Chapter Twenty: The Yin Vein of the Heavenly Heart
Chen Xiang paid him no heed at all. Instead, he turned to the innkeeper and said, “Innkeeper, this is unacceptable. Business must be conducted with honesty. How can you sell a five-coin tea for ten taels of silver? That’s a twentyfold markup! Who would dare patronize your establishment again?”
The innkeeper’s face was mournful. “Sir, please, say no more. If you don’t care about your life, don’t drag me down with you!”
“Sir, keep your money. Just go!” the innkeeper pleaded, nearly in tears.
“How could I possibly do that?” Chen Xiang replied, pushing the silver back toward him. “I am an upright and kind-hearted citizen. How could I possibly drink tea without paying for it? That would tarnish my reputation for integrity.”
The group of Core Formation cultivators were seething with rage. They had been completely ignored!
“You brat, shut up and get out!” the old man at the peak of the Core Formation stage roared furiously.
Chen Xiang glanced at him indifferently, then turned to the innkeeper. “Don’t worry about the change. Just bring me a plate of braised beef. I’ll stay here and watch the show.”
“What? No, no, this is your change. Please, just leave!” The innkeeper panicked, thinking he’d run into a real troublemaker, and hurriedly rummaged through the counter to scrape together nine taels and five coins in silver, which he handed back to Chen Xiang.
The elder gave a cold snort and signaled with his eyes to a Core Formation cultivator at the sixth stage.
The man nodded, ready to teach Chen Xiang a lesson.
But the young woman spoke up, “Sixth Elder, our affairs shouldn’t involve outsiders. Let us settle this elsewhere.”
With that, she cast Chen Xiang a long, deep look, then gracefully walked out of the teahouse.
The Sixth Elder snorted, glared at Chen Xiang, and led the others after her.
The innkeeper and the young waiter both breathed sighs of relief once they had gone.
Seeing that his attempt at posturing had failed, Chen Xiang didn’t linger either. He went outside to see what would happen—if the young woman found herself in peril, perhaps he’d have a chance to play the hero and rescue the beauty.
“Boss, here’s nine taels and five coins for you,” Chen Xiang said, too lazy to reclaim his loose change. He tossed the silver onto the counter and left the teahouse.
The innkeeper twitched at the sight of the silver. Was this man here to cause trouble?
On a mountaintop, the young woman gazed out at the endless scenery from the edge of a cliff, while eight Core Formation cultivators surrounded her, blocking any chance of escape.
Chen Xiang lounged on a rock atop a nearby peak, several miles away—close enough to see everything.
“Why do people in these fights always head to the edge of a cliff?” Chen Xiang muttered. “And what’s the point of surrounding her there? You’re cultivators! Core Formation cultivators can fly on their swords! Falling off wouldn’t even kill you. There’s absolutely no skill involved.”
On the cliff, the young woman’s expression shifted slightly as she glanced in Chen Xiang’s direction, sighing inwardly: “Though his cultivation is only at the third stage of Core Formation, he’s certainly not simple. He must be a backup sent by the Li family.”
Chen Xiang was startled. She’d noticed him? This woman was impressive. Winning her over would require some effort.
“Young Miss, please come back with us. I watched you grow up, and I’ll plead with the Patriarch to spare you,” said the Sixth Elder, now trying a gentler approach.
The woman shook her head gently. “If Second Uncle wants to be Patriarch, let him. But why must he persist in hounding me? Tell him not to take to heart what my father said. They’re both gone now, and I have no desire to contest the position. He needn’t worry about me.”
The Sixth Elder sighed and replied, “Miss, I understand your feelings, but you know that’s not what the Patriarch wants.”
After a long silence, the young woman said quietly, “He still hasn’t given up on that legend?”
The Sixth Elder nodded bitterly.
The young woman had been born in June—the hottest time of year. Yet, when she was born, the skies changed color and snow danced in the air, turning the Li family’s lands into a frozen world for a hundred miles around. It took ten years for things to return to normal.
It was later discovered that she possessed the Heavenly Heart Yin Vein constitution and a pure ice spiritual root, an extraordinary natural talent. She proved worthy of it, reaching the seventh stage of Core Formation in just eighteen years, surpassing even some family elders.
Then, one day, an elder found an ancient text in the clan’s archive. It recorded that those born with the Heavenly Heart Yin Vein, heralded by snow and ice, were ominous and would bring disaster upon the family. The only way to avert this fate was to offer such a person as a sacrifice to heaven and earth—thus not only removing the threat, but also enabling someone to inherit her constitution and cultivation.
What’s more, the inheritance was special: the Heavenly Heart Yin Vein appeared only in women, but if inherited by a man, it would transform into the Heavenly Heart Yang Vein.
No one knew if the legend was true; the cultivation world had never seen such a case. Moreover, the Li family had enjoyed smooth fortune for eighteen years, without any disasters.
Yet her Second Uncle believed it without question. He wasn’t thinking about averting disaster—he coveted the Heavenly Heart Yang Vein.
Originally, the late Patriarch—her father—was to inherit leadership, but he perished in a disastrous attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Her mother, devoted to her husband, took her own life in grief.
She was a truly pitiable soul.
Before her father died, he regained a moment of clarity and tried to pass the Patriarch’s seat to her. But, disheartened, she declined. After her Second Uncle assumed power, he used the deaths of her parents as a pretext to offer her as a sacrifice to heaven and earth. Sensing his intentions, she fled the family before he could act.
Lowering her eyes, the young woman whispered, “Sixth Elder, are my parents’ remains well cared for?”
The Sixth Elder’s heart trembled, and he replied at once, “Miss, the late Patriarch and his wife were given a grand funeral half a month ago. Both were buried in the ancestral tomb, with thousands from sects large and small coming to pay their respects.”
She nodded slightly. “Good.”
The two fell silent again.
After a while, the Sixth Elder sighed. “Miss, you truly won’t come back with us?”
She shook her head without a word—her meaning was clear.
The Sixth Elder’s face hardened. “Very well. In that case, I cannot defy the Patriarch’s orders. Forgive us for what we must do.”
He signaled to the others.
These Core Formation cultivators were hired guards of the Li family; they had little personal loyalty. With cruel grins, they closed in.
Chen Xiang yawned on the opposite mountaintop. Though he couldn’t hear their conversation, he could only think: at last, the fight was about to begin!
The Sixth Elder stood at the rear, not joining the attack—his role was to cut off any escape.
Seven Core Formation cultivators advanced, each forming hand seals. With so many at the fifth stage or higher attacking together, even a Nascent Soul cultivator at the third stage would have to retreat.
The young woman lifted her veiled face, her expression unreadable, yet the composure she radiated was palpable.
As if nothing could disturb her.
“To be continued…”