Chương 373: Chapter 372: A Clear Conscience No Longer Enough?

Ye Chen's return to Ascension Peak was a grand event. All the disciples came to pay their respects. Elder He's granddaughter, who had recently broken through to the Golden Core stage, had yet to cultivate a technique. She looked at Ye Chen expectantly. With a smile, Ye Chen tapped her forehead, transmitting the Golden Core chapter of the Hundred Flowers Immortal Scripture into He Qiu's mind. She was overjoyed. Mo Yuzhu, Li Feihuang, and An Yuyi had all advanced to the Nascent Soul stage.

Ye Chen was generous and impartial, granting each of them a spiritual fruit to enhance their physical bodies. These fruits, rewards from the system during his time at the Sword Sect, were useless to him now. His Indestructible Scripture was too powerful—after mastering its basics, such fruits offered no benefit. Having been away for a year, Ascension Peak hadn't taken in new disciples.

But the news of Ye Chen slaying the Heavenly Intention legacy disciple and destroying the incarnation of their Holy Son had spread, elevating Ascension Peak's allure among the disciples. More and more prodigious female disciples wanted to join. So, Ye Chen instructed Mo Yuzhu to announce that Ascension Peak would recruit a new batch of female disciples in three days. He realized his reputation had taken a hit. The public had already formed misconceptions about him. Fine, then—he'd stop pretending.

Ascension Peak would only recruit female disciples from now on. After a few casual words, Ye Chen drifted away. Soon after, An Yuyi and An Miaoli arrived together, entering his Holy Son's cave abode.

"Senior!" Ye Chen greeted An Miaoli with particular fondness. His master was wonderful, but An Miaoli's earnest demeanor had its own charm. After being away for so long, he'd missed her. They chatted briefly, and then An Yuyi, a blend of adorable and alluring, spoke up hesitantly, her delicate fingers fidgeting.

"Senior Brother… you've been gone so long. Has the nether poison improved at all? If you're still feeling unwell, should we… detoxify you?" Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Before his departure, An Yuyi had mustered the courage to become his cultivation partner. A year apart had made her bold enough to bring it up now, though An Miaoli's presence made her shy. Ye Chen smiled softly, glancing at An Yuyi. She was as ethereal as ever, her hair pinned up to reveal delicate earlobes adorned with elegant earrings.

She looked like a celestial maiden, a red mole between her brows adding a unique allure. An Miaoli must have noticed that An Yuyi was now his cultivation partner. Yet, she had come along with her and showed no discomfort at the mention of detoxification. Clearly, over the past year, An Miaoli had made peace with the situation, her conscience clear. Ye Chen welcomed this wholeheartedly, with no intention of refusing. After all, An Miaoli's five-hundred-fold return wasn't particularly high.

Many Ascension Peak disciples, like Mo Yuzhu, matched that rate, and Elder Lin Qingtan in the peak had a thousand-fold return. Beyond the Holy Land, his master could reach two thousand times upon advancing to a heavenly spiritual root. In this context, whether An Miaoli triggered a critical return was no longer critical. Why not take things further? The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Ye Chen wasn't the type to withhold gifts just because a critical return wasn't guaranteed. On the contrary, as his cultivation partner, she'd receive just as many resources—if not more. With potential critical returns, he had to be cautious about giving too much, lest the recipient's threshold rise and prevent a critical hit. But as his partner, that concern vanished. Looking at An Yuyi and An Miaoli, Ye Chen nodded earnestly.

"I've been suppressing the poison for a long time, and my body's been quite uncomfortable. I'll have to trouble you both, Yuyi and Senior." An Yuyi giggled and got to work. An Miaoli's immortal-like eyes studied Ye Chen for a moment before she sat across from An Yuyi, as she had before, joining in the traditional detoxification process. Ye Chen glanced between them, surrounded by breathtaking beauty. Soon, An Yuyi grew tired and, a bit embarrassed to meet An Miaoli's gaze, turned her head aside.

She began a more modern, effective detoxification method. An Miaoli watched from the side, her lips pursed slightly. Despite her clear conscience and mental preparation, witnessing such a scene for the first time left her a bit flustered. After a long while, An Yuyi's spiritual energy was depleted, and she grew exhausted, needing a break. But at the critical moment, An Miaoli's expression shifted. She stepped back several paces. Over the past year, she had convinced herself that helping An Yuyi was justified.

Yet now, for reasons she couldn't fathom, a profound resistance surged within her. It wasn't directed at Ye Chen but stemmed from her bloodline, her body, even the depths of her mind, rejecting the idea of abandoning her purity. It was as if her body had a will of its own—or worse, someone else's will. The urge to flee overwhelmed her. This baffled An Miaoli. How could a clear conscience fail her now? After a moment's hesitation, she spoke softly, "Yuyi, you go ahead and continue detoxifying Fellow Daoist Ye.

I have some matters to attend to and must leave." With that, she drifted away. An Yuyi, her cheeks flushed like clouds dusted with rouge, stared after her aunt in confusion. An Miaoli had agreed to help under Yuyi's playful coaxing—why this sudden change? Ye Chen was equally puzzled. He knew An Miaoli well. Once she had made peace with something and her conscience was clear, she wouldn't shy away or feel embarrassed. So why, at the last moment, when she was about to join, did she pull back? Something was wrong.

Was it because there were too many people involved, and the situation felt too forward for her first time? An Yuyi opened her mouth to say something, but Ye Chen gently pulled her into an embrace. Though he wanted to understand An Miaoli's strange reaction, he couldn't just leave Yuyi behind—that would be too callous. He decided to attend to her first and seek out An Miaoli later. The next day, Ye Chen emerged from his cave abode and arrived at An Miaoli's.

Sensing his presence, the cave's restrictions parted automatically. Inside, he found An Miaoli seated, her ethereal, immortal-like eyes clouded with confusion. Ye Chen approached, gently taking her jade-like hand.

"Senior, don't overthink it. Perhaps things moved too quickly. We're cultivators with endless years ahead. If you're not ready, take your time. Whether it's ten years or a hundred, I'll wait for you." Ye Chen was no longer the impulsive youth he once was. Though he desired her, he wasn't in a rush. His words were meant to comfort her. But An Miaoli shook her head, her expression grave as she met his gaze.

"No… I know my own heart, and I have no resistance to you. But at that final moment yesterday, it was as if another will emerged from deep within me, opposing my decision, my very intent. I suspect something's wrong with my body. Fellow Daoist Ye, please use your Heavy Pupil to examine me." Ye Chen was taken aback. He had assumed it was a matter of mindset, but a physical issue? Another will? What could that mean? Had someone tampered with An Miaoli, planting something sinister within her?

His expression grew serious. His eyes blazed with divine light, chaotic energy swirling as he looked deeply at An Miaoli…