Chapter Forty-Eight: Return

“What?!” Sanhu was utterly dumbfounded by this revelation. “You have a wife?”

Ni Manxiu waved his hand dismissively. “Ah… I told you, it’s just a predetermined arrangement. Actually, I’m the only one who’s decided—she doesn’t even know yet.”

Sanhu pressed, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Ni Manxiu replied with utter seriousness, “Well, you never asked!”

“…”

“In any case, she ran into some trouble and ended up wandering alone. When we get to Wangmai and find her, we’ll watch from afar. Once she’s in danger, I’ll charge in to save the day—perfect plan!”

Sanhu looked at him with utter disdain. “What if she never gets into trouble and lives perfectly well on her own?”

Ni Manxiu burst out laughing. “Oh, do you think a genius like me wouldn’t consider that? If she stays safe all along, you’ll attack her instead, and then—”

Before he could finish, Sanhu smacked his paw on the ground and roared, “So that’s why you dragged me into this mess! I’m not going!”

“That’s not up to you,” Ni Manxiu said with a grin. “When you see her, you can finally resolve that lingering burden in your heart, and I’ll fulfill your father’s request.”

Sanhu froze.

After a long pause, the tiger finally muttered, “I’m not one to be so easily swayed.”

Ni Manxiu laughed. “Don’t worry. Her bloodline might be unremarkable, but she’s connected to him, after all.”

Sanhu snapped, “Who? Will you ever speak plainly?”

Ni Manxiu began to sing in a teasing tone, “You tearfully told me—fairy tales are all lies—”

……

Over a month passed in a flash.

In that time, the Lin, Wan, and Feng families all learned that Ye Pei had entered the territory. According to the rules, official forces weren’t allowed to enter, so each family sent their own hired men and plainclothes guards to slip in quietly, scattering throughout the territory to search for Ye Pei and his companion.

However, no one managed to discover the identity of the woman traveling with Ye Pei. Since Zi Qingrong had always lived in seclusion, none of the families recognized her. Moreover, the Zi clan’s relations with the other families were strained. Zi Qiong dared not reveal that his daughter was with Ye Pei—he couldn’t predict what might happen if the others realized the mysterious woman was his own child. So he too dispatched people into the territory, ordering them to bring Zi Qingrong back at all costs.

During this month, Ye Pei had nearly mastered the inner energy techniques recorded in the “Manual.” His internal injuries had fully healed, his complexion recovered its former healthy glow, and his entire demeanor now radiated a calm and focused spirit.

At dawn, Ye Pei woke with the intention of bidding farewell to Ni Manxiu.

Yet as soon as he stepped out of his room, Ni Manxiu was already striding toward him.

“Ha! You must be all healed up!”

Ye Pei’s steady temperament stood in stark contrast to Ni Manxiu’s exuberance. “Yes, I was planning to—”

“Don’t go yet! Let’s have a spar first!” Ni Manxiu was already rolling up his sleeves.

Ye Pei eyed him in bewilderment. “Didn’t you get enough of a beating last time?”

Ni Manxiu grinned. “I’ll admit, your martial arts surpass mine. But think about it—if I was able to give you that ‘Manual,’ don’t you think I might have some spiritual power of my own?”

“Spiritual power?” Ye Pei raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

The moment he asked, he already had a guess. Sure enough, Ni Manxiu replied, “It’s what you call inner energy—just a different name, that’s all.”

——

Ye Pei chuckled as well, and with a glance signaled Zi Qingrong, who had just stepped outside, to move back. Then he extended his right arm and took his stance.

Almost simultaneously, both men’s eyes flashed with fire and their inner energy surged rapidly within them.

The “Manual” systematically described the body’s meridian system, listing the twelve principal channels and the eight extraordinary meridians. Through study, Ye Pei realized that his previous self-taught methods had only ever worked within the twelve principal channels.

But the eight extraordinary meridians were different—they weren’t directly connected to the organs, nor did they have paired relationships. Their unique paths earned them the title “extraordinary.”

These eight meridians could be opened through cultivation, though it was difficult, and each could be opened independently of the others. If opened, both the speed and quality of one’s cultivation and energy flow would be dramatically enhanced, directly impacting physical strength and combat ability.

At present, Ye Pei’s prime targets were the Ren channel along the abdomen’s centerline and the Du channel running down the spine.

Back in the courtyard, Ye Pei and Ni Manxiu stood facing each other, locked in a staring contest for what felt like ages, neither making a move. Sanhu, watching from the side, couldn’t hold back his exasperation. “What’s with all the posturing? It’s just a fight—do they have to drag it out every time?” he grumbled inwardly, but he also acted. Creeping up behind Ni Manxiu, Sanhu abruptly shoved him forward with a swipe of his paw.

“Damn it! That’s just dirty!”

Ye Pei wasn’t about to squander such a golden opportunity. Even as Ni Manxiu began to curse, Ye Pei’s foot, brimming with inner energy, struck him squarely in the chest.

The air at the point of impact rippled like water, and Ni Manxiu was blasted backward like a cannonball, crashing through the wall into the house behind him.

“Damn it, whose side are you on?” Ni Manxiu grumbled, rubbing his chest as he crawled from the wreckage, and rushed back in with his fists raised.

……

“Hmm… Don’t be impatient, let me see…” Ni Manxiu closed his eyes, then opened them after a moment. “Yeah… you’re still in Canglong Town. What’s the situation? And stop laughing!”

Zi Qingrong, watching Ni Manxiu’s black-and-purple swollen left eye, couldn’t suppress her laughter.

Ye Pei, though outwardly unscathed, knew perfectly well his right arm was badly bruised. That rascal, unable to win, had suddenly pulled out his short club and struck, leaving Ye Pei no choice but to block with his arm.

“Erjing! Send these two back to Canglong Town!”

After a pause, Ni Manxiu added, “You two be careful. From what I hear, all three families have people searching for you in the Exile Territory.”

He turned to Zi Qingrong. “Your father’s sent men to bring you back as well.”

Ye Pei smiled. “Back then, I was still wounded. Now that my strength has soared, let’s see if any of them can walk away unscathed. As for the Zi clan… I doubt Qingrong wants to go back either.”

Seeing Zi Qingrong nod in agreement, Ni Manxiu pressed his palm to his forehead. “Alright, enough with the lovey-dovey act. If it weren’t for me… Never mind. Just don’t let your guard down. Yan Land may be smaller and harsher than Wangmai, but it hides many masters. Some, even without inner energy, could beat you through skill alone!”

Catching Zi Qingrong’s astonished look and Ye Pei’s calm indifference, Ni Manxiu continued, “That group led by Lin Yufei—honestly, they’re just trash. True masters wouldn’t stoop to serve the big landowners. No offense, Miss Zi, but that’s the truth.”

Ye Pei frowned slightly. “Understood. I’ll be careful.”

Ni Manxiu said no more, simply waved his hand, and the gaping maw of Erjing opened once more, swallowing Ye Pei and Zi Qingrong in an instant.

“Boss Ni,” Sanhu asked, “should we set out for Wangmai now?”

Ni Manxiu, sporting his panda eye, glared at him. “Go chase girls like this? And look at this courtyard—what a mess! I’ll need to get someone in to fix it before we do anything.”

Sanhu glanced back at the ruined courtyard. “Hmm… At least it’s one step less than rebuilding from scratch.”

In the darkness, Ye Pei lost all sense of time. Oddly enough, he’d always been sensitive to time since childhood, but now he couldn’t even guess.

——

When he opened his eyes again, they were standing in a vast expanse of sand.

“This is just too much…” Ye Pei was still marveling when Zi Qingrong suddenly tugged his arm. “Yezi! Look over there!”

Following her gesture, Ye Pei saw a middle-aged man in splendid attire, about forty years old, sprinting their way at an astonishing speed—as if chased by wolves.

No sooner had that thought occurred than a woman in sky-blue, wielding twin swords of the same hue, flashed out from behind a nearby hill and raced after him.

“Oh! I knew she looked familiar—it’s you!” Ye Pei instantly recognized the corpse demon charging straight at him.

“Qingrong, step aside.” With that, Ye Pei’s eyes blazed with fire, the air around him shimmering with the flow of inner energy, and he launched himself straight toward the corpse demon.

“Damn!”

Just as they were about to clash, Ye Pei flipped backward, channeling all his inner energy and strength into a blazing kick that landed squarely on the demon’s face.

The corpse demon tumbled through the air, crashing to the ground in a heap. Satisfied, Ye Pei dusted off his hands and muttered while drawing his spear, “I really need to stop swearing.”

A sharp, feminine cry echoed from afar as the woman’s swords danced, their light enveloping the corpse demon.

Seeing the demon attempt to flee, Ye Pei quickly brought his spear down, knocking the creature back toward the woman.

He remembered well—her weapons posed a great threat to the corpse demon, while for some reason, his own indestructible, enchanted iron spear seemed to have little effect. So Ye Pei made it a point to keep knocking the demon back to her, leaving the finishing blow to her swordplay.

……

“My name is Xingyan. And you two?” After dispatching the corpse demon, the woman sheathed her swords and addressed them.

Ye Pei sensed the inner power within her was formidable. Unsure of her true identity, he replied, “I am Ye Zhe. This is my wife, Lady Rong.”

But Xingyan glanced at Zi Qingrong and exclaimed in sudden recognition, “Oh, so you’re Ye Pei!”

Ye Pei’s eye twitched almost imperceptibly. “What makes you say that, miss?”

“I saw this girl when she was little. I know the Lin, Feng, and Wan clans are all hunting for you. I’d wondered why the Zi clan, who never took part in the Wangyan battles, sent people too—so you spirited away their precious daughter!”

Ye Pei’s mouth twitched again, leaving him momentarily speechless.

“No, I’ll have to come up with another alias. The Ye surname is just too conspicuous these days,” he thought.

“Hey?” Suddenly, Xingyan frowned at Ye Pei. “Why do you have the aura of the Xing clan on you?”

Ye Pei was truly startled this time. “How can you tell?”

Xingyan brushed back her hair and scrutinized him. “It seems you haven’t made an enemy of the Xing clan. Do you know Xing Yan? Not me—Xing Yan.”

“Uh… no, I don’t.”

Throughout this exchange, Xingyan fixed her gaze on Ye Pei’s eyes. At length, she nodded. “You’re not lying. Then I can tell you this—I am of the Xing clan, the current Star Emperor’s younger sister.”