Ways To Be Powerful

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Nodding his head lightly, Master Si specially ordered the housekeeper to see Ye Qingtang out.

As he looked at the back of the leaving Ye Qingtang, Master Si wore a thoughtful look.

Why was it that the Young Lady of the Ye family was different from the rumors? Such boldness and calm composure were definitely hard to find amongst people her age. When he finally turned back around, he saw his grandson who was seated in a chair with a hand supporting his chin, looking back at him with a faint smile.

“If I remember correctly, grandfather has always wanted a granddaughter, right?”

The younger generation of the Si family only had 3 males.

Master Si frowned slightly and chided. "Do not talk nonsense!"

Si Bai chuckled and looked down as the image of Ye Qingtang's neither humble nor disrespectful figure appeared in his mind.

Ye Qingtang… is interesting.

After leaving the Si family, Ye Qingtang went straight back to the Ye family. Ye Ling saw his returning daughter and was filled with curiosity. Yet, he kept his composure and did not ask her anything.

Ye Qingtang went directly back to the room to cultivate. The restoration of her spirit root was indeed precious, yet if she cultivated at such a slow pace, she would not be able to achieve anything. As such, she needed to make full use of her time for cultivation.

As darkness fell, Ye Qingtang went to sleep after cultivating her spirit root for a while. However, she was in such a deep sleep that she did not notice a black aura surging from within the Heart of the Demon God. The aura which had helped Ye Qingtang rebuild her spirit root flowed from her heart and out of her body.

That black fog, which emerged from the Heart of the Demon God, slowly formed into a small black ball above Ye Qingtang’s body and quietly laid on her chest, rubbing itself against Ye Qingtang comfortably.

Under the moonlight, two mighty figures appeared outside the door of the Ye family.

Mu Su looked at the Ye residence before him and hesitated for a moment before turning to look at the aloof and handsome man beside him.

“Your highness… is the Heart of the Demon God right here?” asked Mu Su.

The man nodded slightly. In the darkness, his deep set of eyes looked towards the firmly locked main door of the Ye family, and in an instant, the door was opened. He headed in.

“Stay here.”

A low and pleasant voice traveled out from his mouth. Mu Su devotedly guarded outside the door as he watched the man enter the Ye family.

Sensing something, the small black ball lying on Ye Qingtang’s chest instinctively quivered and quickly hid under Ye Qingtang’s sheets.

In the next moment, the door to Ye Qingtang’s room opened without a sound, showing a tall figure standing outside.

The man, sensing a familiar aura, walked to Ye Qingtang’s bedside. Using the moonlight to look at the young girl, an exquisite small face which looked like god’s most perfect creation came into sight. In her sound asleep state, she appeared lovely and gentle.

Yet, there was not a slight emotion in the man’s deep set of eyes. He lifted his hands suddenly and placed them on Ye Qingtang’s chest, pausing for a moment when he felt a softness against his palms before quickly returning back to normal.

A wisp of aura flowed from where Ye Qingtang’s heart was and gathered in his palm.

The small black ball, which was hidden under the blanket, stared at what he was doing and anxiously rushed out from under the blanket, crashing right into the man’s “disobedient” hand!

Upon the collision with the small black ball, the aura which was just gathered dispersed and a black fog traveled up his palm. Frowning slightly, he looked towards the little black ball which was lying in front of Ye Qingtang’s chest and protecting her.

“You cannot dig her heart out!” A soft and weak voice which sounded like that of a kid emerged from the small black ball.

The man glared at that small black ball with a serious expression and said in an icy cold tone,

“That is mine.”

Angered, the small black ball immediately tightened its guard.

The man glared at that small black ball with a thoughtful expression. “The Aura of the Evil actually gained consciousness…” Instinctively looking at Ye Qingtang who was sound asleep, he continued, “Is it because of her?”

The Heart of the Demon God bore the Aura of the Evil on heaven and earth, yet this aura formed into a spirit which should not exist. Could it be that the Aura of the Evil was awoken by this young girl?

“I already have consciousness now. You cannot make me vanish!” sputtered the small black ball angrily. It was originally the Aura of the Evil contained within the Heart of the Demon God. Now that it finally managed to gain a little consciousness after being awoken by Ye Qingtang, it would lose its consciousness forever once he takes away the Heart of the Demon God!

It did not want that to happen!

It had just gained consciousness; It did not want to disappear!

“It is not your choice,” the man said coldly.

“If you dare to dig the heart out, I will self destruct! You will not get anything at all!” the small black ball replied in fury.

Slightly narrowing his eyes, a dangerous cold light flashed across them.

Nothing could ever threaten him.

As if it sensed the dangerous aura coming from the man, the small black ball could not help but withdraw into Ye Qingtang’s arms.

“I… I can return the heart to you, but you must provide me with a body.”

“Impossible.” How could the Aura of the Evil have a body?

“Who says it is impossible! If it is the child of you and her, it is possible! I am a spirit bred from your heart and her body, and only a body with both your bloodlines would be able to bear my consciousness.” The small black ball got increasingly excited as it spoke.

If it becomes her child, does it mean it can address her as “mother”.

The man was obviously shocked by the small black ball’s words.

A child with her… The man’s gaze fell on the young girl who was deeply asleep.

“As long as you two have a child, I will return your heart to you. Now that I am conscious, you will not be able to get the heart back without my consent…”

A deep frown was formed on his face. Just as the small black ball’s words, he would not have any means to get his heart back if the small black ball resisted.

An icy cold gaze with an awfully murderous intent landed on the small black ball for a long while. Confirming that there was nothing that could be done with that black ball in the way, the man finally left.

Upon seeing the man’s departure, the small black ball finally stopped quivering and went back to Ye Qingtang’s arms, moving around like a cat that had curled up into a ball.

“Mother~ mother~”

It liked Ye Qingtang; It liked this girl who awoke it. It was she and the Heart of the Demon God that bred it. She must be its mother!

The moment the man exited from the Ye family’s main door, Mu Su who had been guarding outside instantly noticed the gloomy expression on the man’s face.

“Your Highness?”

The man furrowed his brows. After a moment of silence…

“How do I make a lady bear a child for me?”

Upon hearing the question, Mu Su’s eyes almost popped out.

What did he just hear?!

The noble and cold Demon God who had severed romantic relations actually asked such a shocking question!

“This…” Many thoughts raced across Mu Su’s mind. Swallowing his saliva, he replied hesitantly, “As long as a lady truly falls in love with a guy, I supposed she would willingly have his child?”

“Fall in love?” The man, who wore a cold expression all year round, showed a look of suspicion for the first time.

Ye Qingtang had a dream, a very weird one.

In the dream, she was being chased after a bouncing small black ball which called her “mother”…

When she was awake, she did not understand why she would have such a ridiculous dream. However, she quickly ignored and forgot about whatever that happened in the dream.

Ye Qingtang got up after washing up slightly. After the incident yesterday, the Si family was considered secure. However, it was not so easy to make the Si family truly do their best for her. She was not anxious though. To her, half a month’s time was enough for her to prepare everything.

Today, Ye Qingtang had other things to do. The Si family and Mu Su were both external powers. She was fully aware that if she wanted to take revenge on her enemies from her past life, the only thing she could truly rely on was strengthening herself!

Now that she had obtained a new spirit root, albeit one that was overly weak and tiny, she must hurry and “fatten” this small spirit root up!

Ye Qingtang left the Ye residence and dashed towards the Pavilion of Treasures in the eastern corner of Lin Town.

The Pavilion of Treasures was well-known throughout the world. Not just in Lin Town, branch stores could be found in every large city. There was a superb collection of countless extremely rare and precious treasures in the Pavilion of Treasures. As long as one had the money, they could obtain any rare treasures from there.

The seven stories high Pavilion of Treasures was grand and magnificent. Ye Qingtang had gone in once in her previous life but did not manage to buy anything due to the extremely hefty price tags. However, this time… a smile tugged at her lips as she entered the Pavilion of Treasures.

Although it was still early in the morning, there was already quite a few customers. The waiting staff in gray shirts shuffled through the crowd with dazzling treasures in their hands.

Walking past the shelves that stored gemstones, Ye Qingtang walked to the front of a small counter where a few fingernail-sized stones were placed on the counter. Though weirdly colored, the gems shone lustrously.

Ye Qingtang laid her eyes on a pinkish-white stone.

That stone was only about the size of a fingernail of a little finger. Its white body with speckles of pink was undoubtedly beautiful.

“Flower Moon Stone…” Ye Qingtang narrowed her eyes.

The Flower Moon Stone was a gemstone which contained an extensive amount of spirit energy and, thus, was extremely precious. Just by wearing this gemstone on their body, cultivators can speed up their cultivation process. It also had the effect of allowing females to enjoy eternal youth.

Just as Ye Qingtang was looking at that Flower Moon Stone, a few tall figures suddenly came up to a side and slapped a hand on the counter.

“Never would have I thought that the Pavilion of Treasures really carried the Flower Moon Stone,” commented a tall and handsome young man as he pointed towards that gemstone.

Upon hearing that voice, Ye Qingtang lifted her head, and a cold light flashed across her eyes once she saw who that man was clearly.

“So, it is the Young Lady of the Ye family. Or should I call you ex-future sister-in-law?” The young man noted sarcastically when he noticed Ye Qingtang.

“Duan Tianrui,” said Ye Qingtang calmly as she looked back at the man who was harboring evil thoughts.

Duan Tianrui was the Third Young Master of the Duan family and Duan Tianrao’s younger brother.

The Duan family would most probably have known about Duan Tianrao’s visit to the Ye family to annul the engagement two days ago, which was why Duan Tianrui was this sarcastic.

“Why? You’ve also taken a fancy to this Flower Moon Stone?” Duan Tianrui looked at Ye Qingtang from head to toe as a mysterious smile played on the corner of his lips. “Not that bad of a taste. The Flower Moon Stone is hard to find, and it’s rare for a piece to appear.”

Duan Tianrui paused for a moment and continued, “However, as a member of the Ye family, don’t you think that such a rare item should be given to someone who is truly compatible with the stone?”

Ye Qingtang chuckled. “Who do you think is compatible?”

Smiling, Duan Tianrui replied, “Compatible with whom? It is naturally my new future sister-in-law. The Young Lady of the Ye family is probably still unaware, but two days later at the Sacrificial Ceremony, my second brother will publicly announce the annulment of his engagement to you and will even reveal his new fiancée. My new sister-in-law said she wanted the Flower Moon Stone, so it would be wise for Lady Ye to not come into this.”

Others may not know the identity of the new future sister-in-law whom Duan Tianrui was talking about, but how would Ye Qingtang not know?

Was it not just Ye Xun?

Ye Qingtang was initially not too concerned about obtaining this Flower Moon Stone. However, since it was what Ye Xun wanted, she did not mind blocking her way.

“Oh? Really?” Ye Qingtang laughed lightly, “But I really like this Flower Moon Stone.”

Duan Tianrui narrowed his eyes slightly as a hint of annoyance flashed across his eyes. “Lady Ye, the Flower Moon Stone can ensure one’s eternal youth and would naturally be most suitable for beautiful ladies. Someone like Lady Ye…”

His glanced across the veil that Ye Qingtang was wearing on her face and continued. “It would be better to not recklessly waste such a precious object.”

The sarcasm was obvious in his words. Although Duan Tianrui did not say it explicitly, he implied that Ye Qingtang was ugly.

She raised her brows and asked, “What if I must have it?”

Duan Tianrui’s face darkened. “Lady Ye, the Ye and Duan family have some relations. Now that your spirit root is broken, you will not be able to use the Flower Moon Stone to aid your cultivation. It is clear that you have no need for this. Are you sure you want to snatch this from me?”

Ye Qingtang wanted to laugh.

“Duan Tianrui, if you really want to buy this Flower Moon Stone as a gift to Ye Xun, let’s talk with our abilities.”

A sneer escaped Duan Tianrui’s mouth. He immediately waved his hands to call the waiting staff over.

The waiting staff, who had not come over despite Ye Qingtang standing there for so long, went forward immediately upon seeing Duan Tianrui waving his hands.

“Third Young Master of the Duan family, you’re here?”

Duan Tianrui nodded his head slightly and pointed to the Flower Moon Stone at the counter. “Take this Flower Moon Stone out.”

The waiting staff instantly took it out and said, “This Flower Moon Stone only arrived yesterday. In this world, it would be difficult to find a piece with better quality than this.”

Duan Tianrui was very satisfied as he looked at that gemstone, and after admiring it, he eyed Ye Qingtang.

“How much does this Flower Moon Stone cost?”

The waiting staff replied, “This Flower Moon Stone is selling at 30,000 gold.”

The waiting staff reported the price loudly and the hefty “30,000 gold” instantly attracted the attention of the other customers in the Pavilion of Treasures.

A Flower Moon Stone that was about the size of a soybean actually cost 30,000 gold!

30,000 gold was not an amount that ordinary people were able to earn in their entire lifetime.

Even a child from a large family clan may find it difficult to fork out such a huge sum of money.

“30,000 gold… Lady Ye, do you still want it?” Duan Tianrui looked at Ye Qingtang. He had long known that Great Elder of the Ye family had taken over the family master Ye Ling’s power and that Ye Qingtang’s position as Young Lady of the family was an empty and powerless one. The Ye family was then controlled by Ye You’s grandfather, the Great Elder, so there was no way Ye Qingtang could to fork out such a huge amount of money.

Ye Qingtang narrowed her eyes as a cold light flashed in them.

Many surrounding customers watched the two people, one from the Duan family and the other from the Ye family, fighting over a Flower Moon Stone. However, once they saw that the person from the Ye family was Ye Qingtang, they could not help but quietly shake their heads.

Although Duan Tianrao’s annulment of engagement was not put into effect yet, the rumors had already been circulated throughout Lin town. Now that the Third Young Master of the Duan family was fighting with Ye Qingtang in public, the rumor must more or less be verified.

There were many rumors of the Ye family within Lin Town, and everyone had heard that Young Lady Ye was not as noble as before.

How was she going to fight with Duan Tianrui?

A servant following his master, who was picking a jade at a corner, heard the commotion and was shocked when he looked in the direction of the noise. He hurriedly turned towards his master and said,

“Third Young Master, it is Lady Ye!"

Si Bai placed the white jade in his hands back onto the counter and turned to look in the direction that his servant was pointing at, where he saw a tiny figure in the crowd.

“Ye Qingtang?”

“Third Young Master, Lady Ye seems to have gotten into a conflict with the Duan family. Should we go and take a look?” asked the servant concernedly.

Si Bai was not anxious to reply and watched the young girl who was standing alone from afar. Glancing at the trace of a smile in her eyes, he immediately laughed and shook his head. “There is no need, she has a way.”

How familiar that smile was. When Ye Qingtang was dealing with his grandfather at the Si family, she had the same look of full confidence.

However, Si Bai did not look away; he was curious about how Ye Qingtang was going to resolve this conflict.

On the other side, Duan Tianrui played with the Flower Moon Stone in his hands as he evilly admired Ye Qingtang’s embarrassment.

Duan Tianrui had long been dissatisfied with the engagement between Ye Qingtang and Duan Tianrao. How could his handsome and talented brother marry such an ugly woman? Good thing that the engagement was canceled, severing any relations the Duan family had with her. Now, Duan Tianrui would not need to be polite to Ye Qingtang.

There was no hint of sadness on Ye Qingtang’s face. Instead, she wore a smile and looked towards the waiting staff. “Call your manager here.”

The waiting staff was slightly taken aback. “If there is anything, you can tell me…”

“If you want the Lythrum, call someone of power here.” Ye Qingtang’s eyes turned cold.

Her glare made the waiting staff feel numb all over suddenly. However, the word “Lythrum” ran through his mind like a flash of shocking lightning!

Duan Tianrui did not know what Ye Qingtang had up her sleeves and only felt that she was inviting humiliation. Looking at the waiting staff, he said, “Go ahead and look all you want, I…”

Before Duan Tianrui could finish his sentence, the waiting staff had left frantically to search for someone.

Just a moment later, a middle-aged man nearing fifty rushed back along with the waiting staff.

“Are you Lady Ye? I am the manager of Lin Town’s Pavilion of Treasures.” The middle-aged man looked towards Ye Qingtang and continued. “I heard that Lady Ye mentioned the Lythrum just now, I wonder… if Lady Ye knows anything about it?”

His tone was stable, yet anxiety filled his eyes.

The Lythrum was an item that the Pavilion of Treasures’ pavilion master desired. He had looked all over the world and placed a notice in every branch of the Pavilion of Treasures of a 100,000 gold reward for finding it yet had no clue up until today.

“I know the place that has the Lythrum,” Ye Qingtang said.

A sneer emerged on Duan Tianrao’s face upon hearing her words.

Ye Qingtang was only fifteen and had never left the city of Lin town up to this day. How would she know where the Lythrum was?

The manager’s eyes glistened. “Lady Ye, as long as you provide us with the location of the Lythrum, the Pavilion of Treasures will definitely express our gratitude with hefty rewards.”

Ye Qingtang replied, “The Lythrum is at the Dead Leaves Forest outside Lin Town.”

At this instant, Duan Tianrui was really about to laugh.

The Dead Leaves Forest was close to Lin town. Although there were quite a few medicinal herbs, they were all common ones. Amongst all the precious medicinal herbs, the Lythrum was extremely hard to find. Ye Qingtang must have been crazy to recklessly make up a lie that the Lythrum was in the Dead Leaves Forest.

Not a single person would believe her words.

The Pavilion of Treasures’ manager did not think that Ye Qingtang would actually mention the Dead Leaves Forest. The excitement in his eyes vanished as though a flame was extinguished by a bucket of ice water, and his expression hardened.

“Lady Ye, please do not joke around. How would the Dead Leaves Forest have Lythrum?”

“What if there really is?” Ye Qingtang continued, “Have someone prepare a pen and some ink. I will draw out the exact location of the Lythrum.”

Initially, the manager had thought that she was unreliable. However upon seeing her calmness, he could not help but frown. After hesitating for a while, he asked someone to prepare a pen and some ink.

Ye Qingtang drew a simple drawing quickly and indicated on the picture the location of the Lythrum.

The manager passed the drawing to his henchman doubtfully.

After seeing a staff leaving the Pavilion of Treasures with the drawing, everyone was curious.

No one knew where Ye Qingtang’s confidence came from.

Despite the fact that Ye Qintang was rumored as an unreliable person, the manager still had a tiny glimmer of hope. Having heard from the waiting staff that Ye Qingtang and Duan Tianrui were fighting over the Flower Moon Stone, the manager told Duan Tianrui, “Young Master Duan, I hope you can wait a while for this issue to settle.”

Duan Tianrui laughed. “I’m not in a rush. I, as well, hope that the Pavilion of Treasures can obtain the Lythrum.” Then, he looked at Ye Qingtang sneeringly.

The manager smiled gratefully.

“Third Young Master, is what Lady Ye said true? Is the Lythrum really in the Dead Leaves Forest?” The servant from the Si family asked Si Bai after he noticed there was no further movement on the other side.

Si Bai reclined to a side with his fingers stroking the white jade in his hands. Laying his eyes on Ye Qingtang, a smile tugged on his lips, and he said coolly, “Who knows?”

The servant became even more confused. “If there isn’t, wouldn’t Lady Ye be ridiculed publicly? Third Young Master, do you really not intend to… Ouch!”

A dejected expression was etched on the servant’s face as he covered his forehead, which had just been flicked by Si Bai.