Chapter 17: That Guy Would Just Waste Food If We Took Him In.
The glory of the Ye family in Qingcheng had long faded. No, now the family itself teetered on the brink of annihilation. During the height of their power, the Ye family had provoked the wrath of other factions with their brazen actions. The Li family, the Zhang family, and the city lord's office had been exacting relentless revenge.
The Ye family's territory had long been annexed by the other houses. Now, Ye family members couldn't even walk the streets without fear. If spotted, they were as good as dead.
The Great Elder of the Ye family was imprisoned in a half-dead state. Upon hearing that Yeop Rang had been assassinated, he had lost all hope and descended into half-madness.
Yeop Chang, the Ye family clan leader, came to visit him.
"I never imagined the Ye family, to which I've devoted my entire life, would fall by our own hands."
The Great Elder sneered.
"Yeop Chang, people pointed fingers at me for having a narrow view, but what about you?"
"I'm no different. But the Ye family won't end like this. Someday... we will surely raise our heads again."
The Great Elder laughed coldly.
"You expect Yeop Hyeon to show mercy to the Ye family? You're still wandering in dreams. You know his temperament better than anyone. After how cruelly we treated him, he'll never involve himself in Ye family affairs again!"
Yeop Chang fell silent for a long moment before scoffing and speaking.
"But remember one thing. Rumor has it that when a martial artist reaches a certain realm, a mutation occurs in their bloodline. Then, those related by blood also undergo the mutation and grow stronger."
"What nonsense!"
The Great Elder scoffed.
"You need to reach a considerable level of strength for such an ability. There's no one in the entire Jiang Kingdom with fortune enough to achieve that!"
Yeop Chang leaned in closer to the Great Elder.
"Do you know why I made him crown prince despite the opposition?"
The Great Elder stared at Yeop Chang wordlessly.
Yeop Chang smiled.
"Of course, it was partly due to his talent and ability, but the truth is, it was because of his mother."
"Yeop Hyeon's birth mother?"
The Great Elder's eyebrows shot up. Yeop Hyeon's mother had vanished when he was ten and never returned. Yeop Chang could never forget the sight of Yeop Rang's mother and a man in black robes departing through the Ye mansion's back gate.
It had been utterly terrifying. They floated in the air without touching the ground! Soaring Realm experts could fly, but it was only brief moments suspended in the air. Yet these two showed no fluctuation of qi at all! And at the end, they tore open space itself and vanished into it.
Space Rending!
Something straight out of legends.
From that day, Yeop Chang had immediately named Yeop Hyeon crown prince. He believed Yeop Hyeon's mother would one day return for her children. He had hoped the Ye family would reap immense rewards.
Ten years passed with no sign of her, not even a whisper. Yeop Chang began to suspect the siblings had been abandoned. That was why his attitude toward Yeop Hyeon had shifted so drastically.
But when Yeop Chang emerged from seclusion, Yeop Hyeon had unexpectedly become a sword cultivator.
An unbelievably powerful sword cultivator!
It had to be connected to his mother. Yeop Chang gazed coldly at the Great Elder locked in the jade prison.
"The stronger Yeop Hyeon becomes, the more the Ye family is mocked. But we endure until the day he reaches supreme mastery and his bloodline mutates! Then the Ye family, bound by blood, will surely grow strong too! It's slim now, but someday he might repay the Ye family that raised him."
Lost in his delusions, Yeop Chang fixed the Great Elder with an icy stare.
"But you, Great Elder, have no hope left. I'm keeping you alive only to show Yeop Hyeon your remorse. You'll rot in here until you die."
As soon as Yeop Chang left, the Great Elder burst into mad laughter.
"Yeop Chang... you're far more foolish than I thought!"
The Great Elder knew Yeop Hyeon's nature well. Once he made an enemy, he never forgot and always exacted revenge. Yeop Chang's hope of repayment was pure fantasy.
"Yeop Chang, you're still clinging to vain hopes."
Three days later, Yeop Hyeon and Yeop Ryeong arrived at Tianshan City. Surrounded by countless mountains, the great city had earned its name, City of a Thousand Mountains.
Tianshan City was bustling, home to Chwi Seon Ru, the largest merchant guild in Jiang Kingdom. Chwi Seon Ru was a mysterious force with hundreds of branches across Qingzhou, and wherever they went, prosperity followed. They possessed powerful cloud ships for transportation.
Cloud ships sailed literally on clouds, drastically shortening travel between cities and nations. From Tianshan City, one could board a ship bound for the Imperial City. The siblings' carriage pulled up to the city gates. Yeop Ryeong blinked wide-eyed at the sight.
"Wow... it's really huge... Nothing like Qingcheng..."
"It sure is big!"
Yeop Ryeong tugged Yeop Hyeon's arm with a spoiled whine.
"Oppa, can we look around the city later?"
Yeop Hyeon pondered briefly, then nodded.
"Sure, okay!"
After days of nonstop travel, even Yeop Hyeon was bored. Sightseeing would be a nice change of pace.
They entered the city. It was vast and crowded with pedestrians.
Nothing like Qingcheng's desolation—it was thriving.
Yeop Hyeon first found an inn and booked a room. With Yeop Ryeong's condition, he couldn't leave her alone. They unpacked lightly and headed out together. Yeop Ryeong excitedly poked around everywhere.
Soon, her arms were full of trinkets. Seeing her happy warmed Yeop Hyeon's heart. As they passed a street vendor, the Heavenly Maiden's voice suddenly rang in his mind.
Hold on—stop!
Yeop Hyeon halted at her shout.
"Heavenly Maiden?"
He asked inwardly.
On the stall next to you, there's a purple ring. Ask for it.
Yeop Hyeon glanced over and spotted a purple ring tucked in an inconspicuous corner. A middle-aged man, the vendor, approached.
"See something you like, young man?"
Yeop Hyeon pointed to the purple ring.
"How much for this ring?"
He didn't question why she wanted such an ordinary-looking ring. There had to be a reason. The vendor eyed the ring in Yeop Hyeon's hand.
"Ten gold taels."
It was a fortune for him. But Yeop Hyeon didn't hesitate, pulling ten gold taels from his pouch and handing them over. The vendor beamed—three taels would have sufficed, but he'd taken ten without haggling.
As Yeop Hyeon turned to leave, someone called out.
"Wait!"
He turned to see a girl about Yeop Ryeong's age in cotton robes approaching. She was cute, with cherry-red lips and hair swept back.
She stopped and pointed at the ring, telling the vendor.
"Sell it to me for twenty taels."
The vendor panicked—he'd already sold it. Yeop Hyeon smiled at the girl.
"Little girl, I already..."
"Who are you calling little?!"
She cut him off coldly. Yeop Hyeon froze. Yeop Ryeong frowned at her.
"Why talk to my oppa like that? He didn't mean anything bad!"
The girl turned to Yeop Ryeong.
In that instant!
Her bold gaze flashed with shock.
No! That's...
Her eyes widened as she stared at Yeop Ryeong. Feeling the intense gaze, Yeop Ryeong fidgeted.
"W-Why are you staring like that?"
The girl paused gravely before speaking.
"What's your name?"
Her tone lacked arrogance. Yeop Ryeong answered.
"Yeop Ryeong."
Clinging to Yeop Hyeon's arm, she added.
"And my oppa, Yeop Hyeon."
The girl glanced indifferently at Yeop Hyeon, then back to Yeop Ryeong.
As she stared again, Yeop Hyeon moved to leave with his sister.
Suddenly, the girl pulled out a fist-sized red stone and offered it to Yeop Ryeong.
"Take it."
Before the stunned siblings could react, she tucked it into Yeop Ryeong's arms.
"It's Heavenly Fire Warming Jade. Carry it on you—it'll suppress the cold qi in your body for a while."
Yeop Hyeon looked shocked.
"You..."
But she ignored him.
"I have urgent business now, so I can't take you. But I'll come for you within three months at latest."
Finally, she glared coldly at the dumbfounded Yeop Hyeon.
"For your sister's sake, I'll let you have the ring!"
She glanced at Yeop Ryeong once more and left. Yeop Hyeon snapped out of it and chased after her, but she was already dozens of paces away. Soon, she vanished from sight. Yeop Hyeon stood frozen, staring in the direction she'd gone.
The girl stopped under a stone wall in the outskirts. A black-robed warrior appeared silently behind her, kneeling on one knee.
"Sovereign!"
Her voice was icy.
"Watch those siblings closely. No—you'd draw attention. Find a weaker subordinate and attach them to the pair. Nothing must happen to that girl!"
The man asked gravely.
"Do you intend to take her in?"
She closed her eyes slowly, her voice tinged with excitement.
"To think such a talented child exists in this small kingdom. If not for Cangjie Sword Lord's cave abode, I'd take her now!"
"It's been some time since the cave was found, but we still can't break the sword formation at the entrance. They say we need his佩剑, but it's been a millennium since Cangjie Sword Lord vanished—where to find it?"
She replied.
"No need to worry. Isn't that why we've gathered? If we all combine our power, we'll shatter the formation and enter soon!"
The man nodded. Then he spoke.
"And what of the girl's brother?"
She shook her head.
"His foundation isn't bad, but... no dantian, mediocre talent and spirit root. That guy would just waste food if we took him in."
With that, she turned and vanished.