203: Chapter 203 Young Master

Snow fell softly as Chu Yebai's eyes cleared. He gave a solemn cupped-hand salute before turning and disappearing into the vast, dark night.

At the edge of the hill, Su Yang stood with his hands behind his back. His calm gaze pierced through the wind and snow, looking down at the dim lights of Qingyuan Market below.

An elegant figure quietly appeared by his side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

Qin Jiangmei's voice was soft, carrying a hint of inquiry: "How do you feel? Is the lad Yebai pleasing to your eye?"

Upon hearing this, a smile tugged at the corner of Su Yang's mouth, and he couldn't help but sigh: "Madam has a Wisdom Eye; this lad is even better than I thought."

He paused, his voice tinged with emotion: "I truly didn't expect that the reason he refused to yield back then was simply because you took in him and his sister."

"A reason as simple as can be was enough to make him willing to risk his life without betraying the Su Family..."

"Though it's a bit foolish, his character is truly impeccable."

"His younger sister, Yunshu—what is she doing in the manor now?" Su Yang asked, turning his head.

Qin Jiangmei's eyes were soft as she said quietly: "That child, Yunshu, I've had her follow Xiao Mei. I'm thinking of letting her take over Xiao Mei's position in the future to help look after the Su Family's children."

At the mention of Xiao Mei, a faint, imperceptible gloom flickered in the depths of Qin Jiangmei's eyes.

Time flies; the chirpy little girl who used to follow her around has now entered her twilight years.

She had once advised Xiao Mei to find a home for herself, but Xiao Mei only shook her head and stayed quietly by her side.

Although Xiao Mei used a youth-preserving pill to maintain her young appearance, she could not hide the temperament settled by the years.

Perhaps in another ten or twenty years, this figure who had accompanied her for many years would eventually fade into the long river of time...

Qin Jiangmei arranged for Chu Yunshu to follow Xiao Mei because she wanted her to become Xiao Mei's successor.

If Chu Yunshu could step onto the immortal path in the future, perhaps she wouldn't have to repeat Xiao Mei's mistakes.

"Following Xiao Mei is a good arrangement."

Su Yang murmured softly, his thoughts gradually drifting away.

He hadn't revealed the Hunyuan Condensing True Method to Chu Yebai, but he had hinted that the Su Family possessed information on Heaven And Earth Treasures that could help one birth a Spiritual Root, though the prerequisite for obtaining them was to contribute to the Su Family.

Chu Yebai not only longed to step onto the immortal path himself but also hoped his sister, Chu Yunshu, could do the same.

If the Su Family didn't possess that Dao method capable of allowing a Mortal to birth a Spiritual Root, Chu Yebai's idea would be nothing more than a pipe dream.

"If Yebai and Xinyue truly make it work, would Husband make an exception and teach him the Hunyuan Condensing True Method?" Qin Jiangmei asked softly.

Chu Yebai was already twenty. The later one starts on the path of cultivation, the slimmer the hope of Foundation Establishment becomes.

If he delayed another few years or even a decade before stepping onto the immortal path, he would likely have no hope of Foundation Establishment.

He had to step onto the immortal path this year for the possibility of Foundation Establishment to be greater, but this meant needing to use foundation establishment spiritual materials to help him condense a Spiritual Root—a treatment usually only enjoyed by Su Clan Prodigies.

Su Yang had already considered this.

He had originally thought about making an exception once, but after careful consideration, he decided to follow the clan rules.

Su Xuanming would conduct the assessment for Chu Yebai. Whether to use regular Five Elements Materials or precious foundation establishment spiritual materials to condense his Spiritual Root in the future should be left to Su Xuanming, the Clan Head, to decide.

As for the potential decrease in Chu Yebai's success rate for Foundation Establishment because of this, Su Yang was indifferent.

If Chu Yebai truly possessed great Luck as he expected, then Foundation Establishment would never be an insurmountable obstacle for him.

...

Several Foundation Establishment Cultivators, covered in blood and filth, fled in panic from the valley. Their expressions were terrified, as if some great horror was pursuing them from behind.

Just as they were about to fly out of the valley, a dark streak of light arrived with lightning speed, instantly piercing through the chest of one of them!

A striking crimson spread across the snowy white ground.

"Ah—"

The scream had just begun when it was swallowed by the wind and snow. The remaining Cultivators felt their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, fleeing in all directions like birds startled by a bow.

However, behind them, streaks of Spell light shot through the air, piercing the snow!

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The panicking figures fell from the sky one after another. Severed heads crashed into the snow, their faces frozen in resentment and despair.

The market ahead, shrouded in a light screen from a Formation, was already clearly visible; the path to survival was within reach!

Just one step away... they could have rushed into the array and escaped this slaughter by Robber Cultivators.

Yet they ultimately perished just a stone's throw away.

The wind and snow swirled suddenly as a graceful figure landed lightly on the blood-stained snow hill.

Her purple robes fluttered in the gale, outlining the curves of her exquisite figure. A refined and stunning face was reflected in the snowlight, but her eyes were set with a frost-like indifference.

Feng You lowered her eyes, her slender white fingertip hooking gently toward the corpses below.

Several pale purple threads burrowed into the bodies like living creatures. Like hungry spirit snakes, they drained all the blood and residual spiritual energy from the corpses in an instant, leaving behind only dried-up husks.

Then she raised her fair hand, and the purple threads suddenly retracted, nimbly wrapping around her snowy-white wrist, turning into several faint purple patterns before quietly vanishing.

At the same time, several figures landed silently behind her, kneeling on one knee in unison, holding up the storage rings and Storage Pouches they had just seized high with both hands.

"Young Lord, ahead is Qingyuan Market. There are very few Foundation Establishment Factions, and the strongest is only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment."

One of the subordinates reported respectfully, "However, the Su Family of Qingyuan Market has an extraordinary foundation; they have laid down a Third-Order Array for the market."

Upon hearing this, a strange smile slowly spread across Feng You's stunningly beautiful face. Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying an indescribable allure.

"I didn't expect to see a Third-Order Array in such a backwater... this Su Family is quite interesting."

She lightly turned her waist and beckoned with her fair hand. The storage rings and Storage Pouches held by her subordinates all flew into her sleeve.

Then her beautiful eyes shifted, landing on a black-robed man nearby. Her voice remained soft, yet it now carried a hint of unquestionable sharpness:

"This Formation—can you break it?"

The black-robed man was silent for a moment before answering in a deep voice: "In response to Young Lord, this array has a complex structure and forms its own cycle. It is extremely difficult to attack forcefully from the outside. If we want to break it, we must find a way to start from the inside, but..."

"It will require quite some time to prepare. Your subordinate believes that delaying here might..."

"Enough!"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Feng You's cold voice.

The seductive smile on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a frost-like chill. Even her voice became crisp and frigid, like jade striking ice.

"Since when was it your turn to teach me how to act or when to do it?"

"You only need to answer: can you, or can you not!"

Her gaze was like a blade, sweeping over the black-robed man's bowed head. She said coldly: "Dare to say another word, and I will make you, this waste, nourishment for my Blood Threads."

The black-robed man's body stiffened slightly, and he immediately lowered his head even more respectfully.

"Yes, your subordinate obeys."

He answered in a low voice and was about to retreat.

But Feng You's voice rang out softly again, carrying a hint of lazy coquettishness, as if the coldness from just now was merely someone else's illusion.

"Remember to be quick~"

She raised her slender white hand, gently exhaling a puff of white mist, and pulled her purple robe tighter around her shoulders. Her eyes were filled with a pitiable weakness:

"This wind and snow are so cold they make one's bones ache. If we stay too long, my skin will become rough."