Nascent Soul tribulation...
Chen Ye watched the direction in which she left, seemingly enlightened.
He had almost forgotten about this.
In the original plot, the true cultivator of the Refining God Sect failed in overcoming the tribulation for the first time in the Three Thousand Great Mountains, which subsequently caused chaos in the Yan Kingdom...
"Then, Bai Susu’s trip to the Three Thousand Great Mountains this time might not be so smooth..."
...
Regaining his thoughts, Chen Ye turned his gaze back to the group of emotional fruit farmers in front of him, their eyes rekindled with the fire of hope.
He said aloud, "Everyone, there are too many eyes and ears here, it’s not a place for detailed discussion. Please go home first, pack your belongings, and gather at the east entrance of the market in two hours. I will send someone to guide you to Lisong Valley."
"Okay!" everyone answered in unison with great agreement, and then they dispersed one after another.
The scene became a bit chaotic for a while.
"Qiongyu."
Lin Jinghua looked at this scene and then at the young steward beside him who gave their family hope, his heart full of gratitude, and he said softly,
"This Steward Chen is truly a great benefactor to our Lin Family. Why didn’t you tell me before that you were acquainted with Steward Chen?"
Lin Qiongyu heard this, and her heart tightened.
She naturally couldn’t tell her father that she had intended to visit in the dead of night to sell her charms but was coerced by him with both soft and hard tactics to lead this initiative.
Therefore, when persuading her father beforehand, she hadn’t mentioned much about Chen Ye.
She could only muster a forced smile and softly explained with an indirect excuse, "Father, Steward Chen... he was our neighbor before and received some small favors from our family. Now that he’s in a high position, he still remembers the old ties, that’s why... that’s why he is willing to help us."
"I see! I see!"
Lin Jinghua suddenly realized and became even more excited,
"Steward Chen is truly a good man with sentiment and loyalty! No, I must... I must personally thank him! This is fifty Spirit Stones!"
As he spoke, he was about to push through the crowd and walk toward Chen Ye.
"Father! Don’t go!"
Lin Qiongyu was caught off guard and wanted to stop her father, but it was already too late.
Her heart was in chaos, fearing that her father might expose her pitiful lie upon leaving.
Even more, she feared that the cunning and ruthless man would reveal the terrifying face that scared her right in front of her father.
Only to see Chen Ye pause to patiently listen to Lin Jinghua’s somewhat incoherent words of gratitude.
During this time, his gaze would occasionally and indistinctly fall upon her.
Lin Qiongyu’s heart tightened, her delicate white hands subconsciously clenched into fists, afraid that Chen Ye would expose the entire truth.
And... the shameful acts she had committed.
She knew her father’s character well, and if he knew the truth, he would never let his daughter, herself, lower her dignity, even for the sake of survival...
"I see."
Chen Ye, far from being impatient, instead personally helped the elderly man who wanted to salute him, with a sincere smile on his face, patted his shoulder, and laughed loudly,
"Elder Lin, you overpraise me. Back in the day, we were neighbors, supporting each other was only natural. From now on, we are neighbors again. I hope Elder Lin will not hesitate to advise me, and together, let’s manage Lisong Valley to flourish!"
His words were impeccable, not only saving Lin Qiongyu’s face but also giving great respect to Lin Jinghua, making the honest fruit farmer so moved that he was in tears, nodding repeatedly.
"He..."
Lin Qiongyu was stunned, staring blankly at the man in the distance in the sunlight, talking merrily with her father.
Although, although Chen Ye... Senior Chen coerced her.
Yet sometimes... at least he was gentle.
A strange flutter stirred in her heart, just like when she was in the Cloud Clothing Pavilion of Yunxi District.
However,
when Chen Ye spoke the next sentence, her heart sank as if into an ice cave:
"I heard you have a younger sister at home who suffers from a cough, why don’t I take a look? I do know some medical skills."
The man’s smile was sincere and warm, without a hint of malice.
But Lin Qiongyu’s spine could not help but feel cold.
Xu Qingjun... Lu Zhiwei... and that Bai Susu.
They all had one thing in common—adorable appearances!
Besides, she considered herself not lacking in looks, but this man never showed even a shred of desire towards her from the beginning, even when she offered herself, he remained cold and indifferent!
By common logic, this was impossible.
Unless this man had something unspeakable or peculiar preferences...
"What? Miss Lin is unwilling?" Chen Ye looked at her instantly pale face, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"No... not at all!"
Lin Qiongyu came back to her senses, the bit of fleeting flutter in her heart was instantly replaced by endless panic.
She wanted to refuse, but she didn’t dare.
She was afraid, afraid that if she refused, the man would be embarrassed into anger, doing something even more terrible.
"My... my little sister, she... she just has a common cold, no need to trouble Steward Chen."
She used all her strength to barely squeeze out this sentence.
Chen Ye looked at her as if avoiding him like the plague, feeling strange, puzzled.
Wasn’t she hoping to save her sister?
Why is she suddenly unwilling at this moment?
But regardless of whether she was willing or not, Chen Ye was determined to have a look at her sister.
Because...
The experiences of this family were very similar to the experiences of the Cold Flame Cultivator in the original text.
The only difference was that the Cold Flame Cultivator’s elder sister died in a foreign land.
But if Lin Qiongyu were her sister, it might also be because of his arrival, thus causing a butterfly effect, allowing Lin Qiongyu, who should have died, to survive.