Chapter 102: Trust
Seeing Ye Shi calm down, Chen Da took a piece of paper and handed it to him.
Ye Shi looked puzzled. "What is this?"
"This is a receipt for a safety deposit box at Mingyue Commercial Bank," Chen Da said gently. "Your grandfather deposited something belonging to your mother and father there. These items were precious and sensitive—if the Ye family had not been so close to your parents, they wouldn't have died so young." His eyes hardened with restrained anger.
Ye Shi clenched his teeth and balled his fist.
"Your grandfather was powerful, but he overestimated people's loyalty," Chen Da sighed.
Ye Shi bit his lip, lowering his head. His eyes darkened.
If Ye Xun isn't his biological father—he's the monster who killed his parents. Forget the past—if that man ever wrongs him again, Ye Shi will no longer be polite.
"Heaven is just. Ye He's schemes have backfired, and Ye Xun probably didn't expect to die by the hands of his most trusted son," Chen Da said, a faint satisfaction coloring his face.
Ye Shi stared, astonished. "Tio Chen, you're saying grandpa Ye—no, Ye He—was killed by Ye Xun?"
Chen Da nodded. "Yes. This incident also relates to your parents. Ye Xun tried his best to win their favor and got a lot from them—until those things ended up with Ye He."
"Ye Xun's cultivation talent was mediocre and slowing down. His resentment toward Ye He deepened. Ye He was eager for quick success in cultivation, and when he slipped, Ye Xun took advantage."
Eyes narrowing, Ye Shi asked, "Then?"
"Then Ye Xun poisoned Ye He," Chen Da said dryly.
Ye Shi frowned. "After Ye He died, Ye Xun gained nothing?"
Chen Da smiled cruelly. "Exactly. After Ye He's death, the Ye family's status declined. Ye Xun regretted it, but recently the family's fortunes rose again. Do you know why?"
Ye Shi wasn't sure.
"He used you," Chen Da said simply. "Whatever else, you carry his surname. Now that you've been accepted by King Wu as a disciple…"
After so many years of suffering under the Ye family, Ye Shi realizes now he was being used by Ye Xun himself, and it infuriates him.
"How can he be so cruel?" Ye Shi ground out.
"Don't think about the Ye family. How are you and Master Mu?" Chen Da turned the conversation gently.
At the mention of Mu Chen, Ye Shi calmed and blushed slightly. "Master Mu has been very good to me."
Chen Da studied Ye Shi with care. "Meet people, study their faces and hearts. No matter how kind Master Mu is, you must be wary."
Ye Shi tutted. "Master Mu is different from Ye Xun—he's sincere."
Chen Da replied sternly: "Ye Xun seemed sincere too before he revealed his true colors. You should never intend to hurt others, but you must be capable of protecting yourself. Young master Mu gives me the feeling that I can't completely see him through… maybe he's not as harmless as he seems."
Ye Shi puffed his cheeks in disagreement—but not in his heart. How could Ye Xun compare to Mu Chen? He didn't deserve to tie Mu Chen's shoes.
"I don't want anything that Master Mu has," Ye Shi said coldly.
Chen Da raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Didn't he give you the Qingmingyan flame?"
Ye Shi shook his head. "No! Mu Chen found that flame entirely on his own."
Chen Da glared—but Ye Shi was sure: without Mu Chen, he'd never have broken through that labyrinth!
"Tio Chen—why tell me about the safety deposit just now?" Ye Shi looked confused.
Chen Da answered softly: "First, the contents are for martial spirits and martial artists. You didn't need them before. Second, Ye Xun has been worried about you all these years. When you went to live in Mocheng and worked in a restaurant, it helped allay his suspicions." Ye Shi nodded quietly. "Is that so? I always felt like I was being watched." That feeling never left.
---
At Saint Star Academy:
"That fire talisman is truly powerful—the auction house spent 1.3 million Yuans on a third-grade Flame Talisman which perfectly refined the Solar Essence Fire," one student said.
"How lucky!" another sighed.
"Indeed, 1.3 million. Being in Mu Chen's circle isn't available to just anyone."
"Honestly, finding a good husband is better than a good cultivation technique. Ye Shi even refined Solar Essence Fire—fusing twenty or thirty flaming pearls. Mu Chen was very impressed; dozens of millions of Yuans completely given to Ye Shi."
Everyone praised Ye Shi's wealth and connections.
"Ye Shi, Zhuang Yu and you aren't from the same class? Ask her to get you in through the back door."
"Sheesh, Ye Shi and she are sworn enemies—Ye Shi might raise the price too high."
"Ye Rong and Ye Shi are mortal enemies, you know? I heard when Ye Shi was young, he nearly killed Ye Rong's mother."
Ye Rong sat at her table alone, quiet. As an orphan, standing out made her uncomfortable. Why was Ye Shi so celebrated? She didn't understand.
Thinking of what her mother told her—to befriend Ye Shi—Ye Rong clenched her fists. She wouldn't do that. She had her dying father's love—even if Ye Shi was treated better, she had her father to protect her honor.
---
Zhuang Yu sat beside Lan Ruofeng. "Ruofeng, do you have any twigs?" he asked.
Lan Ruofeng nodded. "Yes. I heard that the Sun Essence from Mu Chen's talisman is powerful and refined well."
Zhuang Yu nodded thoughtfully. Lan Ru felt his chest tighten—thinking of Mu Chen's estranged flame made him uneasy.
The Sun Essence from Fulu is weak and hard to cultivate—poor choice when Lan Ruofeng aims for mastery. Mu Chen's Qingmingyan twig would widen the gap between them. And fire talismans are expensive—Lan Ru couldn't even afford many. The thought of handing money to Mu Chen stung his pride. "Ruofeng, are you okay?" Zhuang Yu asked.
Lan Ru shook his head. "I'm fine."
Zhuang Yu gazed at him. "I still don't know where Mu Chen's strange flame came from. That guy is so lucky. Did Ye Shi send it to him? That kid—Mu Chen—must suspect something about Ye Shi's identity."
That idiot Ye Shi was spending Mu Chen's money and still counting it.
---
Master Hua Shu approached. Murong Yan and Lan Ru greeted him respectfully.
Hua Shu regarded them with a complicated expression.
Truth is, Murong Yan and Lan Ru are both four-star martial artists—strong by any standard, but this year's freshman class is special. Two eighth-aptitude geniuses and a freak like Mu Chen emerged.
All four Wu Kings took apprentices this year. While he accepted two, he still felt slightly embarrassed when compared to the three.
Zhuang Yu and Ye Shi are five-star, Mu Chen is eight-star. Their aptitude might be higher or lower, but their culturing speed has already surpassed their own.
"Keep working hard," Hua Shu said, slightly dispirited.
"We will," they answered.
Lan Ruofeng clenched his fists. Without needing to say aloud, the disappointment in Hua Shu's eyes was clear.
Lan Ruofeng ground his teeth. Mu Chen was already an eight-star warrior, and now—not just in alchemy but even cultivation—Lan Ru fell behind.
If only he'd found that strange flame first, everything would've been different...
---
Later, Mu Chen and Ye Shi stood outside the academy.
They'd shared everything about Ye Shi's hidden past. Mu Chen—stunned—didn't quite know how to respond.
"Mu Chen," Ye Shi whispered.
Mu Chen blinked, refocused, and looked at Ye Shi. "Why did you tell me all this? Are you afraid I have ulterior motives?"
Ye Shi leaned on Mu Chen. "I know you'd never hurt me."
Mu Chen helplessly smoothed Ye Shi's hair. "No one in this world can be trusted but yourself. You're too kind—what would become of me if you let anyone else care for you?"
Ye Shi nestled on his shoulder, frowning. Then he smiled, "I only let you care for me. You won't hurt me?"
Mu Chen smiled, embraced him, and said, "Of course not."
---
After a moment Mu Chen spoke softly: "How much do you know about your biological father?"
Ye Shi shook his head. "Not much. He stayed for a short time with my parents. But Tio Chen said he left a bronze medal."
"A bronze medal?" Mu Chen frowned.
Ye Shi nodded and pulled out a small metal plaque, handing it to Mu Chen. It had the single character Bai written in white—a possible clue linking to Zhuang Yu's ancestry.
"Keep this safe," Mu Chen instructed. "It might be useful later."
Ye Shi looked it over skeptically. "Useful? What's it for? It's not even gold."
Mu Chen sighed. "Though not gold or silver, this metal is special. It should be very valuable. Just… hold onto it."
Ye Shi brightened up, carefully storing the plaque—and Mu Chen couldn't help but smile a little at how precious he looked.
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