C18 Ye Qingxue

Yu Qing was seething with anger upon hearing Yi Shan's shameless remarks.

His face darkened as he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists. "Yi Shan, you should realize how unwise it is to offend Heaven's Edge and the Yu family within the outer court!" he said with fury in his voice.

Yi Shan responded with a calm gaze, "We certainly can't afford to offend the Yu family, but Ye Qingxue isn't the least bit intimidated by them."

"Ye Qingxue?" Yu Qing's eyebrows twitched at the mention of her name. The image of a striking figure flashed through his mind, and his expression swiftly turned to one of fear.

It was her—the formidable woman who began practicing martial arts at ten, broke through to the Spiritual Martial realm at fifteen, and reached the sixth level by eighteen!

If the kid who had maimed Yu Chen's arm was indeed connected to that fearsome woman, then even Yu Xiu would have to bite back his rage today.

Yu Qing's face was a mask of conflicting emotions. He knew that if the terrifying woman had directed the Fat and Thin Duo to intervene, today's incident would have no further consequences.

Just a quarter of an hour earlier, Yu Qing had been arrogantly demanding that Chu Lin break his own arm. But now, the tables had turned. Chu Lin was not only unharmed, but he had also crippled Yu Chen's arm right in front of Yu Qing!

Yu Qing's chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing, a clear sign of his intense anger. As one of the ten great captains of Heaven's Edge and a notable figure in the outer court, it was unthinkable for him to be humiliated by a mere servant disciple. This infuriated him deeply.

At that moment, Yi Shan's voice echoed in Yu Qing's ears, "Junior brother Yu Qing, you look quite troubled. Take care of your health; don't let your anger take a toll on your body."

Yu Qing spat out a mouthful of blood, infuriated by Yi Shan's obvious schadenfreude.

"This incident will not be forgotten!" Yu Qing declared, wiping the blood from his mouth with a cold snort before turning to leave. Yu Chen and the other members of Heaven's Edge hastily followed, fearful that if they lingered, the merciless individual might make another appearance.

The standoff in Duskhaven came to a surprising end. The Heaven's Edge Alliance, known for their arrogance and refusal to reason, found themselves at a disadvantage during the confrontation.

A servant disciple managed to incapacitate a group of Heaven's Edge members. In the presence of Yu Qing, one of the ten great captains of the Heaven's Edge Alliance, he even broke Yu Chen's hand. Remarkably, the servant disciple emerged from the conflict unscathed.

The onlookers committed the young man's appearance to memory.

Once the situation had calmed down and the crowd had dispersed, the Fat and Thin Duo stood before a woman in a secluded alleyway, their hands hanging low and their expressions somber.

The woman cradled a treasured sword with an ice-blue scabbard. Dressed in white, she exuded an aura of both vitality and aloofness. Leaning against the wall, she gazed skyward, her stunningly beautiful face tilted upwards. Her slender, alluring eyes were slightly squinted, conveying a sense of languid beauty.

She remained silent, simply looking at the sky, while Yi Feng and Yi Shan stood to the side, scarcely daring to breathe too loudly.

It was hard to believe that the renowned Fat and Thin Duo, top ten contenders of the outer court, could appear so submissive.

Only they knew the true terror of the woman standing before them.

Ye Qingxue's name might not ring as loudly as the Fat and Thin Duo's among the ordinary outer court disciples, who might not even recognize her. However, for those ranked in the top twenty of the Ranking of Strong, Ye Qingxue was more renowned than some presbyters.

Ye Qingxue then shifted her attention away from the sky and glanced casually at the two young men. Her voice was cool as she inquired, "Have you completed your task?"

"We will certainly accomplish what you've entrusted to us, no matter the difficulty," Yi Shan assured her, his face eager to please.

"And how is he?" Ye Qingxue asked, her demeanor unchanged.

"Do you mean Chu Lin?" Yi Shan hesitated, then a realization dawned on him, and a smile spread across his face. "He's absolutely fine with us there. Not only is he fine, but he also managed to cripple Yu Chen's hand while we diverted Yu Qing's attention. Our brother-in-law is truly formidable!"

Yi Shan only felt a sudden surge of energy assault him. With just enough time to emit a sharp cry, he was sent flying and crashed harshly into the ground.

Ye Qingxue's demeanor remained cool and detached as the spiritual energy in her hand slowly faded. She glanced at Yi Shan and said, "I don't want to see this happen again. You all should leave."

"I spoke out of turn. Yi Feng and I will leave at once," Yi Shan said, unharmed but embarrassed, as he picked himself up. He was aware that Ye Qingxue, despite her seemingly frosty treatment of her peers, wouldn't gravely harm them. Yet her mercilessness toward enemies sent a chill down his spine just thinking about it.

Yi Feng and Yi Shan hastened out of the alley, continuing to converse in low tones even as they reached the alley's mouth.

"Brother, why did Qingxue strike you?"

"Perhaps it's because I'm too handsome."

"Brother, aren't you hurt?"

"My cultivation is deep. A single strike from Ye Qingxue is negligible to me."

"Brother, you're incredible!"

Only when Yi Feng and Yi Shan had vanished from view did Ye Qingxue's urge to chase after them and deliver another set of slaps subside. With a flip of her hand, a golden paper silently appeared between her delicate fingers.

Neat, tiny script adorned the paper, and as Ye Qingxue finished reading, the words slowly vanished. "Qian'er has managed to condense spiritual energy into words; she's progressing quickly," she mused, a slight smile playing on her lips. She stretched languidly, her graceful figure subtly outlined by her white garment.

A pensive frown creased her brow as she sighed softly, a hint of self-mockery in her tone, "Ye Qingxue, you can dominate as the foremost among the outer court's youth, and you can look after Qian's beloved. Yet, you're still bound by fate. Sometimes, I truly envy Qian."

In the dead of night, a cold wind swept the mountain path, rustling through the forest and casting dancing shadows. Nearby, a stone tablet, weathered and cracked yet unbroken, stood among the brambles, bearing the inscription: Raven's Pass!

"This is the entrance from Duskhaven to Raven's Pass," two figures emerged, none other than Chu Lin and Yang Hu.

After evading Yu Qing's attack, Chu Lin and Yang Hu made a beeline for Raven's Pass. In a last-ditch effort, Chu Lin even managed to break one of Yu Chen's hands. If Chu Lin and Yang Hu had lingered in Duskhaven, Heaven's Edge might have dispatched more assailants after them, which would have made Chu Lin's situation much more challenging.

"We really owe one to the Fat and Thin Duo today," Yang Hu remarked, clearly relieved. He and Chu Lin certainly didn't believe the Fat and Thin Duo had come specifically to their aid. Known for their peculiar temperaments, the motivations of the Fat and Thin Duo were often inscrutable.

"If the opportunity arises, I'd be glad to return the favor to the Fat and Thin Duo. Come on, let's head into the mountains!" Chu Lin declared, a confident grin on his face as he led the way into Raven's Pass.

Chu Lin was determined to achieve a new level of strength during this venture into Raven's Pass.