After an unknown duration, just as Lin Xue thought she would collapse, Ye Tiancheng finally awoke.
Ye Tiancheng regained consciousness, feeling invigorated. His true qi had significantly increased, making him radiant. He projected his true qi through the stone, shattering the monsters outside into dust.
"Master, it's wonderful that you're finally awake."
Lin Xue was overjoyed, but her small face was pale. As soon as she finished speaking, she uncontrollably slumped down.
Seeing Lin Xue like a falling leaf in the wind, devoid of strength, Ye Tiancheng quickly tried to transfer true qi to her, but she stopped him.
"Master, the fruits you ate were hard-earned to increase your true qi. You must use them to save your wife. I'm fine, I'm just too tired. I just need to rest a bit."
It was rare for Lin Xue to understand priorities at such a critical moment. Ye Tiancheng temporarily suppressed his urge.
"Alright, Xiao Xue, let's leave here first. I'll take you home to rest."
"My place isn't far from here. If you take me back, I'll be fine after a good sleep."
Ye Tiancheng then remembered that Lin Xue's cultivation place was not far from this mountain. Thus, he quickly took her back as his disciple wished.
Lin Xue's cultivation place was merely a simple wooden hut, quite rudimentary. Ye Tiancheng hadn't expected Lin Xue to be living such a difficult life.
After escorting her to the hut, Ye Tiancheng used his true qi to reinforce the barrier Lin Xue had already established. This would provide some defense if there were external attacks while Lin Xue rested.
Having settled his disciple, Ye Tiancheng felt he shouldn't waste any more time here. Even if the small wooden hut were attacked, his true qi could protect it well, and no issues would arise.
Ye Tiancheng quickly used the 'person-finding artifact' to locate Hou Mingzhu. Hou Mingzhu was in a very dilapidated factory building. The vicious criminals had already controlled her, binding her tightly with several layers of rope.
"Hou Mingzhu, don't think you're still the young lady of the Hou family. If you can't deliver the ten billion ransom, we'll turn you into a corpse immediately."
"You trash, my family isn't lacking ten billion, but I won't give you the money. I already know that Ouyang Xunuo did this despicable deed. I know the mastermind behind this, and they definitely won't survive. I'd rather donate the money to charity than give it to people like you."
Ouyang Xunuo's intention was the same: once the money arrived, Hou Mingzhu would be immediately sunk into the sea. No matter what, the young lady Hou was destined to die in this kidnapping, with no chance of survival.
"Fine, Hou Mingzhu, you can choose how you want to die. This is the last thing we can do for you."
"I want to die with dignity, not too ugly."
"We've prepared poison for you. Take the medicine, and all your suffering will end."
Although Hou Mingzhu spoke bravely, she was still terrified when facing death. Her whole body trembled, and her lips began to quiver.
"I suddenly regret it. I don't want to die. Is there any other way? You can throw me into the mountains, as long as you don't kill me."
Hou Mingzhu suddenly realized the preciousness of life. She didn't want to die, but it seemed too late now. These people had already decided to kill her, and there was no turning back.
"I'm sorry, young lady Hou, it's not that we don't cherish beauty, but your time has come. If the King of Hell wants you to die at the third watch, he absolutely won't let you live until the fifth. We are merely following his will."
Hou Mingzhu began to struggle and shout, falling into endless despair and terror. The captors decided not to poison her and instead prepared to kill her with a knife.
"Don't kill me, I don't want to die yet, please let me go!"
However, Hou Mingzhu's struggles only invited more brutal treatment. They even punched her in the face, a heavy blow that instantly caused her face to swell and turn red.
"Stop making noise. If you continue to make noise, you will face even more cruel torture."
The pain from the punch made Hou Mingzhu dare not make a sound. She covered her mouth and wept silently.
She felt utterly alone in the world, filled with loneliness and misery, believing no one would help her anymore.
At this critical moment, Ye Tiancheng descended from the sky, startling all the criminals.
Because Ye Tiancheng appeared suddenly from the roof, if it weren't for the falling tiles attracting their attention, it would have seemed as if he had materialized out of thin air.
"Who are you?"
The men were stunned. Before Ye Tiancheng could answer, they all collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. Their fingers contorted into claw-like shapes, and their faces were extremely distorted.
The men did not last long, soon foaming at the mouth and losing consciousness.
When Hou Mingzhu saw that it was Ye Tiancheng, she finally couldn't help but burst into tears...
Hou Mingzhu cried so bitterly because, in her despair, she had seen a glimmer of hope. At this moment, Ye Tiancheng was like a god to her.
"Ye Tiancheng, have I already died?" Under the dual pressure of immense despair and pain, Hou Mingzhu's mind became disoriented. "I must have died. Otherwise, how could I see you? Can one see the person they most want to see before they die?"
Hou Mingzhu's words made Ye Tiancheng's heart ache. It seemed the torment of the past few days had taken a significant toll on her.
"You're not dead. I'm here to save you, Hou Mingzhu. I won't let anyone hurt you again. Don't be afraid."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng's voice and realizing it wasn't a dream, feeling the warmth from his body, Hou Mingzhu was grateful to be alive. She had finally found someone to rely on and could finally cry her heart out.
Ye Tiancheng picked Hou Mingzhu up and then put her in the car. As for the criminals lying on the ground, they had all lost their vitality.
Even if they recovered, they would be disabled. Not only would their bodies be damaged, but the law would also bring them to justice.
"Ye Tiancheng, I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I had arranged for people, but I didn't expect Ouyang Xunuo to interfere and ruin all my plans. I was really angry, but I still couldn't help you, sob sob sob..."
"I'm out now, don't worry. As for Ouyang Xunuo, I won't let him off easily. He will definitely be punished."
Although Ye Tiancheng made a promise, he knew very well that his greatly increased true qi was only due to the fruits. He had only obtained two fruits before, and after eating one, only one remained. Soon, he would revert to his previous level of true qi, and he was not yet qualified to dominate the situation.
"Brother Ye, when did you learn such powerful martial arts?"
"You even sent people to hunt me down before, didn't I resolve all of them? I knew martial arts long ago, you just didn't know."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng's explanation, she finally understood why he had suddenly become so powerful. This resolved her confusion.
Hou Mingzhu, tired from crying, slowly fell asleep.
Seeing Hou Mingzhu asleep in his arms, Ye Tiancheng was relieved he had arrived in time. If he hadn't been able to save Hou Mingzhu, he believed he would regret it for the rest of his life.
The captured thugs, having been paid and threatened with harm to their families, did not reveal the mastermind. However, the Hou family already knew it was Ouyang Xunuo, and they directly dispatched assassins.
Ye Tiancheng did not go to the company but stayed home to accompany Hou Mingzhu. He hoped to return to work once Hou Mingzhu's mental state stabilized, as the current timing was not appropriate.
"Ye Tiancheng, you really don't need to stay home with me. I'm fine, I just need some rest."
Hou Mingzhu was merely being polite. Of course, she would prefer Ye Tiancheng's company. She had already seen a psychologist, but the trauma from the kidnapping days remained severe.
What she was more concerned about was whether Ouyang Xunuo would receive his due punishment. The Hou family had hired many experts to hunt him down, but there was still no definitive news.
"Mingzhu, I'd rather stay with you. I'm worried about your emotional state. I won't disturb you with my words. Just call me if you need anything."
The effect of the fruit that enhanced his true qi had worn off, and Ye Tiancheng had returned to his previous level. Due to the temporary boost and energy depletion, Ye Tiancheng felt somewhat fatigued throughout his body.
"The person who helped you this time was Miss Lin, right? The one who has been close to you."
"That's her. Actually, she's my disciple. We had a misunderstanding before, but thankfully, the misunderstanding has been resolved, and we've resumed a normal master-disciple relationship."
Ye Tiancheng couldn't just talk about himself; he also needed to observe Hou Mingzhu's expression. Realizing Hou Mingzhu might be jealous, Ye Tiancheng quickly explained further, "By the way, Lin Xue and I only have the purest master-disciple relationship. Beyond that, there will be no further entanglements."
"I understand. You saved me at such a critical moment, and I know you must have me in your heart. Otherwise, you would have just let me die, and then perhaps you could have inherited my fortune."
"Don't say such scary things. As long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you. I won't let you do anything foolish like that."
Ye Tiancheng was now afraid whenever he heard such things. He used to think he was very brave, but after Hou Mingzhu's kidnapping, Ye Tiancheng realized he wasn't brave at all, and in fact, quite timid. He couldn't handle such matters anymore.
"Alright, I won't say it anymore, Brother Ye. This time, I understand your feelings for me. I won't be so insensible in the future and always make you worry about me. I feel very bad about it." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
After this ordeal, Hou Mingzhu had grown a lot. Primarily, it felt as if she had died and come back to life, and she couldn't help but grow. Life's tribulations are sometimes not bad; they can also bring about a new beginning.
"Alright, we'll support each other from now on. Let our actions speak for themselves."
Initially, it was thought that with a slight move from the Hou family, the Ou Yang family, not even being among the four major families, would have no room for resistance. However, unexpectedly, things took a turn.
The Hou family had hired many assassins this time, but they were all defeated. Those few who managed to return alive all said that Ouyang Xunuo seemed to have practiced some evil technique, making him very powerful but filled with demonic energy.
The man's nerves were already shattered by fear. Ye Tiancheng pulled him closer and questioned him for a long time, but the man only stammered, unable to provide clear answers.