The unusual movements of the Grand Elder and Li Yu instantly drew Chen Yi's gaze toward the entrance.
The old man who entered his view was not tall, even somewhat gaunt and withered, as if a gust of wind could blow him over. His appearance was ordinary, but his eyes were filled with a compassionate wisdom that had seen through the world's affairs, carrying an air of serene dignity. Even though Chen Yi had never seen this person before, he could guess that this must be a highly respected elder.
Beside the old man was a girl in a long black dress that trailed on the ground, her face covered by black gauze that couldn't hide her youthful innocence. She looked no more than ten years old, but her eyes held no trace of a child's liveliness—only a bottomless cold silence, like an ice-sealed isolated island, inspiring awe and fear.
"That's the head of the Nine-Hearted Begonia Ye Family, Ye Cien. He's actually here!"
Seeing the newcomers, Li Yu couldn't help but exclaim softly, clearly quite shocked.
The Grand Elder also narrowed his eyes slightly, apparently recognizing the old man.
"Interesting, that old guy Ye Cien actually left Heaven Dou City. It seems the girl beside him is the young daughter left behind by his son back then."
Chen Yi's heart suddenly tightened, a wave of shock quietly spreading. The Grand Elder's vision and status were evident; there weren't many people on the continent who could make him take notice like this. Among them, only one bore the surname Ye—the Douluo Continent's number one divine doctor, the strongest healing-type soul master in the soul master world, the head of the Nine-Hearted Begonia Ye Family, Ye Cien.
As the continent's unique healing-type Soul Douluo, in many people's hearts, Ye Cien was the true number one auxiliary-type soul master. After all, the flaw in the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda martial soul was no longer a secret among the major forces.
With that in mind, the girl standing beside Ye Cien must be Ye Lingling, the auxiliary soul master from the Emperor Battle Team in the original story. Chen Yi's gaze involuntarily shifted to the girl, his heart filled with novelty—this was the first original character he'd encountered since transmigrating to this world!
As if sensing his gaze, Ye Lingling also turned her head. Their eyes met, but there was no spark; the girl simply looked away expressionlessly, maintaining her cool demeanor.
But this subtle interaction was noticed by Ye Cien. He looked at his granddaughter indulgently, following her earlier gaze toward Chen Yi. However, when his eyes swept over the old man beside Chen Yi, his pupils suddenly contracted—he couldn't sense even a trace of aura from this elder!
Ye Cien was now an 84th-rank Soul Soul Douluo, and among auxiliary-type soul masters, he had absolute confidence in claiming the highest cultivation. Even expanding the scope to the entire soul master world, those he couldn't see through were few and far between, and all of them were top powerhouses standing at the pinnacle of the soul master pyramid.
Although this elder might just be an ordinary person with no cultivation, Ye Cien didn't consider that possibility at all. It was because at this table sat the owner of this shop.
Ye Cien had roamed the continent for decades, saving and earning the gratitude of people everywhere, with connections few could match. He had long heard of this shop's origins: for decades, in this lawless zone where power reigned supreme, this shop had stood safely, its own strength not to be underestimated, with a foundation comparable to a first-rate soul master family.
And the shop owner, Li Yu, showed utmost respect to this elder. Based on that alone, Ye Cien concluded that this elder was no ordinary person.
He gave a meaningful glance at the unfathomable Grand Elder, then led Ye Lingling straight into a private room inside the shop.
Watching the grandfather and granddaughter enter the room, Chen Yi finally asked the Grand Elder:
"Fourth Grandpa, do you know Ye Cien?"
The Grand Elder first nodded, then shook his head: "I know him, but he doesn't know me. Ye Cien has a reputation on the continent no less than that of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect's sect master Ning Fengzhi. The Nine-Hearted Begonia is the only martial soul on the continent that can compete with the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda for the title of the world's number one auxiliary martial soul. If not for the Nine-Hearted Begonia's limitations, a conflict would have been inevitable."
"Even so, in recent years, as the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect has grown stronger, their suppression of the Ye Family has intensified, and even the tragic death of Ye Cien's only son years ago had the shadow of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect behind it."
This left Chen Yi utterly confused. The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect had been a sect with two Title Douluos many years ago, with immense power. How could the Ye Family possibly contend with them?
Chen Yi voiced his doubt, and Li Yu, who was nearby, explained:
"Although the Ye Family isn't as prosperous as the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, they do have Soul Douluo-level powerhouses guarding them. Moreover, generations of Ye Family heads have traveled the continent, and countless people have benefited from their kindness, including many powerhouses. The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect would have to think twice before trying to exterminate them."
"Additionally, Ye Cien has an extremely high reputation among the common people on the continent, akin to a living Buddha. Whether it's the Spirit Hall or the two great empires, they all value the Ye Family highly and wouldn't stand by if the Ye Family were destroyed."
Chen Yi subconsciously rubbed his chin. In essence, the Ye Family was building prestige, ensuring their safety through righteousness. No matter how extraordinary the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda was, it was ultimately an auxiliary martial soul. In recent years, they had surpassed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect and were closing in on the Clear Sky Sect by absorbing a large number of rogue powerhouses externally. They could attract so many rogue powerhouses precisely because of the good reputation built by generations of sect masters. If that reputation shattered, their downfall wouldn't be far off.
At the same time, public sentiment and grassroots soul masters were the foundation of the two great empires and the Spirit Hall; they wouldn't watch the Ye Family be destroyed.
"But open spears are easy to dodge, hidden arrows are hard to defend against. The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect won't act openly, but who knows what they'll do in secret?"
Li Yu looked at Chen Yi in surprise. For a six-year-old child to think of this, his intellect was far beyond his peers.
"That's right, the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect knows this, so they've never targeted the Ye Family openly, but behind the scenes, they've never stopped persecuting them. The most egregious incident was eleven years ago when a group of desperados tortured and killed the young master of the Ye Family, who had just returned from an epidemic zone—that was Ye Cien's only son."
"At the time, Ye Cien was furious and invited many powerhouses to gather in Heaven Dou City. Among them, there were reportedly nearly twenty Soul Douluos, including two Titled Douluos, directly pressuring Seven Treasures City. That was when the entire continent witnessed the Ye Family's terrifying network."
By the end, Li Yu's tone couldn't hide his shock. After all, there were only about ten Titled Douluo-level powerhouses on Douluo Continent (on the surface), and Soul Douluos numbered no more than a hundred. The Ye Family had essentially gathered a fifth of the continent's top powerhouses.
"What a grand move!" Hearing this, Chen Yi couldn't help but sigh. With that lineup, destroying the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect might not be possible, but crippling them thoroughly was no problem.
"And then? They didn't fight, right?"
"No," the Grand Elder said, his face showing a trace of reminiscence as he slowly continued: "At the time, Ning Fengzhi, who had just become sect master three years prior, personally invited Ye Cien for an all-night discussion. No one knows what they talked about, but afterward, Ye Cien left with his people."
Li Yu was astonished upon hearing this. He only knew the matter had ended inconclusively, but few on the continent knew what had happened. From the Grand Elder's words, it seemed he was well-informed.
"Fourth Grandpa, was this information gathered by the sect's powerhouses?"
The Grand Elder looked at Chen Yi and chuckled: "Because one of the two Titled Douluos back then was old Hua."
"Ah? Sixth Grandpa?!"