With three supreme masters, they were invincible upon descending the mountain.

"Young Master Ye, what do you think of my home?"

In the back garden of the Lin family manor, the evening sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Lin Qingxue walked ahead, her steps light and quick, like a joyful little deer.

She occasionally turned around, gave Ye Yaocheng a sweet smile, and even twirled around, her skirt billowing like a blooming white lotus.

It's clear she's in a good mood right now.

Grandpa woke up, his biggest worry was gone, and the huge weight that had been pressing on his heart was finally lifted.

Ye Yaocheng looked around. The pavilions, terraces, rockeries, and waterside pavilions all exuded the heritage and grandeur of a century-old family.

"High-end and impressive." He spoke frankly, "No wonder it's the premier family in Linjiang."

But in her heart she thought that the Guangling Lake Manor that Third Master Lin gave her was in a better location and was larger in area. If it were rebuilt as Wang Shiyu said, it might not be inferior to the Lin family's manor.

As he was thinking, he didn't notice that Lin Qingxue in front of him suddenly stopped.

"Um?"

Ye Yaocheng was stunned, and before he could stop, he bumped into it.

My first impression was that it was soft.

It's so soft!

It carries the unique fragrance and body temperature of a young girl.

Lin Qingxue let out an "Ah," and her body swayed slightly.

Ye Yaocheng quickly steadied her by the shoulder.

He gently squeezed his palm, feeling a soft, bouncy sensation that sent a shiver through him.

But he immediately released his grip and took a half step back: "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Lin Qingxue didn't speak. She lowered her head, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of her skirt, her knuckles turning slightly white, and her ears turning a quiet red.

After a long while, she finally mustered up her courage, raised her head to look at Ye Yaocheng, her eyes clear and filled with a certain determination.

"Thank you, Ye Yaocheng." Her voice was soft, but earnest.

"I said that as long as you can cure Grandpa, I will agree to any conditions."

I owe you a favor.

"I'll do whatever you ask me to do from now on."

These words were so heavy that Ye Yaocheng was taken aback.

He looked at the girl in front of him, who was clearly shy but trying to appear calm, and suddenly smiled.

It wasn't a normal smile; it was a very gentle smile.

He reached out and gently ruffled Lin Qingxue's hair, the movement so natural, as if he had done it a thousand times.

Lin Qingxue trembled, but did not flinch; instead, she gripped the hem of her skirt even tighter.

"Aren't we friends?" Ye Yaocheng withdrew his hand, his voice gentle. "Friends don't talk about these things."

He paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "If Miss Lin doesn't mind, I'll call you Qingxue from now on."

Lin Qingxue's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously, "Yes!"

After thinking for a moment, she added softly, "Then, I'll call you Brother Cheng."

After saying that, her face turned even redder.

Ye Yaocheng smiled and said, "Okay."

As the sun set, the two stood facing each other, their shadows stretched long and almost overlapping.

No one spoke, but something seemed different.

The atmosphere became ambiguous for a few seconds.

Ye Yaocheng was the first to come to his senses. His expression turned serious, and his tone became solemn.

"Qingxue, there's something I need to remind you of."

"The Soul Palace's plan has failed this time, and they won't let it go easily. You and your grandfather need to be careful lately."

Lin Qingxue nodded.

She hesitated for a moment, biting her lip, her eyes filled with struggle, before finally speaking softly after several seconds.

"Brother Cheng, I might know why the Soul Palace targeted Grandpa."

Ye Yaocheng didn't urge her; he just looked at her calmly.

Lin Qingxue took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind: "I've heard my grandfather mention before that the secret realm that Linjiang is going to open this time is not simple."

"It contains both an immense opportunity and an immense secret."

"Grandpa said that when the secret realm opened last time, Linjiang was in chaos."

"It's chaotic?" Ye Yaocheng frowned. "The Lin family has been in charge of Linjiang for hundreds of years, and they even have a Martial King realm expert. Can't they keep things under control?"

"It's not that we can't suppress it," Lin Qingxue shook her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "It's that there's simply no way to suppress it."

She paused, her voice becoming low, "Actually, the rise of our Lin family and its ability to stand strong in Linjiang for hundreds of years is largely due to this secret realm."

Ye Yaocheng's eyes flickered; there was a hidden meaning in his words.

Lin Qingxue raised her hand, tapping her chin with her index finger, looking particularly adorable as she pondered intently.

"Grandpa said... that secret realm seems to be alive."

"Alive?" Ye Yaocheng raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm." Lin Qingxue nodded. "It looks like there's something locked inside."

"Therefore, every sixty years, when the secret realm opens, the rare and precious materials and cultivation techniques inside will appear continuously."

"Otherwise, if it only opens once every sixty years, even the best things would have been exhausted long ago. How could it keep coming back?"

Ye Yaocheng nodded, agreeing that those treasures were indeed non-renewable resources, and the fact that they had been around for so long meant they were definitely not simple.

However, this place, with its locked-up, living secret realm, does contain a lot of information.

No wonder the Soul Hall wanted to kill Old Master Lin; it seems the old man must know some crucial secrets.

No wonder all sorts of strange and monstrous things have been popping up in Linjiang lately.

"It seems..." Ye Yaocheng muttered to himself, "This water is deeper than I thought."

Lin Qingxue suddenly remembered something, and her eyes lit up:

"By the way, Cheng-ge, I'll take you somewhere in five days!"

"I discovered that place by chance; it seems to be related to a secret realm."

At this point, she said somewhat shyly, "But you can only go in there at night, and I'm a scaredy-cat, I don't dare to go alone, so... I might need you to come with me."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Ye Yaocheng expectantly, like a kitten waiting for its owner's approval.

"Five days later?"

Ye Yaocheng repeated it, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Yes!" Lin Qingxue didn't notice his strangeness and was still excited.

"Five days from now, on the night of the full moon, when the moonlight is at its brightest, that place will become visible!"

On the night of the full moon, Ye Yaocheng's heart sank.

He remained silent for a few seconds before slowly nodding: "Okay."

"I'll come pick you up then."

"That's great!" Lin Qingxue smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Ye Yaocheng took his leave.

When he left the Lin family manor, it was already dark. He didn't take a taxi, but walked slowly with his brows furrowed.

On the night of the full moon...

For him, this was a problem, a big problem.

Since his origin was damaged, the power within him would go out of control on the night of the full moon every month.

His internal energy was in disarray, and his strength was reduced to less than 30%.

Moreover... their personality will become extremely irritable, bloodthirsty, and full of destructive desires.

Previously, there were three masters on the mountain who would help him suppress and guide his emotions whenever he had an attack.

Although it's painful, at least nothing bad will happen.

But after descending the mountain, it was already the second full moon night.

Last time, he locked himself in his room and endured the night.

They almost tore the room apart.

This time, I'm going to accompany Lin Qingxue to some mysterious place. What if I lose control and hurt her?

Ye Yaocheng rubbed his temples.

Headache.

"Hopefully... nothing goes wrong."

He muttered to himself.

There was a hint of weariness in his voice that he himself didn't even realize.

……

Back at the Ji family home, I pushed open the door and found the house completely dark.

"Bright moon?"

Ye Yaocheng called out, but no one responded.

He turned on the lights and looked through each room.

empty.

Ji Mingyue is not here.

Ji Zheng is not here.

Li Yuxiu was also not there.

All three people were not home.

Something's not right. Ye Yaocheng frowned, took out his phone, and dialed Li Yuxiu's number.

It rang several times before it was answered.

"Feed? Little Ye..."

Li Yuxiu's voice came through the background noise.

"Mom, why is no one home? Where are you?"

"Ah...we have something to do, we'll be back in a bit."

Li Yuxiu's tone was a bit hurried, and there was a hint of panic in it.

"There's been a problem at the construction site, so your dad and I came to take a look."

Construction site?

Ye Yaocheng's heart tightened: "The project in the west of the city?"

"Oh... it's nothing, a minor issue, it'll be taken care of quickly."

"Where is the bright moon?"

"Mingyue is here too, she..."

Before she could finish speaking, a series of hurried voices came from the other end of the phone, as if someone was reporting something to Li Yuxiu.

Li Yuxiu hurriedly said, "I'll hang up now, I'll talk to you later," and then hung up the phone.

Ye Yaocheng stared at his phone screen, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

An accident occurred at the construction site?

Ji Mingyue went there personally?

Even Li Yuxiu panicked?

This is definitely not a small problem!

He walked to the window and looked towards the west of the city.

As night deepened, the city lights in the distance flickered on and off, like pairs of eyes hidden in the shadows.

"The water in Linjiang is getting muddier and muddier," Ye Yaocheng muttered to himself.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, and as the smoke swirled around him, his eyes grew colder and colder.

It seems that someone doesn't want the Ji family to complete this project smoothly.

who is it?

Is it the Soul Palace, or someone else?

Ye Yaocheng flicked away the cigarette ash, his eyes flickering uncertainly.