Mermaids Weep (28)
Han Yaocheng was very interested in the Lingyun Alliance guest elder who had set up the array for Han Chengjin. In his opinion, a cultivator capable of setting up such a talisman array must be quite accomplished in talismans, and his cultivation level must be at least on par with his own. He went to greet him personally and met the white-robed cultivator and the woman beside him. The woman's cultivation was shallow, but judging from the way the two held hands, their relationship was clearly quite close.
"I brought the things back!" Ye Yingying shouted into the yard.
Han Chengjin's door was opened instantly, and Han Chengyu rushed out of the room. He took the round box from Ye Yingying's hand in three quick steps, not even noticing the change in Ye Yingying's eyes. He simply uttered "Thank you" and immediately turned back to his room.
Ye Yingying followed him into the house without hesitation and reminded him, "Yaoyao said to just let him swallow it, but whether it will be effective depends on his reaction."
Han Chengyu opened the round box and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes when he saw the multicolored scales. Without hesitation, he took out the scales, supported his younger brother's head with one hand, and pried open Han Chengjin's lips with the other, feeding him the scales. He had thought that Han Chengjin, who was unconscious, would be unable to swallow, which would be troublesome, but the scales unexpectedly slid smoothly down his throat.
At this moment, Han Chengyu's heart was in his throat. He stared intently at Han Chengjin's sleeping face, his free hand pressing on the other's neck to feel his faint heartbeat.
Thump, thump, thump... His heartbeat gradually grew stronger, slowly regaining its powerful rhythm. Han Chengyu trembled with excitement, tears welling up in his eyes. He struggled to control his overwhelming joy, stroking Han Chengjin's gradually warming cheek, murmuring, "That's wonderful..."
Seeing that Han Chengjin's face was gradually regaining color, Ye Yingying felt relieved and a relaxed smile appeared on her lips. Seeing this, Yun Yanqiu went into the house and, after confirming that Han Chengjin was indeed out of danger, removed the talisman array from his body.
Hearing the commotion inside the courtyard, Han Yaocheng rushed in without a second thought, lifted Han Chengjin's wrist, and checked his pulse. The steady beating made him breathe a sigh of relief, his face lighting up with joy. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Ye Yingying and Yun Yanqiu, saying, "You two have done a great favor to the Han family by saving Chengjin. I will immediately order some fine wine and food to thank you both!"
Ye Yingying returned the greeting and said, "Brother Cheng Jin's recovery is thanks to a friend from the sea. However, she is not able to come over right now, so we will deliver the message on her behalf."
Han Yaocheng thought for a moment and roughly guessed the identity of this "friend," but didn't ask any further questions. He simply turned around and asked Steward Liu to prepare the dinner.
Although Han Chengjin was out of danger, he hadn't opened his eyes since taking the Heart-Protecting Scale. Han Chengyu was worried again and looked at Ye Yingying for help. Ye Yingying met his gaze and could only shrug helplessly, saying, "It's up to Brother Chengjin's fate now."
"Alright, since he's already improved, it's only a matter of time before he wakes up. Let's not all crowd into the room so as not to disturb his rest." Han Yaocheng made a quick decision and called everyone to leave the room.
Night fell quickly on this land. Ye Yingying and Yun Yanqiu arrived at the banquet hall at Han Yaocheng's invitation. When they entered the room, they only saw Han Yaocheng and Han Chengyu. It seemed that Han Chengjin had not yet woken up.
Ye Yingying then asked, "How is Brother Cheng Jin doing?"
“Everything is normal, except that he didn’t open his eyes,” Han Chengyu replied somberly.
Han Yaocheng, who was standing next to him, patted him on the back casually: "It's only been a short time, how could you wake up so quickly? Don't think about anything else."
Han Chengyu glanced at him unmoved, not particularly fond of this father he hadn't seen for decades.
Han Yaocheng ignored these comments and turned to Ye Yingying and Yun Yanqiu, saying, "I was too rushed earlier and didn't have time to get to know you properly. My name is Han Yaocheng. I'm sure my two sons have already mentioned me to you. I've been in seclusion for many years and don't know much about what's going on outside. I only know that you two are from the Lingyun Alliance. May I ask what brings you here?"
"We came to the Secret Sea seeking medicine to cure my eye ailment. We are fortunate to have met you two gentlemen and have received much care from you in the Secret Sea; we are truly grateful," Ye Yingying said simply.
"So it was for treating an eye ailment. Your eyes look quite bright, young lady. Is it already cured?"
Ye Yingying nodded: "Yes, thanks to the miraculous medicines of the Secret Sea."
"Oh..." Han Yaocheng narrowed his eyes meaningfully, "There are indeed many strange things in this Secret Sea, and you two must have experienced quite a few."
"That's natural."
Looking at the middle-aged man with flowing hair and beard, dressed casually, and then at Han Chengyu, who was dressed in fine clothes and had his hair tied up neatly, Ye Yingying found it hard to believe that the two were father and son.
Han Chengyu seemed to sense her hesitation and explained, "My father is engrossed in studying the path to immortality and has been out of touch with worldly affairs for a long time."
After all, reaching the Golden Core stage in one's prime greatly increases the chances of ascending to immortality. Having too many concerns about worldly affairs will only lead to being implicated and hinder one's progress. This is a choice every cultivator must face. Han Yaocheng realized this and chose to go into seclusion early on. Lin Shiyou, however, was different. He desired both worldly riches and immortality, and this greed destined him to breed inner demons and ultimately perish.
"So, what happened after we left?" Ye Yingying asked Han Chengyu.
"Lin Shih-yu and Lin Hsiao-wen are both dead."
"What?" Ye Yingying's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected Lin Xiaowen to lose his life here as well.
"Lin Xiaowen had a fist mark from Lin Shiyou on his abdomen. That punch was extremely powerful and was meant to kill someone." Han Chengyu recalled the details of the time. "We later questioned the servants on the ship and learned that Lin Shiyou had ordered that no one except the rogue cultivator and Lin Xiaowen was allowed to board the ship. It seems that Lin Shiyou had already decided at that time to eliminate everyone on the ship except himself."
"Does that mean the Lin family is left without anyone?"
"They're in complete disarray right now, and it seems unlikely they'll be able to resolve anything anytime soon." Han Chengyu took a sip of tea and continued, "I've explained the whole story to everyone in the Yihai Hall. According to the rules, the main culprit should be dealt with. However, the main culprit is now dead, and the Lin family has many collateral branches. If we were to punish them all, it might implicate innocent people and cause chaos. For now, we can only convict all the servants who were present that day, strip them of their household registration, and exile them as a form of punishment."
"Not bad, Cheng Yu. You've become quite a figure over the years." Han Yaocheng listened from the side and couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder with pride.
Han Chengyu paused, still ignoring him, and continued, "The loose cultivators have all been settled, and each of them has been given some silver as compensation. This case can be considered closed."
At this point, Han Chengyu suddenly picked up his teacup, raised it to Ye Yingying and Yun Yanqiu, and bowed respectfully, saying, "This matter was able to be resolved smoothly thanks to your great help. Cheng Jin was also able to save his life thanks to you both; we are truly grateful!"
"Brother Cheng Yu, you're too kind," Ye Yingying returned the greeting. Yun Yanqiu, who was standing to the side, sipped his tea and nodded silently in agreement.
Han Yaocheng coughed twice and then added, "You two are honored guests of the Han family, and even more so, benefactors of the Han family. If you need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask, and we will do our best to help you."
Then he added, "I wonder what your plans are for the future? If you're not in a hurry, you can stay here for a few more days until Cheng Jin wakes up, so he can thank you in person."
Ye Yingying hadn't made up her mind yet, but Yun Yanqiu calmly said, "We'll leave tomorrow."
"So eager?" Han Yaocheng asked in surprise. He had wanted to have a proper discussion about cultivation with this guest elder of the Lingyun Alliance.
"Is there something urgent? We really would like to treat you two to another tour of the Secret Sea." Han Chengyu was also somewhat surprised.
Yun Yanqiu put down his teacup and said seriously, "No need, there are some urgent matters to attend to within the alliance."
Upon hearing that it concerned the Lingyun Alliance, the Han father and son had no choice but to give up their attempt to persuade him to stay.
"Indeed, Senior Yun is very busy and it's not good to bother you too much," Han Chengyu said regretfully. "Then if you two come to the Secret Sea again in the future, just visit the Han family. You will always be honored guests of the Han family."
The stars twinkled in the clear night sky, and a bright, full moon hung high above, generously showering the earth with its light. After the dinner, Ye Yingying and Yun Yanqiu walked along the bluestone path back to the guest courtyard. They walked one after the other, and the surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps, one fast and one slow, mingling together.
The matter in the Secret Sea was almost over. Ye Yingying lowered her head, contemplating her future plans. Now that her sight had returned, her next step was naturally to reclaim the final layer of Azure Nether True Fire. However, this flame was elusive, and she didn't know where to find it. Yun Yanqiu seemed to have some information channels that could reveal the whereabouts of the Azure Nether True Fire, but if she continued to follow him, it would be difficult to avoid giving herself away.
Yun Yanqiu knew her connection to the Azure Netherfire and knew she absolutely couldn't use it in front of him. But she had no other means of dealing with it. If she continued to suppress her feelings, her identity would be exposed sooner or later. But if she didn't follow him, where would she find the Azure Netherfire?
Ye Yingying was caught in a dilemma. She didn't know whether to follow or not. What should she do?
Lost in thought, the two returned to the guest courtyard. Yun Yanqiu stopped in the courtyard, then suddenly turned around and asked Ye Yingying, "What are your plans for the future?"
"Hmm?" Ye Yingying was lost in thought when he asked her that, and she was taken aback. She quickly tried to use her usual polite words to evade the question, "Senior helped me regain my sight, I am extremely grateful..."
"Who asked you that?" Yun Yanqiu interrupted, her tone unusually impatient. "Now that you can see me, don't you have anything to say to me?"
Ye Yingying's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately panicked. Her eyes widened abruptly, and her face visibly tense. She stammered, "S-What does Senior mean?"
Seeing her like this, Yun Yanqiu's gaze darkened, and he questioned her with some displeasure, "Ye Yingying, do you really think I came here with you because I had no other choice but to help you to the end?"
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