Ye Cangtian stared blankly at the woman, his face filled with disbelief.
He had unleashed this punch with almost all his might, holding back virtually nothing. Its power should have been enough to make even a Earth-level expert flinch, yet the woman had taken it.
When his fist landed, it felt as if he had struck cotton, completely devoid of force.
Such formidable strength made him question his own senses.
On the other side, the woman looked at Ye Cangtian with a teasing gaze, saying, "I am indeed looking down on you. What can you do about it?"
"What else can I do?"
"I admit defeat!"
"Whatever you say goes, isn't that enough?"
The woman had been wearing a proud smile, but to her surprise, Ye Cangtian simply shrugged, looking completely indifferent.
"..."
The woman paused slightly. According to the information she had, Ye Cangtian had never been so accommodating.
She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why are you suddenly so obedient? This doesn't seem like your usual personality."
"What if I don't obey?"
"If I don't obey, I get beaten!"
"Moreover, the one beating me is Sister Mingyue. I have no grounds to argue!"
Ye Cangtian rolled his eyes at the woman, speaking with a touch of exasperation.
He wasn't foolish.
A punch that powerful being so casually deflected meant this person's strength was definitely above Earth-level, and by no means ordinary.
Given the physical differences between men and women, female powerhouses were rare, and in Dragon City, they were like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. The only person he could think of was Dongfang Mingyue.
"Heh, you're quite cunning, kid!"
The woman was momentarily stunned before removing the mask from her face. Since she had been discovered, there was no need to hide any longer.
It was indeed Dongfang Mingyue.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian glanced at the woman and then said, "Sister Mingyue, as the leader of the Hidden Division, you should be looking out for me, right? Why are you siding with an outsider today?"
"How dare you speak to me like that!"
"Have you no conscience at all? Lu Junxiong was beaten black and blue by you, and I didn't pursue it. Now you're saying I'm favoring outsiders?"
Dongfang Mingyue glared fiercely at Ye Cangtian, expressing her displeasure.
Ye Cangtian chuckled sheepishly. Women's tendency to bring up old grievances was fully evident even in powerful individuals.
However, speaking of which, he had beaten up Lu Junxiong. If Dongfang Mingyue were to punish him, it would be understandable.
But why hadn't she?
He didn't believe he had any backing or special connections that would lead to preferential treatment.
That left only one conclusion: Dongfang Mingyue simply wanted to smooth things over and avoid escalation.
With that thought, Ye Cangtian spoke, "Sister Mingyue, honestly, I only intended to teach Yuan Kai a lesson. But you've come all this way to find me about this matter. What's the reason?"
Dongfang Mingyue glared at Ye Cangtian and said irritably, "Yuan Kai's strength might be a bit lacking, but that's not the key issue. The key is his good relationships..."
Dongfang Mingyue began to explain simply.
Yuan Kai was known in Dragon City for his loyalty and righteousness. He had also made many connections within the city and enjoyed a certain reputation.
Such a person, without a major transgression, was best left undisturbed to avoid bringing a bad name to the Dragon Group.
"I understand the reasoning."
Ye Cangtian nodded as if he understood, then continued, "I can let Yuan Kai off the hook, but what if Yuan Kai continues to harass me?"
"That would be difficult!"
Dongfang Mingyue glanced at Ye Cangtian, then suddenly smiled and said, "Just kidding. I'll send someone to warn Yuan Kai. He shouldn't cause any more trouble. But if he doesn't behave, then you beat him!"
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian immediately grinned, feeling much more at ease.
Seeing this, Dongfang Mingyue's smile faltered slightly, and she became serious. "Right, there's another matter. I investigated, and the one who reported you to the enforcement team was Hu Baicang from Tingfeng City!"
It was him!
Ye Cangtian's expression turned grim.
Back then, at Jian Wusheng's courtyard, Jian Wusheng had mediated between him and Yuwen Chengji, and in passing, he had spared Hu Baicang.
But he hadn't expected the ungrateful wretch to still be plotting against him!
With that thought, he looked at Dongfang Mingyue and asked, "Sister Mingyue, how do you intend to handle this matter?"
"What does it have to do with me?"
"I know nothing about it! And I don't want to know anything!"
Dongfang Mingyue smiled faintly.
With that statement, Ye Cangtian understood everything. It meant he was free to handle it as he saw fit, and Dongfang Mingyue wished to remain uninvolved.
"I understand," Ye Cangtian replied.
Dongfang Mingyue cast a glance at him and snorted, "Kid, keep the commotion down. Just teach him a lesson and be done with it, no need for fatalities."
Although the Hu family possessed some power, since they had provoked the Hidden Division, Dongfang Mingyue certainly wouldn't indulge them.
However, she didn't want to escalate the situation, hence the warning.
"Alright."
Ye Cangtian agreed. He didn't have the time to deal with the Hu family right now.
To him, Hu Baicang was mere trash, easily dealt with, not worth a special trip.
He knew his time was extremely limited; the old man by the river might leave at any moment, and he needed to seize the opportunity to learn from him.
"Alright, kid, behave yourself and try not to cause me any trouble!"
"Also, in front of outsiders, call me Elder. I need to maintain my image, you understand?"
Shangguan Mingyue glared at Ye Cangtian and then, without waiting for a reply, turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Watching the direction Shangguan Mingyue had left, Ye Cangtian's face twitched. Maintaining an image?
...
Five consecutive days.
Under Ye Cangtian's strenuous practice, he finally managed to keep the piece of paper floating steadily in his hand.
However, it could only hover at a height of two centimeters. Any higher, or with any wind, and the paper would become unstable.
In other words, within that two-centimeter range, everything was still within Ye Cangtian's control.
This could be considered a basic achievement of the old man's requirements.
By the great river.
When Ye Cangtian arrived, the old man was indeed still by the bank, quietly fishing.
He was in the same spot, as if nothing had changed.
"You're here?"
"A few days earlier than I expected."
As soon as he reached the old man's side, the old man's voice came without him turning his head.
It was clear that Ye Cangtian's visit meant he had met the old man's expectations.
Based on the timeline, he was somewhat surprised. It had taken him more than half a month to achieve this when he was younger.
Even the young girl from the Dongfang family had taken a full ten days later on.
Yet Ye Cangtian had only taken five days, which was truly unbelievable.
However, outwardly, the old man remained remarkably calm.
"Senior, look."
Ye Cangtian responded and then took out the piece of paper, letting it float in his palm.
"Mmm, in just five short days, to be able to float 2 centimeters. Very good."
The old man was secretly impressed, not expecting Ye Cangtian to progress even further.
He recalled that in his time, it had taken him half a month to achieve a mere one-centimeter float.
"You flatter me, Senior. This junior gave it his all."
Ye Cangtian replied humbly and then quickly stepped forward, asking, "Senior, have I met your requirements now? What should I train next?"
"The next step is simple: reach a height of 5 centimeters."
"When you reach 5 centimeters, try using two pieces of paper and make them float separately."
The old man pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.
Based on his estimations, this should be the best result Ye Cangtian could achieve.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian's eyes immediately lit up. He understood that the next stage of training would undoubtedly be more difficult.
He quickly bowed to thank the old man for his guidance.
"Alright, kid, don't just stand there. Go catch me a sturgeon to eat!"
The old man waved his hands dismissively and said.
"Okay!"
Ye Cangtian replied with a smile.
He had been worried that the old man might not have any further requests, in which case he wouldn't feel right about receiving his guidance.
This was perfect.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian communicated with Nami and then headed towards the riverbank.
As Ye Cangtian arrived by the river, his peripheral vision caught sight of a white figure slowly approaching. He instinctively turned his head to look.
The newcomer was dressed entirely in white, with her hair styled up, a graceful woman with lingering charm.
It was none other than Bai Sulan of the Bai family!