Yun Ling's willpower was extremely strong, even more so than an ordinary person's. Yet, she could not withstand the erosion of pain.
Yun Ling gritted her teeth, constantly suppressing her pain, but she couldn't control it. Her entire body felt as if it were about to collapse.
Biting her lip, enduring the intense agony, Yun Ling placed her hand on top of her head, attempting to expel the pain with her own strength.
Although Yun Ling's cultivation was not comparable to Ye Xing's, she was still a master alchemist, a Rank Two alchemist at that. Therefore, she could use her own power to resist this pain.
However, Yun Ling's efforts were not without effect; instead, they made her body weaker.
Her body grew increasingly feeble, unable to even stand steadily. She could only collapse onto the ground, gasping for breath.
The pain felt as if thousands of knives were being plunged into her heart.
Yun Ling clenched her fists tightly, enduring the pain that wracked her body. Fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead.
At this moment, she finally felt a sliver of relief.
The pain receded, and the injuries on her body lessened considerably.
"Hoo!" Yun Ling gasped for air, her clothes already soaked through.
The pain she had just endured felt like a trip to the gates of hell.
This sensation left Yun Ling's body feeling quite overwhelmed.
Upon returning to Ye Family Fort, Ye Feng presented the secret manual Yun Ling had given him to everyone in the fort.
Seeing the manual, everyone's eyes widened, their faces filled with excitement. "Did our clan leader truly give us this?"
Ye Feng nodded and said, "I heard the Mistress say it herself!"
As Ye Feng finished speaking, the people of Ye Family Fort became even more animated.
"This is so powerful?" Ye Yue looked at the secret manual, her eyes brimming with excitement and surprise. "I never expected our Ye Family Fort to possess such a treasure!"
"Hahaha! Our Ye Family Fort is finally saved!"
Seeing this, Ye Yue's father, Ye Hai, was filled with emotion and couldn't help but laugh heartily. "This is truly wonderful! I never imagined our Ye Family Fort's curse could be lifted, and with Saint-tier Rank Nine alchemy techniques! This is fantastic!"
Ye Yue's mother, upon hearing this, was also extremely excited. "Master, what should we do now? Do we still need to find the clan leader?"
"No need!" Ye Hai quickly replied. "We have already found the clan leader's remains, so we can go find him now!"
Ye Yue's mother immediately asked, "How is the clan leader doing?"
"The clan leader is in seclusion and hasn't woken up yet!" Ye Hai frowned. "We don't know when he'll wake up, so we'll wait until he does!"
"Mm-hmm, alright!" The people of Ye Family Fort nodded in agreement.
"Ah, right!" Suddenly, Ye Hai remembered something and said urgently, "You should all hurry back to your rooms and get some rest!"
"Yes, First Elder!" Everyone nodded and then turned to leave.
"Boss, are you alright?" Ye Yu asked Yun Ling with concern.
Ye Xing heard this and quickly comforted her, "I'm fine! Don't worry, I won't be harmed!"
Ye Yu nodded quickly but still said with great worry, "That's good. We'll go rest for a while. If you're tired, you should rest too!"
Yun Ling nodded and then said, "Okay!"
Ye Yu helped Yun Ling to sit on the edge of the bed, covered her with the quilt, and then said, "Boss, I'll go back and rest now. I'll come to keep you company tomorrow!"
"Okay!" Yun Ling smiled and nodded.
Ye Yu looked at Yun Ling, sighed softly, and then turned to leave the room.
After Ye Yu left, Ye Xing sat by the bed, reached out, and gently touched Yun Ling's cheek, smiling tenderly.
"Silly girl!" Ye Xing whispered softly, then also left the room.
Yun Ling watched Ye Xing's receding back, let out a soft sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing on her lips. She closed her eyes.
Yun Ling felt her body growing more and more tired, and she gradually drifted into sleep.
After leaving the room, Ye Xing walked towards his own.
Upon entering his room, Ye Xing opened the cabinet and took out everything inside, organizing it.
He then took off his clothes and hung them up.
Ye Xing picked up the teacup from the table in his room, walked to the bathroom, poured hot water into the kettle, added a little spirit liquid, and then began to boil water for a bath.
After a hot bath, Ye Xing emerged wearing a loose robe.
Ye Xing looked around the room, a slight smile on his lips.
He sat at the table, picked up the teacup, and took a sip. A subtle fragrance wafted to his nose.
Ye Xing sighed with contentment, "It's been hard work all these years!"
As he spoke, his gaze fell upon a painting hanging on the wall.
This painting was the one Yun Ling had drawn earlier.
Looking at the painting, Ye Xing's expression was filled with nostalgia and longing.
Ye Xing gently stroked the woman in the painting and murmured to himself, "Ling'er, how have you been all these years? Have you encountered any danger?"
As he spoke, Ye Xing put the painting into his storage ring.
Ye Xing wiped his body with a towel, and a crystal-clear tear drop fell onto the painting.
"Ling'er, when I bring you back to life, we can be together forever!" Ye Xing gently caressed the painting and whispered.
The next day.
In the early morning, the first ray of sunlight fell upon Yun Ling's cheek, making her feel a slight sting.
Yun Ling slowly opened her eyes and looked at herself lying in bed.
This was where she had slept last night. Yesterday, she had been in Ye Xing's room. After she fell asleep, Ye Xing had called her back to her own room.
Yun Ling sat up in bed and rubbed her aching waist. Her bones felt as if they were falling apart, making her feel uncomfortable.
Yun Ling got out of bed and walked to the window, pulling open the curtains to let in fresh air.
Outside was peaceful. Yun Ling took a deep breath and felt much better.
Yun Ling jumped off the bed and walked to the window, looking out at the scenery.
This was the tallest pavilion in Ye Family Fort, the highest building.
From here, she could overlook the entire Ye Family Fort. Yun Ling really liked this pavilion because the scenery was exceptionally beautiful.
Looking at everything outside, Yun Ling couldn't help but sigh.
Ye Family Fort was indeed vast but incredibly clean, spotless.
Yun Ling turned and walked out of the room into the courtyard.
As soon as Yun Ling stepped out, she saw Ye Yu standing in the courtyard, looking up at the sky.
"Brother Ye Yu, what are you doing?" Yun Ling walked over to Ye Yu, confused, and asked him.
Ye Yu turned his head, saw Yun Ling approaching, and a warm smile appeared on his face. He said, "I was thinking about you!"
Hearing Ye Yu's words, Yun Ling paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Oh? You were thinking about me? Then I am truly honored!"
Ye Yu chuckled and shook his head, saying, "I wasn't thinking about you, but about our appointment in two hours! I promised you that after your injuries healed, I would take you on a tour of Ye Family Fort!"
Yun Ling nodded and said, "Mm!"
"I'm all ready! You go wash up! We'll set off first thing in the morning and then go to the City Lord's Mansion!" Ye Yu said with a smile to Yun Ling.
Yun Ling nodded and said, "Then you should go and rest early too!"
Ye Xing nodded and said, "Okay, goodnight!"
Yun Ling nodded in acknowledgment, then turned and walked towards her room.