Chapter 6

Qin Ao-xuan stood up and walked towards the door. "Ha ha, that's fine. But what I said just now still stands. Whenever you need help, you can come to me. Alright, let's go eat!"

The hall where they were meeting was not where the banquet was set up.

The banquet was held in a large hall on the side of the Qin residence. In front of the hall was a large garden, elegant yet grand.

Du Chong led Ye Shang into the hall and sat down with Yang Sen, Zhang Xuanzong, and Lin Qiao. There were also two other young men.

"Guardian Yang, Guardian Du, you went out to catch a black crocodile, and Uncle Three had to do such a big favor for you. Was it really necessary?" A young man with a pair of sharp eyes looked at Ye Shang and said.

"Young Master Hai, please be careful with your words," Yang Sen's expression changed when he heard the young man's words.

"Don't be so nervous, why are you so tense?" Young Master Hai, also known as Qin Hai, laughed and looked at Ye Shang as if he were a rare animal.

"The favor was mentioned by Deputy City Lord Qin, not by me, Ye Shang. So please don't bring this up." Ye Shang said coldly, disliking Qin Hai's look, which was full of disdain.

"As long as you understand, ha ha! Let's eat." Qin Hai laughed loudly and started eating on his own.

Ye Shang picked up his chopsticks but put them down again, losing his appetite as he looked at Qin Hai.

Yang Sen and the others did not pick up their chopsticks either, feeling angry but not daring to provoke the young man, who was the son of Qin Ao-xuan's elder brother.

Ye Shang wanted to get up and leave, but that would embarrass the Qin family, and he couldn't do something inappropriate because of Qin Hai.

Just as the atmosphere became awkward, a middle-aged beautiful woman entered the hall, accompanied by two maids.

Seeing the middle-aged woman, everyone in the hall stood up.

"Greetings, Lady," Yang Sen and the others near the door stood up and greeted her.

"You must be Ye Shang! I went to the temple to pray these past two days and couldn't meet you." The middle-aged woman walked to Ye Shang and said.

"Lady, you're too kind. It was really a small matter," Ye Shang bowed slightly and said.

"Good, you're a good child. Eat well," the middle-aged woman said and walked to the main seat.

"Don't pay attention to irrelevant people, let's eat," Lin Qiao glanced at Qin Hai and pulled Ye Shang to sit down.

Hearing Lin Qiao's words, Qin Hai snorted coldly but didn't say anything, as he knew that Qin Lady and Lin Qiao had a good relationship, and it wouldn't be wise to provoke Lin Qiao at this moment.

Ye Shang smiled at Lin Qiao and started eating.

After the meal, Qin Lady found Ye Shang again and chatted with him for a while, saying some caring words. Ye Shang could feel that Qin Lady was sincere, a kind woman.

Then Ye Shang left the Qin residence with Du Chong.

"A mixed bag, this Qin Hai won't amount to much. If he weren't from the Qin family, his legs would have been broken long ago for being so arrogant," Du Chong was still very angry about Qin Hai's arrogance.

"There's no need to stoop to his level," Ye Shang smiled and said.

"There's some trouble. That guy is also going to the Dan Ding Mountain Medicine Valley. You might have some trouble on the way," Yang Sen's expression changed as he remembered something.

Hearing Yang Sen's words, Du Chong, Zhang Xuanzong, and Lin Qiao stopped in their tracks.

"It's fine, I won't provoke him," Ye Shang smiled and said.

"Ye Shang, you don't know. This Qin Hai is a spoiled brat. Even if you don't provoke him, he will find a way to cause trouble," Lin Qiao said worriedly.

"How about I talk to the Deputy City Lord and not go to Dan Ding Mountain, and join this escort team instead," Du Chong thought for a moment and said.

"Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself," Ye Shang said, knowing that the others had things to handle.

"Then be careful," Yang Sen thought for a moment and said.

Ye Shang nodded with a smile, not wanting to trouble Yang Sen and the others anymore.

Back at Du Chong's place, Ye Shang started practicing. The Medicine Valley's disciple selection ceremony was very strict, and without good talent and a solid foundation, it would be hard to pass, so Ye Shang needed to build up his strength.

Two days later, Du Chong came to call Ye Shang, as the team going to Dan Ding Mountain was about to set off.

Qin Ao-xuan was busy but still sent Du Chong with a bottle of Peiyuan Pills, a Qi-Breaking Pill, and two gold notes.

Ye Shang couldn't refuse and had to accept them. Du Chong also explained the uses of the Peiyuan Pills and the Qi-Breaking Pill.

The Peiyuan Pills were auxiliary pills for cultivation, each containing a certain amount of energy, suitable for the Qi Cultivation stage, making cultivation much faster than natural absorption of the earth's spiritual energy. The Qi-Breaking Pill was used to break through from the ninth level of Qi Cultivation to the Gathering Qi stage, and was very valuable.

When Du Chong and Ye Shang went out, they met Yang Sen, Zhang Xuanzong, and Lin Qiao.

"Let's go together and see you off," Yang Sen smiled and said.

Under the lead of Yang Sen and the others, the group arrived at the square in front of the City Lord's residence.

When they arrived, there were already many people on the square, some young men accompanied by their parents, and some guards dressed in black tight-fitting battle clothes.

Ye Shang saw Qin Hai and the young man who was with him at the time.

"That's Qin Shan, the son of the City Lord's second brother. He's just like Qin Hai," Lin Qiao said, noticing Ye Shang's gaze.

As Lin Qiao spoke, Qin Lady appeared with two guards and a boy about the same height as Ye Shang but more slender.

Qin Lady's appearance prompted many people to greet her. She brought the guards and the boy to Ye Shang's side.

"Zhen-er, this is Ye Shang. He helped a lot with your recovery," Qin Lady said to the boy.

Qin Zhen was somewhat slender but had bright eyes. He looked at Ye Shang for a moment, bowed, but didn't speak.

"This child is like this, he doesn't talk much," Qin Lady said apologetically to Ye Shang with a smile.

Ye Shang smiled and nodded, understanding that Qin Zhen was not good at communication, but bowing was already a significant gesture.

After a brief chat, someone from the City Lord's residence came out, nodded to Qin Lady, and announced the assembly and departure.

Qin Lady and Yang Sen, along with the others who came to see them off, waved goodbye. The two guards who came with Qin Lady stayed with the group, apparently not trusting Qin Zhen to be alone.

Outside the city, Ye Shang's doubts were resolved. There were two or three large beast carts outside the city gate. At first, Ye Shang was puzzled, wondering if they would walk to Dan Ding Mountain, which would take a long time.

Seeing Ye Shang's surprised look, Qin Hai sneered and got into the cart first, followed by the others. Ye Shang didn't rush, knowing he wouldn't be left behind, especially since Qin Zhen hadn't gotten in yet, and he believed the guards knew Qin Zhen's identity.

There were many people, and the cart was full before Ye Shang, Qin Zhen, and two other young men could get in.

"Don't crowd. You can sit in the next cart behind us," the guard captain said.

Originally, the plan was for the young men to sit in the middle cart, with the guards in the front and back carts. But with so many people, the guard captain rearranged the seating, as the long journey would be uncomfortable if everyone was crammed together.