He completely ignored Qian Shuxiao's verbal abuse.
Ye Que poured himself less than half a cup of apricot blossom wine and said flatly, "I've seen these kinds of situations happen a long time ago. In my opinion, you are a complete fool. Your brain is retarded and you have a foolish heart."
"You dare to believe a man's pledge of eternal love? Don't you know that love and honor are no match for money? Aren't you ashamed of trying to die and numbing your senses?"
" I'm afraid you're still the eldest daughter of the Qian family."
"I've also heard about the feud between your two families. If your grandfather knows about today's events, he'll break your legs."
Ye Que took a few sips of the apricot wine. "To be honest, if you were to appear in the general office on Ye Yunhai's wedding day naked, believe it or not, the person who will clothe will not be him."
Qian Shuhua flew into a rage after hearing his words. "I seek death? I try to numb my senses? What are you talking about?"
"Would you still be speaking like this if it happened to you?"
Ye Que laughed coldly as he looked at Qian Shuhua. "I wouldn't."
"If you can't do it yourself, then don't talk about others," said Qian Shuhua in a 'I told you so' manner.
"If it were me, I would have slain that adulterous couple."
"I'll use two blows if one isn't enough."
"I'll carve them with a million blows if two aren't enough."
"I wouldn't be like you, to be humiliated and then beaten. Yet, you can still sit here and cry. I can't stand such people!" said Ye Que as he looked at Qian Shuhua with despise, before acting as if he could not be bothered with her affairs.
Qian Shuxiao, who was beside them all this while, looked at Ye Que with surprise. "It's too cruel to stab someone who jilted you with hundreds of blows," he said.
As for Qian Shuhua, Ye Que's words seemed to have woken her from her drunken stupor, and her entire behavior changed. Even so, her head was wobbly from drinking too much wine, but there was a fierce glint in her eyes.
"Cut to pieces?"
"That's a good point. A vixen like Lin Mei'er should be cut into pieces without mercy."
"As for Ye Yunhai, if he doesn't want to make peace, then he shouldn't blame me for coming after him!"
It was impossible to persuade her to do otherwise. "Ye Yunhai, I'll spare you if you can reverse the flow of time. However, you can't, and therefore you'll have to die," she continued.
She finished what was left of the pot of apricot wine in one gulp and stood up unsteadily. "From today onward, my goal will be to rid the earth of him. We're mortal enemies from now on."
She slumped to the table after shouting, a tear rolling down her cheeks.
The sun set.
The stars and moon emerged.
"Brother Ye, thank you." Qian Shuxiao said. Even though Ye Que's words were ruthless, he said them to make Qian Shuhua snap out of her sorrow. He knew that sometimes the truth hurt.
"It's nothing. Besides, I didn't lie to her," Ye Que said with a casual shrug. Even though Qian Shuhua was stubborn, she gave him a good impression, and he knew that she was not a bad lady. There was no reason for him not to help her.
The tavern was completely reserved by Qian Shuhua, and only the three of them were in it. It was very quiet.
"Brother Ye, my mum has agreed to help me gather the herbs in the list you gave me earlier today. She needs a total of seven days to get them. If we need those herbs urgently, she can send them in batches, with the first one arriving tomorrow. We'll get everything you need, but perhaps lesser in quantity by a bit," Qian Shuxiao said. He had only drunk tea throughout the afternoon.
"So soon?" Ye Que asked, feeling a little surprised. The efficiency of the Qian family far exceeded his inital calculations.
"In the entire Tang Empire, I'm afraid only our family can get you all of those herbs in such a short time," said Qian Shuxiao confidently as he grinned.
"Then go get a special furnace for us, the higher quality the better."
"We don't need to search for something like that. I've the thing you need in the store room of my house. I'll let you choose one when we get back. That whichever you fancy," he said.
Qian Shuxiao slapped the back of his head as he spoke, as if having remembered something. "Right, there's something that I keep forgetting to tell you."
"Last night, there was news from the palace that said all practitioners in Luoyang City had to head to the Court of Judicial Review for registration. The court will then issue uniform identity tablets to them."
"In future, any practitioner that cannot produce said tablet will be deemed as having trespassed, and the Judicial Board will have personnel arrest them. They'll then be locked up in the topmost cells."
Qian Shuxiao looked at Ye Que's suspicious gaze before continuing. "I heard that these measures were taken because the Demon Race could very possibly have already inflitrated humankind in large numbers, and that these precautions are meant to prevent demons from entering Luoyang City, having designs on the royal court and to protect the safety of the civilians."
He pondered about the new revelation before continuing,"Didn't we meet encounter something similar on the dragon ship? Many people died, and I'm afraid to even think about it."
"Do we have to register our sect's information as well?" asked Ye Que.
"They have to, and their details will be verified later. They cannot be faked. I always forgot to ask you, Brother Ye. Where are you from?"
Qian Shuxiao displayed a curious look, but in fact his grandfather had already researched about Ye Que's origin. Until now, he could not find any information on where Ye Que learned his skills, only that he was an illegitimate son of old general Ye.
"I don't have a clan. I am a clan myself." His answer was beyond Qian Shuxiao's expectations, but the younger man was alright with it. He knew everyone had their own secrets.
"You don't have a clan?" Qian Shuxiao frowned as he began thinking. "Then let's set up one."
Qian Shuxiao turned animated at this point in time. "Right, I'm really dumb. We could've set up our own sect if we didn't have one."
"Brother Ye, you'll be the founder, while I'll be the First Elder."
"I am so smart."
"Creating a sect!"
As the night lights were lit, a white robed woman and a hunch-backed old man came walking into the Yongshi gate of the Southern part of Luoyang City. The woman held the reins to a white horse in her left hand, and she held an umbrella in her right. Not far behind the hunchback was a huge man with a saber.
If one observed carefully, one would remember that the old man was the person who stopped halfway before reaching the dragon ship that night. The woman was the 'Highness' he spoke of, and the man carrying the saber was the eldest disciple of the Extinctive Sword Manor House, Dao Shisi.
"Your Highness, this is Luoyang. After all, it is the Imperial City and heart of the emperor. Be careful," the hunch-backed old man whispered.
"Heart of the emperor? Why would I worry about that with other ordinary folk?" said the woman coldly. "Our purpose of entering Luoyang today is to find out the whereabouts of the Secret Key to the River Soldiers. With the appearance of the strange signs, I'm afraid that the entire Cultivation World has been alarmed."
"It's said that one has to look for riches in times of danger. It's worth trying to get our hands on the artifact."