Qing'er brought back some decent news. The First Madam allowed Huang Ye to walk around near the small lake, but he was still not permitted to enter the areas belonging to the City Lord and his wives.

Huang Ye understood this as a prohibition against entering the City Lord's area, with the others being incidental.

These people had their own agendas, and sending Qing'er to ask was just a way to test the waters.

The two girls pushed Huang Ye to the lakeside. When they reached the covered walkway, they helped him walk along, stumbling here and there.

As expected, they hadn't been there for even the time it takes to burn a stick of incense when the Second Young Master and his group arrived as promised.

The Second Young Master watched Huang Ye from a distance, his expression shifting unpredictably.

Ever since he heard the news of Huang Ye's awakening, he felt a heavy pressure.

After discussing with his mother, he realized the situation was more complicated than he thought.

He had brainstormed with a few advisors, but due to increased security in the manor, they had to abandon their plans.

He regretted not acting sooner, and last night he vented his frustration wildly.

"Young Master, if nothing else works, we could arrange for an assassin to kill him," one of his subordinates suggested.

"That's nonsense. Don't you think I know that? With the current security in the manor, how could an assassin get in?"

"Young Master, what I mean is to find an assassin among the guards."

"Foolish! If we recruit from the guards, outsiders will definitely know we're behind it."

"Even if it succeeds, Father will have to give an explanation to the outside world for fairness, and I'll be the first to be blamed."

"It's not just me who's troubled; Father is too. He's about to come of age, and if he leaves here, he'll definitely take a large portion of the assets with him."

"That can't be right. If he leaves, he'll be all alone, and there will be no shortage of people eyeing his wealth. He won't be able to hold onto it!"

"What do you know? If he leaves, with Father still around, who would dare seize his assets unless Father is no longer the City Lord?"

"Young Master, could we bribe his maid?"

"Given the current situation, that's the best approach, but that Qing'er is a stumbling block."

"She's been with him since childhood, never leaving his side. We'll have to bribe another maid."

"Go investigate that maid's situation first, and once you have all the details, consider how to proceed."

"Yes, I'll handle it right away."

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The Second Young Master led his group towards the covered walkway.

From afar, he waved and called out, "Third Brother, Third Brother!"

The two girls had no choice but to stop when they saw him.

"Greetings, Second Young Master!"

Huang Ye looked at Qing'er with a slightly dazed expression.

"Young Master, is this your Second Brother?"

"Se... Se... Second Brother..." Huang Ye said with a hint of confusion.

"Qing'er, it seems my brother is recovering well; he can even call people now."

"What... What... What is it?" Huang Ye continued.

All the onlookers tried hard not to burst out laughing.

"Young Master, Second Brother is not a thing; he's a person," Qing'er retorted unceremoniously.

The Second Young Master almost twisted his nose in anger, but he couldn't find a reason to blame her.

He thought to himself, "You little brat, I'll turn you into a thing sooner or later, and as for you, little girl, I'll make sure you suffer in the future."

The Second Young Master approached Huang Ye, and the two girls immediately helped Huang Ye retreat.

"You two don't need to be afraid; I just want to get closer to him."

"Thank you, Second Young Master, but our Young Master is still a bit shy."

"No worries, he'll get used to it over time."

However, the two girls didn't heed the Second Young Master's words and simply helped Huang Ye onto a wheelchair.

Seeing the Second Young Master still approaching, Qing'er stepped between them and gave a slight bow.

"Second Young Master, our Young Master is tired and needs to go back. We won't trouble you further."

The little girl stood firmly, and seeing her like this, the Second Young Master couldn't force his way through.

He said reluctantly, "Alright, I'll chat with him next time. I hope he can come out again."

The two girls didn't respond, and Huang Ye didn't even look at him, his eyes fixed on the direction of the small lake, as if this Second Brother didn't exist.

The Second Young Master wished he could kick the wheelchair into the lake, but he wasn't foolish.

"Let's go!"

The group left, led by the fuming Second Young Master.

"Young Master, that Qing'er is indeed very protective. Should we target her family?" Advisor A suggested.

With a "smack," a loud slap landed unceremoniously on Advisor A's face.

"Idiot! Those maids who enter the manor from a young age have little affection for their families. Use your brain more."

Advisor A looked down, not saying a word, while Advisors B, C, and D secretly laughed.

On the way back, Huang Ye was still thinking about the mysterious old man from last night. The Second Young Master was nothing to worry about.

The old man's sudden departure last night surely left him suspicious.

Today's high-profile discharge was to let all parties know that although he was somewhat awake, many memories were missing, and his ability to act hadn't recovered.

It was to create a smokescreen for the mysterious old man, making him lower his guard.

Qing'er was very excited in the back. Collaborating with Huang Ye to subtly undermine the Second Young Master just now was very satisfying for her.

Now that the Young Master was awake, it felt like she had a backbone, no longer afraid of these buzzing flies.

"Sister, you should still be careful. I noticed the Second Young Master looking at you with evil intent."

"It's fine. We're cultivators too. I feel my strength has been improving rapidly lately. If he dares come, even his lackeys would be courting death."

"Yes, yes, when the time comes, we'll take him on together. I also want to test my abilities."

"Yue'er, we should spar in the room. The techniques the Young Master taught us will definitely feel rusty if we don't practice them in real combat."

"Alright, let's spar when we get back."

"Qing'er is right. It's a pity we're always being watched outside. Practicing in the courtyard would be better."

"Young Master, the close-combat techniques you taught us are enough to keep us busy for a while."

Huang Ye didn't pay attention to how the two girls discussed their practice. They were still too weak. They could handle small fry, but if a real expert came, he'd have to rely on himself.

The mysterious old man from last night made him stay on high alert; he couldn't guarantee he could defeat him.

He had only stepped onto the path of immortality because of the strange techniques, but his actual combat power was still unclear.

Now, even one old man's strength wasn't weak. If three or four came, escaping safely would be a problem.

And Qing'er and Yue'er, if he ran, they'd surely be captured.

So without a foolproof plan, he had to continue playing the fool.

Damn System, you give me a bunch of modern stuff, making it impossible to find a standard for enemies. What's the use of having you around?

[Ding, who says I'm useless? You just don't know how to use me. Complain again, and I'll go on strike.]

The System sensed Huang Ye's dissatisfaction and was also angry!

Damn, you have a temper now, Huang Ye thought, speechless.

[Ding, I'm very powerful. Although I know little about cultivation, my learning ability is extremely strong. As long as you provide a lot of knowledge, I can help you analyze, judge, and summarize.]

"Oh, can you modify techniques then?"

[Ding, that's not difficult. As long as you have detailed reference books, the System can calculate more accurate methods.]

Reference books! Damn, do you think this is school? With reference books?

[Ding, even without reference books, I can still calculate, but there will be many answers, and I won't know which is more accurate.]

Huang Ye thought for a moment, realizing this function might actually be useful.

He had reverse-cultivated to the fourth level of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. If the System could really calculate, it would be better than his blind attempts.

The first three levels seemed to have good effects when reverse-cultivated, but progress slowed at the fourth level. He felt the reverse cultivation might not be accurate, so he hadn't attempted the fifth level.

"Alright, I'll give you the first level of a technique, and you calculate the second level."

[Ding, no problem. As long as you have reference materials, I can definitely calculate it.]

"Reference materials, my foot! If I had them, why would I need you to calculate?"

The System remained silent!