Seeing Song Santong bowing and apologizing before her, Du Yuemian’s mind was still buzzing. She looked at Ye Ming, clearly waiting for him to make a decision.
"Ahem!"
Seeing this, Ye Ming could only walk over. He first glanced at Song Santong and, seeing that his actions didn't seem fake, said to Du Yuemian, "Just tell us what happened!"
Although most people could guess some of the truth, it was better for the involved parties to speak for themselves.
"Mm!"
Du Yuemian nodded slightly and recounted the detailed events.
A few minutes later.
With Xi Yao’s testimony, everyone understood what had actually happened.
It was mostly as everyone had speculated.
Song Santong's disciple, Liu Yun, upon discovering that a great opportunity had appeared in the inner circle and the core circle trials were too extreme, set his sights on the inner circle.
At that time, with his peak Martial Emperor strength, he was virtually invincible in the inner circle.
Of course!
He was not the only one who had come from the core circle to snatch opportunities.
However, no Martial Gods had intervened.
This led to Liu Yun and the other peak Martial Emperors becoming extremely overbearing, almost monopolizing all the opportunities in the inner circle in a short period.
Among these, they only dared not act against the opportunities held by the core disciples of the four super-powers.
Later, after news of Du Yuemian obtaining the Enlightenment Fruit leaked, those peak Martial Emperors, like wolves smelling blood, all turned their attention to her.
Among them, Liu Yun's greed was the deepest.
This was because after other peak Martial Emperors learned that Du Yuemian was affiliated with the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion, they temporarily ceased their pursuit.
After all, the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion was one of the four super-powers, and they couldn't afford to offend them.
But Liu Yun did not.
During a brief separation between Du Yuemian and Xi Yao, he launched a sneak attack from the shadows.
Fortunately, Du Yuemian was not a traditional martial artist but an immortal cultivator. Using her senses, she narrowly dodged the attack.
After his attack failed, Liu Yun did not retreat.
In his eyes, Du Yuemian's strength was only at the late Martial Sect stage. With his peak Martial Emperor strength, he could defeat her in an instant.
Then, not only would he obtain the Enlightenment Fruit, but he would also gain a beautiful woman, making it a perfect scenario.
However, due to Liu Yun's underestimation and Du Yuemian’s use of immortal cultivation power, Liu Yun not only failed to capture Du Yuemian but was also wounded by her blade.
Although the wound was minor, it was an immense humiliation for Liu Yun.
Just as he was putting away his arrogance and preparing to use his full strength, Xi Yao and the others arrived.
Upon the arrival of the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion members, no matter how unwilling or humiliated Liu Yun felt, he had to swallow his pride.
And the next time Du Yuemian saw Liu Yun was in this core circle.
What happened afterward was self-explanatory.
"Scoundrel!"
After listening, Song Santong flew into a rage. "I, Song Santong, lived an upright life, yet I taught such a wicked disciple! It truly enrages me!"
His current demeanor suggested he might as well have brought Liu Yun's corpse to "educate" him again.
"Miss Du, please rest assured! This matter is entirely the fault of that scoundrel, and I am not one who cannot distinguish right from wrong!"
As he spoke, Song Santong directly produced a transparent bead emitting a milky white light, his tone exceptionally sincere. "This item is called the Snow Jade Bead. Consider it an apology from my scoundrel to you, Miss!"
The Snow Jade Bead?
Upon hearing the name, the eyes of some female ancient martial artists in the audience, including Xi Yao, couldn't help but flash with a golden gleam.
"Could this be the legendary Snow Jade Bead that can delay a woman's aging and nourish the spirit!"
"Heavens! I only heard before that the Lord of Mount Forget-Worries, the ruthless Martial God, possessed one, and I never expected Song Santong to have one as well!"
"Such a precious treasure... was it just given away?"
"What is happening to this world? Clearly, that young man killed his disciple, and yet..."
"Fellow Daoist! Speak with caution!"
"Yes! Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist!"
"..."
Upon hearing the discussions, Du Yuemian also understood the efficacy of the bead before her.
If she hadn't encountered Ye Ming before, she might have been tempted. But ever since she began cultivating the immortal path, the Snow Jade Bead's allure to her had dropped to zero.
However, she did not refuse immediately. Instead, she gave Ye Ming a look, allowing him to make the decision for her.
After a moment of contemplation, Ye Ming finally nodded.
Regardless, Song Santong had already backed down, and the previous incident was caused by his disciple. Holding onto it would be unreasonable.
"Then... thank you, Senior!"
Receiving his assent, Du Yuemian accepted the Snow Jade Bead.
"You are too kind, Miss Du!"
Seeing that she had accepted his apology, Song Santong's heart, which had been hanging by a thread, finally settled.
Before this, the danger signals his body had been transmitting had never ceased.
The moment Du Yuemian accepted the Snow Jade Bead, they slowly subsided.
Now!
He knew that his life was saved.
"Well... since the misunderstanding has been resolved, I shall take my leave!"
Song Santong ignored the strange gazes of the surrounding crowd and disappeared from sight in less than a moment.
The disturbance caused by this incident seemed to have come to an end.
However, it was far from over.
Regardless of the outcome, one thing was undeniable.
Du Yuemian truly possessed the Enlightenment Fruits.
And!
She had five of them!
One must remember that she was currently in the core circle of the Land of Celestial Guardians.
The reason those peak Martial Emperors had not dared to force the issue in the inner circle was due to the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion.
But now, within this core circle, not everyone feared the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion.
Five Enlightenment Fruits!
It was enough to make many risk everything.
Not to mention, the person holding those five Enlightenment Fruits was a peerless beauty.
Perhaps, one could reap both wealth and beauty.
It was a temptation that few could resist.
Ye Ming looked at the crowd that had not dispersed, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He could even sense the aura of many Martial Gods secretly observing.
It was obvious what those people intended to do.
Du Yuemian knew it too!
"Yuemian! Where are the Enlightenment Fruits you obtained?"
Ye Ming glanced at the crowd, let out a cold laugh, and then asked.
"Here!"
Du Yuemian asked no further questions and handed the Enlightenment Fruits she had obtained to Ye Ming.
However, there were not five.
Only three!
At this moment, Xi Yao stepped forward slightly, also producing two Enlightenment Fruits. "Yuemian gave me two!"
Now, upon seeing the five Enlightenment Fruits in Ye Ming's and Xi Yao's hands, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
Even the Martial Gods hidden in the shadows intensified their auras noticeably. If they had not been wary of each other, they would have already made a move to snatch them.
At this moment, Ye Ming gently wiped one of the Enlightenment Fruits in his hand and asked Du Yuemian:
"Yuemian, are you thirsty right now?"