Chapter 125: Departure

After saying that, she flashed a sweet smile and began rubbing herself against Chen Yiyi again.

“All right. You’re a pretty little girl now, little Noxie.” Chen Yiyi smiled faintly. Indeed, Ruan Noxie had become exceptionally cute and beautiful. She was utterly different from the girl he had first met. Of course, this had much to do with the Marrow-Cleansing Pill and the Hundred-Turn Pill she had taken. Moreover, she had now begun cultivating, so it was only natural that her body would undergo such obvious changes.

Yuan Xiang and Qi Yun had likewise undergone a transformation, looking completely different from how they had appeared only a few days earlier.

Chen Yiyi was very satisfied. It seemed they had all been working hard, and this filled him with gratification.

“Don’t call me ‘little,’ okay? Noxie will grow up very soon. When that happens, I’ll follow you every day, Brother Yi.” As Ruan Noxie spoke, two crimson clouds suddenly rose upon her little face, making her look like a shy young girl.

Qi Yun and Yuan Xiang exchanged a smile. At the same time, a wish much like Ruan Mengxie’s quietly arose in their hearts.

Ye Mei had been waiting off to the side all along. Seeing Chen Yiyi’s expression, she gave a cold snort through her nose. She had never had a favorable impression of him, and now that she saw him acting so intimately with a little girl, her contempt for him only deepened.

“Mr. Chen, are you ready? If so, we should set out.”

“Fox spirit, don’t tell me you’re jealous of this little girl?” Chen Yiyi teased her with a smile.

At the same time, Ruan Noxie imitated an adult, snorted, and turned her head away from Ye Mei.

There was an innate seductiveness about this woman that made her feel very uncomfortable. In her childish mind, she was even a little afraid that Ye Mei might lure Brother Yi away.

“You…”

Ye Mei had never expected him to expose her true identity here, much less accuse her of being jealous of a little girl. It was utterly absurd. Jealous? What a ridiculous notion. Men had always been the ones jealous over her. The thought enraged her so much that, for a moment, she did not know what to say.

Qi Yun and Yuan Xiang, however, understood the words “fox spirit” quite differently from Ye Mei. After all, they had never truly encountered a demon in their world, so it was impossible for them to take the words in that sense.

Even so, they knew that this woman named Ye Mei was no ordinary person. Although she had instructed them during the past few days, they had secretly developed thoughts much like Ruan Noxie’s. Yet, seeing Chen Yiyi’s indifferent attitude toward her, they could only laugh quietly to themselves.

“All right, Qi Yun, Yuan Xiang, I’ve already told you everything you need to know. While I’m away, the three of you must practice diligently. When I return, I’ll be testing you, you know.”

Chen Yiyi could not delay any longer.

Qi Yun and Yuan Xiang nodded repeatedly.

For no apparent reason, Ye Mei frowned from the side. She wondered how a man could be so promiscuous. Seductive women and married beauties were one thing, but he did not even spare a girl barely in her teens. She truly could not understand why her mistress thought so highly of him.

Chen Yiyi said nothing more. He released Ruan Noxie’s reluctant little hand, bid them farewell, and then turned to Ye Mei with a faint smile.

“Let’s go.”

The headquarters of the Medicine King Sect lay deep within the mountains of Bashu.

They therefore had to change transportation several times along the way.

While traveling, Ye Mei could not help asking Chen Yiyi, “What exactly do you plan to do when you reach the Medicine King Sect?”

Chen Yiyi smiled faintly. “I plan to destroy the sect outright and spare your mistress any future troubles.”

“Destroy it?” Ye Mei drew in a sharp breath, her face filled with disbelief.

Chen Yiyi merely smiled and paid no attention to her reaction.

After some time, Ye Mei spoke solemnly. “Chen Yiyi, I know you’re powerful, but there is always someone stronger. How can you be so certain that you can destroy the entire Medicine King Sect?”

“And how can you be so certain that I can’t?” Chen Yiyi replied with a mild smile.

Ye Mei was instantly rendered speechless. She gave a cold snort, but after thinking it over, she still offered a warning out of goodwill.

“Hidden sects are nothing like the experts of the mundane world. Do you know that the Medicine King Sect’s master cultivates both martial and mystical arts? Twenty years ago, his cultivation had already reached the pinnacle of both realms. Since he rarely leaves the mountains, no one in the world knows how powerful he is now.”

“No matter how powerful he is, the more powerful, the better. The Medicine King Sect is doomed.” Chen Yiyi gave Ye Mei a half-smiling look.

Ye Mei was so irritated that she muttered, “You arrogant little brat. Sooner or later, you’ll suffer for your conceit.”

Chen Yiyi could not be bothered to argue with her. He closed his eyes and began resting his mind.

The available transportation carried them only as far as a small town. Beyond that point, the road gave way to mountain paths.

Although Chen Yiyi no longer needed to eat ordinary food, Ye Mei was only half-demon and still had to eat like a normal person.

Thus, after reaching the town, they found what was probably the finest restaurant there.

Ye Mei also suggested that they stay the night and rest properly, since the remainder of the journey would have to be made on foot.

Traveling with this woman, Chen Yiyi did not find the journey lonely. Teasing the fox spirit from time to time was dull in one sense, yet entertaining in another.

If not for her regard for her mistress, the woman probably would have been extremely unwilling to accompany him. The more reluctant she seemed, the more amusing Chen Yiyi found it.

Because Ye Mei was born with a pair of alluring eyes, she wore an exquisite hat whenever she went out and often pulled the brim low over her face.

The more she tried to conceal herself, however, the more she attracted the attention of men along the way. Fortunately, Chen Yiyi was always at her side, so few of them dared approach her.

Yet scarcely had they taken their seats in the restaurant when someone suddenly walked toward them.

It was a dignified, well-dressed man.

He first greeted Chen Yiyi. “Are you bringing your wife into the mountains for a little sightseeing, brother?”

“I’m not his wife. I have nothing to do with him,” Ye Mei cut in at once.

In Ye Mei’s eyes, Chen Yiyi was, apart from being someone her mistress claimed was formidable, nothing more than a lecherous rogue. She had never personally witnessed his abilities. It was true that he could refine pills, however; her younger sister had told her about it, and once this matter was over, she intended to ask Chen Yiyi for a Hundred-Turn Pill herself. That was the greatest reason she was willing to patiently accompany him to the Medicine King Sect.

“Ah, how presumptuous of me. I’m sorry, truly sorry.” Though the man apologized, the smile on his face grew even broader. His subsequent conversation naturally shifted toward Ye Mei.

As for Chen Yiyi, he seemed not to regard him at all.

The man introduced himself as Huang Yuanbo. He had come from Jiangnan, he said, and was merely passing through while carrying out a task entrusted to him by an elder.

Huang Yuanbo was not exceptionally handsome, but his smile was remarkably warm. He was graceful, well-mannered, and broadly knowledgeable, which made Ye Mei dislike him less than she might otherwise have done. She even exchanged a few words with him.

Besides, Ye Mei could sense that he possessed a certain degree of cultivation and might well be one of their kind. That was precisely why she did not reject his advances.

Chen Yiyi simply sat to one side, listening to their idle conversation with an amused smile.

“Both of you,” Huang Yuanbo asked after making some casual conversation, “this place is exceedingly remote. May I ask where you are headed?”

“We’re going to the Medicine King Sect,” Chen Yiyi suddenly said.

Ye Mei glared at him. The Medicine King Sect had not publicly announced the wedding of its young master. Those invited were all sects with whom it had longstanding ties. Moreover, several days still remained before the wedding, so no one had yet begun making their way there.

They were going to cause trouble in the first place, and secrecy was naturally preferable. She had never expected Chen Yiyi to reveal their destination so readily. She could not help thinking that her mistress had placed her trust in the wrong person.

“Oh? What a coincidence.” A flicker of surprise crossed Huang Yuanbo’s face. “I happen to be going to the Medicine King Sect as well. Why don’t we travel together?”

“What are you going to the Medicine King Sect for?” Chen Yiyi asked with a faint smile.

“And what are you going there for, brother?” Huang Yuanbo replied with a slight smile of his own.