Master Stepping on Snow

Chapter 467 - 398 Invitation

Chapter 467: Chapter 398 Invitation


Among the major noble families in Copper City, the Ye Family is the strongest.


Ye Ying counts as a side branch of a side branch of the Ye Family, able to claim some connection to the Ye Family.


It is precisely because of this thin connection that Ye Ying can establish himself in the West District.


Regarding the requests of Miss Ye, Ye Ying certainly didn’t dare to refuse. In fact, he was even quite pleased to have such an opportunity to flatter Miss Ye.


What does the death of a few people matter? Even if the other twelve Eagles all died, as long as he could please Miss Ye, that would be no problem.


Ye Ying even fantasized that Miss Ye would take a liking to him because of this, and he could then soar to great heights, no longer having to muddle through in a place like the West District.


Of course, he would not share these thoughts with Liu Ying.


Liu Ying said with some concern, "But just Old Third alone might not be enough, right?"


Ye Ying said, "It’s okay, this time we’re all going. Let’s have the brothers risk their lives for us. As long as we can win Miss Ye’s favor, it will all be worth it."


"The underground copper mine tunnels are complex and very dangerous. Let’s not go, okay?"


Liu Ying still felt this matter was dangerous and was unwilling to get involved.


"Even Ye Jinxiu, the prestigious Miss Ye, is personally leading people down there, what are you afraid of."


Ye Ying continued, "Rest assured, after all, I am still a side branch of the Ye Family. Ye Jinxiu won’t do anything to us..."


"Oh..." Liu Ying was half-convinced.


"If we win Miss Ye’s favor, we can move to the East City District, buy a big house, get married, have children, and live a stable life in the future..."


Ye Ying was quite persuasive, painting a beautiful picture which got Liu Ying also excited. She hugged Ye Ying, and soon they rolled together into a passionate tangle.


Gao Xuan heard this and quietly slipped into the kitchen, where Old Zhu was sleeping like a pig. Gao Xuan kicked him awake.


Old Zhu had gotten used to this, he scrambled up and quickly responded, "Third Master, the meat is all prepared for you. It’s right in the pot."


Gao Xuan didn’t bother with Old Zhu, he went over and opened the pot to see a pig knuckle being stewed inside. There wasn’t much seasoning used; the pork even had a slight gamey smell.


But he had no room to pick faults; others couldn’t even get a taste of meat. This was meat that Old Zhu spent money from his own little stash to buy.


Gao Xuan picked up the knuckle and started gnawing fiercely. It had been stewed long enough, the skin and meat were tender, and he cleaned the whole hind leg knuckle in a few bites.


Old Zhu, watching from the side, swallowed his saliva, but tactfully brought over a few large pancakes.


Gao Xuan dipped the pancakes in the broth, eating over a dozen of them before feeling about seventy percent full.


His body was currently consuming a huge amount of energy and blood, and eating a whole pig in a day was no problem.


But the circumstances were what they were, so Gao Xuan could only control his food intake.


The next day, Ye Ying suddenly splurged, buying two sheep, two pigs, and a cow.


Old Zhu busied himself for most of the day, finally managing to clean and process the meat. By nighttime, the people of the Thirteen Flying Eagles Gang had a feasting spree.


For a moment, their morale soared.


Those in the gang didn’t have much ambition; having a good meal was enough to satisfy them.


Taking advantage of everyone’s high spirits, Ye Ying announced they would go on an expedition to the West Mountain Copper Kiln tomorrow.


Most of the smiles on everyone’s faces froze. They were all from humble beginnings and knew well what the West Mountain Copper Kiln was like.


It was already winter, and it was even colder inside the copper kiln. The tunnels were also complex; who knew when they might collapse.


Carelessly getting trapped inside, one or two days would spell freezing to death.


Ye Ying laughed heartily three times, "Brothers, no need to fear, this time we are going with Miss Ye. This is our opportunity. As long as you perform well and catch Miss Ye’s eye, you could immediately soar into the sky.


"Even if we just end up in the Ye Family as a night watchman, it would still be a change of fortune. You wouldn’t have to worry for the rest of your life.


"The opportunity is right before you, don’t miss it! Changing fate against the heavens starts with this move..."


Ye Ying raised his chipped wine bowl, "Brothers, we have one lowly life; if not fight now, then when!"


Ye Ying, being relatively handsome and articulate, inflamed everyone, who had already drunk quite a bit. They raised their bowls together and drained them in one go.


Gao Xuan didn’t care about the others; while they were drunk, he cleared all the meat from the table.


Since they were going on an adventure tomorrow, eating more meat was certainly good.


Gao Xuan’s stomach couldn’t hold much, but he could convert food into energy and blood.


When necessary, consuming energy and blood would allow him to function normally for three to five days without food.


By the next day, Ye Ying called everyone up early in the morning. This time, he distributed fur coats, cotton-padded boots, and other cold weather gear, as well as torches, long knives, long spears, etc.


Inside the copper kiln was dark and cold; without these equipment, it was impossible to move an inch.


These pieces of equipment were all provided by the Ye Family, so Ye Ying didn’t have to spend money. He was happy to play the generous role.


The members of the Thirteen Flying Eagles Gang hadn’t worn new clothes in who knows how long. Wearing the new sheepskin coats and pigskin stitched cotton boots, each one of them was especially excited.


Ye Ying smiled at Gao Xuan who had changed into the fur coat and cotton boots, "Old Third, this was specially prepared for you."


Gao Xuan ignored Ye Ying; this guy was treacherous and sly, very boring to him. At this point, there was no need to humor him.


However, the set of clothing and cotton shoes was indeed custom-made.


Gao Xuan’s body stood nearly two meters tall, with broad shoulders, a thick back, and long strong limbs. Just his stature alone was quite intimidating.


In the past ten days, Gao Xuan had actually lost nearly twenty pounds. This was because he was refining tendons and bones, consuming energy and blood. The excess fat and flab in the body were all burned away.


Muscles aren’t always better the more there are. For combat needs, overly large muscles could affect exertion, balance, and agility.


Professional combat athletes, whether boxers, wrestlers, or mixed martial artists, have body types that differ greatly from those of bodybuilders.


Gao Xuan was now in this kind of state, with compact and strong muscles all over his body but not bulky.


When others looked at Gao Xuan, they all thought he had lost weight due to injury. These people didn’t have the eye to see that Gao Xuan had made great progress in his martial arts.


Ye Ying, after finding no pleasure in Gao Xuan, felt a bit embarrassed. Luckily, no one noticed, and he could only give a dry laugh, turn around, and go find Liu Ying.


But in his heart, he had already made up his mind to kill Gao Xuan no matter what.


Gao Xuan’s martial power was originally the strongest in the gang. However, since he was foolish and naive, he was easy to manipulate. Ye Ying just saw Gao Xuan as a tool to use.


Now that Gao Xuan wouldn’t listen to him, it was troublesome. If one day Gao Xuan rebelled, he wouldn’t be able to resist at all.


Ye Ying’s heart gave rise to a murderous intent, and naturally, his face showed a bit of a fierce expression.


This scared Liu Ying, who was startled, and she quietly inquired, only to learn that Ye Ying had murderous intent towards Gao Xuan.


Liu Ying softly comforted him: "Once we get to the Copper Kiln, we’ll let the third elder scout the way. If he encounters the Fire Cloud Snake, isn’t he as good as dead?"


Ye Ying nodded; it didn’t matter how they calculated against Gao the Third from behind, they could definitely kill that guy.


The Thirteen Flying Eagles Gang members dressed in new clothes, took their weapons and equipment, and went out in a rowdy manner.


The group’s martial arts weren’t impressive, but they were all quick on their feet. After walking all morning, by noon, they had already arrived at the entrance of the West Mountain Copper Kiln.


In the dead of winter, looking around, the mountains were draped in snow, appearing quite magnificent.


The people present didn’t have many thoughts; standing at the Copper Kiln entrance, the northwest wind blew on them, making their faces red with cold, and they all rushed into the Copper Kiln.


It was cold inside as well, but it was sheltered from the wind.


In a cold environment, the wind is the most terrifying; it causes a person’s body heat to quickly dissipate. Without wind, a person can still barely maintain their body temperature with clothing, and be okay for a short time.


The group waited in the Copper Kiln for a good half-hour before the Ye Family convoy arrived.


This time, quite a number of people from the Ye Family came, with over a dozen cars.


The convoy stopped at the entrance of the Copper Kiln, and the group picked a sheltered mountain hollow to set up camp and put up tents.


The Thirteen Flying Eagles Gang members were dumbfounded, being from the lower class, they had never seen such behavior. Going out and setting up tents, how exaggerated!


But Gao Xuan saw through it; this group intended to stay long-term, hence preparing tents, including food and other supplies.


It seemed that Miss Ye was really planning to undertake a major venture here.


Once the tents were set up, a young girl got off a beautifully decorated car.


This girl was about seventeen or eighteen, draped in a snow-white fox fur coat, with a fluffy white hood on her head and a face mask for warmth, exposing only a pair of bright, pretty black eyes.


Just from her eyes, Gao Xuan thought Ye Jinxiu was a beauty. her eyes were bright and calm, appearing very smart and capable.


The Thirteen Flying Eagles Gang members, who had never seen such splendid clothes and such graceful and delicate young women, were all staring in a daze.


Ye Jinxiu casually glanced at the Flying Eagles Gang members, pausing when her gaze fell upon Gao Xuan. Even from afar, she could tell he had extraordinarily strong muscles and bones, with an apparent vigorous vitality.


Could a street-level gang like the Flying Eagles Gang possess such an expert?


Ye Jinxiu thought she might be mistaken, yet she developed a bit of interest in Gao Xuan.


She said to Aunt Xia beside her: "Bring Ye Ying and that big guy to meet me."


Aunt Xia was Ye Jinxiu’s personal bodyguard, also serving as her nanny and housekeeper. The two shared a close relationship. Ye Jinxiu handled most things through Aunt Xia.


Aunt Xia was a middle-aged woman with a stern and cold face, her figure upright and athletic, and a sheathed long knife slanted at her waist.


She gestured from afar to Ye Ying, indicating him to bring Gao Xuan to the tent for a talk.


Ye Ying was puzzled as to why Gao Xuan was needed, but he didn’t dare ask. The gap in status between the parties was too vast, asking was only looking for trouble.


Once Gao Xuan and Ye Ying entered the tent, they felt a wave of heat hit them.


In such a short time, several charcoal heaters had been placed inside the tent, making it a completely different temperature from outside.


Ye Jinxiu had also taken off her fur coat and hood, wearing martial arts sword robes with a very exquisite leather armor over it, looking very heroic.


This time she wasn’t wearing a mask, revealing a small round face, with a small and delicate nose and mouth, her features exquisite and beautiful.


Ye Jinxiu sat proudly in the main seat, her demeanor calm, naturally exuding an aura of noble stature.


Ye Ying sneakily glanced at Ye Jinxiu, then quickly lowered his head, not daring to look again.


Gao Xuan, however, had no apprehensions; he scrutinized Ye Jinxiu and calmly met her gaze, which surprised Ye Jinxiu.


It wasn’t that Gao Xuan was presumptuous, but his gaze was deep and calm, with a demeanor that commanded respect, his body compact and strong, exhibiting strong vitality like a furnace. He had evidently reached the level of refining muscles and bones.


Ye Jinxiu asked curiously: "What’s your name?"


Ye Ying was about to speak, but Gao Xuan had already answered: "Gao Xuan."


"Gao Xuan?"


Ye Jinxiu smiled slightly; this name wasn’t commonly seen at lower levels. Her interest in Gao Xuan increased.


"I wonder under whom have you studied? What method have you practiced?"


"Horizontal Training Thirteen Grand Protectors."


Hearing how fluently Gao Xuan answered, Ye Ying silently cursed. This kid became smart when it mattered. Even more troublesome, it seemed Ye Jinxiu had taken a liking to Gao Xuan!


Sure enough, Ye Jinxiu said: "I see you’re a good man. Would you be willing to be my protector?"