Ye Ling Yue returned to the northern manor with excitement, eager to share the good news with her mother.
But when she arrived, she was met with a surprising scene: Granny Liu and several servants were busily moving belongings out of their home. Her mother was standing outside, engaged in conversation with her big brother.
"Third Sister, Father has decided that from now on, you'll move to the east manor and stay in the Qiaochu quarters. There are some capable grannies there, and I've arranged a few servants to help you settle in," said Ye Huang Yun, the eldest son of the family and the one who most resembled Ye Gu in temperament.
We're moving? Ye Ling Yue glanced at her mother and saw no signs of objection. Actually, this was a good change. The environment at the east manor was much better than the current place, and it would likely help her mother recover from her chronic injuries.
"Ling Yue, you're back. Why didn't you tell me you broke through to the fifth rank?" Ye Huang Yu asked, a little surprised. She had only learned about it through her brother.
"I thought you already knew, Mother. Actually, it happened last night. I went to sleep, and when I woke up, I found I had broken through," Ling Yue replied with a vague excuse.
Just one night of sleep and another breakthrough? Ye Huang Yun cleared his throat, clearly trying to hide his shock. His own eldest son had taken half a year of hard training to reach the fifth rank of the constitutional domain. But this niece of his managed it after just one night of sleep? It was enough to make anyone feel life was unfair.
Ye Huang Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She knew her daughter had drunk the refined monkey wine, so she assumed that had played a major role in her sudden advancement. Still, it wasn't something she could openly mention in front of her elder brother.
At that moment, Ling Yue studied her mother's appearance again. As expected, the refined monkey wine had worked its magic. Her mother's face was no longer pale and sickly—it now had a healthy glow. Ling Yue couldn't hide her happiness at seeing this change.
"Ling Yue, I heard you went to the Martial Shrine today. Which basic martial technique did you pick?" Ye Huang Yun asked with a broad smile. Unlike other men in the family, he only had two sons and had always wished for a daughter. After spending time with the clever and beautiful Ling Yue, he'd taken quite a liking to her.
"Jade Flower Hand," she replied.
Both adults were taken aback.
Ye Huang Yu was stunned speechless, while Ye Huang Yun burst out in hearty laughter.
Years ago, when Ye Huang Yu had first joined the Martial Shrine, she had also chosen the Jade Flower Hand technique. But like many others, she hadn't had much success with it and eventually switched to practicing the Sky Clearing Footwork instead.
"She's still a child. It's okay for her to face a few setbacks early on. If it doesn't work out, she can always choose a different technique later," Ye Huang Yu said. She knew her daughter well—clever and cautious, Ling Yue would never act on a whim. So she decided to let her be.
After they moved into the east manor, Ye Huang Yun called Ling Yue over.
"Ling Yue, now that you're officially one of the main house's elite disciples, you'll need to follow the family's rules. Boys over thirteen are sent to the mines for training, and girls go to the forge workshop to learn the family business. Tomorrow, you'll go with your older cousin Ye Saint to look around, okay?" With that, he left along with the servants.
Once Granny Liu and the new servants were busy tidying up, Ling Yue quietly slipped into her dimensional space—the Grand Mist Sky.
Inside, Little Squeak immediately stretched his tiny limbs and dashed around the acre-wide land in joy.
Since obtaining the codex left behind by Mr. Red Mist, Ling Yue's control over this mysterious space had improved greatly. She understood now that in order to upgrade the Grand Mist Sky again, she needed to enhance her own strength and cultivation.
"Squeak!" Little Squeak was currently lying under a Qingmu fruit tree that had been transplanted from the outside world.
In less than half a month, the once small, one-meter tree had grown to a height of three to four meters.
No one had picked the Qingmu fruits, so the sweet aroma of the ripe fruits filled the air, the branches sagging under their weight.
Craving the fruit as if it were his birthright, Little Squeak attempted to climb up the tree to grab one. But the bark was too smooth for his tiny paws. With a slip and a tumble, he landed flat on his back, his paws stretched upward. The sight of his gluttonous little body sprawled out was just too funny.
Ling Yue couldn't resist the cuteness. Using her spirit force, she plucked a fruit from the branch and let it fall right on top of him. Still lying there, Little Squeak caught it with all four limbs and clutched it tightly, unwilling to move.
"So many Qingmu fruits… I'm going to be rich this time," Ling Yue grinned as she looked at the trees. The fruits hanging from the branches seemed to shimmer, transforming into silver coins that waved at her to come harvest them.
Meanwhile, back in Autumn Maple Town, the medicinal shop's shopkeeper was frowning so hard it looked like water might squeeze from his brows.
It had been over a month since the supply of Qingmu fruits had stopped.
Some daring herb gatherers had gone into the mountains recently. According to their reports, all the Qingmu fruit trees were gone.
They weren't lying—Ling Yue had indeed taken every single tree she could find.
"Must've been those damn bandits who chopped them down. Without Qingmu fruit, what am I supposed to do? I'll be forced to buy them at ridiculous prices from the county."
The problem was, Qingmu fruit had to be fresh to make liniment. If it was more than three days old, its medicinal effectiveness dropped drastically.
"Shopkeeper." A familiar voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"Girl, you're here! Here to sell more Vitality Condensing Grass?" The shopkeeper quickly forced a smile and greeted Ling Yue.
"No, I've brought Qingmu fruit this time," Ling Yue said casually, placing a green fruit on the counter.
It was pale green and about four times the size of an ordinary Qingmu fruit. Just the sight of it was enough to make one drool.
"Qingmu fruit?! Girl, where did you get such high-quality fruit?" the shopkeeper gasped, barely restraining himself from grabbing it immediately.
"It's from an old friend. He used some special methods to get it from outside. He can supply about fifty jin a day. But… there's a catch," Ling Yue hinted, baiting him.
"We can talk about the price. Even if it's fifty percent more expensive, it's still worth it. I'm willing to pay one and a half silver per jin. Fifty jin would come to 252 silver," the shopkeeper said, quickly calculating.
"No, Shopkeeper. I'll sell it at the normal price, and only to you. But I have a condition—you must help me find a fifth-grade medicinal pill," Ling Yue replied firmly.
With the Grand Mist Sky and the spirit smoke from her cauldron, she knew it was only a matter of time before she made enough money. Right now, her top priority was healing her mother. That was her biggest wish.
"This… alright. I promise. But fifth-grade pills are extremely rare, even in the main county. Give me a month. If there's any news, I'll notify you immediately," the shopkeeper agreed. He didn't know the girl's true identity, but he knew she had just saved his business.
Besides, the quality of the herbs she brought was always exceptional. He hoped to do a lot more business with her in the future.
After they finalized their agreement, Ling Yue handed over the first batch of Qingmu fruit.