Naturally, Ye Xuan had no idea that Fang Lian hadn’t asked for so many Protective Talismans for herself. She had a younger brother and sister whom she doted on, so she had asked for two extra. Fang Lian’s younger brother was named Fang Shaohan.
Although Ning Zheseng was a playboy, he was truly generous to his woman. Out of his five Protective Talismans, he gave four directly to Fang Lian and kept only one for himself. To Ning Zheseng, with Old Ma protecting him, he didn’t need the Protective Talisman. If Old Ma died, having the talisman wouldn’t help anyway.
Recovering from his shock, Ye Xuan retracted his Divine-Demonic Overlord Body and quickly left. Rather than waste time here, it was better to retreat promptly.
Seeing Ye Xuan leave, Fang Lian collapsed to the ground like a puddle of mud. She was terrified out of her mind—she almost soiled herself! Only she knew that the Protective Talismans in her hands were merely grade-two talismans.
Ye Xuan didn’t go far, stopping in a stretch of wilderness marked by three crooked trees. When Ye Xuan had gone to snatch the Fire Spirit Ginseng, he had agreed with Tang Long to meet here afterward. At this moment, standing in the wasteland, Ye Xuan’s eyes were gloomy.
As long as Fang Lian was alive, he could not be at peace. Ye Xuan finally understood who the Ye Family’s Grand Elder had been counting on to avenge the Fang Family right before his death. The Fang Family really did have someone capable of killing everyone in the Ye Family, but it wasn’t Fang Dade—it was Fang Lian!
However, he still couldn’t break through a mid-grade level-three Protective Talisman unless he advanced to the Frenzy Spirit Realm. At this moment, Ye Xuan wished he could immediately break through his first Small River Vein. But he knew he couldn’t rush; he still had time. Hadn’t Fang Lian yet to return to Hongtu Town?
"Calm down," he thought. "I must stay calm. At a time like this, the more anxious and panicked I get, the more helpless I’ll become."
Ye Xuan adjusted his breathing and quickly calmed down. Once calm, he let out a self-deprecating laugh. Just now, upon learning that the beautiful woman was Fang Lian, he had immediately felt the urge to kill. At that time, he thought that by silencing her and destroying the corpse, all crises would cease to exist.
But thinking about it carefully now, the crisis actually still existed. If Young Master Ning couldn’t find Fang Lian and didn’t even know if she was dead or alive, wouldn’t he go to Hongtu Town to investigate? After all, that was Fang Lian’s home. Once he discovered that the Fang Family had been wiped out by the Ye Family, the outcome would remain unchanged.
In other words, even if he wanted to kill Fang Lian, he had to kill Young Master Ning along with her! He had to wait for a good opportunity, one where only Fang Ling and Young Master Ning were present. And if he wanted to kill Young Master Ning, he needed to raise his cultivation to the Frenzy Spirit Realm. As long as he advanced to the Frenzy Spirit Realm, he had absolute confidence in killing him.
With this in mind, Ye Xuan took out the Fire Spirit Ginseng. The Fire Spirit Ginseng was a Fire Attribute Treasure of Heaven and Earth. It could not only imbue a Cultivator’s Spiritual Qi with a Fire Attribute but also improve a person’s physique.
Originally, Ye Xuan’s cultivation had not yet consolidated, and forcibly breaking through to the next major realm would damage his foundation. But with the Fire Spirit Ginseng, this bit of damage could probably be repaired. He didn’t care about the details; eating it came first. If he didn’t consume such a treasure now, was he going to save it as a family heirloom?
As soon as the Fire Spirit Ginseng entered his stomach, it immediately transformed into Fire Attribute energy. This energy entered Ye Xuan’s Dantian and then flowed through his Hidden Veins into every part of his body.
A burning sensation immediately washed over him. Ye Xuan felt an agonizing heat in his internal organs, as if they were being roasted by fire. However, this discomfort didn’t last long before disappearing entirely.
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, which now emitted a golden light. The light danced like golden flames. A smile formed on Ye Xuan’s lips as he unleashed his Spiritual Qi. The Spiritual Qi was still golden, looking no different than before. But as soon as Ye Xuan utilized his Fire Attribute power, the golden Spiritual Qi instantly ignited.
The surrounding temperature rose drastically, and nearby dry branches were directly set ablaze. Although Ye Xuan’s cultivation had not advanced, his combat prowess had increased at least twofold.
Time passed. Fifteen minutes later, Tang Long finally arrived.
When he arrived, Ye Xuan was feeding the Little Flame Eagles. He had killed two wild hares in the wasteland for the Flame Eagle chicks, but they refused to eat. Perhaps they knew their mother was dead and were too grief-stricken to have an appetite.
"Ye Xuan, you came out so quickly! Wait, are those... Little Flame Eagles! How did you get them? Don’t tell me you killed the Flame Eagle?" Tang Long’s surprised voice rang out.
Ye Xuan replied calmly, "I didn’t kill it. It died from its severe injuries."
Tang Long asked again, "Is there a Beast Pill? Did you extract its Essence Blood? Those are good things."
"I buried it."
"You buried it? Do you mean you didn’t take any of those things?" Tang Long looked stunned. He couldn’t believe Ye Xuan had resisted such a huge temptation.
Ye Xuan didn’t explain, only saying, "Let’s go to Niu Family Town."
"Niu Family Town? Are you planning to help me save Xin’Er?" Tang Long rejoiced, but his expression soon turned grave. "Are you sure you want to do this? Although you have the strength to rescue Xin’Er, if your identity is exposed during the rescue, it will be extremely dangerous for the Ye Family!"
Ye Xuan shook his head and said, "To tell you the truth, we aren’t going to save your woman this time."
"Not saving Xin’Er? Then what are you going to Niu Family Town for?" The smile vanished from Tang Long’s face.
"I need you to keep an eye on someone for me."
"I keep an eye on them, but what about you?"
"I’m going to use this time to improve my cultivation. I know you’re eager to save your woman, and I promise you, it won’t be long! Once I kill that person, I’ll go right away."
"That person? Who?"
"Young Master Ning."
As Ye Xuan spoke, he led the way out of the wasteland, leaving behind a shocked Tang Long! Young Master Ning was someone even the Niu Family had to bow down to, yet Ye Xuan was saying he wanted to kill him? That was simply insane!
Recovering from his shock, he hurried to catch up and spoke again. "If you want to go to Niu Family Town, taking the small path is the closest. But the direction you’re heading now leads to the main road."
Ye Xuan said calmly, "I intend to take the main road."
"Why?"
"I need to confirm whether he’s returning to Niu Family Town or heading straight to Hongtu Town. Let’s wait on the main road first. The Niu Family has many people; they should still be behind you."
Ye Xuan’s words left Tang Long increasingly bewildered. He couldn’t understand a thing. What would Young Master Ning go to Hongtu Town for? Had he discovered Ye Xuan’s identity? But that was impossible. Ye Xuan had only shown his face at the entrance; when he snatched the items, he was masked. Besides, even if Ye Xuan had shown his face, no one could possibly know who he was, right? After all, Tang Long had heard that Ye Xuan had been away from home for thirteen years and only returned recently.
Meanwhile, inside the Unicorn Carriage.
Young Master Ning pulled the sobbing Fang Lian into his arms. As he consoled her, he asked angrily, "Lian’Er, did you get a clear look at the person who tried to kill you? I swear, I will find him and let you torture him to death with your own hands."
"Sheng, I didn’t see his face clearly. He was masked."
"Masked?" Ning Zheseng paused slightly. Then, as if realizing something, he asked, "What color clothes was the masked man wearing? Was it white?"