After catching the cup of tea that Ye Jingyun had deliberately let fall, Ye Chu did not mind that she had already drunk from it. He blew on it to cool it down, then drank it in one gulp. With a sigh of admiration, he said, “Good tea! Thank you!”
Ye Jingyun saw Ye Chu drink from the cup she had used and could not help blushing. In her heart, she cursed him as a rogue, yet she had no way to deal with him.
Qing Wenting watched Ye Jingyun trying to pick a fight with Ye Chu and could not help smiling. She thought to herself that Ye Chu was a seasoned hand at handling people. Though Ye Jingyun had her tricks, she might not be able to outplay Ye Chu.
Pretending not to notice their little clash, Qing Wenting continued asking Ye Chu, “Is it really impossible to bring outsiders up there? Would they truly be thrown into a snake pit?”
“Do you think I’m lying to you?” Ye Chu rolled his eyes. “You really want to go up that badly? It’s not as mysterious as you imagine!”
Qing Wenting rolled her eyes in return. She thought to herself that of course it seemed ordinary to him — he had lived there. But for an outsider, that place was irresistibly alluring.
“You’ve already reached the Innate Realm. When are you going back?” In the end, Qing Wenting gave up on persuading him. She was simply curious when Ye Chu planned to return.
Ye Chu exhaled lightly and thought for a moment. “In a little while.”
Entering Qingmi Mountain would allow him to experience its mysteries and marvels firsthand. But right now, having just reached the Innate Realm, Ye Chu wanted to stabilise his cultivation first before considering a return.
Most importantly, Ye Chu still had his eye on the Great General’s Tomb.
“Then you’ll just stay in Yao City forever?” Qing Wenting asked, her beautiful eyes shimmering. “How about coming with us to the imperial capital?”
“To the imperial capital?” Ye Chu was taken aback. Seeing Ye Jingyun’s dark eyes also turn towards him, he smiled. “We’ll see. If I ever feel like going one day, I’ll go.”
“You still dare to go to the imperial capital?” Ye Jingyun suddenly laughed. “Cousin Ji Die is in the capital right now, you know.”
Ye Chu’s mind could not help conjuring up the image of a nation-toppling beauty with a face like flowers and moon. He remembered the dishevelled allure of her clothes that night, and his heart stirred. But when he recalled being kicked off the bed by her, helplessness washed over him. Though it was the shame of the previous owner of this body, it seemed he was doomed to carry it for life.
“I think, for now, my priority should be cultivation. Reaching the fifth layer of the Innate Realm as quickly as possible — that’s the right path.” Ye Chu spoke with righteous solemnity.
“Fifth layer of the Innate Realm?” Qing Wenting asked in confusion. “Why do you have to reach that specific level?”
“Because if I return to the mountain before reaching the fifth layer of the Innate Realm, I won’t be allowed. But once I do, I can apply to bring someone with me.” Ye Chu explained. “And that means I can take people up.”
“Then hurry up and cultivate!” Qing Wenting grew excited. She had never imagined she would receive such news. If he could bring someone along, that meant she might finally get to see Qingmi Mountain.
For her, that was an enormous temptation. She had long wanted to peel back the veil of mystery surrounding Qingmi Mountain.
Ye Jingyun and Tan Miaotong exchanged a glance, finding it amusing. Who was Qing Wenting? A Saintess of an ancient sect! Exceptionally talented in her own right! How could she be so fixated on some broken-down mountain?
What was so special about that place? What made her so excited?
But no one truly understood Qing Wenting. Only those who had heard of Qingmi Mountain could feel that boundless yearning, that desire to know what kind of enigmatic place it truly was.
Even that supreme elder of the empire had once longed to enter Qingmi Mountain and see it for himself. That was the kind of place Qingmi Mountain was!
“You think reaching the fifth layer is so easy?” Ye Chu rolled his eyes. He had only just entered the Innate Realm. The distance to the fifth layer was still enormous. But if he could reach that level, Ye Chu was confident he could attempt the Great General’s Tomb again.
With his unique physique and the strength of the fifth layer of the Innate Realm, even if he could not fully conquer the tomb, the danger would be greatly reduced.
The secrets of the Great General’s Tomb were deeply enticing. Back then, the Great General had become the strongest figure in the empire, far surpassing all previous imperial powerhouses. That alone was enough to drive anyone mad. Rumours said that obtaining the secrets of the Great General’s Tomb could turn one into a peerless powerhouse.
White Leopard had entered it before. Ye Chu had asked him if he knew the tomb’s secrets. White Leopard had told him he had only gone to retrieve something he needed — nothing more. Moreover, that item was only useful to his own lineage.
Ye Chu chose to believe White Leopard. If that was true, then the tomb’s secrets had yet to be fully uncovered.
Since arriving in this world, Ye Chu had always been rather laid-back, without grand ambitions. But the one thing that forced him to act was the need to constantly improve his strength.
Once inside the circle of Qingmi Mountain, failing to grow stronger meant only death! No one wanted to die — not even someone who had already died once, like Ye Chu.
If dying once had brought him to this strange new place, could he really count on such luck a second time? Obviously not!
Ye Jingyun clearly enjoyed provoking Ye Chu. From time to time, she would jab at him or mock him. But Ye Chu treated her words as air, filtering them out completely no matter what she said.
This utter disregard — bordering on contempt — made Ye Jingyun grit her teeth in frustration, yet she had no way to deal with him.
“Miss! Young Master Shangguan is on the opposite boat. He wishes to see you.” Little Wei came in at some point and spoke to Qing Wenting. Her gaze, however, drifted towards Tan Miaotong.
When Tan Miaotong heard that name, her face flushed slightly. She looked at Qing Wenting and shook her head.
“Giggle…” Qing Wenting laughed softly. “Really not letting him board? He’s chased all this way. Isn’t it a bit harsh to refuse him like that?”
“Wenting!” Tan Miaotong protested coquettishly, a little annoyed at Qing Wenting’s constant teasing.
“Fine, fine! If you don’t want to see him, then don’t. It’s not the first time you’ve refused him anyway. One more won’t matter.” Qing Wenting was about to tell Little Wei to pass on the refusal when Ye Jingyun interrupted.
“How can we not see him? It’s been a while since I last saw Young Master Shangguan. I miss him a little.” Ye Jingyun giggled. “If you two don’t want to see him, I do. Little Wei, invite Young Master Shangguan to come aboard.”
“Jingyun!” Tan Miaotong protested again.
Ye Jingyun laughed merrily, ignoring Tan Miaotong, and urged Little Wei to go invite him.
Though Tan Miaotong did not want to see him, with Ye Jingyun already sending Little Wei to fetch him, there was nothing she could do.
“Ye Chu! Come to think of it, you’re also part of our Ye family! Today I’ll introduce you to a young master from a great clan. If you can ride on his coattails, you might soar to the skies one day. Aren’t I good to you?” Ye Jingyun smiled at Ye Chu.
Ye Chu looked at the strange glint in Ye Jingyun’s dark, shimmering eyes and felt a chill run down his spine. He thought to himself: what is this woman plotting against me now?
Qing Wenting seemed to guess what Ye Chu was thinking. She smiled helplessly and patted Ye Jingyun’s shoulder. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, sister. Whatever happens next is on you!”
“Hm?” Ye Jingyun looked puzzled.
Qing Wenting giggled and paid no more attention to Ye Jingyun or Ye Chu. She could already tell that Ye Jingyun and Ye Chu did not get along. But was Ye Chu really someone so easy to scheme against?
Of course, when it came to watching a good show, Qing Wenting was more than happy to sit back and enjoy it. After all, none of this had anything to do with her.
“No wonder Ye Chu said being a bystander watching the drama is quite enjoyable! He was absolutely right.” Qing Wenting’s beautiful eyes sparkled with amusement.