Chapter Seventy-Nine: What Do You Know?

Lackey?

At the sound of that word, Su Ye’s brows furrowed instantly, and a surge of anger flared within him. Were it anywhere else, with his usual temperament, he would have slapped that foul-mouthed woman across the face without hesitation. But he knew he absolutely could not do such a thing now. This humiliation he had to endure—today they had come to beg for medicine. If he acted rashly, wouldn’t he be personally destroying their only hope?

Moreover, from another perspective, for Ouyang Man to dare utter such words in front of Ouyang Yunfeng, her cunning and scheming were certainly not to be underestimated.

Ouyang Yunfeng immediately stepped forward, his eyes blazing with fury as he said in a deep voice, “Ouyang Man, Su Ye is my savior! To insult him is to insult me! You know what became of those who dared insult me—are they still in this world now?”

A warmth rose in Su Ye’s heart. He knew that no matter how outsiders might try to drive a wedge between them, Ouyang Yunfeng had already risked life and death to help him wipe out the three great families. Their bond was as solid as iron.

He said, “It’s nothing, really. As they say, a dog looks down on people. Some old bitches, when they look at others, just assume everyone’s a dog!”

Jiang Liuying smiled and playfully raised her pinky finger, saying, “So filthy.”

Ouyang Man seemed a bit surprised at this, but there was little anger on her face. She smiled, turned, and led her retinue into the courtyard, saying as she walked, “Hahaha, looks like there’ll be no more lonely days ahead. Good! Yang City has been quiet for too long—it’s about time for some excitement. Don’t think that dragging back some brash, clueless upstart will help you secure your position. Save your breath!”

Many of the wealthy and martial artists nearby heard every word clearly. Yet, all of them pretended not to have heard a thing. After their initial shock, they each feigned conversation with their companions. Those who had intended to come up and greet Ouyang Yunfeng also quietly retreated. Even if there was little to gain from greeting him, doing so would surely offend Ouyang Man—a woman known for her ruthlessness.

Were it not for the Ouyang family’s tradition of passing titles to sons and not to daughters, Ouyang Man might have already occupied the position of young clan leader.

“Let’s go in,” Ouyang Yunfeng said, and strode forward.

Su Ye followed, and as he looked up, he saw in the distance, standing before the grand entrance, a massive stone engraved in bold, flowing script with three characters: “Hall of the Elixir.”

It was said that no matter the ailment, a single pill from the Hall of the Elixir could cure it all.

This was one reason the Hall of the Elixir had operated outside the Martial Alliance’s jurisdiction for so many years—they had the confidence to do so.

Inside, he found several pavilions, each resembling a cool, elegant gazebo, surrounded by clear streams where fish could be seen swimming from time to time. Most of the seats were already filled. The most central position, however, held only a few people—Ouyang Man, who had just entered, sat among them, clearly marking it as the seat of highest honor.

Su Ye and Jiang Liuying were placed at the second table. He didn’t know whether this was due to the Jiang family’s influence or Ouyang Yunfeng’s arrangements, but their spot was not far from the main seat—they could even hear Ouyang Man speaking clearly.

For some reason, a sudden competitive urge rose in Su Ye’s heart. The very person who had just insulted him—Ouyang Man—now sat at the first seat, while he needed to rely on Ouyang Yunfeng just to enter. If only he had greater strength, why would he need to endure such humiliation or contempt?

“The brightest seat is always meant for someone—why can’t that someone be me?” Su Ye quietly clenched his fists, vowing that next time, he would make everyone acknowledge his presence.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he coolly glanced around. At this second table, all were outstanding young talents. Judging from their auras, they were all martial artists, some even on the verge of entering the Qi Gathering realm.

When they saw Jiang Liuying sit down, each one straightened up, changing the topic of their conversation. As for Su Ye, after a single glance, they saw he was a stranger and promptly ignored him.

“Heh, beauty, my name is Shi Hao. Out of respect, they call me one of the ‘Seven Heroes.’ May I ask your name?” A spirited young man gave a hearty laugh, extending his hand.

Jiang Liuying smiled sweetly, deliberately avoiding his handshake and instead twirling a lock of her hair, saying, “Oh, so you’re one of the Seven Heroes! I’ve heard of you. But I’m here with Ouyang Yunfeng, and he just told me not to make friends lightly. I wouldn’t dare talk to you.”

Shi Hao’s expression stiffened for a moment, but then he laughed it off, making a martial artist’s salute. “Ah, so you’re a friend of the young clan leader—that makes you our friend as well.”

The other young men quickly echoed his words, though their smiles had grown somewhat forced.

From the first seat, Ouyang Man clearly heard this exchange and let out a mocking laugh. “What’s this? Shi Hao, Yin Chao, you two seem to have plenty of friends!”

At her words, Shi Hao and Yin Chao’s faces changed dramatically. They both knew that Ouyang Man and Ouyang Yunfeng were sworn enemies. What they had just said was tantamount to offending Ouyang Man herself. All they could do now was force a few awkward laughs.

Su Ye observed this and couldn’t help but find it amusing. Seeing the dynamic between them and Ouyang Man, he finally understood why his relationship with Ouyang Yunfeng never felt like that of master and servant.

For Ouyang Yunfeng truly respected him. Bringing him here had been a gesture of goodwill, without any demands. Shi Hao and Yin Chao, on the other hand, had to heed Ouyang Man’s every word, not daring to defy her in the slightest.

He did not speak further. Now, everyone was waiting for the master of the Hall of the Elixir to appear and unveil the pill furnace—nothing else mattered at the moment.

“Ha, Sister Man, you really do know how to joke. By the way, congratulations on your tremendous progress in reopening your meridians! It seems that ‘The True Master’s Pulse’ is truly a miraculous art!” Shi Hao’s voice rose with excitement as he spoke.

Yin Chao quickly stood and added his congratulations. “Indeed, only Sister Man possesses such talent, able to comprehend her own methods from that half-tattered ‘True Master’s Pulse.’ If the title of Yang City’s number one prodigy weren’t limited to those under twenty, it would surely belong to Sister Man.”

Su Ye was startled. Wasn’t ‘The True Master’s Pulse’ the very cultivation method he had developed himself, tailored for Chinese martial artists? Only a half-scroll, yet he had uploaded it directly to the “Spirit Cultivation Hall” at the time. He hadn’t expected Ouyang Man to have grasped some of its secrets.

Those nearby gasped in awe as well. With their abilities, they had naturally seen that scroll, but none had been able to decipher its profound mysteries.

Now that Ouyang Man had gained insight, everyone hurried to seek her guidance.

“Sister Man, please, while we have this chance, don’t withhold your teachings! If I’d never opened my meridians, I could follow the sequence described, but now I’m nearly at sixty nodes—what should I do?”

“Yes! I’ve spent a fortune consulting martial artists, even read insights from a Guide discussing ‘The True Master’s Pulse,’ but I still can’t grasp the essentials!”

Ouyang Man, seeing all eyes fixed on her, replied in a solemn voice, “Truly, there’s not much to say—it all comes down to comprehension. Even from the start, my sequence of opening nodes was different from yours. If you try to imitate me by force, how could it possibly work?”

“Indeed, it seems that ‘The True Master’s Pulse’ is suited only to a small number of cultivators. I’ve heard many have suffered backlash after practicing it. In fact, many here today are seeking medicine because they forcibly retrained with this method—it has harmed quite a few!”

Su Ye couldn’t help a quiet laugh. His ‘True Master’s Pulse’ had now become a source of misfortune? These people truly had strange ways of thinking.

Seeing Su Ye’s smile, Shi Hao immediately grew angry. “What are you laughing at? We’re talking about ‘The True Master’s Pulse’—have you even seen it? What could you possibly know?”