It must be said that Ye Xiner was the most considerate woman Hong Yuan had ever met, and she was also incredibly gentle, which inevitably made Hong Yuan think of the Butterfly Sword Martial Saint.

Subconsciously, Hong Yuan shuddered and shook his head.

Mmm...

Half a day later, Ye Xiner slowly awoke.

When she discovered that Hong Yuan was not by her side, she immediately kicked off the small blanket.

It was at this moment that an extremely fragrant aroma wafted from the kitchen. Ye Xiner’s heart stirred, and she hurriedly followed the scent.

When she found Hong Yuan cooking, her beautiful eyes widened in shock.

Her cherry-like lips parted slightly, evidently finding the scene before her hard to believe.

"Gu Fan, you actually have such culinary skills?" Ye Xiner asked in disbelief.

Hong Yuan smiled. "Heh, this is all thanks to the strength you give me, Xiner. Without you, how could I possibly make such delicious food? Go wash up; it’s almost time to eat."

「At the dining table.」

Hong Yuan and Ye Xiner discussed their respective plans.

Hong Yuan was preparing to go out and see if there were any jobs suitable for him.

Of course, he didn’t say he was going to hunt in the wilderness, as that would only worry Ye Xiner.

Meanwhile, Ye Xiner said she planned to return to work at the Huosang Garden in the afternoon.

Although she had already requested leave from the manager, she still couldn’t be too negligent.

The Huosang Garden was a unique Spirit Plant Garden of the Ye Family. Since it contained rich fire-type Essence Qi, only Martial Artists were allowed to enter. Also, due to the high value of the Huosang Spirit Plant, its harvesting was mostly assigned to members of the Ye Family.

"Xiner, if you get kicked out of the Huosang Garden, then just come back home. I can support you," Hong Yuan said.

"Heh, Gu Fan, what are you talking about? Why would I get kicked out of the Huosang Garden? I’m off to work now!" Ye Xiner said with a chuckle. Although she didn’t understand why Hong Yuan would say such a thing, she still waved goodbye to him enthusiastically and set off for the Huosang Garden, ready for work.

She had always been an extremely optimistic girl. No matter how many difficulties she faced, she feared nothing—except "Ye Gufan."

It was precisely for this reason that Ye Gufan cherished her so deeply, willing to go to any lengths for her.

Wherever there are people, there will be conflict.

Still, it’s good for a girl to be optimistic and full of vitality...

Hong Yuan’s lips curved upwards into a gratified smile.

Watching Ye Xiner depart, Hong Yuan slowly got up and also headed outside.

He planned to use the Blood Skull Worm to enhance his own strength!

「Huosang Garden.」

「The duty registration desk.」

Ye Xiner looked bewilderedly at the managing elder; she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. "Elder, didn’t I request leave from you, and didn’t you approve it?"

The managing elder was a sharp-tongued, wrinkled old woman named Ye Qinghua.

Ye Qinghua’s face was stern as she sneered. "Ye Xiner, what nonsense are you spouting? I haven’t seen you at all these past few days."

THUMP—

Ye Xiner’s heart sank. She looked around, only to find that her former close friends all lowered their heads; not one dared to speak up for her.

An inexplicable chill surged from her spine to the crown of her head, making her scalp tingle and jolting her fully awake.

She wasn’t foolish; on the contrary, she was quite astute. She had simply adopted the habit of playing the listener by Ye Gufan’s side.

In that instant, she understood everything.

Gu Fan was right. It seems Ye Cheng’s search for Gu Fan was a deliberate move. We’ve been targeted by those detestable old geezers! Ye Xiner thought.

But this realization only deepened her worries. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

In her mind, with Hong Yuan having lost his ability to work, she was the only one in the family who could earn Energy Stones and money. If she lost her position too, she wouldn’t be able to afford any good quality meat. In that case, Hong Yuan, lacking proper nourishment, would likely find it very difficult to recover.

"Elder, I—"

Ye Xiner wanted to plead further, but the sharp-tongued old crone had no intention of indulging her.

"Ye Xiner, if you don’t get out of my sight right now, don’t blame me for being merciless," the old crone snarled viciously, and the surrounding guards’ eyes lit up, their gazes fixed on Ye Xiner with malicious intent.

A profound chill washed over Ye Xiner. Sighing inwardly, she had no choice but to leave.

Watching Ye Xiner’s dejected figure retreat, the old crone Ye Qinghua spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the ground.

Ye Qinghua scoffed, "Pah! You lot think you’re going to the main house? After everything I’ve sacrificed just to get one spot, you think you’re worthy? Just by working hard? Ridiculous!"

「Yunze Mountain Range.」

Hidden within a secluded forest, Hong Yuan looked up with an intoxicated smile.

In his hand, the Blood Skull Worm floated. It had actually already transformed from a first-rank Worm to a third-rank Worm.

Just one day, only one day!

In the span of a single day, he had gone from a cripple to regaining his original cultivation, and had even broken through a realm to reach the third-rank Martial Artist stage.

The swift progress of Blood Tao had far exceeded Hong Yuan’s imagination.

Too fast.

However, this is also because this body’s aptitude is merely D-rank, incapable of unearthing any real potential.

I can sense that if I don’t improve this body’s Aperture quality, it will remain stuck at the middle stage of the third rank for a long time.

Although the middle stage of the third rank is enough to become an elder in this branch family, and I could even rely on my own methods to defeat fourth-rank cultivators and contend with fifth-rank ones, it’s still not enough to completely dominate this Ye Family branch.

It seems feasting on the blood of my own kin is unavoidable after all...

Hong Yuan lowered his gaze, a subtle sigh escaping his lips.

But he quickly cheered up.

After all, when he set out, the strongest ace up his sleeve was merely a second-rank Blood Knife Talisman. But upon his return, the ace in his hand was already a fifth-rank Blood Thunder Talisman.

The terrifying speed of advancement in Blood Tao, especially for someone like Hong Yuan who was utterly unscrupulous and profoundly skilled, was truly astounding.

Stuffing the numerous Ferocious Beast corpses into a small storage bag, Hong Yuan headed back home in high spirits.

Now, he, Hong Yuan, could finally improve their meals at home and bring back Ye Xiner’s genuinely happy smile.

Even in his dreams, Hong Yuan couldn’t bear the thought of becoming so impoverished that he had to kowtow for money. Throughout his entire cultivation journey, he had never been poor!

This Ye Xiner... she absolutely has to show me, Hong Yuan, a genuinely happy smile!