Chapter 143: Young Master of the Tang Sect

The sun slowly rose, casting its warm light upon the two of them. Liu Lingshuang opened her eyes and saw that Ye Sansi was already awake. She quickly stood up, scratched her head, and laughed softly, "Sansi, you didn't sleep at all last night? Was it because I was leaning against you that you couldn't fall asleep?"

Ye Sansi replied, "How could it be because of you? I knew the Fox Fairy needed quite a bit of time to fuse her internal core, and since you had fallen asleep, I was afraid there might be wild beasts or the like on the mountain. Therefore, I dared not sleep; only by keeping watch could I feel at ease."

Liu Lingshuang stood on tiptoe, peered toward the house, and said softly, "I wonder how the Fox Fairy is doing?"

"Shuang'er, rest assured, I have been keeping a close eye. The Fox Fairy's breath is steady, and in the time it takes to burn another stick of incense, she will be finished."

After a moment of thought, Ye Sansi said, "Right, I could have found someone to come and help."

"Even with powers like the Fox Fairy's, she could not manage it alone. Who else could we find?"

"Tao Xiao."

A stick of incense later, the door was gently pulled open. The fox demon walked out, bowed, and smiled, "My thanks to you both. I have completely fused the internal core. Now, suppressing the natural disasters in the village will be quite easy for me, and I shall still have plenty of spare energy left—"

Ye Sansi frowned and asked, "Fox Fairy, I originally thought that once we returned your internal core, you would be able to completely eradicate this disaster. Why, why can you only suppress it?"

"This disaster is fierce; it can only be resolved by finding its opposing element. To completely eradicate it is truly beyond my power..."

Lingshuang wanted to speak, but Ye Sansi stopped her, cutting in to say, "Since the Fox Fairy has such a willingness, we will say no more. Day has already broken, and Shuang'er and I have urgent matters to attend to, so we shall not disturb you any longer."

The Fox Fairy smiled. "Very well. Since the two of you have matters to attend to, I will not detain you. When you have free time, you must certainly come up the mountain to sit awhile and keep me company, hahaha."

Ye Sansi nodded in agreement, pointed toward the sky, summoned the Canghua sword, and soared into the air, with Liu Lingshuang following closely behind.

"Is it the Demonic General you once mentioned?"

Ye Sansi laughed, "Indeed. He couldn't even make it to our wedding, so I must properly settle accounts with him. He will surely find a way to eradicate this natural disaster."

The fox demon bowed and said, "Thank you both; I deeply appreciate your kind intentions. To tell the truth, I could ascend to the celestial realm at any moment now, but I am unwilling. The mortals of Fox Fairy Village are very lovely, and I am their deity—how could I just up and leave? I live quite well on this mountain and am very carefree; you need not worry your minds over me anymore."

Ye Sansi said, "When we see Xiao Ye, we will have him kowtow to his master's wife, and then pass on some practical martial arts to him. Afterward, he can help revive the Tang Sect, which may also be considered a blessing for the world..."

Hearing the title "master's wife," Liu Lingshuang grew extremely shy. Her face flushed red as she smiled foolishly.

The distance from Fox Fairy Village to the village where Xiao Ye stayed was not far. Riding their swords, the two arrived in less than half an hour. The village still looked just as it had before, and the two descended from the sky.

After walking a few miles, Liu Lingshuang remained curious, unable to understand why he had acted in such a manner. She steered her flying sword closer to Ye Sansi and asked, "Sansi, why were you in such a hurry to leave? We finally reunited with the Fox Fairy, and we barely spoke a few words. Besides, looking for Xiao Ye and the others wasn't all that urgent; Tang You certainly couldn't be traveling faster than our journey..."

"Shuang'er, didn't you see? The Fox Fairy was extremely weak. Fusing the internal core all night left her thoroughly exhausted and in need of rest. How could we possibly stay indefinitely? Let her recover in peace while we go find Yinv and Xiao Ye."

Liu Lingshuang nodded with a smile, "It's still you, Sansi, who observes so carefully and considers things so thoroughly. If you hadn't stopped me, I would still be nagging the Fox Fairy."

Xiao Ye quickly led the way, saying excitedly, "Sister went out to gather herbs and will be back soon! Master, do you know? I have already begun practicing the thirteen Zhixing swordsmanship you passed on to me. I am always very careful, and I've found that it no longer hurts my muscles and bones."

Seeing his disciple was so eager to learn, Ye Sansi was quite satisfied. He smiled, nodded, and pinching Xiao Ye's arm, laughed, "Not bad, not bad. Your physique is quite good now; it seems you haven't slackened in your practice these past few months."

Upon entering the room, Xiao Ye hurriedly brought out three chairs, invited the two to sit, and then proudly patted his chest, saying, "Of course! Every day I go up the mountain to hunt beasts, then peel their skins to sell for silver, and roast the meat. I can eat two catties at a time!"

"Xiao Ye, Yinv!" The moment Ye Sansi landed, he called out their names and walked toward their dwelling.

Hearing someone calling him in a voice he found very familiar, Xiao Ye hurriedly ran out of the room, lifted the door curtain, and caught sight of Ye Sansi at a single glance. He ran ten paces to the courtyard entrance, dropped abruptly to his knees, kowtowed several times in succession, and cried out, "Master!"

Ye Sansi quickly stepped forward to help Xiao Ye up, smiling, "Xiao Ye, you truly are a good child. Master accepts this courtesy. Let us go into the room first; I have something to tell you."

Xiao Ye scratched his head in confusion and asked, "What matter requires my decision? If it truly concerns me, then Master can decide; I will obey completely."

Leaning forward, Ye Sansi said, "If you were the scion of a prominent and noble family, and a dozen years ago, a group of bandits launched a night raid and slaughtered your entire clan—would you wish to avenge this blood debt?"

Xiao Ye abruptly stood up and declared, "Naturally I want revenge! Sister told me ever since I was small that a true man must stand tall between heaven and earth. If such a grievance truly exists, how could one bear not to avenge it? Master, do you know something?"

Ye Sansi burst out laughing, "So that's how it is! No wonder I saw you had grown a size broader,哈哈哈! I am also quite eager to taste Yinv's smoked and roasted beast meat; it is truly delicious..."

"Sister will be back shortly. She just hunted a few this morning, and they're still twitching. Once we roast them later, they'll surely be delicious."

Ye Sansi smiled, "Splendid, Master is proud of you. By the way, all this is idle chatter. Coming to find you today, I have a major matter that requires your decision."

Yinv was standing quietly at the doorway. Hearing Xiao Ye's words, she lifted the curtain, walked in, bowed separately to Ye Sansi and Liu Lingshuang, and slowly said, "Xiao Ye, have you truly decided that you wish to know?"

Hearing Yinv's words, Ye Sansi realized she must have known about their background all along. To have endured over a dozen years without speaking of it was truly no easy feat. Ye Sansi helped Xiao Ye up and said, "Let your sister tell you about this matter yourself. Once you know your ancestry and have accepted it, I will speak of the purpose of this trip..."

Yinv sat down while Xiao Ye lowered his head to listen. Over the span of a stick of incense, the misfortunes that befell the Tang Sect were basically laid out clearly. However, Yinv did not know who the enemy was; she had been too young at the time, retaining only some vague memories, and had kept it hidden all along for Xiao Ye's safety.

Ye Sansi stood up, turned his back to Xiao Ye, and slowly said, "I already know your ancestry, but are you prepared to accept it?"

Xiao Ye was deeply stirred. For over a dozen years, he had desperately wanted to know who he truly was, bearing only the single name "Xiao Ye" without even knowing why he had no surname. His anguish was profound—and how could Ye Sansi not understand such feelings?

Faced with the impending answer, Xiao Ye hastily dropped to his knees, burying his head deep. This time, Ye Sansi did not help him up. He only heard Xiao Ye say, "Master, please grant Xiao Ye this wish! For over a dozen years, I have constantly yearned to know my origin. No matter how difficult the road ahead, no matter how formidable or dangerous the enemy, I accept it. Otherwise, if I were to live out this mediocre life, I would surely carry regrets to my grave, and that I am truly unwilling to do!"

"Ah?"

"I said, kneel down!"

Xiao Ye hurriedly dropped to his knees. Realizing his master was angry and fearing he had said something wrong, he panicked and kept his head bowed.

Perhaps touched by what Xiao Ye had said, Yinv finally revealed these truths, feeling that he had grown up and deserved to know his lineage. Ever since Ye Sansi arrived and imparted a set of sword techniques, Xiao Ye had transformed into a different person, showing unprecedented diligence and hard work, driven entirely by the desire to become stronger. In truth, Yinv also longed to avenge this blood feud for their father and the Tang Sect...

Once the tale was finished, Xiao Ye gnashed his teeth, clenched his fists tightly, and raged, "I will surely hack the enemy into pieces to avenge the deadly wrongs done to my father and the children of the Tang surname! Master, please tell me, who on earth is this enemy so that I may go and eliminate him..."

Ye Sansi frowned and said sternly, "Xiao Ye, kneel."

Xiao Ye remained on his knees and asked, "Master, the purpose of your journey is..."

Ye Sansi pulled Xiao Ye to his feet and said, "Firstly, I received some news concerning the Tang Sect. I hear that over the past dozen years, they have gradually grown stronger and recovered their vitality, waiting for a legitimate heir to return and take charge. However, caution is paramount; I wish to first bring your sister along to have a meeting with the Tang Sect's Great Elder. If he recognizes her, we can rest easy. What do you both think?"

Yinv bowed and said, "We will defer entirely to the arrangements of Young Hero Ye. You are Xiao Ye's master, and your judgment is the most appropriate. If I may be so bold, who is this lady?"

Ye Sansi said, "Xiao Ye, no matter how great the hatred or resentment, you must never act rashly. You must carefully weigh all things—how can you speak such rash words?"

"This disciple knows his wrong."

"If you truly know your wrong, then I can rest easy. You must remember that hereafter, your rashness, your lack of measure, and your obsession with fighting will cost you your life. Losing your own life might be one thing, but you must realize that behind you stands the Tang Sect, and they need you..."

Xiao Ye quickly knelt, kowtowing loudly and calling out "Master's Wife," before being helped up by Lingshuang.

Yinv smiled and said, "A talented man matches a peerless beauty; those words are truly not false. Miss Lingshuang is indeed striking and exceedingly lovely. Judging by her attire and demeanor, she must be the daughter of a prominent family, making a very fitting match for Young Hero Ye."

Liu Lingshuang blushed furiously. Seeing this, Xiao Ye quickly said to Yinv, "Sister, Master and Master's Wife have not yet eaten! You caught some fresh beasts this morning; hurry and prepare them to be smoked and roasted so that once they've eaten their fill, they can continue on their journey."

Ye Sansi took Liu Lingshuang's hand and smiled, "This brings me to the second reason for my coming here."

Liu Lingshuang smiled as she stood up, wrapped her arm around Ye Sansi's, and listened as her husband made the introduction: "This is my wife, named Lingshuang. We were married just the other day..."

Yinv was startled for a moment, then smiled, nudged Xiao Ye with her hand, and said, "Why haven't you paid your respects to your Master's Wife yet?"

Yinv laughed, "You child! Were you so consumed by hearing about your ancestry that you lost your composure?"

"Sister, you just love to joke! I have taken Master's words to heart. No matter how major the matter is hereafter, I will never act rashly. I only spoke thus because I was afraid of delaying Master and Master's Wife's journey."

"Hahaha, very well. Look at that earnest expression of yours—I'll say no more. I'm going to go prepare the meal. You chat properly with Master and Master's Wife." With that, Yinv left the room to prepare some food.