Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Water Comes, Earth Conceals

Jiang Yu looked up at the few people and, to the evasive female cultivator among them, said, "Senior Sister Cheng, you didn't rendezvous with Senior Sister Ye?"

"We weren't teleported together, Jiang Yu. These people are…" Senior Sister Cheng is the one who, together with Senior Sister Ye, attacked the little turtle last time.

Jiang Yu smiled and scanned the group in front of her: "They're Senior Sister Ye's relatives; I've seen them at the Transmission Hall."

"I just didn't know when this Cangshan Secret Realm became a plot of land leased by the Ye family."

"Little girl, don't go assigning titles recklessly."

"If you're not interested, leave quickly, or don't blame us for ignoring brotherly ties." A Ye family youth stepped forward, brandishing a whip and pointing it at her.

Since entering the secret realm yesterday, they have gathered swiftly using family secret techniques, and have already seized the thriving spirit grass from the spirit‑plant zone that many have found.

Though the spirit grass underfoot cannot be used for medicine, it is still top‑grade spirit material, so they should be the ones to harvest it.

"Hold on, you're that Jiang Yu?" The youth seemed to suddenly recall the name, pushed off the ground with his foot and leapt to her front.

He deliberately stepped onto a Seven‑Star Grass she was just cutting.

Unfortunately Jiang Yu, not one to tolerate obvious troublemakers, lifted her elbow and tossed him about a hundred chi away.

"Fine, you attacked a fellow sect brother without cause."

"Twelfth brother, Seventh sister, my wound was split by her," the youth said while pressing his shoulder socket, blood instantly oozing out.

As seven or eight Ye family youths moved toward Jiang Yu, Senior Sister Cheng silently lowered her head and stepped back.

She whispered, "Jiang Yu, several of them haven't formally entered the sect; they hit hard. You'd better run."

Jiang Yu didn't look at her; when the Ye family members were seven or eight steps away, she suddenly grabbed her hair and fled to one side.

A Ye family female cultivator lunged to grab her the instant she tried, but only heard Jiang Yu's high‑pitched scream: "Help! Senior Sister Ye, don't kill me!"

The female cultivator was momentarily stunned, letting her run even farther: "Murder! Help! Senior Sister Ye, spare me!"

Several Ye family members strained to chase: "That brat acts better than us."

Shocked, Senior Sister Cheng abruptly looked up, fixed her gaze on Jiang Yu's flight direction, and saw her movement so fast that only an after‑image remained; the Ye family couldn't catch up.

In the next instant, a female cultivator with a face full of frost emerged from the grass.

"Senior Sister Tang?!" She is this year's rotating steward of the Grand Void Hall, one of the Eight Great Steward Elders, and a disciple of the Real Person De Zhang.

It is widely known that the three Nascent Soul cultivators of the Grand Void Sect, the youngest of whom holds the sect leader's title but does not handle sect affairs.

All internal affairs are run by thirty‑two Real Persons of at least mid‑Foundation Establishment level, divided into four groups that rotate every ten years.

Each Real Person on duty assigns their disciples to the Law Enforcement Hall for supervisory tasks that year.

When such a person suddenly appeared, Senior Sister Cheng quickly withdrew, not daring to let her see herself.

Jiang Yu leapt behind her: "Senior Sister Tang, help me!"

"What are you all doing?" Tang Yihe glanced coolly at the Ye family few.

"Senior Sister Tang, we happened to be passing through here, chasing a blue‑ear rabbit."

"Since you're here, we won't disturb you." Even though a few of the Ye had inner‑gate disciples, they dared not provoke her; they turned and left.

Unexpectedly, not far behind, several on‑duty elder disciples appeared.

The Ye youths shouted in panic: "We've run into a demon!"

They suddenly suspected that the one who had just messaged them, saying Jiang Yu was alone here, had set a trap.

At this point, a direct disciple blocking the road called out: "Ye Cheng, you speak."

"Brother Tao, we really were just passing by," Ye Cheng forced himself to step forward.

Jiang Yu saw the direct disciple brand a fragment of a lingering‑image jade and sighed, "Sure enough, there's no such thing as a free flying boat in this world."

She realized she was being used as bait.

As expected, Brother Tao's lingering‑image jade was the scene the Ye youth had staged, threatening himself, but the later part was missing.

Whether it was omitted on purpose or they didn't record because they deviated from the script, they didn't capture it.

Fortunately, when the lingering‑image jade switched scenes, it showed the Ye people snatching a fruit from a spirit‑fruit tree.

Then Brother Tao's refined senior sister said, "Ye Cheng, you all illegally seized a bunch of fellow‑sect spirit grass in the secret realm; the Law Enforcement Hall will investigate this.

The Ye family will also be punished.

Now go collect all the Seven‑Star Grass older than ten years and bring them to Junior Sister Jiang as an apology."

"Uncle Tan, we didn't do anything to her.

It was just a playful quarrel between me and Junior Sister Jiang." The Ye family whip‑wielding youth stepped forward, bowed, and after speaking still looked at Jiang Yu.

"If Junior Sister Jiang bumped into you, I apologize.

But harvesting spirit grass isn't really necessary, is it?"

Jiang Yu squinted; she didn't recall any Elder Tan in the Ye family, and that elder was said to have been in seclusion for ten years.

Yet Uncle Tan was definitely closely linked to the Ye family, saying he would collect spirit grass for himself was just to erase the part where she was threatened.

Or perhaps he meant that the Ye youths could take more spirit grass here, completing the task properly and reducing punishment—a meaning the youngster failed to grasp.

She brushed her tangled hair aside, about to speak, when Lin Yuan and the Lu sisters rushed in from afar.

Lu Ruochan spoke first: "Jiang Yu, did the Ye family really ambush you, set a trap?"

Lin Yuan also bowed to Brother Tao, asking what had happened.

Jiang Yu quietly whispered to the two Lu sisters, summarizing the events, then raised her voice a bit: "I don't care about verbal apologies and collecting spirit grass.

I only worry about being flagged by certain people when I enter or exit the sect."

"Sigh, who's to blame for being an outer‑gate disciple?"

"Both outer and inner gate disciples are the backbone of the Grand Void Sect; anyone who dares to injure a fellow sect member and loot property will be severely punished." Tang Yihe stepped toward the Ye members.

"Junior Sister Jiang, you don't need us to collect the spirit grass, nor do you need any apology.

Whatever you did, face the Law Enforcement Hall together with the victim."

"Activate the transmission token and go out."

"Tang junior sister…" Senior Sister Tan was about to say more, but Tang Yihe raised a hand and cut her off, "The Law Enforcement Hall reports to the public office; violators will be penalized."

"I called Senior Sister Tan here to ask you to be a witness."

After speaking, she gave Ye Cheng a cold glance.

Ye Cheng instantly flinched, and seeing the other senior disciples remain aloof and silent, he realized they had to leave early.

"Leave." As soon as he spoke, the Ye family members were forced to activate the teleport and depart.

As soon as they left, Jiang Yu bowed to Senior Sister Tang and said, "I've just had an insight; I need to close my cultivation for a day or two, so I formally take my leave, Senior Sister."

Before the words finished, she released a paper crane and leapt away.

"Jiang Yu." Lu Ruochan was still a bit dazed, while Lin Yuan bowed to Senior Brother Tao and said, "Had I known you meant this, I would never have brought Junior Sister Jiang here. I take my leave."

He also released a flying boat; as it was activating, the Lu sisters leapt aboard together, shouting, "Junior brother, hurry and catch up with Jiang Yu."

The senior disciples saw them off, then exchanged glances, saying, "From now on, Lin Yuan and Chen Xia will probably never team up with us again."

Tang Yihe then questioned, "Senior Brother Tao, Senior Brother Cao, Senior Sister Fang, do you have any explanation why the Ye family members could rush straight to the place Jiang Yu selected?"

"You should know that Ye Cheng's single defense, the image of Jiang Yu being threatened, is unlikely to be accepted by the Law Enforcement Hall."

"You all will only add more trouble for her."

The few turned away uncomfortably, "So many spirit herbs; it would be a pity not to harvest them."

And when Jiang Yu, who had been pursued by the three senior brothers and sisters, was asked by Lu Ruochan whether she feared the Ye family's targeting, she replied, "Water comes, earth covers the ears."