Chapter 433: Chapter 303: Young Wu Zhong
Years ago, when Wu Zhong was still a youth, he sought out Master Sha for the first time.
Alone, he approached Master Sha on the darkest of nights.
That time, Wu Zhong suffered a devastating defeat.
It was one of the few defeats encountered by the Ghost Emperor Wu Zhong before he made his name.
Back then, the words spoken by Wu Zhong were still remembered by Master Sha to this day.
"Three months, in three months, I will definitely defeat you."
Master Sha had taken those words lightly at the time, considering it child’s play, yet three months later, Wu Zhong arrived as promised.
That time, Master Sha suffered a harrowing defeat.
Afterward, the Killing Hall was absorbed by the Underworld Yama Palace.
Subsequent years saw the Underworld Yama Palace become the most dreaded dark force on the mainland.
The Ghost Emperor Wu Zhong emerged into the world, yet very few truly knew his actual appearance.
The member of the Ye Family here likely didn’t know either.
Three months... In three months, it would be time for Daxia’s Imperial Examination.
No matter what, this matter had to be reported to the superior.
Lost in thought, Master Sha’s figure vanished, disappearing just as silently as when he arrived.
After leaving the Drunk Immortal Inn, Ye Lingyue’s mind gradually calmed down.
She had thought she had shaken the foundation of the Hong Residence, but now it seemed far from enough; Hong Qingyun was the true pillar of the Hong Residence.
However, assassinating Hong Qingyun would not be an overnight affair.
Hong Qingyun, just give me a little more time, and I will uproot the Hong Residence entirely!
Ye Lingyue’s gaze turned fierce.
To uproot the Hong Residence, she must succeed in her journey to Xixia this time.
Ye Lingyue decided then to set off for Xixia Plain as soon as possible.
What Ye Lingyue did not expect was that Luo Song and Hong Mingyue were also heading there, having volunteered to join the journey.
"Princess Ming Yue and Young Master Luo are both high-level experts of the Reincarnation Realm, it’s fortunate for Daxia that they are willing to lend their aid. Additionally, the Sixth Prince also wishes to accompany you to the Xixia Plain," Emperor Xia said, oblivious to Ye Lingyue’s displeased expression.
The Sixth Prince had not fully recovered his health, and both the Empress Dowager and Empress Liu were initially reluctant to let him venture to the perilous Xixia Plain. However, using Ye Lingyue, who was responsible for his treatment, as a pretext, the prince insisted on joining the journey, believing it would completely cure his illness.
After weighing the options, Emperor Xia also thought this was a good opportunity to temper the Sixth Prince. If handled well, it might garner more public support for the prince and smooth his path to ascend the throne in the future.
Watching the persistent gaze of the Sixth Prince which followed her like a shadow, Ye Lingyue felt quite helpless.
Her junior brother was indeed stubborn, refusing to give up despite her clear indication that she would not accept him.
The one piece of good news was that after Official Hong Fang’s reinstatement, the position of Western Expedition General was now taken over by Nie Fengxing.
Nie Fengxing’s military rank was also promoted from a third-grade to a second-grade great general.
However, the matter of Nie Fengxing’s marriage to Ye Huangyu was temporarily not mentioned.
According to Ye Huangyu, Marquis Guanwu no longer opposed their marriage as before, but the obstinate old man needed much persuasion from the Marchioness. Only after a long time did the Old Marquis relent, stating that he would agree to let Nie Fengxing marry Ye Huangyu once Nie Fengxing became a first-grade official.
Ye Huangyu, who was quite understanding, persuaded Nie Fengxing to agree to Marquis Guanwu’s request.
Thus, the group accompanying Ye Lingyue back to the Xixia Plain suddenly expanded by several people.
Including Nie Fengxing, Ye Huangyu, Lan Cai’er, and others, who were returning to the Tiger Wolf Camp, a formidable nearly dozen-strong group set off towards the Xixia Plain.
Several days later, on the Xixia Plain, a number of fine horses were seen galloping past, led by Nie Fengxing and Ye Huangyu, followed then by Lan Cai’er, Ye Lingyue, and Xiahou Qi.
As for Hong Mingyue and Luo Song, who were also part of the group, except for when they stopped to rest, they rarely appeared before the rest.
For the most part, the two seemed reluctant to associate with Ye Lingyue and the others, preferring to ride their Spiritual Artifacts, soaring through the sky.
After all, only those who have broken through to the Reincarnation Realm are capable of flight. Although Ye Huangyu and Nie Fengxing had also broken through to the Reincarnation Realm, they were not from a major Sect like Three-Life Valley. Flying consumed a great deal of Primordial Power and, lacking Earth-level or higher Spiritual Treasures to help reduce the consumption of Primordial Power, they opted to travel on horseback together with Ye Lingyue and the others.
"Tch, it’s really irritating to look at. Would be better if a couple of bolts of lightning struck them down," Lan Cai’er muttered after a stretch of riding, wiping the sweat drawn by the scorching sun, as she glanced at the two disciples from Three-Life Valley standing with hands behind their backs, standing on Spiritual Artifacts without any sign of effort in the sky.
Lan Cai’er’s voice wasn’t loud, but just after she finished speaking, Hong Mingyue glanced over, with a sliver of resentfulness flickering in her eyes.
That look made Lan Cai’er’s face involuntarily change.
Ever since Ye Lingyue and her mother’s status were made public, especially after what happened with "that incident" involving Zhuge Rou, Hong Mingyue had become somewhat different.
Although she maintained her ice mountain beauty demeanor when she saw Ye Lingyue and the others, her expression as usual.
But from the corner of her eye, Ye Lingyue would occasionally catch Hong Mingyue staring at her with a gloomy gaze.
"Ling Yue, don’t conflict with Hong Mingyue," Ye Huangyu, who had noticed, slowed down her horse and walked beside her daughter.
It was only after the divorce papers that Ye Huangyu learned Ye Lingyue had taught Zhuge Rou a lesson and killed the two nannies who had bullied her in the past.
Although she knew her daughter did it to avenge her, Ye Huangyu was still very worried.
Hong Mingyue, reputed as a genius since childhood, might appear different from the twins of the Hong Residence, but as the saying goes, "dragons birth dragons, and phoenixes birth phoenixes." With the blood of both Hong Fang and Zhuge Rou in her veins, how could Hong Mingyue be benign?
If it weren’t for the protection of Ye Huangyu and Nie Fengxing, both high-level masters from the Reincarnation Realm, it was likely Hong Mingyue and Luo Song would have already attacked.
Ye Huangyu’s current worry was the inevitable conflict that would erupt between Hong Mingyue and her daughter once she and Nie Fengxing left the group to assume their positions in Qi City.
This time, Emperor Xia had assigned them to address the epidemic issue on the Xixia Plain. Ye Lingyue’s group was mainly to delve into the villages and towns of the plain to search for the root cause of the strange disease, while Ye Huangyu, as Nie Fengxing’s deputy general, needed to accompany him in reforming the army.
In another half a day, they would near Qi City, and Ye Huangyu and her daughter Ye Lingyue would have to part ways.
Aware of her mother’s concerns, Ye Lingyue calmly said,
"Mother, don’t worry. As long as she doesn’t provoke me, I will get along with her just fine."
But if she were to provoke her first, then they shouldn’t blame her for not being courteous.
Ye Lingyue looked up at the sky and had to admit, there was a vast difference between the Elixir Realm and the Reincarnation Realm. Hong Mingyue and Luo Song, gliding through the sky, exuded the grace of deities.
And she... Ye Lingyue gripped the reins tightly, the continuous days of swift horseback travel had worn a thin callus on her hands— a silent reminder of her disparity with them, also exposing a predicament Ye Lingyue faced.
Her cultivation had hit a bottleneck.