"Ye Lanshan, I'm sticking with you from now on," Lan Youli said while eating.
Ye Lanshan watched as Lan Youli kept shoving roast meat into his mouth, thinking: *So he's a foodie.*
"Oh, right, Ye Lanshan, do you cultivate magical or martial arts?" Lan Youli asked, puzzled as he recalled the fight earlier that day.
Ye Lanshan replied casually, "Me? I cultivate neither magic nor martial arts."
Lan Youli asked in surprise, "No way? If you don't cultivate either, how did you kill that black-clad man? Is there a third way to cultivate?"
Ye Lanshan said flatly, "There's no third way."
Lan Youli: "Then you..."
Ye Lanshan suddenly pushed him to the ground, lifted his chin with a smirk, and said seductively, "Are you that curious?"
Lan Youli's face flushed red as he stammered, "No, no, can you let me go first?"
Ye Lanshan grinned wickedly, "Will you stop asking random questions from now on?"
Lan Youli hurriedly replied, "No, I won't." As soon as he said it, Ye Lanshan got up and sat leisurely by a big tree, acting as if nothing had happened, leaving Lan Youli alone with a bright red face, lost in thought.
At the edge of Chaoyang City, a young man in white robes was walking anxiously toward the Xuan Yu Forest. But before he could take a few steps, his subordinate Lan Yu stopped him: "Master, your injuries haven't healed yet. Going like this will only make them worse."
The white-robed man coughed a few times and said weakly, "Youli hasn't been found yet. How can you expect me not to worry?"
Just then, two figures slowly approached Chaoyang City. One was dressed in fiery red robes, dazzling like flames, while the other wore clothes covered in bloodstains and dust, as if they'd crawled out of a beggar's den.
The beggar-like figure ran excitedly toward the white-robed man and shouted, "Brother~"
Lan Yu's eyes widened in disbelief: *How is this possible? Shouldn't he have died in the forest long ago? How did he get out?*
Suddenly, he felt a gaze fixed on him. He quickly adjusted his expression and called out emotionally, "Young master, you're finally back. If you hadn't returned, the master's injuries might never have healed."
Lan Youli immediately checked Lan Yexin's condition and said, "Brother, how did you get hurt this badly?"
Lan Yexin sighed helplessly, "Alas, it's a long story. On the night you left, I was attacked by a group of black-clad men. I wiped them out, but I was severely injured."
"Did those black-clad men have a token like this?" Ye Lanshan asked, holding up a bronze plaque.
Hearing Ye Lanshan's words, Lan Yu's eyes flashed with hostility as he turned to look at her.
Lan Yexin also noticed Ye Lanshan and asked, "Youli, who is this?"
Lan Youli replied, "This is a new friend of mine, and also my savior."
Just as Lan Yexin was about to bow in thanks, Ye Lanshan interrupted him, saying, "No need for formalities. First, tell me if those black-clad men had a token like this."
Lan Yexin recalled the scene from that night and said, "I was badly injured that day, so I didn't see any such token."
The light in Ye Lanshan's eyes dimmed instantly. She thought to herself: *So they're not the same group. I was hoping to use them to help me eliminate my enemies.*
At the same time, Lan Yu let out a sigh of relief.
But Ye Lanshan noticed his sudden relaxation and found it strange, though she said nothing.
Lan Yexin stepped aside and gestured, "Miss, why not come to my residence for a visit?"
Ye Lanshan said, "Fine."
It was an inconspicuous, even somewhat shabby alley, but inside the residence, it was a different world—rockeries, flowing water, and a pond filled with spiritual flowers. There was also a medicinal herb garden, most of which contained rare herbs, and even the buildings were exquisitely crafted.
In the main hall sat Ye Lanshan, Lan Youli, and Lan Yexin. On the table were the thousand taels of gold Lan Youli had promised Ye Lanshan, along with a gift of gratitude from Lan Yexin: a thousand white spirit stones and a spiritual flower.
Lan Yexin said, "I don't have much influence here, and I can only offer these modest gifts. I hope you won't mind. If you ever need any help in the future, just let me know, and I'll do my utmost to assist."
Ye Lanshan's eyes nearly sparkled at the sight of the gifts. She waved her hand and said, "I don't mind, I don't mind at all."
She thought to herself: *I never expected the Lan family to be so generous. This spiritual flower looks quite old. If I can refine it into a spirit-absorbing pill, my spiritual power will surely break through Qi Refining and reach the Foundation Establishment stage.*
Ye Lanshan glanced outside and said, "It's getting late. I'll take my leave now."
Lan Youli urged, "Why not stay for dinner before you go?"
Ye Lanshan replied, "No, I have things to do." With that, she got up and left.
At the Ye family's gate, two guards looked as if they'd seen something terrifying, their faces full of fear as they said, "Miss Ye, please don't kill us. We don't know anything."
Ye Liusi heard the commotion at the gate and rushed out, shouting, "Who dares to make noise at the Ye family's door?"
But when she saw Ye Lanshan, she said in disbelief, "Ye Lanshan, that wretch, is really lucky to have survived the Xuan Yu Forest."
Ye Lanshan said with a hint of amusement, "Wretch~?" Then her voice turned sharp: "No matter how low I've fallen, I'm still the legitimate eldest daughter of the Ye family. How dare a mere branch family member like you insult me?"
Ye Liusi sneered, "Ha, you've already been cast out of the main family. What, do you still think they'll take you back?"
"Stop dreaming. I'm telling you, even if you've restored your looks, without spiritual power, you're still that useless piece of meat waiting to be slaughtered. Don't put on airs."
A scream rang out, and Ye Liusi fell heavily to the ground, injured. She cried out like a madwoman, "How is this possible? How did your spiritual power recover? It can't be."
"Did you poison me?" Ye Liusi asked in shock as Ye Lanshan suddenly leaned down to question her. "Of course, it wasn't me."
But Ye Lanshan wasn't about to let her off just because she wasn't the poisoner. She immediately used her sword to carve the word "wretch" onto Ye Liusi's face and said, "Since you love saying 'wretch' so much, I'll give it to you." Then she turned and left.
"Master, why don't you go inside? Isn't that your home?" Yan Hu asked, puzzled.
Ye Lanshan rolled her eyes and said, "Are you stupid? I just hit someone. Rushing in now would be asking for trouble. And that's not my home."
Yan Hu: "Then why did you hit her?"
Ye Lanshan: "If I don't hit her, how will they know I'm still alive?"
Yan Hu was completely baffled and said, "You humans are so complicated."