At the break of dawn the next day, faint morning light filtered through the cracks of the window lattice, spilling into the room. The habit she had formed over years of cultivation woke Ye Ling right on time.
She slowly opened her eyes. Sweeping her gaze across the familiar furnishings of the room, she did not get up immediately.
Back at the sect, she had to rise before dawn every day to practice her swordplay, never slacking off.
Now that she was in her own small courtyard, her mind was completely relaxed. A rare sense of laziness suddenly welled up within her, and she decided to lie peacefully in bed for a while longer.
Besides, her mother usually came to sweep this room every morning.
If her mother pushed open the door in a bit and saw her lying quietly in bed—when she was supposed to be at the Qinglan Sword Sect—she would surely be both shocked and overjoyed.
With nothing else to do, Ye Ling raised her hand and retrieved the storage bag she had confiscated after killing Lin Jie last night.
Since Lin Jie was dead, the Divine Sense imprint branded on the storage bag was already on the verge of dissipating.
She merely extended a wisp of Divine Sense to sweep over it, cleanly and decisively erasing the residual imprint.
Sending her Divine Sense inside, she found a space of about ten cubic meters.
For a helpless rogue cultivator at the bottom of the ladder, this was already an extremely luxurious storage tool.
Piled inside the bag were over 5,600 low-grade spirit stones. This had to be the ill-gotten wealth Lin Jie had accumulated over the years from robbing merchant caravans and slaughtering escort agencies.
Now that it all belonged to her, it would perfectly relieve her current financial pressure regarding spirit stones.
Aside from that, there were several volumes of cultivation methods and martial arts, a few pieces of worn-out clothing, and a small bottle of low-grade pills.
Seeing that they contained many impurities, Ye Ling took one look and decided not to use them.
She carefully took stock of the martial arts manuals. Among them was a Profound-grade low-tier cultivation method and a matching Profound-grade low-tier saber technique.
These were likely the moves Lin Jie had used during their struggle last night.
The remaining volumes were mostly Yellow-grade peak-tier martial arts, but what surprised her even more was that the bag actually contained a complete Yellow-grade high-tier cultivation method.
Cultivation methods were always precious. In the past, the highest inheritance preserved by the Ye family was only Yellow-grade mid-tier.
Ordinary commandery-level noble families possessed at most Yellow-grade high-tier cultivation methods, so this harvest was truly an unexpected pleasant surprise.
She did not plan to keep these ownerless martial arts confiscated from the criminal for herself.
Once she met the elders of the family, she would contribute all of them to the Ye family's Martial Arts Pavilion for the clan's younger generation to practice and comprehend. This would surely boost the Ye family's overall strength significantly.
The sect inheritances she had learned at the Qinglan Sword Sect were bound by sect rules and could not be passed on privately.
However, ownerless texts like these had no such restrictions, making them perfect for supporting her family.
After sorting through all the items, she put away the storage bag, unable to help but feel a bit emotional.
No wonder countless low-level rogue cultivators were willing to take risks and rob people.
The speed of accumulating wealth and resources in this manner far exceeded the gains of cultivating peacefully and taking on ordinary missions.
On second thought, she had another idea. Since robbing others could lead to quick wealth...
...then wouldn't specifically hunting down these evil criminals be an even easier and safer path?
The resources these rogue cultivators spent half their lives accumulating would ultimately end up in her hands.
This way, she wouldn't have to bear any negative karma, yet she could still eradicate local scourges, complete her sect missions...
...and reap rich benefits on the side. It was far more honorable and much more cost-effective than committing robbery herself.
Having figured this out, she lay back down quietly on the bed, closing her eyes as she waited in silence.
Meanwhile, inside the main hall of the Ye family estate.
Ye Ling's father, Ye Qingxuan, and her mother, Wu Wanmei, were sitting at the table, quietly having breakfast.
After a while, Wu Wanmei let out a soft sigh, her eyes filled with an indelible longing.
“A year has passed in the blink of an eye. I wonder how Ling'er is doing at the Qinglan Sword Sect, and if everything is well with her.”
Ye Qingxuan picked up his tea and comforted her gently.
“You always worry too much. Ling'er is now the Tenth True Disciple of the Qinglan Sword Sect. With her outstanding talent, she is highly valued by the sect, and her future is bright.”
“At this hour, she must have already gotten up to practice her swordplay and cultivate. She wouldn't slack off in the slightest.”
Wu Wanmei smiled. She also knew her daughter had a calm and disciplined personality, so she had no rebuttal, yet her concern did not diminish.
She cleared the dishes. “After breakfast, I'll go to Ling'er's courtyard to clean it up again.”
“Just in case she suddenly returns one day, we can't let the room she lived in for so many years be covered in dust.”
Ye Qingxuan laughed helplessly. “Wanmei, you just cleaned it the day before yesterday, and the room is spotless. Why must you tire yourself out every day like this?”
Wu Wanmei shook her head gently. “If it isn't cleaned for even a day, dust might settle. I have to go see it to feel at ease.”
Seeing that he couldn't convince her otherwise, Ye Qingxuan had no choice but to set down his teacup and stand up with a smile.
“Alright, then I'll go with you. I haven't cleaned Ling'er's room in a long time either.”
Wu Wanmei nodded happily. After breakfast, the couple walked toward the small courtyard together.
Inside the room, Ye Ling heard the approaching footsteps from afar. A faint smile quietly surfaced in her eyes as she waited in silence for the surprise reunion.
Soon, the door was gently pushed open.
Ye Qingxuan and Wu Wanmei walked into the room side by side, their eyes first falling on the clean desk.
Ye Qingxuan reached out to touch the desktop, checking it with his fingertips, and spoke gently.
“Indeed, there is not a speck of dust.”
But Wu Wanmei remained meticulous. “Just because the desk is clean doesn't mean other places are. We should still wipe it down carefully to prevent dust from accumulating in the corners.”
Ye Qingxuan smiled helplessly and picked up a rag with his wife, carefully wiping down the tables, chairs, window ledges, and shelves.
The two of them were so fully engrossed in cleaning that they completely failed to notice their own daughter lying on the bed.
Ye Ling quietly watched her parents busy themselves so earnestly, deeply touched by their concern, and warmth flooded her heart.
Seeing that they still hadn't noticed her, she couldn't help but cough softly.
Hearing the cough, Ye Qingxuan immediately tensed up and turned to look at his wife.
“Wanmei, did you cough? Did you catch a cold and fall ill?”
As he spoke, he set down the rag and reached out to feel Wu Wanmei's forehead.
Wu Wanmei was taken aback. “I didn't cough.”
Seeing her parents so tenderly concerned and anxious for each other, Ye Ling found it a bit amusing. No longer hiding herself, she called out softly.
“Father, Mother, I'm back.”
The two who were just fretting over each other froze and whipped their heads around at the same time.
When they saw the familiar green-robed figure sitting on the bed, both of them were instantly stunned.
Ye Qingxuan's pupils trembled slightly. He instinctively raised his hand to cover his eyes, thinking he had hallucinated due to missing his daughter day and night.
Wu Wanmei, however, reacted faster. Wild joy surged in her heart, and unable to restrain herself any longer, she rushed to the bedside, her fingertips gently brushing Ye Ling's cheek.
Feeling the warm, real touch, she finally became completely certain that the person before her was not an illusion.
She immediately reached out and hugged Ye Ling tightly, her voice trembling slightly with surprise.
“Ling'er, when did you get back?”
“Why didn't you tell your father and mother in advance?”
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