Chapter 782: Two Mistresses

As Ye Chen watched Chu Lingyu walk out of the grand hall, he was somewhat taken aback. He stepped down from his seat and approached Tianzong Laozu.

"Senior, what's going on with your precious daughter? She seems a bit off," Ye Chen said, sitting in the spot where Chu Lingyu had been, looking puzzled at Tianzong Laozu beside him.

"Ye Chen, some things might not be as you imagine," Tianzong Laozu replied with a gentle smile. "Everyone has secrets—I have them, and so does Yuer. I won't say more now; one day, you'll understand on your own."

With that, Tianzong Laozu stood up, his figure fading like a ghost as he stepped away, his body growing more ethereal until he vanished completely from the grand hall.

"Secrets?" Ye Chen scratched his head, feeling confused and unsure what Tianzong Laozu meant.

Soon, the figures in the hall began to disperse one by one. The good news Ye Chen had brought led to a small celebration, but there were still matters that needed attention. They had to reassess Zhengyang Zong's strength, which required time for investigation, troop deployment, and coordination with Dan Cheng, Guanghan Gong, and Dao Huang. Then, the allied forces could unite and strike down Zhengyang Zong in one go.

"You stay behind." As Hongchen Xue was about to leave, Ye Chen sent her a voice transmission.

Hearing this, Hongchen Xue paused and looked at Ye Chen with interest. "What is it? Asking about your master again? That might disappoint you—I've still got no news on your shifu."

"Then please keep looking." Ye Chen took a deep breath. "But that's not the only reason I asked you to stay."

"Spit it out. I'm busy."

"In the three days I was away, did we handle Zhengyang Zong's affiliated families?"

"Absolute strength suppression—it took less than half a shichen." Hongchen Xue shrugged. "If you hadn't given orders beforehand, my shixiong and the others almost took out Zhengyang Zong's nine major branches too."

"With so many affiliated families wiped out, Zhengyang Zong didn't make any moves?" Ye Chen asked, probing Hongchen Xue.

"None." Hongchen Xue shook her head lightly. "From the start of wiping out their affiliated families to the end, Zhengyang Zong didn't show any response at all. Even now, it's the same."

"That's unusual!" Ye Chen murmured thoughtfully.

"Anything else? If not, I'm leaving." Hongchen Xue glanced at Ye Chen.

"Yes." Ye Chen replied immediately. "Go find someone named Ruoxi."

"Ruoxi?" Hongchen Xue was stunned upon hearing the name, as her own shizun had mentioned it in his later years. Now Ye Chen was asking about her too, which surprised her.

"Why are you looking for Ruoxi?"

"Just find her." Ye Chen smiled. "Whether it's an elder, a child, a cultivator, or an ordinary person, bring back anyone named Ruoxi."

"You're acting strange today." Hongchen Xue furrowed her brows as she looked at Ye Chen.

"Go ahead. Some things, I can't explain clearly right now."

"I'll be waiting for your explanation." Hongchen Xue took a deep breath, gave Ye Chen one last look, and turned to leave the grand hall.

"The premise is that you find her first." Ye Chen muttered to himself, then stepped out of the grand hall.

In just three days, Ye Chen noticed that Hengyue Zong had changed quite a bit. Many places now had hidden formations set up, and with his divine sense sweeping through, he saw that both the disciples and elders had made significant improvements in their cultivation.

"Ye Shixiong." As he walked, Ye Chen heard a hesitant voice from around the corner behind him, prompting him to turn around instinctively.

There stood a woman in white robes. She wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she had a graceful and elegant charm, like a young lady from a refined mortal family. Upon closer look, it was Lin Shihua, the female disciple he had once saved outside.

"Lin Shimei, when did you get back?" Ye Chen smiled, recalling how Xu Fu had personally mentioned this matter for her sake.

"I returned just yesterday." Lin Shihua gave a faint smile.

"It's good you're back. Focus on your cultivation—Hengyue Zong is our home now." Ye Chen said, handing her a storage bag filled with spirit liquids, elixirs, and cultivation techniques.

Lin Shihua hesitated for a moment but took it. "Thank you, Ye Shixiong."

"We're all family." Ye Chen smiled again and turned toward Yunu Peak.

Watching Ye Chen's retreating figure, Lin Shihua still had a sweet smile on her face. It wasn't until he was far away that she took a deep breath, feeling an unusual warmth toward this new home.

However, she didn't notice that after she turned away, Ye Chen paused not far behind, narrowing his eyes as he watched her walk off.

"Long Ye, did you notice?" Ye Chen transmitted to Taixu Gulong.

"The bloodline of the ancient race," Taixu Gulong replied knowingly.

"I never realized it before, but seeing it now is quite a surprise." Ye Chen smiled slightly.

"She probably hasn't awakened it yet, and might not even know she carries that bloodline," Taixu Gulong continued. "Find a time to help her awaken it. Once I'm out, I'll teach her the ancient race summoning techniques myself."

"Talent—Hengyue Zong is about to produce another talent." Ye Chen chuckled. "I should check everyone one by one soon; maybe we'll find more hidden special bloodlines."

With that, Ye Chen continued on his way and climbed up Yunu Peak.

As soon as he arrived, he spotted two graceful figures. One was lively and playful like a little sprite, the other cold and aloof like an ice beauty. Most notably, they shared a slight resemblance.

Seeing them, Ye Chen froze for a moment—it was Shangguan Yuer and Shangguan Hanyue from the Dongyue Shangguan family.

"Shifu." While he was stunned, Xiyan suddenly ran over from somewhere.

"You're back." Ye Chen subconsciously touched his nose, as Shangguan Yuer and Shangguan Hanyue had already turned to look at him. Their eyes met, and the atmosphere became awkwardly tense.

As for Shangguan Yuer, the last time at the Shangguan family, it had been a misunderstanding—his dao body had accidentally seen her, which ended up affecting his true self.

For Shangguan Hanyue, Ye Chen felt even more innocent, as that night’s comment hadn't come from him but from that jerk Taixu Gulong, leaving him to bear the blame unfairly.

Now, encountering this pair of sisters on Yunu Peak, the awkwardness was inevitable.

Though surprised, Ye Chen wasn’t overly shocked. The Dongyue Shangguan family and Hengyue Zong’s void node teleportation array were connected, so they could travel back and forth in less than a shichen.

"What a coincidence, you two!" Ye Chen broke the awkward silence with an awkward laugh.

"Not a coincidence at all." Shangguan Yuer glared at Ye Chen, while Shangguan Hanyue remained as reserved as ever, especially when recalling that night’s question from Ye Chen, which made her expression particularly uneasy.

"Shifu, the two shiniang brought me so many good things," Xiyan said innocently, easing the tension.

"Shiniang?" Ye Chen’s mouth twitched, seeing Xiyan blinking her bright eyes at him. Oh, my dear disciple, you’re helping me woo them, but do you have to be so direct? Don’t you know your shizu is on this mountain too? If this goes wrong, your shifu might end up crippled.

"Xiyan, don’t say that." Shangguan Yuer quickly pulled Xiyan over.

"Shiniang, don’t be shy—Shifu said he’ll marry you someday.""And Hanyue Shiniang too; he’ll marry you both at the same time."