Lu Ye smirked slightly, speaking calmly, "Miss Chen, there's no need to toast me. In the battle, I fainted due to exhaustion, which is truly shameful."
Chen Lingxiang chuckled softly, her voice gentle, "Precisely for this reason, I must toast you."
"Why would someone faint from exhaustion if not for bravely fighting the enemy?"
"For exerting yourself so much to protect my family's goods, if I don't offer a toast, wouldn't people say I can't distinguish between merit and fault?"
"Young Master Lu... thank you so much this time. If there's a chance, I will surely repay you."
Jiang Lingyue: "..."
Staring blankly at the exchange between the two, Jiang Lingyue had one thought in her mind...
What are they saying???
Clearly, it's all understandable words, so why is it unintelligible when combined like this?
Moreover, why does it vaguely feel like Sister Lingxiang is trying to flatter Lu Ye?
Quickly dismissing this ridiculous notion, Jiang Lingyue stopped her wild imagination.
What a joke.
Chen Lingxiang is a genius, achieving the Innate Realm before the age of thirty!
She is also the cherished jewel of the Luohua Chen Family!
And what is her brother-in-law?
Condensing Origin Seventh Layer, a live-in son-in-law of the Jiang Family.
Putting the two together, even the fool at the east end of the city would know... the identities are completely unequal.
Would Chen Lingxiang need to flatter Brother-in-law Lu Ye?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Seeing that the conversation had reached this point, Lu Ye didn't intend to say anything more and calmly raised the glass to drink it all in one go.
...
On the other side, at the Jiang Mansion.
Since the last ambush, Jiang Qingge has always been accompanied by dedicated guards whenever leaving the mansion.
Only after returning to the Jiang Mansion would the guards disappear into the shadows.
Passing through the outer courtyard, just as she was about to return to the inner courtyard, her eyes inadvertently spotted a secluded small yard, halting Jiang Qingge's steps.
She knew that Lu Ye was not at the Jiang Family right now but had gone with Jiang Lingyue to escort goods.
"Since your strength is low, you should seize the time to cultivate Martial Dao more diligently."
A trace of faint disappointment flashed in Jiang Qingge's eyes.
What good is it to toil for a few pieces of silver?
One must know, in the grand age of Martial Dao, strength is the foundation of everything!
Even someone like Jiang Qingge, who cannot cultivate, understands this deeply.
Isn't the Jiang Family able to develop to its current state all because of the Innate Ancestor overseeing everything?
If the Ancestor were to no longer be there, the vast family business would be devoured by others in just a short time.
Though she didn't know what fortuitous encounters Lu Ye had, which led to his rapid increase in strength, reaching the Condensing Origin Seventh Layer.
But walking the path of Martial Dao, without investing enough time to refine and excel in it,
the eventual outcome will certainly be disappointing.
She also knows that on the path of Martial Dao, silver is an essential aspect.
But if he were willing to back down to her, say some nice words, considering they are husband and wife, she wouldn't be unable to give him silver.
After all, irrespective of what happens in the future, now Lu Ye is ultimately... her husband, which is why she intervened angrily when Jiang Yun targeted Lu Ye.
Jiang Qingge sighed lightly inside, lamenting his misfortune and being angry at his lack of ambition.
...
At the Chen Mansion.
After the feast, Chen Lingxiang immediately instructed the Chen Family servants to arrange accommodations for the escort agency folks for the night.
"Lingyue, follow me," Chen Lingxiang smiled gracefully, personally finding a place for Jiang Lingyue to stay the night.
"I can just find a random place to make do for the night." As she saw Chen Lingxiang leading them directly toward the inner courtyard of the Chen Family, Lu Ye spoke blandly.
"You are an honored guest of my Chen Family; we can't neglect you." Saying this, Chen Lingxiang led the two to a tranquil and elegant small courtyard.
Lu Ye looked around, slightly raising his eyebrow.
Judging by the layout, this small courtyard seemed to be where Chen Lingxiang lived.
She actually brought them to her own courtyard?
Sure enough, with a slight smile, Chen Lingxiang said, "This is my yard; you can stay here tonight. I've already had two guest rooms prepared."
Jiang Lingyue was a bit surprised and waved her hand, "This... we shouldn't trouble you; we can just find somewhere else."
"Isn't it the same wherever you stay?" Chen Lingxiang spoke helplessly.
"Besides, other places are already arranged. Lingyue, you wouldn't make a fuss over such a small matter, would you?"
Without answering at first, Jiang Lingyue turned to look at Lu Ye.
Seeing that Lu Ye showed no sign of refusal, Jiang Lingyue nodded, "Well… alright, thank you, Sister Lingxiang."
...
Settling down in Chen Lingxiang's courtyard, in the room, Lu Ye closed his eyes to sense his own condition.
During the escort journey these days, he hadn't done proper cultivation practice.
He only seized time in the deep night to cultivate for an hour or two.
Even so, with the aid of the Hundredfold Amplification talent, he wasn't far from the Postnatal Eighth Layer.
It seemed that Chen Lingxiang's courtyard had been set up by an Array Master to receive the Heaven and Earth Source Qi.
From the start, when Lu Ye stepped in, he felt that the Source Qi here was much richer than outside.
Thinking about it, it was understandable, as Chen Lingxiang was the top talent of the Chen Family, deserving such a treatment.
In these conditions, Lu Ye had never attempted cultivation before.
Considering for a moment, Lu Ye quickly activated the Ancient Star Scripture, controlling the range within a two-meter radius.
Even though the range wasn't large, the Heaven and Earth Source Qi would automatically fill the gaps.
The surrounding Source Qi was swiftly drawn to fill the emptiness around him.
Under the moonlit night, the Ancient Star Scripture crazily refined the Source Qi, transforming it into Inner Strength.
Lu Ye's cultivation also soared rapidly.
After a while, he directly approached the barrier of the Postnatal Eighth Layer!
Next to Lu Ye's room was Chen Lingxiang's room.
At this moment, Chen Lingxiang hadn't gone to sleep yet.
Sensing a slight movement of cultivation emanating from the side, Chen Lingxiang was somewhat amazed.
"So diligent, huh?"
However, considering Lu Ye's terrifying strength, Chen Lingxiang felt...
Without diligence, how could there be such an astonishingly terrifying realm?
The next moment, sensing Lu Ye's meticulous control over absorbing Heaven and Earth Source Qi, encapsulating only his own room,
Chen Lingxiang couldn't help widening her eyes.
How formidable!
In the process of absorbing and refining Source Qi, one could even spare attention to controlling the absorption's range.
"Indeed, I knew it, the Mysterious Innate is you!"
Chen Lingxiang, with a slight curve on her lips, was even more convinced of her thoughts.
If he truly was just a surface-level Condensing Origin Realm, how could he possess such exquisite and precise Source Qi control!
...
As the Heaven and Earth Source Qi continued to replenish in abundance, it was like a siege hammer effortlessly opening the gates to the Postnatal Eighth Layer.
Breathing out a turbid breath, Lu Ye suddenly opened his eyes.
After days of arduous cultivation, relying on his own efforts and minor assistance from the Myriad Dao Pavilion, he finally reached... the Postnatal Eighth Layer tonight!
"Chaotic Wind Mountain Bandits... I'll start with you."
Looking up at the starry night sky, starry light flowed in Lu Ye's eyes.
The Innate Fourth Layer black-clad figures and Cloud Leaf City's Yellow Springs Pavilion were not within reach momentarily.
Let's target the Chaotic Wind Mountain Bandits first!
Coincidentally, he's still short of silver for his third specified draw.
Zhang Hu was also at the Postnatal Eighth Layer, but Lu Ye knew the circumstances and didn't go all out back then.
If not, at the Postnatal Seventh Layer, he could have easily eliminated Zhang Hu.
Now, at the Postnatal Eighth Layer, and during the night, there's no need to use the Innate Invisible Sword Qi.
With only the Star Sword Body's enhancement... Lu Ye is fully capable of battling the Innate First Layer!