Ye Feng and Ye Yuan said, "At this moment, Ye Suzhe has implicated the Ye family with his rebellion. If not for Miss Ye Lanshan single-handedly stopping Ye Suzhe, I fear our Ye family would have fallen into decline."
"Speaking of who is most fit to be the family head now, it can only be Ye Lanshan."
"What ability does that little brat have to be the head of our Ye family? If Ye Lanshan becomes the family head, I'll be the first to object," a Ye family member protested.
"Exactly, exactly. What right does a little brat have to be the family head?"
Ye Lanshan had just walked in when she heard these words. She shouted angrily, "Enough. You ask me what right I have to be the family head? Fine, I'll tell you now. It's because I am the only direct descendant of the Ye family, and because I command the Ye Army." Ye Lanshan pulled out the military token for the three armies and raised it high.
The crowd looked at the token, exchanged glances, and finally knelt down, shouting, "Ye family disciples, we pay our respects to the new family head."
"Hmph," Ye Lanshan snorted coldly. "Since there are no objections, you may all leave."
Ye Feng and Ye Yuan exclaimed in surprise, "You're awake? How's your body? Is there anything wrong?"
Ye Lanshan said helplessly, "What could be wrong with me? I'm fully recovered."
"Oh, right," Ye Lanshan suddenly turned serious. "Come with me to the forbidden grounds tonight. This time, I'm going to rescue Grandfather."
Ye Feng and Ye Yuan knelt and said, "Yes, your subordinates will follow the family head's orders."
Ye Lanshan waved her hand and said, "When there's no one around, just call me Ye Lanshan. We're friends now; no need to be so rigid."
Ye Feng and Ye Yuan exchanged a glance and said, "Yes, as you command."
Ye Lanshan shook her head and sighed, "Ah, I'll have to take it slow." With that, she staggered away.
Once inside her room, Ye Lanshan let out a long breath and lamented, "Sigh! I finally reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and now I have to start all over again. What a loss, what a loss."
"What is the Foundation Establishment stage?" A familiar voice came from behind.
Ye Lanshan spun around and snapped, "Who's there?"
"It's me." Luo Rui jumped down from a tree and walked over slowly. "I came for the Blue Spirit Flower, but I overheard you talking about the Foundation Establishment stage. I've never heard of such a cultivation method on this continent."
Ye Lanshan said coldly, "I told you that energy is specifically for my cultivation; it's called true qi. And this true qi has levels, with the Foundation Establishment stage being one of them."
Luo Rui nodded in understanding. "So that's how it is. But now, you should give me the Blue Spirit Flower."
Ye Lanshan pulled a Blue Spirit Flower from her spatial storage and handed it over. "Here. You can leave now."
Luo Rui took the flower with trembling hands. "Where did you get this?"
Ye Lanshan said, "It's just a flower. Why are you so worked up?"
Luo Rui said excitedly, "What do you know? This flower is at least a hundred years old, and its color is so pure that it's a genuine Blue Spirit Flower. A single one is worth a fortune and hard to come by. How can I not be excited?"
Ye Lanshan said nonchalantly, "Is that so? I should have asked for more."
When Luo Rui heard the words "ask for more," he grabbed her hand and asked, "Who gave this to you?"
Ye Lanshan shook off his hand and said coldly, "I don't think I need to tell you that."
Luo Rui was taken aback by her icy tone. "Sorry, that was presumptuous of me. Please forgive my rudeness."
Ye Lanshan's expression softened slightly. "It's fine. Since you have the Blue Spirit Flower, please go back now."
Luo Rui's expression turned plaintive. "Tsk, tsk, I didn't expect you to be as heartless as the Night King. I saved your life, and you won't even let me have a meal."
Ye Lanshan smiled. "You want to eat?"
Luo Rui smacked his lips. "I haven't had dinner yet."
Ye Lanshan said slyly, "If you give me the Complete Herbal Manual, I'll treat you to a meal. How about it?"
Luo Rui casually pulled out a book and handed it over. "Take it, take it. It's just a book; did you have to threaten me with food?"
Ye Lanshan flipped through the thick medical compendium and sighed, "What a great book."
Luo Rui said smugly, "Of course. It's the most comprehensive record of medicine on the entire continent."
That night, three dark figures sped toward the Ye family's forbidden grounds.
The place was even more desolate than before, with scattered boulders and not a trace of life. Ye Lanshan stood on the only dead tree there, studying the formation, and couldn't help feeling fortunate that she had once learned how to set up formations.
Though this formation was a bit tricky to solve, it wasn't completely unsolvable—just a nuisance.
"How is it?" Ye Feng asked. "Can you break this formation?"
Ye Lanshan curled her lips. "Of course. You and Ye Yuan, one stands on the west side, the other on the east. Flame Tiger, come out."
A flash of white light, and a white-flame fire tiger appeared before them.
She said to the Flame Tiger, "You stand on the south side. And that person behind you, come out and stand on the north side."
Luo Rui slowly emerged from the darkness and asked curiously, "How did you know I was here?"
Ye Lanshan replied calmly, "Because you smell of the Blue Spirit Flower."
Luo Rui was startled. "How is that possible? Are you trying to fool me? I clearly have no smell at all."
Ye Lanshan said, "If you don't believe me, fine. I want to ask you for a favor. Will you help or not?"
Luo Rui asked, "What's in it for me if I help?"
Ye Lanshan said, "If you don't help, then tomorrow, the whole street will hear about you sneaking into the Ye mansion to steal."
Luo Rui said angrily, "Are you threatening me?"
Ye Lanshan chuckled lightly. "It's not a threat; it's a fact."
Luo Rui had no choice but to follow her instructions and walk to the north side.
Ye Lanshan took out four magical artifacts from the air and handed them to Ye Yuan, Ye Feng, and Luo Rui, keeping one for herself.
Seeing that everyone had an artifact except him, the Flame Tiger said pitifully, "Master, I don't have an artifact."
Ye Lanshan said, "Your attribute is fire, and your position is also fire, so you don't need an artifact."
Luo Rui sneered, "You think you can break this formation with just four ordinary artifacts? That's a bit naive."
Ye Lanshan smiled lightly again. "Naive or not, we'll find out with a try."
"Channel your mystic power into the artifacts and shoot it toward the center. Flame Tiger, do the same and shoot your fire toward the center."
As the four streams of energy shot toward the center, Ye Lanshan flew to the middle of the formation, using the artifact as cover, and shot her earth-type mystic power downward, shouting, "Break!"
The formation instantly shattered, revealing what lay inside. A house slowly appeared, and now they could clearly hear coughing from within.
She ran over and shouted loudly, "Grandfather!"
When she pushed open the door, she froze. Inside, an old man was leisurely playing chess by himself. He looked at Ye Lanshan with a kind expression and said, "You're here."
Ye Lanshan replied softly, "Yes, I'm here. I've come to take you out."
The old man slowly stood up. "Good. I've been here long enough; it's time to go out and see the world."
Luo Rui looked at the relaxed old man and said, "Master Ye truly lives up to his reputation. Even trapped here, he remains so at ease."
The old man glanced at Luo Rui. "You're Luo Qing's son, aren't you? You look just like him. I hope you won't disappoint your father's expectations."
Luo Rui said coldly, "You don't need to worry about that."