Chapter 495: Snatching the Pills

That night, Ye Chen still avoided getting into bed to keep from disturbing Lin Qiyun.

Instead, he made a point to rest in a spot closer to her.

And so, for the entire night, it was as if he were immersed in a gentle, warm current. A pleasant warmth spread through his body, and he felt incredibly comfortable.

It wasn't until the next morning, when he sensed Lin Qiyun stirring, that Ye Chen quietly slipped away.

Although the power within Lin Qiyun's body was nothing compared to that of the Vermilion Bird Totem—the difference was like night and day—Ye Chen's injuries had still shown some slight improvement after just one night.

He could probably now hold his own against a Cultivator at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm.

If this continued, his injuries would one day be completely healed.

But this pace was still too slow!

Ye Chen wasn't satisfied. He couldn't stay in the Vermilion Bird tribe for too long.

For one thing, he had too much to do. For another, he didn't want to fall too far behind in his cultivation.

If he wanted his injuries to recover as quickly as possible, he clearly needed to borrow the power of the Vermilion Bird Totem!

'If only I could cultivate before the bronze pillar inscribed with the Vermilion Bird Totem, just like the Priest did last night.'

'My healing speed would be astonishingly fast then!'

When Lin Qiyun woke up and found Ye Chen gone, the first thing she did was check the bedding.

Finding everything undisturbed, she breathed a small sigh of relief, though a complicated feeling stirred within her.

She went into the courtyard and saw Ye Chen taking a slow stroll. "My husband," Lin Qiyun asked in a gentle voice, "did you not sleep last night?"

"Ah, you're awake." Ye Chen glanced at Lin Qiyun, smiling as he waved a hand. "I'm a Cultivator; I don't need to sleep. Meditating is all the rest I need."

"That won't do!"

Lin Qiyun shot Ye Chen a look. "Your injuries are still severe. You mustn't push yourself."

"I'm going to start my cultivation. Xiaohe should be here with breakfast soon, so just wait for her."

Seeing that Ye Chen was not in any serious trouble, Lin Qiyun returned to her room and began to cultivate.

She was currently around the Fourth Layer of the Bone Forging Realm, making her strength quite unremarkable.

Even within the Vermilion Bird tribe, she was considered nothing special—hardly better than a common person with no cultivation at all.

'Is my wife's aptitude for cultivation really this poor?' Ye Chen couldn't help but wonder.

He walked into the room and saw that Lin Qiyun had already settled into her cultivation posture. At a glance, she exuded a surprisingly solemn and stately air.

At the same time, the burning sensation in Ye Chen's body surged up again!

The sensation was at least two or three times stronger than it had been the previous night!!!

It was nearly as intense as what he'd felt when he saw the Vermilion Bird Totem.

"Hmm?"

'It works like this too?'

Ye Chen's eyebrows shot up, a mixture of confusion and pleasant surprise in his heart.

'I might as well give Lin Qiyun some proper guidance on her cultivation. It would be better if she cultivated instead of sleeping from now on.'

'That way, our efforts would complement each other, and my injuries would heal even faster!'

With that, Ye Chen sat down beside her as well.

About half an hour later, a sudden commotion erupted from outside the courtyard.

It seemed Xiaohe had gotten into an argument with someone.

A man's curses could be heard mixed with Xiaohe's indignant shouts.

'Is Xiaohe being bullied?'

The thought immediately flashed through Ye Chen's mind.

Just as he was about to get up, he saw Lin Qiyun had already pushed the door open and gone out!

Seeing this, Ye Chen quickly followed.

"Xiaohe!"

Outside the courtyard, Xiaohe had been pushed to the ground. Breakfast was scattered everywhere, and a large patch of her simple, clean clothes was stained with broth.

Xiaohe's small face was taut with indignation, as if she had suffered a terrible wrong.

She bit down hard, refusing to let herself cry.

In front of Xiaohe stood a tall, skinny man.

His clothes were similar to Xiaohe's; he was clearly also a servant in the tribe.

But at this moment, he was looking down on Xiaohe imperiously, his hands on his hips and his posture full of arrogance.

He was clearly the culprit behind all of this!

Lin Qiyun's face instantly turned cold at the sight.

"Zhang Qiao, what is going on here?"

She stared coldly at the lanky man, her deceptively calm tone barely suppressing a startling rage.

"I heard you were going to get some Essence Replenishing Pills?"

"Miss, I'm afraid there are only five Essence Replenishing Pills left in the Spirit Pill Pavilion."

Zhang Qiao glanced at Lin Qiyun, his face showing no fear.

While his bluster subsided somewhat, his attitude remained firm.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes.

Essence Replenishing Pills. They were Second Grade Spirit Pills that nourished one's bloodline and bones, effective for healing injuries.

Lin Qiyun furrowed her brow. "What does that have to do with you bullying Xiaohe?" she asked, confused.

"I wouldn't call it bullying. You can only blame Xiaohe here for not knowing her place."

Zhang Qiao sneered. "My young master was injured while hunting two days ago and has been waiting for today's Essence Replenishing Pills to treat his wounds."

"The tribe has a rule that each young disciple can only receive three pills."

"You could have taken yours, and we would have taken what was left. So why did this conflict even start?"

Lin Qiyun became even more confused.

"Miss, he... he stole our two Essence Replenishing Pills!" Xiaohe could no longer hold back, and her voice broke into a sob.

"Stole?"

Zhang Qiao frowned. "You'd better not use that kind of word to insult my young master."

"How many times do I have to say it? It was borrowing! My young master would never deign to snatch pills from you. He sent me here this time merely to borrow them for a while!"

"When it's time to collect pills next month, my young master will naturally return them!"

"He'll even throw in an extra one as compensation!"

Zhang Qiao shot Xiaohe a look of disgust. "I really don't get it. The young master was being so polite, and his terms were more than generous. But you, you brainless thing, just stubbornly refused to budge! Don't blame me for getting rough, then!"

"But..." Xiaohe sobbed, "my lady's husband also urgently needs the Essence Replenishing Pills to heal..."

"Your lady's husband?"

Zhang Qiao was taken aback. "You mean that cripple?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhang Qiao himself started laughing. "You can't be serious, can you? I was right to call you brainless. You're actually going to waste the pills on that useless bum?"

"At the end of the day, he's just an outsider our tribe took in. In his half-dead state, he's lucky just to be alive. And you're actually worried about him?"

"Can he even compare to a single hair on my young master's head? Hmm?"

After saying this, Zhang Qiao sighed in relief, as if a burden had been lifted. "I thought Young Master Qiyun needed them. Turns out they're for that useless bum... In that case, I have even less to worry about."

Overwhelmed by the injustice, Xiaohe lowered her head and wept in silence.

Lin Qiyun took a step forward, looked at Zhang Qiao coldly, and held out her hand. "Give me back the pills."

Zhang Qiao was taken aback. Faced with Lin Qiyun, his arrogance immediately diminished somewhat.