Chapter 333: Chapter 333: First Arrival at Wanhua Valley _1
Ye Ming laid Lin Mengdie’s body down gently before slowly walking away.
In his heart, he felt somewhat guilty, but it was something he couldn’t help; he did not know how difficult the path to Wanhua Valley might be, and he didn’t want Lin Mengdie to get caught up in this vortex.
Wanhua Valley, being a hidden sect, naturally did not disclose its location to the world; only a select few were privy to it.
However, Ye Ming was prepared for all of this.
Back when he had attempted to assassinate Elder Tao, he had seen the embroidery on his clothing, which depicted the path to Wanhua Valley.
The reason this pattern was sewn into the garment was that it included a Bagua formation within its routes; even if an ordinary person managed to memorize the pattern, they would never be able to reach the destination.
For Ye Ming, none of these were issues; a trivial Bagua formation diagram could hardly stump him.
Half an hour after he left, Lin Mengdie slowly awoke. Opening her eyes, she could no longer find Ye Ming anywhere.
Angered, she began to shout, "Ye Ming, you bastard, after I’ve taken care of you for so many days, you dare leave me at a time like this! Humph! This isn’t over between us!"
"Isn’t it just Wanhua Valley? If you won’t take me, I’ll go there myself!"
She pouted, looking very angry, but after venting, she fell into confusion. She had no idea which way Wanhua Valley was.
After thinking it over, Lin Mengdie randomly picked a direction and started chasing it with all her might.
"I simply refuse to believe that I, myself, can’t find something like Wanhua Valley!"
...
Having traveled through the wilderness for an entire day and with nightfall approaching, Ye Ming finally left the wasteland behind and saw the nearby village.
His life in the wild these past few days had given him much to ponder over.
After finding a random spot to rest for the night, he continued on his journey as soon as dawn broke the next day.
Finally, before noon on the second day, he arrived at a certain valley.
Wanhua Valley lived up to its name with its splendid scenery and lush vegetation.
Inside the valley, myriad flowers bloomed, their fragrance wafting through the air, occasionally mixed with the scents of hidden medicinal herbs.
Walking deeper into the valley, Ye Ming furrowed his brows.
He had thought Wanhua Valley would be very peaceful, but upon actually arriving at the entrance, he found it surrounded by a throng of people, bustling with excitement.
Two guards stood at the mouth of the valley, arrogant and dismissive, completely ignoring those who came to seek medicine.
"Kind sir, please let us in," pleaded a grandfather and his grandson in tattered clothing. "My grandfather is unwell and suffers from a persistent cough. We’ve come here to ask for some medicine!"
Though the two guards heard the pleas of the shabbily dressed pair, they chose to disregard them completely as if they were air.
Meanwhile, on the other side, a neatly dressed young man took out a card and said, "Brothers, there’s five million in this card for your troubles. I’ve specially brought a Luminous Pearl to present to the Valley Master. Can you do me a small favor and let me pass?"
As the saying goes, a gift blinds the eyes; seeing the young man’s earnestness, the guards promptly opened the gate for him.
Witnessing this scene, Ye Ming sneered inwardly. It seemed that this place was much worse than he had expected; indeed, they were a bunch of hypocrites who turned nice when seeing money.
The rumors on the Jianghu were still too good to be true.
Ye Ming stepped forward, but before he could speak, the grandfather and granddaughter who had just been driven away returned.
"Guard brother, please have mercy, my grandfather is really in bad shape. I left in such a hurry that I didn’t bring enough money. As long as my grandfather can be cured, I can give you any amount!"
"Right now, I only have a jade pendant on me, it’s an heirloom of our family..."
Perhaps seeing the young man who had just been allowed inside, the pair felt a new hope and decided to try their luck again.
One of the guards took the jade pendant, inspected it for a moment, and then threw it aside contemptuously, cursing, "What is this trash? Stop trying to disgust people with such things. Get lost and don’t disturb our Valley Master’s meditation!"
With a clatter, the jade pendant fell to the ground and broke in two.
Seeing this, the girl’s eyes immediately reddened, and she knelt before the guard, crying out, "My grandfather and I have depended on each other for years, I can’t be without him!"
It was then that Ye Ming got a clear look at the pair.
Both were skeletal and weak, but they didn’t appear to be poor.
Beneath the girl’s disheveled hair, her beautiful face was faintly visible; she only looked so distressed because she had not had time to tidy herself after the long journey.
Behind her was an elderly man with white hair, his breathing faint, on the brink of death at any moment.
From their appearance, it seemed they had made a difficult long journey to find this place, pinning all their hopes on Wanhua Valley, only to be met with such a fate.
The girl continued with a weeping voice, "It is said that Wanhua Valley extends a helping hand to the world, saving people from disaster. Please, just this once, save my grandfather."
The girl’s persistence finally exhausted the guard’s patience. He immediately kicked her on the shoulder and shouted harshly, "I told you to piss off, can’t you understand human speech?"
"You’re nothing but trash, why should we in Wanhua Valley save you?"
With a thud, the frail girl fell to the ground.
Yet, without any resentment, she struggled to get up, intending to continue pleading for mercy.
The guard continued, "Get someone here to throw these two pieces of trash out further, they’re such an annoyance to even look at!"
"We in Wanhua Valley have so many people to attend to each day, we don’t have time to waste on you!"
The elderly man sitting to the side watched helplessly as his granddaughter was bullied, wishing to stop it but powerless to do so.
At this moment, Ye Ming bent down and picked up the jade pendant that had been smashed to pieces from the ground.
He said, "I’ll take this pendant as payment for your medical expenses."
"Taking money to avert disasters, I will be the one to treat your grandfather’s illness!"
As soon as he spoke those words, the surroundings went quiet, and everyone’s gaze shifted to Ye Ming.
Even the two guards at the entrance of the valley were taken aback, frowning as they stared at Ye Ming and questioned, "Hey! Brat, who do you think you are, daring to act so recklessly outside Wanhua Valley?"
Ye Ming’s icy gaze met theirs as he countered, "Reckless? How so?"
The guard, pointing at the girl on the ground, said, "They’re here to see our Valley Master, and who are you to interfere? Are you trying to show off in front of Wanhua Valley?"
Anger began to flare in Ye Ming’s heart, and his tone grew even more uncompromising.
"He offered you money, you refused it. I have taken it, and I am going to solve their problem. What does it have to do with Wanhua Valley?"
