Chapter 20: Ye Chen and the Woman of the Dusty Streets

After Ye Chen and Ling Hu finished discussing the events that had transpired during their time apart, Ye Chen suddenly furrowed his brow.

"How could Xiao Chenxin be so magnanimous? Master, you must be careful; don't fall for his schemes."

Upon hearing this, Ling Hu shook her head repeatedly. "Ye Chen, I owe him such a great debt of gratitude; it is only right that I do something for him. We cannot be the kind of people who return kindness with ingratitude. Although his strength is nothing to boast about, he is a man worthy of respect."

Listening to her master speak these words, Ye Chen felt a sudden surge of resentment. Why would his master defend an outsider? In the past, his master would never have uttered a single word against him; no matter what he chose to do, she had always offered her full support.

Ye Chen thought to himself that something was amiss. Could these people have used some underhanded means on his master? He immediately grabbed Ling Hu's hand.

"Master, let us leave. You have already escaped that hellish place; we don't need to make a living here. Let us travel to distant lands. Three years—just three years of forbearance—is all I need to rely on my talent to trample Xiao Chenxin beneath my feet! I will prove with my talent that I am worth far more than some 'Supreme Bone'! I cannot let Liu Ruyan's death be in vain!"

Ling Hu’s expression shifted slightly. Liu Ruyan—a person already dead—was more worthy of his concern than she was. Her inner displeasure lasted only a moment; as a devoted sycophant, she quickly completed her own self-deception. "Ye Chen must be so heartbroken over losing Liu Ruyan. He will be better after some time has passed."

Having finished her self-deception, Ling Hu saw that Ye Chen was pulling her to leave, so she applied a little force to hold him back. "Ye Chen, the favor of restoring my physical body is immense; I cannot just walk away like this. I must help them do a few things to settle this karma. Besides, I promised him that I would only come to see you and would return in a few days!"

This sudden change left Ye Chen at a loss. He looked at Ling Hu, his tone shifting from the initial warmth to cold indifference. He truly could not understand why his master was so insistent on returning to that den of lions and tigers.

"You have already made your decision?"

Ling Hu’s eyes darted away, unable to meet his gaze. "I... I owe him too much. I need to repay it."

Repay? The rumors he had heard in Zhenyue City suddenly surfaced in Ye Chen's mind. They said that his master and Xiao Chenxin were a match made in heaven. Only Xiao Chenxin could make his master smile, a smile that could topple nations. When Xiao Chenxin gave her flowers, she never refused; in all matters concerning the Yaoguang Holy Land, the two of them always acted in unison.

Countless suspicions flooded his mind. Even though Ye Chen was a child of destiny, even though he was destined for greatness, he was still just a young man in his early twenties. Once these distracting thoughts took root, they were like wild horses running out of control, impossible to restrain.

Suddenly, Ye Chen clenched his fists. "Xiao Chenxin, Xiao Chenxin! It’s this damned Xiao Chenxin again! Have you forgotten, Master, that he once tried to kill me at the gates of the Yaoguang Holy Land? You want to repay a debt to my enemy—do you want to watch me die at his hands?"

Ling Hu was stunned and shook her head frantically. "No, Ye Chen, listen to me, that’s not what I meant. I was wrong, okay? I shouldn’t have made you unhappy." As she spoke, Ling Hu reached out to take Ye Chen’s hand, her expression humble. But unlike before, she now possessed a physical body.

Ye Chen violently shook off her hand, his chest heaving. "If you want to spend your life with Xiao Chenxin, then go! I won’t stop you! Consider it as if I never had a master like you!"

Ling Hu was completely bewildered. With her physical body restored, she could finally experience the sensations that came with it. The hand that had been cast aside felt like a basin of cold water poured over her from head to toe.

"Ye Chen."

Ye Chen turned away, walked back to Lin'er, and lifted her up, as she was injured in the leg. "Let's go. We’re going back to Zhenyue City to treat your wounds."

Lin'er curiously glanced at Ling Hu, who stood in place, looking lost. "Brother Ye Chen, who is she?"

Ye Chen, currently burning with rage, snapped, "Don't know her! A stranger!"

Lin'er murmured an "oh," though she didn't believe it. They had been talking so warmly earlier; they couldn't possibly be strangers—they were just having an argument. Once her leg healed, she would certainly help Brother Ye Chen clear up this misunderstanding.

As Ye Chen walked away, a voice suddenly echoed in Ling Hu’s mind: "If you don't follow and explain yourself clearly, you'll never be able to clear this up."

The sudden appearance of this strange voice was like a lifeline to the distressed Ling Hu. She hurriedly followed the instructions, trailing Ye Chen as he headed toward Zhenyue City.

Back on Red Dust Peak, Xiao Chenxin casually took out some peanuts and tossed a few to Su Yao. "Are the disciples in Zhenyue City prepared?"

Su Yao gave a mischievous smile. "They've been ready for a long time. They're just waiting for them to have a falling out. When those disciples heard that the Grand Martial Uncle had let you go, they were all filled with righteous indignation, saying they must capture Ling Hu and bring her back. I remember one disciple saying that we cannot let the Grand Martial Uncle be a 'sycophant' to an outsider, and that since Ling Hu's body has the prohibitions of the Yaoguang Holy Land, she is at least controllable."

Hearing this, Xiao Chenxin’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately retorted, "I am not a sycophant! How did I become a sycophant again?"

A glint of cunning flashed in Su Yao's eyes. "How would I know? That’s what they were saying."

At this point, Xiao Chenxin did not believe a single word from Su Yao. He had taken her as his disciple first and given her gifts later. No matter how one looked at it, he was simply showing care for his disciple; if no one had been meddling, things would never have turned out like this. He immediately pinched Su Yao’s high-bridged nose. "Tell me, was it you, you little troublemaker?"

On the other side, Ye Chen, his anger still unspent, took Lin'er to an alchemist and bought a pill to treat her wounds. Afterward, he took her to an inn to rest, tending to her carefully and refusing to leave her side for even a moment.

Ling Hu could no longer remain by Ye Chen's side as she once had, so she simply moved into a neighboring room. She waited only for Ye Chen's anger to subside so she could explain everything clearly.

As time passed, there was a knock at the door. Ling Hu went to the door and peered out; there were three or four heavily made-up women standing there. She opened the door just a crack. "You have the wrong person."

The leading woman smiled sweetly. "We got lost. Do you know if there is a guest nearby with the surname Ye? That young master often says that one cannot quench thirst from afar, and we all enjoy doing business with him."

Hearing this, Ling Hu felt a jolt in her heart. She recalled the images from the projection stone. Ye Chen had indeed said those very words. But how could he be associated with these prostitutes? Ling Hu felt a buzzing in her head and waved them away. "I don't know."

Seeing this, the women of the night bowed and left. Ling Hu dared not follow, so she leaned against the door, straining to listen.

"Oh, Master Ye, it’s been a while. Where have you been, you busy man?"

"I was in the Beast Forest digging for medicinal herbs, working to earn money to support you all!"

"Oh, Master Ye, if you want to play with us, just come over. We're all old acquaintances; given our relationship, it wouldn't be a problem to put it on your tab, would it?"

Before long, indescribable sounds drifted from the room next door. Suddenly, Ling Hu kicked open the door and shouted sternly, "Ye Chen, what is the meaning of this! When did I ever tell you to go seek pleasure with prostitutes? You... you! You have gone too far!"