Chapter 279

Ye Qingran's boneless hands climbed onto Wuhen's neck, her smile like a flower.

Warm fragrance and soft jade fill his embrace, yet Wuhen's heart trembles.

I fear it's merely a flower in the mirror, moon in the water; a blink, and it's a grand dream.

Forget it, live in the present!

This is the first time Ye Qingran throws herself into his arms.

That taste is ten thousand times more delightful than he imagined.

He almost couldn't resist kneading her into his own flesh and blood.

"You're hurting me..."

"Sorry, I'll be gentler."

……

Such an ambiguous dialogue came from the courtyard; hearing it, Fu San, standing guard outside in the cold wind, exclaimed that the dog food was too choking, and couldn't help but blush.

Already we've come this far to the final step?

Your Majesty truly lives up to the title!

Fu San had no idea that inside the courtyard, they were merely hugging.

Since the day Ye Qingran, in full view of all, abolished Ling Qingwu, exposed Ye Huanhuan's past crimes, dug out her spiritual root and crushed it, over half a month has passed.

Winter has descended, the weather growing ever colder.

A piece of news, like a flame, ignited the hearts of the people of Xiliang City.

Lin Xuewei is coming back!

Know that Lin Xuewei is now not only a celebrity of the entire Donglin Country, but even of the whole Central Region.

After all, to be able to join the Pinnacle of Contention as an ordinary member is something even the Xuan Yuan Sword Sect aspires to, let alone becoming a figure favored by the Emperor Sovereign of the Pinnacle of Contention.

Her return is destined to cause a sensation!

……

……

……

At Ting Yu Xuan, Ye Qingran had just seen off the Sword Demon and Feng Yi father and son when Leng Yue returned from outside.

"Miss, I heard Lin Xuewei is returning; the Divine Medicine Sect's Sect Master has sent the Ninth Elder with several disciples over, saying they wish to consult her on the alchemy technique from Xi Ji."

Ye Qingran had long heard the news of Lin Xuewei's return; she gave a light smile, "I'm also curious—what has Lin Xuewei learned in the Pinnacle of Contention these past five years?"

Although she was smiling, the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Even in those beautiful eyes, there was not a trace of warmth.

Lin Xuewei, you finally dare to come back!

Our irreconcilable feud— it's time to settle it!

Han Xing raised an eyebrow, "Lin Xuewei's younger sister Lin Xuewei, isn't she just an apprentice at the Divine Medicine Sect? This time, with Lin Xuewei returning, she's likely coming back as well."

Leng Yue pouted, "Miss, I just don't understand— as a guest elder of the Divine Medicine Sect, with the Sect Master heeding your words, why back then didn't you drive Lin Xuewei out of the sect?"

Ye Qingran smiled indifferently, "Am I unreasonable? The one we feud with is Lin Xuewei, not Lin Xuewei— why drive her away?"

One person does the deed, one person bears the responsibility.

Back then, it was Lin Xuewei who ripped open her belly to take the child, and it had nothing to do with Lin Xuewei. She could not implicate the innocent; otherwise, what would set her apart from those villains? Of course, if Lin Xuewei provoked her, she would make her suffer even more than others.

Who made her Lin Xuewei's younger sister?

"Then, Miss, do you want to go see the Ninth Elder? He doesn't know you are the eldest miss of Ye Family in Xiliang City; if he saw you here he'd surely be thrilled! After all, you could be considered his benefactor!" Han Xing said with a laugh.

Back then, the Ninth Elder was not valued in the Divine Medicine Sect; it was Ye Qingran who gave him guidance, changing his fate.

She could even imagine the shock on the Ninth Elder's face upon hearing this news.

"Not going, it's a hassle!" If she went, would she still have peaceful days? The people of the Divine Medicine Sect— each one more troublesome than the last!

"However, since Xiao Mo and Xiao Chen went to the Guoshi Fu, we can instead go out for a walk."

As one of Xiliang City's largest medicine shops, Cao Mu Xuan's clientele flows in ceaselessly year-round.

Previously, Cao Mu Xuan's business wasn't as good as now; five years ago, however, it suddenly boomed.

That's because behind Cao Mu Xuan lies the Lin Family.

The Lin Family's legitimate daughter, Lin Xuewei, was taken notice of by the Emperor Sovereign of the Pinnacle of Contention five years ago; she alone attained the Dao, dragging her kin to heaven, and the whole Lin Family rose from a second-rate clan to become one of Xiliang City's top noble houses overnight.

Moreover, after several years of development, Cao Mu Xuan has spread across all nations of the Central Region, and the Lin Family's industrial focus has shifted from Donglin to the entire Central Region.

Also that same year, the Lin Family's second daughter, namely Lin Xuewei's younger sister Lin Xuewei, was favored by the Divine Medicine Sect and became a disciple of the top-tier medicinal sect, the Divine Medicine Sect, in the Central Region.

This news spread, further elevating the Lin Family's reputation to a new height!

Were it not for the renowned reputation of the Yaowang Valley's figure, the entire Central Region's medicine shops would likely have been monopolized by the Lin Family!

Cao Mu Xuan has four floors in total. On the first floor are several examination tables, where physicians see patients and prescribe medicine. The second floor is for selling medicinal herbs and having assistants fetch medicine for patients. The third floor contains some private rooms for treating distinguished guests. As for the fourth floor, it is reserved exclusively for the Lin Family.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Ye Qingran doesn't keep in close contact with the Yaowang Valley. Thus, some ordinary medicinal herbs, she also has Han Xing and Leng Yue purchase at Cao Mu Xuan.

This is also her first time personally coming to Cao Mu Xuan.

Having selected some medicinal herbs, Ye Qingran was about to go downstairs when she heard a suppressed, painful groan coming from the stairwell leading to the third floor.

With no one around, she hesitated a moment; as a healer, her conscience wouldn't let her stand by.

She walked a few steps toward the third floor and saw a beautiful woman collapsed on the ground, seemingly trying to crawl toward the stairwell entrance, her complexion pallid, cold sweat pouring, her whole body twitching.

Ye Qingran strode forward, checked the woman's pupils, pulse, and tongue coating, determined the cause, then drew the silver needle she carried, inserted seventeen needles into several major acupoints, and finally gave her a pill to swallow.

The woman improved slightly, but her consciousness remained hazy.

In her daze, she heard someone say, "Your luck isn't bad, meeting me… otherwise this life would likely have ended here."

After a brief procedure lasting only a few minutes, Ye Qingran helped her to her feet, leaning her against the stairwell railing, confirmed she would wake up in a few minutes, and then left on her own.

The beautiful woman struggled to see clearly her lifesaver, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't see clearly; only that blurry back, and that sentence…

Two minutes later, Lin Xuewei came down from the fourth floor and at a glance saw the beautiful woman sitting at the stairwell.

"It's her!"

She immediately recognized the other's identity, and a look of surprise appeared in her eyes.

The Divine Medicine Sect is located in Everlasting Peace, the capital of the Xuan Yuan Wang Chao. She had once seen this lady in Everlasting Peace!

She is the wife of the Xuan Yuan Wang Chao's Grand General Leng Feng. Over these years, she seems to have been searching for a benefactor, her footsteps spreading across the Central Region; now she has even come all the way to Xiliang—truly persistent!

However, speaking of which, the Xuan Yuan Wang Chao, as the largest country in the Central Region, Leng Feng holds a high position in the Xuan Yuan Wang Chao, and he also loves this woman deeply; if he could become her lifesaver, then in the Central Region, she would also have a death‑exempting gold medal!

Thinking this, a hint of calculation flickered in Lin Xuewei's eyes.