The night was as black as ink, the moonlight like water.
A cool summer breeze gently brushed against the hem of her clothing.
In the courtyard, beside the stone table, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed like it could drip water.
The slender legs of the girl in the black robe trembled slightly, her pale hands gripping her collar tightly, her head lowered, not daring to look at the figure in sky-blue before her.
Opposite her stood a valiant girl holding a sword.
Her delicate face was as cold as frost, staring contemptuously at this shameless woman, as if looking at a fly, shamelessly sullying others.
"Master, master... why are they fighting?"
The little girl tugged at her master’s robe, her phoenix eyes fixated on him non-stop.
"Qing Jun thinks it’s all the master’s fault! So, master, don’t attract any more bees and butterflies! Aren’t two disciples enough for you!!"
Stupid girl!
Chen Ye flicked Qing Jun’s head with his finger.
In this vast Cultivation Realm, cultivators as virtuous as him were rare!
After teasing Qing Jun, Chen Ye stepped forward, gently pressed down the slightly trembling sword of Li Qiuyun, and shook his head, signaling her that it was unnecessary.
"Qiuyun, that’s enough." His voice broke the suffocating silence.
Li Qiuyun glared at Lin Qiongyu unwillingly before retracting her longsword and stepping aside.
"I know about your situation."
Chen Ye had already made a decision in his mind. He took out a money pouch from the Storage Bag and placed it on the stone table.
"Here are fifty Spirit Stones, enough to pay off your debt and buy some life-extending Pills for your sister."
Lin Qiongyu abruptly raised her head, looking incredulously at the pouch of Spirit Stones.
She had thought Chen Ye would make her sell her body in exchange for the Spirit Stones.
Yet, he directly gave her fifty Spirit Stones!
Off to the side, Li Qiuyun gritted her teeth, her fingers gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, but she could only turn her head away in frustration.
She... was just Uncle Chen’s bodyguard, what right did she have to comment on his life?
"I... will never forget Senior Chen’s great kindness and virtue!"
The girl in the black robe was almost in tears as she clutched the small pouch of Spirit Stones tightly, filled with gratitude.
Seeing her nearly ecstatic state, Chen Ye remained unmoved, suddenly speaking with a hint of melancholy:
"I heard your parents were Spiritual Peach Farmers in Peach Mountain District?"
According to what Lin Qiongyu previously mentioned, her ancestors were the first batch of cultivators to come to Peach Mountain District.
Since then, generation after generation had taken root in Peach Mountain District, relying on Spiritual Peaches for livelihood and cultivation...
Given that the Lin Family had always been rooted in Peach Mountain District, they might not have done well, but they must have some reputation among the farmers in Peach Mountain District, with accumulated generations.
"Yes." Lin Qiongyu was taken aback, instinctively nodding, not understanding why he suddenly asked this.
"If so, then consider these fifty Spirit Stones as extra wages I give your father."
Chen Ye’s gaze fell on the face of the girl in the black robe, her pale cheeks already flushed with an unhealthy red after a great shock and joy:
"Tomorrow, I will recruit Spirit Plant Cultivators at Lisong Valley; your father needs to be the first to come forward."
"Wh... what!"
Lin Qiongyu was utterly stunned.
The reason she came to Chen Ye was also because her father was desperate to go to Lisong Valley.
But she didn’t want her family involved in the Wei Family’s storm... even if it meant sacrificing herself.
"What, you don’t want to?"
Chen Ye chuckled.
He was by no means a kind person; upon hearing Lin Qiongyu visit, he had already plotted in his mind.
He remembered Lin Qiongyu came to Yunxi District for her sister’s cough ailment — back then, after being attacked by a Demon Beast, Lin Qiongyu begged him to help deliver Pills to her sister.
This showed that Lin Qiongyu had family in Peach Mountain District, perhaps a relative or acquaintance who was a peach farmer there.
And after hearing Lin Qiongyu’s plea, his heart was even more determined.
What a delightful surprise!
Chen Ye had not expected that Lin Qiongyu’s parents and ancestors were peach farmers in Peach Mountain District!
"Steward Chen, I... I can’t drag my family into turmoil too! You don’t understand the Wei Family’s means..."
Lin Qiongyu’s grip on the Spirit Stones tightened and loosened repeatedly.
Chen Ye shook his head: "Taoist Friend Lin, fifty Spirit Stones are no small sum. You don’t think your father’s skills are worth so many stones, do you? It’s merely a sign of my sincerity... Well then, I’ll give you another promise, I’ll find a way to cure your sister’s illness, how about that?"
"No... No. If the Wei Family gets angry, my whole family will... I’d rather myself..."
The black-robed girl was terrified, staggering back a step.
She’d rather sacrifice herself than have her family face the overwhelming wrath of the Wei Family.
"You’d rather what about yourself?"
Chen Ye looked at her, his eyes entirely indifferent, only a cold disregard,
"Do you think that if you submit to me tonight, become my person, the Wei Family will spare your family? They will only get worse! They will think that oppressing your family is slapping my face!"
He stepped forward, the aura of the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer unconsciously emanating, making it almost impossible for Lin Qiongyu to breathe.
A fierce grin appeared on Chen Ye’s face:
"Do you think the Wei Family will get angry, and I, Chen Ye, won’t? Since you’ve already taken these Spirit Stones... the deal is done!"
"I..."
Lin Qiongyu, forced into a corner by his mix of soft and hard tactics, turned deathly pale.
Her heart sank as if into an abyss.
She had taken things too much for granted...
Previously, when Chen Ye was her neighbor, he was approachable, gentle with others.