Chapter 12: Nine Yin Connected Spirit Meridians

In a secluded room of the Ye residence, steam rose and the fragrance of medicinal herbs filled the air.

“Young master, you were truly amazing at Drunken Star Tower today. That Master Wan, whom even the old master couldn’t handle, was utterly defeated by you,” Lü’er said while waving her palm-leaf fan.

Lü’er’s fan was fanning the flames beneath a large wooden tub placed on a heat shield, prepared for Ye Yuan’s medicinal bath.

Today at Drunken Star Tower, Wan Donghai had killed Liu An, shocking everyone. The once-thriving Drunken Star Tower, long boasting to be the best in Qin, was now publicly humiliated by a mere youth, and thoroughly so. Even Wan Donghai’s thick-skinned face could barely withstand the shame.

After Liu An’s death, Wan Donghai immediately decided to close the establishment for a day, driving everyone away to avoid the immediate embarrassment.

Those present were all knowledgeable. Though they didn’t know what poison “Cunxin Lie” was, they guessed it was concocted by Ye Yuan. Everyone felt the world was changing too fast—the once utterly useless playboy had actually cornered a grandmaster. Many knew Ye Yuan had been poisoned and near death just yesterday; could the poison have somehow sharpened his wits?

Of course, some didn’t believe Ye Yuan was behind it, thinking instead that Ye Hang had used Ye Yuan as a front to deal a heavy blow to Drunken Star Tower. But the more they thought about it, the more it didn’t add up: if Ye Hang had such ability, why hadn’t he used it before? The rivalry between the two establishments had lasted for years, not just one or two.

In any case, the debates yielded no conclusion, but the topic became fodder for idle talk among the capital’s commoners. Ye Yuan, already quite famous, now had an even greater reputation.

“Heh, I’ve only collected a bit of interest. Today’s incident dealt a heavy blow to Drunken Star Tower, but it’s not fatal. That father-and-son pair from the Wan family—I’ll make them pay the real price sooner or later.” When mentioning Wan Donghai and his son, Ye Yuan’s tone turned cold.

Having inherited this body, Qing Yunzi naturally had the duty to avenge his predecessor and eliminate this competitor for the Ye family. Moreover, Ye Yuan had witnessed the cunning and unscrupulousness of the Wan father and son, and held no goodwill toward them.

But Ye Yuan was still too weak. Aside from humiliating Wan Donghai, he couldn’t really do much to him. Once he had enough strength in the future, he would naturally eliminate the Wan father and son.

For anyone else, this would be an almost impossible task, but for Ye Yuan, the Wan father and son were merely stumbling blocks on his path of revenge—removing them was only a matter of time.

“Yes, that Wan Yuan is so annoying, always bullying you in the past. Go for it, young master! I have faith in you!” Lü’er’s trust in Ye Yuan was unconditional.

“Heh, I won’t let you down. By the way, Lü’er, I see you have excellent aptitude. Why don’t you practice martial arts?”

Having been busy all day, now relaxing alone with Lü’er, Ye Yuan noticed that she had no yuan power in her body—she was an ordinary person. Yet he could tell that Lü’er’s aptitude was excellent, a hundred times better than his predecessor’s worthless constitution.

Hearing Ye Yuan’s question, Lü’er’s expression dimmed. “The master said I have the Nine Yin Absolute Meridian constitution and cannot cultivate; otherwise, the higher my cultivation, the sooner I would die young.”

“Nine Yin Absolute Meridian?” Ye Yuan repeated, taking her wrist to feel her pulse.

As Ye Yuan grasped her wrist, Lü’er’s heart pounded and her face flushed instantly. In her mind, though not being able to cultivate was regrettable, as long as she could stay with her young master, that was enough.

Ye Hang had already pronounced her doomed, and she had never held any hope. After this incident, the young master had truly changed a lot—become more mature, more caring and considerate.

Holding Lü’er’s wrist, Ye Yuan first furrowed his brows, then gradually relaxed them.

“Mm, the master and mistress treat me like their own daughter. If I could cultivate, they would have taught me long ago,” Lü’er said, still as understanding as ever, afraid Ye Yuan might misunderstand Ye Hang.

Ye Yuan released her hand and smiled. “My silly Lü’er, you’re overthinking. Father wouldn’t lie to you, but even he can make mistakes. Lü’er, tell me, do you want to learn martial arts?”

“Of course I do!” Lü’er answered without hesitation.

“Then it’s settled. Starting tomorrow, you’ll train with me. I’ll teach you a cultivation method. With your aptitude, this little Qin state won’t be able to hold you back.” Ye Yuan’s face showed encouragement.

“Young master, are you serious?” Lü’er was overjoyed, but before Ye Yuan could answer, her expression dimmed again. “Don’t comfort me, young master. The master is a great alchemist, and even he said there’s no hope. How could I possibly learn martial arts? I really want to, but I don’t want to die. I want to stay by your side and take care of you.”

Touched, Ye Yuan lifted her chin and smiled. “How could I lie to you? You do have a special constitution, but it’s not the Nine Yin Absolute Meridian—it’s the extremely rare Nine Yin Connected Spirit Meridian. Not only can you cultivate with this constitution, but your cultivation speed will be very fast. If the great sects learned of your constitution, they’d fight over you.”

Ye Yuan’s knowledge naturally surpassed Ye Hang’s, but that didn’t mean Ye Hang was entirely wrong. In fact, Lü’er did have the Nine Yin Absolute Meridian, and the Nine Yin Connected Spirit Meridian was a type of Nine Yin Absolute Meridian—an extremely rare variant.

Ye Yuan’s understanding of the Nine Yin Absolute Meridian was completely different from Ye Hang’s. The Nine Yin Absolute Meridian didn’t mean cultivation was impossible; rather, it meant the constitution was unique. In the lower realm, cultivation methods and resources were scarce, and knowledge was insufficient, so no one with this constitution had ever embarked on the path of cultivation.

Without a matching cultivation method, the Nine Yin Absolute Meridian was indeed a life-threatening constitution.

In the Divine Realm, if such a constitution appeared, it would be eagerly sought after by all major sects. Coincidentally, Ye Yuan’s memory contained a cultivation method suitable for Lü’er—the practice of the Divine Realm’s Spirit Snow Divine King, who herself had the Nine Yin Connected Spirit Meridian.

Lü’er’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Young master, are you telling the truth? You’re not lying to me?”

“Of course not. The Nine Yin Connected Spirit Meridian is indeed extremely difficult to cultivate, but with a matching method, your cultivation speed will far exceed ordinary people. Later, I’ll teach you a set of ‘Heavenly Illusion Ice Soul.’ With your intelligence, you’ll surely surpass me in the future,” Ye Yuan said softly.

Lü’er gave a playful smile. “Hehe, I don’t need to surpass you. I just want to stay by your side. You used to be bullied all the time, so I really wanted to learn martial arts to protect you. But I was afraid that if I did, I’d die young, so I never learned.”

Hearing that Lü’er wanted to learn martial arts for his sake, Ye Yuan was at a loss for words. He told himself he must grow stronger as quickly as possible. In his past life, he couldn’t protect those closest to him; in this life, he absolutely would not let those dear to him be harmed again.

“My good Lü’er. All right, the water is about ready. You can go out now; I need to take my medicinal bath,” Ye Yuan said.

Lü’er looked puzzled. “Young master, just go ahead and bathe. I need to stay and tend the fire. I’ve always helped you bathe before. Why are you being shy today?”

Ye Yuan was inwardly sweating. He really wasn’t used to having a young maiden help him bathe. But he knew that if he showed any oddness in such details, Lü’er might become suspicious.

“Then… all right…” Ye Yuan said helplessly.

Lü’er beamed with joy and stepped forward to help him undress.