Chapter 2248, High-Grade Earth Vein Translator: Silavin & Danny Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys Maplewood City, Qin Family. On the sickbed in Qin Yu’s boudoir, laid Qin Yu looking as pale as a ghost. She coughed gently from time to time and occasionally so violently that she could not even breathe. An inexplicable Death Qi lingered around Qin Yu, one that even ordinary mortals who had never cultivated before could vaguely feel. Someone with a bit of cultivation could clearly see Qin Yu was enveloped by a faint black Qi with just a scan of their Divine Sense. As time went by, the black Qi became denser. No one knew what kind of energy the black Qi was, but since it appeared two months ago, it had been devouring Qin Yu’s vitality, making her condition worse day by day. It was her World Tribulation Body Special Constitution, which was not allowed by the Heavens and Earth. Anyone with Qin Yu’s Special Constitution could not live beyond eighteen years of age, because the World Principles would cut off their vitality. Beside the sickbed, a maidservant who served Qin Yu, gently wiped away the tears from her red and swollen eyes. Qin Yu was kind and polite to both her Seniors and Juniors. Everyone in the Qin Family respected her, including this maidservant. The maidservant was in extreme distress that the Young Lady of the family was suffering from a serious illness and had weakened this much in just two months. “What are you crying for?! Get out of here, you useless thing!” Qin Zhao Yang shouted in fury from the side. He was extremely anxious these days, and the sight of this maidservant crying in front of him aggravated his worries and fury, so he could not stop himself from venting at her. The maidservant fell to her knees in terror, but she did not leave, “Forgive me, Old Ancestor! Please show mercy! This servant will stop crying, but this servant will not go! This servant wants to stay and take care of the Young Lady...” She begged repeatedly with utter sincerity. Qin Zhao Yang opened his mouth to say something but could only sigh deeply, raised his hand to use an invisible force to lift the maidservant up. Restraining his anger, he muttered, “Forget it...” He was too depressed and lonely to argue. “It is this servant’s fault. This servant did not take good care of the Young Lady,” as the maidservant spoke, she silently wiped the newly shed tears from her eyes. “Old Ancestor...” On the sickbed, Qin Yu gently called out suddenly. With another fierce cough, the maidservant quickly went forward to pat her back. After Qin Yu had stopped coughing, Qin Zhao Yang said in a soft voice, “Yu’er, take a good rest. Don’t say anything.” Qin Yu shook her head slowly and asked, “Big Brother Yang... Is he back yet?” Hearing this, Qin Zhao Yang’s face changed slightly, at a loss for words. As Qin Yu approached her eighteenth birthday, Yang Kai was her only hope for survival, but there was still no sign of him. Qin Zhao Yang could not help but begin to wonder if he had trusted the wrong person. He had already investigated what happened in the Four Seasons Realm. In the Four Seasons Realm, Yang Kai had performed an incredible feat of refining a legendary Spirit Pill before outwitting and overpowering the elite disciples of various great forces all on his own. The news had spread widely across the entire Southern Territory. Maplewood City was a small city, but it was not difficult to catch the news with Qin Zhao Yang’s effort. However, the Four Seasons Realm had closed nearly three months ago, so if Yang Kai had really gotten the Tribulation Fruit, he should have come back to Maplewood City long ago. Why then had he not appeared yet? Qin Zhao Yang did not want to be overly suspicious and pessimistic, but he just could not be at ease for even a day without seeing Yang Kai. He did not know whether Yang Kai was too embarrassed to see him because he failed to obtain the Tribulation Fruit, or Yang Kai did not take the matter of the Tribulation Fruit seriously and had completely forgotten the matter. The world was too big, so even if he planned to look for Yang Kai, he would not know where to start. What was more, he did not have enough time. “Old Ancestor, are you suspecting Big Brother Yang?” Although Qin Yu was extremely ill, she was still as beautiful and intelligent as before and immediately knew what was on his mind as soon as she saw the look on Qin Zhao Yang’s face. “Old Ancestor does not want to overthink things either, he just hopes Little Brother Yang can bring that item back as soon as possible, but... even if he didn’t manage to obtain the item, he should still return to explain. He is not omnipotent, this Old Ancestor can understand, but now he...!” “Perhaps Big Brother Yang was delayed by some important matter,” Qin Yu said softly, but just as she had just finished speaking, she coughed again. “Old Ancestor hopes so,” Qin Zhao Yang gave a wry smile, but he disapproved in his heart. [Even if he was delayed, he could always send someone to deliver a message, right?] Deep down in his heart, he felt that Yang Kai probably took the Myriads Sword from the Qin Family and did not want to come back. It would be fine even if he lost an Emperor Artifact like the Myriads Sword as, although it was extremely valuable, the Qin Family had declined so far that no one in the family could use its power anymore. Also, an ordinary man is innocent but his treasures make him guilty, so having such a precious treasure around might bring them more harm than good down the line. But the cost of trusting the wrong person made Qin Zhao Yang feel extremely heartbroken and he secretly regretted that he had given such an important task to a person he barely knew. If he had gone to the Four Seasons Realm on his own at that time, there might be a glimmer of hope that Qin Yu could be saved. The deep sense of guilt and self-blame was the cause of Qin Zhao Yang’s sleepless nights and lack of appetite. “Big Brother Yang will be back,” Qin Yu said with a determined voice, “He is not the kind of person who would take advantage of others and leave without saying goodbye.” “Young Lady, at this point of time, why are you still defending that person?” The maidservant watched in distress, tears struggling to leak out again. “You don’t know anything,” Qin Yu reprimanded her gently and continued, “Although I haven’t known Big Brother Yang for a long time, Old Ancestor, you should know that I have the Fated Fortune Heavenly Pupil, and my judgement about people is never wrong.” Hearing this, Qin Zhao Yang’s eyes lit up, and he felt a little hopeful again. It was true. Although Qin Yu did not have a very high cultivation, because she had the Fated Fortune Heavenly Pupil, her ability to assess others’ characters was incredibly accurate. With just a glance, she could sense if a person was good or evil, and if a person was trustworthy or not. Without Qin Yu’s advice, Qin Zhao Yang would never have given the Four Seasons Realm entry quota to Yang Kai. “So Big Brother Yang must be delayed by something,” Qin Yu ended the discussion before changing the topic, “Old Ancestor, don’t worry about me and attend to your own affairs. I will get better sooner or later. In fact, I heard from Hui’er that quite a few important characters have recently arrived here in Maplewood City... and some are even residing in our Qin Residence?” “En!” Qin Zhao Yang nodded, “Old Ancestor did not tell you about it because you were so ill lately, but it seems this little girl has been gossiping behind my back.” While talking, he glared at the maidservant called Hui’er. The maidservant gulped, “This servant just told the Young Lady some recent news to uplift her mood. This servant dares not repeat it next time.” “I’ll chop off your legs if this happens again!” Qin Zhao Yang snorted coldly. “Don’t be afraid, Old Ancestor is just scaring you,” Qin Yu smiled and patted the back of Hui’er’s hand. Qin Zhao Yang sighed deeply, “The people in the family are all spoiled by you.” “Old Ancestor, what is happening in the city recently, why have so many people suddenly come?” Qin Yu asked, turning her head. In the past two years, the peace of Maplewood City was consistently disturbed. First was the appearance of the Divine Spirit Luan Feng, attracting Masters sent by great forces like Star Soul Palace to investigate. Then, there was a Demon Qi explosion which besieged the city, causing a great deal of trouble. The nearby Forest City was wiped out in the latter incident, but fortunately, the Demon Qi had retreated voluntarily in the end, restoring peace and calm once more. If that wasn’t the case, Maplewood City would likely be a desolated ruin by now. After that event, a few Emperor Realm Masters worked tirelessly to investigate the situation. The reason for the arrivals of these Masters this time was still unknown to Qin Yu, so she was quite curious. Although Qin Yu heard some rumours from Hui’er, she did not know any details. “The source of this recent incident actually has something to do with the appearance of that Demon Qi last time,” Qin Zhao Yang sighed, with a sad look on his face. Qin Yu’s delicate face slightly changed upon hearing this and she exclaimed, “Is it possible the Demon Qi that disappeared inexplicably has appeared again?” Hui’er, who was standing next to her, trembled, with her face filled with terror. “That’s not it,” Qin Zhao Yang replied, “The Demon Qi retreated inexplicably and has never appeared again. The reason for what is happening now is because a High-Grade Earth Vein has appeared beneath the seal that we visited last time.” “A High-Grade Earth Vein?” Qin Yu’s eyes lit up, “Has a High-Grade Earth Vein really appeared in our Maplewood City?” Qin Zhao Yang laughed, “We, the old folk of the city, were surprised too. You know, the reason why Maplewood City has not attracted any great forces is that it is too small and the World Energy aura of this region is not very rich. There are also no special products produced here, so the City Lord’s Mansion has been able to take responsibility for all things all this time. However, when this High-Grade Earth Vein appeared, the situation changed...” “A single High-Grade Earth Vein would not be enough to cause such a stir... could there be other reasons these great forces have decided to act?” “Indeed!” Qin Zhao Yang looked solemn, “Near that High-Grade Earth Vein, it seems that many branches of Mid-Grade and Low-Grade Earth Veins have also been found. In addition, towards the direction of Clear Jade Mountain, a Source Crystal lode was discovered, but the grade of this mine is still to be determined!” Qin Yu could not help feeling shocked this time. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚 She finally understood why Maplewood City had attracted so many outsiders. A Source Crystals lode was enough to start a war over, not to mention that there were many Earth Veins of different qualities in this place too. “Of course, great forces like Star Soul Palace would not pay any attention to these Earth Veins or a single Source Crystal lode, but the second and third-tier forces are all very interested in these things,” Qin Zhao Yang continued. “Maplewood City is not the same anymore, there are already several dozen Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters here, and if the benefits seem to be large enough, it probably won’t be long until Emperors begin to appear as well.” Qin Yu listened intently, then said seriously, “Old Ancestor, during this critical situation, I don’t think we, the Qin Family, should get ourselves involved. Let us just wait and observe. We are no match to those giants.”