For three days, Ye Ling had been staying with Lin Yu. While guiding Lin Yu into the initial stages of cultivation, he was also searching for the sheepskin scroll.
Lin Yu's comprehension was much higher than Ye Ling had anticipated. Even though she had missed the optimal age for cultivation, she had successfully crossed the threshold in just three days, capable of guiding spiritual energy from heaven and earth on her own.
However, the spiritual energy on Earth was sparse, so Lin Yu mostly drew spiritual energy from the Little Qilin to cultivate.
What disappointed Ye Ling was that Ye Qin had gone on a business trip for some reason. During these days staying at Lin Yu's home, he hadn't seen his aunt.
The sheepskin scroll was also not at Lin Yu's home.
...
"Brother! Look at my sword qi!"
Lin Yu rushed into Ye Ling's room, her face beaming with excitement. A sword qi, about one centimeter long, emanated from her fingertip.
Ye Ling, who was meditating, opened his eyes slightly. Seeing the weak and somewhat adorable sword qi in Lin Yu's hand, he couldn't help but chuckle.
Although Lin Yu had managed to manifest qi externally in three days, possessing extremely high talent, Ye Ling himself practiced the "Yinyuan Sword Intent Art." He hadn't seen such a weak sword qi in a long time, finding it rather endearing!
"You've done very well. Continue to cultivate diligently and break through the first level of Yinyuan Sword Intent. That will be considered truly stepping onto the path of cultivation. Once you cultivate this technique to the tenth level, I'll teach you more."
Ye Ling flipped out of bed, and his jacket, placed by the bedside, automatically flew to his side.
"Beep beep beep!"
At that moment, Ye Ling's phone rang. The caller ID showed Du Yameng.
Upon answering, Ye Ling heard Du Yameng's excited voice on the other end: "Immortal, Zhang Tianshi has been found!"
"Mm, I'll be right there."
Hearing Du Yameng's words, Ye Ling merely responded calmly. He wasn't surprised that the Du family had found Zhang Daoyuan.
The Du family was, after all, a prominent clan in Jiang City. Given that Zhang Daoyuan had obtained the Phoenix Eye, worth a billion, from Du Sheng, their relationship was bound to be unusual.
If the Du family was willing to put in the effort, finding Zhang Daoyuan wouldn't be a difficult task.
Seeing Ye Ling hang up and put on his clothes, Lin Yu asked, "Brother, do you have something to do?"
"Mm, I'm returning to Jiang City."
"I want to go with you!"
Ye Ling ruthlessly refused, "Your holiday is almost over, you should go back to school."
Lin Yu: "..."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Lin Yu was immediately rendered speechless, her entire demeanor deflating like a wilted eggplant.
She had just started university, and this was merely a few days home during the National Day holiday.
Now that she had cultivated for three days at home, the few days of vacation were coming to an end.
"Then can I take Little Qilin back to school with me?" Lin Yu asked Ye Ling again.
"No problem, it can automatically conceal its form, making it invisible to others. However, you've only just stepped into cultivation and only know some rudimentary skills. Don't be too ostentatious."
"This world isn't as simple as you think," Ye Ling cautioned.
After returning, Ye Ling discovered that the secrets hidden within Earth were far more numerous than he had imagined, and his own Ye family seemed to be entangled in something significant.
Lin Yu, sharing half of the Ye family's bloodline, was also likely to be targeted by certain individuals.
Lin Yu, unaware of this, her eyes lit up upon hearing Ye Ling agree to take Little Qilin to school, and she nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes!"
Lin Yu had been spending time with Little Qilin for the past three days, and her heart had been utterly melted by the creature.
More than cultivation, she preferred to be close to Little Qilin.
Watching Lin Yu's excited expression, Ye Ling shook his head and smiled, reminding her, "Be careful yourself. Little Qilin is a treasure of this world on Earth. Once it's exposed, you'll be drawn into a storm."
"I know! Brother, go take care of your business!"
Lin Yu actively pushed Ye Ling out of the room and then gleefully began packing her luggage, preparing to set off back to school.
"This girl..."
Watching Lin Yu pack her belongings while playing with Little Qilin, Ye Ling smiled helplessly again, knowing that Lin Yu hadn't truly taken his warning to heart.
However, with Lin Yu likely to be targeted by various factions, having Little Qilin by her side was enough to ensure her safety at critical moments.
Beyond that, Ye Ling had no intention of providing Lin Yu with more protection.
Since Lin Yu had embarked on the path of cultivation, Ye Ling naturally wouldn't raise her as a delicate flower in a greenhouse.
Experiencing some trials would lead to better growth.
"Little Yu... Brother looks forward to the day you become a renowned female sword immortal."
Ye Ling chuckled lightly, his body gradually fading, and he departed.
...
Jiang City, Du Family Villa.
Du Sheng lay in his hospital bed, attached to a ventilator, extremely weak.
"Zhang Tianshi, how is my father now?"
Du Qiu anxiously asked Zhang Daoyuan, who was wearing a Taoist robe, by the bedside.
After examining Du Sheng, Zhang Daoyuan sighed heavily and said, "Alas... this old Taoist has some knowledge of medicine. Du Sheng has suffered from accumulated injuries for a long time. Blood stasis has attacked his heart, and his body has reached its limit. He can't hold on much longer."
A middle-aged woman, heavily made up, immediately retorted, "You old Taoist can't just say such things. My老爷子 was incredibly robust before, how can you say he's failing?"
This woman was Du Qiangwei, the third daughter of the Du family. Upon learning that Du Sheng had taken to his bed, she had specifically rushed back from abroad.
"For something this significant, why isn't Big Brother here?"
Du Dong, the fourth son of the Du family, asked Du Qiu. He was still wearing a black suit, his expression extremely displeased.
Three days ago, Du Xia had brought fierce bandits into the villa, and with Ye Ling's intervention, dozens of people had died in the entire villa. The implications were immense. If this matter were to leak, the entire Du family would be ruined!
Furthermore, since Du Qiu had been dedicated to finding Zhang Daoyuan, he had temporarily kept Du Xia's matter a secret, intending to inform Du Qiangwei and Du Dong once Du Sheng's condition improved.
"We'll discuss Big Brother's affairs later. The most important thing now is to save老爷子," Du Qiu said solemnly, his mind entirely occupied with Du Sheng's safety.
The three-day deadline Ye Ling had mentioned was fast approaching. If Ye Ling couldn't return in time, it would be too late to salvage the situation.
"How do we save him? Relying on that unidentified kid you mentioned?" Du Qiangwei said with dissatisfaction. "Our Du family's medical treatment actually requires finding some charlatans? It's simply preposterous!"
Du Dong also chimed in, "Third Sister is right. Not sending老爷子 to the hospital is tantamount to murder. Are you trying to force老爷子 to death so you can divide the inheritance?"
Hearing Du Dong's words, Du Qiangwei realized something and stared at Du Qiu coldly, "Hmph! You've always lived in this house.老爷子 didn't pass the patriarch position to Big Brother, but instead to you. I've always felt something was amiss."
"Could it be that you've been manipulating老爷子 and already drafted a will that favors you?"
"Let me tell you, without us present,老爷子's will is not valid!"
Hearing Du Qiangwei and Du Dong's words, Du Qiu was instantly infuriated, almost spitting blood. He quickly retorted, "How can you say such things!"
Du Qiangwei countered, "Why can't we say it? You didn't notify Big Brother, aren't you afraid he'll suppress you?"
Du Dong also said sternly, "I don't care who the patriarch is. After老爷子 passes away, I want a quarter of the inheritance, not a bit less!"
Zhang Daoyuan watched as Du Sheng's children began to argue and sighed softly.
"What a sin... My old friend, you lived a life of a soldier and amassed a vast fortune, only to end up in such a state."
Knowing that Du Sheng's life was nearing its end, Zhang Daoyuan whispered a few words to Du Sheng and, unwilling to get involved in the Du family's disputes, prepared to leave.
But at that moment, a familiar voice echoed, making Zhang Daoyuan's entire body tremble!
"It's quite lively here, isn't it!"
Zhang Daoyuan looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ye Ling entering, led by Du Yameng.
Upon seeing Ye Ling appear, Zhang Daoyuan's pupils contracted sharply!
It was him!