"You wretched woman! Last time, you knew there was danger, yet you took the flying boat, leaving us to die. How dare you come here and say all this now?"

  Lu Jing was the first to fire back, unable to hold her anger. She had already decided that she was backing Ye Chen. The better his future, the more she would benefit by staying close to him. If Ye Chen entered the Green Cloud Sect, the benefits would be endless. How could she let this wicked woman, Sun Ruoxin, steal that from him?

  Lin Ke'er quickly joined in, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Heh, when you needed a flying boat to escape, you came straight to Ye Chen, used the boat to flee, and left us behind without a second thought. Now, unable to enter the Green Cloud Sect, you're immediately sniffing around for him again? I've never seen such a shameless female cultivator."

  She couldn't stand it either. Otherwise, what was the point of last night's game?

  Sun Ruoxin, upon hearing their furious accusations, lowered her head, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment. She appeared pitiable, as if begging for sympathy.

  "I didn't— I didn't mean it like that…" Her voice trembled. "Junior Brother, you know me, I really just wanted to see you before I left, to explain things clearly. I'm not asking you for help. Besides, he's a Foundation Establishment elder. Asking you for help would only harm you. I've already hurt you once by accident. How could I possibly do that again? Junior Brother, goodbye. If I manage to leave safely and one day reach Foundation Establishment, I will give you everything I have, to repay you."

  With that, Sun Ruoxin's tears finally fell, and she hurriedly lowered her head, running towards the courtyard gate. Meanwhile, Sun Ye, standing by, let out a sigh, turning to Ye Chen with a regretful look.

  "Ye Chen, the last incident really was an accident. Master gave the order, and I had no choice but to follow. We didn't expect things to turn out this way. But explanations are useless now. It seems you won't have any opportunities for lessons in the future, so I suppose I should return the last tuition fee to you. As for Ruoxin…. Haaah, the kindness you showed her before, she has it all in her heart. It's just that, due to the cultivation method and other reasons, she couldn't show it. Fate truly is a fickle thing."

  Sun Ye sighed deeply and placed a mid-grade spirit stone into Ye Chen's hand before shaking his head and hastily chasing after his daughter.

  Watching this scene, both Lu Jing and Lin Ke'er couldn't help but sneer coldly. Sun Ruoxin should have left long ago.

  As for Ye Chen, he was thoroughly entertained by the drama unfolding before him. Not a single word of Sun Ruoxin's lies had registered with him.

  And now, Sun Ye was helping her, even hinting that she might have feelings for him. If Ye Chen were truly a simp, he probably would have believed it. He might have even rushed after her, heedless of everything else. But the thing was, Ye Chen was not a simp. Thus, he didn't need to rush after her.

  Ye Chen didn't like wasting time, and Sun Ruoxin's performance had precisely the right amount of melodrama. Besides, her words were half-truths; she might genuinely be in trouble. In such a case, handing her the Green Cloud Token could very well trigger a critical reward.

  Ye Chen didn't want to wait any longer. He was curious to see what reward the Green Cloud Token would grant. So, with a determined stride, Ye Chen began to head towards the courtyard gate.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  As soon as he moved, both Lu Jing and Lin Ke'er were horrified. They quickly reached out, grabbing his arm.

  "Fellow Daoist Ye, don't go! This woman is lying to you!"

  "Yes, she's just pretending to be pitiful. She's trying to steal the Green Cloud Token!"

  At the same time, Ye Chen's second uncle, Ye Tianhai, froze in place.

  Could Ye Chen really be taken in by her sweet words so easily? What kind of mind did he have? How could someone with such a mind possess such high alchemy talent and make rapid progress in cultivation?

  Ye Tianhai couldn't comprehend it, but his desire for the Green Cloud Token was still burning in his heart.

  He quickly spoke up in a cold tone, "Ye Chen, the Green Cloud Sect entry token belongs to the Ye family. It can be transferred among Ye family members, but if you dare give it to an outsider, the family head will not let you off so easily."

  Ye Chen chuckled at his second uncle's words. "Am I that foolish? You think I'd fall for her lies so easily? That's the entry token for the Green Cloud Sect, after all. She ran off too quickly and forgot to return the flying boat she borrowed from me last time. I'm going to get it back. You don't actually think I'm a simp, do you?"

  Hearing this, Ye Tianhai finally relaxed. Indeed, Ye Chen wasn't foolish enough to fall for it. As long as the Green Cloud Token was still in Ye Chen's possession, he still had a chance.

  Lu Jing and Lin Ke'er, too, breathed a sigh of relief. They had feared Ye Chen might be swayed by her sob story. But now that they knew he was just going to reclaim the flying boat, they felt reassured, even a bit smug.

  Ye Chen should demand back everything he had given to Sun Ruoxin.

  Ye Chen floated away, swiftly making his way out of the courtyard. He had every intention of handing over the Green Cloud Token, just not now. The reason he hadn't done so earlier was simple: Ye Tianhai had been present.

  If the second uncle saw the token, he'd certainly cause a scene and might even summon the family head. In that case, the token wouldn't be given away, and it would likely be seized. It would be a lose-lose situation. So, he would wait until no one was around to give it.

  What kind of reward would he get this time? Ye Chen thought with growing interest.

  ...

  Meanwhile, Sun Ruoxin, after fleeing the Ye residence, paused in a narrow alley.

  Sun Ye soon caught up with her, disappointment evident in his voice. "Ruoxin, did you run too fast? It doesn't seem to have had any effect. Ye Chen didn't even react."

  Sun Ruoxin's once tear-streaked face now showed no trace of sorrow. She glanced behind her, relieved to see no one was following, but her expression turned troubled. "The flying boat incident must have really hurt Ye Chen. Gaining his forgiveness won't be easy. If I had known, I should have brought him along last time."

  Sun Ye sighed helplessly at her words. There was no such thing as a remedy for regret in this world. He had never imagined that his master would be so unreasonable.

  Nor could he have foreseen that Ye Chen would not only survive, but also obtain an entry token to the Green Cloud Sect. What could he do in such a situation?

  Both of them stared at the quiet Ye family gate, feeling that this time, things were truly difficult. They could only go back and think of another way. But just as they were about to leave, their hopes deflated, they heard footsteps behind them.

  Sun Ruoxin turned around quickly. And there, in a green robe, was Ye Chen, running towards them.

  Ye Chen was here!

  Sun Ruoxin's heart surged with joy, though her face remained composed. She spoke softly, her voice tinged with sadness: "Junior Brother, are you here to send me off? I appreciate your kindness, but you should return. If the Young Master of the Kong family finds out, he might cause trouble for you."

  Ye Chen spoke, his tone carrying an undertone of reluctance and concern: "Has it truly come to this? You really have to leave?"

  Sun Ruoxin gave a bittersweet smile and nodded.

  Ye Chen clenched his teeth and asked, "Then, what if you enter Green Cloud Sect? Wouldn't everything be alright?"

  Sun Ruoxin sighed deeply: "It's not that simple. After all, he is an elder of Green Cloud Sect. If he wants to make things difficult for you, it's not hard. But once I'm a disciple of Green Cloud Sect, he'll have to be cautious. He won't be able to act as recklessly."

  "It's a shame,"she added, "becoming a disciple of Green Cloud Sect isn't something that happens easily."

  Ye Chen took a deep breath and drew a token from his sleeve: "I have a Green Cloud Token. I can help you."

  Upon seeing the token in Ye Chen's hand, both Sun Ruoxin and Sun Ye's eyes widened in astonishment. Their hearts raced with excitement.