Chapter 127: A Sudden Reconciliation

After Yan Qingye rushed outside, he indeed saw the man who had paid his bill at the Immortal Treasures Pavilion that day.

The man was clearly stunned for a moment.

“Brother, what brings you here?”

“Brother, my foot!” Yan Qingye’s face flushed with anger. “How dare you come and steal my family’s clan crest?”

“You...” The man was visibly embarrassed. He cupped his hands and said, “Brother, I apologize. I had no idea this was your family’s home.”

“You shouldn’t steal anyone’s crest!” Yan Qingye rolled up his sleeves and continued forward. “Where’s that troublemaking maid of yours?”

“Maid?” The man glanced around and only then realized that Han Xing had vanished at some point.

Without bothering to think things through, Yan Qingye charged forward and punched the man in the face.

The man’s head was knocked to the side. He covered his cheek and turned back, his anger beginning to rise.

“Brother, I’ve already apologized. Why are you still hitting me?”

“With a head as useless as yours, you deserve to be hit.”

The two glared at each other, bristling with hostility.

Just then, You Xiyue suddenly arrived.

Ever since the incident involving the Phoenix Clan, she had remained constantly on guard. Thus, she had rushed over at once, arriving at the Yan residence even before Ming Chenyu.

Her arrival happened to distract Yan Qingye and the man just as they were about to come to blows.

“What happened? Why did Ming Chenyu crush the jade token? When I went to the Ming residence, he wasn’t there. Ming Zhu told me that something had happened to your family.” You Xiyue frowned as she questioned Yan Qingye.

“...”

Yan Qingye and the man both turned toward You Xiyue.

Yan Qingye walked over to her and pointed at the man. “His maid incited him to come and steal my family’s clan crest.”

The man rubbed his face. “Ow... How did you know my maid incited me?”

Yan Qingye snorted. “Only an idiot like you couldn’t see it.”

At those words, You Xiyue gave Yan Qingye a suspicious look.

Naturally, Yan Qingye failed to notice her expression and continued berating the man. “You don’t even know what kind of person your own maid is, yet you let her provoke you into accepting a clan war. Do you know what happened to the last person who did the same thing?”

“The last person?” The man furrowed his brows, finally beginning to believe that the matter was not so simple.

“The last person who came down to the lower realm to steal a clan crest was Shangguan Hong,” Yan Qingye said ominously.

“Shangguan Hong?” The man was somewhat familiar with the name.

Although the Shangguan Clan had never ranked among the foremost families in the Celestial Realm, it had still been a well-known clan.

Later, its patriarch died suddenly, and the entire family soon declined.

“That Han Xing...” The man began to hesitate. “Was she really... possessed by a ghost?”

Yan Qingye looked at him with exasperation and, adopting the same tone Yun Jianxin had once used to persuade him, said, “That little maid is certainly no simple character. You must not let yourself be deceived again.”

The man pondered carefully. The more he thought about it, the more shocked he became. At last, he apologized to Yan Qingye.

“My name is Ye Qi. I offended you earlier.”

“No problem, no problem. My name is Yan Qingye, and I’m an alchemist of the Alchemy Association.”

The two of them suddenly shook hands and made peace.

“So you’re an alchemist of the Alchemy Association? Please forgive my lack of respect.” Ye Qi bowed to Yan Qingye, then turned to You Xiyue and bowed again. “May I ask who this is?”

“She’s my junior master,” Yan Qingye answered before You Xiyue could speak. “Now that everything has been cleared up, why don’t you come inside and sit for a while?”

“Would that be all right?” Ye Qi asked with a smile.

“Of course.”

Yan Qingye ushered You Xiyue inside first. He was just about to enter with Ye Qi when he saw Ming Chenyu hurrying toward them.

The sight before him left Ming Chenyu completely bewildered.

“What... is going on here?” he asked. “Uncle Seven told me that someone from the Celestial Realm had come to steal your family’s clan crest... What is this?”

Yan Qingye shrugged. “We shook hands and made peace. We have that little maid Han Xing to thank for it. Without her, Ye Qi and I might never have met.”

If Han Xing had not shouted out that day, the two of them would probably already have been fighting.

At the mention of Han Xing’s name, Ye Qi frowned slightly, a trace of disgust appearing in his eyes.

“When I first found her, she seemed pitiful, so I took her in. Who would have thought she would incite me to do all this? I truly wonder what she was trying to accomplish.”

“The little maid?” Ming Chenyu looked at Yan Qingye in confusion.

Yan Qingye immediately explained, “She used to serve Shangguan Hong. Now she has gone to Ye Qi’s side and is doing the same thing all over again.”

“Something like that actually happened?” Ming Chenyu recalled Shangguan Hong, and his expression darkened.

First the Ming family, then the Phoenix Clan—there was no reason for his expression to remain pleasant.

“Exactly.” Yan Qingye led the two men toward the main hall, explaining as he went. “Shangguan Hong was probably incited by that maid as well. That was why he attacked your family, ultimately leaving his own clan ruined and broken.”

“Heh.” Ming Chenyu gave a cold snort. “Every pitiful person has something hateful about them.”

By the time they entered the main hall, You Xiyue had already been invited by Yan Yaofeng to take the seat of honor. She was being treated like an ancestral deity.

All kinds of fine wine and fresh fruit had been placed on the table beside her.

“Young Senior, please try some,” Yan Yaofeng said.

You Xiyue gave a slight nod, somewhat overwhelmed by his enthusiasm. “Thank you.”

“You mustn’t be so formal with me.” Almost everything Yan Qingye had achieved had been due to You Xiyue’s help.

Naturally, Yan Yaofeng treated You Xiyue with the utmost respect.

When Yan Qingye entered, he saw his own father fawning over You Xiyue.

Then he spotted the Immortal Clear Dew on the table—a rare and exquisite wine.

“Father, didn’t you say we had already finished this?”

Yan Qingye pointed at the items on the table, his face filled with anguish. “And these Spirit Pan Peaches—weren’t they all eaten long ago? How can there be so many left?”

Yan Yaofeng slapped Yan Qingye’s pointing hand away.

“Stop pointing. Did you get any? Of course there’s some left for Young Senior.”

“...”

Yan Qingye was rendered speechless.

Ye Qi stepped forward awkwardly and apologized to Yan Yaofeng. “Earlier, I was misled by a treacherous person and committed such an offense. Please forgive me.”

Yan Yaofeng helped him to his feet. “Now that everything has been explained, let’s not mention it again.”

“Very well.”

Taking advantage of the moment, Ming Chenyu walked over to You Xiyue and knelt before her. He kowtowed once.

“Master, I acted rashly and wasted one of the jade tokens by summoning you from so far away. This disciple is willing to accept punishment.”

Seeing Ming Chenyu say this, Yan Qingye was just about to kneel beside him.

After all, Ming Chenyu had crushed the jade token because he had wanted to save the Yan family.

You Xiyue lowered her eyes to Ming Chenyu, her expression unchanged.

“This does not count as acting rashly. Rise.”

“Yes.”

Ming Chenyu stood and remained respectfully at You Xiyue’s side.

Yan Qingye and Ye Qi seemed to hit it off immediately, chatting freely about one topic after another.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ming Chenyu glanced at You Xiyue and asked in a low, cautious voice, “Master, may I also go challenge the Heavenly Stairway?”

You Xiyue examined Ming Chenyu’s cultivation. He was still only a Golden Immortal. Regretfully, she shook her head.

“Your cultivation is too low.”

“How can I improve as quickly as Qingye did?”

You Xiyue looked up at him, her tone stern.

“Do not be eager for quick success. Taking one step at a time is the proper path.”

Ming Chenyu acknowledged her words and turned his head to look at Yan Qingye, envy filling his heart.