"If I don't beat you until you're crippled today, I'm not Ye Ling Yue!"
Her aura suddenly shifted—dark, sharp, and menacing. She was like a completely different person.
"Oh? The little idiot wants to act tough now? Move aside, everyone. I'll show this fool what it means to be a genius."
Ye Qing sneered. The servants around him laughed and stepped back to make space.
Ye Qing was already a third-rank body training cultivator—one of the top ten among the Ye family's younger generation.
As for Ling Yue, who had been mentally impaired until today, she never had the chance to learn martial arts. So no one ever considered her a threat.
Confident and dismissive, Ye Qing didn't even bother using Yuan energy. He saw no need to go all out against her.
But before he realized what was happening, Ling Yue was already in front of him. With both fists, she slammed into his chest. The blows carried a trace of icy chill.
Just as Ye Qing sensed something was off—
BOOM!
A cold gleam flashed in Ling Yue's eyes.
The servants gasped in shock—Ye Qing had been forced back several steps!
"A first-rank body training cultivator!"
Ye Qing clearly felt it—her punch had carried Yuan energy.
Ling Yue's eyes brightened. She could now sense the vast difference between an ordinary person and a cultivator—Ye Qing's skin felt like hard metal.
Wang Gui and the others were stunned. It had only been about an hour, yet the "fool" was suddenly not only normal—but had advanced into the first rank!
"Ye Ling Yue! How dare you deceive the family head and secretly learn martial arts! No matter—I'll return that punch with double the force!"
Ye Qing's face twisted with rage and humiliation. He shouted as his fists began to glow with arcs of lightning.
"Little young miss, run! That's Thunder Burst Fist!"
Granny Liu turned pale at the sight.
The Thunder Burst Fist was a fundamental technique of the Ye family—but it was no joke. Against Ye Qing, who was already in the third rank, Ling Yue stood no chance.
But at that life-threatening moment, a shadow darted in like a flash of lightning and stood in front of Ling Yue.
Ye Qing's fist still flew forward, but—
CRACK!
A loud snap echoed. Ye Qing's eyes widened as pain shot up his arm.
Before he knew it, a violent force had flung him backwards and slammed him into the wall.
His wrist was shattered. Bones broken. He howled in agony.
In front of Ling Yue now stood a woman—graceful, elegant, but exuding tremendous power.
Her cheeks were a little sunken, and her face pale. But she stood tall, with striking arched brows and almond-shaped eyes. She didn't show any anger on her face—but the aura around her felt suffocatingly fierce.
"Ye... Third Miss!"
The servants trembled in fear as they recognized her.
Ye Huang Yu—the third daughter of the family head, once the Ye family's greatest pride.
She had entered the first rank at age three, and at fifteen, ascended from the ninth rank to the lower celestial domain. If not for a terrible marriage, she might have become the Ye family's first upper celestial martialist in generations.
Though she was no longer the same due to her injuries, she was still a lower celestial master.
"Ye Huang Yu, how dare you hurt me?! My father won't let this go!"
Ye Qing was pale and shaking, his voice filled with pain.
"Who do you think your father is? Even if he comes, I'll beat him too."
Ye Huang Yu's fury was plain and unrelenting.
Because of Wang Gui and his father's embezzlement of their allowance, Ye Huang Yu had to scale mountains every month to gather herbs and hunt wild animals. She would be gone for ten days or more at a time.
Knowing this, Ye Qing and his gang would wait until she was away to torment Ling Yue. They inflicted internal injuries—leaving no visible bruises—so no one suspected a thing.
Back then, Ling Yue was also too simple-minded to complain.
If Ye Huang Yu hadn't come back early today, she would've never known what her daughter had been enduring. The guilt in her heart surged.
As a mother who couldn't even bear to let her daughter get a paper cut, how could she tolerate these people harming her child?
If Ye Qing's father dared show up, she'd beat him too. One person, two people, ten people—she'd fight them all!
"Just wait! I'll tell Grandfather!"
Ye Qing didn't dare argue anymore. He fled with the help of his servants, holding his broken arm.
Ling Yue, watching from behind, stuck her tongue out and gave her mom a big mental thumbs-up.
She had assumed her mother was just a weak and pitiful woman—an abandoned wife type.
But who knew she was actually a fierce and protective warrior!
When Ye Huang Yu turned around, she saw her daughter examining her from head to toe. Those clear, intelligent eyes—there was no trace of dullness or confusion.
Ye Huang Yu froze in place, stunned.
"Young Miss… Little Young Miss isn't sick anymore…"
Granny Liu's eyes were full of tears. She kept repeating it like she still couldn't believe it.
"Granny, you've said that like ten times now."
Ling Yue rolled her eyes and pouted.
"Mother..."
After a short pause, Ling Yue called out.
Ye Huang Yu trembled. Her eyes welled up with emotion. She had waited thirteen years to hear that one word.
While they sat down for dinner, Ye Huang Yu gently asked how Ling Yue had suddenly become normal.
Not wanting to explain everything, Ling Yue gave a vague answer—she had fallen and hit her head. When she woke up, she was different.
"Mother, I want to learn martial arts."
Ling Yue put down her chopsticks, knelt, and made her request.
After the fight with Ye Qing, she realized something:
To live in this world, she had to be strong.
She would never let anyone hurt her or her mother again.
"Learning martial arts isn't easy. It takes time and dedication. Are you sure?"
Ye Huang Yu looked at her daughter deeply.
"I won't give up. Please let me learn."
Ling Yue's eyes were filled with determination.
Ye Huang Yu could see that her daughter was no longer the same. She had been reborn.
"Since you're determined, I'll teach you the basics starting tomorrow. Here—this is a strand of Vitality Condensing Grass. It gathers Yuan energy and will help with your training. Plant it in your room."
Ye Huang Yu had gone into the mountains to look for herbs to help her own injuries. Though she didn't find the ones she needed, she stumbled upon this rare spirit grass instead.
"Mother, this grass is too valuable. You should use it for yourself."
Ling Yue could tell her mother was still hurt—and it wasn't something easy to cure.
"This won't help my injuries. I need a fifth-grade medicinal pill or higher to recover."
Ye Huang Yu shook her head. She knew her own condition. After all these years, she had stopped hoping for a cure.
"Fifth-grade medicinal pills? If we had one, your injuries could be healed?"
Ling Yue asked again.
"Silly girl. Even in the provincial capital, those pills are rare. We won't find one here in Autumn Maple Town. You've been hurt today—eat, then go get some rest."
She stroked her daughter's hair gently. The fatigue in her voice was clear.
Ling Yue didn't argue. She took the Vitality Condensing Grass—this rare spirit herb that looked like nothing more than a common weed—and returned to her room.
She had lost a lot of blood earlier, so drowsiness hit her quickly.
Clutching the spirit grass, she soon drifted off to sleep.