“Luo Tian has been calling for us. Let's go!” Jun Yichen placed Xiao Hong, whose tummy was very swollen, into his sleeve, and made his way into the dense forest.

Ye Jiuge followed beside him closely. “Did you recognize the blood-colored bell that Liu Feiyun took out?”

The chime the bell had produced was terrifying.

If Ye Jiuge hadn't swallowed the Mind-clearing Pill, she wouldn't have been able to resist the chime's lure. A regular person would probably be dead.

Jun Yichen thought for a moment, then replied, “It was a magical weapon made from the Bloodthirsty Patriarch's essence for his main disciple. It has the same effect as the Blood Pearl and can borrow the Bloodthirsty Patriarch's strength.”

Although he had obtained a lot of information about the Bloodthirsty Patriarch from the clan leader's blood, the information was all buried deep in his mind. He had to see the actual object to be able to force the information out.

“Blood Pearl, Blood Bell, Blood Sword, Mental Manipulation, Disguising Technique…” Ye Jiuge mentally noted down the Bloodthirsty Sect's abilities.

She was planning to record the information into a small booklet for Wan Ziyang and the rest. That way, it would be helpful when dealing with the Bloodthirsty Sect in the future.

Following the markings left by Luo Tian, they managed to arrive at a concealed valley before sundown. Turning into the valley, they saw a firepit lit near the mountain cliff, which kept the wind out. There was even a whiff of roasted meat drifting in the air.

“They sure know how to enjoy life!” Ye Jiuge sounded somewhat resentful.

Who would be happy after fighting with the enemy in a ruined temple then returning to find their teammates roasting meat and relaxing?

It was one of the rare occasions when Jun Yichen agreed with Ye Jiuge.

At the moment, Ye Yu, who was roasting a hare, caught sight of Ye Jiuge and Jun Yichen's arrival.

He was about to stand and welcome them when a shadow strode swiftly over, running toward Ye Jiuge.

As the person ran, he lamented exaggeratedly: “My Eldest Miss! You've finally appeared! Medicine Refinery City and the Capital are in disarray because of you!”

Besides Bai Songling, there was no other person who spoke in such a hyperbolic manner.

“Really?” Ye Jiuge raised an eyebrow. Then she asked Bai Songling in return, “Since when am I so important?” She'd never known.

Bai Songling forced a laugh. “Think about it, the Great Master Yun's maternal granddaughter, the Ye family's eldest daughter from the main wife and the Crown Prince's ex-fiancée turned out to be the leader of the Sorcerers. Not only did you murder many Spiritual Pract.i.tioners who partic.i.p.ated in the Pill Production Tournament, you even killed a member of the Gong family. And, after being arrested, you fled. Did you know how sensational that sounds?

“Gong Honglei has already sent a letter back to the Spiritual Pract.i.tioners Alliance requesting that they list you as their most wanted fugitive. Ye Yuxuan has also announced to the Tianxia Board that he wishes to sever your father-daughter relations.h.i.+p.

“The Crown Prince has offered a reward of 10,000 gold pieces for reports on your location. Su Yufeng and her daughter have been spreading rumors about you, which ignorant bystanders take at face value and slam you as a sinner.”

Bai Songling wasn't exaggerating. The real situation was worse than what he'd described.

Alchemists had always been in a position of respect. No matter who they were, it was taboo to touch an Alchemist.

After Ye Jiuge had escaped, the Crown Prince had worked behind the scenes to slander her and spread rumors to tarnish her reputation.

If Ye Yuxuan could have withstood the pressure and stood behind Ye Jiuge, the situation wouldn't have gotten so out of hand.

But not only did Ye Yuxuan not support Ye Jiuge, but he'd also even renounced their father-daughter relations.h.i.+p before the Tianxia Board. So, in the future, whether she lived or died would have nothing to do with him.

Furthermore, Ye Shanshan and her mother had been openly and indirectly blaming Ye Jiuge for a lot of things, making people believe that Ye Jiuge was really the Sorcerers' leader.

“Ye. Yu. Xuan!” Ye Jiuge forced from between clenched teeth. She wanted to spit the name into the mud.

Even though she knew that this scoundrel father of hers was a little heartless, she'd never imagined that he could be so cruel. He'd framed her without concrete evidence for something she hadn't done. He was always setting a new low.

“Forget it. You'd do better without such a father!” Bai Songling consoled Ye Jiuge.

Ye Jiuge sighed and asked, “What about the servants in my residence?”

Her only worry now was for Qing Mama and Zhen Zhu.

Even if Ye Yuxuan left them alone, Su Yufeng wouldn't.

“Don't worry. When Dongling Prince got wind of the situation, he immediately sent men to rescue your servants and hide them.” Bai Songling had to take his hat off to the servants of the Zilin Residence.

When Dongfang Que had sent someone to inform Qing Mama, she'd immediately and swiftly arranged for the departure of all the servants. Then, she'd also made her escape. By the time Su Yufeng had rushed over, even the servants guarding the door had disappeared.

“That's good,” Ye Jiuge heaved a sigh of relief.

“By the way, Fourth Miss Ye did not believe that you were a Sorceress. She stayed in Medicine Refinery City and refused to go back. But her mother, the Fifth Concubine…” Bai Songling couldn't help but sigh as he continued: “We wanted to bring Fifth Concubine with us, but she insisted on staying at Ye Manor until Fourth Miss Ye returned. Shortly after, we heard that she fell ill and pa.s.sed away.

“According to Su Yufeng's rumors, you were not happy with Ye Yuxuan, so you wanted to poison them. But Fifth Concubine was accidentally poisoned instead.”

“Fifth Concubine is dead?” Ye Jiuge was surprised to hear this, although it wasn't hard to guess.

“Yes, we have investigated and confirmed that Su Yufeng poisoned her. Ye Yuxuan knew about it, but he turned a blind eye when Su Yufeng pushed the blame on you.”

Having been in the Justice Department for so long, Bai Songling had seen his fair share of tragedies. But he had never seen a man with such a rotten character.

“In the end, she couldn't avoid being harmed by Su Yufeng,” Ye Jiuge sighed.

She had done her best for Fifth Concubine. Even after protecting her so many times, she still couldn't save her. It was a pity for Ye Ruyi.

“Eldest Miss, the rumors in Medicine Refinery City and the Capital put you at a disadvantage. Unless you think of a way to curtail these rumors, things will only get worse.” Although Bai Songling pitied Fifth Concubine, Ye Jiuge was still more important to him.

Ye Jiuge was also aware of the gravity of the situation. But merely defending herself wasn't the way to reverse the situation.

Just as Ye Jiuge was frowning in thought, Luo Tian made his way over and urged, “Eldest Miss, why don't we discuss matters around the firepit? It's warmer there, and you've had a long day. You must be hungry.”

“Right, right! We've roasted hares for you and made some mushroom soup too,” Bai Songling said. “When you are down, you must eat well so that you have the strength to carry on.”

Ye Jiuge didn't feel hungry at first. But now that food had been mentioned, she suddenly felt starving.

Moving toward the firepit, she found Jun Yichen already crouched by the fire. He had already polished off half of a hare.

“Eldest Miss, please take a seat,” Ye Yu offered her a hare roasted a perfect golden brown.

Ye Jiuge took a bite. The flavor was not too bad – crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. It was also very fragrant.

Besides roasted meat, there was a bubbling pot of soup above the firepit. White mushrooms were floating on the surface, and it smelled good.

While Ye Jiuge was eating, Bai Songling crouched beside her, continuing the conversation from before: “The moment you left the jail, you established yourself as the Sorcerers' leader. Liu Yunfei and Su Junqing will definitely take this opportunity to kill more Spiritual Pract.i.tioners and blame on you.”