Meanwhile, Gu Rong had indeed gone to look for Ye Wen.
However, because Chen Gang was currently in the process of obtaining his ninth soul ring, all the high-level combatants at the Dugu residence had gone out.
This naturally included Dugu Bo and Huo Rui, leaving the estate's defenses unusually weak.
Before Dugu Bo and the others left, Ye Wen had arranged for Dugu Bo to transfer himself, Huo Yuer, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and the others to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well area.
Though the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well wasn't as fortified as it would be in the Unrivaled Tang Sect era—when Tang San planted a large number of Jade Phosphorous Seven-Extreme Flowers or Jade Phosphorous Nine-Extreme Flowers, turning it into an impenetrable forbidden zone—the toxic barrier set up by Dugu Bo was still impassable for anyone below the Title Douluo level.
Additionally, Dugu Bo regularly cleared out spirit beasts near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. As long as no Title Douluo deliberately tracked them, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was extremely safe.
Thus, Gu Rong naturally came back empty-handed.
But could a proud Title Douluo like him swallow this humiliation? Although Gu Rong's Bone Dragon martial soul didn't have the keen sense of smell that Yu Xiaogang's Luo San Pao possessed, he still had plenty of people at his disposal!
However, as Chen Xin had said, Gu Rong was ultimately a man with restraint. When he considered gathering manpower to track Ye Wen, he realized that doing so might completely alienate the other party.
After all, investigating someone's hidden location clearly indicated malicious intent.
For a moment, Gu Rong's expression fluctuated between anger and hesitation, but in the end, he swallowed his pride.
However, though he couldn't directly observe Ye Wen, Gu Rong wasn't one to give up easily. He returned to the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect and asked Ning Fengzhi for the investigative materials he had compiled.
Good grief—what he saw shocked him to his core.
Previously, Gu Rong had only known Ye Wen as Dugu Bo's disciple—a young soul master of the new generation—not someone he paid much attention to, and he had even briefly considered assassinating him.
But now, looking at this dossier, he began to doubt whether Ning Fengzhi was pulling his leg.
"Fengzhi, are you sure you didn't give me the wrong file? Is this really the true situation of that brat?" Gu Rong asked, his squinty eyes widening in disbelief, betraying his astonishment.
Ning Fengzhi shook his head helplessly. "Uncle Bone, accept reality. Sometimes, geniuses are just this unreasonable."
"But... but...
Isn't this too outrageous? Are these the capabilities of a mere 13-year-old?
The shops under his control are almost spread across every city in Tian Dou territory! And the annual profits are nearly one percent of what our Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect earns!"
"Uncle Bone, the math isn't done like that. Though he has amassed such profits in a short time, if you look closely, you'll see that he gives away a significant portion of those profits—even more than the proportion we give from the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect. Therefore, his personal earnings likely amount to about three-thousandths of our sect's total profits," Ning Fengzhi explained.
Even earning three-thousandths of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect's profits was astonishing.
Among the top three sects, while the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect might not be the strongest in terms of power, its ability to generate wealth was unparalleled. Aside from the inherent treasure-detecting properties of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, the sect's influence spanned numerous industries.
And yet, Ye Wen had achieved this level of profitability solely through the pharmaceutical industry, even after distributing most of the profits. This alone was a remarkable feat.
Though Gu Rong hadn't fully understood Ye Wen yet, based purely on his money-making abilities, he began to acknowledge the boy.
Still, seeing was believing, and Gu Rong decided to personally investigate the business of Ye Wen's pharmacies.
Just as Gu Rong was about to leave, Ning Fengzhi called out, "Uncle Bone, wait a moment."
"What is it?" Gu Rong asked.
At this point, Ning Fengzhi stood up and addressed Gu Rong: "You won't be able to find that boy, Ye Wen, anytime soon. Since that's the case, why not start by asking those close to him? I've invited the head of the Ye family, Ye Xixi. As his newly minted mother-in-law, she likely knows more."
Gu Rong paused, then nodded and followed him.
Though the Ye family wasn't even among the lower four sects, with the addition of Chen Gang—a newly minted Title Douluo—and the extraordinary healing abilities of the Nine-Heart Begonia, they had become the strongest family faction beneath the top three sects.
(Author's note: In the manhua version's world setting, the Nine-Heart Begonia, Seven Kill Sword, and Ma Hongjun's Evil Phoenix were referred to as the "Earth Three Sects," corresponding to the "Heaven Three Sects" (the top three sects). However, due to their sparse populations and single-line inheritance, they never formed large-scale sects and thus weren't ranked among the top three sects. Even so, these three martial souls' immense potential made them deeply feared by the Spirit Hall in the manhua's setting.)
Though Ye Xixi, as an auxiliary soul master, lacked combat strength, with Chen Gang having recently broken through to Title Douluo, anyone who dared to harm her as the head of the Ye family would be courting death. Moreover, many high-level soul masters sought her healing skills daily. Considering her reputation and other factors, Ye Xixi hadn't gone into hiding with the others.
As for why Ye Wen had chosen to hide with his fiancées—
It was simply because smart people don't put all their eggs in one basket. While most wouldn't dare target someone with Title Douluo backing, what if some lunatic did?
Ning Fengzhi entered the reception hall and saw Ye Xixi, graceful and poised, delicately sipping her fragrant tea. A flicker of admiration passed through his eyes.
Unfortunately, this fine lady was too entangled in complications, and since Ning Fengzhi himself was also an auxiliary soul master, he harbored no thoughts of pursuing her.
With a smile, Ning Fengzhi apologized: "My apologies, Madam Ye. I kept you waiting—I was delayed by some matters."
"Lord Ning, there's no need for such formalities. But may I ask why you've summoned me today?" Ye Xixi replied calmly.
Though the Ye family had always seemed to be led by Chen Gang, years of exposure and responsibility had tempered Ye Xixi's character, even if she appeared gentle.
But Ning Fengzhi, too, was a smiling tiger and didn't rush to answer. Instead, he sat down leisurely.
Ye Xixi continued to sip her tea without showing any reaction, but inwardly, she felt a growing sense of foreboding.
Sure enough, Ning Fengzhi's opening statement was explosive, causing Ye Xixi to spit out a mouthful of hot tea in shock!
"It's nothing major. I've called Madam Ye here to ask—how good is your daughter's fiancé that she's willing to share him with three other women?"
"Cough, cough." Ye Xixi choked slightly, but quickly covered her lips with her hand and composed herself.
However, her previously gentle eyes now brimmed with wariness.
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