Chapter 19

Ye Zi nodded in agreement and continued, "Master, I'm wondering if the Jiang family's affair and the Huo family's affair were the work of the same person?"

“It’s not impossible. If that’s the case, things are probably not over yet. We need to investigate whether Huo Zhongkui and the Jiang family have anything in common,” said Master Yunqing. “It just so happens that Huo Zhongkui will come to the mountain tomorrow. Let’s keep him here so that he doesn’t suffer any more misfortune when he returns down the mountain.”

"Yes, disciple will inform Huo Qinglei," Ye Zi replied.

"The Jiang family only said online that he was unconscious for unknown reasons. How did you two discover that the Jiang family had a problem and even went to Lincheng?" Master Yunqing asked.

Ye Zi looked at Luo Hengzhi, only to find that Luo Hengzhi was watching with great interest by the training ground, seemingly studying something.

"The Huo family offered a very low price for repairing the Taoist temple. They were intentionally subsidizing the repairs. I wanted to make more money so I could pay them back later," Ye Zi said. "I heard from Luo Hengzhi that it's most profitable to eat at the hands of the wealthy. Luo Hengzhi even said that the Jiang family was a wealthy family, so I dragged Luo Hengzhi to the Jiang family to see for myself."

After listening, Master Yunqing smiled and said, "Luo Hengzhi has a lot of ideas. This money should be made up; we can't let the Huo family pay for it."

Yan Yan said, “Master, Senior Sister, the training ground has been set up. It's full of level one demonic beasts. They should be able to handle it, right? But for safety’s sake, my junior brothers and I are considering sending Junior Nephew Luo, who has some skills, first to see how it goes.”

"Mm." Ye Zi nodded, looked at Luo Yi, and waved.

“Master.” Luo Yi walked to Ye Zi’s side.

"The monsters are fierce and dutiful, making them the best sparring partners for honing combat awareness. Make the most of them, and if you can't beat them, run away." After saying that, Ye Zi grabbed Luo Yi by the collar and threw him into the training ground.

As soon as Luo Yi entered, the barrier around the training ground activated, and those outside saw a phantom resembling a wolf appear opposite him.

But in Luo Yi's eyes, what he saw was not a phantom, but a real wolf he had never seen before, twice the size of an ordinary wolf.

The level-one demonic beast, the Compassionate Wolf, saw Luo Yi and hissed, revealing its sharp teeth. It pounced on Luo Yi with lightning speed.

Luo Yi was initially panicked when she was thrown up, but upon seeing her prey, she immediately became alert and calm, entering combat mode. Facing the wolf's attack, Luo Yi moved nimbly and quickly dodged away.

"Is this based on a simulation of a human-beast battle?" Jiang Mo leaned against the edge of the training ground, his eyes shining with undisguised excitement. "This is so realistic, just as exciting as the animal training grounds I've seen abroad."

"A low-level demonic beast, the Compassionate Wolf. Don't let its size and fierce appearance fool you; it's actually a herbivore. Most importantly, its meat is delicious and rich in spiritual energy, making it a favorite among cultivators. Unfortunately... it can't be eaten." Long Bao stared longingly at the Compassionate Bear, wishing he could climb up and take a bite right away and devour it raw.

"What? A monster? Do such things really exist in the world?" Jiang Mo turned around to look at the source of the voice and met a tiny, shriveled eye. "Hahaha, Luo Hengzhi, how could you like a doll that looks like this? What unique taste."

Luo Hengzhi indicated that he did not want to speak, his eyes fixed on the stage. He knew Luo Yi's skills best; he was quick-witted and adept at finding and attacking the enemy's weak points. Judging from Luo Yi's current expression, he was very satisfied with this opponent.

Facing a wolf, or rather, a demonic beast, Luo Hengzhi's competitive spirit was activated, and she was eager to go on stage and give it a try.

Suddenly, Luo Yi, who had been dodging, pulled out a fan from his waist. This fan was the magical artifact that Jiang Yuzhi had given Luo Yi on the day he became an apprentice.

Luo Yi lunged at the Compassionate Wolf, his fan slicing smoothly across the Compassionate Wolf's neck. Moments later, the massive Compassionate Wolf collapsed, and the phantom vanished.

"Hmm, not bad," Ye Zi commented.

The barrier opened, but Luo Yi's murderous aura had not completely dissipated. The usually gentle Luo Yi was now as sharp as a knife, and he walked steadily down the training platform.

Little Tiger's eyes lit up as he ran to Luo Yi's side, exclaiming, "Master is so amazing!"

Jiang Mo also went to greet him, but stopped when he saw Xiao Hu: "Senior brother is awesome, you've even taken on disciples?"

“You can do it too in the future,” Luo Yi replied.

“Master,” Luo Yi walked to Luo Hengzhi’s side, first bowed to Ye Zi, and then looked directly at Luo Hengzhi, “Boss, the experience is amazing, super realistic, and you can even feel the aura. Boss, why don’t you go up and try it out and practice your skills?”

Ye Zi had just noticed Luo Hengzhi's interest and handed the spirit sword to Luo Hengzhi: "Take the sword and go up and try it."

"No need." Luo Hengzhi liked Ye Zi's spirit sword, but he could sense that this sword was not an ordinary magic weapon and that it had an unusual connection with Ye Zi.

Luo Hengzhi handed the dragon treasure in her arms to Ye Zi, picked up a short sword from the weapon stand next to her, and walked into the training ground.

Luo Hengzhi encountered a Wraith Boar, which was three times larger than an ordinary boar and much larger than the Compassionate Wolf from before. It was also a low-level demon beast, but the blood of the Wraith Boar could cause hallucinations and stir up the viciousness deep in people's hearts.

Of course, Luo Hengzhi knew none of this.

When Ye Zi saw the ferocious boar appear, she slightly raised the hand holding the sword, a posture of being ready to strike at any moment.

Faced with the attacks of the ferocious boar, Luo Heng had been dodging along the way. Although the ferocious boar was huge, its speed did not decrease at all, and it relentlessly pursued Luo Heng.

This is the power of the demon beast. Luo Hengzhi is now experiencing the inexplicable excitement that Luo Yi felt earlier. This kind of extreme dodging is a thoroughly enjoyable test of both reaction and consciousness.

After several rounds of dodging, Luo Hengzhi discovered the weakest point of the vicious boar: it was not its eyes, its head, or its neck, but its forelimbs.

Except for the forelimbs, the rest of the body of the Li pig is covered by thick fur. It is probably because the speed of the Li pig requires the flexibility of its forelimbs that the blood vessels at the ends of the forelimbs are visible.

When Luo Hengzhi dodged again, he suddenly turned around and rushed to the lower body of the vicious boar, severing its forelimbs without hesitation.

Instantly, blood spurted out and splashed onto Luo Hengzhi's face.

"How could there be blood? Isn't it an illusion?" Huo Qinglei, who was in the audience, had always thought it was an image. The wolf that Luo Yi had just killed hadn't bled. It wasn't that it didn't bleed; it just disappeared before it had a chance to bleed.

Huo Qinglei initially thought that since it wasn't a physical battle, it wouldn't be very meaningful, so he didn't take this training too seriously. However, when he saw the blood spurting out, he realized that he had been careless and underestimated this training ground.

Ye Zi saw blood splattered on Luo Hengzhi and stepped forward with her sword, but was stopped by Master Yun Qing: "Wait."

Luo Hengzhi raised her hand to wipe the blood off her face. Looking down, she saw bloodstains on the back of her hand as she wiped. Her eyes gradually turned red. When she looked up again, her bloodshot eyes revealed a chilling killing intent.

Because at this moment, Luo Hengzhi entered an illusion and saw the cultivator 'Ye Zi' in his dream dig out his heart, and he could see that his heart was still beating.

Luo Hengzhi's hand gripping the short sword clenched tightly and trembled. He couldn't die like this; if he had to die, they would die together. Luo Hengzhi's figure shot into the air like lightning, aiming for 'Ye Zi's' heart.

But the moment the stab was aimed, the scene changed; "Ye Zi" disappeared, and Luo Hengzhi was confronted with a car accident scene.

The car accident he least wanted to recall!

His parents and younger brother left him alone in this cold world. His second uncle appeared before him with a smile, a far cry from his usual kind and loving elder. He pointed at him and called him a good-for-nothing, mocking him as an idiot and calling him a bullshit "business genius" who could only watch helplessly as his parents were murdered!

"I'm going to kill you, kill you!" Luo Hengzhi slashed at the air like a madman, tears streaming down her face, mingling with the blood on her cheeks.

At this moment, he seemed like a demon!

"Master, what's wrong with my boss? Please save my boss!" Luo Yi asked Ye Zi for help when he saw Luo Hengzhi's pained appearance.

Ye Zi teleported into the training ground, tightly embraced the frantically struggling Luo Hengzhi, placed her hand on the back of Luo Hengzhi's neck, and channeled her spiritual power into her.

"I want to kill him, I want to... kill him..." Luo Hengzhi's voice grew softer and softer until she finally closed her eyes and collapsed into Ye Zi's arms.

"Master, I'll take him back first." Ye Zi helped Luo Hengzhi up and disappeared.

"Grandmaster, I'm going to see... see the eldest brother too." Luo Yi was worried and hurriedly ran back to Ye Zi's residence.

Master Yunqing raised his hand to stop Luo Yi: "Was that car accident man-made?"

Upon hearing Yun Qing Zhenren's question, Luo Yi turned around, his expression serious, and his fists clenched unconsciously: "Yes, Grandmaster, don't worry, Boss can avenge himself!"

"Go then," said Master Yunqing thoughtfully.

On the way Ye Zi took Luo Hengzhi back to her residence, Luo Hengzhi had already woken up.

This time, Luo Hengzhi did not pretend to be asleep, nor did she feign restraint as usual. Luo Hengzhi opened her eyes wide, letting her inner emotions flow outward, her eyes filled with an unconcealable murderous intent!

Ye Zi helped Luo Hengzhi to the bed. Neither of them spoke. Luo Hengzhi lay there quietly, her eyes staring straight up.

Looking at Luo Hengzhi in front of her, who exuded a desperate killing intent, Ye Zi felt a tightness in her chest for no reason.

It's probably because of the Daoist Couple Contract!

Perhaps... there's something else that Ye Zi herself doesn't know yet!

"Boss." Luo Yi arrived at Ye Zi's door, panting. "Master, how is my boss?"

"You take care of him." Ye Zi knew that it was better for Luo Yi to be here than for her to stay, after all, Luo Yi and Luo Hengzhi had known each other for many years and shared common experiences and memories.

"Hmm." Luo Yi walked to the bedside after seeing Ye Zi leave.

From Yunqing Zhenren's question, Luo Yi roughly guessed why his boss was like this. Only that incident could have made his boss so devastated and helpless.

Luo Yi: "Don't worry, boss, the plan is going very smoothly. Soon those people will taste the bitter fruit of their own actions!"

Luo Hengzhi didn't react to Luo Yi's words. He just wanted to vent and release all the pent-up emotions in his heart.

Luo Hengzhi closed her eyes, and the tears that had been filling her eyes finally overflowed, streaming down her cheeks!

When Luo Yi saw that Luo Hengzhi's pillow was soaked, her eyes also turned red. Without disturbing her, Luo Yi silently left the room and closed the door.

Luo Yi went out and saw Ye Zi sitting in the courtyard. He walked to Ye Zi's side and said, "Master, I have to go down the mountain. It may take two days before I can come back. The renovation of the Taoist temple is going smoothly. Huo Qinglei and Xiao Hu are keeping an eye on it."

"Mm," Ye Zi replied, without asking any questions.

"I'll leave the eldest brother in your care, Master." After saying this, Luo Yi left.

Longbao nestled obediently on Ye Zi's shoulder, motionless, its mood seemingly mirroring its owner's, becoming just as downcast.

"Your dragon race has always been proud, how could you be willing to submit to others? Yet you forcibly formed a pact with Luo Hengzhi. Did you know about his constitution?" Ye Zi placed the dragon treasure on the table and interrogated her.

Then the spirit sword automatically flew to Long Bao's side and pointed the tip of the sword at Long Bao's little nose, as if it were threatening him!

Longbao blinked his tiny, sesame-seed-sized eyes, lowered his head, and put on a slightly aggrieved expression.

Ye Zi frowned, looking at Long Bao's behavior with a sense of familiarity. Could this be a case of favoritism following its master?

"Speak?" Ye Zi tapped her fingertips on the table, clearly showing less patience and pity for Long Bao's pitiful act than she had for her master.

What happened to the promise of loving someone because of them? Long Bao's attempt to play the victim failed, so he had to admit, "Since you know I'm a dragon, you should also know that my father and brothers are no longer here."

"I don't know." Ye Zi's tone was cold. "I only know that you were...abandoned by your own father."

"Yes, I was abandoned right after I was born. They all despised me." Longbao kicked his little legs and slumped onto the table. "My biological father threw me into a spatial rift, and I only woke up now!"

"When I woke up, I found that they were no longer here. But I am a dragon after all, born with the dragon race's heritage, so I could still sense where they went, but I couldn't go there."

"Where?"

"The realm of gods! They are all in the realm of gods now."

"The God Realm?" Ye Zi frowned slightly, guessing, "You believe that Luo Hengzhi can take you to the God Realm, so you forcibly formed a pact with Luo Hengzhi."

Longbao nodded his little head: "However, it seems that Master doesn't like me either."

"He didn't kick you out again," Ye Zi said calmly.

Longbao raised his little head and nodded again.

"My master didn't kick me out again, which means he doesn't dislike me. So one day my master will like me."

Ye Zi interrupted Long Bao's sweet dream: "You still haven't told me about Luo Hengzhi's physique?"

"I really don't know. I just saw a scene using the dragon's precognitive abilities. Master will go to the place where my father is now." Long Bao replied sincerely. "As for why Master can go there, or why he will go there, I don't know."

Ye Zi said she believed Long Bao's words. She had read in a book that the dragon race's premonition was indeed just a vision, and Long Bao was not lying.

Ye Zi then asked, "Do you know how to cure his leg?"

Longbao was silent for a while, as if thinking: "I can take Master to the place where I am sleeping. Perhaps there is something there that can heal Master's leg."

Ye Zi: "You mean, a spatial rift?"

Long Bao: "Yes, but the crack is very stable. It is connected to my divine sense and I can control it. It won't hurt the master."

"Under your control?" Ye Zi looked at Long Bao with a suspicious gaze.

[If it weren't for the rumors that she was abandoned by her biological father, who would abandon a child to a place controlled by that child?]

"Can you change the spatial location as you like?" Ye Zi asked.

Longbao: "The location is not right, it's still in the same place, it can't be changed."

Ye Zi stood up: "Are you sure that spot can heal Luo Hengzhi's leg?"

"Yes, I'm sure. If I can't, I'll make sure my master never likes me again." Long Bao made a solemn vow.

Ye Zi: "Come up."

Longbao quickly flew to Ye Zi's shoulder, looking very obedient.

Luo Hengzhi had already sat up. Hearing the door open, she looked up and saw Ye Zi walk in.

The two looked at each other and remained silent for a long time.

Ye Zi looked into Luo Hengzhi's eyes. These eyes had lost their usual brilliance, and many complex emotions hidden within them were now being revealed.

There is reluctance, longing, and pain, but even more so, hatred, revenge, and naked murderous intent!

But there was none of the pitifulness, helplessness, or grievance of the past!

"I want to go down the mountain!" Luo Hengzhi said, his voice low and hoarse.

Ye Zi continued to look at Luo Hengzhi without saying a word.

"It'll be a long time... I might not come back again." Luo Hengzhi said as she got up, took off the plain ring from her hand, and placed it on the bed.

Ye Zi's gaze shifted from Luo Hengzhi to the plain ring on the bed.

Time seemed to move slowly, perhaps a long time, or perhaps only 30 seconds had passed, before Ye Zi spoke: "Okay!"

Luo Hengzhi looked at his shoes again. He should take them off when he was leaving, but right now, he really needed them.

"Let's go." Ye Zi stepped forward and, as usual, grabbed Luo Hengzhi's hand once again, forcibly pulling him outside.

This time, however, Ye Zi seemed to be holding the other person's hand even tighter!