Next day.
Chen Ye’s divine sense had just formed, and his heart was tumultuous and restless.
This was an entirely new perception, as if he had gained an invisible pair of eyes and hands beyond his original five senses, able to detect subtle changes in the environment and even "see" the flow of Spiritual Qi.
He initially wanted to experiment with it thoroughly last night, but unfortunately, his cultivation left him too exhausted, and he fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.
He walked into the courtyard, where the sky was already brightly lit, and his two disciples were chasing each other playfully.
"Master!"
Qing Jun, with sharp eyes, was the first to spot Chen Ye.
The little girl shuffled her toes, looking at Chen Ye with disdain.
"Master, you woke up so late today! Master is a big lazy pig!"
Lousy kid.
Without a word, Chen Ye went up and gave two solid knocks, causing the little girl’s eyes to fill with tears before he let go.
This child really needed a lesson; she can’t turn out like Bai Susu.
Feeling refreshed after lightly punishing Qing Jun, Chen Ye was in a good mood.
Can’t discipline Bai Susu, but surely can discipline Qing Jun?
"Waaah..." a certain white-furred ball pouted, rubbing her head.
"Master... did you... you break through again?"
The older girl pursed her lips, feeling a bit down but also a bit happy.
She had just reached the 2nd layer of Qi Cultivation, yet Master had broken through to the late-stage Qi Cultivation!
With this, who knows when she could surpass him...
Chen Ye did not expect the older girl to be so perceptive.
His Qi Concealment Technique was perfected, making it nearly impossible for any cultivator in the Qi Cultivation Stage to sense his depth.
And a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, without actively probing, couldn’t discern his cultivation changes by eyesight alone.
Chen Ye nodded at Zhiwei, then said, "Last night, this master had some insights, so today I’ll try this newly learned technique."
With a thought, his divine sense surged like a tide to the iron sword strapped to his back.
The sword that had been with him for so long, weighing a hundred pounds, now emitted a faint hum under the power of his divine sense.
"Rise!"
Chen Ye yelled softly, fully driving his divine sense.
With a "clang," the iron sword lifted off his back, effortlessly floating in mid-air!
Both disciples had never seen Chen Ye control a sword, and watched wide-eyed.
Qing Jun, rubbing her head, widened her eyes: "Huh? Has Master become an immortal too?"
Chen Ye, stroking his chin with a profound air:
"Indeed, once Qing Jun grows plump, Master can string her up with a single thought using the flying sword and make a barbecue girl!"
"Eek!" The little girl gasped in shock.
Chen Ye was equally excited inside.
Previously, he used Spiritual Power to forcibly wrap the iron sword.
But now, he was controlling it with his divine thought.
The difference between the two was vast.
The former merely replaced arms with Spiritual Power, far from being a true flying sword.
The latter was as smooth as manipulating arms, akin to being Chen Ye’s third hand.
Unfortunately, the iron sword was just a First Tier Magical Artifact, lacking in spirituality, which consumed an enormous amount of divine sense.
It’s like being able to control an arm flexibly, but if the arm itself were a heavy piece of iron rather than flesh and blood, moving it would naturally become laborious and unsustainable.
Chen Ye, with another thought, tried using his divine sense to maneuver the iron sword closer to his feet.
The iron sword trembled slightly, obediently lowering itself, hovering a few inches off the ground beside him.
He took a deep breath and cautiously stepped onto it.
The hundred-pound iron sword, now bearing a person’s weight, felt even heavier.
Chen Ye felt a slight sinking beneath his feet, his divine sense rapidly depleting.
Yet he still managed to rise shakily, circling the courtyard.
Chen Ye felt a bit disappointed, realizing that without Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, he could forget about flying a sword across a thousand miles and seeing the entirety of Chang’an’s beauty in one day.
The divine sense and Spiritual Power of the Qi Cultivation Stage were ultimately too weak, at best supporting short-range flights.
"Master! Master! You’re flying!"
Qing Jun, seeing this, forgot about her earlier grievance, jumping and cheered enthusiastically,
"Master! Qing Jun also wants to fly! Qing Jun wants to fly like an immortal!"
Hearing this, Chen Ye showed a faint bitter smile.
He was already struggling to maneuver this iron sword, let alone carrying two kids.
Even though his divine sense was indeed superior to cultivators of the same stage, flying with a hundred-pound sword and another two fifty-pound girls was far more challenging than it seemed.
But looking at his disciple’s eager little face, he couldn’t bring himself to flatly refuse.
"Alright, today this master will let you experience the feeling of sword control. But, we can only take a small lap in the courtyard, no complaining."
Chen Ye spoke with feigned ease, while inwardly calculating the limits of his Spiritual Power and divine sense.
"Hooray! Master is not a lazy pig, Master is a good master!" Qing Jun cheered joyfully.
Chen Ye landed, motioning for her to stand in front of him.
Then, naturally, Chen Ye did not forget about the older girl.
He skillfully picked up the older girl, letting her stand behind him.
"Rise!" Chen Ye yelled again, a faint sheen of sweat already forming on his forehead.
The iron sword emitted a sound of strain, rotating even more sluggishly within the small courtyard of Luoli Courtyard.
Nonetheless, it frightened Qing Jun into shouting repeatedly: "Master, let me down! Qing Jun doesn’t want to play anymore!"
Hearing the little girl’s scared voice, Chen Ye felt even more energetic.
A mischievous smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and instead of descending, he deliberately tilted the iron sword slightly.
"Ah!"
Qing Jun turned pale with fright, her little hands clinging tightly to Chen Ye’s thigh, the whole little bundle sticking firmly to him,
"Master! Master! I’m going to fall! Boohoo... Qing Jun will never call Master a lazy pig again!"
Chen Ye feigned seriousness:
"Oh? Weren’t you just clamoring to be an immortal? This is how immortals fly, Qing Jun. With this little courage, you cannot become an immortal."
Standing behind Chen Ye, Zhiwei’s face showed no change, only holding tightly to Chen Ye’s sleeve.
But she looked up at her Master’s profile and saw the teasing smile at the corner of his mouth.
She immediately realized that her Master was deliberately teasing junior sister.
"Master is mean! Master is a big bad guy! Boohoo... Let Qing Jun down quickly, or when Qing Jun grows up, I’ll lock Master away! In a place no one knows!" Qing Jun began to ramble, crying.
Goodness.
Chen Ye knew that the little girl harbored ill intentions, and quickly suppressed his divine sense, tossing around in the Luoli Courtyard: "When you admit your mistake, Master will let you down!"
"Waaah——!"
Qing Jun cried harder, burying her little head continually into Chen Ye’s arms,
"Master, I was wrong! Qing Jun will never secretly spit in Master’s snacks again! Never step on Master’s face while Master’s sleeping again!"
The little girl was so scared that she spilled all her usual little secrets.
The more Qing Jun confessed, the darker Chen Ye’s face became.
He initially just wanted to tease this outspoken little girl, but didn’t expect to unearth so many hidden thoughts and pranks.
"Alright, you Xu Qing Jun!"
Chen Ye gritted his teeth in anger, yet made the iron sword shake even more vigorously,
"Daring to spit in Master’s snacks? Daring to step on Master’s face while he sleeps? I see you’re itching for a spanking!"
"Master, spare me! Qing Jun won’t dare again! Qing Jun will make lots of tasty treats for Master! Whatever Master wants, Qing Jun will make!"
The white-furred ball was utterly panicked, forgetting all her harsh words, only knowing to plead incessantly, her little body trembling like a leaf in the wind.
Chen Ye stopped at a suitable point, not expecting Qing Jun to be so timid...
He slowly controlled the iron sword to land smoothly.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Qing Jun immediately sprang off the sword like a startled little rabbit, hiding behind Zhiwei, with just a pair of tearful phoenix eyes exposed, watching Chen Ye warily, her little mouth still pouting in grievance.
"Do Qing Jun’s words still count?" Chen Ye’s face darkened.
"They... they count." The little girl dared not refute.
"Then Master will eat Qing Jun... starting with Qing Jun’s tiny feet."
Chen Ye looked at Qing Jun’s little feet,
"Who allowed you to step on Master?"
Hearing Master was going to start with her "tiny feet," Qing Jun was so scared she shivered, instinctively hiding her little feet behind her.
The white-haired girl pouted her little mouth, her tear-filled phoenix eyes stared at Chen Ye, muttering softly: "Master is mean... Qing Jun’s little feet are not tasty at all..."
Seeing her pitiful yet slightly stubborn look,
Chen Ye found it more amusing, deliberately keeping a straight face as he walked towards her step by step: "Oh? Not tasty? Master doesn’t believe it, Master has to taste it personally to know. Quickly, take off your shoes and socks, let Master have a good look, should we start with the left foot or the right foot?"
He pretended to reach for Qing Jun’s little feet.
Qing Jun was so scared, she shrank back, hiding directly behind Zhiwei, only sticking out a small head, looking nervously at Chen Ye: "Mas...Master, Qing Jun’s feet are very stinky! And...and they haven’t been washed today!"
Zhiwei felt her junior sister tremble behind her, sighed helplessly.
She reached out, gently patted Qing Jun’s shoulder, signaling her to be at ease, then lifted her calm eyes to look at Chen Ye, saying softly: "Master, please don’t scare Qing Jun anymore."
Chen Ye raised his eyebrow, this eldest disciple was indeed showing more of a senior sister’s demeanor.
He cleared his throat and said to Qing Jun: "Since Zhiwei has pleaded for you, Master will let your little feet go today. However..."
He changed his tone, with a hint of teasing: "The matter of stepping on Master’s face, I haven’t settled that account yet! Now tell me, what is your punishment?"
Qing Jun’s eyes twinkled, seeing Master didn’t seem to really want to "eat" her, she grew bolder.
She peeked half her body from behind Zhiwei, tentatively saying: "Then... then Qing Jun will massage Master’s legs? Rub Master’s shoulders? Or... or Qing Jun will give all the hidden osmanthus cakes to Master?"
"Hmph, does Master look like someone who would need your few pieces of osmanthus cake?" Chen Ye pretended to be angry.
"Then..." Qing Jun bit her finger, seemingly making a decision, squared her shoulders, and actually began slowly taking off her little cloth shoes.
Chen Ye and Zhiwei were both stunned.
"Qing Jun, what are you doing?" Chen Ye was somewhat at a loss between laughter and tears.
Qing Jun had already taken off one shoe, revealing her tender white little feet.
Perhaps due to improved meals recently, the little girl’s feet had grown a little plump, not as scrawny as before.
The five small toes were round and cute, like a row of freshly shelled white jade peanuts.
She neatly placed the removed little cloth shoe on the ground, then began untying the laces of the other shoe, muttering softly while doing so:
"Didn’t Master want to eat them... Qing Jun... Qing Jun will let Master eat them... However, Master can only lick, okay... Qing Jun’s scared of pain..."
By the end, her voice was already trembling with tears, the shiny tears rolling in her eyes.
"Poof—"
Zhiwei finally couldn’t hold back her laughter.
She went to Qing Jun’s side, picked up the little cloth shoe on the ground, gently wiped off the dust, helped Qing Jun put her shoes back on, and said softly:
"Alright junior sister, Master is just teasing you, he wouldn’t really eat you."
Chen Ye couldn’t help but chuckle, "Silly girl, how could Master really eat? Master just wants to see, just how many tricky ideas are hidden in that little head of yours!"
However, Qing Jun’s courage still needs to be trained.
Chen Ye did this more to temper Qing Jun’s courage today.
If even low-altitude flight scares her like this, how will she control a sword in the future, how will she battle enemies using magic?
"Despicable..."
Qing Jun gritted her teeth secretly, the little girl was angry.
Does Master like to joke around?
Once I cultivate successfully, whether he wants to eat it or not, I’ll make him eat it!
Make Master stink to death!
Besides bearing grudges, a second grudge!
Never more than three!