678: The Elderly Couple

The Elderly Couple

"Abyssal Ice, you say..."

The elderly woman rubbed her chin as she looked down. 

Ming Yue took a step forward, revealing a look of anticipation. 

"Do you know of it?" she asked her. 

The elderly woman looked up at her with a smile. 

"You could say that but I would advise that you give up on it. Your search will end with nothing."

Despite the warning, the young cultivator was not swayed by her words. She cupped her fist and lowered her head.

"Senior, if there is anything that you know, please tell me. If you have a price, name it."

The elderly woman just laughed aloud before turning around. 

"You don't have to be so serious! I'm merely satisfying my own curiosity but if you do manage to come across it, I wouldn't mind a piece in return for my aid. Now then, follow me." 

Ming Yue did as she said, following the elderly woman through the little town. 

Dressed in violet and green robes, there was a serene aura surrounding her. Her hair went down to her shoulders though some of it was tied into a bun, held together by an ornamental pin. There were plenty of wrinkles on her face but that didn't overshadow the light in her eyes. 

Despite her age, she was still full of energy. 

Seeing this made her curious. 

"May I have your name, Senior?" she asked. 

The elderly woman tilted her head up, glancing at Ming Yue. 

"Me? You can just call me 'Yuan', everyone in this town knows me as such. Now, you aren't going to ask for my name without introducing yourself?" she replied. 

"I am Ming Yue, this is Xiao Yin and Hei Yue."

Yuan glanced down at the two pets, smiling at them. 

"So you're the young lass that's been making a name for herself. Everyone thought that you were dead but it seems that such rumors were false. Interesting, interesting, what does someone like you want with Abyssal Ice? As far as I can tell, you are not suited for this place."

She looked back at Ming Yue with interest.

The young cultivator nodded with an embarrassed face.

"I wasn't expecting the news to travel this far. I haven't really paid attention to these things", she responded. 

"Ah but you should, there's a wealth of information to be found through one's mouth. After all, you're not the only one making headlines", Yuan replied. 

"Really? Who else is there?"

"There's a few in the Demon Continent, who are currently leading a relief effort. With the help of the Five Armies, they've been working hard to breathe new life into the ground. Those coming out of Heaven's Gate have been doing plenty for themselves, hunting down powerful beasts and evil cultivators alike. Each of the Six Kingdoms has its fair share of monstrous talents as well. Endless Peak has the likes of Xing Juren and Xing Hou as their answer."

"Xing Juren and Xing Hou?" 

Ming Yue furrowed her brows, not expecting to hear that name. 

After all, Xing Juren was the body cultivator she fought in the tournament at Heaven's Gate. That fight was still vivid in her eyes, the power of his fists was something to fear, But the second name, she had no recollection of. 

However, Yuan explained, quite nonchalantly in fact.

"Yes, Xing Juren and Xing Hou are siblings, a brother and sister duo. They are also the prince and princess of the Endless Peak Kingdom."

"What?"

"Yes, they're royalty. Did you not know that?" 

"I... no, I didn't. I didn't even know he had a sister. As far as I knew, he spent most of his time training either in Heaven's Gate or traveling the world."

Safe to say, Ming Yue was surprised to learn this. Although she wasn't very close to him, she was not expecting to find this out. 

"Ah, as royalty he had to spend ten years experiencing the world and part of that is to receive guidance at Heaven's Gate."

I see."

There wasn't much for her to say in response, 

"Alright, we're here." 

Yuan stopped in front of a rather large house. Compared to the rest of the town, it was very out of place. Two stories tall and large enough to hold several families, Ming Yue was unsure of who or what could be inside. 

She looked at the elderly woman with some hesitation but Yuan just laughed out loud. 

"This isn't some trap. You wanted to know more about Abyssal Ice, right? I'm taking you to the person who knows about it the most."

Yuan then knocked on the door and waited. Moments later, It was opened by an attendant who lowered their head at the sight of her. 

"Welcome, Madam Yuan."

As she walked in, she looked at the attendant before checking the house.

"Where's my husband right now?" she asked. 

"Master Wo is in his studies."

"Alright then, clear the kitchen, I'll be cooking dinner tonight."

"Understood, madam." 

The attendant bowed before leaving and Yuan just sighed. 

"Ah, that man, always in his studies."

She then looked over at Ming Yue who was silent the entire time.

"Let's go see him, shall we?"

She smiled before promptly strolling ahead.

The young cultivator watched as this increasingly mysterious woman walked toward the back of the manor before following her. Stepping outside, there was a small garden before them and Yuan walked past it all.

Ming Yue looked ahead, spotting a smaller house situated next to a pond.

Walking right up to it, the elderly woman made a few sharp knocks on the door before loudly calling out for her husband. 

"Wo Long! It's your wife! I'm coming in!" she called out. 

There was no response coming from the house but Yuan just opened the door and walked in. Ming Yue followed in after her, noticing the many bookshelves that were stuffed with books and papers. There was barely any room for anything but the bare minimum furnishings. Among other things, there was something that she realized. 

"Messy."

It was incredibly disorganized with stacks upon stacks of books and journals everywhere. The cluttering found grew louder before someone came from another room. As they walked out, they tripped, falling forward only for Yuan to catch them.  1

"Ah, dear! You're back!"

The person in her arms was an older man with unkempt hair and tilted glasses. He had a rather clumsy appearance and his clothes were a bit of a mess. But he looked up at Yuan with a big smile, standing back up and dusting himself off. 

Seeing them, Ming Yue found that unlike Yuan, her husband was a mortal. His cultivation was nonexistent. 

"How was your walk? Oh, and who is our guest?" he asked. 

"Ah, well she's the reason I came to you first. Go on, introduce yourself."

Yuan turned to Ming Yue nudging her along. The young woman lowered her head and cupped her fists when greeting him. 

"My name is Ming Yue, I came here looking for Abyssal Ice. Elder Yuan told me that you might know more about this" she said. 

His face lit up as soon as she mentioned it, walking right up to her. 

"You're looking for Abyssal Ice! Really?! Fascinating! Why are you searching for such an extraordinary item?" he asked her.

"I... it is for a pill recipe."

"A pill recipe you say? Where did you obtain such a thing? Can I see it?" 

Ming Yue shook her head. 

"I'm sorry, but I cannot say how I got it but I can show you the list."

The old man didn't seem disappointed at all. 

"Ah, quite alright, just seeing the recipe is enough for me. But please take a seat at the manor, just give me a few minutes to tidy up and grab a few things!"

He turned around and ran off, nearly tripping on the books again. 

Both women shared a look before sighing as they both headed outside to wait. 

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