บท 26: Ye Jiang
บรรณาธิการ: Caron_
In a huge courtyard below Mount Dongmeng, Mo Tiange saw Ye Jingwen taking out a pouch from inside his robe. He spilled the contents of the bag out and the table was instantly covered with more than a dozen glittering, translucent lumps of stones that had a different color each. The cultivator who'd been tasked to receive the guests became even more courteous. At first, he said he couldn't divulge the information of past guests, but now he promptly said, "Senior, not long ago, there was indeed a cultivator who matches the man you've described; he came to rent a cave. Please be patient, I'll go and check first."
Ye Jingwen nodded but said nothing.
All the stones on the table disappeared with a wave of that cultivator's sleeve. Right after he asked the two of them to wait, he hurriedly entered the inner room.
Mo Tiange bewilderedly asked, "Big Brother Ye, what are those things? Why did he instantly agree after you gave them to him?"
Ye Jingwen said, "Do you see the spiritual aura on their surfaces?"
Mo Tiange nodded. She didn't sense there was anything strange with that because during the past days of following Ye Jingwen, all the things she saw possessed spiritual aura. There was no way objects that belonged to the cultivation world possessed no spiritual aura.
Ye Jingwen said, "Those are spirit stones - they contain spiritual aura. They can be used to replenish your spiritual aura during a battle and set formations when you're cultivating. They're indeed something we must have; hence, we, the cultivators, treat them as our currency."
Mo Tiange had read about spirit stones from her book, but she had never seen how they looked like. As it turned out, aside from containing spiritual aura inside, they weren't too different compared to common gems.
Soon after, the cultivator emerged from the inner room and spoke very courteously to Ye Jingwen: "Senior, there was indeed an individual cultivator named Ye Jiang here a month ago. He rented a cave. The rent duration was… three months."
"Oh? Where's his cave?"
The cultivator said, "Halfway up the mountain, Senior will see a market square. Turn left onto the small road, the cave number is G189. You just need to press the number plate to call the resident inside."
Ye Jingwen nodded and said his thanks before taking Mo Tiange out of the place.
Places that rented out Immortal's Caves like theirs needed to set up numbers for their caves just like inns numbered their rooms. With numbers, it would be easy to find the right cave. Following the direction the cultivator gave, it took only a short while for the two of them to find the cave. From the fact that his cave was quite a distance away from the market square and had negligible spiritual aura, it could be concluded that Ye Jiang either didn't intend on staying for a long time, or he didn't have much fortune.
Ye Jingwen shouted, "Is anyone here?" A long time passed and there was still no answer. Ye Jingwen pondered for a while then took out the Summoning Talisman Lu Xishan gave him from inside his robe. After putting a bit of spiritual power into it and seeing that the jade talisman didn't light up, he knew straightaway that Ye Jiang wasn't inside.
Mo Tiange asked, "Big Brother Ye, is there something wrong?"
Ye Jingwen answered, "Your uncle isn't here. I suppose he's quite a distance from here; his presence isn't detected by the Summoning Jade Talisman, so it can't transmit my message."
"Oh." Mo Tiange couldn't say that she was disappointed. In fact, she was a bit nervous. She had never seen her father, her mother passed away when she was seven years old, and as for her other relatives, none of them loved her. She was a bit scared that this uncle also would not like her.
Although Ye Jingwen sensed her nervousness, he didn't take it as anything serious. In the future, she would have to depend on relatives she had never met, it was normal to be nervous.
Since they couldn't find the person, the two of them had to go back. But since they now knew where he was staying, it would be easier to find him in the future.
Before they left, Ye Jingwen took out an ordinary Summoning Talisman and left a message on the cave door. He then took Mo Tiange away, aiming to go to Xuanqing School's shop, stay there for one day, and come back tomorrow.
On their way back, Ye Jingwen said, "You don't have to worry. Since we've found your uncle's cave, we'll be able to see him soon."
Actually, Mo Tiange didn't feel worried at all. She hadn't been able to think about how she should face the man who would, in the future, become her only elder relative.
Right after they entered the shop, the Aura Refining cultivator who told Ye Jingwen his idea promptly came towards them. Having greeted Ye Jingwen, he asked, "Martial Uncle Ye, have you found the person?"
Ye Jingwen shook his head. "I just found the place he's staying at, but I haven't met him in person yet. Are there any empty rooms here?"
"There are. Martial Uncle can rest assured - the spirit vein here isn't as good as Mount Taikang's, but it can still be considered pretty good. There won't be too much of an impact even if you live here for several days."
"En. Show me the room first so I can rest for a while. If Senior Martial Brother Zheng comes back, tell him that I'm here."
"Yes."
The cultivator was about to lead them inside when they heard a voice coming from the doorway: "Brother Ye, please come in."
After Ye Jingwen turned around, he saw Zheng Xuan, the shopkeeper and a thin, frowning old man with grizzled hair who was also in the Foundation Building realm.
Brother Ye? He didn't have the chance to think about it because Zheng Xuan had seen him. A surprised expression appeared on Zheng Xuan's face. "Junior Martial Brother Ye, why are you here?"
Zheng Xuan was a disciple of Clear Spring Peak as well as Ye Jingwen's acquaintance. Ye Jingwen smiled. "Senior Martial Brother Zheng, you finally came back."
Seeing that this young Junior Martial Brother seemed to have something to say, Zheng Xuan looked back, smiled at the old man and cupped his hands while saying, "Brother Ye, please go upstairs and sit for a moment. I'll be there soon."
This old man didn't smile and just nodded his head before following another Aura Refining disciple upstairs.
Ye Jingwen tossed another glance at the old man.
Zheng Xuan stared at him with a smile before staring at Mo Tiange and asking, "Junior Martial Brother Ye, did you perhaps come down from the mountain to recruit a disciple?"
Ye Jingwen revealed a bitter smile. "Senior Martial Brother Zheng must be joking. Foundation Building disciples like us don't have the qualifications to recruit a disciple; besides, just that flock of young children in the Clear Spring Peak has almost caused me to die of a headache. What am I going to recruit a disciple for? I've received a command from Martial Uncle Shoujing to find someone, so I came to ask Senior Martial Brother whether you've heard about this man."
"Oh?" As a disciple of Clear Spring Peak, Zheng Xuan naturally put a lot more thought regarding his direct martial uncle's business. Hence, he straightaway asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"He's a Foundation Building individual cultivator around your age. His name is Ye Jiang."
Right after his sentence was finished, an extremely shocked expression appeared on Zheng Xuan's face.
Ye Jingwen frowned. "Senior Martial Brother Zheng, what's wrong?"
A smile formed on Zheng Xuan's face. "The guest I've just brought with me is called Ye Jiang. However, I'm not sure whether he's the person you're looking for."
Ye Jingwen was startled. This was indeed "Fancy finding by sheer luck what one has searched for, far and wide"! He immediately asked, "Does he come from Ye Clan of Mount Qingmeng?"
"You're correct, but the last Core Formation cultivator of Ye Clan has fallen, so now Ye Clan no longer exists."
Receiving such an answer, Ye Jingwen became even more certain that this man was the one he was trying to find. He promptly said, "I have to trouble Senior Martial Brother to make an introduction."
Zheng Xuan smiled and nodded. "Let's go upstairs."
In the guest hall upstairs, the old man stood up when he saw them coming in.
Zheng Xuan said, "Brother Ye, this is my Junior Martial Brother. Just like you, his surname is also Ye, his name is Jingwen. Junior Martial Brother, this is Brother Ye, Ye Jiang."
After politely greeting each other, Ye Jingwen got straight to the point: "Allow me to ask Fellow Daoist - are you Ye Jiang from Ye Clan of Mount Qingmeng?"
Ye Jiang was confused about what was going on. However, since the other party was being so cautious, he answered firmly, "I am, but there's no longer any Ye Clan of Mount Qingmeng." He looked very dejected, obviously disappointed that Ye Clan was broken in his hands.
Ye Jingwen asked again, "Then, Fellow Daoist Ye, are you Senior Ye Hai's younger brother?"
Ye Jiang was stunned. He wouldn't be surprised if there was someone asking him such question in the olden days. His elder brother was very famous; a lot of people in western Kunwu knew about Ye Hai of Mount Qingmeng. But it wasn't the same now. Years ago, his brother had disappeared on the Demonic Mountain and it had been a while since they confirmed his death. Even Ye Clan faded away. How could there be someone asking such a thing now?
Even so, he maintained a calm expression and answered, "I am."
Hearing this confirmation, Ye Jingwen finally let out a sigh of relief. He pushed Mo Tiange forward and said, "Brother Ye, I've been ordered by Martial Uncle Shoujing to descend from the mountain to find senior Ye Hai's descendant and bring her to you."
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