Ling Xiaoyun looked at Xiao Lan and said seriously, âAre you sure?â
âYes, a womanâs intuition doesnât lie. I feel it very clearly. His physical conditionâI donât know whatâs wrong with it or why itâs getting worse.â
Ling Xiaoyun sighed and went straight to find the elder.
When the elder saw Ling Xiaoyun, he was momentarily taken aback and said, âYour inner strength is robust. You ⦠your power has increased? Youâre at the seventh rank now?â
âYes, Elder. I got lucky. I fought Ye Aotian once and somehow improved.â
âHahahaha, this really is our familyâs luck! I never expected youâd have such an opportunity. What brings you here?â
âItâs not about meâitâs Ye Aotian. Thereâs something wrong with Ye Aotianâs body, and itâs not a condition a normal ancient martial artist would have.â
âHmm, tell me, whatâs going on?â
Ling Xiaoyun explained roughly, and soon the elder began flipping through books, searching for answers.
âI think I might know whatâs happening. Itâs an issue with the Emperorâs Heart Technique.â
âThe Emperorâs Heart Technique?â
âYes, the Emperorâs Heart Technique is the most domineering martial art. That also means it places extreme demands on the body. If you havenât trained your body well enough, thereâs no way you can practice it.â
âYe Aotianâs grandfather trained him relentlessly for years, and Ye Aotian has spent every day fighting life-and-death battles. Naturally, his personal strength reached the pinnacle of human potential. But because of injuries, his internal organs have been damaged.â
âSome in our family wanted to practice the Emperorâs Heart Technique, but no one could handle it. Itâs not that their physiques didnât matchâitâs simply that their physical toughness couldnât withstand the technique.â
Ling Xiaoyun asked, âSo how do we deal with his condition now?â
âThereâs no way to fix it. He has to keep practicing, and thatâs the only way forward. Heâll only get stronger, but this might be the balance of the heavens. You gain some abilities, and inevitably, you lose others.â
âBut for now, focus on conditioning his body. Use the technique as little as possibleâthat might slow it down a bit.â
Ling Xiaoyun nodded.
But this matter still couldnât be spoken aloud. It concerned a manâs dignity. Even if you told him, he wouldnât be able to accept it.
Back at the company, Ling Xiaoyun saw Ye Aotian eating breakfast.
He threw a punch and said, âDidnât expect you to improve too.â
âOf course! Huh, youâre not bad yourself. I really didnât see that coming.â
At that moment, Xiao Li came out and quietly sat beside Ling Xiaoyun, looking at her man.
Ye Aotian watched the gentle Xiao Li and silently tucked away his feelings for her. After all, she was his good brotherâs woman now. Now, he and Xiao Li had no future together. But as long as she stayed by his side, that was enough. He could protect her, cherish her, and make her life a little better.
As long as he was strong enough, Xiao Li should be able to live well.
âBut Iâve got some good news for you. Before that, though, I need to tell you something.â
Ye Aotian asked, âWhatâs that?â
Ling Xiaoyun said, âXiao Li is actually an undercover agent. She was sent by Ye Zifeng, but her real master isnât Ye Zifengâitâs Ye Zimei.â
âThis ⦠Whoâs Ye Zimei?â
âA member of the Ye family. A geniusâan absolute geniusâbut also a twisted one. That womanâs a demon, the kind who kills without leaving bones behind.â
âWhatâs her goal?â
âTo drive a wedge between us and make you completely break away from the Ling family.â
Ye Aotian laughed wildly and said, âThen theyâve really lost the wife and the army too! Thatâs hilarious! Do they really underestimate the bond between us brothers like that?â
âWho says they didnât? If they hadnât sent someone, I wouldnât have met Xiao Li.â
Ye Aotian looked at Xiao Li, then at Ling Xiaoyun, and said, âTreat Xiao Li well. Iâll admit I liked her once, but since sheâs your woman now, Iâll let it go. Also, about that Zheng Shaoyang thing.â
âHe was drugged. Itâs been explained. Zheng Shaoyang apologized on his own and made it clear that while he liked her, it wasnât to the point of losing control. He just felt his memory from that time was a bit blank.â
Ye Aotian nodded silently.
Good brothers could talk about anything. Though these topics stung a bit, speaking them out loud made the heart feel much lighter.
âThereâs some good news you might want to hear.â
âHmm? Thereâs more good news? Isnât powering up the best news already?â
Hahahaha.
Xiao Li said, âActually, Ye Zifeng came to Qin City for two reasons. The first was to find you, Ye Aotian. After all, youâre part of the Ye family and have the right to inherit its assets.â
âI know that. Grandpa told meâitâs the Ye familyâs rule, unchangeable. Whatâs the second reason?â
âThe second is Jin Lan. Jin Lanâs actually pretty famous. In recent years, Qin Cityâs been thriving, and thereâs a hint that Jin Lan might get a commendation. If that happens, her status will rise, and sheâll be transferred from Qin City to an even better position.â
Ye Aotian thought for a moment and said, âAnd then? Whatâs this guyâs goal? To recruit Jin Lan, or â¦?â
âTo get Jin Lan to marry him. But he didnât get the chance because Jin Lan ignored him.â
âIsnât Jin Lan under the Chen familyâs orders?â
Xiao Li shook her head and said, âNo. If she really followed the Chen familyâs orders, you wouldnât have risen so quickly. You need to understandâshe has the absolute power to make all your efforts vanish overnight.â
âCould it be ⦠sheâs been secretly helping me all along?â
Xiao Li said, âI donât know. I canât read Jin Lan. Iâm not suited for schemesâIâm not good at this stuff. Maybe my master could figure her out, but sheâs stopped contacting me. After all, if you end up with the Ye family later, youâll likely inherit their assets, putting you at odds with my master.â
âDonât worry. With us, you wonât suffer. Ling Xiaoyun, if you let Xiao Li suffer, Iâll beat you up.â
âHeh, wait till you can beat me first.â
Ye Aotian laughed boldly and said, âSo if Jin Lan didnât agree, doesnât that mean Ye Zifeng â¦?â
âNot quite. Heâll probably still pursue someone. Cao Zijinâs impossible, so itâll likely be Liu Feifei. Heâs never the type to leave empty-handed.â
âLiu Feifei, huh? What a coincidenceâI like Liu Feifei too.â
The heavy rain showed no signs of stopping, but the director kept filming. This time, though, it was inside a studio.
The set was built in an artistic style, meaning most of todayâs shots were dialogue-heavy scenes.
But todayâs star was Liu Feifei.
The other heroines calmly chose to rest. Some had no scenes, while others were still recovering from last nightâs heavy drinking, trying to reclaim their scattered souls.
But Liu Feifei was a bit nervous.