The gatekeeper of the city lord’s mansion didn’t abuse their authority. Even when they saw a rustic boy come seeking the young city lord, they didn’t show any disrespect. Instead, they quickly announced his arrival.
Before long, the young city lord hurriedly came out.
Ye Shu could tell at a glance that Yan Changlan had indeed eaten the large leafy green vegetables and the wild rabbits he had given him. It was evident because compared to last time, he looked even healthier now, with even more vitality.
The large leafy green vegetables contained very little Hunyuan Water, but with prolonged consumption, their benefits were subtle yet significant. Similarly, the wild rabbits he provided also benefited from the Hunyuan Water. However, due to the smaller amount given, consuming them wouldn’t cause a rush of heat, but rather a slight warmth and sweating. Nevertheless, consuming wild rabbit meat in moderation also had many benefits.
Combining the benefits of both items naturally greatly benefited the young city lord.
Seeing Yan Changlan walk out, Ye Shu didn’t wait for him to greet him. Instead, he asked first, “Young City Lord, I wonder if the food I gave you last time was to your liking?”
Yan Changlan looked at Ye Shu and smiled, “It tasted extremely good.” As he spoke, he couldn’t help but glance at the basket on Ye Shu’s back.
Ye Shu saw his demeanor and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Since the young city lord enjoys it, I will send some every ten days in the future.”
Yan Changlan hurriedly declined upon hearing this. “There’s no need for you to send them! But the taste is indeed excellent…” He paused and asked, “I wonder how much of this green vegetable your household has?”
Ye Shu replied, “There’s about an acre, and it’s growing well. If there aren’t too many people consuming it, it can last for several months. Even if the young city lord consumes it daily, it’s still sufficient.”
Hearing Ye Shu’s words, Yan Changlan’s face flushed slightly.
Then he spoke seriously, “Helping you earlier was just a simple effort. Allowing me to taste such delicious food is enough. Although I still want to eat this vegetable in the future, I can’t take it for free. I’ll give you money for vegetables every month.”
Ye Shu shook his head. “If the young city lord wants to pay, I cannot accept it.”
Yan Changlan was not inflexible. “How about this? You provide me with vegetables, and I’ll give you rice, flour, and clothes. How does that sound?” He chuckled, “We’ve met by fate, and in the future, it’s normal for friends to exchange goods.”
After pondering for a moment, Ye Shu nodded. “In that case, if I have any needs in the future, I’ll ask you for them. Besides, every three days, I’ll pick some vegetables and hang them on a thick branch on the mountainside. You can send someone to collect them at dawn.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Back in the mountains, Ye Shu spent his days practicing cultivation after meals. Besides gathering large leafy green vegetables every three days and catching a few wild rabbits or mountain chickens, all his time was devoted to cultivation.
During those days, with spiritual energy too thin, he lacked the necessary items to set up a spiritual gathering formation. Thus, he could only refine the spiritual energy of heaven and earth slowly and accumulate his foundation through hard work. But even though Ye Shu was well-prepared, his progress was still too slow. He had been there for a month and couldn’t even officially enter the first level of Qi Refining, showing how difficult cultivation was.
Ye Shu never despaired.
Being able to return once was already a blessing; the current difficulties were just a form of tempering, nothing worth mentioning. Although his talent in this life was ordinary, as long as he could access enough resources, it was just slightly harder for him to advance compared to others, which wasn’t a big deal.
However, just as Ye Shu was determined to re-enter the path of cultivation, an unexpected guest suddenly appeared on the mountain and quickly climbed up.
In the next instant, Ye Shu jolted awake.
The illusion formation was set above the mountainside, and those sent by Yan Changlan were eager to return to report, so they shouldn’t have triggered it. And if someone else had entered the formation, they should have been trapped inside.
However, the newcomer was already approaching his hut. Is the illusion formation useless now?
A hint of anger rose in Ye Shu’s heart, but he remained calm and walked out, pushing the door open.
From afar, a girl in a green dress walked briskly. Her appearance was attractive, not stunning, but charming in its own way.
At that moment, seeing Ye Shu standing at the door, she smiled, “Young Master Shu, I heard you’ve recovered? That’s wonderful!”
Ye Shu looked at her steadily, noticing a slight shimmer in her eyes, but he still smiled gently, “Sister Hong Yuan, I have indeed recovered. Thank you for taking care of me all these years.”
Hong Yuan felt a twinge of guilt, but considering that she had indeed taken care of Young Master Shu all these years, she brushed away that sudden guilt. She thought to herself, although she had fed Young Master Shu a bowl of medicine back then, they were just a collateral branch at the time, without much support. It wouldn’t have been good for them to go against the main branch, especially the young master who had deep roots. Wasn’t it true that after she fed him the medicine, Young Master Shu had a harder time, but he still survived, didn’t he? Therefore, she had done nothing wrong.
Thinking of this, Hong Yuan smiled, “It’s what I should do.”
Observing her demeanor, Ye Shu immediately understood her intentions and couldn’t help but sneer inwardly—those who betrayed their master could only deceive themselves.
Afterwards, Ye Shu didn’t invite Hong Yuan inside but led her to sit by some wooden stools outside, pouring her a cup of plain spring water, “Sister Hong Yuan, aren’t you working today?”
Hong Yuan sat down, her smile undiminished, “No. I heard Young Master Shu had recovered, so I took this opportunity to come and see. Young Master Shu, do you need anything? I’ll find a way to get it for you.”
Ye Shu shook his head, quite reservedly, “No need, I am self-sufficient here, able to eat and dress warmly. But sister Hong Yuan, be careful while working. I’ve heard about some of my cousins…” He seemed a bit embarrassed and corrected himself, “…I’ve heard that some of the legitimate young masters and ladies of the Ye family aren’t easy to get along with. Don’t let them find a way to trouble you.”
Hong Yuan was indeed quite grateful for Ye Shu’s concern, but her gaze was somewhat elusive, and a blush appeared on her face, “Ah… It’s nothing, I also…” Her voice trailed off, a bit shyly, “…also have someone caring for me.”
Ye Shu stared at Hong Yuan and suddenly asked, “Sister Hong Yuan, do you have someone you like?”
Hong Yuan’s heart skipped a beat when she heard this.
She remembered her original status. Young Master Shu had grown up, and she should have been… But when she looked at Ye Shu, she realized that instead of being angry, he seemed rather happy for her, which put her at ease.
It makes sense. Young Master Shu was so young back then, how could he remember those things? Several years have passed, and Young Master Shu probably considers her as a sister now, which is why he cares so much.
So, Hong Yuan couldn’t help but feel more affectionate towards Ye Shu.
She actually understood in her heart that the closer her relationship with Young Master Shu became, the closer she could get to Young Master Jun. If Young Master Shu regarded her as a sister, then he wouldn’t blame her if she got together with Young Master Jun.
Hong Yuan didn’t know that Ye Shu was not the naive original owner, but she assumed he was still as clueless as before. She also didn’t know that even if the original owner was foolish, unaware of the past harm, he had a pure heart and could see her intentions towards Young Master Jun. The original owner was willing to fulfill her wishes just for her occasional pity.
Ye Shu and Hong Yuan engaged in a subtle and affectionate exchange.
Hong Yuan, in the end, truly believed in Ye Shu’s sincerity towards her, and finally, she took the initiative to confide in him, “My beloved is indeed, indeed Young Master Jun. But our statuses are different, I dare not hope for more, I only wish to have a place by his side. It’s just a pity, even that is incredibly difficult.”
However, Ye Shu said, “Sister Hong Yuan, your beauty and character are not inferior to any young lady from a prestigious family. If Young Master Jun has your heart, it’s his good fortune.”
Hong Yuan smiled bitterly, “How can that be said? Originally, I am not worthy of Young Master Jun.”
Ye Shu shook his head, “You are worthy. Sister Hong Yuan, you and Young Master Jun are well-matched.”
Seeing his insistence, Hong Yuan thought it was because Ye Shu valued her, unaware that although nine out of ten sentences Ye Shu said to her were false, the one about being “well-matched” couldn’t be more true.
After spending about an hour here, Hong Yuan took her leave.
Ye Shu took out a common mountain chicken for her. He was not willing to give her even a single leaf of the large green vegetables grown in the Hunyuan Water. Without knowing it, Hong Yuan felt comforted. In her eyes, this wild animal was naturally much more precious than the vegetables that Ye Shu had grown himself.
After Hong Yuan left, Ye Shu’s expression turned slightly cold.
Due to being busy with tasks such as cultivating medicinal herbs, he had almost forgotten about this woman. Now that she had come forward on her own, it must have been because of Ye Jun’s instructions, with malicious intent. In this case, he should have also employed some means to satisfy the original owner’s obsession.
Hong Yuan, as a servant, indeed had a lowly status. With Ye Jun’s ambition, how could he have married a servant as his wife? Moreover, not only was Hong Yuan’s status incompatible, but she was also ungrateful. Ye Jun might have had a narrow mind and been ruthless, but he could also discern Hong Yuan’s character and would not have accepted such a person as his wife.
However, with Ye Jun having such ambitions, Ye Shu had room for planning.
Hong Yuan was far inferior to the daughters of noble families, but if she could have brought higher benefits to Ye Jun, he would have endured other things and married her.
Now Ye Shu had to find a way to give Hong Yuan something that would move Ye Jun.
However, if it really is something good, wouldn’t it cheapen this couple?
While Ye Shu was not a villain, he was also someone who would seek revenge for any wrong done to him. Since he was determined to fulfill the original owner’s wishes and achieve his own desires, he had to let Ye Jun and Hong Yuan have their way and torment each other before he could be satisfied.
Thanks for the chapter!!
“However, the newcomer was already approaching the his hut.” Should be “However, the newcomer was already approaching his hut.”
Thank you ^^!