Translator: Aristophaneso Editor: Caron_
It was no longer New Year’s day, but the forest and plains outside the Ye Family Village were still covered in pure white, heaps of ice and snow blanketing the land.
The freezing weather scared away most beasts, so the journey from village to village was peaceful. Ye Feng, Ye Ba, and Ye Meng talked and laughed happily and joyfully as the caravan proceeded forward.
Ye Tian road a young black horse and followed the three warriors, listening as they brought up all manners of interesting stories, deepening his understanding of the Shen Zhou Continent.
“The time I went to Blood Jade City, I heard that the remote Fallen Star Mountain Range was home to a very powerful sect—the Mysterious Star Sect.”
“The Blood Jade City is already incredibly powerful, but compared to the Mysterious Star Sect, it’s like an ant before a giant—utterly overshadowed.”
“Every time the Mysterious Star Sect opens their gates, countless Martial Master Realm warriors gather for an apprenticeship opportunity, and the geniuses of Blood Jade City meet with the geniuses from more than a hundred other cities and travel to the Fallen Star Mountain Range.”
“Just imagining that kind of gathering makes my blood boil!”
Ye Feng described marvel and legend one after another. For peasants like them, the Blood Jade City was already lofty and untouchable, not to mention a legendary sect above it.
People often read about different sects from writings left on beast skin scrolls or through village gossip.
Ye Ba and Ye Meng treated the legend of the Mysterious Star Sect as an entertaining story—they knew the limits of their talent. Breaking through to Martial Master wasn’t even a guarantee, so how could they think about joining some sect?
Even Ye Feng had never really considered joining a sect. After all, it had never been within the realm of possibility. In all of White Cloud Town’s history, no one had ever joined a sect, and in the past hundred years, only a few geniuses had successfully made it in Blood Jade City.
The sect was a gathering place for powerful Martial Warriors, and their ability to nurture and train powerful practitioners consistently produced powerhouse after powerhouse who shocked all of Shen Zhou Continent.
Joining a sect like this was harder than ascending to the heavens, and people from a small and remote backwater like White Cloud Town didn’t even dare to dream of it.
“Mysterious Star Sect!” Ye Tian thought, a brilliant light glimmering in his eyes.
Ye Feng and the others didn’t dare to dream, but that didn’t mean Ye Tian couldn’t. He had experience from his previous life, and he also had the fate-changing Devouring ability. The small land of White Cloud Town wouldn’t satisfy him for long.
The Mysterious Star Sect was a good goal!
His mind made up, Ye Tian began forming a plan for the future.
Da! Da! Da!
The caravan moved quickly, and the carriages drove rapidly forward through the snow, spraying into the air tufts and clouds of snow.
Soon, the Lin Family Village came into view.
As one of the three main villages in the area, the Lin Family Village was relatively large, its walls tall and stretching away without end. The Ye caravan headed for the thick and tall gate made completely of granite.
“Lin Family brothers, our Ye Family Village has arrived to escort the bride. Open the gates!”
As they approached, Ye Feng yelled up at the village.
Hong longlong…
Almost immediately, Ye Tian spotted a figure appearing on top of the wall, and the man carefully examined them for a moment before disappearing below.
Soon after, a chain of rumbles filled the air.
The hundred thousand catty gate slowly rose, gradually revealing the flourishing village.
So this is the Lin Family Village? It’s pretty much the same as our Ye Family Village… Ye Tian thought as he looked around, examining the unfamiliar village as their caravan rolled forward.
He and Lin Tingting had always met at the waterfall near the Ye Family Village, and even though he had escorted her home many times, he had never entered through the gates or actually been on Lin Family Village ground.
So today was Ye Tian’s first time in the Lin Family Village, but it turned out that the village wasn’t too different from his. Only the terrain around the village was somewhat different, but otherwise, it flourished just as the Ye Family Village did.
As the escort caravan entered the village area, many of the Lin Family villagers gathered to watch the hubbub. Ye Tian sighed to himself. No matter where they were, there was never a shortage of onlookers.
“Oh, isn’t it Ye Ba? What now? Which little rabbit did you bring this time? Hopefully, he’ll last longer than three moves against our Lin Wudi! Last time couldn’t even be considered a show!” A mocking voice filled the air as someone called out from the crowd.
At these words, the Lin Family Village burst into laughter.
Ye Tian frowned and turned, his eyes finding a large man wearing a wolf-skin coat, his physique strong and his eyes sharp like a blade.
“Expert!” Ye Tian immediately recognized him, his heart jumping. Ye Tian immediately recognized the powerful oppression, the powerful Qi that he had only ever felt from Ye Feng and the Village Chief.
“Lin Fei!” Ye Ba gritted his teeth, glaring angrily at the sturdy man in the wolf-skin coat.
Lin Fei? That was the name of the Lin Family Hunter Team Captain, and the man was said to be as strong as Lin Feng, second only to the Lin Family Village Chief.
Ye Tian immediately understood. No wonder the man was so powerful—he was the captain of the hunter team.
Ye Tian’s father had explained to him that Lin Wudi was Lin Fei’s son, and thus the instigator of this challenge. No wonder Ye Ba was so furious.
“It’s fine. Stay calm!”
Ye Feng said quietly, putting his hand on Ye Ba’s shoulder. The father stilled and regained his calm, but his eyes still shone with anger.
“Ye Feng!” Lin Fei turned to the other captain, his eyes becoming serious. The captains of their respective hunter teams competed secretly, and both of them were intimately familiar with the other’s strength.
“Lin Fei, we’re here to escort the bride. Don’t make any trouble or else people will hear about how your Lin Family Village treats its guests!” Ye Feng called out coldly.
“Haha, when did I make trouble? I’m just following the Village Chief’s orders and welcoming you in person. It’s just that some people really have a bad temper, and I’m worried that Jiao Jiao will be abused once she’s married away.” Lin Fei laughed and swept a meaningful glance over Ye Ba.
“What did you say? I dare you to say that again!” Ye Ba roared with fury like a tiger ready to devour his prey.
In the end, Ye Meng still had to restrain him until he calmed down.
“Lin Fei, this isn’t the first marriage alliance between our villages—when have you heard that the Ye Family abuses the women of the Lin Family?”
Ye Feng looked coldly at Lin Fei, a simmering anger suppressed inside him at Lin Fei’s provocation.
“If that’s not the case then good! I’m just a little worried. Let’s go. Otherwise, the Village Chief and the others will become anxious.” Lin Fei chuckled, not pressing the matter any further. He was also unwilling to make any more trouble. After all, this wasn’t a good look for their village.
“Let’s go!”
Ye Feng said to Ye Ba and Ye Meng as Lin Fei turned and led the way.
As the escort caravan moved forward, Ye Feng followed along with his horse, frowning to himself as he wondered: Even after so many marriage alliances, the relationship between the two villages is still tense and fraught. Is this the Lin Family Chief’s attitude or just Lin Fei’s?
In White Cloud Town, the Wang Family Village was the most powerful, and with its peerless Martial Master Realm expert, it could occupy the most fertile land in the region.
It was because of this that the Lin Family and the Ye Family Villages had to form an alliance to push back against the Wang Family oppression. Otherwise, the two villages would have to yield in front of the Wang Family’s power or even risk destruction sooner or later.
Originally, the Lin Family Village and the Ye Family Village had a very good relationship; Ye Tian’s mother was created as a result of this bond, one of the many marriage alliances that the two villages had formed, cementing the two communities as brother villages.
But recently the relationship had frayed, and the two villages had begun to frequently come into conflict. Even though they still maintained some semblance of face and courtesy on the surface, there was a lot of trouble secretly.
From Ye Tian’s betrothal and now this matter with Ye Wei’s marriage, one could see the signs of a strained relationship between the villages.
But, these matters aren’t under my control. The most important thing is still to cultivate, and as long as I reach the Martial Master realm, nothing in White Cloud Town will be a threat to the Ye Family Village, Ye Tian concluded, sighing and shaking his head. He wouldn’t pay any attention to these worldly matters. After all, the most important thing in his mind was cultivation.
Very quickly, the escort team stopped in front of a stone house, the home of the Lin Family Village Chief.
Ye Tian couldn’t help himself, looking around and examining the faces. Unfortunately, he didn’t see the pretty, familiar figure he was looking for.
So Tingting really is locked up! Ye Tian’s eyes darkened as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
But Ye Tian soon calmed himself. He was no longer a cripple without a Marital Spirit, and with his Devouring ability, it was only a matter of time before he would have the power to take what he wanted.
“Ye Feng!”
An old voice filled the air.
A white-haired old man exited the stone house, accompanied by a seventeen to eighteen-year-old youth. The old man’s eyes were deep and his Qi profound, while the young man’s eyes were bright, his face filled with pride.
Ye Tian turned and recognized Lin Xiong, the Village Chief who had come to his home to propose a marriage alliance all those years ago, and the young man beside him must be Lin Wudi.
“Lin Village Chief, we have come for the bride. Is your daughter prepared for the journey?” Ye Feng asked solemnly, saluting with clasped hands.
Ling Xiong remained silent, and it was the laughing Lin Fei who responded: “The bride? Have you forgotten yesterday’s rules? If you want to take the bride, you must defeat our son. Or is your Ye Family Village reneging?”
As he spoke, he turned a mocking gaze towards Ye Ba, causing the father to choke with silent fury.
“That’s right! We made a deal and it must be concluded. This old man won’t make matters difficult; your village’s child only needs to last a hundred moves against our Lin Wudi!” Lin Xiong added, nodding.
Just as the Village Chief finished speaking, the young man beside him stepped forward, looking up arrogantly at Ye Feng and the others. He spoke impatiently: “Come! I hope you’ve brought a more powerful brat, not someone who’ll spit out blood after three punches! Useless! Is the Ye Family Village filled with cripples? Can you not produce a single genius?”
At his words, Ye Ba and Ye Meng’s faces filled with fury, and even Ye Feng’s expression fell.