Mount Spirit.
After leaving the Ye family, Ye Wangchuan quickly returned to Mount Spirit.
Since Ye Wangchuan had already reached the mid-stage of the third realm, climbing Mount Spirit was no longer a difficult task for him.
After all, the main danger of climbing Mount Spirit came from the ferocious beasts inhabiting the mountain.
However, over the past month, due to the incident involving the Heavenly Cave, the mountain had been bustling with people.
As a result, the powerful beasts on the mountain had either been slaughtered or forcibly taken away as spirit pets.
Only a few weak young beasts were left behind to ensure sustainable development.
On Mount Spirit.
At this moment, the crowd that had previously surrounded the mountain had thinned significantly.
This was because the entrance to the Heavenly Cave had closed.
This meant that those who had not yet emerged were most likely dead.
Even if they weren’t dead, one would have to gamble on whether they could survive inside for a thousand years and wait for the next opening to retrieve them.
But honestly…
It would be better to just start over with a new life within those thousand years.
Of course, even though most people had left, there were still some who remained on Mount Spirit.
“Waaaah! My child! Why didn’t you come out!”
“I deserve to die a thousand deaths! I deserve it! Why didn’t I stop my child from going in? Why didn’t I stop them!”
“Senior Brother! Sob, sob, sob! Senior Brother!”
The cries and wails continued.
Some were families mourning their loved ones, while others were sect masters and disciples weeping.
In the Xuanhuan world, where human life was as cheap as grass, such scenes were all too common.
Humans, after all, have emotions. It would be a lie to say one wouldn’t feel sorrow upon the death of friends, family, or fellow disciples.
However, in the Xuanhuan world, where lifespans were long, it was common for a person to have ten or more descendants in their lifetime.
For those in large families, it was normal for a thousand people to call the same person “father.”
Only someone as peculiar as Ye Zhentian would have just one child and no other descendants.
With so many descendants, it was natural that the death of one wouldn’t lead to decades of mourning or a collapse of one’s Dao heart.
Ye Wangchuan’s gaze swept past the mourners and landed on a hillside.
On the hillside, Fang Que was watching the crowd, seemingly deep in thought.
“Master Fang Que, what are you looking at?”
Ye Wangchuan leaped up to the hillside and asked.
Fang Que’s expression remained as calm as ever, not showing even a hint of pity or sorrow despite the cries of the crowd.
Seeing Ye Wangchuan approach, she spoke indifferently.
“Nothing much. It’s just that the mortality rate in the Heavenly Cave this year seems unusually high. Out of thirty people who entered, only one came out. That’s much higher than before.”
“Well, there was a fourth-realm demonic cultivator blocking the exit this time,” Ye Wangchuan said casually, pulling out a bowl of dumplings from his spatial ring and handing it to Fang Que.
“I brought these from that shop earlier. They’re pork-filled.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Fang Que took the dumplings and began eating them contentedly.
Afterward, Ye Wangchuan and Fang Que chatted for a while.
Naturally, the conversation turned to Ye Wangchuan’s cultivation progress.
“By the way, Ye Wangchuan, how did you manage to advance so quickly from the early stage of the second realm to the mid-stage of the third realm?”
“Hmm… about that…”
Ye Wangchuan scratched his nose, appearing somewhat hesitant.
Seeing this, Fang Que spoke up.
“It’s fine, you can tell me. I won’t tell anyone else. I can even pinky swear—if I lie, may I be struck by eighty heavenly tribulation bolts.”
“If you don’t want to say, that’s fine too. But don’t tell me you’ve been using some demonic technique to boost your cultivation. Those things only drag you deeper the more you use them.”
After hearing Fang Que’s words, Ye Wangchuan glanced around and whispered,
“Just don’t tell anyone, okay?”
“Sure, let’s pinky swear.”
Fang Que extended her little finger.
After they sealed the promise, Ye Wangchuan slowly pulled out a cultivation manual and showed it to Fang Que.
“This is the secret to my rapid progress.”
Fang Que took a closer look.
【Supreme Dual Cultivation Technique】
“Oh, so this is what you and Li Luo have been using?”
Fang Que asked curiously.
Ye Wangchuan nodded.
“That’s right.”
“Then, can you two take me along next time?”
Fang Que inquired.
Ye Wangchuan thought for a moment before replying.
“This technique can’t be used by three people. If you want to practice it, Master Fang Que, I’ll have to do it with you alone.”
“Alright then.”
Fang Que nodded.
“But I’ve never done this before, so I might be a bit clumsy. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Not at all.”
Seeing Fang Que agree, Ye Wangchuan wasn’t surprised.
In fact, everything had gone as he had anticipated.
First, he had used the bowl of dumplings to boost Fang Que’s goodwill, then casually chatted with her.
Once Fang Que showed interest in his rapid cultivation progress, he attributed it to the technique.
Given Fang Que’s personality, she was bound to want to try it out.
After all, she had previously expressed a desire to join him.
From the moment he obtained this technique, Ye Wangchuan had thought of practicing it with either Li Luo or Fang Que.
It wasn’t because he had a thing for lolis.
It was simply because the technique was too powerful to pass up.
But practicing it with outsiders felt like a waste.
As the saying goes, “Don’t let the fertile water flow to another’s field.”
So, Ye Wangchuan naturally thought of Li Luo and Fang Que.
“By the way, does Li Luo not mind?”
“She’s fine with it.”
……
……
Longevity Palace.
Li Luo sat in the courtyard, continuously consuming Foundation Building Pills and cultivation-enhancing pills.
On her side, there wasn’t much to discuss with Old Man Li, so after a brief conversation, she returned home to focus on her cultivation.
As she ate, the sound of footsteps approached the door.
Li Luo immediately recognized them as Ye Wangchuan’s.
As for Fang Que, she floated, so her steps made no sound.
Soon, Ye Wangchuan entered with Fang Que in tow.
The first thing Ye Wangchuan did was to transform Grey Eggplant back into her loli form and let her wander around Longevity Palace to familiarize herself with the place.
Then, he turned to Li Luo and said seriously,
“Fang Que and I have something important to do. Li Luo, try not to come to my bedroom for the next few hours.”
“Uh, what’s going on?”
Li Luo asked, puzzled.
Fang Que explained bluntly,
“We’re going to dual cultivate for a while.”
“Oh, okay… Wait, what?!”
Li Luo turned her head in shock.
But by then, the two had already walked away.
Li Luo initially thought about chasing after them to ask for details but decided against it and sat back down.
After some thought, she figured it must be related to that technique Ye Wangchuan had mentioned before.
Back then, he had asked if she wanted to try it, but she had firmly refused.
“This Ye Wangchuan… what a loli-loving pervert…”
Li Luo’s mouth twitched as she muttered a few words before letting the matter go.
She knew she wasn’t in any position to meddle in Ye Wangchuan’s private affairs, as they weren’t in that kind of relationship.
It wasn’t like she could reject his offer to practice the technique with her and then forbid him from doing it with someone else.
As she pondered, Li Luo glanced at Grey Eggplant and called out,
“Little puppet, come here. Let me tell you about Ye Wangchuan.”
“My name is Grey Eggplant.”
“Who came up with that name…”
“Master Ye Wangchuan did.”
“His taste in names is terrible… By the way, why do you call him ‘Master’?”