The cold wind was piercing, and snowflakes fluttered about.
The small path in the shantytown was muddy and overgrown with weeds.
The man in the straw coat had his Iron Sword tied to his back with a grass rope, and a Long Whip wrapped around his waist, walking with two little girls huddled against the wind and snow.
"Master, where are we going?" The little girl asked the man over and over.
The man exhaled, a white mist escaping his lips, saying warmly, "I’m taking you to Granny Li’s house. Stay there for a while, as I have something to do."
"Oh~" The little girl held the older girl’s hand tightly.
After walking slowly for more than ten minutes.
The man, along with the two little girls, arrived at a small courtyard.
He carried a bundle of cured meat and knocked on the courtyard door, "Granny, Gen, is anyone there?"
The courtyard door wasn’t shut tightly, and just a knock was enough to open it.
"Woof woof woof!"
A dark shadow leapt out from behind the door, frightening Chen Ye into a stumble, nearly toppling over.
He staggered a step, quickly spreading his arms protectively around his disciples.
What a big black dog!
It was as tall as half a person!
Its fur was shiny and sleek, muscles robust, snarling at Chen Ye, hot breath escaping its mouth.
When had Chen Ye ever faced such a fierce dog?
In his past life, he was just an ordinary person, and his legs were a bit shaky.
But the small frame of his disciple, just one bite from the black dog, would cost her half her life!
"Scram!"
Chen Ye shielded his disciples securely, exhaling several times.
A light Geng Metal Qi Aura swirled around his fingertips, giving him a bit more courage.
The black dog arched its back, barking hysterically, with a human-like hint of wariness.
This dog was rather smart, understanding that the Geng Metal Qi Aura was a threat to it.
"Yuanyuan, it’s me!"
Qing Jun joyfully waved her hand behind Chen Ye, showing no fear at all.
The black dog pawed the ground, its tail wagging straight at the two little girls.
Yet it remained vigilant of Chen Ye, its body lowered as if ready to pounce.
"Yuanyuan? Is that Granny Li’s dog?"
Hearing the name Yuanyuan, Chen Ye then remembered that this was Granny Li’s dog.
In his former life, he had a grudge with Yuanyuan.
Once, he was drunk, and seeing Yuanyuan sleeping by the roadside, he casually kicked it.
Therefore, man and dog tussled in the mud for half a day.
It was Granny Li who heard her dog’s continuous cries and came out looking for it, stopping him.
Chen Ye looked closely, noticing Yuanyuan’s tail was bare.
This was due to his former self using the Disease Removal Saber Technique on it, causing its tail to never grow its fur back...
Seems like his former self wasn’t entirely useless, able to hold his own against Yuanyuan even while drunk.
Chen Ye couldn’t help but laugh and cry.
Granny Li, who was cooking lunch, heard the dog’s barking and hurriedly came out of the courtyard.
"Yuanyuan, come!"
The elderly woman called out once, and upon hearing its owner’s voice, Yuanyuan finally stopped, obediently standing by Granny Li’s side.
"What are you doing at my house? Where did you take the two little girls?"
The elderly woman petted the dog’s head, glaring fiercely at Chen Ye.
Her heart filled with sorrow.
Ever since not seeing Chen Ye and them for over ten days, the elderly woman had been tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
She was convinced that Chen Ye had sold the two little girls, not knowing where to enjoy himself.
If she could, Granny Li would rather be in financial straits but still keep the two girls.
They were diligent and clever, impossible to become burdens!
Sadly, that scoundrel would never let them go for free...
Moreover, she had a son at a critical point of cultivation, lacking enough Spirit Stone to satisfy Chen Ye’s appetite.
Chen Ye had a smile on his face, glancing at his two short disciples.
They were standing by the fence, completely out of Granny Li’s sight.
So he squatted down, his gaze traveling around his two disciples.
Finally, his eyes landed on the silent furry ball,
The one for you is Zhiwei!
Without hesitation, Chen Ye picked up the older girl, not forgetting to jostle her soft body in his arms:
"Granny, look, Zhiwei and the others are still here!"
Zhiwei’s face burned hotly; this was the first time Chen Ye held her in front of others.
He even... even jostled her!
She almost couldn’t maintain her usual cold demeanor.
The older girl sat rigidly on Chen Ye’s arm, slightly biting her thin lip, "Granny, long time no see."
"And there’s Qing Jun too!"
Chen Ye nudged Qing Jun’s little backside with his foot.
The little girl covered her butt, looking back at Chen Ye with a resentful glance.
Cautiously, she stood in front of Granny Li, "Granny, Qing Jun wasn’t sold by Master!"
Granny Li’s face lit up with joy, but when she saw the two girls, she was petrified on the spot.
Are these still the same two girls from before?
Half a month ago, Zhiwei and Qing Jun were like skeletons draped in tattered clothes.
But now they wore clean, well-fitting new clothes and sturdy cloth shoes.
Their bodies were clean, and their spirits were high.
They even seemed to have gained some weight!
At this moment, she noticed a detail.
Chen Ye held Zhiwei with a gentle and careful manner, and just now, when Yuanyuan barked, Chen Ye seemed to shield them.
Granny Li had known Chen Ye and his disciple relationship for three or four years, yet it was her first time seeing him so protective of the girls.
If it weren’t for Chen Ye having such a bad impression on her, a veritable Ghost Master image, he could’ve somewhat resembled a kind teacher.
Chen Ye smiled subtly, very satisfied with Granny Li’s astonishment.
This showed that he truly managed to transform his disciple drastically!
"Granny, don’t worry. I admit I was indeed a scoundrel, constantly getting drunk and making trouble. But after barely escaping death last time, I had an epiphany."
"Without experiencing life and death, one doesn’t understand the value of life... I hope Granny doesn’t mind the past offenses and forgives me."
His words were heartfelt and his attitude sincere.
"What’s gotten into you? It’s like seeing a ghost!"
Granny Li suspiciously looked Chen Ye up and down.
She also recalled Chen Ye’s narrow escape.
Ten days ago, Chen Ye flirted with a female cultivator who had newly arrived at Yunxi District, and got beaten half to death by her partner.
If the female cultivator’s partner didn’t want to commit murder right after arriving at Yunxi District, Chen Ye might have been beaten to death.
This incident caused an uproar in the nearby shantytowns, and even Granny Li had heard a little about it.
Meanwhile, the two little girls looked adorably confused.
Did Master (Chen Ye) just say he wants to turn over a new leaf to Granny Li?
It’s like he’s been possessed...
He used to be shameless, not caring about others’ opinions, just teasing the two girls for fun!
Why is he now treating everyone so politely?
Chen Ye was mentally prepared for Granny Li and others’ skepticism.
But he couldn’t very well say he was from another world, could he?
Saying that would inevitably lead others to suspect him of being a Demon Cultivator, leading to his immediate demise.
Besides, the key thing is,
He is not only the Chen Ye from Blue Star, but also the Chen Ye from the Cultivation Realm.
He is his past self, and his past self is him.
If the past self hadn’t been oppressed and mentally broken, he was once a fine young man as well...
Chen Ye briefly stated his purpose for coming:
"Granny, I have to go out for a while, but recently our house was burgled, and I’m uneasy leaving the two disciples home alone. Could you help look after them for a bit?"
Saying this, Chen Ye hung the bacon he brought on the fence.
Granny Li’s gaze swept between Chen Ye and the bacon several times.
This rascal has truly changed!
Not only does he worry about his disciples’ safety, but he also knows to bring her gifts.
Granny Li nonchalantly nodded, "Leave Qing Jun and Zhiwei to me. Staying with me is more comfortable than that rundown place of yours. I’ll accept this bacon, then."
"You should take it. Thank you, Granny. I’ll be back tonight." Chen Ye nodded gratefully and bowed.
Granny Li crossed her arms and snorted from her nose, not giving Chen Ye any pleasant expression.
She didn’t worry about angering Chen Ye. Her family had been rooted in Yunxi District for decades, naturally having some bottom-of-the-drawer methods.
With things like talismans, she wasn’t afraid of a mere Fourth-Layer Cultivator.
Chen Ye looked down at the two little ones, "You must listen to Granny Li, don’t run around, don’t be mischievous..."
He instructed for quite a while, stopping only when Granny Li started yawning in impatience.
Recently, he had taken good care of his two disciples.
Their little faces were washed clean, fair, and delicate, with finely sculpted features, most endearing and lovable.
This was also one of his concerns.
Qing Jun used to be so dirty and even caught the eye of Taoist Zhang, and now they looked so adorable, it was even easier for others to covet them.
Before leaving, Chen Ye pressed a few pieces of Spiritual Sand into Zhiwei’s hand:
"If you want to eat anything at Granny’s house, you can use the Spiritual Sand to buy it, don’t be shy."
The snow and wind grew stronger, and the black dog kept whining.
Chen Ye tightened his raincoat and turned to step into the swirling snow.
Behind him came the dull sound of a wooden door closing, mingling with Qing Jun’s playful laughter at Yuanyuan, gradually drowned out in the howling north wind.
Granny Li watched Chen Ye’s departing figure, finding him hard to fathom.
Not until Chen Ye’s silhouette completely disappeared did she grasp the little hands of the girls.
With her rough old hand, their two slim little hands looked frail.
"As long as you’re not sold off, Granny will make something tasty for you!" Granny Li was heartbroken.
Zhiwei also silently watched her master’s departure.
She carefully placed the Spiritual Sand into the lining’s compartment, where there also lay a luminous Spirit Stone.
Suddenly, the big girl pursed her lips.
"Tasty food!"
Qing Jun’s eyes lit up, laughing foolishly without concern.
In the little girl’s heart, there never seemed to be the kind of complicated emotions her senior sister felt.