After putting the Spirit Stones into his own Storage Bag, Ye Anping took a deep breath. He flew into the air on his Flying Sword and used his Spiritual Sense to quickly scan the surroundings. After confirming there were no witnesses, he took out a stack of Fire and Lightning Talismans from his Storage Bag.
It was just like the question Feng Yu Die had asked before.
Feng Yu Die had been kidnapped after she came out with him.
Bai Yuexin knew about this, and Feng Yu Die should have been seen by patrolling Xuan Xing Sect Disciples when she left the Xuan Xing Sect. If the news of Feng Yu Die’s abduction reached the Xuan Xing Sect, and they began an investigation, he would become the prime suspect, the sole suspect. This was not a matter that Bai Yuexin could smooth over by speaking a few words or showing the Young Master token of the Hundred Lotus Sect. If he returned like this, he would definitely be arrested and interrogated by the Xuan Xing Sect’s Criminal Law Department, and his father and mother would be invited from the Hundred Lotus Sect to observe.
Therefore, in order to erase his suspicion…
Ye Anping gathered his thoughts for a moment, opened all his meridians, and then waved his hands, throwing the two stacks of talismans he held into the surroundings. Two hundred talismans fluttered down like falling leaves in a dense autumn forest. Ye Anping gritted his teeth and poured all the Spiritual Energy in his Dantian into the two hundred talismans.
Instantly, lightning and fire enveloped the sky above Willow Moon Lake. These talismans were all low-level talismans he had drawn himself, but the cumulative effect of two hundred of them was enough to rival a single strike from a Late Foundation Establishment cultivator. They were almost impossible to distinguish from the magical trace of a Late Foundation Establishment cultivator.
As his Spiritual Power was emptied by the talismans, Ye Anping no longer had the strength to control their direction.
Boom—!!
Countless bolts of lightning and fireballs plunged into the dammed lake below like the tentacles of an octopus, causing fish to fly and pavilions to collapse. For a moment, the blue sky illuminated by the sun seemed to blush and darken due to the flashes of lightning and fire.
Naturally, Ye Anping himself was affected by the fire and lightning talismans that were close to him.
Bang—
After the commotion subsided, he fell freely from his Flying Sword, crashing into the ground and creating a pit, kicking up dust.
“Hiss—Hoo—”
Ye Anping, lying on the ground, panted like an ox. The residual light of the lightning that had struck him still lingered on his body. His clothes were ripped in several places, making him look disheveled. After regaining a little composure, he quickly touched the ground with his palm, guiding the lightning spiritual energy on his body to the Earth Mother. He then rolled a couple of times to extinguish the flames on his clothes. After finishing these tasks, he completely relaxed and rested for a while, finally regaining a sliver of strength to stand up.
Ye Anping tremblingly climbed out of the pit and looked at his masterpiece. The pavilion he had been in with Feng Yu Die had collapsed completely. The willow trees that had been standing in neat rows around it were now leaning and twisted. The most exaggerated sight was Willow Moon Lake, which was about two to three acres in size. The lake was filled with carp floating belly-up, either electrocuted or directly cooked. The entire lake was like a giant pot of fish soup, steaming and on the verge of boiling.
“I might have gone a little overboard, hmm…”
Ye Anping took a deep breath, then placed his right arm to his side and forcefully nudged it, resetting his dislocated right arm. He then quickly took out a mid-grade Spirit Gathering Pill from his Storage Bag, took it, and sat cross-legged on the spot, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.
Thump, thump—
At this moment, heavy footsteps entered his ears. Ye Anping opened his eyes and saw a grown brown bear staring at him menacingly from a short distance away. It seemed his recent actions had inadvertently affected the local wildlife. However, he didn’t have the strength to fight a bear right now.
After a moment of thought, Ye Anping raised a finger and pointed at the lake, saying, “This is the fish soup I made for you. Go!”
The brown bear seemed to understand. It followed his finger, looked at the fish floating belly-up on the lake, and then looked at Ye Anping. It figured eating fish was probably a better deal, so it turned and walked towards the lakeshore.
***
Willow Moon Lake was still some distance from the Xuan Xing Sect Marketplace. Moreover, the marketplace was quite bustling. Although many people heard the “boom” sound of an explosion from the southwest, they largely ignored it, thinking it was probably some clumsy cultivator experiencing a furnace explosion during alchemy.
Bai Yuexin was currently squatting in front of the entrance of the Physiotherapy Center, eagerly waiting for Ye Anping to return and open for business.
“Junior Sister Bai, why are you squatting by the door?”
“Hmm? Senior Brother Chen.” Bai Yuexin recognized her fellow disciple and quickly explained, “Anping went out just now and isn’t here. If Senior Brother Chen wants physiotherapy, you’ll have to wait a while.”
“He went out? Alright, I don’t have anything urgent anyway.” Senior Brother Chen shrugged and stepped over the threshold, only to see five or six people sitting in the lobby of the Physiotherapy Center. And they were all familiar faces.
One of the junior sisters greeted him, “Senior Brother Chen, are you here for physiotherapy today too?”
“What’s wrong? Has Young Master Ye been gone for a long time?”
A junior sister took a sip of her tea and said, “Senior Sister Bai said that Young Master Ye went for a walk with someone just now and will be back soon.”
“With someone?”
Another junior brother whispered, “It’s that girl who broke through Senior Sister Bai’s move during the sword trial. The one with silver hair, I think her name was Feng something…”
Senior Brother Chen understood. “No wonder Senior Sister Bai looks so dejected… Sigh—” He glanced back at Bai Yuexin, who was guarding the door, and then found an empty seat to sit down, waiting for Ye Anping to return for his physiotherapy.
Just as he sat down, Bai Yuexin, who had been squatting by the door, suddenly stood up in terror and rushed out.
“Ah? Anping?!”
Hearing her panicked voice, the people inside looked at each other and immediately realized something must have happened. They all stood up and followed her outside. Then, they all saw Ye Anping, with his clothes torn in several places and covered in injuries.
Ye Anping’s expression was surprisingly calm, but his legs were weak, and he could barely stand with the help of a thick tree branch he held in his hand. Bai Yuexin rushed forward and supported him, asking, “Anping, how did you get so badly injured? Who did this to you?”
“That’s right, Young Master Ye, who beat you up like this? Private duels between cultivators are forbidden around the Xuan Xing Sect. Who dares to be so lawless?” A senior sister who had followed them frowned, looking as though she wanted to avenge Ye Anping, and rolled up her sleeves.
Senior Brother Chen, being the most senior here, quickly quieted the other fellow disciples and stepped forward to examine Ye Anping’s injuries. “It’s fine, your foundation isn’t injured.” He helped Bai Yuexin support Ye Anping, and asked, “Young Master Ye, what happened?”
Ye Anping hadn’t expected so many people to be present. After a pause, he blurted out the excuse he had already prepared. “Earlier, Feng Yu Die and I were strolling and chatting by Willow Moon Lake. Suddenly, a masked man attacked us. Feng Yu Die and I resisted valiantly, but in the end, she was still abducted by that person.”
Everyone was stunned: “What?”
Senior Brother Chen looked down in thought and immediately arranged, “Junior Sister Bai, take Young Master Ye to the sect to find Doctor Zhou for bandaging and treatment. I will take the other disciples to Willow Moon Lake to see if we can find anything.”
“Ah… Yes.” Bai Yuexin nodded flusteredly. She then tried to embrace Ye Anping, but seeing his body covered in wounds, she hesitated, unsure where to hold him without causing him pain. Although Ye Anping was the one injured, she felt as if she were the one in pain. Bai Yuexin carefully held Ye Anping, then summoned her Flying Sword and flew with him towards the Xuan Xing Sect’s Main Peak.
