Xiaoli saw that Chen Ye didn’t speak, and thought that the mute sister was shy, so she became even more enthusiastic, her small body almost hanging onto Chen Ye, chattering non-stop.
Chen Ye felt like he had a headache.
From his past life to this one, he had never been entangled so intimately with a member of the opposite sex.
As for the two disciples?
Chen Ye did often hug the two disciples, but in his eyes, they weren’t even considered members of the opposite sex.
They were just two furry creatures called dumplings.
The girl’s body was tender and soft, her face sweet, emitting a fragrance unique to youth.
He quietly attempted to withdraw his arm, but Xiaoli clung too tightly, so he dared not move too abruptly for fear of arousing suspicion.
Just as Chen Ye was caught in a dilemma, another female voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Xiaoli, stop messing around. Aren’t you going to deliver the purchased fabrics to Mrs. Zhang in the embroidery room?"
Hearing the voice, Xiaoli stuck out her tongue before reluctantly letting go of Chen Ye’s arm, bowing to the newcomer: "Yes, Sister He."
Before leaving, she didn’t forget to wink at Chen Ye and silently mouthed, "Sister Tao, I’ll come find you to play when I get back!"
Watching her bounce away, Chen Ye finally let out a long sigh of relief and turned to look at the newcomer.
This person was actually someone Chen Ye knew.
It was the personal maid of Mao Qingzhu, whom he had met at the Spirit Treasure Pavilion in Yunxi District.
At that time, Chen Ye only knew she had late-stage Qi Cultivation skills and couldn’t discern her exact realm.
But now that Chen Ye had broken through to Qi Cultivation’s late period, he could instantly tell that Xiaohe’s cultivation was at the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation.
"Tsk... Just a maid, yet with cultivation at the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation, why would she be content being a maid?"
Chen Ye wondered silently, but when Xiaohe’s gaze fell on him, his heart tightened.
The disguise from the Listening Wind Pavilion was likely ineffective against a master of late-stage Qi Cultivation.
Fortunately.
With the support of Chen Ye’s Perfection-level Qi Concealment Technique, Xiaohe noticed nothing amiss and nodded towards Chen Ye:
"Xiaotao, you’re back just in time. Madam is taking a bath, and she’s accustomed to your service. After all, you... sigh."
At the end of the sentence, Xiaohe sighed silently.
Xiaotao had previously been rescued by Madam by chance, simple-minded and mute, so Madam liked having Xiaotao serve her personally.
Chen Ye inwardly groaned but could only nod woodenly on the surface, following behind Xiaohe.
He didn’t want any inappropriate misunderstandings to arise, fearing it would affect his friendship with Mao Qingzhu.
However,
he had no choice but to go along with it now.
He was like an arrow on the string, which had to be released!
Xiaohe led him through a moon gate to a bath pool filled with steam and a warm fragrance.
The pool was fed by mountain spirit springs, adorned with floating flower petals, and the entire pool was inlaid with one piece of warm jade, emitting a gentle glow under the dim light.
Mao Qingzhu faced away from them, her black hair cascading like a waterfall, loosely held by a simple jade hairpin. Her white shoulders and jade-like arms were half-exposed above the water, her skin appearing even more tender and luminous in the steamy mist.
Chen Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, it wasn’t the kind of bath he had imagined.
Mao Qingzhu was mostly submerged in the water, not revealing the slightest hint of modesty.
"Madam, Xiaotao has returned." Xiaohe reported respectfully.
"Mm." Mao Qingzhu replied softly, her voice carrying a hint of post-bath languor.
Xiaohe turned to instruct Chen Ye, "Madam likes to use Hundred Flowers Dew, go fetch it and add it to the pool."
She pointed to a nearby red sandalwood rack,
"Quickly go, don’t keep Madam waiting."
Chen Ye’s heart clenched; how would he know what Hundred Flowers Dew was?
Yet he dared not show the slightest hesitation, so he braced himself, imitating a usual maid’s demeanor, and walked to the rack with lowered head and lowered eyes.
Luckily, only a few jade bottles were placed on the rack, and one bottle, gleaming and exuding a strong floral aroma, stood out.
Chen Ye’s heart settled, and he carefully took the bottle, cautiously dripping its nectar-like liquid into the pool.
With the addition of the floral dew, the fragrance in the room grew even stronger.
Seeing his movements were somewhat stiff but acceptable, Xiaohe nodded and asked Mao Qingzhu, "Madam, how was your cultivation this time in the Heart Slaughter Cave?"
Heart Slaughter Cave?
Chen Ye was shocked, as this place was also mentioned in the original game storyline!
In "Immortal Fall," it was one of the key dungeons during the beginner period.
He hadn’t expected that five hundred years before the game’s plot, Heart Slaughter Cave was actually Mao Family territory.
The Heart Slaughter Cave was so named because it was the site of a Golden Core True Man’s body disintegration.
This Golden Core True Man specialized in the Sword Dao, and many of his swords were buried within. Since he fell here, these swords exuded fierce energy, turning this place into a perilous area that particularly impacted the cultivator’s divine sense.
"No wonder... it seems the United magical treasures of Canchen and Xiaohan came from Heart Slaughter Cave."
Chen Ye suddenly realized, feeling a surge of excitement.
According to his memory, a Tier Three Spiritual Artifact was hidden in the Heart Slaughter Cave!
This sword is the source of the Heart Slaughter Cave’s name, known as the Heart Slaughter Sword, specifically targeting divine sense!
"Cultivation?"
Mao Qingzhu gave a bitter smile, a trace of sorrow tainting her beautiful face,
"The Heart Slaughter Cave is an area for Mao Family’s punitive confinement, what cultivation could there be? Father wishes to sever ties with the Xu Family, having repaid an old favor... But, but Qing Jun..."
Upon reaching this point, Mao Qingzhu’s tone was weary.
Everyone in both Mao and Xu Families knew that Qing Jun wasn’t the bloodline of Xu Buhui.
Yet, they all believed Qing Jun was the illegitimate child of a Xu Family man.