A pair of bulging cheeks moved, and silver hair brushed the golden eyes.
She was smiling and her face had a light makeup on like a spring butterfly.
*"Hehehe."*
Xiao Tian was delighted, but Ye Anping's veins popped up when he heard her voice.
"💢"As he came back to his senses, he cursed the "Will of Heaven" in his heart.
...
Ye Anping pinched the bridge of his nose. Even his sister had not made him blush too many times, but Feng Yu Die could turn him into a shy young man, blushing at the girl's pretty smile.
He turned back and glared at Xiao Tian, who innocently continued to practice boxing.
Ye Anping sighed slightly. He waved at Feng Yu Die outside the door and returned to the peach tree in the courtyard. After taking out some wood from his storage bag, he set up a simple grill.
After building a fire, he took out two roasted chickens that he had already marinated and skewered them on a spare sword. Then, he squatted down.
Seeing Feng Yu Die still waiting foolishly outside the door, he frowned. "Why are you still standing at the door?""Oh!"
Feng Yu Die came to her senses and ran to his side in her embroidered shoes. Straightening her skirt, she hugged her knees and sat down beside him. With a grin, she stared at him roasting chicken for her. "Young Master Ye, you look the most handsome when you roast chicken, hehe--"
?
Ye Anping rolled his eyes at her but didn't say anything. He silently picked up the sword with a roasted chicken strung on it and spun it over the fire.
The smell of peach blossoms in the yard was gradually covered by the thirteen spices of the soy sauce roasted chicken.
Looking at the roasted chicken that was already dripping oil, Ye Anping lost himself in some reveries.
At first, he put a few marinated chickens in the storage bag, thinking that in some cases, he could use them to shut Feng Yu Die's mouth. Besides, when he and his sister were outside, they might not always be able to stay at an inn, so they could occasionally satisfy their cravings.
But without realizing it, it became a habit.
Even when he was in the ***Black Star*** Sect, he would still pickle a few chickens and put them in his storage bag...
While he was daydreaming, the chicken was roasted.
Ye Anping handed the sword-skewer to Feng Yu Die, then stood up and walked back to the peach tree. He sat down cross-legged, watched her blow on the chicken for a while before starting to feast, and shook his head speechlessly.
"Go back after eating. I'll roast chicken for you every day these days but don't bother me. I don't have time to play with you."
"Oh... then what about forming the *Nascent Soul*?"
"Just as Mr. Qi said, death is almost certain."
"Ah? Then..."
Ye Anping lowered his eyes and interrupted. He placed his elbow on his knee, sighing helplessly. "I have dual spiritual roots, so I should have formed a second-grade Golden Core and go through a second-grade *Nascent Soul* tribulation. It has been more than eight years, almost nine. If I hadn't picked you up in **Wuxi Town**, I wouldn't have been involved in these things. Who knows, at this moment, I would be preparing to form the core with Xiyue and my sister in the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect."
Feng Yu Die thought that Ye Anping was complaining about her, and she immediately stopped gnawing on the roasted chicken.
However, Ye Anping's tone changed, becoming serious. "But nothing can be done without adapting to local conditions. The reason why Mister Qi said I couldn't transcend the *Nascent Soul* tribulation wasn't because there is no way, but because it isn't a method for immortal cultivators. It is also a method that no one dared to think of since ancient times.
---"That is, a *Void Returning* cultivator should pass on his spiritual root to me."
Feng Yu Die was startled. "What?!"
Ye Anping explained calmly. "As long as I can convince a *Void Returning* cultivator to give me his spiritual root, I can survive this *Nascent Soul* tribulation."
"Then, what will happen to that *Void Returning* cultivator after giving you his spiritual root?"
"It will vanish into thin air."
"Then, how do you convince them..."
"What do you think I've been doing all this time?"
"..."
"Nothing will go wrong, right?"
"No."
Feng Yu Die wanted to ask "What if?", but after hesitating for a while, she didn't say it out loud, and she continued to nibble her roasted chicken in small bites.
Ye Anping looked at her with mixed feelings. He let out a sigh. "If you have the time to worry about not being able to eat my roasted chicken, you might as well practice your sword more. In the end, you will be struck to death by the *Nascent Soul* tribulation."
"Oh~ Didn't you just say that I can form my *Nascent Soul* casually?"
"..."
"Hee--"
Looking at Feng Yu Die's mouth full of chicken oil, Ye Anping ignored her. After extinguishing the fire with a wave of his hand, he quieted his mind and continued to meditate.
The spring breeze passed through the courtyard, and peach blossom petals fell on his shoulders.
After a while, a flying sword swayed before landing in front of the compound's gate, and the sound of boots stepping on the grass came from outside the open gate.
Liang Zhu came to the courtyard door, expressionless and with dark circles under his eyes. He saw Sixth Brother meditating in the courtyard beside Feng Yu Die who was gnawing on the roasted chicken in small bites, and suddenly, a few veins popped on his forehead.
This *Ye Tianchong*...
Liang Zhu's eyes twitched slightly. Then, he saw the severed hand hanging under the eaves and suddenly felt a chill on his back. He rubbed his nose and knocked on the door.
*Bang Bang---*
"Hmm?" Feng Yu Die turned her head. "You are Liang... Liang..."
Liang Zhu rolled his eyes at her. "Zhu."
"Right, Zhu..."
"..."
Hearing Feng Yu Sie's greeting, Ye Anping was amused. He opened his eyes and stood up quickly. "Brother Liang, you're finally here."
"You want me to leave, then?"
Liang Zhu glared at him and turned to leave.
Ye Anping didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He stood up and quickly chased after him, asking with a smile, "Are you still angry about the painting? I was just joking, to encourage you."
"Heh~ You still dare to mention the painting?"
"What's wrong?"
"The painting is very good. The Empress framed it in her room. So every time I go to the Empress' place, I can train my mind control."
Ye Anping cupped his hands. "Brother, I admire your practical attitude."
Liang Zhu rolled his eyes at him again, not wanting to continue talking about these things with him. After a moment of silence, he said, "Do you know what's going on outside?"
Ye Anping also became serious as he nodded faintly. "I can roughly guess it. But I have hardly left the courtyard during this period, so I have only heard it from others."
"Many sects have sent people to the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect to gather intelligence, both overt and covert. Even people in the black market have set their sights on the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect, trying to get in to gather information about you all day long. I haven't had much rest during this period..."
Ye Anping raised his chin, thought for a moment, and nodded. "It's a little more serious than I expected, but the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect has you, big brother, so I believe there shouldn't be any problems."
Liang Zhu rolled his eyes at him and replied, "Heh, you flatterer."
The ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect now had Commander Fu Xuan overseeing it. Moreover, there were more than ten *Nascent Soul* cultivators left in the *Justice Division*.
In addition, it was only a few hundred miles away from the ***Black Star*** Sect. Now, Old Madam Si was most likely keeping an eye over it as well. Therefore, the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect did not need to worry for the time being.
But...
While Ye Anping was deep in thought, Liang Zhu spoke up what he was thinking. "Sixth Brother, I think you should settle this matter as soon as possible. Even a swarm of mosquitoes can suck you dry."
"Of course I know. I was just waiting for you to come, Big Brother."
*I knew it*... Liang Zhu sighed earnestly. After considering the seriousness of this matter, he raised a finger.
"One thing."
Ye Anping instantly replied, "Deal."
"I didn't even say it, and you dare to agree? Aren't you afraid that I'll raise the stake?"
"Heh..." Ye Anping smiled. "Now, the Empress and the *Justice Division* are both in the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect, and Ating is in the ***Black Star*** Sect. I think that you still recognize our brotherhood. Why would you ask more than the lion's share?"
Although he didn't want to admit it, it was the truth...
Liang Zhu's eyes twitched. His weak spots were indeed in Sixth Brother's hands, and it was already good enough that he did not work for nothing.
But then again, ever since he came to the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect, his life and Ating's were much better than before.
Perhaps because Pei Lianxue often taught her how to practice the sword, Ating was much more powerful than other cultivators of the same level.
Last month, Ating had been too ruthless in the sword examination and sent a senior sister of the ***Black Star*** Sect, who was two small levels above her, into the clinic. After that, the Elder locked her up for a few days on the grounds that she did not know her limits.
When Liang Zhu heard about this, he was actually very proud.
As for Tong Zilan, she hastily sent some pills to the ***Black Star*** Sect disciple who entered the clinic...
"Then, you know my conditions?"
"Don't worry, I have always seen Ating as my niece."
"Heh... Tell me, what is it?"
"Use the black market intelligence dealers to spread the news of the *Immortal Summoning Order* to the heads of the ***Magical Poison*** and ***Hedonistic*** Sects. Exaggerate a bit and emphasize two points. First of all, the head of the ***Bright Star ***Sect has one foot into the ground, and secondly, my *Spring Phase*."
Liang Zhu frowned as he listened. He stared at Ye Anping and asked, "What do you mean?"
Ye Anping nodded seriously before explaining, "The war between the demonic cultivators of the **Eastern Region** and the immortal sects of the four regions is inevitable. It's only a matter of time. Now, the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect had suffered a setback in the Eastern Wall incident, and although the ***Bright Star*** Sect Master is indeed close to the end of his life, he is still able to use his sword.
"This incident is the first arrow for both sides. After the news is released, the **Eastern Region** demonic cultivators will not sit idly by. They will cross the **Sword Gate Pass** and invade the **Southern Region** to destroy the ***Bright Star*** Sect."
"You want to start a war?" Liang Zhu narrowed his eyes.
"I'm not the one who started it."
Ye Anping shook his head and continued, "This mine was planted long ago. I just want to detonate it before there are too many people around it."
The demonic cultivator invading the four regions was a foregone conclusion.
In the game, Zu Yuan had been eyeing Feng Yu Die since the *Immortal Summoning Order*.
Zu Yuan tried to catch Feng Yu Die six times in a row, but every time she was about to be sent to him, she escaped because of the Immortal Matriarch or something else.
After being angered seven times, Zu Yuan finally succumbed to the inner demon because of the pressure of his lifespan ending. Because of this, Si Xuanji and Grandmaster Zhiming joined forces to kill him.
After Zu Yuan fell, the demonic cultivators seized the opportunity again.
They broke through the **Sword Gate Pass** and invaded the **Southern Region**, causing countless deaths and injuries among the immortal cultivators.
In the end, due to Sun Juehu's sneak attack from the **Northern Region**, the demonic cultivators temporarily retreated.
But the **Southern Region** was also left in smoking ruins and countless casualties.
Therefore, while Zu Yuan was still powerful, he only needed to use the news to make the ***Magical Poison*** Sect and ***Hedonistic*** Sect masters unable to sit still and immediately attack the **Southern Region**. Then, he would use Zu Yuan to help the Immortal Family eliminate two major problems before the war between the immortals and demons erupted.
At the same time, he could also use Zu Yuan's death to get the spiritual roots needed to form his *Nascent Soul*.
This was killing two birds with one stone.
After all, rather than letting a *Void Returning* cultivator die in vain because of Feng Yu Die, it would be better to let him die in the process of performing justice on behalf of Heaven.
This was also the reason he would use to convince Immortal Zu Yuan to give him his spiritual root.
Zhu Liang stared into Ye Anping's deep dark purple eyes. He didn't know what Ye Anping was thinking, but he didn't ask him to tell him everything. He only asked, "Provoking a war between immortals and demons, just for profit?"
Ye Anping smiled. "Of course. It's not wrong to seek benefits for yourself, but this is also a move for the Immortal Family."
Liang Zhu sneered. "...After all, I am just paid to do a job."
"Then, you asked if it was for profit?"
"Heh..."
Liang Zhu summoned his flying sword and stepped on it. Just as he was about to leave, he turned around and saw Feng Yu Die standing by the side and eavesdropping. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Sixth Brother."
"What?"
"Mrs. Kong is already preparing for your marriage with Miss Pei. Once the storm has passed, we can do it."
"...Yes."
Ye Anping remembered that his father had mentioned this matter in his previous letter. He said that he was going to make it on a large scale, so he needed to prepare for a while. But now that the *Immortal Summoning Order* had suddenly appeared, he temporarily shelved it.
He didn't react, and Liang Zhu wanted to repeat, but a voice came from behind. "Eh?!"
Ye Anping froze for a moment, and his eyes twitched. Looking at Zhu Liang's eyes, he understood what was going on.
Feng Yu Die pursed her lips and asked curiously, "Master Ye, are you and Sister Pei going to get married?"
"..."
Ye Anping turned around and wanted to say something but stopped. Liang Zhu, on his flying sword, revealed a pleased smile, thinking that he could watch his Sixth Brother's defeat.
Seeing that Ye Anping remained silent for a long time, Feng Yu Die asked shyly, "Can you add me as well?"
Liang Zhu was silent.
Ye Anping was silent too.
The two stared at Feng Yu Die for a while, then one of them flew away on his sword in disappointment because he didn't see his Sixth Brother's embarrassment, while the other turned and walked around Feng Yu Die, back toward the yard.
"Hey~ Master Ye, let's discuss it..."
*Bang---*
Before Feng Yu Die could enter the yard, Ye Anping closed the door.
