Inside the room.
Zhiwei was already sitting cross-legged in meditation on her small bed, with the spiritual power from the Frost Splendor Record circulating around her, carrying a slight chill.
But Qing Jun was tossing and turning, somewhat unable to sleep.
The little girl, for some reason, felt inexplicably sad today, as if a wad of cotton were stuck in her chest, heavy and indescribable.
During the day, her mentor kept teasing her, temporarily making her forget this troublesome feeling.
But when night fell and the world quieted, the melancholy in her heart began to spread uncontrollably.
She thought of that beautiful Aunt Mao from the day, remembered her gentle gaze and pleasant voice, as well as the silver bell she had given her.
But the more she thought about it, the stronger the inexplicable sense of loss in her heart became.
Chen Ye naturally noticed Qing Jun’s unusual behavior.
He was tempering his divine sense in the cultivation room but faintly heard extremely soft sobs coming from the bedroom.
His heart tightened, and he got up to the bedroom door, peering inside through the crack.
He saw Qing Jun’s small figure curled up under the blanket, her shoulders slightly shaking, evidently crying secretly.
Chen Ye sighed softly in his heart.
This little girl has a sensitive mind; today’s meeting with Mao Qingzhu probably stirred her yearning and confusion about familial bonds.
He didn’t directly open the door or offer verbal comfort.
He just leaned quietly against the door frame, humming some lullabies from another world softly.
His voice wasn’t loud, carrying a hint of huskiness, the tune somewhat disordered, after all, he wasn’t a professional singer.
But on this silent snowy night, this humming with melody made the little girl quietly perk up her ears.
"The moon walks, I walk too,"
"I carry a flower basket for the moon,"
"Inside the basket are three eggs,"
"To make porridge for the children."
Qing Jun pouted, blinking her tear-dimmed phoenix eyes.
Master’s singing is so terrible!!
It’s making her hungry...
Seeing Qing Jun stop crying, Chen Ye nodded with satisfaction.
No wonder it’s him!
Chen Ye paused, then recalled a mildly humorous folk tune, lowering his voice, imitating a child’s tone, slowly humming:
"Little mouse, climbs the lampstand,"
"Steals oil to eat, can’t get down."
"Meow meow meow, the cat is here,"
"Rolling and tumbling down."
Qing Jun couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
The laughter was light, still carrying a nasal sound from having just cried.
Only then did Chen Ye stop humming.
A little girl, and this can’t even handle her?
He was quite pleased with himself, gently pushing open the door crack.
He saw Qing Jun lying on the bed, her bright eyes looking over at him.
The little girl’s two fair feet were dangling behind her, pouting and murmuring:
"Master... singing is so terrible..."
The voice was as soft as a mosquito, yet clearly reached Chen Ye’s ears.
The smile on Chen Ye’s face instantly froze.
He... his singing is terrible?
To think he thought his husky, magnetic male voice had a unique charm!
He suddenly remembered Qing Jun’s light laugh upon hearing "rolling and tumbling down," which he thought was due to the amusing song delighting her.
In hindsight... it turns out the girl laughed because his singing was too terrible?
At that moment, Chen Ye didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, the warmth from soothing his disciple was suddenly replaced by a baffling melancholy.
He shook his head, deciding not to bicker with a little girl, gently closed the room door, and turned back to his cultivation room.
But, what Chen Ye didn’t know.
Even if she becomes a World-Ending Demoness opposed to everyone in the future, she will never forget that on a certain winter’s night, there was a man clumsily humming songs for her...
...
Seven days passed in a flash.
During these seven days, the chaos and fear brought by the Nascent Soul Celestial Tribulation and demon beast attacks at Yunxi District gradually subsided.
The market’s order was promptly restored under the strong intervention of the Lingyin Sect, and the damaged buildings began to be rebuilt, though a lingering bloody and desolate atmosphere still permeated the air.
For Chen Ye, these seven days were a rare period of peace and reflection, spending most of the time consolidating his cultivation and guiding his two disciples in their practice.
In the cultivation room, the Spirit Gathering Array Plate emitted a gentle spiritual light, slowly converging the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the surroundings.
Chen Ye sat cross-legged, his breath flowing, with the spiritual power around him becoming increasingly harmonious.
[Seven Luminaries Soul Nourishing Technique (Visualization Chapter): 7/10]
Seven days of visualization deepened his understanding of the Seven Luminaries Soul Nourishing Technique by another layer; although he still couldn’t successfully visualize any complete stars, the swelling pain in his sea of consciousness had lessened considerably, and his divine soul had condensed somewhat.
The two disciples’ progress was even more gratifying.
Zhiwei displayed astonishing talent in her practice, faintly showing signs of breaking through to the 2nd layer of Qi Cultivation.
The water vapor surrounding her body became increasingly condensed, something Qing Jun looked upon with envy.
Although Qing Jun made slower progress in body refining with the Jinghong Technique, her daily perseverance made her small body much sturdier than before, no longer the fragile form that would topple with a gust of wind, and she could now deliver a few decent punches and kicks, vigorous and lively.
However, when she saw the increasingly evident spiritual power fluctuations around her senior sister, the envy in the little girl’s eyes was hard to hide.
This morning, as the sky was just breaking light.
Chen Ye rose early, packing his belongings properly.
Today, he was to embark on his journey to the Lingyin Sect.
According to sect rules, newly appointed stewards must register at the sect’s Foreign Affairs Hall and undergo a three-month training period.
The Spiritual Ship assigned to bring them there would arrive at Yunxi District today.