23: You are the woman I want!

Once people left, Li Yao shuddered violently, asking with lingering fear: "That thing moved just now... Did he do something to it, or is that Bronze Pixiu really cursed?"

Li Qin looked bewildered.

"I don't know!"

"I just saw it jump down..."

Li Yao swallowed hard: "This kid is probably a truly hidden Expert. Tell your brother the truth, where exactly did you find this boyfriend?"

Li Qin's eyes lit up, and she asked with a grin.

"Never mind where he came from! Just tell me, are you still against it?"

Li Yao waved his hand helplessly.

"Do whatever you want, anyway..."

"He saved your brother's life, he is my savior."

"If brother can't repay him..." Li Qin playfully interjected, "Then just let your little sister offer herself to him!"

Li Yao: "..."

Why does it feel like I was tricked by my little sister without even realizing it?

...

Following the address provided by Li Yao, Ye Chen drove to the outskirts of the city.

The abandoned courtyard was desolate and silent, with only an old locust tree with gnarled branches, clawing at the night sky.

After parking the car, he took out the hoe he bought at a hardware store on the way from the trunk and walked to the old locust tree to choose a spot.

Then. He dug a hole, buried the Bronze Pixiu, and filled it with soil, packing it down. The whole sequence of actions was smooth and fluid...

Ye Chen tossed the hoe aside, bit his fingertip, squeezed out a drop of blood, and drew the traditional character for "Unlock" on the mound of soil.

After finishing, he brushed the dirt off his hands, leaned against the car door, and quietly watched the fresh soil...

The Bronze Pixiu itself was indeed an evil object; he hadn't lied about that.

If this thing remained by Li Yao's side, it would eventually cost him his life.

Especially since the item had just been unearthed from a tomb and tampered with, making it even more sinister.

But Ye Chen intentionally buried it here; no one would believe him if he said he didn't want anything in return...

Inside the belly of this Bronze Pixiu, there was something special.

"Hiss—"

Just then, a wisp of white smoke suddenly rose from the mound under the locust tree.

"As expected, it worked!"

Ye Chen's face lit up with joy, and he grabbed the hoe and started digging.

After a few digs into the soil, the recently buried Bronze Pixiu was exposed to the air again.

But at this moment, its surface was covered in spiderweb-like cracks, and the center had completely collapsed, revealing the hollow interior.

A plain jade ring lay inside.

Ye Chen reached out and picked it up; the ring felt ice-cold to the touch.

He could feel a flow of energy circulating inside the ring.

When he put the ring on, something miraculous happened...

He didn't even need to circulate his inherited cultivation technique, yet the thin spiritual energy in the surrounding air was drawn in by the ring, pouring into his body continuously, nourishing his limbs and bones!

The fatigue caused by using the clairvoyance technique earlier vanished in an instant!

This ring could actually draw spiritual energy into the body by itself, assisting in cultivation at all times!

Ye Chen smiled.

This was exactly what he had been aiming for!

Every time he used the inherited power that he couldn't withstand, it would disrupt the balance of Yin and Yang.

The consequence was either suffering a backlash himself or causing the women around him to lose control.

And to resist this side effect, he had to constantly use his abilities to temper himself, but that in itself would exacerbate the imbalance...

It was simply a vicious cycle!

The only way to alleviate it was to meditate at night to slowly recover.

But now... With this ring, it was equivalent to having a perpetual motion machine cheat!

Awesome!

The side effects could be borne by his ex-girlfriend.

Infinite stamina relied on his own cheat.

This was simply taking off...

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Ye Chen filled the hole back in and packed it down before taking out his phone to call Li Qin.

The call was answered instantly, and he said concisely: "The matter is resolved."

"Thank you, Ye Chen!"

On the other end of the line, Li Qin was cheerful and sly: "My brother said he has no way to repay you, so he wants me to offer myself to you. You can't refuse this time!"

Ye Chen's face darkened: "Why can't I refuse?"

"You dare?"

Li Qin snorted, asking righteously: "Believe it or not, my brother will turn around and invite you to the station for tea on the charge of spreading feudal superstition?"

Ye Chen was amused: "Are you two siblings returning kindness with ingratitude?"

"This is called making reasonable use of resources~"

Li Qin giggled, "See you tomorrow, little boyfriend!"

After saying that, she hung up the phone decisively.

Ye Chen shook his head and laughed, stopped thinking about it, and drove back to Yi Yue's residence.

Pushing the door open, the room was dim, with only the faint light of the living room TV screen flickering.

Ye Chen changed his shoes and walked closer, only to find Yi Yue curled up on the sofa, asleep.

She was wearing a silk camisole nightgown, the fabric smoothly clinging to her body's curves.

One shoulder strap had slipped down to her arm, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin and exquisite collarbones.

The hem of the skirt had rolled up due to her curled-up posture, unable to cover those long, pressed-together, and dazzlingly white legs...

Ye Chen felt a dry throat and quickly averted his gaze, but caught sight of several job advertisements scattered on the sofa cushion beside Yi Yue.

There were tutoring, clerical, and even restaurant waiter positions...

His heart softened, and he bent down to pick up the flyers, straightened them out, and placed them on the coffee table.

But the faint sound woke the light sleeper.

"Hmm..."

Yi Yue opened her eyes groggily, "Ye Chen? You're back?"

"Yeah."

Ye Chen sat down beside her and pointed to the job ads, asking, "Why are you looking at these?"

Yi Yue rubbed her sleepy eyes: "I can't just stay idle forever; I need to find a job."

She hadn't paid back the 300,000 she owed Ye Chen yet; if she didn't find a job, was she really going to rely on Ye Chen to support her?

Ye Chen pondered for a moment, then pushed the flyers back to the center of the coffee table.

"Working for others? That's not going to happen."

Yi Yue was taken aback: "Huh?"

"How about we open a shop ourselves?" Ye Chen turned his head to look at her and smiled, "You can be the boss lady."

Yi Yue was startled and waved her hands quickly: "No, no! Opening a shop costs a lot of money—renting a storefront, stocking inventory, hiring people... Besides, I don't even know what kind of shop to open."

"Money is not an issue." Ye Chen smiled slightly, "I still have seven or eight hundred thousand here!"

"That's even more out of the question!"

Yi Yue panicked, "You need to keep that money to pay off your debts!"

Ye Chen explained: "I've already paid off the external debts!"

"Ah?" Yi Yue's beautiful eyes widened, "Paid... paid off? Two million, paid off in one day?"

Ye Chen nodded: "Yeah, I helped a group solve some problems, and this is the reward they gave me."

Yi Yue stared at him blankly, as if seeing this student for the first time.

Paying off a massive debt of two million in one day was simply unbelievable...

Ye Chen rested his arm on the back of the sofa, almost wrapping Yi Yue in his embrace.

"Yi Yue, you cook so well; it would be a pity not to open a private kitchen restaurant."

"Let's go scout for a suitable storefront later; I'll arrange the Feng Shui layout properly, and I guarantee customers will flock in, and we'll make a fortune!"

Yi Yue was still hesitant: "Is opening a restaurant really that easy? What if we lose money? You should keep this money as savings for a future wife, otherwise, what will you do if you can't find a wife later?"

Ye Chen felt a warmth in his heart and took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Yi Yue's slender waist, pulling her into his embrace.

"Why look for one? Isn't there one right in front of me?"

"Yi Yue, why don't you be my wife?"

"Ah!" Yi Yue exclaimed, her whole body stiffening in Ye Chen's arms, her cheeks turning bright red instantly, even her neck flushed with color, "No, no, we can't..."

"Why can't we?"

Ye Chen held her tighter, "I'm single now, and you're single too."

Yi Yue was still making a final struggle: "I used to be your teacher..."

"That's in the past!" Ye Chen interrupted her, "The you now is just Yi Yue, the woman I want."

Yi Yue buried her burning cheeks deep into Ye Chen's chest.

After a moment of silence, she said in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "Carry me back to the bedroom..."

"Okay!"

"Wait..."

"What's wrong?"

"My period doesn't seem to be over yet..."

"It's fine, I'll chase it away!"

Yi Yue: "???"

Without waiting for her to react, Ye Chen's arms slid under the backs of her legs, and with a slight effort, he swept this warm and soft body up into his arms.

Then he strode towards the bedroom and kicked the door shut.

A short while later, the door across the hall opened quietly.

Aunt Zhang got up in the night, came to the living room, glanced at Yi Yue's bedroom door with confusion, and curiously tilted her head to listen.

"Huh? Does Miss Yi Yue have a habit of vocal exercises at night?"

...

The next morning, Ye Chen went out for a morning run, feeling refreshed.

Recalling Yi Yue's moving appearance last night, from shy rejection to gentle surrender, the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily.

A few days ago, he was just an ordinary waiter.

A few days later, his life had turned upside down, and even his goddess teacher from high school had become his woman!

As he was looking forward to a beautiful future life, dozens of burly men in black suddenly swarmed out from the alley ahead, aggressively blocking his path!

The burly man in sunglasses leading them stepped forward and said coldly: "Kid, you were really hard to find. Come with us right now to the First People's Hospital!"

Ye Chen stopped, looking puzzled.

"If you're sick, go to the hospital yourselves. Why are you dragging me along?"

The burly men's faces darkened, and the man in sunglasses was furious: "Stop playing dumb, damn it. Our boss wants to see you and wants you to treat his illness!"

Hearing this, Ye Chen suddenly realized.

"Oh, you mean that Boss Lin who is full of vices?"

"But your posture doesn't look like you're inviting a doctor; it looks more like a kidnapping."

"If you don't let me go, I'm calling the police!"

"Calling the police?" The man in sunglasses and the group of burly men seemed to have heard a huge joke and burst into laughter, "In this part of town, it's useless even if you scream your lungs out. Tie him up!"

The men in black swarmed forward like hungry tigers, instantly engulfing Ye Chen in the crowd...