Chapter 87

A bright moon hung high in the sky, radiating a bright yet gentle moonlight that spread across the land and also fell upon Red Leaf Manor.

Yao Youwei, Ye Ruiyun, Ye Taixuan, Ye Jingyun and other members of the Ye family, along with Hua Yushu and Yao Ye, two outsiders, plus Chen Chijiao, the leader of the Beggars’ Clan, and several other heroes of the martial arts world, also came here to eat and spend the Mid-Autumn Festival together.

The group sat around in the main room, while Ye Taixuan paced back and forth, looking worried.

It was already late at night, but no one could sleep. They didn’t even have an appetite for mooncakes. The mooncakes and fruits that the servants brought up were untouched.

At this moment, an old man carrying the scent of medicine came out from the inner room.

“Doctor, how is she?” Ye Taixuan hurriedly stepped forward to ask.

“Alas…” the doctor sighed. “Master Ye’s injuries are far too severe. It’s a miracle he’s still alive. A full recovery is almost impossible, especially his arms… they can’t be reattached. He can only be fitted with prosthetics. I believe that with Master Ye’s martial arts skills, it shouldn’t affect his daily life… In short, I’ve done my best!”

“Thank you, doctor.” Ye Taixuan took out a silver ingot and handed it over.

This doctor was invited from Qingzhou City on his way back. He was a renowned physician and had a good relationship with Red Leaf Manor. Ye Taixuan had no reason to doubt what he said.

The doctor took the money and left, unwilling to get involved; there was too much trouble in the martial arts world.

At this moment, Ye Hongyi’s voice came from the inner room: “Madam…”

When Yao Youwei heard him call her name, she quickly went inside.

Upon entering the room, they saw Ye Hongyi lying on the bed, her face pale and bloodless. The bleeding from the cuts on her shoulders had stopped, and medicine had been applied. Her condition seemed to have stabilized.

Just looking at his face and his eyes, he seemed particularly gloomy, with a sense of sorrow for a hero at the end of his road.

“Red dress.” Yao Youwei sat on the edge of the bed, her round, plump buttocks pressing against the bed, making a creaking sound.

“Do you know Rao Zhi Rou?” Ye Hongyi asked.

“Huh?” Yao Youwei was stunned, giving off a puzzled look.

Ye Hongyi stared at her blankly, just staring at her.

After looking at it for a moment, he suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly and said, “That year, I was twenty years old, a young man who had achieved fame and was full of vigor. You, on the other hand, were nineteen years old, with a face as beautiful as a flower and a beauty that could topple kingdoms. We met by chance in the sea of ​​flowers in Qingzhou, and it was love at first sight. That day was so beautiful, and eighteen years have passed in the blink of an eye…”

Yao Youwei watched him quietly as he recounted his past without interrupting.

“Every time I think back, it feels like a dream, so unreal. Although I had achieved some success in martial arts and was already showing my talent back then, and was also the eldest son of the Red Leaf Manor, how could you have taken a liking to me at first sight? Unless you had investigated me beforehand, but you said you hadn’t, and I believed you.” Ye Hongyi seemed to be lost in her memories. “I thought I could really win your favor, and I was happy for a long time. But as time went by, I discovered… you didn’t love me. I felt that you were hiding it very well. You treat everyone the same. You would never fall in love with anyone. So you never really liked me. You must have had another purpose for being with me. My feeling is not wrong.”

Upon hearing his words, Yao Youwei’s beautiful eyes narrowed, and a surprised expression appeared on her pretty round face. She asked, “Hongyi, why do you think that?” Ye Hongyi continued, “I was very puzzled by this until later, when I heard Brother Hua Zhenbei mention something. He also once encountered a girl, equally beautiful, and they instantly clicked. She threw herself at him, but Brother Hua is different from me. He has lofty ambitions and a boundless spirit; how could he be swayed by mere beauty? He suspected that she had ulterior motives for approaching him, and therefore rejected her. I learned that Brother Hua, like me, also encountered that girl eighteen years ago in the autumn. Later, after some investigation, he discovered that the girl was from the Kun Kingdom, named Raozhirou, and later became the commander of the Kun Kingdom’s Empress’s personal guard. So… what about you?”

Ye Hongyi stared intently at Yao Youwei.

Yao Youwei did not answer, but said, “Red Robe, I can only tell you that I have never had any intention of harming you or Red Leaf Manor.”

Ye Hongyi closed her eyes, then opened them again, and said calmly, “I believe that you have indeed had no ulterior motives all these years.”

Yao Youwei said, “You suspect that I have ulterior motives for approaching you, so you don’t care about my safety anymore, is that right? I have encountered danger many times and told you many times that Ye Taixuan has ill intentions towards me, but you don’t care.”

Ye Hongyi chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, “It’s not because of that, it’s because… Ruiyun is my biological child, isn’t she?”

Yao Youwei frowned slightly and said, “What do you mean by that? If he’s not your biological child, then is he someone else’s?”

“Because you possess the legendary ‘Thousand Layers of Honey Snow’! You know, something happened before I met you that made it impossible for me to touch you. I’ve never truly entered your body. How can you expect me to believe that Ruiyun is my flesh and blood?”

“Although you’ve never actually gone inside, I always took the initiative to include your things inside, so it didn’t affect the pregnancy at all! Ruiyun isn’t your flesh and blood, so is she Ye Taixuan’s? What about him is there that I would find attractive? Would I have looked for someone else?”

“Alright… I believe you.” Seeing how excited she was, Ye Hongyi smiled with relief, feeling much more at ease.

He added, “‘Thousand Layers of Honey Snow’… Heh, this is a rare treasure that only women from the Kun Kingdom can possess. Can’t you tell me who you are?”

Yao Youwei remained silent.

“That’s enough…” Ye Hongyi closed her eyes weakly. “Go and call Tai Xuan, Jing Yun, and Yu Shu in.”

Yao Youwei got up and left the house, returning to the main room, where she called Ye Taixuan, Hua Yushu, and Ye Jingyun to come in.

The three exchanged a glance and entered the house at the same time.

Seeing Ye Hongyi’s pale face, Ye Taixuan felt a pang of sadness. He excitedly stepped forward and said, “Brother, take good care of yourself. You’ll recover sooner or later. I’ll find a skilled craftsman to make you a prosthetic leg…” “No need,” Ye Hongyi shook her head slightly, gave a bitter smile, and said, “Taixuan, my duel with Bai Xifeng has been a complete failure. There’s no chance of a comeback. Rather than this… In short, I’m entrusting Red Leaf Manor to you from now on. Remember, as long as the green hills remain, there’s always firewood to burn!”

“Big brother…” Ye Taixuan almost cried.

Ye Hongyi then looked at Hua Yushu and said, “Yushu…”

Hua Yushu moistened his finger with saliva, wiped it on the corner of his mouth, and then stepped forward, saying with a sorrowful expression, “Uncle Ye!”

“Yushu,” Ye Hongyi said in a deep voice, “Brother Hua and I are like brothers. Although you are not Brother Hua’s biological son, he treats you as his own. I have never mistreated you. It’s just a pity that your father and I both failed in the battle against the Da Gan court. From now on, you will have to walk your own path.”

Hua Yushu hurriedly said, “Uncle Ye, please don’t say such discouraging things. We have a long future ahead of us, and we will definitely be able to make a comeback!”

Ye Hongyi shook her head slightly and said in a deep voice, “It’s no use. The hope for the future depends on you young people to fight for it. There’s no point in me living anymore. I really don’t want to see Wang Tianlong and Bai Xifeng’s faces in the future, to see them continue to be arrogant and domineering. It disgusts me. Yushu, you must really want to know who your biological parents are, right?”

Hua Yushu was taken aback upon hearing this and nodded.

Ye Hongyi said, “You need to go to your master; he will tell you.”

Hua Yushu’s master is Haoyun Jushi, the owner of Haoqi Manor, and also a good friend of Hua Zhenbei.

Haoqi Manor is located in Leizhou, west of the Daqian Dynasty.

When Hua Yushu was nine years old, Hua Zhenbei sent him to Haoqi Manor to become a disciple of Haoyun Jushi. He learned the “Righteous Qi Technique,” the skill of using an iron fan, as well as music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and prose.

However, Hua Yushu had already completed his apprenticeship many years ago. Upon hearing Ye Hongyi’s words, he had a sudden thought: it seemed it was time to return to his sect.

At this moment, Ye Hongyi’s expression softened, and she gently said to Ye Jingyun, who had been standing to the side, “Jingyun, come here.”

“Uncle!” Ye Jingyun stepped forward, looking sadly at the man in front of him. This was the hero he had admired since childhood. He had always been his motivation and role model. However, at this moment, he had lost both arms and was lying here in the end, not even as good as a normal ordinary person!

Ye Hongyi said, “Child, don’t cry. Your uncle has placed all his hopes for the future on you. Only men are the hope of our Red Leaf Manor and can carry its future. Do you understand?”

Ye Jingyun nodded and said, “Uncle, I won’t cry. I am a real man!”

“Very good.” Ye Hongyi smiled with satisfaction, and then said to Ye Taixuan and Hua Yushu, “You two go out first.” After Ye Taixuan and Hua Yushu left, Ye Hongyi’s expression turned serious. She suddenly jumped up from the bed, sat cross-legged, looked at Ye Jingyun, opened her mouth and inhaled. A huge suction force pulled him over, and he was placed headfirst on Ye Hongyi’s head.

“Calm your mind and focus your spirit, hold fast to your original nature!” Ye Hongyi’s voice rang in Ye Jingyun’s ears.

Startled, Ye Jingyun quickly did as instructed and closed his eyes.

In that instant, he felt an unimaginable surge of immense power emanating from Ye Hongyi’s Baihui acupoint on the top of her head, flowing into his body like a surging river!

Ye Jingyun instantly understood that Ye Hongyi was going to pass on all of his life’s skills to him!

If this happens, Ye Hongyi will be completely cut off from his life. However, Ye Jingyun cannot stop him because he understands that his uncle has made up his mind to die and has placed all the hopes of the Ye family on him, making a complete gamble!

As a continuous stream of powerful true energy flowed into his body, Ye Jingyun’s eight extraordinary meridians and even the gates of life and death were all opened up, allowing him to directly advance from the acquired realm to the innate realm, becoming a top expert in the innate realm. And that’s not all. Ye Hongyi’s true energy was immense. The upper limit of true energy for a Heavenly Realm expert is ninety years. Ye Hongyi had a fortuitous encounter and once consumed a hundred-year-old Vermilion Fruit, which allowed her true energy to reach the ninety-year limit. Although she was seriously injured in the battle with Bai Xifeng and her power was not as great as before, she was still not to be underestimated.

Moreover, he transferred all his true energy and even his life essence to Ye Jingyun, directly giving Ye Jingyun the power of sixty years and bringing him to the peak of the Innate Realm. In terms of power, he was already on par with figures like Qi Fei, Wei Dongxiang, and Yao Ye!

Ye Jingyun felt his body brimming with power and involuntarily let out a low shout that shook the entire Red Leaf Manor!

He rolled over and landed on the ground, as light as a leaf. He felt the immense power within him and was overjoyed.

At this moment, Ye Hongyi’s voice reached his ears: “Jingyun, come here, I have a few more words to say to you…”

Ye Jingyun turned his head and saw that Ye Jingyun’s face was old and his hair was white. He no longer looked like a young man. He was shocked and walked over, sat down by the bed, helped him up and called out, “Uncle!”

At this moment, Ye Hongyi had given all her true energy and essence to Ye Jingyun, leaving her lifeless. She was only clinging to life by sheer willpower. He gasped for breath, saying, “The Golden Crow Blade is now yours. Don’t disgrace this divine weapon… Also, although I’ve passed on all my power to you, your current strength is at most comparable to the likes of Wei Dongxiang and Yao Ye… To… to fight against peerless experts like Wang Tianlong and Bai Xifeng is absolutely impossible, unless you break through to the Heavenly Realm…”

Ye Jingyun hurriedly said, “Uncle, don’t worry, I will try my best!” Ye Hongyi’s voice grew weaker as she continued, “I will now tell you the secrets of breaking through to the Heavenly Realm… The Acquired Realm involves opening the Eight Extraordinary Meridians… The Innate Realm involves opening the Gate of Life and Death… The Heavenly Realm… The human body has its limits, but heaven and earth are infinite. To break through to the Heavenly Realm, you must… open… open the bridge between heaven and earth…”

At this point, Ye Hongyi could no longer hold on; her head drooped, and she breathed her last.

“Uncle, Uncle…” Ye Jingyun held Ye Hongyi’s body, heartbroken, and cried out loudly.

His voice drew people from outside who rushed in. Ye Taixuan, Hua Yushu, Yao Youwei, Ye Ruiyun, Yao Ye… all entered the house and looked at Ye Hongyi’s corpse, each one filled with grief.

At this moment, Ye Taixuan suddenly looked at Yao Youwei and said, “Sister-in-law, my elder brother entrusted me with something before he passed away.”

“What is it?” Yao Youwei raised an eyebrow.

Ye Taixuan coughed and said, “It’s just that… my elder brother, seeing that I have no one to take care of me, specially ordered my sister-in-law to remarry me and become my second wife.”

“What did you say?” Yao Youwei almost thought she had misheard. “That’s utter nonsense! Don’t make jokes like that again!”

Hua Yushu’s eyes darted around, and she said, “Miss Yao, Uncle Ye is not talking nonsense. He did mention this matter before he passed away.”

Yao Youwei narrowed her beautiful eyes and glanced around. She found that the people around her were hostile to her, or perhaps they were envious. Because Ye Hongyi was dead, they no longer had any scruples. Ye Taixuan, Hua Yushu, and Yao Ye all stared at her chest and lower body with naked eyes, making no attempt to hide their thoughts.

Yao Youwei suddenly realized that with Ye Hongyi dead, she had no one to rely on here and had become an outsider in Red Leaf Manor, without any say. Especially since she was so beautiful and charming, they had the idea of ​​forcibly taking her away. This was a crisis for her!

Ye Ruiyun angrily retorted, “What do you want? My father just died, do you want to start a fight among yourselves?”

Ye Taixuan said, “Ruiyun, it is absolutely true that your father made your mother remarry me.”

Ye Ruiyun angrily retorted, “Second Uncle, how could you have such a thought?!”

She then looked at Ye Jingyun and asked, “Jingyun, is what your father said true? Did my father really say such a thing before he died?”

“This…” Ye Jingyun frowned. He understood Ye Taixuan’s meaning. He couldn’t expose Ye Taixuan’s lies or contradict him, but he also couldn’t deceive Ye Ruiyun like this, since she was his cousin. So he said, “Sister, I’m not very clear about what Uncle and my father said. At the time, Uncle was passing on his skills to me…”

“You…” Ye Ruiyun gritted her teeth, furious.

He wasn’t unaware of the situation; he simply didn’t want to get involved.

At this moment, Chen Chijiao of the Beggars’ Sect spoke up: “Sigh, everyone, let’s not argue. Now is not the time to quarrel. Let’s wait until after the Mid-Autumn Festival, properly bury Master Ye’s body, and after Master Ye is laid to rest, then we can consider other matters!”

“Ah, yes. Of course…” Ye Taixuan nodded. “Everyone has worked hard. Get some rest. Tomorrow we’ll go to town to buy a good coffin…”

Everyone went their separate ways.

…Inside Qingzhou City.

Kazami Haru led everyone to a large mansion in the city. The mansion was quite large, covering nearly ten acres, with many rooms and servants taking care of it.

Besides Qi Fei, Gu Yinzhang, Li Huiyu, Shen Xiangxiang, Mei’er, Leng Shuxue, and Li Yuyao all followed Feng Jianqing into the house.

Kazami Haru said, “This is our secret base in Qingzhou City. Let’s all spend the Mid-Autumn Festival here tonight!”

“OK!”

Wow, it’s huge.

“I want to sleep in this room…”

Everyone looked around.

Before long, servants brought up the prepared food, mooncakes, fruits, snacks, and wine. Everyone ate and drank to their hearts’ content, then sat in the courtyard to rest and admire the bright moon in the sky.

As they were talking, suddenly a series of figures scaled over the courtyard wall and barged in.

“There’s a thief…” Li Yuyao shouted.

“Where is the thief?” A beautiful mature woman dressed in a black gauze dress and black stockings floated lightly in front of her and asked with a smile.

“Ah, Sister Fang…” Li Yuyao was stunned for a moment.

It turned out to be Fang Huaxian. Looking at the others, they were all from the Kun Kingdom: Ji Qiujun, the Palace Master of the Hundred Flowers Palace, Yu Youyang, the Pavilion Master of the Listening Rain Pavilion, and their respective beautiful disciples, totaling over a hundred people. In this battle at Peach and Plum Mountain, the Kun Kingdom only lost a dozen or so people, suffering only minor casualties.

“Has my mother arrived?” Qi Fei stood up and looked up expectantly. “Yes.” Fang Huaxian nodded towards the screen wall.

As everyone looked, they saw a woman draped in a purple-gold phoenix robe walking gracefully towards them, stepping out from the crowd with unhurried and light steps. Her figure was captivating, exuding indescribable charm and allure. Even under the cover of night, her unparalleled beauty could not be concealed. The moonlight shining on her even gave her a faint glow, and she had a visible milky-white halo around her, which was incredibly wondrous.

“Mother!” Qi Fei rushed over and hugged the person who came.

“Greetings, Empress.” The others also rose to their feet, respectfully welcoming the arrival of this extraordinary figure.

Feng Liyao hugged Qi Fei, took his hand, and led him to a large sandalwood chair in the middle of the courtyard. She said, “Please don’t be shy, everyone. Tonight is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Let’s all enjoy the same moon. There is no distinction between relatives and strangers, no difference between the noble and the lowly.”

“yes.”

Everyone bowed in response and took their seats.

Qi Fei hugged Feng Liyao’s slender waist and said, “Mother, I miss you so much, I want to eat your… mmm…”

Before he could finish speaking, Feng Liyao’s jade-like hand landed on his mouth, gently covering it to stop him from continuing. Then, her phoenix eyes flashed, and she said, “It is truly regrettable that the great hero Ye Hongyi lost both arms at this martial arts tournament.”

Fang Huaxian said, “Red Leaf Manor is finished. It’s absolutely impossible for Ye Taixuan to hold on. If there are no other unexpected events, Red Leaf Manor will soon be completely destroyed by Wang Tianlong and Bai Xifeng.”

Yu Youyang’s gentle voice rang out, saying, “There’s nothing we can do about it. The martial arts world of the Great Gan Dynasty has been completely unified by Wang Tianlong. Those small sects can’t cause any trouble at all. It will be very difficult for us to make any progress in the Gan Dynasty in the future!”

Palace Master Ji Qiujun of the Hundred Flowers Palace said, “We can only break it down into smaller groups, lie in wait, infiltrate, and slowly look for opportunities.”

Everyone nodded.

Feng Liyao said calmly, “As for Red Leaf Manor, I predict that Ye Hongyi will not live past tonight. Given his character, he would never allow himself to live like a dog. Once he dies, Red Leaf Manor will fall into Ye Taixuan’s hands. This man is wicked. Sect Leader Fang, Pavilion Master Yu, and Palace Master Ji, you must go and pick up Yao Youwei and Ye Ruiyun. Set off first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Yes,” the three said in unison.

Kazami Haru raised her hand and said, “I want to go too!”

Feng Liyao said, “Things within Dagan territory are basically settled, except for one thing…”

She glanced at Qi Fei in her arms and said, “After you pick up Yao Youwei and Ye Ruiyun, you should immediately set off back to Kun Kingdom. After you have settled down, we will discuss the next move and make specific arrangements then.”

Gu Yinzhang asked, “Are we also going back to Kun Kingdom?”

Feng Liyao said, “It’s best to return to Kun Kingdom. Diancang Mountain is not an absolutely safe place. Wang Tianlong could send people to seize it at any time.”

Gu Yinzhang said, “In that case, we should pack up and move to Kun Kingdom after we get back.” As the current head of the Diancang Sect, she has Feng Liyao as her backer. To ensure her safety, it is reasonable to move to Kun Kingdom first. After she has eliminated Wang Tianlong and Bai Xifeng, these two major enemies, it will not be too late to return to Diancang Mountain to continue the sect’s legacy.

Lai Wai-yu and Shen Heung-heung also agreed with this.

After a long chat, eating, drinking, and moon-gazing, the night grew late before they knew it.