The probationary inner sect disciple looked Ye Zichen up and down, his gaze uncertain. His immortal power was in turmoil.
Competition within Upheaval only grew fiercer by the day; any inner sect disciple was a rare genius. Becoming one, even just on a probationary basis, was proof of his strength.
To throw his immortal power into turmoil would be difficult even for an ordinary earth supreme; only the gang’s ninth-stage yao supremes could make him feel this way.
Even more terrifying, however, was what the black-robed man had just said….
“You…. You….”
The man Zuo Mo had longed for day and night had finally appeared in front of her, yet she dared not believe her eyes.
Over the years, Ye Zichen had changed far too much. He seemed far more reserved than before but also far more dignified.
He looked at her and smiled. “Zuo Mo, I’m here.”
“Zichen.” Before she knew it, Zuo Mo’s tear ducts opened uncontrollably, and her eyes overflowed with tears. She forced them back, then looked right at him.
The people of Blue Qilin Village didn’t dare so much as look at Ye Zichen; he was utterly infamous throughout the lower lands. They were all just ordinary villagers, and they were terrified of provoking this mighty expert.
However, Little Ting didn’t worry about that. Medicine basket still strapped to her back, she batted her eyes and snuck glances at him.
She’d been curious about this Grandmaster Ye, Zuo Mo’s dao partner, ever since Zuo Mo told her about him. Did he have two heads? Or six arms? Could he breathe fire?
Looking at him now, he seemed like an ordinary person! He wasn’t at all like rumors suggested. He was no demon, dragon, or fire qilin!
When Ye Zichen saw Zuo Mo’s bloodshot eyes, he stretched out his hand to tousle her hair. She didn’t avoid him and let his hand mess up her hair.
Wang Nan stood among the villagers and felt a surge of jealousy, but when he considered that this was none other than Grandmaster Ye, he found he wasn’t all that angry.
He’d always thought that no ordinary man was a match for Zuo Mo.
When he’d pursued her, he didn’t know she had a dao partner. Now he did, and moreover, it was Grandmaster Ye of all people. He no longer had any urge to pursue her. Instead, he silently wished her well.
“Alright, I’m here already, so this is all over.” His soft voice echoed through her ears. He tousled her hair once more, then chuckled. “Upheaval is my faction, so them coming here means I haven’t taught my subordinates properly. Leave this up to me. Sorry for the trouble.”
“Mm.” Zuo Mo bit her lip and nodded, then took a few steps backward.
Ye Zichen watched her, his gaze gentle, but the instant he turned back around to look at the gang members, his gaze turned indisputably domineering. “Do you have anything to say for yourselves?”
“Grandmaster Ye, we….” one of the gang members started to speak, but before he could finish his sentence, Ye Zichen cut him off.
“If you have anything to say, tell it to the punishment division’s elder when we get back.”
He waved his hands and placed the gangsters into the Yao-Sealing Pagoda.
The villagers watched on in a daze. How strong did someone have to be to make a group of immortal kings and sky immortals disappear in a flash?
The villagers couldn’t help but mutter to themselves, “Isn’t this Grandmaster Ye a little too domineering?”
“I established Upheaval, but my subordinates made trouble for you all. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience,” said Ye Zichen. He bowed to the villagers, who hurriedly bowed back.
The mayor smiled. “Grandmaster Ye, you’re making it sound worse than it really was. Although they came to our village a few times, they haven’t caused any substantial damage.”
“Who says they didn’t? Big Brother Wang Nan….” said a village youth, but before he could finish his sentence, Wang Nan glared at him.
This exchange naturally didn’t escape Ye Zichen’s notice. His divine awareness swept over the villagers and discovered that Wang Nan’s breath and blood flow were irregular. It seemed he really had been injured, but fortunately, his foundations were stable, and his wounds weren’t all that serious.
He flipped his hand and summoned a pill bottle, then used divine power to levitate it over to Wang Nan. “Here’s a bottle of recovery medicine.”
“Grandmaster Ye, you can’t! You mustn’t!” Wang Nan tried to refuse. Although he was injured, he’d dodged during the scuffle and avoided taking any critical injuries. His wounds weren’t all that serious.
His wounds were nothing compared to common injuries he often suffered while hunting magical beasts. They were utterly insignificant.
“No matter what you say, it was my people who hurt you. Take the pills.”
“Wang Nan, just accept them.” Zuo Mo chimed in her support.
After a moment’s hesitation, Wang Nan took the pills, then cupped his fist at Ye Zichen. “Thank you very much.”
Ye Zichen nodded calmly at him, then looked back at Zuo Mo. She was looking right at him, too.
Unusually, this time, Ye Zichen made no effort to avoid her gaze. His wisdom had increased over the past hundred years, and he knew full well that while there were some things he could run away from, he couldn’t change the other party’s feelings.
“Zuo Mo, come with me.”
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To Raging Flame City,” said Ye Zichen.
She suddenly seemed a bit hesitant. She looked vaguely back at the villagers.
“Zuo Mo, go with Grandmaster Ye,” said their kindly old major. “Your future path absolutely can’t be restricted to a humble village like ours.”
“That’s right, Zuo Mo. Haven’t you been waiting for Grandmaster Ye this whole time? Now he’s come looking for you, so don’t hesitate.” Little Ting urged her on as well.
Before long, practically all the villagers chimed in, urging her on with similar words of encouragement. Even so, Zuo Mo was the sentimental type, and she’d lived with them for years. How could she just set them aside?
At that moment, the elder major stepped forth and bowed deeply to Ye Zichen. “Grandmaster Ye, there’s something this old man would like to ask of you.”
“Venerable elder, what are you doing?” Ye Zichen hurriedly helped him up.
The old man glanced toward Wang Nan and said, “Little Nan is a talented, hard-working child. Given his gifts, he needs a bigger stage to grow and develop. This kid can’t let us old folks go, but we don’t want to restrict his talent. I humbly request that you take him with you.”
Ye Zichen had noticed Wang Nan’s talent too. He wasn’t some unearthly talent, but he was nevertheless exceptional.
This was especially true given how diffuse the energy was in the surrounding air. He’d become a peak sky immortal even in such an environment; it couldn’t have been easy. He couldn’t have slacked off in the slightest.
The god race had no lack of geniuses, but geniuses with patience and a willingness to work hard were rare.
“Alright.”
“Major, I don’t want to leave!” said Wang Nan without so much as thinking about it. “I have to stay here to protect you all.”
Grandmaster Ye had agreed, but Wang Nan refused. The elderly major couldn’t help but frown and bitterly urge him on. “Foolish child! Birds need open skies to fly, and fish need deep seas to swim…. Staying here will only delay and restrict your potential and waste the talent the heavens granted you! Go explore the outside world. For you, this is an opportunity.”
Ye Zichen glanced instinctively towards Zuo Mo. Their eyes met, and he read something in her gaze.
He turned back to Wang Nan and the major, who were still arguing, and said, “How about this?”
The arguing villagers all turned to look at him. He continued, “How about all of you come with me?”
