"Wow, she's so domineering!" Ye Zhilin exclaimed, then turned to Ye Fei and asked, "Ye Fei, who is she? Is she some official sent by the court?"
Ye Fei smiled faintly. "No, this nun is a religious practitioner. She's not some lackey of the court."
"What's a religious practitioner?" Ye Zhilin asked innocently. She genuinely didn't know and wasn't trying to mock them, but her words struck a nerve with the priest and the nun.
Ye Fei chuckled and explained, "A religious practitioner is someone who has renounced worldly attachments. Nuns like her follow Buddhist teachings, emphasizing emptiness and detachment from worldly affairs. The priest, on the other hand, is a Taoist, advocating for simplicity and inaction. The philosophy runs deep, and since I'm not a practitioner myself, I can't fully explain it."
"But they don't seem as detached or inactive as you described. Are they not true practitioners?" Ye Zhilin asked curiously, her innocent questions unintentionally hitting the mark.
The back-and-forth between Ye Fei and Ye Zhilin nearly drove the priest and the nun mad. They didn't realize that Ye Fei was the one mocking them, while Ye Zhilin was simply asking honest questions. Yet, Ye Fei's guidance had inadvertently delivered a harsh slap to these so-called "practitioners."
"Enough! You two brats must have a death wish!" The nun, Mieyin, was the first to lose her temper. Known for her fiery disposition, she couldn't tolerate being mocked by two youngsters.
The priest, though equally furious, secretly relished the situation. Shui Rou had once again rejected his proposal, fueling his desire to eliminate these people. In his eyes, only Liu Yiru posed a significant threat, and even she might not be a match for Mieyin. As for the others, he believed he could handle them easily. He hoped the conflict would escalate.
Ye Fei, seemingly aware of the priest's thoughts, continued to fan the flames. "Tsk, tsk! Your temperaments don't suit a life of religious practice. Why don't you both renounce your vows? By this time next year, you might even have a child to celebrate."
"You little brat, you're asking for death!" Enraged, Mieyin lunged at Ye Fei, her original purpose as a mediator forgotten. Her only thought was to eliminate the young man who had been mocking her.
"Old woman, you're not cut out for this religious life. I wasn't wrong about you," Ye Fei said with a smile, standing pletely still as if Mieyin's fierce attack didn't faze him.
Liu Yiru didn't step in to protect her son this time. The priest's persistence and the nun's unreasonable behavior had angered her, and she decided it was time for Ye Fei to teach them a lesson.
Just as Mieyin's palm was about to strike Ye Fei's chest, a delicate hand reached out and effortlessly deflected the attack. The hand's owner, Ye Zhilin, turned to Ye Fei with a smile. "Ye Fei, I've never really fought anyone before. Can I take this one?"
From Mieyin's earlier attack, Ye Fei had already gauged her strength. She was no match for Liu Yiru, let alone Ye Fei himself. Even if Ye Zhilin stood still and let Mieyin hit her, it wouldn't matter. Confident in Ye Zhilin's abilities, Ye Fei nodded. "Sure, Auntie, she's all yours."
"Alright, you old nun, you want to hit my Ye Fei? Let's see how you handle me!" Ye Zhilin declared, launching into an elegant palm technique. She and Mieyin quickly became locked in bat.
However, Ye Zhilin didn't seem to realize that her role as "Auntie" was somewhat promised by her need to ask Ye Fei's permission before acting. Perhaps it was an unconscious reflex, a remnant of ancient customs where women were expected to defer to male relatives. With her father and brother gone, Ye Zhilin had subconsciously placed Ye Fei in that role.
As Ye Zhilin and Mieyin fought, Ye Fei watched closely. Although he was confident in Ye Zhilin's strength, he couldn't rule out the possibility of Mieyin having some deadly trick up her sleeve. Ye Zhilin's lack of experience made him cautious.
After a while, Ye Fei relaxed. Despite her inexperience, Ye Zhilin's movements were fluid and precise. Mieyin couldn't even touch the hem of her robe, though Ye Zhilin hadn't landed a hit on the nun either.
As the fight continued, their moods diverged. Ye Zhilin grew more and more excited, treating the battle as a training session. She even passed up several opportunities to end the fight quickly.
Mieyin, on the other hand, grew increasingly alarmed. She couldn't believe that a girl who appeared to be in her early twenties could move with such grace and skill. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't land a single blow. Worse, the young woman's internal energy was terrifying. The gusts of wind from her palms were enough to make Mieyin unsteady.
"How is this possible?" Mieyin thought after narrowly dodging another strike. "Even if she started training in the womb, she couldn't have such profound energy. Is she some hidden martial arts master?"
The more Mieyin thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. After all, appearances could be deceiving. In her sect, there was a centenarian who looked no older than twenty. This girl must be the same. That would explain why the young man called her "Auntie."
Distracted, Mieyin's attacks grew less precise, much to Ye Zhilin's annoyance. "Hey, focus! I'm not done yet!" she called out.
Mieyin suddenly feinted and jumped back, clasping her hands in a gesture of respect. "Your skill in preserving your youth is remarkable, and your internal energy is profound. I admit defeat." Though she conceded, her emphasis on Ye Zhilin's "seniority" and "youth preservation" revealed her bitterness.
Ye Zhilin, oblivious to the subtext, laughed. "Alright, since you've admitted defeat, I'll stop. But calling me 'senior' isn't accurate. I'm only Ye Fei's senior. As for others, I was eighteen before I slept, and after sleeping for over two years—let's say three—I'm only twenty-one now. How can you call me 'senior'?"
Mieyin's face twisted with rage. Her defeat was already humiliating, and Ye Zhilin's words added insult to injury. Mieyin wasn't inherently evil; she simply enjoyed flaunting her status and basking in the respect her reputation manded. Over time, this had made her arrogant and domineering.
But today, not only had her pride been shattered, but she had also been mocked by Ye Fei and Ye Zhilin and defeated by a girl in her twenties. For someone who had dominated the martial world for decades, this was unbearable. After a moment of internal struggle, she made a decision she would regret for the rest of her life.
With a sudden movement, Mieyin raised her hand and a series of thin steel needles shot from her sleeve toward Ye Zhilin's face.
Ye Fei's heart leaped into his throat. Ye Zhilin didn't have his protective abilities. He rushed to her side and pushed her out of harm's way, only to realize that the needles were now heading toward Gu Shishi, who had somehow ended up beside him.
Ye Fei couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Gu Shishi, the gentle and kind maid he had grown fond of. He swiftly turned back, catching the needles just before they could strike her. His expression darkened as he examined the needles.
"You vicious old hag!" he barked at Mieyin. The needles were not only powerful but also coated with a deadly poison. If not for his unique constitution, even his internal energy might not have been enough to neutralize the toxin.
The entire sequence happened so quickly that it left everyone, including Liu Yiru, stunned. Even she hadn't realized how much her son's skills had advanced. His speed and precision were beyond anything she had seen.
Among the onlookers, Mieyin was the most shocked. She knew the potency of the hidden weapon she had used—a device she had taken from a notorious villain after a life-and-death struggle. To see it effortlessly neutralized by Ye Fei was a blow to her pride and a stark reminder of the power she now faced.
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