Upon entering the living room, a man around thirty years old sat in the main seat. Although his face was quite pale, it was still clear that he was a remarkably handsome man.

Yin Ming couldn't help but give a thumbs up in his heart, praising the family's excellent genes.

Yao Chu stepped forward and said with a bright smile, "Father, please calm down. Guess what Ling'er and I brought back?"

"What?" the middle-aged man said, clearly impatient, with an expression that said, "If you don't give me a reasonable explanation, you're going to get beaten up."

"It's Mo Lian. Mother's illness can be cured." Yao Chu said with a smile, handing the jade box containing Mo Lian to the middle-aged man.

"What?!" Yao Fu immediately stood up from the main seat, his face filled with uncontrollable shock and joy. He took the jade box from his son's hand. "Is this real?"

With trembling hands, he eagerly lifted the jade lid, and a delicate fragrance immediately wafted out.

Inside the jade box lay a black lotus, its dark seedpod still glistening with water droplets, as if it had just been picked, and it was perfectly preserved.

It really is Mo Lian! Madam is saved!

While Yao Fu was initially pleased, he gradually realized something was amiss. He frowned and asked, "Where did you get this jade box and the ink lotus?"

His two children have never liked cultivation since they were young. Out of love, he did not force them to do things they did not like. Given their current state of having no cultivation at all, how could they possibly obtain the Black Lotus protected by a companion beast?

Moreover, Mo Lian's companion beast is incredibly powerful; even he himself is no match for it.

Buying it would be even more impossible, since the Black Lotus is beneficial to magical beasts, so cultivators who can afford it will arrange it for their magical pets.

With prices soaring, the supply of black lotus is far from meeting demand, and there is even a shortage of available goods. He asked around everywhere but couldn't find anyone willing to sell it.

Even if someone were willing to sell it to him, he might have to use the resources of half a city to buy it, not to mention the jade box containing the black lotus, whose value is evident just from its material.

Upon hearing this, Yao Chu moved to the side, and Yin Ming and Ling Yao, who had been standing behind him, appeared in front of the city lord.

Yao Fu had actually been paying attention to Yin Ming and Ling Yao all along. The reason was simply that Ling Yao's looks were too good; he could attract everyone's attention just by standing there quietly.

Yao Fu was too preoccupied with her child's affairs to pay attention to the two of them.

Furthermore, Yao Fu had also probed their cultivation levels but could not sense their realm. In this case, either these two were just commoners, or their cultivation levels were higher than his.

Yao Fu had only managed to cultivate to the high level of the fourth realm in his entire life. How could he possibly believe that two young people who looked about the same age as his children could have a higher cultivation level than him? He subconsciously categorized Yin Ming and the other person as commoners.

They assumed she was a new friend of Yao Chu's who had been brought to their home to play, so they didn't pay much attention to her.

At this moment, Yao Chu's blatant hint gradually shattered Yao Fu's established values.

While Yao Fu was still wondering if it was just a coincidence that the two of them happened to have the Black Lotus, Yao Chu directly shattered his last shred of hope, "Father, we must thank these two benefactors properly. They not only helped us pick the Black Lotus, but also saved our lives."

Yao Chu recounted the whole story. Yao Fu's expression changed repeatedly as he listened to his son's account. By the end, his previous disdain had completely vanished.

“…Young heroes, I was negligent just now, please forgive me.”

"I, Yao, would like to express my deepest gratitude to both of you..."

Yao Fu bowed solemnly to the two of them, remained silent for a moment, and could only sigh after a long while, "Truly, the younger generation is formidable."

Yin Ming almost burst out laughing at Yao Fu's conflicted, frustrated, and utterly devastated expression. He covered his mouth with his hand to stifle his laughter and coughed twice before saying:

"It's nothing, just a pleasure to help others. I wonder if the city lord needs our help to treat your lady?"

Yin Ming remembered that the Black Lotus required at least a fifth-level cultivation to wield, and the City Lord Yao's fourth-level high-level cultivation was a bit questionable; things could easily go wrong.

Yao Fu's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Indeed, it is needed. The elder once said that only cultivators at the fifth realm can use this Ink Lotus. We have been recruiting cultivators at the fifth realm, but..."

As if unwilling to say more, Yao Fu only said this much, and then changed the subject, saying, "If the two young heroes are willing to lend a helping hand, I will be eternally grateful."

Yao Fu originally planned that after obtaining the Ink Lotus, if he failed to recruit any cultivators at the fifth realm, he would do his best to save his wife, even if it meant suffering a backlash.

Now, not only has he obtained the Ink Lotus, but a cultivator at the fifth realm is also willing to help him cast spells. It's truly a blessing from heaven for the Yao family!

Yin Ming could guess what Yao Chengzhu was thinking even with his toes. He silently complained to himself, "You should be glad you have a daughter who is the female lead. That's why the system in this world is so friendly to your family. Thinking about how I, Yin Ming, have come all this way... I've really shed a lot of bitter tears."

Yao Fu said no more and led Yin Ming and the other two towards the backyard.

Passing through the tranquil courtyard, walking along the intricately carved corridor, and pushing open the red sandalwood door at the end, a sleeping beauty lies quietly on the half-drawn bed curtains...

Ugh, lying there quietly was a woman whose features bore a resemblance to the female lead, looking no more than twenty years old—need I say more? It was obvious at a glance that she was the female lead's mother… cough cough her mother.

As Yao Ling watched her mother's face grow paler and paler, even though she had lost consciousness, she still furrowed her brows from time to time in her sleep, as if she were in great pain. She could no longer hide her worry, and her eyes reddened as she knelt down in front of the bed.

"Mother, you must get better soon."

The perfect time to win their favor has arrived!

Yin Ming turned his head and said, "A Yao."

He had already taught the male protagonist how to use the Ink Lotus. Yin Ming waved his hand and said, "Whoosh, fill it up for me!"

Lingyao nodded and placed the jade box on the carved bedside table.

He quickly formed hand seals, his resentment surging, and the black lotus in the box was driven to slowly rise into the air, hovering above the city lord's wife and rotating gently.

Time passed second by second, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on Lingyao's forehead.

The black lotus emitted a soft light, drawing out and absorbing the wisps of malevolent energy from the city lord's wife into its seedpod.

This malevolent energy is somewhat special; it's red.

“This is…” Yao Fu said with a somewhat solemn expression.

"What's wrong?" Yin Ming had never seen this kind of resentment before, and it wasn't mentioned in the original work. Could it be a mutation?

Yao Fu shook her head and said, "It's nothing, I was probably overthinking it."

Tsk, you clearly have this serious look on your face. Talk it out if you want, or don't.

The last trace of malevolent energy was absorbed into the black lotus. Lingyao exhaled softly and made a hand seal to retract the black lotus.

Upon seeing this, Yao Fu quickly stepped forward to check his wife's pulse. Sensing that the energy in her meridians had returned to normal, he was overjoyed and bowed respectfully to Ling Yao and the other man.

"Young hero, your kindness and virtue are unforgettable!"

Yao Ling and her brother followed suit and respectfully bowed to the two.

Lingyao simply nodded, while Yinming waved his hand, saying it was nothing.

The city lord's wife's complexion returned to its rosy hue, but she remained unconscious. It was likely that the evil energy had been in her body for too long, and she would need to rest for a while to fully recover.

Having done everything they needed to do, Yin Ming and Ling Yao left the room, leaving the space to the female protagonist and her family.