Over the following month, the Ye Family appeared calm on the surface.
The Zhao Family didn’t come looking for trouble, and Grand Elder Ye Changlin was surprisingly quiet.
But Ye Zhenshan didn’t let his guard down.
He ordered increased patrols and security for the Ye Family, while secretly contacting several allied factions to guard against a sudden attack from the Zhao Family.
Ye Qingyi wasn’t idle either.
She got up early every day to practice.
Although she was still at Qi Refining Layer 3, her combat strength was still pitiful, but at least under Ye Chu’s guidance and through intense beatdowns, not only had the thin muscles on her body begun to take shape, but her combat skills and reaction speed had also improved considerably.
Early morning, before the sky was fully bright, Ye Qingyi was already standing in the courtyard exercising.
She wore a tight-fitting training outfit, the fabric clinging to her body, outlining a physique completely different from a month ago.
Below her collarbones, two shallow muscle lines ran from her shoulders to her chest.
On each side of her abdomen, a shallow line slanted from below the ribs to her navel.
In the center, a vertical line was faintly visible, dividing her flat stomach into left and right halves…
“What are you looking at?”
Ye Qingyi noticed Ye Chu’s gaze.
Even though he was just a soul, she could still feel it.
“Admiring my work.”
Ye Chu’s voice carried a hint of pride, without any guilt of being caught.
“A month’s results are much better than that soft flesh of yours before.”
“You’re the one with soft flesh.”
Ye Qingyi lowered her hem, squatted down, and began warming up for her punches.
Before long, she was already breathing lightly, sweat trickling down her neck into her collar…
In one month, Ye Qingyi’s figure had transformed from a frail beauty into a healthy, powerful one, like a little wildcat ready to pounce.
She was truly a body-training genius second only to him.
Ye Chu, acting like an old father, couldn’t help but tear up with emotion.
But to prevent Ye Qingyi from getting proud: “You really are the worst student I’ve ever taught!”
Ye Chu commented.
“At this rate, with another three to five years of training, you might be able to defeat a Qi Refining Layer 3 mage.”
“…Can you not KFC me every time?”
“Then UFO? No, this is encouragement.”
“You call this encouragement?”
“What else? Praise you? Wow, Miss, you’re so great. As a Qi Refining Layer 3 body cultivator, you can finally defeat a Qi Refining Layer 1 mage… Would you like to hear that?”
Ye Qingyi was speechless, but she felt Ye Chu was telling the truth.
This past month, she had been beaten by puppets controlled by Ye Chu every day, and she felt no improvement in combat skills, and not much progress in physical training either.
After a month, she could only do 43 push-ups, 21 sit-ups, 55 high knees, and 17 shuttle runs…
Poor Ye Qingyi.
If she left Ye Chu’s protection, she would realize that the outside world had no hardship at all.
A maidservant carrying a water basin passed by the courtyard entrance.
She peeked in and froze.
Her young lady, Ye Qingyi, once hailed as the most beautiful woman in Qingyun City, was now standing barefoot in the courtyard, wearing a sweat-soaked tight training outfit, punching a wooden post repeatedly.
With each punch, the muscles in her shoulders and arms tightened, full of elasticity, completely unlike the stiff muscles of rough men.
The maidservant was stunned.
So beautiful…
If only she could be controlled by those arms, her hands held tight, her waist embraced…
The young lady’s clothes were soaked with sweat.
Should she find an excuse to wash her clothes and taste the salt…
“What are you looking at?”
Ye Qingyi noticed her.
The maidservant was so startled she almost dropped the basin.
“N-Nothing! This servant will leave now!”
She hurried away with the basin.
Ye Qingyi continued practicing, punching the post repeatedly.
The post had more and more marks, and some places had cracked.
Ye Chu watched her movements and remembered his own practice days.
Back then, he did the same, punching until the post broke and his fists bled.
His junior sister would bandage his wounds…
Why did I suddenly think of junior sister?
Ye Chu felt mixed emotions.
Truly, the past cannot be chased.
…
“By the way,” Ye Chu suddenly said, “Isn’t the Ye Family planning an external training expedition soon?”
Ye Qingyi was startled.
“How do you know?”
“When your father discussed it with the elders yesterday, I overheard.”
Ye Chu said matter-of-factly, “Even though you weren’t at the meeting, since I’m in your mind, I can hear anything within your hearing range.”
“That’s not my hearing, it’s yours…”
“Don’t mind the details. The point is, you must go on this expedition.”
“Why must I go?”
“Because this expedition is led by three Qi Refining Layer 10 experts from the Ye Family, and the location happens to be the forest where the Jade Green Python resides.”
“Also, you need real combat to test your strength.”
Ye Qingyi was a bit uncertain.
“Are you planning to use this opportunity to seize the inner core of the Jade Green Python?”
“No, it’s too dangerous. Not to mention the three Qi Refining Layer 10 experts’ protection, there are also other Ye disciples with insufficient strength.”
“We’ll endanger them.”
Ye Chu chuckled.
“Time waits for no one. I just want you to scout the situation and get some real combat in. You can’t stay in the Ye Family forever without knowing the outside world. Cultivation isn’t done that way.”
Ye Qingyi was silent for a moment.
“Then I’ll go.”
“I’m not finished.”
Ye Chu’s tone turned serious.
“This expedition may have other dangers.”
“What dangers?”
“The person who poisoned you might take this chance to strike, so you need to be fully prepared. Go out and buy some things tomorrow.”
…
The next morning, Ye Qingyi changed into a plain dress and casually tied up her hair, looking like an ordinary female disciple of the Ye Family.
Following Ye Chu’s instructions, she bought a bunch of strange medicinal herbs from the pharmacy, both ordinary and spirit-infused ones.
Turning a street corner, she saw Mu Qingge standing alone by the roadside, wearing a light purple dress with hair like a waterfall.
She stood there, and the air around her seemed to quieten.
Ye Qingyi spoke, “Qingge? Why are you here?”
Mu Qingge turned to look at Ye Qingyi, her gaze calm.
“Just passing by. …I heard Father and brother went to propose to Qingyi’s family and were rejected. It caused an ugly scene.”
“Are you defending your brother?”
Mu Qingge smiled slightly.
“Matters of the heart cannot be forced.”
Ye Qingyi was stunned.
She didn’t expect Zhao Yuan’s sister to say that.
“However… I am a bit curious.”
She looked into Ye Qingyi’s eyes.
“Leaving aside brother’s deep feelings for Qingyi, Father is different. Aren’t you afraid that Father will be enraged by the cancellation and implicate the Ye Family?”
“What use is fear?”
“True.”
The two were silent for a moment.
Mu Qingge suddenly asked again, “Does Qingyi have someone she likes, or a man she cares about?”
Ye Qingyi was a bit confused.
“Why ask that all of a sudden? Not for now.”
“Just wanted to ask. Alright, I won’t disturb you. Take care.”
She turned and left, her steps light.
During the entire conversation, Ye Chu remained silent in Ye Qingyi’s sea of consciousness.
‘It’s her… Mu Qingge… She really has reincarnated too… And she was reborn as Zhao Yuan’s sister… In that case, was Mu Qingge involved in Ye Qingyi being poisoned with Qi-Dispersing Powder?’
He didn’t tell Ye Qingyi his speculation.
At least not now.
Ye Qingyi watched Mu Qingge’s departing back, thinking about something completely different.
Zhao Qingge… was always strange.
She was from the Zhao Family but never cared about Zhao matters.
She recalled her few interactions with Zhao Qingge in the past.
They were few, but each time she felt she couldn’t see through her.
Ye Chu deliberately asked in a normal tone, “Who is that person?”
“Zhao Qingge, Zhao Yuan’s sister. Previously, she was mostly in closed-door cultivation at the Zhao Family. I’ve only seen her a few times at major events.”
“Oh.”
Just one word.
No follow-up, no comment.
Ye Qingyi didn’t think much of it.
Ye Chu was usually like this, too lazy to care about irrelevant people.
After walking a few streets, Mu Qingge slowed down, a slight smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
“This time, I won’t let anyone take you away from me.”
Her amber eyes emitted a nearly obsessive light.
“We… will never be separated.”