Wei Cheng seemed to act surprised as if he had just noticed Chen Ye.
In reality, this encounter was entirely intentional on his part.
From his subordinates, he had long learned about the tragic state of Lisong Valley and that Bai Wuji’s unfriendly attitude towards Chen Ye.
In his view, this time, Chen Ye was bound to make a huge mistake!
Chen Ye looked at Li Dong with suspicion, and Li Dong immediately understood, sending a transmission:
"The sect’s news probably hasn’t reached here yet. Yesterday, Elder Bai sent the result to the Precepts Hall, and after evaluation, I rushed to Lisong Valley. The Wei Family doesn’t have the means to plant spies in the Precepts Hall..."
Uh... this Li Dong doesn’t have good intentions either, intentionally sending a transmission just to make Wei Cheng look foolish?
Chen Ye chuckled.
However, according to normal procedures, it seemed like he had to slap someone in the face, or something would feel missing.
The few Outer Sect disciples behind Wei Cheng were also trying hard to suppress their laughter, looking at Chen Ye with a sense of anticipation.
They thought Chen Ye would probably regret it, thinking Lisong Valley couldn’t do without them in the end.
"As Steward Wei said, the sect has just issued a commendation. My hard work this past month received an ’excellent’ rating, and some meager rewards, nothing worth mentioning."
Chen Ye paused and relayed the facts without much boasting.
But exactly because of this, it left Wei Cheng at a loss for words.
"Since Steward Wei already knows, I will take my leave. Steward Li, shall we?"
Chen Ye smiled slightly.
He was disinclined to waste any more words, nor to kick someone when they’re down... If ever he had an advantage over Bai Susu, he might consider doing so.
But when it came to an old fool, he thought better of it.
Nonetheless, Li Dong was clearly not planning to let Wei Cheng off so easily.
He stepped forward, wearing a concerned smile, and said to the dumbfounded Wei Cheng, "Oh dear, Steward Wei, what’s the matter? Why do you look so distressed? Are you... unhappy?"
He then looked at the Outer Sect disciples behind Wei Cheng, smiling:
"Also, congratulations to all of you. I remember you are Outer Sect disciples from Lisong Valley. Thank you for your hard work. With this revival of Lisong Valley, your efforts were certainly indispensable. Perhaps, with this achievement, you could smoothly join the Inner Sect in half a year, and your path to greatness is assured!"
Upon hearing this, those Outer Sect disciples’ faces instantly turned as dark as coal.
They could easily tell that Li Dong’s words weren’t congratulations at all but blatant mockery!
They should have been the ones to claim this enormous achievement, even joining the Inner Sect because of it.
But now, they were reduced to being mere Spirit Plant Cultivators in the Spiritual Peach Garden!
The disparity made them feel as though thousands of steel needles were piercing their hearts, making it almost impossible to breathe.
As for Wei Cheng, upon hearing Li Dong, he felt a pang of anger and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
He forcibly suppressed his anger, lightly laughing and saying:
"Joking aside, I’m merely shocked at Steward Chen’s methods. Regardless, congratulations to Steward Chen. I hope you can continue to manage Lisong Valley smoothly. Please take care not to work yourself too hard and damage your mind... With Steward Chen’s extraordinary abilities, it would be a loss to the sect if you were to meet an untimely end..."
Although Wei Cheng’s words seemed concerned, the implication made Duan Ling and Li Dong pay attention.
Duan Ling, although confused, unaware of the conflict between Li Dong, Chen Ye, and Wei Cheng, was stirred due to the threat to Chen Ye.
Immediately, with a cold and hard expression, he said, "I hope Steward Wei will watch his words! If anyone dares plot against Steward Chen, I, Duan, will not show mercy!"
"Is that... Senior Brother Duan!"
Several Outer Sect disciples, upon noticing Duan Ling shadowing Chen Ye all along, exclaimed in surprise.
Duan Ling was quite renowned, far surpassing Li Qiuyun.
In a sense, he was the most famous Outer Sect disciple, the so-called ’Senior Brother’ in both Yunxi District and Peach Mountain District.
Wei Cheng, though also at the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation, was already middle-aged and hadn’t fought in years.
Facing the fierce energy of a young man, he couldn’t help but shudder slightly.
He snorted coldly, "Alright! Even a young kid dares threaten an old man? Enough, I won’t argue with you juniors. Let’s go!"
After speaking, he could no longer stay and left with the disciples who expected a good show, departing in disgrace.
However, those disciples felt even worse than Wei Cheng.
For them, it was akin to destroying their own prospects!
"If I had known earlier, why bother..." someone sighed silently in their heart.
...
After this little episode.
Chen Ye parted ways with Li Dong and Duan Ling.
When he returned to Lisong Valley, it was already late at night.
He didn’t disturb his apprentices and returned alone to the Quiet Chamber.
Chen Ye sat cross-legged, yet his mind was far from calm.
He wasn’t worried about Wei Cheng but about the Bai Family.
"The Bai Family..."
He quietly mouthed the words, feeling a heavy weight.
Now, he had been marked with the "Bai Family" brand.
Sooner or later, he would be drawn into the internal strife within the Lingyin Sect.
The threats he would face then would be far beyond what the Wei Family could present.
"Forget it."
After a long while, he exhaled deeply.
"Since I have come, I shall settle. What’s the point of worrying so much?"
With a thought, he retrieved the storage bag awarded by the sect.
Using his Divine Sense to probe inside, he found a neatly folded, pale moon-colored magic robe at his hand.
The material of this robe, woven from some kind of Spiritual Silkworm Silk, was so lightweight as to be almost nonexistent, and to the touch, it was cool and smooth like the finest silk.
On it, there were no ornate patterns; only at the sleeves, a "Bai" was embroidered with silver thread.
This robe was called the Moonlight Robe.
It could absorb the Power of the Stars autonomously.
Equipped with nearly ten large and small arrays like "Cleaning Technique," "Temperature Control Technique," and "Spirit Gathering Technique," it was incredibly versatile.
At the same time, it could absorb most of the residual impact of late period Qi Cultivation magic.
Though its pure defensive power was far inferior to his Eight Trigrams Mirror,
its advantage lay in the fact that the Moonlight Robe could be worn at all times, and it worked seamlessly with the Eight Trigrams Mirror, allowing the two to be used in conjunction.
"What a treasure!"
Marveling at the top-grade attributes of the robe in his hands, Chen Ye exclaimed.
With it, regardless of being outside or engaging in a magical battle, he essentially had an extra life-saving trump card!
"It seems the Bai Family is quite generous... whether it’s Bai Susu or Elder Bai."
As Chen Ye changed into the Moonlight Robe, he felt an instant relief, as the robe automatically adjusted the temperature, bringing him a sense of coolness even in the blazing summer.
"In a way, is this considered life insurance money? But this single top-grade magic robe, trying to buy my life..."
Chen Ye sighed.
For now, improving his cultivation was essential to face the coming storm!
Alchemy needed to become his top priority soon!
The next morning.
Just as Chen Ye awoke from meditation, he heard Lin Jinghua’s respectful report outside the courtyard gate:
"Steward Chen, the tasks you assigned have all been completed."
As Chen Ye opened the door, he saw Lin Jinghua standing outside excitedly.
"Oh?" A trace of surprise appeared on Chen Ye’s face.
"Thanks to the Steward’s blessing!" Lin Jinghua bowed, smiling. "The Silver Scale Flower batch you had planted has now fully matured!"
Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief; after a month, the first batch of Silver Scale Flowers had finally matured!
He hurriedly followed Lin Jinghua to the easternmost side of the valley where the medicinal field he had concealed with an array lay.
Originally barren land now shimmered silver, showcasing a scene of abundance!
Tall Silver Scale Flowers, more than half human in height, spread their scale-like leaves luxuriously under the sun.
"Good! Good! Good!"
He exclaimed thrice in cheer, laughing loudly:
"Elder Lin, you have indeed done a great service for me this time! Please issue my decree: For everyone involved in this maturation process, give an additional two Spirit Stones this month as a bonus!"
"Thank you, Steward!"