Chapter 833: Let Me Think

"That guy was really a pig in his previous life!" As soon as Taixu Gulong left, Ye Chen stared wide-eyed at Xiong Er.

Achoo!

Down the mountain, Xiong Er was waddling along without a care, his hefty body nearly toppling over from a sudden sneeze.

"Who's cursing me?" He rubbed his nose vigorously.

"Little chubby one, there's something I don't know if I should say." At his side, Xie Yun casually placed a hand on Xiong Er's shoulder, his expression full of earnest concern.

"Spit it out." Xiong Er glanced up and down at Xie Yun.

"Last night, I had a weird dream. I dreamed that you were messing with my family's cabbage."

"Go to hell! Get lost!"

"How amusing." Up on the peak, Ye Chen withdrew his gaze, wanting to laugh but unsure how—should he laugh wildly or slyly? In the end, he decided not to laugh at all.

After a few leaps, he arrived at Yuling Ge.

From afar, he spotted a petite figure. She was in an open area, tidying something up. All he could see were two stone tablets on either side, with a plaque hanging above them in the center.

Hehehe!

When Ye Chen approached, Shangguan Yuer was clapping her hands, admiring her handiwork.

"Eight hundred per night, no refunds, guaranteed satisfaction?" Ye Chen glanced at the words carved on the two stone tablets and the plaque, and his eyes widened on the spot.

After a moment of stunned silence, he stroked his chin and sized up Shangguan Yuer. "Eight hundred? Per night?" he asked tentatively.

"The price is negotiable." Shangguan Yuer chuckled.

"No need, I've got money." Ye Chen said, starting to pull out his cash.

But before he could, Shangguan Yuer had already shoved a storage bag into his hands. "Here, exactly eight hundred. Now, come and massage my legs first, missy."

"Massage your legs?" Ye Chen looked at the storage bag in his arms, completely baffled.

"You've paid, so get to it." Shangguan Yuer had already settled into a comfortable spot.

"Hold on, let me sort this out." Ye Chen glanced at Shangguan Yuer, then at the words on the stone tablets and plaque, his mind struggling to keep up.

"What's there to sort? You're charging that price down the mountain, so you can't raise it here. My money doesn't grow on trees either." Shangguan Yuer was getting impatient. "And don't even think about welching on the deal."

"What does any of this have to do with that?"

"Come on, look at this." Shangguan Yuer pulled out a memory crystal and held it up to Ye Chen. Inside were various scenes: a blind young man was earnestly explaining cultivation insights to his fellow disciples.

But the main point wasn't that. It was the wooden board around the young man's neck, the stone tablets on either side, and the plaque floating above.

And even more crucially, the words on the wooden board, stone tablets, and plaque were shockingly bold and unconventional.

At once, Ye Chen's mouth twitched, and his expression shifted dramatically before his eyes.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's you in there." Shangguan Yuer tucked the memory crystal back into her robe and rubbed her shoulders. "I think you should start by massaging my shoulders."

"Come on, beautiful, you keep the money. I'm heading down the mountain for a stroll." Ye Chen said, shoving the storage bag back at Shangguan Yuer. He rolled up his sleeves and headed down the mountain.

Ah!

Soon, piercing screams like a pig being slaughtered echoed from below, startling everyone who was busy.

Before long, four figures were sent flying out of Hengyue Zong under the watchful eyes of the crowd. They traced elegant arcs through the air before landing neatly embedded in the rock wall outside Hengyue Zong.

Bastards! Shameless!

Ye Chen cursed all the way back up to Jade Girl Peak. He had no idea that during his time of blindness, something like this had happened.

Just a moment ago, he had been ready to spend eight hundred ling shi for a good time. But after this, it was quite the thrill—his once proud little brother was now hanging his head in defeat.

Done with your stroll?

Seeing Ye Chen return, Shangguan Yuer chuckled and pulled out the storage bag again.

It's over!

Ye Chen replied casually, then swept his hand, hurling the two stone tablets and the plaque out of Hengyue Zong. As a result, Xiong Er and the others, who had just gotten up outside, were caught off guard and smashed flat again.

"You're welching!" Shangguan Yuer glared at Ye Chen in frustration.

"It's good enough that I'm not acting like a rogue." Ye Chen was equally frustrated, his face dark with anger. He grumbled as he headed toward the small bamboo grove.

My reputation for a lifetime!

Even after reaching the small bamboo grove, Ye Chen was still rubbing his forehead hard.

Chu Linger was also in the bamboo grove, helping Xi Yan pack Hu Wa's things. As Ji Ningshuang's disciple, for the sake of better cultivation, he had decided to follow Ji Ningshuang to Zhengyang Zong.

"Eight hundred per night isn't expensive." As Ye Chen approached, before he could say anything, Chu Linger remarked casually.

"Then you'd owe me over ten thousand. It's been so long, and you haven't paid me a thing." Ye Chen said shamelessly, picking at his ear. "Remember to pay next time. It's not easy for me."

"You rascal." Chu Linger laughed, amused.

"Big brother Hu Wa, I'll come visit you often." While the two were bantering, Xi Yan's eyes had turned red, tears welling up. After all, these two kids had spent so much time together; this sudden separation was hard to bear.

"The void array to Zhengyang Zong is being set up; it's just a half-hour trip back and forth. Don't act like it's a life-or-death parting." Ye Chen said, while stuffing a few storage bags into Hu Wa's pack.

"I'll come back to see you all often too." Hu Wa flashed his pearly whites, as honest and simple as ever.

"So, before you go, let me see the results of your training!" Ye Chen smiled.

"What are you doing? You're just causing trouble." Chu Linger shot Ye Chen a stern glare.

"It's good to sharpen each other a bit." Ye Chen shrugged casually.

"Big brother Hu Wa, I won't hold back!" As the two spoke, Xi Yan and Hu Wa had already moved about ten zhang apart. One gripped a black iron rod, the other a Lingfrost Sword, both brimming with fighting spirit.

Hah!

With Hu Wa's shout, the battle began.

The moment they started, Ye Chen and Ji Ningshuang set up a barrier, but the thunderous booms still spread out, drawing curious glances from the Hengyue experts.

Xi Yan and Hu Wa were even more impressive than Ye Chen had imagined. One carried the bloodline of the spirit race, the other the holy ape bloodline, and they both knew each other's moves and weaknesses inside out. The fight was exhilarating.

"Watching them now, it's like seeing you in the past!" Observing Xi Yan and Hu Wa's battle, Chu Linger smiled gently. "Time flies so quickly. Just a year, yet it feels like another world. The little cultivator from back then is now the holy lord commanding the heavenly court."

"A year is all it took, and you've gone from a little cultivator to wearing a phoenix jade hairpin." Ye Chen replied with warmth and a touch of weariness. "Sometimes I think, what does the world or peace have to do with me? Instead of scheming in this chaotic era, I'd rather take you all to some hidden paradise, ignoring the world's troubles—rise with the sun, rest at dusk, hold your hand, and grow old together."

"Ye Chen, let me go with you to Beichu!"

"Wait for us at home. I'll bring the master back." Ye Chen smiled.

"Are you trying to leave me behind again?"

"Beichu is nothing like Nanchu; the forces there are complex and intertwined. It's not our territory." Ye Chen took a deep breath. "Some things, we don't say, but we both know. The master has been missing for so long, and even with all the commotion we've caused in Nanchu, she hasn't returned. That says enough. We're just fooling ourselves."

"You will bring my sister back, right?" Chu Linger clung tightly to Ye Chen's arm, looking at him with hope.

"No matter the ends of the earth."