The audacious master and disciple duo left the crowd in the hall fuming but speechless. Hua Tianmin clenched his fists, but ultimately dared not say more.
"Excellent! Both of you, please!"
What everyone didn't know was that Hua Tianmin's previous words had been spoken from Liang Can's perspective. No one present understood Ye Ming's true strength better than he did. Although Hua Tianmin was unsure of Liang Can's exact capabilities, based on the impression both gave him, Ye Ming's strength was undoubtedly superior to Liang Can's. He could describe the aura he felt from Liang Can with one word: powerful! While strong, it wasn't to an unreachable extent. As for Ye Ming, if he hadn't had a brief encounter with him, he wouldn't even have sensed Ye Ming's presence. This was why Hua Tianmin believed Liang Can was no match for Ye Ming. Yet, his well-intentioned reminder had been met with the master and disciple's disdain. Since that was the case, why should he bother with their cold indifference?
...
Ziyun Mountain Villa.
Nangong Qianyu slowly descended the stairs. Due to her "unhealed injuries," her gait was naturally somewhat slow. In the living room, four graceful figures were seated in meditation. Yes, precisely four. After Ye Ming and Fang Junxue had left, it wasn't long before Dorisa arrived with Du Yuemian. With Dorisa's help, Du Yuemian, who would normally have needed two to three days of rest, had already recovered. However, the newly healed Du Yuemian was eager to see Ye Ming. This was because a letter had arrived from the provincial capital, and she had to return as soon as possible. Unfortunately, her timing was off, as Ye Ming and Fang Junxue had already gone to the Fang family. With no other choice, she had to wait here for their return.
"Qianyu, are you alright?" Seeing Nangong Qianyu struggling to walk, Bai Qiushui quickly stood up and went to support her.
"Ah! I... I'm fine!" Her face flushed, and she looked a bit embarrassed. Did they all know?
"It's good that you're fine! Ye Ming said you had a mishap during your cultivation, and I was worried sick!" Bai Qiushui helped Nangong Qianyu sit down, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw she was unharmed.
"Ah! Right... Right! It was my carelessness during cultivation!" Hearing this, Nangong Qianyu also relaxed.
"Why does Qianyu feel a little different from yesterday? Is it just my imagination?" Bai Qiushui looked her up and down, pondering silently.
"Sister Yuemian! Sister Lisa! You're here too!" Nangong Qianyu quickly shifted the topic away from her "injury."
"Hello, Miss Qianyu!" Dorisa replied with a smile.
"Hmph! I've told you many times, just call me Qianyu. If you keep calling me Sister Lisa, I'll get angry!" Hearing this address, Nangong Qianyu puffed out her cheeks, indicating her displeasure. How adorable! Seeing this, others couldn't help but chuckle.
"Okay! Okay!" Dorisa raised her hands in surrender. "I was wrong, Qianyu, don't be angry!"
"Hehe! That's better!" Only then did she break into a smile. "By the way, you were all cultivating just now, right? Then it's perfect, I'll join you."
At Nangong Qianyu's words, everyone's gaze fell upon her. Their eyes seemed to ask, "Are you sure you won't have another cultivation mishap?"
"What... what do you mean?" Feeling underestimated, Nangong Qianyu felt a surge of unspoken frustration. "My injuries weren't caused by that scoundrel!" she complained inwardly, dragging Ye Ming into her thoughts.
"Don't worry, with me here, there won't be any problems!" Dorisa reassured them with a smile. With Dorisa's words, everyone finally felt at ease with Nangong Qianyu cultivating.
"Right, Sister Lisa, what's your current realm?" Nangong Qianyu asked curiously. The others naturally wanted to know as well.
"Me?" Dorisa smiled slightly and answered truthfully, "I'm currently at the late stage of the Observing Things Realm (Guān wù zhī jìng)!"
"Wow! That's amazing!" Nangong Qianyu looked at her with admiration.
"It took me three years to reach this realm. I believe with your talent, you'll catch up to me very soon," Dorisa encouraged them. She then looked at Du Yuemian and specifically added, "Someone like Yuemian, who has a foundation in ancient martial arts and possesses extremely high talent, should be able to enter the Three Realms of All Things (Wànwù Sān Jìng) even faster!"
"Really... really!" Du Yuemian hadn't expected her talent in ancient martial arts to be applicable to immortal cultivation.
"Mm!" Dorisa explained, "Young Master once told us that although the level of ancient martial arts is far inferior to the path of immortal cultivation, the comprehension of all things will eventually lead to the same destination."
"Oh! I didn't expect Ye Ming, that scoundrel, to say something so philosophical!" Nangong Qianyu suddenly felt like she was getting to know Ye Ming anew.
"Scou... scoundrel!" Hearing this word, Dorisa's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Someone actually dared to speak of the Divine Master like that.
"Isn't he a scoundrel? If it weren't for him, how could I have..." Nangong Qianyu blurted out involuntarily, but thankfully, she stopped herself in time. Otherwise, the truth about her "injuries" might have been revealed.
"Hmm?" Nangong Qianyu's sudden pause clearly made the other women sense something was amiss.
"What did Ye Ming do to you?" Xu Fei's eyes seemed to ignite with the fire of gossip. The others felt the same. After all, gossip was a woman's nature.
"N-nothing!" Nangong Qianyu lowered her head shyly, not daring to meet their gazes.
However, just as the women were about to roll up their sleeves and resort to forceful interrogation, the doorbell rang.
"I'll... I'll go open the door!" Nangong Qianyu, as if grabbing a life-saving straw, quickly got up to answer it. At this moment, she couldn't even bother with the pain from her wound. "So close! So close!" she patted her chest, causing a slight jiggle.
Upon opening the door, her eyes first met Hua Tianmin standing outside. "Lord Hua, are you here to see Ye Ming again?" Only then did she notice two unfamiliar men standing not far behind Hua Tianmin. When Feng Yi saw Nangong Qianyu, his eyes lit up.
"Yes, is he here?" Hua Tianmin stated his purpose directly.
"I'm so sorry, Lord Hua, your timing is quite inconvenient. Ye Ming has gone out on an errand!" Before Hua Tianmin could respond, Feng Yi, standing behind him, stepped forward.
"Oh! What a coincidence? The moment we arrive, he's not here?" Feng Yi scrutinized Nangong Qianyu, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"Who are you?" Feng Yi's frivolous demeanor made Nangong Qianyu feel somewhat disgusted.
"Hahaha, you ask who I am!" Feng Yi also noticed the displeasure in Nangong Qianyu's eyes, but he didn't care. Instead, he laughed and said, "I'm here to arrest Ye Ming!"
"What?" Hearing this, Nangong Qianyu almost doubted her own ears. Arrest Ye Ming? Seeing the other's arrogant expression, her face darkened.
"What happened, Qianyu?" At this moment, Bai Qiushui's voice called out from inside the house. Following the sound, Feng Yi subconsciously glanced inside. The next second, he froze on the spot.