8: Chapter 8 The Three Great Families

"I don't know what happened with that Trash Ye Yun, but he actually broke through to the Martial Master Realm! Moreover, he has mastered Liu Ruyan's Flowing Cloud Palm to the level of Perfection!"

"He first killed Steward Zhao with a single palm strike, then took on Captain Sun and the other brothers alone. In the end, even though he was hit by one of Captain Sun's palm strikes, he still managed to kill Captain Sun in return! Out of more than twenty of us, only the three of us survived!"

"Martial Master Realm? Perfection in the Flowing Cloud Palm?"

Zhao strong and the other two were completely stunned, the shock on their faces beyond words.

A martial arts Trash who had been the laughingstock of the entire Qingyun City for ten years had actually broken through to the Martial Master Realm without a sound.

He even managed to kill Sun Kui, who was two Realms higher than him?

This was simply a fantasy!

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

Lin Yue cried out in alarm, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"How could a Trash at the Peak of the third stage of the Martial Artist Realm suddenly break through to the Martial Master Realm? And even kill someone above his level?"

"It's the absolute truth!" the Martial Artist said with a mournful face.

"We saw it with our own eyes. His aura was definitely at the Martial Master Realm, and his combat power was extremely strong. Even Captain Sun's third-stage Martial Master Realm palm power couldn't completely kill him!"

The council hall fell into a dead silence. The expressions of Zhao strong and the others turned incredibly ugly. After the shock came a thick sense of killing intent and wariness.

"This boy must not be allowed to live!"

Zhao strong slammed the table and roared.

"Someone who can suddenly go from being Trash to the Martial Master Realm and kill across levels is definitely a dire threat to our Three Great Families! We must capture him and that woman, Liu Ruyan, before he grows any further!"

"Exactly!" Sun Tao's eyes were cold with killing intent.

"Not only must we reclaim the Mysterious Grade Technique, but we must also make that brat pay the price and avenge my son, Sun Kui!"

Lin Yue also nodded in agreement, greed and ruthlessness in his eyes.

"That woman Liu Ruyan won't escape either! We can get the technique and have the beauty. This time, we must catch them both in one net!"

The three looked at each other, seeing determination and greed in each other's eyes.

Zhao strong immediately ordered: "Immediately summon all Martial Artists above the Martial Master Realm from the Three Great Families, and join forces with the City Guard to seal off all entrances and exits of Black Wind Ridge! Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, find Ye Yun and Liu Ruyan! I want them found, dead or alive! Especially Liu Ruyan, she must be brought back unharmed!"

"Yes!"

The subordinates responded in unison and turned to leave quickly.

In the council hall, the Clan Chiefs of the Three Great Families looked toward Black Wind Ridge with sinister eyes and surging killing intent.

...

The ambiguous atmosphere in the cave gradually dissipated. The morning light spilled through the cracks in the rocks in fragmented spots of light, shining on the two people sitting in an embrace.

Ye Yun lightly stroked Liu Ruyan's long hair, feeling the warm, soft body in his arms. Mystic Power flowed smoothly through his Meridians. The fatigue and injuries from the previous battle had completely vanished.

At this moment, he only felt his body filled with majestic power.

But the joy brought by this power was mostly diluted by the complex emotions surging in his heart.

Ye Yun looked down at Liu Ruyan leaning on his shoulder, his gaze falling on her reddened ear tips and slightly trembling eyelashes, his heart a mixture of emotions.

The person before him was the Aunt Liu he had called for ten years, his only relative in this world, and the person Ye Canglan had entrusted him to protect.

But now, an intimacy beyond ethics had occurred between them; it was even their second Dual Cultivation.

The conflict and impulse of the first time could still be understood under the catalyst of a life-and-death situation.

But this second time, although it was for healing and continuing the Ye Family Bloodline, it made that sense of taboo even stronger.

Ye Yun could clearly feel that his feelings for Liu Ruyan were no longer simple admiration and dependence, but were mixed with romantic love and possessiveness between a man and a woman.

But the words 'Aunt Liu' were like invisible shackles, causing a trace of guilt and unease to always linger in his heart.

This hurdle was something he still found difficult to completely cross.

Ye Yun took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. His voice was gentle but carried a hint of deliberate gravity.

"Ruyan, we should go. Although Black Wind Ridge is secluded, the Three Great Families will never give up. They will search here sooner or later."

Liu Ruyan's body suddenly stiffened, as if awakened from some sort of daze by his voice.

She slowly raised her head, the lingering flush still in her eyes, mixed with moisture, looking exceptionally misty.

Hearing Ye Yun's words, Liu Ruyan subconsciously gripped Ye Yun's sleeve, her fingertips cold, carrying an imperceptible tremble.

The impact brought by the second Dual Cultivation was far stronger than the first.

The first time was panic and passivity in a desperate situation, but this time, she had consented with clear awareness.

At this moment, the residual warmth of skin contact seemed to remain on her body, and Ye Yun's scent lingered at the tip of her nose.

It made her cheeks burn, and even her breathing became somewhat unnatural.

She knew her feelings for Ye Yun had long since changed.

That sense of responsibility had long since quietly transformed into dependence and love amidst the pain of her clan's extermination and their mutual reliance in life and death.

But the stronger this feeling became, the more shy and uneasy she felt.

After all, she was several years older than Ye Yun and had been his elder. Now she was so intimate with him, even relying on this method to help him heal and continue the Bloodline.

Every time she thought of this, Liu Ruyan felt her cheeks burn, not daring to look Ye Yun in the eye, and even her interactions with him were filled with deliberate avoidance and awkwardness.

"Where... where can we go?"

Liu Ruyan's voice carried a hint of driftiness, her eyes dodging, not daring to meet Ye Yun's gaze.

"We can't go back to Qingyun City. The power of the Three Great Families is too great. The Clan Chiefs' Mystic Power has all reached the Great Martial Master level, and there are many Martial Master Realm artists in the families. With our current strength, we simply cannot contend with them."

Mentioning the Three Great Families, her voice became a bit more firm, as if she wanted to use this to shift her attention and hide her internal shyness and panic.

When Ye Canglan was alive, he deterred Qingyun City with his Great Martial Master level Mystic Power. Now, the Clan Chiefs of the Three Great Families have all reached this level.

Coupled with many Martial Master Realm experts, relying solely on Ye Yun's currently surging Mystic Power, wanting revenge was no different from throwing an egg against a stone.

Ye Yun looked at her flushed cheeks and dodging eyes, the guilt in his heart growing even stronger.

He knew that Liu Ruyan's shyness and awkwardness at this moment were mostly because of him.

He stopped thinking about it, forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, frowned slightly, lightly tapped his knee with his fingertip, and his brain worked rapidly.

He knew that the primary task at hand was to lie low, not to fight head-on.

The Three Great Families' Foundation was in Qingyun City. Although their sphere of influence was wide, they were by no means all-powerful.

As long as they found a place beyond their reach, they could settle down temporarily and wait for their Mystic Power to advance further before planning for revenge.

"The small cities around Qingyun City are either affiliated powers of the Three Great Families or are too close and easily monitored."

Ye Yun spoke slowly, his tone steady.

"We need to find a place that is neither too far nor too close, and where the influence of the Three Great Families does not extend."

"Neither too far nor too close..."

Liu Ruyan repeated in a low voice, a hint of thought flashing in her eyes, temporarily forgetting her shyness.

"I do remember a place, Shiyun City."