"They’re staying at the Ye family?"
Ye Zeyun and Ye Yizhou were astonished.
People from a whole city were actually coming to the Ye family to stay? How was that possible? They were used to a pampered life; could they really get accustomed to living in a rural town? Or were they here to temper their willpower in the countryside?
Despite his surprise, Ye Zeyun immediately said, "I’ll have someone clean up the rooms right away. Since you’ve traveled from afar, you are our guests. Come in first, we’ll talk once you’re settled."
Half a day later, all the members of the Gongsun family settled into the side courtyard.
The side courtyard was vast, with many empty rooms, simply because the Ye family’s population was too small. The Gongsun family refugees alone outnumbered the Ye family more than four to one. And this was after the Gongsun family had lost a hundred and seventy thousand people in battle. What kind of staggering figure was a hundred and seventy thousand...?
Meanwhile, in the main courtyard.
After listening to Ye Xuan’s account, Ye Zeyun and the others were thoroughly shocked.
"What! The Gongsun family was wiped out? In just seven days, over a hundred and seventy-nine thousand people died..."
"That’s too cruel! I can’t even begin to imagine what you went through during those seven days!"
Ye Xuan sighed. "Grandpa, this world is even more cruel than I imagined. What happened to the Gongsun family is like an alarm bell ringing in my mind. It constantly urges me not to be lazy or slack off. Unfortunately, I never got to enter the Three-Star Secret Realm after all. All of the Gongsun family’s resources ended up serving as a stepping stone for the Sun family."
"You really didn’t bring out any of the Gongsun family’s resources? That’s truly a pity. Just thinking about it hurts." Ye Zeyun sighed. Resources were so incredibly precious, yet they had fallen right into the opponent’s lap for nothing.
"Yeah, I didn’t bring anything out. The Gongsun family probably never expected to lose, either. In fact, until the Supreme Elder was instantly killed, even I didn’t think they would lose."
Even now, Ye Xuan felt as if it had all been a dream. He knew the reason the Gongsun family lost was because the Supreme Elder had been slain by that one-eyed monk. In that moment, Ye Xuan profoundly understood what it meant for an army to collapse like a landslide. If a family’s strongest combatant died, the rest of the members were left with no fate but slaughter.
Actually, after the Supreme Elder died, Ye Xuan had desperately wanted to find an opportunity to head to the resource vault. However, he knew his strength was too weak. He was entirely unqualified to go; he couldn’t possibly carve out a bloody path of escape.
"Grandpa, the Night Moon Tree has borne fruit, right? Have you distributed the fruits to the family members?" Ye Xuan asked. When he returned, he had observed the Night Moon Tree. There were only a few sparse fruits left on its branches.
Ye Zeyun nodded. "Ten days ago, the Night Moon Tree began to bear fruit one after another. You mentioned before that the fruits would ripen in three days and rot if not picked after seven. Over these past few days, I’ve harvested all the ripe fruits. But I haven’t distributed them to the family members yet."
"You haven’t distributed them?" Ye Xuan’s eyes lit up.
Originally, he had abandoned the idea of consuming the Night Moon Fruits. But now, he had to rely on them to elevate his cultivation to the Demon Spirit Realm. Only the fruits of the Night Moon Tree could satisfy his massive energy consumption.
"No, I haven’t. I saved these fruits specifically for you, just in case you failed to obtain resources from the Gongsun family. This way, you could still rely on the fruits to boost your cultivation when you returned."
Ye Xuan said with a hint of guilt, "I’ve let the family down this time. I had originally planned to bring resources back for them."
Ye Zeyun, however, replied sternly, "You haven’t let the family down. The resources of our Ye family were brought back by you in the first place. Who would dare to object if you use them? Furthermore, any resources our Ye family has must prioritize your needs."
"Grandpa, don’t comfort me. I promise I will definitely find a way to get more resources for the family."
"Of course I believe you. Take them. All the fruits are in this Qiankun Bag. If there are any left over after you use them, you can return them to me."
"Then I won’t hold back, Grandpa."
Taking the Qiankun Bag, Ye Xuan returned to his room.
He didn’t consume the Night Moon Fruits right away. Instead, he began to change his clothes. He casually tossed his dirty garments and underwear onto the floor. But then, as if realizing something, he picked the dirty clothes back up.
He had forgotten that Liu Ruoxi was no longer here.
In the past, whenever he carelessly tossed his clothes on the floor, Liu Ruoxi would immediately go wash them upon seeing them. If she misbehaved, Ye Xuan would treat her to the Spirit-Suppressing Rope. Ye Xuan didn’t know if Liu Ruoxi had actually escaped or if she had died at the Gongsun family’s estate. But he figured it would be highly unlikely for their paths to cross again in this lifetime.
If Liu Ruoxi had escaped, she definitely wouldn’t return to the Ye family; she would undoubtedly head back to the Liu family. And with the Gongsun family eradicated, the probability of him going to Chasing Moon City was pitifully low. Even if he did go, now that the Gongsun family was gone, would this engagement still even exist? As for the City Lord keeping his word and following through on his promises—that was merely an act to save face after weighing the pros and cons.
But now that Gongsun Wenjin was dead and the Gongsun family was practically wiped out, who would hold him accountable for breaking his word? In this world, the prerequisite for keeping promises was always that both parties stood on equal footing.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Just as Ye Xuan was deep in thought, there was a knock at the door.
"Who is it?"
"Young Master, it’s me." Hua’s voice came through.
"Hua, what’s the matter?"
"Young Master, you must have changed your clothes by now. Since Liu Ruoxi isn’t here, I should be the one washing them."
Hua was indeed meticulous. The moment Ye Xuan returned to his room, she had guessed he would change his clothes.
However, Ye Xuan shook his head and said, "Hua, from the moment you traveled thousands of miles to come to the Ye family, I didn’t want you doing these chores anymore. I’ll just have the servants wash them."
"Young Master, please don’t. Let me wash your clothes. I know you don’t treat me like a servant, but I simply want to do this for you."
"This... alright." Ye Xuan nodded, ultimately handing the dirty clothes over to Hua.
Hua smiled. "Young Master, I’ll go wash them now."
"You silly girl, you look so happy just to do laundry."
"Young Master, you wouldn’t understand." Hua carried the clothes and left the room.
Ye Xuan truly didn’t understand. If a woman was willing to wash your intimate apparel, including your underwear, it meant she was willing to accept absolutely everything about you.
Meanwhile, in Chasing Moon City.
At the city gates, a figure in red stood tall before the walls. The gentle breeze blew, making her red dress flutter loudly.
"Chasing Moon City, I’ve returned."
This person was none other than Liu Ruoxi.
That day, she had taken advantage of the chaos to escape from the Gongsun family, but she hadn’t left Dapeng City. Instead, she had watched the city from afar, waiting for the final outcome. Only when the results were clear would she know where she should go next.
If the Gongsun family hadn’t been defeated, she wouldn’t have planned to return to Chasing Moon City even after escaping. That was because the Gongsun family might still send someone to fetch her. It wasn’t until Dapeng City was renamed Hero City, and the Dapeng Banner was replaced by the Black Bear Banner, that she finally turned and walked away.
She knew the Gongsun family had lost.
The city was no longer Dapeng City, and there was no longer a Gongsun family within its walls. She could finally return to Chasing Moon City.