Chapter 7: Up to No Good
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ye Sheng hobbled back to his own courtyard and sprawled on his bed with a grim look on his face.
“I must leave this manor. This place is really too dangerous. If they find out that I’m practicing martial arts, I’m definitely getting something way worse than 50 strokes of the paddle.” Ye Sheng clenched his teeth. He was still feeling very angry inside. He hadn’t been the one who had willingly gone to where Ye Qing practiced martial arts in the first place. Ye Qing had been the one who had dragged him there. Instead of investigating the matter properly, Lord Ye had just sent him out to receive his 50 strokes. Lord Ye was really ridiculously domineering.
“You won’t let me learn martial arts, and now you won’t even let me leave the house. Why?” Ye Sheng gave a long sigh as he lay on the bed.
If the beating he’d gotten this time had ended with his being able to leave the house, Ye Sheng wouldn’t have minded so much. But now, he’d gotten beaten and hadn’t received anything in return. It was hard for him to accept this.
“He said I can enter the General Collections Library, but the General Collections Library isn’t a manuals library. There are plenty of books and sutras, but what I want are martial arts manuals. And there aren’t any of those inside the General Collections Library at all.” Ye Sheng’s gaze became stubborn and determined. He was clearly displeased.
Ye Sheng took the night to nurse his wounds while he quietly thought about what he should do next.
He had to hide his abilities from everyone, keep a low profile, and avoid conflict with others while waiting for the Earthlings on his dantian Earth to make a breakthrough so that he could make use of the strength they had accumulated.
As long as more than 100 Earthlings managed to reach the Acquired Level First Stage, Ye Sheng would be able to add their strength to his own. Even though Acquired Level First Stage didn’t sound like much, Ye Sheng would be able to multiply his own strength by more than 100 all at once, and in that way he stood a chance even against an Acquired Level Fifth Stage martial artist.
That way, he’d have more confidence and the ability to leave the house.
At night, everybody heard all about how Ye Sheng and Ye Qing had both been beaten by army paddles.
Ye Qing had fainted from the beating and was covered with wounds. Hu Mei couldn’t stop crying when she saw how pitiful her son looked. She was filled with hatred for Lord Ye, but she couldn’t vent it on him, so she focused all her hatred on Ye Sheng instead.
“This little bastard ate my Sky Mountain Snow Lotus but didn’t put in a good word for you? If I’d known you would have to suffer so badly, I wouldn’t have saved this little b*stard. I would have let him die instead, then at least he couldn’t irritate me.” Hu Mei cursed Ye Sheng to herself.
Ye Qing was lying weakly on his bed. Ointment made from top-quality herbs had been applied to his back and their effects felt pretty good. At least they had reduced his pain significantly.
“Mother, Ye Sheng deserves to die. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been punished this time. I must kill that fellow.” Ye Qing’s gaze was filled with malice and his words spewed the thought of murder.
Hu Mei looked at him coldly and said, “Kill, kill, kill. You only know how to talk about killing him. How are we going to kill him?
“That little b*stard stays within his own courtyard all day and doesn’t talk to anybody. Also, because of this matter, I was severely scolded by First Madam. If this happens again, then I’ll lose all say in this household. Lord Ye hasn’t looked for me even though he’s back in the household. He must really be angry,” grumbled Hu Mei in frustration.
“Mother, it isn’t all that troublesome. I have an idea.” Ye Qing smiled sinisterly.
“What idea do you have? Don’t do anything stupid,” said Hu Mei with a frown.
“Mother, it’s going to be the 15th of the seventh month soon, so it’s almost time for the gates of h*ll to open. Ye Sheng will definitely leave the manor to pay respects to that despicable mother of his. That would be the best opportunity for us to strike.” Ye Qing smiled maliciously.
Hu Mei hesitated a little. “He’s just been beaten by the Master, and he’s also badly injured. It’s only one more week until the 15th. Do you really think he will heal enough in time to go out?”
“Mother, get someone to give him a little of this ointment, and get him to apply it on himself, then he’ll definitely be well enough in a week. The Old Lady has already promised him to let him leave the house to pay respects to his slutty mother, so if he’s feeling good enough by then, I’m sure he’ll definitely go.” Ye Qing’s eyes gleamed coldly. He really hated Ye Sheng from the core of his being. He’d already planned this whole thing out.
Hu Mei’s eyes lit up as she said, “I’ll handle this matter while you continue to recuperate. I’ll go and look for some people from the low end of society who have nothing to do with us to settle this matter for us. As long as we can kill Ye Sheng, then this will all be worthwhile.”
Ye Qing replied quietly, “Then I’ll be waiting to hear the good news.”
...
The moon was high in the sky, and dim moonlight shone on the ground. A pretty maid walked over to Ye Sheng’s courtyard with a bottle of ointment.
“Young Master Twelve, are you there?” she called out in a chirpy voice.
Ye Sheng frowned and asked, “What is it?”
“Second Madam heard that you and Young Master Thirteen had received a beating today, and she asked me to send some ointment for your wounds. This ointment will help you to recover more quickly, and it will prevent scars,” said the maid.
And why would Hu Mei be so kind to him?
Ye Sheng didn’t believe this story at all. He shook his head and said, “I’m grateful for Second Madam’s kind intentions, but I’m merely the son of a concubine, and I don’t deserve such high-quality medication.”
“Young Master Twelve, please don’t say that. You may be the son of a concubine, but you’re still a son of Lord Ye’s. Second Madam feels like an aunt to you, and this is also just leftover from what we have. Second Madam said that if you don’t use this ointment, then you’ll need at least a month to get well,” the maid continued to try and persuade Ye Sheng.
After Ye Sheng heard these words, he hesitated.
He did believe that it would take a month for him to recover. He couldn’t move his butt at all, and it was a huge inconvenience. If he was going to have to remain like this for an entire month, that would really be hard to bear.
“I can’t really move right now, so please bring the ointment in,” said Ye Sheng, after thinking about it for a while.
Regardless of whether it was a trap or not, there was definitely nothing wrong with this ointment, and he really needed to get well sooner.
As for whether this ointment might be poisoned, Ye Sheng didn’t think Second Madam would be stupid enough to poison it. This was something that could be investigated easily. If Second Madam was this dumb, she wouldn’t have become so powerful.
The maid was very obedient and came in with the ointment. Then she asked, “Young Master Twelve, do you need me to help you apply the ointment?”
Ye Sheng shook his head. “No need. Go back and thank Second Madam for me.”
“I will take my leave then.” The maid politely said good-bye, leaving the bottle of ointment on the bedside table.
Ye Sheng reached his hand out and used his Qi to move the bottle toward him. He opened the bottle to smell it. An enjoyable fragrance hit his nose, and he could tell that there were several rare herbs mixed together in this ointment.
All of these herbs were rare types, so they were definitely excellent for curing injuries.
“What tricks does Ye Qing’s mother have up her sleeve now?” Ye Sheng frowned as he thought about this.
Ye Qing hated him to the core, and everyone knew how much Hu Mei pampered her son. The two of them hated Ye Sheng so much that they couldn’t wait to strangle him to death, so why would they be so kind as to actually send ointment to him?
“I don’t care what plan you’re hatching. I’ll think about it after I get well.” Ye Sheng quickly applied the ointment to his wounds and immediately felt that the pain had decreased significantly.
At least now, Ye Sheng could actually get a good night’s sleep. Both his body and his heart had suffered a major blow today, and Ye Sheng slowly drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.
When Ye Sheng awoke the next day, he was surprised to find that his wounds were slowly starting to scab over already. As long as he didn’t move about too much, they wouldn’t split open.
“This ointment is really superb. I’m definitely going to fully recover in less than a week,” exclaimed Ye Sheng.
But now he started feeling even more wary of Ye Qing and his mother. A dog that bit humans didn’t bark, and the venomous snake in hiding was the most fatal sort of snake. There were many experiences in his memory that told him that the moment he let his guard down, he would definitely meet a terrible end.
But if the problem wasn’t with this ointment, then where was the problem?