"Brother Ye, don't rush, take your time. There will always be a solution. You and Sister-in-law have been together for a long time, and your feelings are getting stronger. Perhaps you'll have a lot of children."
Ye Tiancheng felt a headache thinking about the future. "Alright, no more thinking. You should get some sleep early. We'll go to work together tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is Friday, and after work, we can rest for the weekend. Everything will be fine."
"Okay, Brother Ye, I'll listen to you."
Ye Tiancheng returned to his room to sleep. However, not long after he closed his eyes, he suddenly heard the voice of the Great Green Snake.
"Ye Tiancheng, long time no see."
"Oh my god, Great Green Snake, you've finally appeared! I thought you were missing. But the Nuwa Stone has already started bubbling, so I believed you would be back soon. I didn't expect it to be this fast. That's great."
"I remember I told you before that to break the curse of the Great Frog, someone might have to be sacrificed. I've been investigating this matter during this time, and I already know who needs to be sacrificed."
"Great Green Snake, I remember you said it might be Su Muxian. I didn't listen carefully, and I thought you were joking."
"I wasn't sure before, so you could take it as a joke, and I wouldn't mind. But now I'm certain. You need to sacrifice the woman you love the most to return to your peak. You know, cultivating to the highest level of the Golden Core stage is an ideal that some people can't achieve in their lifetime, yet you've accomplished it at such a young age. You need to reclaim your past glory."
Ye Tiancheng smiled helplessly. "If I have to sacrifice the woman I love the most, then forget it. I think I'm living quite well now. I'm not a good-for-nothing like before, who could be bullied by anyone. I'm now the live-in son-in-law of the Hou family, and being a son-in-law feels good. I don't need to harm someone's life for the sake of cultivation."
"Aren't you curious who the woman you love the most is?"
The Great Green Snake's words indeed piqued Ye Tiancheng's interest. Even Ye Tiancheng himself didn't know. He had never pondered his own feelings. He was just being pushed forward all along, and he had no time to think about whom he should like.
"Does it matter? Whoever I liked before is in the past. I can only like Hou Mingzhu, at least for now. I can't possibly abandon someone after marrying into their family for status, and then discard them once I regain my strength. This marriage, from the moment I decided to accept it, I will not end it lightly."
Ye Tiancheng didn't want to overthink things, as it would only lead to more trouble. He just wanted to live in the present moment.
"Alright, if you're interested, you can find the Marriage Mirror. The mirror is currently in Lin Xue's possession. You and that woman were once master and disciple, so you have some connection. You should be able to borrow it. The person in the Marriage Mirror is the one you need to sacrifice if you want to recover your true qi."
"What kind of ridiculous theory is this? I just want to cultivate, and now it involves someone's life. If that's the case, I'd rather not cultivate. I don't want to cause such a big scene. It would be too unfair to the person I sacrifice."
"Ye Tiancheng, I've said what I needed to say. I've already shown you the path you should take. Whether you choose to listen to me or not is not something I can decide. My body is still very weak, and I need to sleep for a while longer. If you have anything urgent, you can summon me."
After saying that, the Great Green Snake disappeared into Ye Tiancheng's spiritual consciousness space again. Ye Tiancheng couldn't sense it anymore, and he felt a bit anxious.
"Great Green Snake, are you really gone?"
Ye Tiancheng asked again, but there was still no response. It seemed he should enjoy a period of peace and stop thinking about breakthroughs. Although he was powerful and glorious in the past, and Ye Tiancheng dreamed countless times of returning to that glorious state, he didn't want an ending that involved sacrificing others.
The next day, when Ye Tiancheng arrived at the company, he discovered that something had happened. A major project had encountered some problems, potentially leading to losses of hundreds of millions.
The Hou family was not short of money, but with such an incident, it was hard to guarantee that the company wouldn't decline in the future. Therefore, it was best to resolve the issue.
Because of the company's predicament, after Ye Tiancheng arrived, he and Xiao Pang led all the colleagues in three meetings. They engaged in heated discussions about the root cause of the problem, but no one could come up with a good solution.
Just then, Xiao Pang suddenly ran over to tell Ye Tiancheng.
"Guess who I saw?" Xiao Pang's small eyes widened unusually. "It's Lin Xue! I thought I was mistaken. She actually came to find you and is now being stopped at the front desk."
Ye Tiancheng knew what was going on. Hou Mingzhu had already issued an order that anyone who came to see Ye Tiancheng, especially young and beautiful women, would not be allowed to meet him unless there were special circumstances.
"Lin Xue?"
Thinking of this disciple he hadn't contacted in a long time, or rather, someone who had betrayed him, Ye Tiancheng's emotions surged.
Most importantly, the Great Green Snake had suddenly mentioned this person last night, saying that Lin Xue had the Marriage Mirror. It seemed everything was arranged by fate.
"Xiao Pang, go to the front desk and bring her up. I have something important to discuss with her."
Since Ye Tiancheng, the financial director, had spoken, Xiao Pang naturally wouldn't dare to refuse. He personally went downstairs and spoke to the receptionist for a while before bringing the heavenly beautiful Lin Xue before Ye Tiancheng.
"Master."
"There's no need for that. Our master-disciple relationship was severed long ago. That was in the past, and I've already forgotten about it. You don't need to dwell on the past. What's gone is gone."
"Alright, then I'll call you Brother Ye since you're older. The reason I came is that I've calculated that you, Brother Ye, are facing a calamity, and it's all due to the curse. I'm here to help you solve the problem."
Ye Tiancheng was skeptical. He had always been straightforward and couldn't stand falsehoods.
"That's good, but I'm curious why you're helping me. Haven't you already betrayed me? There's no need to put on an act here. You won't gain anything, so why bother?"
"I know you won't believe anything I say. Once disloyal, never trusted. I understand that, but Brother Ye, my intention to help you is genuine. I will prove myself with my actions."
One should not hit a smiling face, and since Lin Xue claimed she wanted to help, Ye Tiancheng was also very curious. Lin Xue made such bold claims, but it was still uncertain whether she could actually help.
"Alright, let's see your demonstration. But I don't want you to lie to me repeatedly. If it's really not possible, don't force yourself. The company is facing such a major issue now; it's not something you can solve with a few words."
"I understand, Brother Ye."
After Lin Xue took action, she muttered some incantations, as if performing some ritual. Unexpectedly, the partner who had presented the challenge suddenly called the company and said they would no longer make things difficult. This surprised everyone.
"Thank you, Miss Lin. The crisis has been averted. I will apply to the company for a sum of money as a reward for your help."
"No need. I live in the mountains and have no place to spend money. The money I earned from you before is enough for several lifetimes. I don't need a bonus. I just want to atone for my sins. I hope you can forgive me one day, and I want to be your disciple again."
"There's no need to be my disciple. I don't want to take on any more disciples. When I was renowned and powerful, it would have been normal for me to take a hundred disciples. But now I'm no longer capable. The situation is different. You are even more powerful than me now, so what can I teach you?"
Hearing that Ye Tiancheng hadn't been doing well recently, Lin Xue seemed to feel bad.
"Master, even though you don't acknowledge me as your disciple, you will always be my master in my heart. I know I was absent during your most difficult times because I suffered qi deviation while practicing in the mountains and almost died. Now that I've survived, I'm even more powerful than before. I hope I can help you."
"There is no longer any affection between us as master and disciple, so there's no point in saying these things. Xue'er, take care of yourself."
Seeing that Lin Xue had nothing more to say and was about to leave, Ye Tiancheng suddenly remembered what the Great Green Snake had said.
"By the way, Lin Xue, do you have a Marriage Mirror?"
"I know where that mirror is, it's in the mountains where I cultivate. It will take some effort for me to retrieve it. Master, do you need it?"
"I don't need it, I was just asking casually. Just pretend I didn't say anything."
The thought of having to kill the woman he cherished most made Ye Tiancheng lose all desire to know who it was. It didn't matter who it was; he didn't want to kill anyone and wouldn't lose his moral bottom line for the sake of becoming stronger.
Although Ye Tiancheng didn't explain everything, Lin Xue understood his meaning. Since he wanted the Marriage Mirror, Lin Xue would retrieve it for Ye Tiancheng, even if it meant taking a risk.
Lin Xue felt as if she owed Ye Tiancheng a lot since she had betrayed him last time. If doing something could make her feel better, Lin Xue thought it was worth it.
"Master, please wait. I will definitely get the mirror within three days and bring it to you. Don't go yourself. Your body is very weak now, and you need to rest well. You must not take any more risks."
After saying that, Lin Xue left. Although she had helped Ye Tiancheng greatly this time, Lin Xue didn't ask for anything in return. She just did a good deed and left, which made Ye Tiancheng feel a bit bad.
Had his attitude been too harsh just now? It wasn't necessary. Lin Xue was under a lot of pressure at the time, which led her to steal the spatial ring. In fact, she had never opened it, and her attitude had been good afterward...
As Ye Tiancheng was lost in thought, Hou Mingzhu suddenly arrived. Hou Mingzhu was wearing high heels, and the crisp sound of her footsteps hitting the floor made Ye Tiancheng realize that an important person had arrived.
"Well, well, you're quite leisurely. I heard that something major just happened at the company, and it seems like you're unaffected."
"It's all resolved. Hou Mingzhu, don't worry, the problem wasn't that big."
Ye Tiancheng was clearly stating the obvious. If Hou Mingzhu wasn't worried, she wouldn't have come here specifically. The reason she came was that something had happened.
Moreover, upon hearing that a great beauty had helped Ye Tiancheng resolve the issue, Hou Mingzhu was even more eager to see for herself what the legendary ethereal beauty looked like.
"That woman's name is Lin Xue, right? Where is she?"
So she came for Lin Xue'er. No wonder she was looking around as soon as she entered the room. Ye Tiancheng hadn't understood Hou Mingzhu's intention earlier, but now he finally did.