"Ye Yunfei, you're not joking with me, are you? Are these... really Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills?" Elder Du swallowed, feeling his throat go dry as he asked the question with difficulty.
Though he couldn't bring himself to believe it, he could clearly sense that these ten spirit pills before him were vastly superior to Fourth Grade ones. If they weren't Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills, what else could they be?
"Genuine and unadulterated. These ten are indeed Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills. You can rest assured on that point, Elder Du," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"Alright. But, Ye Yunfei, do you realize that not even ten Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills—but just one—would be enough, I imagine, for either the Imperial Family or one of the Four Great Sects of the Great Qin Empire to compete to invite members of your Ye Family to take up residence? This is far too valuable! So, you should take them back." Elder Du gave a bitter smile and didn't dare reach out to accept them.
"Elder Du, to be frank, Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills truly aren't anything special to me, Ye Yunfei. One could say I have as many as I want. So please, take them." Ye Yunfei offered a faint smile.
"Ye Yunfei, don't tell me you concocted these Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills yourself?" Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Elder Du couldn't help but shudder, staring at him with an incredulous gaze.
After all, Ye Yunfei's statement clearly implied that these Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills were his own handiwork!
"Elder Du, let's not dwell on that. In any case, just accept these ten Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills." Ye Yunfei smiled, offering no explanation.
"Fine." Elder Du accepted them excitedly yet cautiously, his hands trembling as he carefully stored the ten Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills in his space ring.
"Ye Yunfei, we shall return to the Tianyuan Sect then. Be careful in everything once you reach the Imperial City." Elder Du spoke earnestly to Ye Yunfei.
"Don't worry, Elder Du. I'll be careful," Ye Yunfei nodded.
Afterwards, Ye Tianpeng and several other clan elders, along with other members of the Ye Family, came forward to bid Ye Yunfei farewell.
"Ye Yunfei, within the Ye Family, there remain a few elderly clansmen and servants unwilling to leave Yuanyue City. I've arranged for them to manage the family's businesses. However, I've instructed them not to reside in the Ye Residence for the time being, but to find lodging elsewhere and keep a low profile. That should be fine, right?" Ye Tianpeng said to his son.
"Since they don't wish to leave, let them be," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Ye Yunfei, there are still several hundred members of the Imperial City Li Family bound outside the city gates. How should we deal with them?" Ye Tianpeng inquired.
"Kill them all!" Ye Yunfei replied coldly.
"Good. Those beasts truly shouldn't be left alive. I'll dispatch people to execute them all immediately." Ye Tianpeng gave a firm nod and promptly assigned over a dozen Ye clansmen. Receiving the order, these clansmen immediately took up their weapons and marched with killing intent outside the city gates.
Moments later, outside the city walls, several hundred members of the Imperial City Li Family had lost their heads. Blood formed a terrifying river upon the ground.
"Young Master…" Before departing, Xiao Yue's beautiful eyes gazed at Ye Yunfei, tears glistening, reluctant to part.
"Senior Brother Ye Yunfei, take care!" A large group of Tianyuan Sect disciples also called out loudly, bidding him farewell.
This time, most of the disciples Elder Du had brought were from Gold Peak. Each and every one of these Gold Peak disciples idolized Ye Yunfei, viewing him as their hero.
After a final round of farewells, Elder Du led a group of Tianyuan Sect disciples, escorting the Ye Family members as they left Yuanyue City, proceeding in grand procession towards the Tianyuan Sect Headquarters.
Watching the departing figures of his family, Ye Yunfei finally felt his heart ease. Under the protection of the Tianyuan Sect—a sect boasting seven Profound Realm experts—the Ye Family could be considered safe.
Once his family had left, Ye Yunfei headed to the City Lord's residence.
"Haha… Young Master Ye Yunfei, your illustrious presence truly brightens my humble dwelling!" Receiving the report, the City Lord came out in person to welcome him, radiating warmth.
"City Lord, thanks to your timely letter this time. These five Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills are my gift of gratitude to you." Ye Yunfei took out five Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills and handed them over.
It could be said that the letter the City Lord sent played the pivotal role in enabling Ye Yunfei's timely return to Yuanyue City and the rescue of his entire family. Ye Yunfei's character was clear-cut in matters of gratitude and grudges. Such a favor naturally had to be repaid. Besides, something as trivial as Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills might be priceless treasures in others' eyes, but to Ye Yunfei, they were nothing significant. He believed that soon enough, he would be capable of concocting Sixth-Grade, Seventh-Grade, Eighth-Grade, even Ninth and Tenth-Grade Spirit Pills.
"Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills!" The City Lord had barely ushered Ye Yunfei into the main hall and not yet seated, when upon hearing this, he slumped into an armchair, staring dumbfounded at Ye Yunfei.
"Young Master Ye Yunfei, please don't jest with me," the City Lord said with a wry smile. He knew that even the Imperial Family would struggle to produce five Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills. How could the young master of a minor clan from a small city possibly possess such things? And a full five of them at that!
"City Lord, rest assured, these five are indeed Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills." Ye Yunfei understood the City Lord's feelings.
"Alright." After much persuasion and explanation from Ye Yunfei, the City Lord finally and reluctantly accepted that these five spirit pills were genuine Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills. Moreover, as a Heaven Realm expert with extensive experience, he could tell these pills were significantly more advanced than Fourth-Grade ones. Once convinced, the City Lord's mood began to surge with excitement. After all, within the Great Qin Empire, Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills were absolutely priceless—there was a market, but no available price! A single Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill auctioned off could fetch several million Spirit Crystals with ease.
"Struck it rich, struck it rich…" The City Lord's heart pounded uncontrollably, his face flushed with exhilaration.
"Young Master Ye Yunfei, from now on, the affairs of your Ye Family are my affairs!" The City Lord slapped his chest in commitment.
"City Lord, during this time, please look after a student in the Yuanyue Academy named Zhou Mu for me. He's been injured." Ye Yunfei made his request.
It turned out that on the day of the Ye Family's crisis, after Zhou Mu heard the news, he immediately rushed over intending to help. However, before he could even enter the gates of the Ye Residence, an Imperial City Li Family member stabbed him through the abdomen with a spear, leaving him severely wounded. He was later rescued by personnel from Yuanyue Academy.
The academy's higher-ups feared that if the Imperial City Li Family discovered a Yuanyue Academy student involved, they would face retaliation that might implicate the entire institution. Ye Yunfei had only learned of this incident two days prior. He hadn't visited Zhou Mu at Yuanyue Academy, concerned that his own multitude of enemies might inadvertently bring harm to his friend.
"A student named Zhou Mu, right? Young Master Ye Yunfei, rest assured, from now on, I'll treat him like a brother!" The City Lord declared, patting his chest. Having just received five Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills, he was currently swelling with gratitude.
Leaving the City Lord's residence, Ye Yunfei returned to the Ye Residence.
"Next time I return, I'll set up several formations here at the Ye Residence, formations equivalent to the strength of a Profound Realm martial artist. At that point, our Ye Family can live peacefully in Yuanyue City without fear," Ye Yunfei said to himself while standing in the courtyard.
A short while later, Ye Yunfei quietly left Yuanyue City. Mounted on the Red Jiao Demon Horse—which the reclusive Elder had agreed to let him continue using—he headed towards the direction of the Imperial City.
"Imperial City Li Family, your guest has arrived," Ye Yunfei's eyes gleamed with a thick, palpable killing intent.