After a long day of physical training, Ye Lingyue returned home, having broken through to the second level of body training.
She couldn't help but wonder if anything had changed inside that strange space—the Grand Mist Sky.
With a slight shift in her consciousness, Lingyue entered the realm once again.
It was the same as before—a piece of land about one li wide—but the white mist surrounding it seemed lighter than the last time.
Still, she couldn't see beyond the thick fog in the distance.
As her eyes moved down, she quickly spotted the Vitality Condensing Grass she'd planted earlier.
At first, she doubted her own eyes—was she imagining it?
One stalk, two stalks… She had only been gone for three days, and yet an entire field had grown from that single strand of grass.
Each plant looked healthy and vigorous, reaching nearly to her knees.
Several even had small, light green seed buds at the tips.
If the Yuan energy in the Grand Mist Sky was truly several times denser than the outside world and could nourish herbs like this…
Wouldn't she become rich if she planted rare herbs like ginseng and lingzhi here?
(Lingzhi: a reddish-brown medicinal mushroom)
But she was flat broke. How could she afford expensive herbs like ginseng or lingzhi?
Lingyue could only sigh and dismiss the idea for now.
"I should harvest some of this Vitality Condensing Grass first and see if I can sell it to help with family expenses."
Thinking about the worn-out clothes her family wore, she hurried forward to begin harvesting.
But the moment her hand touched the herb, a strange vibration passed through her palm.
Her black cauldron tattoo flickered, and before she could react, the harvested grass turned into streaks of green light…
…which were then absorbed into the tattoo.
In just a few breaths, the grass disappeared, replaced by a small pool of emerald-green liquid.
"What's this?" she wondered aloud.
One sniff told her the medicinal essence in the liquid was far richer than the raw herb.
Not knowing its exact name, Lingyue decided to call it "Vitality Condensing Liquid."
With this, she felt confident she could reach the third level of body training much faster than expected.
But good things come at a cost—after the refinement, her cauldron tattoo's glow noticeably dimmed.
She finally understood: using the refining power of the cauldron consumed a large amount of Yuan energy.
Right now, she estimated she could only use it once per day in her current state.
Leaving the Grand Mist Sky, Lingyue sat down and began meditating to recover her strength.
Suddenly, a rush of urgent footsteps jolted her from her trance.
"Young Miss, wake up quickly! Your mother's been summoned by the family head!" Granny Liu cried, her face full of panic.
Ever since Ye Huangyu broke Ye Qing's arm during the earlier fight—and considering how Ye Qing's father, Ye Huangcheng, had always disliked her—it was inevitable the issue would reach the head of the family.
The current head, Ye Gu, was Ye Huangyu's father.
Once, he had placed high hopes in her.
He had strongly opposed her decision to marry Lingyue's father, but Ye Huangyu refused to listen.
In the end, abandoned by her husband, she could only return to her birth family in disgrace.
Unfortunately, both father and daughter were equally stubborn, and they hadn't spoken a word to each other since her return.
But now, with Ye Qing's injury, Ye Huangyu might face punishment under the family's strict discipline rules.
Hearing Granny Liu's words, Lingyue jumped to her feet and ran toward the ancestral hall without hesitation.
"Young Miss, come back!" Granny Liu called desperately behind her—but Lingyue was already gone.
Meanwhile, in the Ye family's ancestral hall, a heavy silence filled the air.
Ye Gu sat at the center on the family master's chair, flanked by several stern-looking men.
Ye Qing, pale-faced and weak, stood beside his father with the support of several family members.
Both father and son stared coldly at the supposed offender.
Among the many families in Autumn Maple Town, the Ye family was one of the largest.
Their founding ancestor had come here with nothing and struck it rich after discovering a massive ore vein nearby.
After generations of hard work, the family's leadership had now fallen to Ye Gu.
He had five children—Ye Huangyu was his only daughter—and twelve grandchildren in total.
Because of Ye Qing's injury, all members of the Fifth House had come today to demand justice.
(Note: In large families with multiple wives, children are grouped by "houses" based on their mothers. The First House is from the first wife, the Second House from the second, and so on.)
Ever since Ye Huangyu entered the ancestral hall, Ye Gu hadn't said a word.
He simply sat in silence, eyes narrowed as he looked at his daughter.
Ye Gu was in his fifties, but thanks to years of cultivation, he looked no older than forty.
"Father, please stand up for my son this time," Ye Huangcheng pleaded.
"The family examination is just two months away. Ye Qing has worked hard to rank in the top three. But now, his wrist is crushed! Forget the exam—he won't even be able to practice martial arts anymore."
Ye Gu suddenly opened his eyes and glared fiercely at his daughter. "Kneel!"
He had once poured all his energy into training her from the age of three.
But she ruined it all by marrying a man who later abandoned her.
He could forgive many things—but injuring her nephew without reason? That crossed a line.
Yet Ye Huangyu didn't defend herself. She stood tall, spine straight, like a spear.
Her silent stance justified her actions.
Seeing this, the other brothers didn't dare speak.
Ye Qing and Ye Huangcheng, however, smirked, thinking Ye Huangyu was doomed.
But Ye Gu's expression darkened further. Her refusal to kneel was a direct challenge to his authority.
Suddenly, a voice rang out like an arrow cutting through the tension: "The ones who should kneel are them!"
Lingyue burst into the hall, drawing everyone's attention.
Although she had lived in the Ye household for over a decade, she had barely seen her grandfather a handful of times.
The moment she appeared, the atmosphere cracked like shattered glass.
"Isn't that the stupid girl, Ye Lingyue?" someone whispered.
But the most shocked of all was Ye Gu.
His eagle-like gaze fixated on the girl.
This girl—her delicate face, her radiant eyes—was not the same monkey-like, dark-skinned child he remembered.
She was still short, but her sturdy build and those bright, crescent-shaped eyes… She felt completely different.
"Lingyue, who told you to come?" Ye Huangyu quickly stepped forward to shield her daughter.
The Ye family had strict rules. Interrupting the patriarch could earn a beating.
"The rules of the Ye family exist to punish wrongdoers. My mother did nothing wrong.
They are the ones who should kneel!" Lingyue pointed sharply at Ye Huangcheng and Ye Qing, her finger like a spear.
"You impudent girl! Your mother broke the rules. She should be punished with twenty strikes from the rod!" Ye Huangcheng shouted angrily.
"Oh? So bullying the weak is now justified under the rules? Very well!"
Lingyue raised her voice. "Then tell me—how do we punish Wang Gui, Ye Qing, and the others who tormented me all these years?"
With that, she pulled down the upper part of her clothing to reveal the truth beneath.
The hall fell completely silent.
Her small body was covered in scars—dark and red, old and new.
Whip marks, bruises, burn scars… Some injuries were clearly years old.
Everyone present could only wonder how this young girl had managed to survive such cruelty.
Ten years of silent suffering—how had she endured it?
"What?!" Ye Gu's palm slammed down, shattering the master chair beneath him.
Though he had neglected his daughter and granddaughter, he had never reduced their allowance.
He never imagined they had lived under such torment.
"I didn't know about any of this, Father!" Ye Huangyu cried out.
"Have mercy, my lord!" Ye Huangcheng and Steward Gui both dropped to their knees.
Ye Huangyu had become so emotionally numb after being abandoned, she hadn't even noticed her daughter's suffering.
"You raised a fine son, Ye Huangcheng!" Ye Huangyu roared, rushing forward like a lioness ready to strike.
But her hand was stopped by Lingyue.
"Mother, I will take revenge with my own hands."
Lingyue's gaze swept across the hall, her smile cold and sharp as frost.
Whatever they took from her—she would take back.
Everyone present felt a chill run down their spines.
She was just a thirteen-year-old girl, yet her eyes carried a terrifying intensity.
Ye Huangcheng knelt, the cold of the floor seeping into his bones.
There was only one thought in his mind now:
He had to eliminate the mother and daughter. Otherwise, they would become a plague upon him and his son.