Chapter 74: The Second Uncle Who Loves Refining

Your second uncle knows most of the Ye Family, and you are the only unfamiliar face; please find a way to contact your second uncle Ye Qingming.

Mission reward: Top-tier Refining Technique

Ye Xiuxiu widened her eyes and stared at the mission description before her,

for a moment she felt at a loss,

a shocking fact kept looping in her mind,

the Ye Jia Zu Di had suffered such a fierce attack,

and it was somehow linked to second uncle Ye Qingming!

Even more unbelievable,

this second uncle had actually betrayed the Ye Family that gave him birth!

Ye Xiuxiu, full of doubt,

scanned the exceptionally lively banquet back and forth.

She tried to pick out the legendary second uncle Ye Qingming from the crowd, but no matter how hard she searched,

she never caught sight of his figure.

This made Ye Xiuxiu feel very surprised,

she ran through her mind,

as if there was no memory of this second uncle,

she had clearly been at the Ye Jia Zu Di for so long,

yet she had never even seen the second uncle's face once.

So, Ye Xiuxiu turned her head,

softly said to her mother Bai Qingxia,

"Mother, I heard that I actually have a second uncle."

"Since I returned to the Ye Jia Zu Di, time has not been short, yet it seems I have never had a chance to meet this second uncle."

Bai Qingxia heard this and couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on her face,

after a brief pause she asked:

"Xiuxiu, why did you suddenly think of asking about this?"

Ye Xiuxiu's heart tightened, and she silently whispered to herself:

"Of course it's to successfully complete that damned mission."

But she could never say that outright,

she rolled her eyes, then answered with a smile:

"Mother, I only speak out of respect for my elders."

"After all, I've already been back for a long time; if I don't even send a greeting, wouldn't that be too rude?"

Bai Qingxia, after hearing this, blossomed a satisfied smile,

gently stroked Ye Xiuxiu's hair and said:

"My Xiuxiu is truly sensible and thoughtful."

"Unfortunately, regarding your second uncle, Mother doesn't actually know much either."

"Mother only knows that your second uncle has been in seclusion these years,"

"but in fact, he has locked himself inside a house, rarely venturing out."

Bai Qingxia said this while,

softly kneading Ye Xiuxiu's little head.

"You should ask your grandfather and grandmother,

they might know a bit more."

Ye Xiuxiu blinked her big eyes, obediently nodded and replied:

"Hmm, I understand, Mother."

After this lively banquet ended,

Ye Xiuxiu couldn't wait and ran to find Ye Songzhi,

and recounted in detail her desire to meet the second uncle.

Ye Songzhi, upon hearing this, was slightly stunned,

after regaining his composure he slowly said:

"As for your second uncle…"

He let out a sigh, then continued:

"Your second uncle and your father are completely different! Your father has always devoted himself to cultivating the Ye Family's ancestral techniques, and his cultivation has been steadily rising."

"However, when he advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, for some reason, he suddenly stalled."

"This isn't because his talent is lacking; on the contrary, his talent is quite high!"

"Not at all inferior to your father,"

"but he is obsessed with refining techniques to the extreme, burying himself day and night in research, to the point that his cultivation was neglected."

"No matter how I spoke, he wouldn't listen,"

"so later I grew tired of dealing with him."

"For these years, he has been tinkering with those refining contraptions in the little courtyard behind."

At this point, Ye Songzhi paused, a hint of helplessness on his face, and continued to advise:

"But I, your grandfather, don't really recommend you go find him now."

That second uncle of yours has a really odd temper; even when facing Grandfather me, he doesn't give a good look, let alone others.

So, good granddaughter Xiuxiu, you should wait a bit longer; wait until a suitable time comes, then we'll talk.

Ye Xiuxiu lightly nodded, indicating her agreement.

However, she secretly began to wonder in her heart:

"My second uncle has always been obsessed with the way of forging weapons; could there be some secret connection between this and the future attack on the Ye family ancestral land?"

Carrying this doubt, in the following few days,

Whenever she had a little free time,

Ye Xiuxiu would eagerly rush to the vicinity of the courtyard that Grandfather Ye Songzhi had mentioned.

Whenever she approached the courtyard, she could often hear from inside a clear, rhythmic ding-dang sound.

Despite that, because the walls surrounding the courtyard rose high into the clouds,

reaching a height of five or six meters, making it so that even if Ye Xiuxiu stood on tiptoe and stretched her neck,

she could hardly peek inside to see what secret lay within.

"Must I really wait bitterly for my second uncle to show himself?"

Ye Xiuxiu couldn't help but inwardly groan,

"Who knows when he'll come out!"

After a fierce internal struggle,

Ye Xiuxiu suddenly clenched her teeth,

resolutely strode straight toward the gate of that mysterious courtyard,

and without hesitation reached out and knocked forcefully.

The bang-bang-bang knocking sound suddenly rang out on the heavy wooden door.

But no matter how Ye Xiuxiu knocked, there was no movement from inside the door.

However, she did not become discouraged and retreat because of that,

but instead seemed to be competing with the door,

she continued to persistently pound on it.

Thus, unknowingly,

Ye Xiuxiu actually knocked continuously for as long as three or four hours in one breath.

In the end, effort did not betray the earnest,

accompanied by another heavy knock,

finally,

the sturdy wooden door was actually smashed by Ye Xiuxiu into a large hole.

Through this suddenly appearing large hole,

Ye Xiuxiu blinked her lively big eyes,

curiously gazing at that figure inside the courtyard.

All she saw was a middle-aged man utterly different from her father Ye Qingping.

His face was covered with stubble, growing haphazardly,

as if it had never been trimmed;

His upper body was naked, the skin exposed outside showing an ancient bronze color,

covered with intersecting scars and strong, muscular lines.

His lower body wore a tattered pair of pants full of patches,

on his feet were severely worn straw sandals.

At that moment, Ye Qingming suddenly turned his head.

In an instant, his gaze met Ye Xiuxiu's line of sight.

Ye Xiuxiu felt a pressure as intense as Mount Tai pressing down on an egg, sweeping over her,

causing her to tremble involuntarily.

However, despite feeling afraid in her heart, Ye Xiuxiu still forced herself to appear calm,

and in a coquettish voice called out toward the inside: "Second uncle!"

(End of chapter)