This matter is of great importance. I need someone I can trust to help me manage it. And the first step is for you to secretly select fourteen trustworthy and reliable brothers from those thirty Spirit Plant Cultivators, whose families are all in Lisong Valley, to help me with this task. Additionally, your wife should also keep an eye on the other Spirit Plant Cultivators for me."
"This..." When Lin Jinghua heard this, his heart skipped a beat. How could he not understand that Chen Ye wanted him to be his confidant to handle private affairs!
This is both a monumental trust and a heavy responsibility.
"Rest assured, Steward!"
Lin Jinghua did not hesitate at all, he straightened his back,
"This matter is entrusted to this old man! My Lin Family has lived in the Peach Mountain District for generations. I know who is honest and who is devious! I will definitely not delay the master’s important matters!"
"Good."
Chen Ye nodded with satisfaction,
"This matter is fully entrusted to you. As for your compensation, in addition to the regular wages, I will give you an extra five Spirit Stones each month."
"This... how can this be!" Lin Jinghua shook his hand repeatedly.
"No worries," Chen Ye smiled and said, "You are handling my private matters, I can’t let you work for nothing. So it’s settled."
He pondered for a moment and suddenly said: "Elder Lin, your family of four living in this one courtyard might be somewhat inconvenient. You should know that your daughter, Lin Qiongyu, is about to become the attendant of my apprentice."
Lin Jinghua listened silently, even more excited.
He already knew that his daughter would be the attendant of Steward Chen’s apprentice.
He naturally welcomed such a thing—being the maid of Chen’s household manager is a blessing that loose cultivators cannot hope for!
Lin Qiongyu had previously considered silently that if she humbled herself, willing to sacrifice herself to please Chen Ye, and if her father found out, he would be furious.
But now, knowing his daughter would be an attendant, Lin Jinghua was overjoyed.
This is because both are dependencies, but the concepts are vastly different.
The former is a toy selling appearance, while the latter is a house retainer relying on the powerful—in the cultivation realm, where the weak are prey to the strong and hierarchy is strict, it is only natural.
He and his wife are "confidants" of Steward Chen, and their daughter is also an attendant of Steward Chen...
In Lin Jinghua’s view, his family has become Chen Ye’s house retainers.
Based on this premise, he even secretly hoped: if his daughter, while being the attendant of Steward Chen, could develop some sort of relationship with him and become a concubine... wouldn’t that be wonderful?
Chen Ye quietly observed Lin Jinghua’s reaction, seeing him so excited that his aged face turned red, he nodded secretly.
And said: "Since our relationship is so close, how can I bear to see your whole family living in a small courtyard? I have already designated a compound in the Inner Valley for your two daughters to live in."
"The Inner Valley is now home only to me, my apprentice, and Lingyin Sect disciple Li Qiuyun. The environment is safe and the spiritual aura is abundant. It will make it convenient for your eldest daughter to take care of my apprentice and for your younger daughter to heal..."
That is all... nothing more.
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Jinghua was utterly stunned, looking at Chen Ye in disbelief, his mouth hanging open for a long time.
It’s the place with the most abundant spiritual aura, the most serene environment, and the safest area in Lisong Valley!
"This... this... Steward! How can this be! We... what virtue or ability does our family have..."
Lin Jinghua felt a rush of hot blood to his head, his old face, weathered and worn, was awash with tears.
He was about to fall to his knees in gratitude again, but Chen Ye softly held him up with spiritual power.
"Elder Lin, there is no need for such formalities."
Chen Ye smiled,
"I need you and your wife to do your best in the future to handle the tasks I entrust to you. Repaying me in this way is enough."
"Rest assured, Steward! My... my life, from this moment forward, is yours! If you want me to go east, I absolutely will not go west!"
Lin Jinghua pounded his chest and shouted this out with all the strength he had.
After this conversation, Lin Jinghua was utterly devoted to Chen Ye.
He had no further reservations about Chen Ye, and after finishing his cup of hot tea, he left in high spirits, eager to select the most reliable team from those thirty Spirit Plant Cultivators for Chen Ye.
And behind Lin Jinghua,
The shadows of the trees cast obscured darkness across the man’s face as he curled his lips with excitement.
He slowly stood up but didn’t immediately leave the Lin Family; his gaze fell on the innermost room with a closed door.
He didn’t knock, nor did he speak.
Inside the room.
The sun was setting in the west, getting darker.
A girl with long, slightly curly black hair was quietly sitting in a wheelchair, motionless.
But if you looked closely, you would notice that her pale little hand resting on the armrest was trembling slightly beyond her control.
The man’s presence was right outside the door.
He hadn’t left.
He had clearly finished all his business, yet he... hadn’t left.
An inexplicable fear, like the coldest tide, slowly spread from the deepest part of her heart.
...
Meanwhile.
In the depths of the Three Thousand Great Mountains, on a mountain top shrouded by mist and rarely visited by people.
"Boom——!"
A thunder tribulation as thick as a barrel of purple lightning cracked open the sky, carrying the power to destroy everything as it crashed down fiercely towards the figure sitting cross-legged at the center of the mountaintop!
The figure was blurred, only visible draped in a Refining God Sect Taoist robe embroidered with sun, moon, and stars, that had become tattered under the violent lightning tribulation.