Chapter 100: Yang Xiu
Chapter 100: Yang Xiu
“Ling Yi, this is Yang Xiu. I heard you are in the Capital City. Would it be convenient to meet?”
“Auntie, hello. Please tell me the address, I will come right away.”
The person calling was Luo Xue’s mother.
The last time Ling Yi saw Yang Xiu was several years ago.
Back then, Ling Yi had just started his freshman year of university, and there was just the faintest hint of something budding between him and Luo Xue.
Yang Xiu, along with her younger sister Yang Li… that is, Luo Xue’s aunt, had specially traveled from the far south to the Capital City to meet him in private.
After that, Ling Yi and Luo Xue became buddies.
To this day, Luo Xue still did not know her mother and aunt had come to see Ling Yi back then.
Seeing Yang Xiu again, this woman in her forties was still stunningly beautiful. No one who saw her would think she was the mother of a woman in her twenties.
Some people might even believe she was a young woman in her twenties herself.
They arranged to meet at a high-end restaurant. By the time Ling Yi arrived, Yang Xiu had already ordered the food.
As soon as he arrived, the waitstaff quickly served all the dishes.
Ling Yi glanced at them and was somewhat surprised to find that most of them were actually his favorite dishes.
“I heard Little Xue mention your preferences many times, so I remembered what you liked to eat. I hope you don’t mind me taking the liberty of ordering?” Yang Xiu was very beautiful, and her voice was also very gentle. Apart from looking alike, she was nothing like the fiery, strong-willed Luo Xue.
“Auntie, you are so thoughtful and even remembered what I like to eat. How could I possibly blame you?” Ling Yi smiled and sat down.
“What would you like to drink?” Yang Xiu asked Ling Yi with a smile.
“Water is fine,” Ling Yi said.
He held no ill feelings towards Luo Xue’s mother.
Back then, when she came with her sister to see him, it wasn’t a drama where a wealthy family forces a poor boy to leave their daughter. There were other circumstances involved.
Yang Xiu asked the waiter for a bottle of mineral water. Looking at Ling Yi gently, she said, “We’ve heard about Little Xue’s situation. The reason for coming this time is to tell you not to worry about her. You have a grudge against Lu Qingming, so don’t go to the Chu State. They don’t dare to do anything to Little Xue.”
Ling Yi nodded. “That Sect… will step in to intervene?”
Yang Xiu sighed softly. “Yes, they already know about this matter and are extremely angry. They have already sent their disciples to negotiate with the Chu State. I believe she will be released in a few days. We were afraid you would worry, and this matter wasn’t really suitable to discuss over the phone. I happened to be in the Capital City recently to take care of some business, so I thought to invite you out and tell you this in person.”
Ling Yi first thanked her, then asked, “Auntie, are you sure that Sect really has no problem handling this? The Chu State also has Sects backing them. And traditionally, Sects rarely directly interfere in worldly affairs.”
Yang Xiu was silent for a moment. “There should be no problem. The Chu State’s detention of Little Xue is pure fabrication. Although Sects rarely interfere in worldly matters, if their own disciples suffer a wrong, they will still step forward. So please don’t worry about this matter.”
Ling Yi thought for a moment, then smiled and thanked her again. “I understand, Auntie. Thank you for coming all this way to remind me.”
Yang Xiu looked at Ling Yi, speaking softly and gently, “If not for that matter, I think I would have been very happy to see Little Xue and you together. You are an excellent young man, and I like you very much too, but…”
Ling Yi smiled a sincere smile. “Auntie, I understand all that. You don’t need to worry; I won’t put you in a difficult position.”
“Nonsense! Luo Xue is someone I’ve taken a liking to. What kind of bullshit Sect dares to take her away? Let’s mess them up!”
The Enchantress suddenly spoke up furiously in Ling Yi’s mind.
Ling Yi immediately felt speechless.
“Little Xue is a very stubborn child. She’s always been extremely resistant to that side of things. Before, forced into a corner, she said she would wait until her studies were finished, and that side agreed. But then she ran off to Great Chu for her master’s degree, and after that she even wants to get a doctorate…”
Yang Xiu ate slowly and elegantly as she spoke somewhat helplessly to Ling Yi. “Anyone could see she was trying to buy time, but to the Sect, this has no meaning. Especially with this incident happening now, I’m afraid she won’t be able to continue her studies in the Chu State. So…”
Ling Yi looked up at Yang Xiu. “Auntie, there’s something I’ve never quite understood…”
“Mm, go ahead and ask. Actually, you should have asked back then, but you… were a bit, well, too steady,” Yang Xiu said with a light laugh, looking at Ling Yi with genuine fondness in her eyes.
She truly liked this young man, but that Sect… forget about their Luo family, even the Great Qin royal family might not have the courage to refuse them!
An arm can’t twist a thigh. It was frustrating, but that was reality.
“Although Luo Xue’s talent is good, it shouldn’t be top-tier. How did that major Sect discover her back then? And the key thing is, why was she promised to that Sect’s Young Master at such a young age?”
Ling Yi looked at Yang Xiu. There was another sentence he felt too awkward to say out loud. He had been to the Heaven’s Gate Sect and knew very well what status worldly people held in the eyes of a Sect.
Being accepted as a disciple was one thing, but being directly betrothed to marry the Sect’s Young Master as his principal wife… this, no matter how he thought about it, seemed absurd.
The concept of marrying within one’s social standing didn’t just exist in the secular world.
It was even more pronounced among Sects!
This matter had troubled Ling Yi for a long time. Back when Yang Xiu brought her sister to see him privately, begging him to let Luo Xue go, he had wanted to ask.
But at that time, maybe due to youthful pride, or perhaps simple shyness, he hadn’t actually asked.
Now, with the passage of time and after several years and so many experiences, what was once a difficult question to voice was no longer such a big deal.
“Has Little Xue never told you?” Yang Xiu looked at Ling Yi and said softly, “Actually, we don’t really understand either. It’s just that the people from that Sect said she was a born Five Elements Dao Body, an exceptional cultivation genius…”
The Enchantress made a surprised “Huh?” sound in Ling Yi’s mind, then sneered, “Five Elements Dao Body? Those kinds of Sects, they have the ability to cultivate a Five Elements Dao Body? Clearly, they want to use her as a furnace!”
A scornful voice came from the Enchantress in Ling Yi’s head.
“A furnace?” Ling Yi frowned.
“Putting it nicely, it’s… it’s… never mind, there is no nice way to say it.”
“…”
The Enchantress said coldly, “To put it bluntly, she’s a tool for others to cultivate from. At regular intervals, they would extract and absorb the Five Elements Dao Charm from her body.”
“A Sect with a conscience would ensure her nourishment and health, perhaps guaranteeing her a lifetime of wealth and comfort. If she encountered a heartless one, they wouldn’t care at all if she lived or died. Once they extracted all the Five Elements Dao Charm from her body, they would simply discard her!”
Ling Yi’s brow furrowed. “Extract and absorb? How would they do that?”
The Enchantress said irritably, “What do you think?”
Ling Yi fell silent. He understood, but it was just a bit hard to accept this cruel truth. Anger filled his heart.
The Enchantress continued, “Five Elements Dao Charm is non-renewable. It’s like a Spirit Stone mine; once it’s dug out, it’s gone. So no matter what, her outcome would definitely not be good.”
Ling Yi remained silent, a thunderstorm of emotion erupting in his chest.
Even if the Enchantress didn’t get involved, he wouldn’t stand idly by in this matter.
Yang Xiu looked at Ling Yi’s changed expression, feeling a bit strange, and asked gently, “Child, are you alright?”
Ling Yi snapped back to reality and forced a smile. “I’m fine, Auntie. By the way, I have another question…”
“Mm, go ahead and ask,” Yang Xiu nodded.
“That time when the Sect first came to your door, they gave your family quite a few benefits, right?” Ling Yi asked.
Yang Xiu was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly. “What benefits? Back then, my father-in-law suddenly fell seriously ill, and there was no cure. It just so happened that people from that Sect came to our door. They recognized Little Xue’s physique and proposed a condition: accept Little Xue as a disciple, and in the future, she would marry the Sect’s Young Master. As long as we agreed, they would treat my father-in-law…”
She looked at Ling Yi. “If it were you, what would you do?”
“Just so happened?” Ling Yi frowned slightly.
Yang Xiu smiled bitterly. “We did suspect it. Why did my father-in-law get so sick so conveniently? But then we thought, even if the truth was what we suspected… what could we do?”
Ling Yi was silent.
Yang Xiu said, “Little Xue has always resisted, but she hasn’t fought tooth and nail, also because her grandfather’s illness was cured by that Sect.”
The Enchantress then said calmly in Ling Yi’s mind, “No need to think about it. It was definitely that Sect causing trouble behind the scenes. What are the chances of such a coincidence? This method is also very familiar; it’s what those Sects often do.”
“No way, I like that girl. This marriage arrangement must be ruined!”
The Enchantress said angrily, “And that Sect, what kind of rubbish are they? We’ll deal with them later! Don’t be afraid, I’ll back you up! Let’s finish them off!”
By now, the two of them had almost finished eating. Yang Xiu stood up, looking at Ling Yi with a hint of regret and heartache in her eyes.
Such a fine young man, very well-matched with Little Xue.
Even though the Luo family also cared about social standing, one couldn’t find any fault with a young man like Ling Yi.
What a pity…
“Ling Yi, you are a smart child. There are many things I don’t need to remind you of; you understand the reasoning yourself.” Yang Xiu looked at Ling Yi, offering sincere advice. “You are still young and have infinite possibilities in the future. So… please don’t do anything too risky.”
Ling Yi smiled and nodded. “Alright, Auntie, I understand.”
Yang Xiu sighed, knowing she hadn’t truly convinced Ling Yi. What could she say? She felt both gratified and regretful. She could only hope heaven would open its eyes and protect this child.
After Yang Xiu left, Ling Yi took the special car Qin Hao had assigned him back to his residence inside the Imperial Garden.
The Little Fox was already resting. Ling Yi also returned to his room.
The Enchantress teased him in his mind, “I didn’t realize you were so likable. I can tell Luo Xue’s mother genuinely likes you.”
Ling Yi leaned against the headboard without speaking. He was still thinking about the whole “furnace” matter.
If Luo Xue had simply been noticed by a top-tier Sect, accepted as a disciple, and then betrothed to the Sect’s Young Master, even if he felt uncomfortable, he would have nothing to say.
Especially since over the years, he and Luo Xue had interacted more as friends; there was no real romance to speak of.
But after hearing the Enchantress’s explanation, Ling Yi truly couldn’t stay calm.
In front of Yang Xiu, he had acted composed, but in reality, his heart was already filled with towering rage.
Apart from the hatred for his Adoptive Father, this was the first time he had felt such a strong urge to kill.
“Don’t think too much. I will help you,” the Enchantress said quietly in his mind.
“The power you’ve stored isn’t enough. When facing a real opponent, you still need to use the power from the Starstone. And once you use it, you’ll change back into the real you, right?” Ling Yi asked.
The Enchantress was silent for a moment, then laughed. “Yes, so what? It’s all me. I’ll help you either way.”
“But I prefer it to be you,” Ling Yi said.
“Ah, you…” the Enchantress sighed quietly but didn’t say anything more.
“Also, for you to truly recover, you must absorb enough power, right? Helping me like this time after time, when will you ever truly recover?”
“Not recovering is fine too. Staying by your side like this, helping you deal with those self-important little Sects, is also quite enjoyable.” The Enchantress giggled, seemingly not caring at all. “And who knows, maybe by dealing with them, we’ll accumulate enough energy.”
“…”
That works too?
“Sleep. Don’t think so much. Before you truly grow strong, I’ll stay by your side.” The Enchantress spoke with a rare touch of warmth.
Why are you so good to me?
This question revolved many times in Ling Yi’s heart, but in the end, he did not ask it out loud.