Chapter 124: Sudden Change at the Ye Mansion
Brain teasers have a unique charm. Those strange, bizarre questions always draw people in. The novel questions and weird answers are sometimes so absurd you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. They can be incredibly infuriating, but also hilarious.
The night was as dark as ink. The entire Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree emitted a soft green glow, suffused with the aura of life. The surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was incredibly abundant. More and more Martial Artists gathered around the banyan tree, but most were from nearby towns. For now, no particularly powerful experts had appeared.
On a branch of the banyan tree, Ye Xing and Sikong Xingxing were playing with brain teasers, taking turns asking and answering. They chatted idly and found they got along quite well. While chatting, Ye Xing also took the opportunity to ask some questions, eager to fill the gaps in his knowledge and learn more about the Martial Arts Continent. As expected of someone from an extraordinary background, Sikong Xingxing was well-versed in many matters of the Martial Arts Continent.
The Martial Arts Continent was vast beyond measure. To be precise, it could be divided into two parts: one was the Central Plains Martial Arts, and the other was the Hundred Countries of the Continent. The Central Plains Martial Arts was located in the very center of the Martial Arts Continent. It was a land of towering mountains, dotted with countless lakes, and teeming with Demon Beasts. It was a semi-civilized, savage land, rich in Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi—a paradise for Demon Beasts and a Holy Land for Martial Artists, where experts were as common as clouds. The most powerful and top-tier Sects and factions on the entire Martial Arts Continent were almost all located in the Central Plains Martial Arts.
If the Central Plains Martial Arts was in the center of the Martial Arts Continent, then the Hundred Countries of the Continent occupied the vast, ring-shaped region on its periphery.
In terms of experts, the Central Plains Martial Arts was undoubtedly supreme; many of the masters on the Heaven and Earth List were there. However, in terms of population, the Hundred Border Countries certainly had more people.
The Martial Arts Continent was immeasurably vast, with no end in sight. Hundreds of countries dotted the continent, along with extremely powerful Imperial dynasties. Among these hundreds of nations, the Tang Country could only be considered a very ordinary one. The Tang Country was also known as the Southern Tang Country, located in the southern part of the continent.
The inky night gradually thinned. After an unknown amount of time, a sliver of fish-belly white light appeared on the horizon. The light then spread, and the sky began to brighten into dawn.
A moment later, a golden sun rose slowly from the eastern horizon. Golden sunlight shot down toward the world like ten thousand arrows, cascading from the mountain peak to its base. The green leaves on the trees were all plated in a faint golden sheen. The Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree, in particular, shone with a brilliant luster.
In the space of a single night, two to three hundred Martial Artists had already gathered around the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree.
Some of these Martial Artists were chatting idly, while others seized the moment to diligently pursue their Cultivation. After all, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi around the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree was exceptionally rich and dense, making it perfect for Cultivation.
Ye Xing had spent the entire night talking with Sikong Xingxing, and now that it was morning, he also prepared to begin his Cultivation.
Around the great banyan tree, many Martial Artists were sitting cross-legged in Cultivation.
Suddenly—
"BANG!" "BANG! BANG! BANG!"
The ground began to tremble slightly, as if some great beast was galloping on all fours toward the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree.
"What’s going on? There’s a commotion down the mountain!"
Many of the Martial Artists who had been cultivating cross-legged with their eyes closed around the banyan tree snapped their eyes open. Ye Xing thought the sound was somewhat familiar. He immediately opened his eyes as well and looked toward the mountain path below.
On the path below, two Golden Tigers with brilliant gold fur were racing up the mountain. Both tigers were covered in blade wounds and dripping with blood. On their backs were two figures, one large and one small. The larger was a woman in her thirties or forties, and the smaller was a young girl just over ten years old. They were none other than the mother-daughter pair, little Qiao’er and Aunt Qiao.
’Why are Qiao’er and Aunt Qiao coming up here? The Golden Tigers are injured, what happened?’ Ye Xing’s expression changed. With a WHOOSH, he leaped down from the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree and sprinted down the mountain.
Both Golden Tigers were Fifth-level Demon Beasts, with strength comparable to a Martial Artist of the Martial Arts Fifth Realm. That was already considered quite powerful. In towns like Phoenix Town or Green River Town, the strength of a Fifth-level Demon Beast was on par with the Cultivation of a Gang Leader. And yet, both Golden Tigers were now injured, fleeing up the mountain while carrying Qiao’er and Aunt Qiao.
An inexplicable sense of unease welled up in Ye Xing’s heart. He felt that something major must have happened. With a heaven-sent treasure about to emerge, White Cloud Mountain was a whirlwind of activity, swarming with Martial Artists. The Ye Mansion, located on White Cloud Mountain, was naturally caught in the eye of the storm.
The storm stirred up by this treasure was simply too great. A faint worry grew in Ye Xing’s heart. He immediately mustered his True Qi and pushed his Lightweight Skill, the >, to its absolute limit. His speed was incredible; a hundred paces passed in an instant.
One party was fleeing up the mountain, while the other was racing down. A moment later, they finally met.
"Qiao’er! Aunt Qiao! What happened? Why are you both injured?" Ye Xing asked in a heavy voice.
"SOB... Big Brother, our home has been taken over! What are we going to do now?" little Qiao’er cried out, anxious and aggrieved.
"The Ye Mansion was taken over?" Ye Xing’s gaze shifted, and he immediately looked toward Aunt Qiao.
"Patriarch, about half an hour ago, a man suddenly arrived at the Ye Mansion. He brought many subordinates and said he was commandeering our home to use as his temporary residence. Of course, Qiao’er and I refused, so they used force. A fight broke out. They had several expert Martial Artists. The Golden Tigers were no match for them and were defeated, so they had no choice but to carry Qiao’er and me up the mountain to escape," Aunt Qiao explained, recounting the events.
"They dare to take over my mansion!" A cold light glinted in Ye Xing’s eyes.
"My Lord, what happened?"
Just then, Ma Feng, Xue Yong, and Hong Hai also rushed over from the direction of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree.
"Someone has taken over our Ye Mansion. Come, follow me and we’ll see who they are!" Ye Xing said grimly. He immediately took the lead, mounting his Gale Leopard and charging down the mountain like a flash of green.
Ma Feng, Hong Hai, Xue Yong, and the others hurried to follow.
"Hey, where are you guys going? Wait for me!" Sikong Xingxing called out, using his Lightweight Skill to quickly catch up.
"There’s some trouble at the mansion. Why are you following me instead of waiting for your treasure?" Ye Xing said.
"The treasure isn’t going to show up that quickly. Besides, I just love a good spectacle. Wherever there’s a crowd, you’ll find me," Sikong Xingxing chuckled.
The wind WHOOSHED past their ears. The Gale Leopard’s green fur was pressed back by the powerful gust as the group sped toward the Ye Mansion on the mountainside.
At this moment, inside the Ye Mansion, the main hall was filled with loud music and dancing.
A dozen or so beautiful dancers swayed gracefully in the center of the hall. Their clothes were revealing, their figures swayed, and their curvaceous forms were utterly alluring.