Chapter Sixty-Seven: Little Qing Emerges!

The five of them settled down in the living room. The maid brought two cups of coffee for Lina and Benny.

“Lina, what brings you such good spirits this time? Planning to visit the Grand Canyon for fun?” Lina picked up her coffee with graceful poise and smiled as she asked. With Yang Ye and Yang Yu present, she spoke in Mandarin.

Yang Ye could tell that Lina must come from a distinguished family and had received formal etiquette training—every gesture she made seemed flawless.

Inviting Lina under the pretense of a trip to the Grand Canyon had been Xia Li’s idea. Unfortunately, an unwanted third wheel had tagged along.

Xia Li laughed, “I’ve been cooped up indoors for too long and wanted to get out for a bit. I’ve heard the Grand Canyon is thrilling, and I wanted to give it a try. Benny is the bodyguard you brought along, right?”

Clearly, Xia Li was testing the relationship between the two. Lina shook her head, shot a fleeting glance at Yang Ye, who was engrossed in his phone, her brows knitting slightly, and said indifferently, “Of course not. He insisted on coming along, claiming the Grand Canyon is dangerous and that he wants to protect me.”

After Lina spoke, Xia Li turned to look at Yang Ye. Seeing him absorbed in his phone, Xia Li grew somewhat annoyed, thinking, “I went to the trouble of creating an excuse to invite Lina, and you don’t even bother to say a word.” What’s more, Yang Ye’s current behavior was rather impolite.

Little did she know, Yang Ye had no interest in Lina whatsoever. As for Benny, despite his courteous appearance, there was an undercurrent of arrogance in his demeanor. Given the mismatch in temperament, Yang Ye couldn’t be bothered to engage.

“What are you looking at, Ye?” Xia Li asked with a smile, trying to remind him.

Yang Ye looked up and smiled, “I’m looking up information about the Grand Canyon online. I didn’t expect the Colorado Grand Canyon to be so magnificent.”

“The scenery is indeed spectacular,” Benny added with a smile. “But unfortunately, it’s extremely dangerous. For nearly a century, it’s been a place where cultivators hone their skills. The terrain is treacherous, and packs of wolves roam there—some led by alpha wolves at the Star-level. When wolves fight, they’re fearless, even cultivators of Star-level wouldn’t want to spend the night there.”

Xia Li asked, “What if we go and return the same day?”

She had discerned that Lina and Benny were not yet romantically involved, so she still hoped to pair Yang Ye and Lina together.

Benny replied, “If you want to make a round trip in a day, you’d have to take a helicopter. But aside from the wolves, there are formidable vultures in the canyon. Star-beast vultures are highly sensitive to the noise of helicopters—once they spot one, they attack viciously.”

“If it’s that dangerous, let’s forget it and find another place,” Yang Yu said.

Yang Ye nodded in agreement. “My sister’s right. It’s not worth risking our lives just for some excitement.”

He wasn’t pretending to be timid; he simply wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.

If they ran into danger, Yang Ye would have to protect not just his sister, but also Xia Li, and Lina, who was Xia Li’s guest—he couldn’t just ignore her.

The moment Yang Ye finished speaking, Benny’s eyes flashed with a subtle disdain. Smiling, he said, “Mr. Yang, did you know that in America, spending a night in one of the ten most dangerous places is considered a sign of courage? You’re a cultivator and a man—surely you’re not lacking in bravery?”

Benny hadn’t realized that Yang Ye was a cultivator of the Star level. Ever since Yang Ye’s internal star force had merged with dragon energy, unless he deliberately revealed it, his true strength was almost impossible to detect by other cultivators. To Benny, Yang Ye seemed to be only at the late Planet level. Benny generally looked down on cultivators of this rank, but there was something about Yang Ye’s aura that made him uncomfortable—a subtle, destructive energy that set him on edge.

Unknowingly, Benny’s attitude toward Yang Ye became adversarial. What he didn’t realize was that Yang Ye had killed dozens of Star-level cultivators in his journey so far. It was this aura, tinged with the murderous intent of one who had destroyed stars, that had provoked Benny.

“Let’s go, then,” Yang Ye said calmly.

With his wavering stance, even Lina now regarded Yang Ye with some scorn.

“In that case, it’s still early—let’s set off now!” Benny smiled and turned to look at Lina.

Having pursued Lina for quite some time, Benny understood her character well. Beneath her elegant exterior, she had a thrill-seeking heart and admired the strong. Recently, she had been following the news from China closely. What Yang Ye didn’t know was that Lina was a fan of his other identity.

“Great!” Lina replied excitedly.

Xia Li made a phone call to arrange matters, and in less than half an hour, their convoy was ready to depart.

A mid-Star level cultivator who had been training in the rear mountains appeared before Yang Ye. He was a Chinese man named Liu Xuan, of average build and unremarkable appearance—a middle-aged man.

“Miss, I advise against going to the Grand Canyon. It’s too dangerous. Perhaps you don’t know, but there are rumors that a super-star-level beast resides in the canyon,” Liu Xuan said with a frown upon hearing Xia Li’s plan.

A super-star-level beast!

Yang Ye’s eyes lit up.

Benny looked puzzled. “Mr. Liu, how come I’ve never heard of this?”

“It’s only a rumor,” Liu Xuan replied. “But there’s always a reason for such tales.”

Benny laughed. “It’s just a legend—nothing to take seriously. But if there really is a super-star-level beast, I’d like to see it with my own eyes.”

Liu Xuan shook his head slightly.

Yang Ye could see that Liu Xuan was a rather cautious cultivator.

Soon, a convoy of six off-road vehicles rolled out of the Xia family estate. Leading the way was Benny’s vehicle, with only him and Lina inside.

All the cars belonged to Xia Li. Originally, she’d wanted to put Yang Ye and Lina together, but unfortunately, Lina’s impression of Yang Ye wasn't favorable.

Yang Ye drove the second vehicle, with Yang Yu in the passenger seat and Xia Li in the back. The remaining four vehicles were filled with Liu Xuan and his team of bodyguards.

“Ye, you’re not interested in Lina?” Xia Li asked as they drove.

Yang Ye gave a wry smile. “Sister, I’ve told you before—I’m already married. Compared to my wife, Lina doesn’t even come close.”

Xia Li sighed. “If that’s the case, then let’s drop it.”

Seeing Xia Li’s disappointed look in the rearview mirror, Yang Ye smiled. “Sister, if you didn’t really care about me, you wouldn’t bother with all this. I know you mean well.”

“Good! At least you understand,” Xia Li replied, breaking into a pleased laugh.

Yang Yu spoke up, “Ye, you really should consider it. If you married Lina, her family could help you a great deal in your cultivation.”

Yang Ye shook his head with a smile. “Sister, I still believe that compatibility in a marriage is more important than anything else. I’m not interested in pampering a spoiled princess like Lina.”

As they drove, Yang Ye’s phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

Seeing that Yang Ye was driving, Yang Yu picked up the phone.

“Husband, where are you? Xiaoqing’s been released!” As soon as the call connected, Long Xiaoqing’s sweet, syrupy voice came through.

Yang Ye nearly drove into a deep ditch on the side of the road in excitement. He hadn’t expected Long Xiaoqing to be released so soon! Hadn’t the steward said it would take a month?