"Honestly, I don't dare to welcome you. You are the esteemed Lord Ye, and your grand visit is likely not a good omen!"
Yuwen Guangxu shot him a glare and said irritably.
Yuwen Chengji also glanced over, snorted, and said, "He's right. You never stir without profit. Tell us directly what arrangements you have for coming here!"
"After all, you're a big shot now. Whatever you say, I won't dare to disobey!" Yuwen Chengji added.
"..."
Facing their words, Ye Cangtian's lips twitched slightly. He truly felt like he was trying to warm a cold backside with a warm face.
After a moment of hesitation, he said grumpily, "Hey, even if we're not old friends, we're at least old acquaintances, right? Now that we meet again, not only do you not offer me a cup of tea, but you also mock me. Isn't that a bit too much?"
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian's expression turned serious.
"This..."
Seeing Ye Cangtian's change in demeanor, Yuwen Guangxu's expression shifted noticeably.
The other party was a Heavenly realm expert. With such cultivation, if he truly became angry, it was unlikely anyone in the Yuwen family could stop him.
With this thought, Yuwen Guangxu's gaze became somewhat evasive.
On the other side, a fierce fighting spirit ignited in Yuwen Chengji's eyes.
He glared at the other party fiercely and declared, "Ye Cangtian, do you think I'm scared easily? If you have the guts, fight me. I want to see just how terrifying you are!"
Heh.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian's interest was immediately piqued.
If it were anyone else, they would have likely retreated like Yuwen Guangxu. But Yuwen Chengji insisted on seeking a beating, which genuinely surprised him.
Pondering this, he looked at the other person and smiled, "As long as you're not afraid of crying, I don't mind giving you another beating..."
Afraid of crying? Beat me?
Yuwen Chengji's expression suddenly turned incredibly cold. Ye Cangtian was as arrogant as ever. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he last heard such words.
Clang!
The next moment, his long sword was unsheathed. As it was continuously swung, it resembled a coiled dragon, its trajectory impossible to predict.
"This..."
Seeing Yuwen Chengji's sword technique, Yuwen Guangxu's expression changed dramatically. He hadn't expected the other party to use his strongest sword move right from the start.
However, what surprised him even more was that this sword technique, which even he had to avoid its edge, seemed like child's play to Ye Cangtian.
Ye Cangtian merely extended two fingers, slowly pinched, and caught Yuwen Chengji's long sword, rendering it immobile.
"..."
How could this be!
His sword technique was an ancient inheritance. How could it be so easily deciphered by the other party!
Yuwen Chengji was dumbfounded, his heart overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
He had cultivated arduously, all for the day he could surpass Ye Cangtian. Yet, upon meeting Ye Cangtian again, not only had the gap between them not narrowed, but it had widened considerably.
Such a result was truly difficult for him to accept.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Yuwen Chengji, you're getting weaker and weaker."
"So weak that I can't even be bothered to fight you!"
Just then, Ye Cangtian's teasing voice echoed.
A single sentence was enough to shatter Yuwen Chengji.
It felt as if a sharp blade had been plunged directly into his heart.
He glared fiercely at Ye Cangtian, let out a sudden roar, and increased the force in his hands, using all his might. He desperately tried to pull out his long sword.
However, the long sword remained between Ye Cangtian's two fingers, not moving in the slightest.
"Since you want your sword so badly, I'll give it back to you then."
Seeing Yuwen Chengji's actions, Ye Cangtian smiled faintly and then released his fingers.
Thump!
Due to the excessive force, Yuwen Chengji, caught off guard, fell to the ground, looking utterly pathetic.
Slap!
Seeing Yuwen Chengji's state, Yuwen Guangxu slapped his forehead. He truly couldn't bear to watch.
After all, the other party was a Heavenly realm expert. Forget Yuwen Chengji himself; even if he joined forces with him, they wouldn't be enough for the other party to toy with.
Why put themselves through this!
"Ye Cangtian, you've insulted me too much! I'll fight you to the death!"
Yuwen Chengji sprang up, roaring, and leaped forward, his long sword striking towards Ye Cangtian like a lightning snake.
"Heh, this move is a bit interesting."
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly, pointed his large hand at the lightning snake, and a stream of spiritual energy shot out instantly.
Boom!
A booming sound followed, and the surrounding pavilion was shattered into pieces by the ferocious spiritual energy.
Ye Cangtian stood firm, a faint smile on his face. Yuwen Guangxu beside him, however, had his mouth twitching.
He and Yuwen Chengji had cultivated together and sparred frequently, but he had never seen the latter use such a move.
Looking at the power of this move, if Yuwen Chengji had unleashed it, even if he had won, it would only have been a Pyrrhic victory.
"This..."
On the other side, Yuwen Chengji landed somewhat awkwardly, his body trembling. Even when using his most potent trump card, he was no match for the other party's single finger.
Such a disparity left him helpless and deeply frustrated.
"What's going on?"
"What happened?"
Just then, hurried footsteps approached, and Yuwen Sheng was the first to arrive in the small courtyard.
The loud noise earlier, which had made the ground shake, had terrified him. He had thought Ye Cangtian had gone on a rampage.
At his words, Yuwen Chengji immediately lowered his head, blushing. He didn't want to mention such a humiliating affair.
"It's nothing. We haven't seen each other for a long time, and I just wanted to test their progress!"
Ye Cangtian glanced at Yuwen Sheng with a smile and continued, "I'm quite surprised that in such a short period, they've reached such a level. They truly have remarkable talent. The Yuwen family has successors..."
Uh...
At his words, Yuwen Chengji and Yuwen Guangxu were both stunned.
They hadn't expected Ye Cangtian to not only refrain from criticizing or mocking them but to even praise them.
It felt somewhat unreal, as if the other person had been replaced.
On the other side, hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Yuwen Sheng quickly cupped his fists in a bow and said, "Thank you, Lord Ye, for your guidance to them. I shall not disturb you further."
Saying this, Yuwen Sheng looked at Yuwen Guangxu and the two brothers and said, "Guangxu, Chengji, this is a rare opportunity. You should learn well from Lord Ye..."
Yuwen Guangxu quickly agreed. Yuwen Chengji's face was somewhat flushed, but after a moment of hesitation, he finally agreed.
Seeing this, Yuwen Sheng nodded with satisfaction and then left the courtyard.
"Hmm?"
Not long after Yuwen Sheng's departure, Ye Cangtian's brow suddenly furrowed. He sensed a fluctuation of spiritual energy.
This spiritual energy fluctuation was very strange, disappearing without a trace almost instantaneously.
Was there a master skilled in spiritual energy nearby?
Thinking of spiritual energy masters, Ye Cangtian immediately thought of people from the Feiyun Pavilion.
The next moment, he looked at the two Yuwen brothers and said, "My lords, as a guest, shouldn't you show me around Jinling City properly?"
"That's only natural. We'd be delighted!"
Yuwen Guangxu nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. For him, as long as he didn't have to spar with Ye Cangtian, he didn't mind any other matters.
He simply didn't want to be humiliated.
Yuwen Chengji glanced at the other party. Although he was unhappy about being beaten, Ye Cangtian had given him enough face in front of Yuwen Sheng.
So, he could only reluctantly nod, signifying his agreement.
Thus, the three of them left the Yuwen family together.
As for what Jinling City was like, asking the Yuwen family was useless. He would witness it firsthand and, in passing, see if the city could help investigate the recent spiritual energy fluctuation.
...
Walking through Jinling City.
Seeing the bustling streets, a scene of prosperity, Ye Cangtian felt some of his worries ease.
It seemed that the Swift Wind Tower had not taken any retaliatory action, otherwise, this place would have already been in chaos.
With this thought, Ye Cangtian scanned his surroundings and happened to see a nearby teahouse. He then walked over.
After a journey, it was not easy to find a quiet place to drink tea. Now that he was finally settled, he directly entered the teahouse with the Yuwen brothers.
They found a private room in the teahouse and sat down, ordering a pot of premium Longjing tea.
While quietly waiting for the tea to be served, Ye Cangtian's brow furrowed again. He had already heard the noisy sounds emanating from the teahouse.
"Hey! Waiter, call your boss!"
"What kind of tea did you serve? What grade is it? Why does it have no taste at all!"
"Are you deliberately trying to fool us!"
A deep, booming voice came from a burly man. Then, a waiter hurried forward and said, "Impossible! Esteemed sir, I served you the finest tea. How could it have no taste!"
"Fine, my foot!"
"This pot of tea was quite fragrant just now! Now it's like plain water, with no taste at all!"
"Give me an explanation! Why has the same pot of tea become like this!"
As soon as the waiter finished speaking, a customer from another table slammed the table and stood up.
The tea he had just drunk was indeed good, with a rich aroma. But as he drank, it lost its taste, which truly puzzled him.
He had thought his tongue had gone numb, affecting his taste buds.
But now it seemed the problem wasn't with him but with the tea, so he began to roar in anger.
"How is that possible!"
"Smell it with your noses. The entire room is filled with the aroma of tea. How can the tea water be problematic!"
"I think you're just looking for trouble because you can't afford the tea bill!"
Listening to the voices of the two parties, the waiter became furious and roared loudly.
As his voice fell, the two customers were stunned. They picked up their teacups and sniffed them. The result was that their expressions immediately turned ugly.
"Damn it! It's clearly plain water, with no scent at all!"
"Exactly! You must have fooled us with some common grass leaves!"
The two men were enraged. They hadn't smelled any scent at all. While it was possible for one person's sense of smell to be faulty, it was definitely the tea that had a problem when both of them couldn't smell anything.
Upon hearing this, the waiter trembled with anger and said fiercely, "If you have no money and are causing trouble, we'll go to the Hidden Branch to settle this..."
The burly man roared, grabbed the waiter by the collar, and shouted, "Settle my foot! If you don't call out your boss today, I'll tear down your teahouse!"
...