Chapter 2880: Chapter 2880
The enthusiasm of these elders was almost overwhelming, making Ye Liuyun feel somewhat out of place.
Li Daoyuan sent him a mental message, explaining that this was simply how the locals behaved. He assured Ye Liuyun that he would get used to it eventually—but once he did, he’d need to be cautious of outsiders. Unlike the locals, wandering martial artists often had a knack for deception.
Li Daoyuan had fallen victim to their schemes more than once, mainly because he couldn’t distinguish between locals and outsiders. Ye Liuyun, however, had an advantage—his golden pupils allowed him to tell them apart.
Still, he reminded himself internally that martial artists were a mixed bag no matter where they came from. Just because someone was a local didn’t mean they could be trusted blindly. At the same time, he didn’t want to disappoint those who were genuinely kind, leaving them disheartened.
Upon arriving at the Qin family’s estate, the entire household expressed their gratitude toward Ye Liuyun. Most of them, however, held him in higher regard for his willingness to stand up for justice rather than for any other reason. As for the gifts he had accepted in return, no one saw any issue with that.
The Qin family patriarch, Qin Hesong, even personally hosted a meal in their honor and invited Ye Liuyun to stay with them for a while.
After dinner, Qin Mengxi took the initiative to arrange accommodations for Ye Liuyun and his companions. Once they were settled, she turned to Ye Liuyun and said, "Given that you showed signs of *reforming your ways* in the forest, I decided not to bring up your past misdeeds. I understand that outsiders like you tend to glorify violence.
"But I hope you’ll spend more time with us locals—maybe it’ll help soften that aggression of yours. Get some rest. Tomorrow, I’ll take you out to see the sights!"
Without waiting for a response, she promptly left.
"*Reforming my ways*? That makes it sound like I was some kind of villain," Ye Liuyun muttered with a bitter chuckle, shaking his head.
"Maybe that’s exactly what they think," Li Daoyuan teased with a grin.
Having spent several days with Ye Liuyun, he had grown familiar enough with his temperament to joke around without worry.
Ye Liuyun pulled him back, urging him to explain more about the locals’ mindset and customs, both for his own benefit and for Tian Dao’s.
After listening carefully, Ye Liuyun concluded, "Most of the locals have lived sheltered lives—they don’t understand the brutality of the martial world. Those who *do* know its cruelty always find some righteous excuse before acting. Meanwhile, outsiders take full advantage of the locals’ naivety in their dealings. But the locals don’t seem to mind—they’re surprisingly tolerant and magnanimous."
"It’s a miracle a world like this has survived at all," Tian Dao remarked, finding the whole notion baffling.
Ye Liuyun speculated, "That’s because they haven’t encountered anyone with overly ambitious intentions. The locals are numerous and united. Moreover, the unique nature of this planet makes it impossible to harvest its source energy, rendering it unworthy of serious attention from powerful figures.
At most, some outsiders come here to take minor advantages. The resources here are abundant, so they don’t mind sparing a little."
After chatting a while longer, they each retired for the night.
Early the next morning, Qin Mengxi came to find Ye Liuyun, eager to take them out for a tour of the city.
"Perfect timing—we can visit the merchant guild to purchase a map of this star system."
The night before, Li Daoyuan had mentioned that star maps were available here, so Ye Liuyun had been determined to acquire one and study the uninhabited planets in the system. Even though Li Daoyuan had said these planets couldn’t be claimed by others, he wouldn’t be satisfied without testing it himself.
Thus, the group followed Qin Mengxi out of the Qin estate. Along the way, familiar faces greeted them warmly, and even strangers offered friendly smiles. Scanning the city with his divine sense, Ye Liuyun found the entire place brimming with harmony.
Qin Mengxi hadn’t even brought any guards, explaining that the city had always been extremely safe.
When they arrived at the merchant guild, the attendant didn’t look down on Ye Liuyun for merely purchasing a map—instead, they provided detailed explanations.
The map itself was remarkably thorough, seemingly tailored for outsiders. It clearly marked uninhabited planets and the resources they contained. After buying the map, Ye Liuyun browsed around the guild and noticed an abundance of cultivation resources related to Buddhist Light energy.
One item in particular caught his eye—a golden-glowing crystal brimming with Buddhist Light energy. According to the attendant, these crystals were ordinary stones that had absorbed the energy over time from their proximity to the planet’s source power.
Both Qin Mengxi and the attendant strongly encouraged Ye Liuyun to cultivate Buddhist Light energy, with Qin Mengxi especially pleased, seeing it as a sign of his moral redemption.
Secretly, however, Ye Liuyun scoffed: *I’ve already mastered Buddhist Light energy—better than you, in fact! Yet I haven’t turned into someone like you. It just goes to show that it’s merely another form of energy, incapable of changing one’s true nature.*
*Sorry to disappoint, but this blade of mine... will never be laid down.*
He kept these thoughts to himself, sighing inwardly.
He didn’t buy too much at once, only selecting a few different resources to test their effects. He planned to compare them later, determine which worked best, and then make a bulk purchase accordingly.
He also bought some metal imbued with Buddhist light energy, asking Tong Xin and Qiong Qi to see if it could be forged into weapons or armor for better effectiveness against the otherworldly beings.
After leaving the merchant guild, they came across a local combat arena. Ye Liuyun wanted to check it out, but Qin Mengxi stopped him, saying his killing intent was too strong. She worried he might be influenced by the wrong crowd inside.
Ye Liuyun could only shake his head helplessly as she dragged him around—first to a tavern, then a teahouse, and other places—before finally stopping for a meal and returning to the Qin family.
Back at the estate, Qin Mengxi even invited Ye Liuyun to their family’s training grounds to spar with the Qin disciples.
By now, Ye Liuyun had figured her out—Qin Mengxi was clearly a pampered young lady with too much free time and little dedication to cultivation. But he couldn’t afford to slack off even for a moment.
"We’ve wasted enough time today. I need to get back to training," Ye Liuyun said, no longer willing to indulge her whims.
"What’s the rush with training? Take it slow! What matters is your mindset!" Qin Mengxi insisted. "You need to spend more time with us to develop the right cultivation philosophy!"
It seemed she still thought he hadn’t been sufficiently "reformed" and needed more exposure to the locals.
"...Like you said, I should take it slow. My enlightenment isn’t deep enough yet," Ye Liuyun replied, humoring her. "If I lose control in a fight and hurt someone, that wouldn’t be good. I’d better go back and meditate on the Buddhist light energy first."
Qin Mengxi found his reasoning sound and finally let him go.
Tian Dao and Li Daoyuan barely held back their laughter as they accompanied Ye Liuyun back to their quarters. What Li Daoyuan didn’t expect, however, was that once they returned, Ye Liuyun immediately began absorbing the Buddhist light-infused resources while studying the map with him, pinpointing their next destination.
