8: Chapter 8 Roast Chicken

Sunlight leaked through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

"The first of next month is the agreed-upon date," Lin Qingxue suddenly said.

"You need to come to the Lin Mansion to help me soothe the cold Qi. Before then, you'd better refine a portion of the cold Qi yourself; otherwise, you won't be able to absorb much."

"I understand," Ye Chen nodded.

"Also..." Lin Qingxue paused, her voice lowering slightly.

"Be careful regarding the Wang family. Wang Teng is no saint, and his father, Wang Mang, is even worse. Slapping Wang Teng's face is the same as slapping the Wang family's face. They won't let this go."

"I know," Ye Chen said.

"As long as you know." Lin Qingxue set down her teacup and stood up.

"That's all for today. Go back and practice hard. I'll wait for you on the first of next month."

Ye Chen also stood up, gave a polite bow, and turned to walk out.

Reaching the door, he stopped and looked back.

Lin Qingxue was still standing by the window, her back to him, looking at the bamboo outside.

The sunlight shone on her, and her moon-white practice robes shimmered with a faint light, making her whole being seem somewhat ethereal.

"Miss Lin," Ye Chen spoke.

Lin Qingxue didn't turn around. "Yes?"

"Yesterday on the street, your horse was spooked because someone tampered with it," Ye Chen said.

"Ye Hu saw it. It was Wang Teng's people."

Lin Qingxue was silent for a while.

"I know," she said, her voice very flat.

"But there's no evidence."

"What do you plan to do?"

"Nothing." Lin Qingxue turned around and looked at him, her gaze very calm.

"Without evidence, I can't act. If I do, it means war between the two families. Now is not the time."

Ye Chen looked at her for a long time, then nodded.

"I understand."

He pushed the door and went out.

The Scar-faced Guard was still waiting outside. Seeing him come out, he led him toward the exit. Upon reaching the front courtyard, Scarface suddenly lowered his voice.

"Young Master Ye, the Young Miss asked me to tell you: avoid going out at night lately."

Ye Chen turned to look at him.

"The Wang family is making moves."

Scarface's voice grew even lower.

"Last night, several Ye family disciples in the West Courtyard were beaten up, and their injuries aren't light. The Ye family investigated and found it was the Wang family's doing. But with no evidence, they just have to suffer in silence."

Ye Chen's heart sank.

"The Young Miss says to be careful." Scarface looked at him with a serious expression.

"That brat Wang Teng is incredibly petty and vengeful. You fought on behalf of the Lin family and humiliated him; he won't let you off."

"I understand." Ye Chen nodded.

"Thank you."

Scarface said nothing more, escorting him to the entrance. He watched him walk away before turning back.

Ye Chen walked down the street at a moderate pace.

In his robe, the bottle of ice heart pills was pressed against his chest, feeling cool. The jade pendant was warm, not hot.

He looked up at the sky.

The sky was very blue, and the clouds were thin. It was a beautiful day.

But he knew that beneath this fine weather, something was surging and moving.

Like the calm before a storm.

For the next few days, Ye Chen went nowhere.

He practiced in the West Courtyard during the day and meditated in his room at night.

His Meridian Opening Fourth Level Realm had completely stabilized. True Qi flowed freely through his Meridians, and the speck of white light at his fingertips grew brighter and steadier.

He took one ice heart pill every day. Once the Medicinal Pill was swallowed, a cool aura rose from his Dantian, protecting his heart Meridians.

He tried to draw a sliver of cold Qi from the jade pendant and merge it into his True Qi.

That sliver of cold Qi was very thin and weak, but the moment it entered his Meridians, it still made his whole body shiver.

It felt as if an icy needle was being driven into his blood vessels.

Ye Chen gritted his teeth, using the True Qi from the Green Wood Art to wrap around that sliver of cold Qi, grinding it down bit by bit.

The True Qi was warm, while the cold Qi was icy. The two energies tangled together, tearing and consuming each other.

It was very slow and very painful.

But he didn't stop.

Grinding a little every day, refining a sliver every day.

Ten days later, the sharp edges of that sliver of cold Qi were finally worn down. It no longer rampaged but merged submissively into his True Qi.

The True Qi in his Dantian now possessed a faint chill.

It was very subtle; if one didn't feel for it carefully, it was almost undetectable.

But when he mobilized his True Qi and condensed it at his fingertips, that speck of white light carried a faint blue halo.

Xiao Yu's illness was also improving.

After taking the wenmai pill for seven days, the frequency of her coughing had clearly decreased, and her complexion had become rosier.

She still woke up early every day to cook porridge, but there were more rice grains in it now. Sometimes, she would even boil an egg and secretly slip it into Ye Chen's bowl.

Ye Chen didn't call her out on it, but he would always share half the egg with her.

On the eleventh day, Ye Hu arrived.

He came in the afternoon while Ye Chen was practicing in the courtyard.

Xiao Yu was sewing clothes in the room. Hearing the knock, she ran to open the door. Seeing Ye Hu standing there, she was startled and took half a step back.

Most of the injuries on Ye Hu's face had faded, but traces were still visible.

His left leg was still a bit lame, but his walking was much more fluid.

Seeing Xiao Yu, he opened his mouth as if to say something but didn't. He simply pulled an oil-paper bundle from his robe and held it out.

"For you," Ye Hu's voice was a bit stiff and unnatural.

Xiao Yu didn't take it, looking back at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen finished his practice and walked over, glancing at the oil-paper bundle. "What is it?"

"Roast Chicken." Ye Hu stuffed the oil-paper bundle into Xiao Yu's hands. His movements were a bit rough, but his strength was very light.

"My mother told me to bring it. She said... said children need to eat more meat to grow."

Xiao Yu held the oil-paper bundle, looking at Ye Chen helplessly.

Ye Chen was silent for a moment before nodding. "Accept it."

Only then did Xiao Yu take it, whispering a small "Thank you, Brother Hu," before running back into the house clutching the bundle.

Only the two of them remained in the courtyard.

Ye Hu rubbed his hands, looking a bit uncomfortable.

He glanced at Ye Chen, then shifted his gaze toward the old scholar tree in the courtyard.

"How... how is your practice going?" he asked, his voice still somewhat stiff.

"It's alright," Ye Chen said.

"That grandson of a bitch Wang Teng has been very arrogant lately." Ye Hu gritted his teeth.

"Yesterday at the Martial Arts Arena, he injured three of our Ye family disciples. One of them had three broken ribs and won't be able to get out of bed for half a year."

Ye Chen said nothing.

"My grandfather went to the Wang family to demand an explanation, but that old dog Wang Mang shut him down." Hatred filled Ye Hu's voice.

"He said it's normal for accidents to happen when juniors spar. He even turned it around on us, saying our Ye family disciples are unskilled and deserve it."

"What did the Ye family's Grand Elder say?" Ye Chen asked.

"What could he say?" Ye Hu sneered.

"If you can't win, you just have to take it. The Wang family is now thick as thieves with the City Lord's Mansion; we can't afford to provoke them. We just have to swallow this resentment."

He paused and looked at Ye Chen. "In next month's Great Competition, if you run into Wang Teng, beat him to death. If he dies, I, Ye Hu, will take the blame for you."

Ye Chen glanced at him. "Can you handle that responsibility?"

Ye Hu choked, his face turning flush red. His fists clenched until they cracked, but he didn't speak.

"Go back," Ye Chen said, turning to walk into the house.

"Thanks for the Roast Chicken."

Ye Hu stood there for a long time before limping away.

...

At night, Ye Chen did not sleep.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, regulating his breathing.

The True Qi with a hint of chill flowed slowly through his Dantian. Every time it passed through an Acupoint, the chill became a bit clearer.

The jade pendant on his chest was warm.

The phantom of the jade booklet floated before his eyes. The bond log still had only one entry: Lin Qingxue, Bond Rank "like old friends," no change.

He closed the log, opened his eyes, and looked out the window.

The moon was very round and bright. Moonlight leaked through the cracks in the window, casting a small patch of white on the floor.

He suddenly remembered the Scar-faced Guard's words: avoid going out at night lately.

Just as the thought arose, a very faint sound came from the courtyard.

It sounded like something landing on the ground—very soft, but exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed. He stood up slowly, walked to the door, and pressed himself against it to listen.

There were footsteps outside—very light and slow. More than one person.

Three people, or four?

He gently pulled back the door bolt, opened a crack, and looked out.

Three people stood in the courtyard, all dressed in black with their faces masked, showing only their eyes. They held blades that glinted coldly in the moonlight.

The three spread out: one blocked the courtyard entrance, one stood guard under the window, and the last one, blade in hand, walked toward the house door.

His steps were steady and silent; he was a trained martial artist.

Ye Chen held his breath and stepped back twice to the bedside, shaking Xiao Yu awake.

"Brother?" Xiao Yu opened her eyes groggily.

"Don't make a sound." Ye Chen covered her mouth and lowered his voice.

"Stay here and don't move. I'll be right back."

Xiao Yu's eyes widened instantly, her sleepiness gone, but she didn't cry out. She just nodded vigorously.

Ye Chen released her, walked to the door, took a deep breath, and suddenly pulled the door open and charged out.