Chapter 75: Bear Two's Wife

## Chapter 75: Bear Two's Wife

The night sky was deep and vast, scattered stars like dust.

It was late when Ye Chen finally returned to his own room.

The candlelight flickered as he sat cross-legged on the bed, his mind turned inward, observing his internal state.

Earlier that day, in the Hall of Discipline, he had nearly succumbed to the demonic path. Had he done so, even Xu Fu might not have been able to save him.

"This card... I must not use it unless absolutely necessary," Ye Chen murmured.

This was a cruel world. The so-called righteous path held no tolerance for the demonic.

He knew not when, but he drifted into a deep sleep.

In this slumber, he entered a peculiar state. His mind became untethered, his thoughts wandering between illusion and reality.

In the depths of his sleep, he vaguely saw a world of utter blackness. There, a massive cauldron stood between heaven and earth, colossal as a mountain, pressing down on him, leaving him breathless. From within the great cauldron, he could faintly discern demonic whispers that assailed the mind.

Ah...!

Suddenly, he sat bolt upright, gasping for air, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

A dream!

It wasn't until his eyes registered the familiar surroundings that he rubbed his brow. But the image of the mountain-like cauldron from his dream lingered persistently, so vivid had it been.

After the morning meal, Bear Two lumbered over, accompanied by a plump young woman. There was no doubt she was the "wife" he had spoken of.

Ye Chen couldn't help but eye the young woman up and down.

Her appearance wasn't exactly stunning, but she was delightfully plump and amiable. Especially her clear, large eyes, which blinked with captivating charm.

"This is my wife, Tang Ruxuan," Bear Two introduced, not forgetting to pull the girl into his embrace. His expression was utterly smug, practically begging for a beating.

However, as the two stood together, Ye Chen felt... something was amiss.

How to put it? Bear Two, this hulking figure, standing beside the plump Tang Ruxuan, gave the impression of two children at play. Ye Chen had a strong urge to ask Tang Ruxuan, "What exactly do you see in this fellow?"

"Ah, stop messing around," Tang Ruxuan seemed well-accustomed to Bear Two's antics, but a girl's natural shyness still prompted her to gently push him away.

With Bear Two momentarily repelled, Tang Ruxuan turned to Ye Chen, a smile revealing a pair of small dimples and tiny tiger teeth. "My name is Tang Ruxuan. I am a disciple of Elder Du from the outer sect's Spirit Fruit Garden."

Ye Chen smiled back. "Just call me Ye Chen."

"Thank you so much for this. Is there anything I need to prepare?" Tang Ruxuan asked, looking at Ye Chen.

"Nothing to prepare. Just know that this marrow cleansing process will be quite painful," Ye Chen was honest. The first time he had undergone body refinement, he had nearly fainted from the agony multiple times. That kind of inhuman pain was no laughing matter.

"It's alright, I can endure it."

Ye Chen nodded, his thoughts stirring. He then summoned forth his true fire, completely enveloping Tang Ruxuan. He then divided the fire into numerous strands, carefully guiding them into Tang Ruxuan's meridians.

To avoid causing any damage to her meridians, he was meticulous and cautious, daring not to be too aggressive.

Even so, a pained expression bloomed on Tang Ruxuan's face, and her forehead quickly became beaded with cold sweat.

"I say, can you even do this properly!" Seeing Tang Ruxuan's discomfort, Bear Two shot a glare at Ye Chen.

"Relax, I know what I'm doing," Ye Chen retorted, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

As time passed, Tang Ruxuan gradually adapted to the pain, and Ye Chen once again increased the intensity of the true fire's quenching.

"You and this fatty... were you betrothed since childhood?" To distract Tang Ruxuan from the pain, Ye Chen initiated a conversation.

She glanced at Bear Two, then smiled. "Actually, he wasn't always like this. It was due to a cultivation method gone wrong that he ended up this way."

"Is that so?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, casting a sideways glance at Bear Two.

"Don't even get me started on that!" Bear Two plopped down on the ground. "That old geezer completely screwed me over. I used to be a handsome youth, but that damn cultivation method...!"

"It doesn't matter. I don't dislike you," Tang Ruxuan again revealed her little tiger teeth, not forgetting to pat Bear Two's fleshy head. "One day, you'll change back."

The three of them chatted and laughed, successfully diverting Tang Ruxuan's attention.

During this time, Ye Chen not only increased the true fire's intensity multiple times, quenching Tang Ruxuan's essence marrow repeatedly, but also refined her meridians and bones to a certain extent.

Three hours later, he exhaled a long breath of turbid air and withdrew his true fire.

As soon as the true fire left her body, Tang Ruxuan swayed slightly.

"How do you feel?" Bear Two anxiously asked.

"My body feels warm and comfortable," Tang Ruxuan moved her somewhat stiff limbs. "I feel much lighter than before, and my meridians seem much clearer. Overall, I feel very good."

"Really?" Bear Two's eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands together and looked at Ye Chen, blinking his eyes. "Refine me too!"

"Alright!" Ye Chen agreed without hesitation. The true fire, which had just returned to his Dantian Sea, surged forth once more, completely enveloping the hulking figure of Bear Two.

Ah...!

Following that, Bear Two's miserable howling echoed throughout the small spirit garden.

Compared to the young Tang Ruxuan, Ye Chen showed no restraint when refining Bear Two's body, pushing him to the limit.

Over the next two days, Bear Two brought Tang Ruxuan over every morning.

Three days of marrow cleansing brought Tang Ruxuan an unexpected boon. During the process of refining her essence, her cultivation actually advanced from the fourth level of the Human Yuan realm to the fifth.

Three days passed quietly.

Early in the morning, after a casual breakfast, Ye Chen ascended the mountain carrying Tian Que. Today, he was to assist Xu Fu in refining pills.

As usual, upon reaching the spirit mountain, disciples sitting cross-legged on stones absorbing spiritual energy cast their gazes upon him, whispering amongst themselves. Sometimes, they would point in Ye Chen's direction.

"Elder Xu nearly fell out with Elder Zhao over him."

"He survived a great calamity. He must be destined for future blessings!"

"With Elder Xu's protection, his future is bright!"

Indeed, as Ye Chen walked along, quite a few disciples actually greeted him. Before, who would pay attention to an intern disciple? But Xu Fu's intervention had significantly altered Ye Chen's standing.

"Don't get too complacent." Naturally, he also encountered disciples from Yang Peak and Di Yang Peak.

Whether it was jealousy or resentment, these disciples would grit their teeth upon seeing Ye Chen. One would think they had a blood feud.

Ye Chen, of course, paid them no mind, heading directly towards the Spirit Pill Pavilion.

At this moment, within the Spirit Pill Pavilion, an elder from the inner sect was visiting. She was a female elder of peerless beauty, like a fairy descended from the nine heavens.

Upon closer inspection, wasn't this woman precisely Chu Xuan'er, whom Ye Chen had seen in the back mountain that day?

"Junior Sister, do you truly intend to select a disciple from the outer sect as your apprentice?" Xu Fu asked Chu Xuan'er, a hint of surprise in his tone.

"I have no choice. Headmaster Senior Brother forced me," Chu Xuan'er shrugged her fragrant shoulders, looking quite helpless. "He wants me to select someone with good talent, preferably at the Qi Condensation realm, to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances."

"That's true. Junior Sister, you should also take on a disciple. There are plenty of talented disciples in the outer sect; it's entirely your choice!"

"Alright, alright, why are you saying the same thing, Senior Brother?" Chu Xuan'er rubbed her brow.

Xu Fu smiled and shook his head, then shifted the topic. "Junior Sister, what are your thoughts on the Heavenly Secret Pill auctioned at the Netherworld Black Market?"

At the mention of the Heavenly Secret Pill, Chu Xuan'er's beautiful brows furrowed. After a moment of thought, she said, "There are too many rumors outside, but it all points to one hall and three sects. In my opinion, the Bloodthirsty Hall has the highest probability."

"I heard they only brought back half of the Heavenly Secret Pill?"

"This matter requires verification. Headmaster Senior Brother and the others also participated in the struggle for the Heavenly Secret Pill that day, but they were ultimately outplayed. As for whether the Heavenly Secret Pill was fully brought back, perhaps only the person who auctioned it off knows."

"Elder Xu, I've arrived." As the two spoke, Ye Chen had already entered the Spirit Pill Pavilion.