With a smile on his face, Li Guanqi cupped his hands in greeting.
"Please don't blame me, Uncle. My return to the sect was rather hurried, and there were far too many matters to attend to.
"The moment I had some free time, I came straight to your home to sponge a meal."
Everyone appreciated being treated with honor, and Li Guanqi's words placed Ye Tianying on an exceptionally high pedestal.
After all, the Ye family merely ran a medicinal herb business.
Having Ye Feng enter the Great Xia Sword Sect had not caused much of a stir back then.
Now, however, things were entirely different. The Great Xia Sword Sect had steadily risen to become the undisputed paramount force in the Northern Region of the Qingyun Continent.
Countless cultivators wracked their brains trying to squeeze their way into its ranks.
Yet ever since the Great Xia Sword Sect stepped back into the world, it had made no mention whatsoever of accepting disciples on a wide scale.
Moreover, immediately after its reemergence, when faced with the encroaching might of the Mo Family—one of the premier powers of the Eastern Domain—it had demonstrated overwhelming and terrifying strength.
As a result, the Ye family's prestige naturally rose alongside it.
Li Guanqi's arrival today left the entire mountain villa feeling utterly flattered and overwhelmed.
If one were to ask who was the most famous figure across the entire Qingyun Continent over the past two years, it was undoubtedly Li Guanqi.
Even setting that renowned reputation aside, the mere presence of a mighty Soul Formation Realm cultivator was enough for the entire Ye family to receive him with the highest honors.
Looking at the red carpet spread across the ground and the maidservants lining both sides, Li Guanqi could not help but smile wryly.
"Uncle Ye... there really was no need for such grand fanfare."
Hearing this, Ye Tianying burst into hearty laughter and waved his broad hand. "All right, all right, dismiss them all."
The maidservants bowed with their hands folded in a formal greeting, softly wishing the immortal master blessings and auspiciousness before gracefully withdrawing.
Only then did Li Guanqi breathe a sigh of relief.
Standing beside Ye Tianying was Ye Feng's mother, Su Xi.
She was a gentle, dignified woman.
In the past, she had been treated coldly within the family, but that had all been orchestrated by Ye Tianying himself to protect Ye Feng and his extraordinary cultivation talent.
Indirectly, that had led Ye Feng to misunderstand his father's painstaking intentions.
Now that Ye Feng could hold his own, Su Xi's status had naturally been restored.
Li Guanqi looked at her, bowed respectfully, and said, "Guanqi greets Aunt Su. It's been two years, and Aunt Su has grown even more beautiful and radiant."
The woman smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling into crescents as she teased, "You little rascal, your mouth is as sweet as ever."
Behind Ye Tianying stood a group of elders and leaders from the Ye family branches. Standing behind Li Guanqi, they barely dared to breathe, terrified that any slight misstep might offend the young man before them.
His formidable reputation as the Blood Slaughterer... had been carved out by slaughtering people one by one with his own hands.
Ye Tianying naturally sensed the tense atmosphere behind him. He turned his head and said, "All right, go attend to whatever duties you have."
As if granted an imperial pardon, the crowd hastily bowed and hurried away.
They all knew very well in their hearts that Li Guanqi had only come out of respect for Ye Tianying and Su Xi. There was no point in lingering around just to make up the numbers.
Ye Tianying led Li Guanqi straight into the main hall.
The three of them sat around a low table. The woman rose, intending to brew tea for them.
Startled, Li Guanqi hurriedly jumped up to stop her. "Aunt Su, please don't! We can handle such a small thing ourselves.
"Just treat me as the same brash kid I was two years ago."
Su Xi feigned annoyance. "How could I? You are now an elder of the Great Xia Sword Sect and a mighty Soul Formation Realm cultivator.
"If you came all the way to the Ye family and couldn't even get a sip of tea served to you, what would people say?"
Li Guanqi said with a wry smile, "Uncle Ye, help me persuade her! Don't just sit there watching the show!
"If Ye Feng finds out about this later, wouldn't he try to pick a fight with me?"
By now, Ye Tianying had come to understand Li Guanqi's character. The boy truly did not care for empty courtesies, and he genuinely regarded Ye Feng as a brother.
He beckoned to his wife and said, "Sit, my dear. The boy doesn't treat himself as an outsider."
Only then did Su Xi sit back down.
Li Guanqi let out a breath and said with a smile, "I know you two must be quite worried about Ye Feng.
"You haven't been able to contact him, have you?"
At his words, the expressions of the husband and wife changed slightly.
Even if Li Guanqi had not come to visit today, Ye Tianying had already been preparing to seek him out.
Over the past two years, they had still received occasional word from Ye Feng. But during this past year, messages from him had grown fewer and fewer until communication was cut off entirely.
This had worried them sick. Su Xi had spent countless sleepless nights, constantly complaining of an uneasy feeling in her chest.
Her earlier composure vanished, replaced by profound worry in her eyes as she asked hurriedly, "Did something happen to Feng'er?"
Li Guanqi smiled reassuringly and comforted her, "Don't worry, Aunt Su. That kid has a stubborn, blessed fate. Even if something happened to me, nothing would happen to him!"
Hearing that, the woman scolded in exasperated fondness, "Bite your tongue! Ptui, ptui, ptui! Don't speak such unlucky words—you both must stay safe and sound!"
Ye Tianying remained silent for a long moment before asking softly, "Is Feng'er not with you?
"Where is he now?"
Li Guanqi fell quiet for a second. Instead of concealing the truth, he answered honestly.
"He isn't with me. He set off to travel and temper himself alone.
"As far as I know, he is no longer in the Great Xia Domain, but on the Liyang Continent in the Taiqing Domain."
The man froze in place upon hearing this, his voice unintentionally rising several pitches.
"What? The Taiqing Domain?!
"The Taiqing Domain is pure chaos! Why on earth did he run off there so recklessly?!"
Li Guanqi quickly tried to soothe him. "Uncle Ye, there is no need to worry. Isn't Ye Feng's life-bound jade slip still intact?
"He is simply out tempering himself. Is the Great Xia Domain entirely safe either?
"Besides, Ye Feng is very strong now! Nothing will happen to him, I assure you!"
The husband and wife exchanged a glance, their anxiety easing slightly.
Had the jade slip in the villa's secret chamber shown any sign of distress, they would have long since rushed to the Great Xia Sword Sect to look for Li Guanqi.
Hearing these reassuring words directly from Li Guanqi allowed them to breathe a sigh of relief.
Li Guanqi also let out an inward breath of relief and casually asked, "Uncle Ye, how is the family business doing these days? Soaring higher by the day, I imagine, haha."
Yet the cheerful reaction he expected did not come. Instead, Ye Tianying's expression turned awkward, his eyes filled with mixed emotions.
Beside him, Su Xi nudged him with her elbow, but the man remained silent.
Exasperated, she glared at him before turning to Li Guanqi.
"You and Feng'er are dear friends, so I won't hide this from you.
"Thanks to the two of you, our villa managed to establish ties with the Great Xia Sword Sect, and we enjoyed good days for a time.
"However... a year ago, people from the Qixian Sect and Qinglong Island set their sights on our family's spiritual herb mountains. Out of twelve peaks, they have already seized seven by force!
"If this continues, our villa will be completely swallowed up by the two of them!"
Upon hearing this, Li Guanqi's eyes narrowed into slits, a chilling glint abruptly flashing deep within them.
"The Qixian Sect? Qinglong Island?
"Hmph! Courting death!"
Chapter 398