Chapter Sixty-Two: The Ye Family's Wrath

“Damn you and your nonsense! I say you’re the one harboring a grudge!” The ill-tempered elder from earlier shouted out another curse.

Having been publicly insulted twice in a row, Ye Peng could barely maintain his forced smile. His face twitched uncontrollably, and he itched to stride over and land a few resounding slaps on that old fellow. Yet he dared not, nor did he have the strength. Though he was the disciple of the head of the household, in terms of both status and ability, he was still a notch below the elders.

“Deyi! You are an elder of the Ye family—how can you carry on like this?” Ye Deyin cast a stern glare at the irate elder.

Among the many elders of the Ye family, most hailed from the “De” generation. With Ye Deyin being the oldest and most powerful, his prestige was second only to Ye Haiyi, the head of the house.

“Hmph!” Ye Deyi flung his sleeve and sat down, his aged eyes fixed on Ye Peng. “You little brat, you truly don’t know your place. How dare you casually accuse someone of treachery?”

“Brother Deyi, let’s not argue. This is a grave matter. With the head of the household in seclusion, we should let Elder Deyin handle it,” advised another elder.

“That’s right. If Ye Peng truly is slandering Ye Yun, it’s only right that we elders ensure justice for the younger generation,” others chimed in, pulling Ye Deyi aside.

Ye Deyin turned his gaze to Ye Peng, his brows furrowing. “Ye Peng, I’ll keep this brief. Everyone knows the truth about Wu Lie.”

“What do you mean, Elder? I don’t understand,” Ye Peng replied, his heart skipping a beat, though he tried to remain composed.

“You understand perfectly! Though we’re old, we’re not senile. We let the matter of Wu Lie slide for the sake of the head of the household, not because we were fooled,” Ye Deyin replied coolly.

The other elders also looked at Ye Peng with disfavor. Back when Elder Ye Min deduced that Wu Lie had been sent by Ye Peng to ambush Ye Yun, these elders had come to the same conclusion. But since Ye Yun was unharmed and the head of the house was in seclusion, the matter had been set aside for the time being.

“Then how do you explain Ye Yun often venturing deep into Sunset Mountain?” Ye Peng quickly raised his second piece of evidence.

“Though Ye Yun’s cultivation is only at the peak of Qi Refinement, even a year ago, you couldn’t defeat him with your Foundation Establishment skills. Just because you fear to enter the depths of Sunset Mountain doesn’t mean he does. So your claim doesn’t hold,” Elder Deyin immediately retorted.

Ye Peng opened his mouth, ready to bring up a third point, but Elder Deyin cut him off with a wave. “I’ll summon Steward Wubao and ask him directly.”

“Summon Steward Wubao!”

Soon, a chubby figure entered the hall. Though Ye Wubao was carefree on ordinary days, before the elders he was quite proper. After bowing, he asked, “May I know why the elders have summoned me?”

“Tell us about being chased by the Wu clan, and how Ye Yun saved you,” Elder Deyin prompted.

“Yes, Elder.” Ye Wubao composed himself and recounted the events, repeating the explanation Ye Yun had given him at the time.

“Elders, I beg you to do me justice! If it weren’t for Ye Yun, I’d never have seen you venerable elders again!” As he finished, Ye Wubao squeezed out a few tears, looking as pitiful as a wronged daughter-in-law.

Several elders couldn’t help but laugh at his display. Elder Deyin waved him off. “You may go. The Wu clan won’t get away with raising a hand against our Ye family.”

“How can you believe such a coincidence?” Ye Peng immediately objected.

“And why not? Who says coincidences can’t happen? Are you the heavens now, Ye Peng, that things must happen as you say?” Elder Deyi burst out again, and had several elders not held him back, he might have stormed over to teach Ye Peng a lesson right then.

Hearing the commotion as he left, Ye Wubao involuntarily shrank his neck. Elder Deyi’s temper was much like Elder Ye Min’s—quick to anger and action. The two were close friends. Since Elder Ye Min had sealed himself away for thirty years over Ye Peng’s actions, it was no surprise Elder Deyi showed Ye Peng no kindness.

“Ye Yun seems to lack the herbs needed to refine Essence Qi Pills. I should gather some and take them to him. If not for him, I’d be dead in Sunset Mountain by now,” Ye Wubao thought as he left the hall and hurried toward the storeroom.

Meanwhile, the hall had descended into chaos. Ye Peng could no longer maintain his composure, his face darkening, while several elders held back the furious Ye Deyi.

“Brat, show your magical weapon! Let me see what you’re capable of, that you dare frame others!” Elder Deyi’s threatening posture was no bluff; true energy flared around him, radiating from his dantian.

Not even Ye Deyin and the other elders’ words could calm him. He vowed to teach Ye Peng a lesson.

“Enough! Do you think I’m dead?”

At that moment, a voice full of authority resonated throughout the hall. A figure materialized in the seat of the head of the house—it was Ye Haiyi himself.

As a cultivator of the Golden Core stage, his mere presence exerted a formidable pressure, causing all the elders’ expressions to shift.

Normally, Ye Haiyi would never release his Golden Core aura, but this time it was clear he was truly angered.

“Greetings, Master of the House!”

“Disciple greets Master!”

Ye Deyin, the elders, and Ye Peng all bowed deeply.

“I was only in seclusion for a year, and look what you’ve turned into!” Ye Haiyi snorted, his tone brimming with displeasure.

Elder Deyin offered a wry smile and stepped forward. “During your absence, the Ye family has known no peace…” He then recounted Wu Lie’s death and the recent assassination of more than ten Ye clan cultivators.

“Did you send Wu Lie against Ye Yun?” Ye Haiyi turned a stern gaze on Ye Peng.

Ye Peng dared not admit it, shaking his head repeatedly. “I wouldn’t dare, Master. It must have been the Wu clan.”

“The Wu clan? How bold they are!” Ye Haiyi’s fury erupted.

…

The wave of assassinations against the Ye clan cultivators did not subside. Three days later, a brutal battle broke out between the elites of the Ye and Wu families, leaving casualties on both sides.

Previously, the two clans had been rivals, but never so openly at odds. This time, however, the Ye family, incensed by the assassinations, launched a frenzied campaign of retribution.

As for Ye Peng’s attempt to frame him for treason, Ye Yun soon heard of it, yet paid it no mind. After all, the master of the house and the elders knew he was the disciple of the great ancestor; they would never believe Ye Peng’s one-sided accusations.

The herbs required for refining Essence Qi Pills were delivered in abundance by Steward Wubao. Without Ye Yun, Wubao would be dead, and besides, these were all common, low-grade herbs, of which the Ye family had plenty in their stores.

The Scarlet Flame Spiritfire was a primordial flame, and with the Yulong Pill Formula allowing insight into supreme pill-forging techniques, the process went exceptionally smoothly. Each batch yielded nine pills, all of them of ninety percent purity—a mark of a first-grade alchemist.

Ninety percent purity was already the pinnacle for ordinary pills. Perfect pills of one hundred percent usually required elixirs like spiritual milk or other rare treasures to achieve. A mere ten percent of pill toxins had little effect on a cultivator’s foundation, and Ye Yun could even use the Scarlet Flame Spiritfire to cleanse his own body, rendering the toxins harmless.

One day, a beam of light descended from the sky, alighting in Cloudwater City at Rain Pavilion Courtyard.

Lu Su Xue, sensing something, stepped out of her chambers. With a graceful wave, she caught the light in her palm, which manifested as a small jade sword.

This was a flying sword message—a technique only Golden Core cultivators could employ, sending information sealed within a jade sword across thousands of miles.

Probing the sword with her spiritual sense, Lu Su Xue’s face paled. With a clenched fist, she crushed the jade slip to dust.

“Grandfather is still in seclusion—what should I do?” she sighed.

The message from the Lu family elder was clear: she was to return at once and marry the second son of the Song family, Song Wenxu.

“Even if it costs me my life, I will never marry a man like that!” Defiance flashed in her eyes as she gazed resolutely toward Ye Yun’s residence.

Finally, the new release had made it onto the rankings—not a high spot, but visible all the same. Brothers, hang in there! While you read, remember to send your flowers to Wangqing, sign in, and give your support!