The path of cultivation is destined to require a balance of yin and yang. If either yin or yang becomes excessively dominant, major problems are bound to arise.
The lone red baleful manual revolves entirely around one phrase: “Baleful and spiritual as one, able to transform into yin and yang.”
Baleful qi and spiritual qi are two opposing existences. When brought together, they easily clash. Although Ye Chu’s physique is special and he is not afraid of baleful qi, any direct confrontation between the two makes it impossible to study how baleful qi and spiritual qi could be transformed into yin and yang.
During the battle with Sha Tianyun, Ye Chu suddenly understood something. Perhaps what the red baleful manual meant by “baleful and spiritual as one” was not about forcing baleful qi and spiritual qi to coexist and merge into yin and yang. Instead, it meant that if baleful qi and spiritual qi were to coexist as one, they could be utilised through the method of harmonising yin and yang.
If that were the case, it would avoid a direct conflict between baleful qi and spiritual qi. This would greatly reduce the difficulty of making it work. Then, by relying on his own special physique to make use of the baleful qi, he might achieve a breakthrough.
Of course, this was merely Ye Chu’s conjecture and had not yet been confirmed. Although this idea was far easier than directly fusing baleful and spiritual qi into one, it was still not something that could be accomplished casually. It required slow experimentation, and all of it needed time to verify. There was no point in rushing!
“Brother Ye Chu! Have you seen Grandpa lately?” Yao Yao shook Ye Chu, blinking her clear little eyes and staring at him with lively curiosity.
“Hm?” Only then did Ye Chu remember that he had not seen White Leopard for several days. Although he had not spent much time studying the things White Leopard had given him these past few days, there were still quite a few points that puzzled him. He had once looked for White Leopard, hoping for some guidance. But he had not seen the man at all during this time.
“Grandpa doesn’t like Yao Yao anymore. He hasn’t seen Yao Yao for days.” Yao Yao muttered in great dissatisfaction, tugging at Ye Chu’s hand and wanting him to pick her up.
Ye Chu lifted Yao Yao into his arms. Just then, he saw Bai Xuan walk out. He asked in confusion, “Where has Uncle Bai gone these past few days? I haven’t seen him at all!”
“He said an old friend was looking for him, so he went out with them.” Bai Xuan shook her head. “I don’t know where he went. Don’t worry about him. He’s often like this.”
Since Bai Xuan said so, Ye Chu did not press further. He was about to say something when Pang Shao suddenly slipped into the courtyard.
“You scoundrel, didn’t you say you were going back to the empire? Why haven’t you left yet?” Ye Chu was surprised. This fellow had said he was leaving a few days ago. Who would have thought he would still be here?
“You can’t even bear to leave, so how could I possibly go!” Pang Shao grinned slyly. His eyes lit up as they fell on the alluring Bai Xuan. Unable to resist, he shamelessly approached her. “Sister Bai Xuan, could you please bring me a chair to sit on?”
Bai Xuan laughed softly. She thought to herself that all the young men who spent time around Ye Chu seemed to be just as lecherous. She knew Pang Shao led a debauched private life, but he always showed her respect and never overstepped. Bai Xuan did not dislike him. With a smile, she fetched a chair and handed it to Pang Shao. “You two chat slowly!”
With that, she took Yao Yao from Ye Chu’s arms and swayed her graceful figure as she headed back into the inner rooms.
Pang Shao stared at Bai Xuan’s curvaceous back view until she was completely out of sight before snapping back to reality. He sighed to Ye Chu. “No wonder you stay here every day and never want to leave. With a woman like that, I’d be willing to give up that whole forest out there.”
Comparing Bai Xuan to the women he had played with before, Pang Shao realised those others were nothing more than weeds.
Seeing Pang Shao sigh as though he had seen through the illusions of the world, Ye Chu rolled his eyes and ignored him completely. “Speak. You rarely show your face. What is it this time?”
Seeing that Ye Chu was finally addressing him seriously, Pang Shao grinned and pushed his earlier infatuation with Bai Xuan out of his mind. “This time I’ve got big news for you. It’ll definitely shock you!”
Ye Chu paid him no attention. He opened the red baleful manual in his hand, preparing to study it carefully once more before beginning to test his conjecture.
“Boring!” Seeing Ye Chu ignore him so thoroughly, Pang Shao grumbled in dissatisfaction. “The Saintess has come to Yao Kingdom!”
“Hm?” Ye Chu closed the red manual. His gaze snapped sharply towards Pang Shao.
Under that intense stare, Pang Shao jumped up at once and backed far away, waving his hands frantically. “Don’t think I’m the one who told her! The Saintess just happened to pass through Yao Kingdom. And with your recent fame here, she naturally found out about you.”
“Do you think I’ll believe that?” Ye Chu smiled faintly as he looked at Pang Shao.
Pang Shao panicked and hurriedly explained. “I swear I didn’t snitch this time! If you don’t believe me, ask the Saintess herself. You can’t blame this on me!”
Pang Shao was practically ready to swear an oath. If this fellow thought he had betrayed him, how could he ever have a peaceful day again? He did not want to become Ye Chu’s punching bag!
“No problem! Whether you snitched or not, I’ll just assume it was you.” Ye Chu continued smiling at Pang Shao.
Pang Shao’s eyes reddened. “How can you be so unreasonable!”
Ye Chu shrugged innocently. “Sorry. When have you ever seen me be reasonable? In the future, don’t say such brainless things. It’ll only make people laugh at you, alright?”
“…” Pang Shao wanted to curse, but he held it in.
He moved even farther away from Ye Chu, thinking that if Ye Chu decided to hit him later, he could at least make a quick escape.
Seeing Pang Shao act this way, Ye Chu did not mind. “So that little vixen sent you to find me, right? Go on. What does she want to stir up this time?”
“What little vixen!” Pang Shao felt a bit offended. The Saintess was such an exalted figure. How did she become a little vixen in this guy’s mouth? Still, he did not dare provoke Ye Chu right now. “The Saintess said she has not seen you in a long time and misses you very much. She invites you to come meet her.”
“Where is she?” Ye Chu asked Pang Shao.
“You’re actually going to see her?” Pang Shao found it unbelievable. He had come fully prepared for a refusal.
“You don’t want me to see her? Oh, fine then. I’ll just tell that little vixen later that you wouldn’t let me see her.” Ye Chu said nonchalantly.
“No! Great sir, please don’t mess with me like this!” Pang Shao felt like crying. If the Saintess really believed that, he would be skinned alive again.
“The Saintess is at Cold Lake! When you get there, look for the biggest boat. That’s her vessel.” Pang Shao answered.
“Tell her: if I have time, I’ll go see her. There’s no need for her to come looking for me personally!” Ye Chu said to Pang Shao. Since she already knew he was here, there was no avoiding it. He might as well go meet her.
Besides, he had some small matters to discuss with her anyway.
“Done!” Pang Shao bolted away at once. Since Ye Chu had agreed, his part was finished. But inside, he felt a surge of excitement. He thought to himself: I can’t deal with you, but let’s see how the Saintess handles you this time.
Pang Shao could not help grinning slyly at the thought. After he had sworn repeatedly this time, the Saintess had finally believed that the one who had peeked at her back then was Ye Chu. He was already looking forward to seeing her explode in anger.
“You bastard, always bullying me. This time the Saintess will finally teach you a proper lesson! I can’t wait to see you lying flat on the bed!”