then, the girl took out a fist-sized red stone and handed it to Ye Ling. "This is for you!"
The siblings were stunned!
The girl put the stone in Ye Ling's hands. "This is a Heavenly Fire Warm Jade. Keep it with you to suppress the cold within you for now."
Ye Xuan's face changed. "You—"
Ignoring Ye Xuan, the girl continued, "I have urgent matters to attend to and can't take you with me for now. I'll come find you in no more than three months."
She then shot Ye Xuan a cold look. "For her sake, I'll let you have the ring."
With that, she glanced at Ye Ling once more before turning to leave.
Ye Xuan was stunned. He tried to follow, but in the next instant, the girl was already dozens of feet away. Moments later, she was completely out of sight!
Ye Xuan stood there in shock.
In a secluded corner, the girl came to a stop. A figure in black silently appeared behind her, kneeling on one knee. "Your Eminence!"
The girl spoke coldly, "Keep a close watch on those siblings. No, you can't follow them—you're too conspicuous. Find someone weaker to do it, and make sure nothing happens to that girl."
The figure spoke in a low voice, "Is Your Eminence planning to take that girl under your wing?"
The girl's eyes slowly closed, her tone excited. "I never thought there would be someone with such a constitution in this small Jiang Country. If it weren't for the urgency of the Cangjian Swordmaster's abode, I would have taken her away right now!"
The figure said solemnly, "Although the Cangjian Swordmaster's abode has been found, the sword formation he left behind cannot be broken. It's said that his personal sword is needed to break the formation, but the Cangjian Swordmaster has been gone for over a thousand years. Where could we find his sword?"
The girl replied indifferently, "It doesn't matter. Everyone is gathering now to find a way to break it."
The figure nodded. Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "What about the girl's brother? Does Your Eminence intend to take him as well?"
The girl shook her head. "His foundation is decent, but his dantian is shattered, his constitution is ordinary, and his spiritual roots are mediocre. Why bother taking him in? Just to waste food?"
With that, she turned and left.