Chapter Nineteen: The Foolish Boy

Ye Yun judged the moment to release his arrow with perfect precision—just as the golden-scaled spirit monkey leapt into the air, caught in that brief instant with nowhere to take hold.

With a dull thud, the arrow—infused with scarlet flame energy—pierced with tremendous force. No matter how tough the spirit monkey’s scales, they shattered instantly beneath the blow. The shaft even broke through bone, causing the monkey’s legs to buckle as it tumbled straight to the ground.

“Not good! Someone’s trying to steal my Four-Leaf Jade Grass!” The whistling arrow made the girl in the green dress instantly alert.

Seeing the spirit monkey struck down, she sent her crimson ribbon flying. It twined around a nearby branch as she employed her movement technique, swiftly closing the distance. With a deft motion, she snatched the spirit herb from the monkey’s grasp, spun around, and prepared to leave.

“That spirit herb is mine!” Ye Yun shouted, seeing her take the herb without so much as a word. He unleashed his Great Roc Soars to Heaven movement art, his figure darting like a startled swan, intercepting the girl’s path.

“Nonsense, the herb is obviously mine,” the girl retorted with a frown.

Clad in a green dress, the girl seemed about Ye Yun’s age. Her bright eyes shone like water, her figure graceful—a beauty sure to bring trouble wherever she went.

But Ye Yun, who had spent these years solely in cultivation under his grandfather Ye Yu, understood nothing of matters between men and women. He merely scoffed and said coldly, “I saw with my own eyes that the spirit herb was in the monkey’s hand. I killed the monkey, so the herb rightfully belongs to me.”

Since she was a girl, Ye Yun refrained from taking action right away, stating his case instead.

“Hmph, by your reasoning, now that the herb is in my hand, it’s mine?” the girl argued, unwilling to give up what she’d acquired.

As for the origin of the Four-Leaf Jade Grass, it was true she had discovered it first. But before she could act, the golden-scaled spirit monkey had darted out, snatched the herb, and fled, forcing her to pursue it all this way.

Ye Yun cared nothing for the herb’s backstory. He only knew it was valuable, so he had shot the monkey.

“If I hadn’t intervened, would you have gotten the herb from the monkey?” The girl’s unreasonable stance sparked Ye Yun’s temper. “My master already told me—there’s no reasoning with people in this world. Will you hand over the spirit herb or not?”

“And if I refuse?” the green-dressed girl shot back defiantly.

She knew she was in the wrong—just as Ye Yun said, without his intervention, she’d never have bested the monkey. Moreover, she’d made off with the herb right after he killed the beast, which was indeed unfair.

But this brat—clearly about her age—had demanded the herb so forcefully, as if the Four-Leaf Jade Grass had grown in his family’s backyard. How could she swallow her pride and hand it over?

Her heart simmered with anger at Ye Yun’s overbearing attitude. True, he had killed the monkey she couldn’t handle, but that didn’t mean his skills were definitely above hers. After all, the arrow hit when the monkey was airborne and defenseless; otherwise, with its agility, it might have dodged.

“If you won’t give it, I’ll take it!” Ye Yun snorted and made his move. Scarlet Flame Demonic Arts surged within him, energy circulating as he unleashed the myriad transformations of the Dragon’s Movement. His body seemed to take on the form of a dragon, five fingers splaying as he lunged for the girl.

“Hmph, I’m not afraid of you!” the girl snapped. She deftly stowed away the Four-Leaf Jade Grass, and her crimson ribbon snapped out like a long whip toward Ye Yun.

“Barehanded and you think you can beat me? You think you’re some kind of Foundation Stage expert? Looks to me like you’re just a hunter who knows how to shoot arrows!” she taunted.

Far away atop an ancient tree, Patriarch Ye Yu stood with hands clasped behind his back, silver hair streaming in the wind. Though he’d sent Ye Yun alone to the Sunset Mountains for trial and combat, he couldn’t truly harden his heart, and had secretly followed all along.

“This brat—it seems I neglected his education. He has no idea how to show gentleness to a young lady,” Ye Yu mused with a wry smile. Still, he wasn’t worried for Ye Yun; though the girl’s cultivation was at the peak of Qi Refinement, Ye Yun’s Scarlet Flame Demonic Arts were of a higher order, and his inner energy was not inferior.

Moreover, Ye Yun’s mastery of the Nine Forms of Dragon Fist was profound enough to handle any cultivator at her level.

A faint dragon’s roar seemed to accompany Ye Yun’s every move as air hissed around him—a sign he was grasping the essence of the Dragon Fist, his momentum overwhelming the girl by more than a little.

Unlike the brute force needed to battle spirit beasts, the girl’s crimson ribbon moved with softness to counter his strength, making it difficult for Ye Yun’s fierce dragon fist to find purchase. However, his Great Roc movement art gave him the edge in speed and ferocity, quickly putting him in command of the fight.

The girl was battered back by his storm-like attacks, her inner energy draining as the battle dragged on. Her breath grew ragged, and her face turned pale.

“His cultivation is clearly weaker than mine—why is his inner energy even deeper?” Seeing Ye Yun’s relentless, forceful attacks, the girl began to panic.

Countless battles with spirit beasts had honed Ye Yun’s combat instincts. He instantly noticed the hesitation in the girl’s eyes—a fleeting opening. His five fingers stretched out, and with the Dragon’s Claw, he seized her crimson ribbon.

Scarlet Flame Demonic Arts focused on tempering the physical body. Ye Yun yanked hard, and with a startled cry, the girl was pulled off her feet, flying straight toward him.

Though they were fighting over a spirit herb, Ye Yun had never intended real harm. He caught her in his arms and barked, “You lost! Hand over the Four-Leaf Jade Grass!”

Already old enough to know the proprieties between men and women, the girl blushed furiously at being held by a stranger. Flustered and angry, she retorted stubbornly, “I’m not giving it to you!”

“Still refusing? Be careful or I’ll…” Ye Yun hesitated, unsure how to threaten her.

“What, you want to do something improper? Don’t you know there are rules between men and women? Let me go, you scoundrel!” the girl cried, furious and embarrassed.

“Why should I listen now? When I tried reasoning with you, you ignored me. Now you want to talk about rules? Why should I care?”

Ye Yun only sneered, refusing to let go. Instead, he squeezed the girl’s perky bottom and said, “I won’t let go—what will you do about it? Even a defeated opponent dares act so stubborn?”

The girl gasped in pain, humiliated and furious. Fearing he’d go further, she finally relented, exclaiming, “Fine, I’ll give it to you! Just put me down!”

“You give it first, and then I’ll let you go.” Ye Yun, hardened by his master’s training, was not easily swayed.

Resigned, the girl produced the Four-Leaf Jade Grass. “Here, take it. I must have terrible luck to meet someone like you.”

Ye Yun noticed a faint pulse of energy as she took out the herb—her delicate jade bracelet was clearly a storage treasure.

True to his word, Ye Yun released her once he had the herb in hand.

“Hey, do you dare tell me your name?” the girl demanded, her bright eyes full of indignation.

“Why, so you can get your revenge later?” Ye Yun shot back.

The girl was momentarily speechless. She felt as if her bad luck had peaked today—what kind of weirdo had she run into?

“Here, this is for you,” Ye Yun said, tearing the Four-Leaf Jade Grass in half and tossing a portion to her. “I’m not unreasonable. You chased that monkey pretty hard, so you can have half.”

Unaware that dividing the herb would ruin its medicinal value for alchemy—and that a whole stalk was needed for refining Essence Pills—Ye Yun thought he was being fair, though now the remaining half was all but useless.

The girl was stunned by his gesture, staring at him before rubbing her temples in disbelief. “You’re a real oddball. How did I end up crossing paths with you?”

Despite her words, she sensed Ye Yun’s goodwill. Accepting the half-stalk, she ground her teeth and warned, “You’ve taken advantage of me today—pray you never meet me again, or I’ll make you pay!”

She was, of course, referring to him grabbing her bottom.

Ye Yun, oblivious, only shrugged. “Even if we meet again, you’re no match for me.”

The girl was nearly driven to madness by this stubborn boy. Shaking her head at her ill fortune, she leapt lightly onto a nearby branch and called back, “You really can’t help yourself, can you? Listen up, my name is Ye Qian. Next time we meet, you’ll regret it!”

With that, she vanished into the distance.

“Ye Qian? She’s surnamed Ye as well? A member of the Ye clan…?” Ye Yun froze at her words, and childhood memories quietly stirred in his mind.