"Of course." Bai Yong smiled faintly, at least on the surface, there was no flaw to be seen.
"Hmm." Bai Li Wumo seemed uninterested in staying any longer and wandered off elsewhere.
Bai Yong lowered his head, a venomous glint flashing in his eyes. Even if I kill Ye Lanshan, what of it? After all, the one who truly kills her will be that fool Wan Cixin—we're just following orders for money.
"I advise you not to do anything foolish." Bai Yan finally regained control of the body at this critical moment.
"Do something foolish? My dear brother, what foolish thing could I possibly do? Since your soul is injured, just stay inside and rest—don't come out wandering around for no reason." The next second, Bai Yong snatched back control of the body.
"Lord Bai Yong, so do we kill Ye Lanshan or not?" Zhu Sha asked Bai Yong, stifled and frustrated inside the hall.
"Kill, of course we kill, but we need to change our strategy first. She's hard to kill, but her grandfather might not be."
"Lord Bai Yong, what do you mean?"
"Kill the one closest to her, and when she's at her most heartbroken and weakest, kill her." You won't let me kill Ye Lanshan? Fine. As long as I kill her grandfather, I'll have no trouble finding a reason to kill her.
Time always flies. Before long, the exchange conference was about to begin. Alchemists from all over the world flocked to the Medicine Valley. Now gathered here were the most formidable alchemists in the entire world—the kind you couldn't find anywhere on the continent, yet here you could grab two or three with a casual reach.
Of course, not everyone here was an alchemist. There were also powerful figures who dominated their regions, some seeking medicine, others hired to protect the alchemists' safety.
It could be said that this place was not only a gathering of alchemists but also a congregation of the strong. The Medicine Valley hadn't seen such excitement in years.
"What a lively scene." Ye Lanshan sat in a tree, drinking wine, listening to the clamor outside.
"You're quite leisurely hiding here." Sikong Feihe appeared beside her again, as if out of nowhere.
"As they say, steal a moment of idle time from a busy life. I finally get a brief respite, and you've ruined it." Ye Lanshan shook her head helplessly.
"What kind of wine is that? Give me some too." Sikong Feihe stretched out his hand as if it were his due.
"You're not shy about it." Ye Lanshan pulled another small jar of wine from her space and tossed it to him.
"Mmm, excellent wine." Sikong Feihe greedily inhaled the aroma.
"How long has it been since you last drank? You're this desperate." Ye Lanshan watched his greedy, satisfied expression and twitched her lips.
"Well, I had some yesterday, but how can yesterday compare to today? Yesterday, it was just moonlight and drinking alone. Today, with such a beauty by my side, the wine tastes completely different." As he said this, he even lifted her chin.
Ye Lanshan knocked his hand away with her fan and said flatly, "Sorry, I'm not interested in you."
"That really breaks my heart. I even defied my father for you, and I helped you release Li Lianchun. Is this how you treat me?" Sikong Feihe clutched his chest pitifully.
"If that breaks your heart, I have even worse things. Want to try?" Ye Lanshan cast a slow glance at him, sending chills down his spine and making his lower body tense up.
He suddenly recalled their earlier sparring match. He thought he had it won, but who knew Ye Lanshan would pull that move, nearly costing him his manhood.
"How can someone so elegant and ethereal be so ruthless? That's not good, really not good." Sikong Feihe advised earnestly.
"Not good? I think it's great. It's an essential move for fighting." To be honest, Ye Lanshan hadn't initially aimed for that spot—it was an accident.
But by sheer chance, it turned the tables and let her win from a losing position. Now she really had to consider using that move more often.
Sikong Feihe opened his mouth to say more, but Cang Zhu walked in through the door. "Master, Master."
"Hmm, what is it?" Ye Lanshan flipped down from the tree with a light grace, her robes fluttering in the wind, bathed in sunlight, making her look both holy and noble. No one would guess that someone so saintly and refined would use such underhanded tactics in a fight.
How had he ever thought she was a pure, kind-hearted soul? Ah, too much to say—it was all tears. Sikong Feihe silently sympathized with himself for three seconds. But he hadn't yet seen Ye Lanshan's truly cruel side. If he witnessed such brutality, he'd probably cry, since he always believed she was someone who lived in the sunlight.
"Someone wants to see you."
"Who?"
"He says his name is Lan Youli. He seems like a very innocent and kind person."
He came too? Ye Lanshan rarely showed a genuinely happy smile. "Invite him over."
"Tsk, you know him? You're so happy to have him come." Even Sikong Feihe himself didn't notice the faint sourness radiating from him.
"Yes." He was the first friend I ever acknowledged, and the first to move me.
"Since someone's coming, I'll take my leave." Sikong Feihe's face darkened, his whole demeanor wrapped in displeasure as he left. Unfortunately, Ye Lanshan didn't notice.
"I, Lan Youli of the Lan family, pay respects to Master Shan Luo." Lan Youli seemed different now—much more composed, yet the innocence in his eyes was still clear.
"What business do you have with me?" Ye Lanshan was curious about why Lan Youli sought her out now.
"I heard that Master Shan Luo's teacher is Grandmaster Sikong Kuang. Could you tell me where Grandmaster Sikong Kuang currently resides?"
Ye Lanshan paused and asked softly, "What do you need my teacher for?"
Lan Youli sighed and said, "I have a friend whose relative had their meridians crippled. She's been searching everywhere for Grandmaster Sikong Kuang..."
"You're talking about Ye Lanshan, right? That relative should be called Ye Yu. His meridians were healed by my teacher long ago."
Ye Lanshan cut him off, a wave of emotion washing over her. She hadn't expected this naive kid to have been tirelessly searching for a cure for Ye Yu's meridians all this time.
"You mean Ye Yu's meridians were already healed by Grandmaster Sikong Kuang? Then you must have seen Ye Lanshan. How is she now? Ever since the Holy Land put a bounty on her, I've been so worried."
Lan Youli's eyes flashed with joy, followed by anxiety—he feared hearing that Ye Lanshan had been captured or met with some other misfortune.