Dawn arrived, and the numbing effect of the Mandala Juice on Ye Beiming’s body had worn off.
Darkness still surrounded him.
Ye Beiming gave a bitter smile, realizing that regaining his sight was indeed a luxury.
Yet soon, he discovered small dots of light appearing within that darkness.
This was something that had not occurred in the past decade.
He suddenly sat up, stretched his hand in front of him, and waved it, seeing only blurry lights and shadows.
Ye Beiming, overwhelmed with joy, ignored his slightly numb body, struggled off the couch, and wanted to settle scores with Yun Sheng.
That Little Wildcat, she had schemed against him once again.
This time, he remembered clearly that he had been knocked unconscious by a peculiar Inner Strength hitting his acupoint.
There was no one in the house.
Using his sharp hearing, Ye Beiming detected no signs of life nearby, not even the puppy that always followed by Yun Sheng’s side.
A foreboding feeling rose in Ye Beiming’s heart.
He felt the bed and found several rows of hastily carved words on the wooden board: "Ye Huli, I have left, my father and I took Little Black with us. Your eyes are now healed. For the next few days, your vision will still be a bit blurry; you will only be able to see some shadows, but that’s a good sign. In about seven days, you should recover completely. Remember not to expose yourself to wind, fire, or get irrationally angry. I stole half of your Magic Soul, but I also restored your eyesight. We owe each other nothing now, never again!"
Ye Beiming could imagine that Little Wildcat hurriedly packing the bags, looking as if she was fleeing with the loot.
Although his vision was restored, it felt as if he had lost something very important.
He ran out of the Yun Family home like the wind, heading toward the highest hill near the village entrance.
The wind whistled by his ears, and the morning dew wetted his temples.
Upon reaching the hill, Ye Beiming only saw a blur of mountains and forests and a winding path, and then, he could no longer see clearly.
A bitter taste lingered in his mouth.
He understood that Yun Sheng had left a long time ago.
He didn’t even have the chance to see her face clearly.
Sorrowfully, he returned to the Yun Family, smashed open the bedside, and dug out the wooden board with Yun Sheng’s farewell message.
Numbly, he walked toward the Magic Temple in the village.
A few villagers passed by him, loudly discussing: "Last night, there was a big fire at the Magic Temple. Heard the flames were intense, and it killed the Great Magic Director along with his apprentice, leaving only the old Pharmacist who narrowly escaped."
The badly burned corpse of Great Mage Yang was also excavated, including that of a young boy.
"Isn’t that right, such a huge fire, the Magic Temple was burned down to ruins, too terrifying," the villagers were discussing when they suddenly noticed Ye Beiming nearby.
They started shouting as if they had seen a ghost: "You, aren’t you the disciple of Great Mage Yang, weren’t you dead?"
A breeze blew by, and the young man who had been standing in front of the villagers suddenly disappeared.
The group of villagers, scared, took to their heels and in just one day, the whole village was spreading the word that the village was haunted.
After that day, there was no Magic Temple in Banana Leaf Village until several months later, when people from the Magic Temple came to rebuild it.
Except for the village chief’s family, no one else noticed that Yun Family’s father and daughter were also gone.
Yun Sheng and her father left Banana Leaf Village in a hurry, taking only a few dozens of silver coins with them. They traveled overnight and upon reaching Taishang Town, Yun Canghai bought a worn-out horse with two silver coins and purchased some dry food and clean water before they continued their journey northwestward.
While on the road, Yun Canghai told Yun Sheng about things concerning the Yun Family’s main branch which he had never mentioned before.
Speaking of Yun Canghai’s main branch, the Yujing Yun Family in Shengjing City is quite famous.
Yun Canghai’s father is named Yun Bahe, and he is a renowned Martial Saint who protects Great Zhou, having lost his wife in middle age with one daughter and two sons under his care.
Yun Canghai is the eldest son and the legitimate heir of the family.
"Our Yun Family is well-known in Great Zhou because our ancestors were formidable martial artists who helped the founders of Great Zhou to establish the country and contributed great military achievements. By the time of your grandfather, he became a once in a five hundred years Martial Saint-level powerhouse, and your uncle and I both practiced martial arts when we were young."
Yun Sheng puzzledly asked, "But father, you are a powerful mage."
"Yes, I switched to studying magic, which indeed failed to meet your grandfather’s expectations and he often complained about that," said Yun Canghai without inquiring how his daughter knew all this.
"A prodigal who returns is worth more than gold. As long as dad is willing to return to the Yun Family, grandfather will surely forgive you," Yun Sheng said with a feigned innocent tone, believing that there could be no overnight grudges between father and son.
When they left Banana Leaf Village, the Magic Temple there had erupted in a massive fire.
The body of Yang Shuo, along with another corpse fetched from a wild grave on the mountain, were both thrown into the fire.
That fire was no ordinary flame, normal water couldn’t extinguish it at all.
Since Banana Leaf Village is remote, by the time people from the Magic Temple arrived, the father and daughter might have already reached Yujing City, and under the Yun Family’s protection, they could rest easy without worries.
"Sheng’er, I must make something clear to you. This time, only you are returning to the Yun Family. I am just seeing you off, I don’t plan to acknowledge my ancestry," Yun Canghai firmly stated.
"Why? Father, they say even a tiger will not eat its cubs, and even though there were tiffs with grandfather back then, so many years have passed, it’s time to bury the hatchet," these days, as they drew nearer to Yujing City, Yun Sheng often woke up at midnight to find her father standing alone under the moon, gazing in the direction of Yujing City.
"Your grandfather once told me that if I married your mother, he would disown me forever as his son. Although your mother has passed away, she still lives eternally in my heart, and will always be my wife. For her, I will not set foot in the Yun Family again," Yun Canghai firmly said.
The father and son of the Yun Family both had stubborn personalities, neither would back down, so over the years, the father and son had never been in contact even once.
Seeing her daughter puffing her cheeks in dissatisfaction, Yun Canghai added, "Sheng’er, would you like to learn magic?"
As the father and daughter hurried on their way, Yun Sheng, having obtained a Magic Soul, meant she could utilize five types of Magic Elements. Excluding the Dark Magic Element which Yun Canghai expressly forbade, she could still use at least the other four types of Magic Elements.
"I would!" Yun Sheng finally showed a smiling face.
"Good, your father will teach you the most basic Beginner Fire Magic, the Fireball Technique," as Yun Canghai spoke, a bright ball of Fire Element welled up in his hand.