There’s no need for life-and-death battles, and occasionally, you can pocket a few Spirit Plants. Life is quite comfortable.
But in front of such a family, to put it plainly, you’re just a farmer who can practice Immortal Cultivation.
"Don’t be disheartened, after all, I’m having a meal with you,"
Bai Susu changed the topic, a sly smile appearing on her face,
"Rest assured, I will ensure that Xu Qingsong won’t bother you in these next two months at the Lingyin Sect! During this time, eat and drink as you please. If you need to find Mao Qingzhu, just go. She’s not your child, she should be the one worrying!"
...
After Bai Susu had her fill, she hummed an off-tune song, swaying as she left Luoli Courtyard contentedly.
Not long after she left, there was a knock on the courtyard door.
Chen Ye opened the door to find Steward Zhou Mingyuan from Herb Peak.
"Steward Chen, I trust you’ve been well." Zhou Mingyuan still wore his usual cheerful expression, but there was a hint of deeper meaning in his gaze towards Chen Ye.
"Please come in, Steward Zhou." Chen Ye invited him to a stone table in the courtyard and personally brewed a pot of Spirit Tea for him.
Zhou Mingyuan was not polite and took a sip of tea before taking out a jade token and a small Pill Bottle from his Storage Bag, pushing them in front of Chen Ye:
"Steward Chen, this is your reward for taking care of Baiqi Garden. Peak Master Pang said that your hard work is commendable and has specially approved fifty Contribution Points, plus a Concentration Pill, as encouragement."
Fifty Contribution Points, a Concentration Pill!
Chen Ye felt joy in his heart. Contribution Points were the hard currency of the Sect.
The Concentration Pill was an extremely rare First Tier Pill.
It was specifically used to temper the Divine Sense!
Among Loose Cultivators, many would fight tooth and nail for a Concentration Pill.
"Thank you for Peak Master Pang’s kindness, and thank you, Steward Zhou, for your efforts." Chen Ye sincerely cupped his hands in thanks.
Seizing the opportunity, he inquired from Zhou Mingyuan:
"Besides Baiqi Garden, are there any other tasks coming up?"
Zhou Mingyuan pondered, "There is always work to do within the Sect, but high-reward tasks like Baiqi Garden are rare..."
"The reward is negotiable. I wonder if there are any tasks that go to Moon Rhinoceros Lake District?" Chen Ye inquired.
Mao Qingzhu hadn’t shown up yet, so he had to actively seek her out.
Along the way, he could inquire about Qing Jun’s physique.
The markets surrounding Lingyin Sect, from west to east.
Starting with Yunxi District in Chengping County,
Peach Mountain District in Guang’an County, and Moon Rhinoceros Lake District.
And then to Lingyin Sect in Nanhe County.
So, Lingyin Sect is actually quite close to Moon Rhinoceros Lake District, just four or five days’ journey away.
"Moon Rhinoceros Lake District?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Mingyuan showed a hint of surprise, giving Chen Ye a once-over before saying:
"There are tasks at Moon Rhinoceros Lake District, but it is not like Yunxi District. There, the place is a mix of all sorts, with deeply intertwined relationships between Cultivation Clans and Sect forces. If not necessary, it’s best to avoid going."
"However, the Herb Pavilion at Moon Rhinoceros Lake District is currently short-staffed. Steward Chen could take on that task at the Herb Pavilion. The others are all hard tasks with low benefits."
Yunxi District was established by Lingyin Sect and is directly governed by it.
But Moon Rhinoceros Lake District and other markets are different, not exclusively owned by any one Sect.
Chen Ye understood the implicit advice in his words, knowing it was a well-intentioned reminder.
But concerning Mao Qingzhu’s matter, he was determined to proceed.
"Thank you for your guidance, Steward Zhou. Chen takes it to heart."
Chen Ye thanked with cupped hands, but his mind was already made up.
Zhou Mingyuan saw this and did not advise further, chatting about some Sect anecdotes before getting up to leave.
Before leaving, he stopped at the courtyard door, suddenly turning back with some sentimentality, saying:
"Steward Chen, I really thought you were a grassroots, but unexpectedly, you actually have a connection with True Inheritor Bai..."
Saying this, he sized up Chen Ye with a peculiar look.
Chen Ye felt a chill for no reason. Could it be that Zhou Mingyuan thought he was risking everything?
"Forget it, let them think what they want."
Chen Ye shook his head, too lazy to explain.
After seeing off Zhou Mingyuan, Chen Ye returned to the Cultivation Room.
He took out the jade bottle from the Storage Bag, pouring out a pigeon-egg-sized pill, completely white and exuding a faint fragrance, which was precisely the Concentration Pill.
This pill’s potency was pure, incomparable to ordinary pills, and Chen Ye dared not be negligent. He immediately sat cross-legged, adjusted his mind, and ingested the pill.
The pill melted as soon as it entered, with a refreshing feeling rushing straight to his Sea of Consciousness, instantly invigorating his somewhat weary Divine Soul.
Chen Ye quickly collected his thoughts, operating the Seven Luminaries Soul Nourishing Technique, guiding the pure medicinal power while visualizing Saturn in his Sea of Consciousness.
This time, with the assistance of the Concentration Pill, the visualization process was much smoother.
Since breaking through the late-stage Qi Cultivation, Saturn had solidified, no longer the phantom image it was at the beginning of the visualization.
But this was just the beginning of the Seven Luminaries Soul Nourishing Technique.
Afterwards, it was necessary to further visualize Saturn, and when nine star rings were visualized, it would be possible to further visualize the subsequent stars, Taiyin and Taiyang.
[Seven Luminaries Soul Nourishing Technique Minor Achievement: 41/100]
An increase of ten points in proficiency!
The first star ring of Saturn was now faintly visible.
...
Night had deepened, and the croaking of frogs began to rise in Luoli Courtyard.
However, Chen Ye did not begin cultivation after finishing his practice as he usually did.
He was sprawled on the wooden desk, writing vigorously by the dim lamplight.
On the desk, there were already a dozen sheets of paper filled with words scattered about, with a few worn-out charcoal pencils strewn aside.
He was fully focused, slightly frowning, but his writing was exceptionally rapid, the sound of writing clear in the quiet night.
After an unknown amount of time, he straightened his somewhat stiff back, letting out a long sigh, and rubbed his sore eyes.
Outside the window, the moonlight was already leaning west.
"Creak—"
The door to the Cultivation Room was gently pushed open a crack, Zhiwei’s small figure appearing at the door.
She was only up at night but was attracted by the light coming from the Cultivation Room.
Through the crack, she saw her master bending over, writing at his desk. The lamp cast his shadow long on the mottled wall, giving a sense of loneliness.
Clearly, just a few days ago, when breaking through the late-stage Qi Cultivation, her master was in such high spirits, but in just a few days, he seemed to have become quite haggard.
"Master, you are..." Zhiwei called softly, her voice tinged with concern.
Hearing the voice, Chen Ye turned around, gathered the papers on the desk into a thick stack, and tied them with a fine hemp rope.
He smiled, handing the tied stack to Zhiwei:
"Master will be away for a while; the return date is uncertain. In the evenings when master is not here, take this booklet and tell stories to Qing Jun, remember, you must read it aloud."
Zhiwei took the heavy booklet, puzzled, "Going away?"
She was confused. Was her master going on a long trip?
Why had he never mentioned it, and why did he specifically write down these stories and instruct her to ’say them out loud’?
"Don’t worry, just fulfilling a Sect task, I’ll be back in a few days." Chen Ye reassured.
Ah, it’s a Sect task...
Zhiwei silently nodded, holding the booklet tightly to her chest.
Seeing her accept it, Chen Ye felt relieved.
He wasn’t doing it for no reason.
But he was worried about his two disciples.
During the day, Bai Susu’s reaction clearly indicated she had been eavesdropping on his storytelling.
If that’s the case, if she returns, she can hear the continuation of the story from Zhiwei’s mouth.
Hopefully, because of this, she will take extra care of his two disciples.
"But inside Lingyin Sect, it’s not like Shunshui Street... even the Xu Family wouldn’t dare abduct people within the Sect, otherwise, they would’ve secretly taken the disciples away long ago."