One battle to fame!
The events that unfolded in the royal palace spread quickly. The people of Yao City could not help but draw in a sharp breath of cold air. They thought to themselves: if the Weiyuan Marquis and Ye Chu had not stepped forward at that time, what would Yao City look like now?
With the Yao Kingdom’s king captured, would Yao Kingdom have been trampled flat by the iron cavalry of Sha Kingdom? Would families have been destroyed and lives lost?
Thinking of this, every single person felt a surge of fortunate relief! Even though many of them had cursed Ye Chu countless times before, they now had no choice but to feel grateful towards him. No matter how many faults Ye Chu had, at this moment he had saved them all, and they could not help but thank him!
Of course, they were equally shocked by the strength Ye Chu had displayed. They felt deep awe. He actually possessed power comparable to the Innate Realm, far surpassing all the young generation of Yao City.
This left the hearts of everyone in Yao City in turmoil. The person they had once reviled as a useless waste, a complete scoundrel they utterly despised, had now transformed into someone they could only look up to in admiration. The vicissitudes of life were truly hard to predict.
The Weiyuan Marquis being ennobled as a Prince of a Different Surname also became widely known among the people of Yao City. Some even speculated whether the Weiyuan Marquis residence had ridden on Ye Chu’s coattails this time. After all, the title of Prince of a Different Surname had not been granted to an outsider in a hundred years. Although the Weiyuan Marquis’s achievements this time were extraordinary, they hardly warranted such an exceptionally high honour.
Others sighed and thought that if the Weiyuan Marquis had not driven Ye Chu out of the family back then, the Weiyuan Marquis residence would now have two figures comparable to the Innate Realm. In Yao City, that would be utterly unmatched!
“I wonder what the people in the Weiyuan Marquis residence are feeling right now?” The people of Yao City could not help but sigh, all wondering whether anyone in the Weiyuan Marquis residence regretted their past actions.
After that battle, the young generation of Yao City went mad over Ye Chu. Even those young men who had previously cursed him as if he were their mortal enemy now wanted to befriend him. Among the women of Yao City, some could not resist publicly declaring their affection for him.
Only Su Rong, after that battle, hid away inside the royal palace and never showed her face again.
Some women thought of Ye Chu preparing to leave Yao City and wanted to drag Su Rong out to persuade him to stay. But they found they could not see Su Rong at all, which left the group of women anxious and pacing in circles.
Later, word spread that Su Rong had been present at the scene that day. She had personally witnessed Ye Chu cripple an Innate Realm expert and personally seen him reject the title of National Preceptor before brushing off his robes and departing. When the women who had been eager to find Su Rong heard this news, they understood something and finally gave up the idea of pulling Su Rong out to stop Ye Chu.
At this time, Liang Shan became the most sought-after guest at every banquet. Liang Shan had never imagined he would one day become so popular. Of course he knew exactly why. So whenever anyone asked him where Ye Chu was, Liang Shan always replied that he did not know.
He understood very well that the moment they found out Ye Chu’s whereabouts, his own popularity would vanish in an instant.
…
Ye Chu was still at Bai Xuan’s residence, playing games in the courtyard with Yao Yao. In his mind he pondered the phrase “spiritual baleful as one, able to transform yin and yang”. After clashing with an Innate Realm expert and with the baleful qi that had poured into his body, Ye Chu vaguely grasped something.
But he was not yet certain. He could only experiment slowly.
This was an opportunity to step into the Innate Realm. As long as he could fully understand these principles, with his strength already at the absolute peak of the Intent Transformation Realm, breaking through the bottleneck to reach the Innate Realm would be within easy reach.
Only after reaching the Innate Realm could Ye Chu truly claim to have transformed. Only then would he have the face to return to Qingmi Mountain. Otherwise, leaving the mountain with the same strength he had when he departed would surely earn him endless mockery from the dead fatty.
“Are you really not going back to the Weiyuan Marquis residence?” Bai Xuan appeared in front of Ye Chu at some point. She looked at him lying on the rocking chair, legs curled up, lounging comfortably in the sunlight while reading the lone manual. She thought to herself that he truly carried an air of detachment far beyond his years.
Ye Chu turned his head to look at Bai Xuan. Today she wore a checked top, but it could not conceal her full, mature, and alluring figure. Though the inside was hidden, from the outside the prominent, rounded curves stood out clearly. Gazing at the faint blush on Bai Xuan’s charming face, Ye Chu thought she was truly captivating. Over these years he had seen plenty of beauties, yet looking at Bai Xuan now still made his heart race.
Seeing Ye Chu staring straight at her with a gaze both intense and clear, Bai Xuan gave a light tsk and, feeling helpless, raised her fair, delicate hand to block his view. “With your current strength, if you returned to the Weiyuan Marquis residence, they would surely welcome you with open arms.”
When Bai Xuan first heard the news that Ye Chu had crippled an Innate Realm expert, she thought she had misheard. Only when the rumours grew louder and more insistent did she finally believe it was true. Looking at the young man lying so lazily and contentedly on the rocking chair before her, Bai Xuan found it hard to comprehend.
This lecherous, somewhat naughty little rascal actually possessed such astonishing strength. No wonder her father had said that the secrets Ye Chu carried were far greater than what he showed on the surface.
“I’m not suited to go back!” Ye Chu shook his head. Back then the Weiyuan Marquis had sworn before the ancestors to expel him from the Ye family. If Ye Chu returned now, it would be like slapping the Weiyuan Marquis in the face. No matter what they truly felt, whether they genuinely wanted him back or not, Ye Chu could not simply walk through that door again.
Moreover, who could guarantee that the anger of the Ye family in the imperial capital from years ago had faded? Having two Innate Realm figures in one household sounded impressive, but in a small kingdom like Yao it was enough to dominate. In a great clan like the Ye family of the empire, it meant nothing at all.
“Sigh!” Bai Xuan also let out a soft sigh. She had heard something about how the Weiyuan Marquis had furiously whipped Ye Chu and thrown him out of the city back then. But Bai Xuan was not one for gossip and did not know the full details. Seeing Ye Chu like this now, she realised the situation was far more complicated than she had imagined.
“That’s what you get for not behaving properly back then!” Bai Xuan rolled her eyes at Ye Chu. “You made the old marquis, who had always doted on you, fly into a thunderous rage. He was willing to let you fend for yourself. Just what kind of heinous crimes did you commit?”
Ye Chu gave an awkward laugh and felt too embarrassed to mention his original improper intentions. If he had succeeded, he might have had the face to brag about it. But the problem was he had not tasted the meat and had ended up covered in trouble instead. That was far too humiliating.
“Back then a woman fell in love with me and tried to take advantage of me. But I’m not the casual type, so I firmly rejected her! As a result, that family put pressure on the Weiyuan Marquis residence. I refused to yield no matter what, and in a fit of anger the Weiyuan Marquis gave me a beating and threw me out.” Ye Chu sighed. “Later I found out the woman was actually quite beautiful. If I’d known, I would have just gone along with her.”
“Get lost!” Bai Xuan gave him another roll of her eyes, refusing to listen to his nonsense. “It was obviously you who had improper intentions towards her. You really were rotten back then.”
Ye Chu grinned shamelessly, completely unbothered by Bai Xuan’s words. His gaze fixed straight on her beautiful, vivid face. “Even if I were going to have improper intentions, it would only be towards someone like Sister Bai Xuan.”
“You’ve grown bolder!” Bai Xuan’s face flushed red. She glared at Ye Chu. This fellow was getting more and more audacious.
Ye Chu scratched his head vigorously and sighed with genuine regret. “Why didn’t I meet Sister Bai Xuan three years ago? If I had known you back then, I wouldn’t have spared a single glance for any other woman. I would have lied, cheated, abducted, or seized you by force and tied you to my side.”
The more Ye Chu spoke, the more outrageous he became. Bai Xuan was both amused and exasperated. She reached out and lightly knocked him on the head. “What on earth is going on in that head of yours!”
Ye Chu reached out and caught Bai Xuan’s hand. It felt smooth and soft to the touch. Bai Xuan’s face turned scarlet. She panicked and struggled free, too embarrassed to scold him outright. She could only find an excuse and flee as if escaping.
“Hahaha…” Ye Chu burst into laughter.
Hearing Ye Chu’s laughter behind her, Bai Xuan felt both amused and mortified. She could hardly believe she had been thrown into such confusion by a half-grown boy.