Chapter 173 - 170: A Letter from Mengxue
(PS: For those reading on the app, if you can’t see the text for Chapters 168 and 169, please go to the Table of Contents, long-press the Chapter title, and select "Redownload".)
"Is Little Zhi back?"
Hearing a bird’s cry, Ye Xing quickly opened his eyes to see the Little Purple Eagle fly through the window and land before him.
"SCREE! SCREE!"
The Little Purple Eagle screeched, pointing to its talons with one of its small, light-purple wings.
A small slip of paper was tied to the Little Purple Eagle’s right talon.
"Did Mengxue send this?" Ye Xing asked, overjoyed.
"SCREE! SCREE!"
The Little Purple Eagle nodded its small head.
Ye Xing quickly untied the note from Little Zhi’s talon and eagerly unfolded it. Lines of text immediately came into view—
—Ye Xing, please don’t be angry. I know my words this afternoon may have hurt and wronged you, but I can’t let anyone know about our relationship. Especially my Senior Brother, Huangfu Jianchen. If he finds out that you’re the one I like, he will surely kill you.
I am a disciple of the Celestial Snow Mountain Cold Moon Palace, and my Master is very strict. After I return to the Sect, I’m afraid I won’t be able to leave for at least a year or two. We may face many obstacles, but rest assured, I will break through to the Innate Realm as soon as I can. No matter what, I will be with you soon.
Ye Xing, please don’t lose heart. My Senior Brother is powerful, but he has been cultivating since he was a child. You’ve only been cultivating for a short time, yet in a few mere months, you’ve already reached the Martial Arts Third Realm. Your talent is by no means low. I will always wait for you. You must cultivate diligently. Let’s work hard together. The stronger we become, the fewer obstacles will keep us apart.
I am on my way to Celestial Snow Mountain now. I’ve entrusted this letter to Little Zhi. By the way, you must raise Little Zhi well. A fully grown Purple Lightning Golden Eagle is incredibly powerful and will likely become a great asset to you in the future.
Keep up the hard work! Let’s strive together!
—Mengxue
The handwriting on the letter was delicate and beautiful; it was undoubtedly Mengxue’s. As he read the last line, a storm of emotions churned within him. His heart ached as if it were being squeezed. Memories of their past, an endless longing, surfaced in his mind. A lump formed in his throat, and his eyes grew moist.
"Mengxue, you silly girl," Ye Xing murmured. "I was angry, it’s true, but I was angry at my own lack of strength. How could I ever blame you? Don’t worry. I won’t let you down. It’s just the Innate Realm, right? Let’s have a race to see who gets there first. You just wait for me at Celestial Snow Mountain. Wait for your husband to come and marry you in grand style!" As he came back to his senses, his gaze became incomparably firm.
Tucking the letter away, Ye Xing immediately sat cross-legged and began to cultivate the Innate Skill.
’I must work twice as hard and break through to the Early-stage of Qi Gathering within half a month,’ Ye Xing vowed to himself.
The Early-stage of Qi Gathering was equivalent to the Martial Arts Fourth Realm. The Martial Dao was divided into the Innate and Postnatal Realms, with the Postnatal Realm being further subdivided into nine realms. The First to Third Realm constituted the Qi Cultivation Stage, corresponding to its Early, Middle, and Late stages. The Fourth to Sixth Realm made up the Qi Gathering Stage, also with Early, Middle, and Late stages. Finally, the Seventh to Ninth Realms were for Senior Martial Artists of the Qi Condensation Stage, again corresponding to its Early, Middle, and Late stages.
Those in the Qi Cultivation Stage were considered ordinary Martial Artists, but reaching the Qi Gathering Stage made one a fairly strong, Middle-level Martial Artist in the Southern Tang Country. Upon entering the Qi Gathering Stage, one’s True Qi would become far more profound and abundant, resulting in a significant boost in power.
He inhaled slowly, then exhaled just as gradually, drawing in pure energy and expelling the turbid. With each breath, his True Qi circulated endlessly, growing stronger little by little.
Time passed, drop by drop. The night thinned, and a sliver of fish-belly white light appeared on the horizon. Soon, the light spread, and the sky slowly brightened with the coming of dawn.
Early the next morning, Ye Xing, Qiao’Er, and Aunt Qiao left Green River Town. They rode a Gale Leopard and two Golden Tigers toward White Cloud Mountain in Phoenix Town, on their way back to the White Cloud Mountain Ye Mansion.
The journey between Green River Town and Phoenix Town was about a day long, but that was on horseback. With the speed of the Gale Leopard and the Golden Tigers, they could reach Phoenix Town by the afternoon, even without traveling at full speed.
Clouds of dust billowed along the wide, earthen road as the Gale Leopard and Golden Tigers galloped onward. They attracted many stares along the way.
Tiger- and leopard-type Demon Beasts were generally mid-to-advanced level, with a cultivation of at least Level 4. A trio like Ye Xing’s was naturally going to attract the attention of the many Martial Artists still in the Qi Cultivation Stage. It was like seeing a multi-million-dollar supercar on the street; most people couldn’t help but stare.
By the same token, most Martial Artists in the Southern Tang Country were in the First to Third Realm of the Qi Cultivation Stage, practicing from Yellow-tier Level Martial Arts Manuals. Those who managed to reach the Martial Arts Fourth Realm of the Qi Gathering Stage were typically leaders of minor powers or small sects and considered to have some status in the martial world.
After traveling for about four hours, it was noon. The scorching sun blazed directly overhead, causing everyone to break out in a sweat that left their clothes clinging uncomfortably to their skin.
"Qiao’Er, Aunt Qiao, there’s an inn up ahead. Let’s rest there for a couple of hours before we continue," Ye Xing said.
"Okay!" The young girl, Qiao’Er, nodded obediently and wiped the sweat from her brow.
"As the Patriarch commands," Aunt Qiao also said with a nod.
The trio continued on for another hundred paces or so and finally entered the inn.
The inn was crowded, filled mostly with Martial Artists either holding Great Sabers or carrying Sharp Swords. To be precise, the areas around Sunset City and Phoenix Town had been teeming with Martial Artists recently.
The inn was incredibly noisy. Patrons who knew each other sat in small groups around square wooden tables, drinking wine, eating meat, and talking about everything under the sun.
"That Thunder Heart Spring Wood was snatched by Fu Yifan, the ’Cross Breaking Sword.’ In terms of pure strength, the three of us brothers are no match for him even if we team up. But he’s been ambushed a dozen times in a row! After all those brutal fights, he’s seriously wounded. This is a huge opportunity for us. As long as we find him, we can take the Thunder Heart Spring Wood for ourselves!"
"Right. Fu Yifan is gravely injured. Even if he’s an expert on the Wind and Cloud List, we can still put up a fight against him if we work together!"
"Eldest Brother, Second Brother’s right! If we can get our hands on that Thunder Heart Spring Wood, the three of us will have it made!"
...
"Hey, Chen the Sixth, did you hear? I just got word that Fu Yifan, the ’Cross Breaking Sword,’ is dead!"
"What? Fu Yifan’s dead? Who killed him? Who has the Thunder Heart Spring Wood now?"
"He was killed by an Innate Realm expert, Hu Yinjiu, known in the martial world as the ’Thousand-faced Man.’ As for the Thunder Heart Spring Wood, it most likely fell into the hands of Huangfu Jianchen!"
"Huangfu Jianchen? You mean *the* Huangfu Jianchen? The prodigy who ranks in the top ten of the Central Plains Martial Arts’ Dragon and Phoenix List?"