King of Creation
Chapter 170 - 168: The Movement of Clouds

Chapter 170: Chapter 168: The Movement of Clouds

"Seeing this letter is like seeing you, my son. As you make your way in the world, do not worry about the home front. Your mother and I are eating well, sleeping soundly, and all is well. I, especially, have been aided by you and have achieved a breakthrough in my cultivation to the True Essence Realm during my middle years..."

As Ye Zhen read the family letter, his eyes became slightly moist.

The lines were either concerned with Ye Zhen or reassuring him that everything at home was fine.

The letter was lengthy and verbose, but to Ye Zhen, it was filled with his parents’ deep affection. When he reached the sixth page, Ye Zhen’s brows suddenly lifted.

Two months ago, the Imperial Court suddenly issued an Enrollment Order for his father, Ye Tiancheng, on account of his breakthrough to the True Essence Realm, appointing Ye Tiancheng as the County Magistrate of Gold City County in Wusan County, making him the premier official on par with the Prefect of Gold City County.

However, according to Ye Tiancheng, even the Prefect of Gold City County heeded his opinions.

From then on, the Ye Family had leapt to become a prestigious family in Gold City County, well-regarded throughout Wusan County.

It was only a few days later that the Prefectural Governor and County Captain of Wusan County, along with a prince named Zhu Changyu, visited. They bestowed thousands of acres of good farmland, numerous carts of gold and silver jewels, and even ten beautiful women.

However, all ten women, as beautiful as flowers, were rejected by his mother, Mi Jiangxue.

Reading this part, Ye Zhen burst into laughter, imagining his father’s initial joy and subsequent embarrassment, realizing his hopes of taking concubines might never come to fruition in this lifetime.

Ye Zhen had met Zhu Changyu before; at a banquet at the residence of the Eldest Prince Zhu Xuan, Zhu Changyu, as Zhu Xuan’s elder son, had even toasted Ye Zhen.

In other words, his father Ye Tiancheng becoming County Magistrate, those thousands of acres of good land, numerous carts of treasures, and even the high regard from Wusan County’s Governor, all originated from Eldest Prince Zhu Xuan.

"This Eldest Prince Zhu Xuan really knows how to get things done, focusing his efforts on my parents, though it puts me at a bit of a loss," Ye Zhen mused.

This time, however, Eldest Prince Zhu Xuan had taken the right approach, causing Ye Zhen to have a favorable impression of him.

Moreover, this grand gift had been sent before the Sect’s grand competition, showing true sincerity from Eldest Prince Zhu Xuan.

Beyond that, the most important matter in the letter was pushing for marriage.

It mentioned how Ye Zhen’s cousin, one year younger, already had a son who could walk, his elder cousin Ye Kai’s daughter could already fetch soy sauce, and Ye Shuang, the same age as Ye Zhen, had already taken a second concubine.

It listed a great many details, just in the letter alone, the urgency was sky-high.

The letter also said that many people from Gold City County and even the whole of Wusan County, drawn by Ye Zhen’s reputation, had come proposing marriages, with each girl more graceful and beautiful than the last, nearly wearing out the Ye Family’s threshold.

However, because Ye Zhen had once refused Hee Bancheng, Ye Tiancheng and his wife did not dare agree to any proposals.

Now, they were just waiting for Ye Zhen to come home.

In the letter, two options were laid out for Ye Zhen.

The first option was to find some time to come home for matchmaking and marriage, to provide them with a chubby grandson.

The second option was for Ye Zhen to bring a wife home himself, to put their minds at ease.

Matchmaking?

That was impossible.

After finishing the letter, Ye Zhen chuckled lightly; it seemed he only had the second option.

Along with the letter, there was also the annual contribution of 50,000 Silver for Ye Zhen’s cultivation from the Ye Family, along with an additional 20,000 Silver from Ye Tiancheng and his wife.

After some thought, Ye Zhen immediately wrote a reply and made a trip to the Sect Main Hall, where he exchanged for twenty True Essence Pills, and asked the Deacon Hee Miao to arrange for someone to deliver them to the Ye Family in Gold City County in Wusan County.

The Ye Family had thousands of acres of fertile land and wealth to spare; sending back some pills to enhance cultivation was more than appropriate.

This was yet another exclusive privilege for a disciple ranked in the top ten of the Heavenly List. The Sect would arrange for someone to run errands, deliver family letters, or even solve some minor problems.

At Fairy Peak, Ye Zhen casually handed the family letter to Caiyi.

"What is this?" Caiyi asked, puzzled.

"Just take a look and you’ll see!"

"A family letter?"

Encouraged by Ye Zhen’s reassuring eyes, Caiyi read it meticulously, almost word by word. The fifteen-page letter actually took her 15 minutes and more to read.

However, when she reached the last few pages, Caiyi’s face turned slightly unnatural.

"Your parents... want you... to come home for matchmaking? Are you planning... to go back?"

Ye Zhen laughed again, "Silly girl, keep reading. Didn’t my parents give me two options? What’s the second one?"

"The second option is... to bring a wife... home!"

"Exactly, I plan to take that route, but who to bring home, now that’s a real question!" Ye Zhen pretended to contemplate seriously, resting his chin on his hand.

Caiyi bit her lip slightly, her expression turning strange, somewhat restless.

"Who to bring home then..."

After feigning deep thought for a while, Ye Zhen felt it was about time to end the joke and suddenly asked Caiyi: "Caiyi, I’m planning to go home in two months. Will you be available then?"

"I’ll be available..."

These three words slipped out before Caiyi fully realized it. When she saw Ye Zhen’s mischievous smile, she immediately understood he was teasing her. Laughter like silver bells rang out, and Caiyi had already taken to the sky, flying away.

"Whether I’ll be available is still uncertain..." Laughing, Caiyi’s pretty face turned completely red, even her ears flushed, resembling brilliant red jade.

"You said it..."

Ye Zhen laughed and chased after her, and the two immediately frolicked together.

...

While there were sounds of mirth and laughter at Fairy Peak, at Dingguang Peak where the Fifth Elder Hong Banjiang resided, the atmosphere was gloomy!

"Master!"

"Master!"

In the Silent Chamber where Qu Zhanqian was recuperating, seeing Hong Banjiang enter, both Fan Chuyu and Cao Luo stood up simultaneously.

"How is Qu doing?" Hong Banjiang asked.

Fan Chuyu and Cao Luo’s faces simultaneously displayed a touch of sadness, and they moved to the side, "Master, Junior Brother Qu’s injuries have completely healed, but..."

"Master... Master... cough... cough..."

When Qu Zhanqian, lying on the sickbed, saw Hong Banjiang enter, he tried to get up to greet him, but as soon as he did, he began to cough violently. During the coughs, his face turned purplish-red, his chest heaved violently, but his lips became more and more purple, as if he couldn’t breathe.

"Don’t strain yourself, lie down quickly!" Cao Luo rushed over, injected a stream of spiritual power, and Qu Zhanqian’s condition improved slightly.

Seeing this, without needing further explanation, Hong Banjiang knew Qu Zhanqian’s condition.

His right arm was useless, his left arm was gone, only his legs remained.

However, the right half of his lung had been frozen into ice shards by the Ice Fiend Qi and was completely destroyed after being unsealed; his heart was also severely damaged. Not to mention using spiritual power, even turning over required assistance, otherwise, it would be just like a moment ago.

These legs were as good as nonexistent.

All the miraculous spirit pills from the sect’s medicine storehouse had been used, but to no avail.

It was also because Qu Zhanqian’s cultivation was not enough. If Qu Zhanqian’s cultivation had reached the Second Stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm, where all the five internal organs and six hollow organs became spirit organs, even the mighty Ice Fiend Qi could be slowly recovered from, avoiding this total invalidism.

"Master, I..."

Seeing how useless he was, Qu Zhanqian felt grief overwhelming him, and tears silently streamed down his face.

"Master, let’s send Brother Qu home. Brother Fan and I will each take out 100,000 silver, plus Brother Qu’s own fortune; hire a few maids, and it will suffice for Brother Qu to live without worries for clothing and food for his lifetime!" Cao Luo said.

Hong Banjiang’s expression turned cold, "Go home?"

"Send him home? To live like an animal?"

"In his current state, even if we hire maids, I’m afraid he won’t live any better than an animal."

Suddenly, Hong Banjiang’s expression became extremely chilly.

"Qu, your master promises you, as long as there is a chance, your Senior Brother Fan will personally strike down Ye Zhen! If Brother Fan cannot, your master will do it himself!"

As soon as these words came out, Qu Zhanqian on the sickbed, Cao Luo, and Fan Chuyu beside him were all severely shaken, and a look of terror flashed in Cao Luo’s eyes.

Whether it was Qu Zhanqian, Fan Chuyu, or Cao Luo, all were outstanding individuals; they all understood the implied meaning behind Hong Banjiang’s words.

After a few moments of silent contemplation, Qu Zhanqian gritted his teeth, nodded fiercely, then closed his eyes, his body still trembling incessantly.

"Don’t worry, the thing your master promised you will definitely be done! Chu Yu, send off your junior brother!"

"No!"

Cao Luo cried out in shock, wanting to say something, but was forced back by Hong Banjiang’s stern gaze.

Actually, Cao Luo was somewhat puzzled, why bother going to extremes against Ye Zhen?

If it weren’t for the master’s deliberate targeting of Ye Zhen, how could things have escalated to this point?

"Junior brother, rest in peace. Ye Zhen, I will surely kill him!"

As he spoke, Fan Chuyu’s finger swiftly touched Qu Zhanqian’s chest. Qu Zhanqian’s body convulsed a few times, and he immediately breathed his last!

As shock filled Cao Luo’s eyes, Hong Banjiang indifferently stepped out.

"Bury him in the back mountain!"

.....

A few hours later, when a bell toll rang out, a death notice also reverberated throughout the entire Qiyun Sect.

"Second on the Heavenly List, Qu Zhanqian died from his injuries..."

Until his death, Qu Zhanqian never attained the status of True Disciple, and on Heaven and Earth Cliff, the Heavenly List flickered, Qu Zhanqian’s name completely disappeared...

...

At the highest point of Fairy Peak, on a sharp rock, Ye Zhen sat cross-legged, still as a sculpture, gazing into the distance at chunks of flowing clouds, motionless.

Cloud-gazing was what Ye Zhen had been doing most this month.

Every day, Ye Zhen would sit rigidly on this peak for four to five hours, watching clouds gather and disperse, rise and fall.

The reason was to comprehend the Flowing Cloud Realm.

Ever since the battle with Qu Zhanqian, Ye Zhen realized that the power of his Wind Cloud Sword Technique was still insufficient.

If he could comprehend the Wind Cloud Artistic Conception, dealing with Qu Zhanqian wouldn’t have been so strenuous, and perhaps a few sword strikes would have sufficed.

However, comprehending the compound artistic conception of Wind Cloud was utterly elusive, so Ye Zhen had to start by comprehending the Flowing Cloud Realm from his Cloud Sword Skill.

Now, after observing clouds for over twenty days, although he had made some progress, he felt something was still missing.

But Ye Zhen was not in a hurry; he knew very well that such matters couldn’t be rushed.

If comprehending artistic conceptions were easy, there would be experts capable of defeating stronger opponents everywhere.

Whoo!

The wind started!

The bright sky quickly darkened, and the white clouds immediately transformed into black clouds. The strong wind howled, black clouds pressed down, the black clouds rolled, fierce winds blew the clouds and they pressed down from above, rolling right over Ye Zhen’s head.

Instantly, Ye Zhen’s eyes brightened.

He knew what had been missing in his days of comprehending the Flowing Cloud Realm!

Momentum!

The moving momentum of the clouds!

Clang!

His Sky Crystal Sword drawn, a sword swung, the clouds in all directions moved! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)