Beside them, Meng Dieyi spoke again.
"For someone like you, living is truly a torment. You might as well just die. I’ll send you on your way. No need to thank me."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Meng Dieyi prepared to strike, but Ye Xuan stopped her.
The young Ye Xuan was just that kind-hearted. Coming from a small town, he naturally understood the sorrow of insignificant people.
"Xuan, what are you doing?"
"Let her live. As long as there is life, there is hope."
"Xuan, I suddenly feel like you’re so naive. What hope could someone like her possibly have? All she will ever know is despair. People are inherently different. Some are born noble with a high starting point, just like me. My father is the Sect Leader of the Profound Cloud Sect. But others are born lowly, plagued by misfortune from the moment they enter this world. They can only live like dogs, and she is a perfect example. Rather than letting someone like her suffer through life, I might as well be merciful and give her a quick end."
Meng Dieyi readied herself to strike again, but Ye Xuan stopped her once more.
"Xuan, what is wrong with you?"
Ye Xuan said sternly, "She is a person, not a dog. No matter how lowly she may be, her life and death shouldn’t be decided by others." He then looked at Hua. "You want to die just because living is too painful? But deep down, you’re unwilling to give up, aren’t you? You just feel powerless to change anything. But if you aren’t even afraid of dying, why should you fear hardship?"
Ye Xuan’s words made Hua’s pupils tremble. For the first time, she looked straight at him. Her gaze no longer darted away, and her eyes even turned red.
"How about this? Come with me."
"Xuan, you want her to come with you? You’re crazy. Although you’ve been named the Holy Son, the ceremony hasn’t even taken place yet. Even if you officially become the Holy Son, you have no right to take people in."
"I won’t take her as a disciple. Taking her as a servant should be fine, right?" Ye Xuan replied. "The Holy Son is allowed to have a few servants to tend to his daily needs." With a smile, he turned back to Hua. "You probably don’t have any family left, do you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t want to die. So, come with me. While I can’t promise you a life of luxury, I guarantee that you will never be bullied again."
Ye Xuan’s smile felt like a warm spring breeze. Hua found herself completely unable to refuse, and she nodded incessantly.
"What is your name?"
"AH, AH, AH..." Hua opened her mouth, but only raw, guttural sounds came out.
"Being ugly is bad enough, but she’s also a mute. Xuan, are you sure you want someone like this as your servant? She isn’t even qualified for that," Meng Dieyi said, her face filled with disgust.
Ignoring Meng Dieyi, Ye Xuan asked, "Do you know how to write?"
Hua picked up a branch and scratched out the character *Hua*, meaning flower. Just as she was about to write the next word, she seemed to realize something. Moving the branch from the right side of the character to the left, she added the character *Xiao*, meaning little.
Hua.
***
"Brother, so you saved her before. Then why did she say you were dead?"
Back in the courtyard, Ye Ling’Er asked once more.
Ye Xuan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Hua with a sigh. "She thought I was dead. But without the strength to avenge me, the only thing she could do was bring the news of my death to my family. That’s why she traveled thousands of miles to find us."
Ye Xuan gently patted Hua’s head. Though he spoke calmly, his heart was anything but tranquil.
The Profound Cloud Sect was simply too far from here! It was countless miles away! Back when Ye Xuan fell from the cliff, even while protected by the power of his ancestors, he drifted for half a month. For Hua to make her way here, she must have suffered unimaginable hardships. Most importantly, Ye Xuan had never actually told Hua where he lived. She must have figured it out by overhearing his conversations with Meng Dieyi.
Once, while chatting idly with Meng Dieyi, Ye Xuan had mentioned that his home was in a small town in the Moyue Kingdom called Hongtu Town. Meng Dieyi probably hadn’t even remembered it. But Hua had. Not only did she remember, but she managed to find Hongtu Town relying on nothing but a name. Ye Xuan knew better than anyone how difficult that must have been. It was no different from finding a needle in a haystack! But perhaps through sheer luck, she had actually succeeded.
"Brother, I understand now. When I found you, you were indeed severely injured and unconscious. Wait—Brother, you have enemies?"
Ye Ling’Er was slow to realize the implication. Beside her, Ye Zeyun also furrowed his brow slightly.
Ye Xuan had once told him that he did indeed have enemies, and incredibly powerful ones at that. He wondered if the current Ye Xuan was still afraid of them. Previously, Ye Xuan was only in the Frenzy Spirit Realm, but now he had reached the Super Spirit Realm. Logically speaking, his former enemies shouldn’t be a threat anymore. Yet, for some reason, Ye Zeyun couldn’t shake the feeling that Ye Xuan’s foes weren’t that simple. Ye Xuan’s talent was absurdly high, and he knew many high-level Martial Techniques. This indicated that he had previously joined a major faction. That meant his enemies were either completely inconsequential to him now, or they posed an absolutely massive threat!
Ye Xuan smiled. "Don’t worry. Your brother’s cultivation has already increased by two major realms. Anyone who makes an enemy of me now is just digging their own grave."
"That’s true." Ye Ling’Er nodded, buying his explanation.
"Alright, everyone is dismissed. Mayor Wen, thank you for bringing Hua to me. Grandpa, please reward him with a thousand Frenzy Soul Crystals."
"A... a thousand Frenzy Soul Crystals!"
Wen Shanghua’s eyes widened instantly. Such incredible generosity! Initially, paying a single Frenzy Soul Crystal to enter the city had pinched his wallet. Although Frenzy Soul Crystals couldn’t directly improve cultivation, using one still meant having one less. Who could have imagined that merely delivering a person would result in a thousandfold reward? He would gladly do this a few more times if he could.
"Hua, come with me. I’ll arrange a room for you." Ye Xuan helped Hua up and led her into the main courtyard. On the way, he finally spoke up. "How did you know I was dead?"
Hua replied using sign language, "Young Master, that day you were invited to the discussion hall, and I never saw you again after that. I guessed that something might have happened to you."
"You guessed?"
"Young Master, the Profound Cloud Sect is a ruthless faction devoid of human warmth. Since you became a mortal to save Miss Meng, they definitely wouldn’t let you stay. Sure enough, you were expelled from the sect the very next day. But I was confused—even if you were expelled, you wouldn’t just leave without packing your things, would you? So, I went to look for Miss Meng."
"You went to Meng Dieyi? What did she say to you? Let me guess—she made up an excuse, saying I couldn’t handle the blow and jumped off a cliff?"
"No. She was with that Young Master Shen at the time. She told me directly that Young Master Shen had knocked you off the cliff and severely damaged your heart meridians, meaning you were absolutely dead."
"She didn’t even bother to lie!" Ye Xuan clenched his fists tightly. "But that’s not right. Given her personality, if she confessed that to you, she would have killed you too. She didn’t strike? She is definitely not someone who possesses any sense of mercy."
Ye Xuan understood Meng Dieyi all too well. That woman was incredibly ruthless. If she could even kill him, was there anyone she couldn’t bring herself to murder?
"She wanted to kill me, but ultimately didn’t. She said killing me would be letting me off too easy. Instead, she drove me out of the Profound Cloud Sect and left me to fend for myself."
Hua spoke calmly. But Ye Xuan knew that Meng Dieyi’s exact words were definitely not like that. Meng Dieyi must have used an arrogant, condescending tone, looking down on Hua like an ant as she chased her out. Given Hua’s appearance, she was bound to lead an utterly miserable life in this dog-eat-dog world.