Suppressing the anger in his heart, Ye Xuan asked, "After leaving the Profound Cloud Sect, you went looking for my remains?"
"Yes, I wanted to find your remains to give you a proper burial. But no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find you. I followed the river, walking further and further until I finally entered the territory of the Moyue Kingdom. Then, I remembered you once told me your home was in Hongtu Town.
"Young Master, you have been away from home for so many years, and your family had no idea where you went. I felt I should tell them the news of your death. At the very least, they would know for sure and wouldn’t be left in suspense. But I truly never expected to see you here. It’s so wonderful that you’re alive."
Hua’s hands danced tirelessly in the air as she signed, her eyes brimming with hot tears.
"Hua..." Ye Xuan stared at her face.
He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Some people looked like celestial fairies but possessed the hearts of venomous snakes. Others appeared ugly but had kind and pure hearts. Why was the gap between people so incredibly vast?
Seeing Ye Xuan staring at her face, Hua turned her head away. Even after all these years, she was still deeply insecure, not daring to meet his gaze.
As if struck by a sudden thought, Ye Xuan grabbed Hua’s shoulders and sent a wisp of Spiritual Qi into her body.
Sure enough, Hua’s meridians were shattered.
Hua was actually a Cultivator too, albeit not a very powerful one. Back in the Profound Cloud Sect, Ye Xuan had secretly guided her cultivation. If his memory served him right, Hua had reached the Strong Spirit Realm purely through her own hard work, without using any Spirit Medicine. By cultivating steadily step-by-step for ten years, she had even shown signs of breaking through to the Frenzy Spirit Realm. This level of talent was actually quite decent.
However, such a cultivation base was still far too weak within the Profound Cloud Sect. Despite this, before kicking her out, Meng Dieyi had shattered her meridians, reducing her to an ordinary mortal and denying her even the slightest chance of living a good life.
That woman was too utterly ruthless! Were all beautiful women this cold-hearted?
Taking a deep breath, Ye Xuan spoke again, "Your journey here must have been incredibly bitter, right? I dragged you down with me. But rest assured, with me here, no one will ever bully you again."
Hua nodded, then shook her head, offering a rare smile. Her teeth were pristine white, truly a picture of bright eyes and gleaming teeth.
Her figure was absolutely flawless, even more stunningly curvaceous than Meng Dieyi’s. It was only her disfigured face that was terrifying to look at.
A specific Elixir subconsciously surfaced in Ye Xuan’s mind: the Beauty Pill.
The Beauty Pill was hailed as a Holy Medicine. Its effects were enough to drive every female Cultivator in the world mad with desire. It could restore a woman’s youth and preserve it forever. An Elixir capable of reversing the aging process could naturally eradicate any scars on a person’s face.
Unfortunately, the ingredients for the Beauty Pill were extraordinarily rare and precious. Even if someone managed to painstakingly gather all the materials, they might not find a Pill Master capable of refining it. The Elixir Recipe for the Beauty Pill had been lost to time long ago.
Of course, Ye Xuan knew it. He had already made up his mind to slowly search for the ingredients and refine a Beauty Pill for Hua. Although Hua was merely a servant, she was worth it.
Furthermore, he could also restore Hua’s shattered meridians. The Vessel Continuation Pill was an Elixir specifically designed to heal meridians. The medicinal herbs required for the Vessel Continuation Pill were thousands of times easier to collect than those for the Beauty Pill.
"Hua, from now on, you’ll live here. Just like before, you’ll be in charge of cleaning my room. Alright, go take a bath first. I’ll have someone prepare some clothes for you."
After settling Hua in, Ye Xuan headed to the training room. His cultivation base was mostly consolidated; it was time to consume the Super Spirit Pill.
Generally speaking, the energy contained within a single high-grade Super Spirit Pill could allow a Cultivator at the 1st Layer of the Super Spirit Realm to break through the bottleneck and advance to the 2nd Layer. Three high-grade Super Spirit Pills could help a 2nd Layer Cultivator break through to the 3rd Layer. Ten high-grade Super Spirit Pills could push a 3rd Layer Cultivator to the 4th Layer.
However, Ye Xuan had consumed ten supreme-grade Super Spirit Pills just to successfully open his third Great River Vein.
"My consumption seems to be several times, or even ten times, that of others," he pondered. "What’s going on? Is it because of my physique? The stronger the physique, the greater the consumption?"
Ye Xuan furrowed his brows slightly.
Forget it, so what if the consumption was high? Fortunately, he was now an Alchemy Master.
Shaking his head, Ye Xuan left the training room and stepped out into the courtyard.
In the courtyard stood Hua.
She had changed into a fresh set of clothes. Standing with her back to him, her long, silky black hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall. She gazed up at the sky. If one only looked at her from behind, her figure was absolutely perfect. Standing at 1.7 meters tall, Hua had long, slender legs, a tiny waist, and shapely hips.
Even a puddle of mud can look up at the starry sky as long as it raises its head.
This was what Hua was reciting in her heart at this very moment. These were the exact words Ye Xuan had once told her. They had given her the courage to keep living.
Sensing someone behind her, Hua turned around.
"Young Master..." she signed with her hands, before giving Ye Xuan a respectful bow.
"Hua, why aren’t you getting some proper rest? You just got back, and your body is exhausted," Ye Xuan said.
"Young Master, I’m fine," she signed back. "This is your home, and I want to familiarize myself with the surroundings. It’s so nice here, Young Master. I think it’s much better than the Profound Cloud Sect."
Ye Xuan smiled and said, "Then take a stroll around. I have some business to attend to and need to go out for a while."
Hua hurriedly made a gesture, "I’ll go prepare a carriage for you."
"No need, you just rest. The place I’m going this time is a bit far. When I get back, I’ll repair your shattered meridians for you."
Hua’s pupils contracted. "Young Master, you can repair my shattered meridians?" she gestured in astonishment.
Ye Xuan nodded. "The past me couldn’t, but the current me can. I know how to refine the Vessel Continuation Pill. You just wait for me at home. Once your meridians are restored, cultivate properly. In the Profound Cloud Sect, I was bound by the rules and didn’t dare to teach you openly. But here, what I say goes. I will pour all my efforts into turning you into a master who can control her own destiny. I know you want to help me, so work hard. One day, you will fight your way back to the Profound Cloud Sect by my side."
"Mm-hmm!" Hua nodded furiously, a radiant light shining in her eyes.
This light was not just because Ye Xuan was still alive, but because he hadn’t wallowed in despair. The aura he emanated seemed even more powerful, even more indescribable, than when he was the Holy Son of the Profound Cloud Sect.
"I’m leaving," Ye Xuan said.
Leaving the main courtyard, he sought out Ye Zeyun.
"Grandfather..."
Upon seeing Ye Xuan, Ye Zeyun didn’t wait for him to finish speaking and took the initiative to ask, "Are you heading to the Zhang family’s home now?"
"Yes. I believe the Zhang family won’t be coming to offer tribute to the Ye family anymore. Since they won’t come, I’ll go personally. The tribute itself doesn’t actually matter; what matters is that the Zhang family must revere the Ye family. Grandfather, after I leave, I’ll leave the Ye family in your care."
"Rest assured. If anyone from the Zhang family comes, I’ll make sure they don’t return. Go on. I’ll have all the Ye family members gather in the main courtyard right now. For the next two days, everyone will stay in the main courtyard."
"Alright, I’m heading out then. Oh, and have the Ye family members help look after Hua. Don’t treat her as an outsider."