His father's death had always been a regret in Ye Qingchen's heart. He had always believed his father perished at the hands of Monster Beasts in the Qingyun Mountain Range, but now it seemed it might have been an accident. Or perhaps, there was more to the story.
"I can be sure that even if Li Zhe wasn't the mastermind, he was absolutely an accomplice," Ye Changyun said with complete certainty.
Ye Qingchen's fists clenched. I've been nurturing the Martial Soul of my enemy's daughter for ten whole years! How utterly despicable!
"Patriarch, as long as we can uncover the truth of what happened back then, I am willing to act as bait!" Ye Qingchen's gaze was firm as he spoke without hesitation. "Between Li Zhe and me, this is a fight to the death!"
Ye Changyun nodded. "I actually had the same plan, but after sensing a different aura from you yesterday, I changed my mind. You are the Ye Family's hope for the future. Your main task now is to focus on your cultivation and enhance your strength. We've waited ten years already; there's no need to rush."
Ye Qingchen nodded solemnly. "Alright! I'll listen to you, Patriarch!"
Ye Changyun continued, "I will keep the recovery of your talent a secret and provide you with all the necessary Cultivation Resources. You just need to focus on your cultivation. This is the key to the family's Soul Power testing room; when you have time, go and check if your Martial Soul Star Level has improved. Also, with your current strength, you're qualified to enter the Family Martial Skill Pavilion and select a Martial Technique. I'll have a word with the Elder guarding the pavilion, so you can go anytime."
"Thank you, Patriarch!" Ye Qingchen said, immensely grateful.
Last night's cultivation had consumed five Spirit Gathering Pills, and fifty such pills wouldn't last long. He had been worried about his future Cultivation Resources, but with Ye Changyun's promise, he could now rest easy and dedicate himself entirely to cultivation.
Just then, A Lai's voice came from outside the door. "Patriarch, everything outside has been taken care of! However, there seems to be an unexpected situation with Xiao Xiao..."
"Xiao Xiao!"
Upon hearing her name, Ye Qingchen didn't wait for Ye Changyun's response and rushed out of the room.
In the small courtyard's side room, Xiao Xiao lay limply on the bed. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes fluttered open and closed, and her breathing was as faint as a thread.
"Xiao Xiao, what's wrong?" Ye Qingchen hurried to the bedside and took her hand. It was burning hot to the touch.
"What's going on? Didn't she already take a Healing Elixir?" Ye Changyun frowned.
A Lai looked helpless. "I have no idea! She was fine right after taking the Healing Elixir, but then she grew increasingly feverish, and her breathing became weaker and weaker!"
Without any hesitation, Ye Qingchen's Dual Pupil Martial Soul trembled. In his vision, Xiao Xiao's body became semi-transparent. He instantly discovered a fingernail-sized, fiery red egg within her sea of consciousness. Through his sight, he could see this tiny egg continuously emitting intense heat that surged throughout her body.
"It's her Martial Soul! Xiao Xiao's Martial Soul is awakening!" Ye Qingchen said in a deep voice. The fiery red egg was the nascent form of her Martial Soul.
"Awakening her Martial Soul? How could it harm her?" A Lai was baffled.
Ye Changyun said gravely, "Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't. But Xiao Xiao was severely injured while saving you, and the resulting fluctuation in her aura triggered a premature awakening. Her body hasn't developed enough to withstand it, which is why she's in this state. Right now, we must either find a way to nurture her Martial Soul and delay its awakening, or find a way to strengthen her body so it can withstand its power!"
"I've helped Li Susu nurture her Martial Soul and body before! I can use my Willow Wood Martial Soul to help her!" Ye Qingchen said urgently, preparing to act.
But Ye Changyun immediately stopped him. "Her condition is different from Li Susu's! Your Martial Soul is the Willow Wood Martial Soul. Wood fuels fire. If you use it, you'll only intensify the Fire Attribute Soul Power in her body and hasten her death!"
Ye Qingchen's eyes reddened, and he was overcome with anxiety. "Then what do we do? Patriarch, we have to save Xiao Xiao!"
They had depended on each other since they were children. Although Xiao Xiao always called him Young Master, Ye Qingchen had long regarded her as his sister in his heart.
"Quick, take her to the Grand Elder!" Ye Changyun suggested. "He's the only Alchemist in the family. He might have a way to save her!"
His words had barely faded when Ye Qingchen swept Xiao Xiao into his arms and dashed out of the room, completely disregarding the injuries on his own arms.
Two junior members of the family stood guard at the entrance to the Grand Elder's place of closed-door cultivation.
"I have an urgent matter! I beg the Grand Elder to save Xiao Xiao's life!" Ye Qingchen's voice arrived before he did.
"The Grand Elder is in seclusion!" one of the juniors said, his eyes filled with disdain. "Forget about saving some little waif. Even if it were a matter of utmost importance, you'd have to wait until he comes out!"
"Get lost!" Ye Qingchen roared, charging directly at them.
"Hah, a good-for-nothing dares to attack us?"
"He's completely overestimating himself!"
Sneers crossed their faces. Just as they were about to strike, however, Ye Qingchen barreled into them, sending them flying and crashing awkwardly to the ground. He then seized the opportunity and barged inside.
"Ye Qingchen, how dare you force your way into the Grand Elder's seclusion! You're courting death!" The two men scrambled up from the ground and angrily gave chase.
"Stop! Let him through!" At that moment, a stern shout rang out. The two guards stopped instinctively and turned to see Ye Changyun also hurrying inside.
"Patriarch, Ye Qingchen has gone mad! He dared to barge into the Grand Elder's seclusion..." one of the juniors began to complain.
Ye Changyun cut him off coldly. "I know. I told him to come. If the Grand Elder assigns blame, I, the Patriarch, will bear full responsibility!"
Under the two guards' utterly stunned gazes, Ye Changyun followed Ye Qingchen into the Grand Elder's place of seclusion.
He had just entered when he heard the Grand Elder's furious roar from the inner chamber. "I was in closed-door cultivation, on the very brink of successfully refining an elixir! You brat, you barge in here and lay all my efforts to waste! This is infuriating! Tell me, what punishment do you deserve?"
Feeling the heat from Xiao Xiao's body intensify in his arms as she verged on unconsciousness, Ye Qingchen pleaded urgently, "Grand Elder, as long as you agree to save Xiao Xiao, I will accept any punishment!"
"First, you'll compensate me for my elixir!" the Grand Elder huffed.
"Xiao Xiao can't wait!" Ye Qingchen's eyes were bloodshot as his desperation grew.
"She's just a waif, not even a member of our Ye Family. Why should I save her? I refuse!" The Grand Elder was unyielding.
Just then, Ye Changyun stepped forward. "Grand Elder, Ye Qingchen contributed a high-grade Yellow-Rank Martial Technique to the family. For the sake of the technique, please save this little girl." As he spoke, Ye Changyun presented the Picking Leaf Hand martial technique to him.
After glancing over the manual, the Grand Elder's eyebrows twitched, clearly tempted. Still, he stuck his chin out stubbornly. "Hmph! You think a mere high-grade Yellow-Rank Martial Technique can buy me? What do you take me for?"
In his desperation, Ye Qingchen blurted out, "What if I add a Mystic-Rank Cultivation Method?"
Ye Changyun's eyelids jumped violently. What? A Mystic-Rank Cultivation Method? Such a powerful method is unheard of, not just in the Ye Family, but in all of Qingyun Town! Does Ye Qingchen truly possess something so powerful?
The Grand Elder's unyielding attitude vanished in an instant. His face changed completely, becoming the very picture of compassion and benevolence. "Save her? Of course, we must save her!" he declared without a shred of hesitation. "The cultivation method is irrelevant. What's truly important is that I, this old master, love nothing more than healing the wounded and saving the dying!"