Chapter 702: Chapter 702 Palace Master Apologizes
Ye Qingchen and Xiao Xiao didn’t linger. After bidding farewell to Elder Chen, they prepared to leave the Wuji Immortal Palace.
"Ye Qingchen, once we leave the Wuji Immortal Palace, I’ll have to return to your body," Huo Mei said, standing before him.
Ye Qingchen nodded. "Thank you for your help during this time. Feel free to stay inside my body."
After all, Huo Mei’s presence caused him no harm, and in times of need, she would even come to his rescue. It was a win-win situation.
"Enough talk. It’s time to hit the road." The next moment, she slipped into Ye Qingchen’s body.
Xiao Xiao followed behind, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
"Young Master, I feel like something is following us!"
Ye Qingchen glanced around, his brow furrowing. They both stood perfectly still as strange rustling sounds echoed intermittently from a nearby patch of grass. They stared warily in that direction until, a moment later, a blood-soaked figure crawled out.
"Ye Qingchen! Ye Qingchen! You’re fine! You’re actually fine! Why is this happening? Why?! I get it now! This was all your doing! You conspired with Huo Mei from the very beginning! I’m telling you, I won’t let you off, even as a ghost!"
The person who crawled out was none other than the crippled Wu Chang.
Ye Qingchen stared in confusion at Wu Chang’s gruesome state. "Xiao Xiao, what happened? How did he end up like this?"
It had only been one night, yet Wu Chang had been reduced to such a wreck, his cultivation completely gone.
Xiao Xiao explained slowly, "Young Master, he brought this on himself! I woke up and saw you weren’t in your room, so I went to look for you. That’s when he demanded I submit to him. I was frantic and agreed, but thankfully, I ran into Grand-Aunt Ancestor Huo Mei. When she learned what was happening, she punished him by stripping him of his cultivation and his title as Saint Heir."
Hearing that Wu Chang had demanded Xiao Xiao submit to him, Ye Qingchen’s eyes involuntarily narrowed.
"Wu Chang, you have no one to blame but yourself for the state you’re in," he said coldly. "Now, it’s time for you to taste the fruits of your own actions."
There wasn’t a trace of sympathy on Ye Qingchen’s face. In fact, he even seemed somewhat pleased.
Wu Chang lay on the ground in agony, his eyes filled with hatred. "Ye Qingchen! Don’t think you’re so lucky! Let me tell you, the Saint Heir of the Jiang Ancient Clan won’t let you off easily! If he finds out you’re still alive, he’ll definitely come back and kill you!"
Seeing him still spewing threats in his condition, Xiao Xiao strode forward and stamped her foot on his face. "Who do you think you are, daring to speak to my Young Master like that in your wretched state! As for the Saint Heir of the Jiang Ancient Clan, you clearly haven’t heard. Grand-Aunt Ancestor already drove him away! He was injured so badly, he’ll never dare to trouble my Young Master again!"
Hearing this, Wu Chang’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible! How could Jiang Qi be injured? You must be lying to me! You’re definitely lying! I won’t fall for your petty tricks! I am the Saint Heir of the Wuji Immortal Palace!"
Wu Chang’s emotions were spiraling out of control.
Ye Qingchen pulled Xiao Xiao back. "Xiao Xiao, he’s already like this. His life in the Wuji Immortal Palace won’t be easy from now on. We don’t need to stoop to his level. Letting him face his own fate is the best punishment."
Xiao Xiao took two steps back to stand with Ye Qingchen. "You’re right, Young Master. Let’s not waste any more time here. Let’s go."
With that, the two walked toward the exit of the Wuji Immortal Palace without a second glance.
Wu Chang lay on the ground, furiously screaming at their retreating figures. "I won’t let you go, even as a ghost! I won’t let you go!"
Just as they were about to leave the Wuji Immortal Palace, a figure suddenly blocked their path. "Young friend, please wait."
Ye Qingchen looked at the person before him, frowning in confusion. Why is everyone showing up now, one after another? Who is this person?
"You may not recognize me, young friend. I am the Palace Master of the Wuji Immortal Palace. I just came out of seclusion yesterday!" the Palace Master introduced himself courteously.
Ye Qingchen replied coolly, "What business does the Palace Master have that requires you to block my path?"
Sensing the hostility in his tone, the Palace Master gave a faint smile. "Young friend, I have come to offer you my sincerest apologies! I have already punished that boy, Wu Chang. On behalf of the Wuji Immortal Palace, I sincerely apologize for the troubles you’ve endured these past few days!"
The Palace Master’s tone was incredibly sincere. After speaking, he even bowed deeply to Ye Qingchen.
Ye Qingchen was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected the Palace Master of the Wuji Immortal Palace to be such a reasonable person, completely different from the others in the sect.
"Palace Master, there’s no need for apologies. You’ve already punished Wu Chang," Ye Qingchen said, politely helping him up.
The Palace Master, however, still wore a guilty expression. "You are too kind, young friend. This is what I should have done. Oh, please take this and keep it safe!"
With that, the Palace Master took out a Magic Artifact the likes of which Ye Qingchen had never seen before.
"Young friend, this item is invaluable. It can be used to escape in a critical moment! I don’t have much else to offer right now, so please accept this as a token of my apology."
Looking at the item in the Palace Master’s hands, Ye Qingchen accepted it without hesitation. "Palace Master, in that case, I will accept it!"
"Haha, young friend, I hope that after you leave, you won’t mention that the person who caused you trouble was from our Wuji Immortal Palace. After all, he truly isn’t one of us anymore," the Palace Master said, sighing in relief as Ye Qingchen took the gift.
Ye Qingchen nodded. "Rest assured. I believe that under the leadership of a Palace Master like yourself, the Wuji Immortal Palace will only become better and better." An invaluable artifact like this? It would be a waste not to take it. Besides, the Palace Master himself said it was a gift.
"The Wuji Immortal Palace welcomes you back at any time, young friend!"
The Palace Master watched politely as Ye Qingchen departed. Once the two were gone, an Elder who had been following silently behind spoke up, his face full of confusion.
"Palace Master, why would you treat someone of such little strength so well?"
That Magic Artifact wasn’t just invaluable; there were only a handful like it on the entire continent. It was the kind of treasure countless people would kill to obtain, yet now it had been given away to a mere youth at the Martial Emperor Realm Fourth Layer.
The Palace Master turned, his expression stern. "Consider his youth. For our Grand-Aunt Ancestor to value him so highly—enough to ruin Wu Chang for his sake—speaks volumes. Who knows how great his achievements will be in the future? We cannot afford to make an enemy of such a person!"
The Palace Master saw the situation with perfect clarity, and the Elder immediately lowered his head in shame.
"The Palace Master is indeed thoughtful. But, are you going to see our Grand-Aunt Ancestor? I sent people to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, her Soul Lamp has dimmed. I’m afraid our Grand-Aunt Ancestor has already left the Wuji Immortal Palace."