Chapter 44: Senior Brother, We’re Being Investigated
Not long after slipping out on Liang Zhu’s flying sword, Ye Anping saw thunder rumbling in the sky above the back mountain of the Xuan Xing Sect. A moment’s thought told him that Lei Wanjun was likely furious. This put his mind at ease. His plan had successfully achieved its first objective. Now, Lei Wanjun probably hated the Seven Kill Gate with a passion, wishing he could fly to the Seven Kill Gate’s main headquarters and unleash hundreds of lightning bolts upon them. However, the prerequisite for unleashing lightning was for Lei Wanjun to know the location of the Seven Kill Gate’s headquarters.
The Seven Kill Gate was, after all, an organization that had existed in Zhou Xing Tian Yu for nearly a thousand years. If their headquarters could be easily found, they would have been eliminated by their rivals long ago. Therefore, for the Xuan Xing Sect to eradicate the Seven Kill Gate was, in essence, similar to the task of exterminating rats. Rats, of course, posed no threat to the Xuan Xing Sect, but the saying goes, “rats burrow everywhere, their paths are manifold.” Even if the Xuan Xing Sect took it seriously, it would take twenty to thirty years to completely get rid of them.
Ye Anping always adhered to the principle of “no overnight grudges.” The longer this matter dragged on, the more uncontrollable it would become. It was possible that later, as the Xuan Xing Sect was hunting rats, they would suddenly realize they had been used as pawns, and that would be disastrous. Therefore, he still needed to lend a hand and relay the location of the Seven Kill Gate’s headquarters to the Xuan Xing Sect. However, he couldn’t simply go and meet Lei Wanjun ostentatiously and tell him, “The Seven Kill Gate is there! Go strike them down!” That would be like protesting too much, and any observant person would immediately realize he was manipulating them. However, Ye Anping had already thought of a plan. The only uncertainty was whether Feng Yu Die would be willing to be tied up and stuffed into a sack.
…
After Liang Zhu found a hilltop and erected tombstones for “Second Brother” and the others, and held a simple funeral, the two parted ways. By the time Ye Anping returned to the Xuan Xing Sect’s marketplace, it was already Chen Shi (7-9 AM). The sun had just peeked over the mountains. The marketplace was lively with its morning trade. He bought soy milk and fried dough sticks from a breakfast stall and overheard everyone discussing the commotion at the Xuan Xing Sect’s back mountain yesterday. Ye Anping felt quite pleased. He happily finished his breakfast and returned to his Physiotherapy Center, intending to close it for the day and rest for a couple of days. He hadn’t slept at all in the two days he had brought Liang Zhu and the others into the Xuan Xing Sect’s back mountain.
After a simple bath, Ye Anping lay on his bed and soon fell asleep. A sleep after exhaustion was surely accompanied by sweet dreams. Ye Anping indeed dreamt of the girl, Xi Yue, he had always wanted to marry. They were holding hands and embracing by the West Lake, exchanging tender glances. Miss Xi Yue smiled shyly and gently, and just as she was about to kiss him, suddenly… Boom! A sound from the Physiotherapy Center abruptly shattered his sweet dream.
Ye Anping was startled. Just as he prepared to get up, he suddenly felt a burning heat all over his body, as if his dantian had ignited. He hesitated for a moment, no longer paying attention to the commotion in the Physiotherapy Center, and quickly held his breath to inspect his body. His spiritual sense traced through his meridians and acupoints, and he discovered that he had broken through, advancing from the third level of Qi Refining directly to the fifth level. However, because he had skipped a level, a large amount of pure yang energy had accumulated in his sea of Qi with nowhere to dissipate. His body was forced to sweat profusely to cool down.
“This…” Ye Anping was a little shocked, but he quickly remembered what Elder Wang had said before… “Simultaneously cultivating the Si Yang Sect’s mental art and the Nine Yuan Heart Pledge cultivation method can easily lead to an excess of yang energy, accumulating in the internal organs. Without regulated management, problems will arise.” “So that’s what he meant…”
At this moment, sounds of a man and a woman arguing could also be heard from outside. “Handle it gently!! Search all you want, but who told you to smash the door?!” — It sounded like Bai Yuexin’s voice. “Ah… Senior Sister Bai, we are here to thoroughly investigate the marketplace. This shop hasn’t been open for the past few days… You also know what happened on the back mountain yesterday, so this shop is highly suspicious…”
Bai Yuexin argued her case: “What suspicion could this shop possibly have?! It’s just a coincidence. It’s not like this is the only shop that’s been closed these past few days!” “Yes, we know, that’s why we’ll be checking other shops later as well.” “Then you should go to the other shops directly… This shop is absolutely fine. The owner is a very young cultivator, how could he be involved with the Seven Kill Gate?!” “But…”
Hearing this, Ye Anping understood what the sound earlier was about. He had expected the Xuan Xing Sect to come looking for him. His original plan was to use the excuse of “going back to the Hundred Lotus Sect to see his parents,” but by chance, he now had an excess of yang energy, making him appear ill. Thus…
Ye Anping quickly moved off the bed, pushed open his bedroom door, and walked out, feigning illness and coughing a few times. “Cough, cough—What is it?” Seeing Ye Anping’s flushed face and weak appearance, Bai Yuexin quickly walked over and asked, “Anping, what’s wrong?” “I’ve had a fever for the past few days, like I’ve caught a severe cold, so I had to close shop and rest.” “Ah?!” Bai Yuexin quickly touched his forehead and, flustered, pulled out a pill from her storage bag. “Why didn’t you tell me! I could have taken care of you. So you’ve been lying in bed these past two days?”
At this point, the Xuan Xing Sect disciple who had been arguing with Bai Yuexin also approached. Judging by his attire, he was a disciple from the Central Peak of the Xuan Xing Sect, responsible for patrolling and maintaining order around the Xuan Xing Sect. The disciple walked forward, sizing up Ye Anping, and asked, “Are you the owner of this shop?” “Yes… I am.” Ye Anping pretended to be confused and asked, “What’s wrong?” “Could you please tell us your itinerary for the past three days…” “Can’t you see how weak he is?! What else do you need to ask?!” Bai Yuexin frowned and glared, interrupting him. “Go, go, go. I’m telling you, he’s not suspicious!”
Ye Anping replied somewhat helplessly, “As Senior can see, I have caught a severe cold these past few days… I only have Qi Refining stage cultivation, so I’ve had to recuperate in my bedroom these days.” “I see…” The disciple nodded, made a note in his small booklet, and asked, “Do you have any identification?” Ye Anping quickly took out his identity token from his storage bag and handed it over for the disciple to examine. Seeing that he was the Young Master of the Hundred Lotus Sect, the disciple asked no further questions. He cupped his fists in apology and quickly left with his men.
As they were leaving, Bai Yuexin immediately chased after them, shouting, “Hey! You broke someone’s door, aren’t you going to pay for it…” However, upon reaching the doorway, she remembered Ye Anping and rushed back, only to find that Ye Anping had already returned to his bedroom and had bolted the door. “Anping~ Why did you lock the door…” Ye Anping’s voice came from inside, “Senior Bai, this is my bedroom, not the living room.” “What’s wrong with the bedroom…” Bai Yuexin pouted and muttered softly, “It’s not like I haven’t been in before… Besides, haven’t we slept together before…” “…”
Bai Yuexin waited at the door for a while. Seeing that Ye Anping truly wouldn’t open the door for her, and not wanting to force her way in, she gave up. She glanced at the small courtyard, which hadn’t been tidied up in the past two days, and then simply picked up a broom and started cleaning it for Ye Anping. She also went to a small stove in the back and stewed a pot of colorful porridge for him.
…
