The moonlight was serene and cool, with the occasional sound of frogs croaking.
The carved window was open, letting in a cool breeze.
Chen Ye stood outside the window, his gaze falling on a strand of Zhiwei’s soft black hair exposed from under the blanket, and sighed.
On the bed, his eldest disciple was wrapped in a thin quilt, facing the wall, her breathing steady and long; she was evidently deep in sleep.
"Silly girl..."
Chen Ye muttered, seeing the little girl sleeping so soundly, he too felt a bit drowsy.
There’s alchemy, taking care of Lin Jin, dealing with the Wei Family’s threats, guarding against the Demon Cultivators...
Even though he showed nothing on the surface, internally the pressure was immense.
"Forget it, there will be plenty of time to sleep later..."
Chen Ye pulled the carved window tighter, leaving only a narrow gap for ventilation.
After doing all this, he took one last look at the figure on the bed, then turned and melted into the night.
He needed to go to the back mountain to continue refining Qi Nourishing Pills.
"Master...?"
Seemingly asleep, Zhiwei suddenly turned over, staring intently at the window.
However, the window was already closed; how could she see the man’s back?
...
Lisong Valley, back mountain.
Chen Ye held Wei Cheng’s Storage Bag, his heart surging.
Since arriving in the Cultivation Realm, he had opened Storage Bags multiple times.
But each time he opened a bag, he still felt the excitement akin to opening a mystery box.
"But... Wei Cheng has a family, unlike a lone Loose Cultivator who carries everything they own..."
Chen Ye rubbed his hands, not really expecting much Spirit Stones in the Storage Bag.
Like in the old world, without a mobile phone, who would carry a lot of money when going out?
As the saying goes, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
Conversely, the smaller the expectation, the bigger the surprise!
"Goodness!"
Chen Ye had just sent his Divine Sense into the Storage Bag and couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
The resources in this Storage Bag far exceeded Chen Ye’s expectations!
There were nearly a hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones alone, neatly arranged.
And among this pile of Spirit Stones, there were even five Middle Grade Spirit Stones!
Aside from this, there were various Magical Artifacts belonging to Wei Cheng, totaling three pieces.
The rest were miscellaneous items.
There were Healing Elixirs, clothes, and even some toys for kids.
"Wei Cheng is in his forties or fifties, at an age where he has old and young to care for. Yet, if you can kill others, others can kill you too..."
Seeing a rattle among the items, Chen Ye couldn’t help but feel emotional.
He then carefully searched through this pile of miscellaneous items, hoping to find some clue about the Emotion Crossing Sect.
Unfortunately, there was no information relating to the Emotion Crossing Sect in Wei Cheng’s Storage Bag.
Chen Ye frowned slightly, and when he saw the five Middle Grade Spirit Stones, he seemed to have a thought.
Commonly, Qi Cultivators use Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
After all, even buying a Top Grade Magical Artifact would only cost a few hundred Spirit Stones.
Not to mention daily expenses?
So the question arises, why did Wei Cheng carry five inconvenient Middle Grade Spirit Stones with him?
Moreover, five Middle Grade Spirit Stones were a significant amount for Wei Cheng, yet he carried them openly?
"Strange..."
Chen Ye shook his head, realizing that overthinking was futile.
Yesterday, he had already sold the Tribulation Cultivator’s Magical Artifacts for Spirit Stones.
With those Spirit Stones and Wei Cheng’s assets, Chen Ye now possessed a total of seven hundred Spirit Stones!
"Still not enough! Buying second-grade Spiritual Objects is a long way to go..."
With his thoughts settled, Chen Ye summoned the Hundred Herbs Furnace, starting to refine pills.
...
The next day.
The incident of Wei Cheng’s assassination caused an uproar in Peach Mountain District, chaos ensuing everywhere.
The Wei Family was furious, joining forces with the Law Enforcement Disciples from the Market, turning the entire Peach Mountain District upside down, yet they couldn’t find a trace of the killer.
The mysterious black-robed assassin seemed to appear out of thin air and vanish just as suddenly, leaving only a bloody mess behind.
Finding no trace, they had no choice but to give up the pursuit.
With no results from the investigation, the enraged Wei Family pointed their suspicion towards Chen Ye, who had old disputes with Wei Cheng.
But Chen Ye is only at the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation, how could he have the means to quickly slay three Late Period Qi Cultivation Cultivators? It was simply unreasonable.
Moreover, on the night of the incident, Chen Ye was at the Herb Pavilion purchasing Spirit Plants, with witnesses and evidence; it was airtight.
Therefore, the Wei Family’s accusation was seen as an attempt to suppress Chen Ye instead.
Just as the farce was escalating and almost affecting the normal order of the Market, a Guardian from the Bai Family sect finally spoke.
The Guardian only said calmly, "This matter will be handled by the Law Enforcement Hall, and no one is allowed to make trouble in private."
With the Guardian’s word, no matter how unwilling, the Wei Family dared not continue openly.
And so, the matter ended without resolution.
"So that’s how it is, hmph, the Wei Family still harbors intentions against me! How dare they openly slander me!"
After Wang Hao recited the whole course of events, Chen Ye was furious, slamming his hand on the table.
Wang Hao was startled, shaking all over, feeling indignant:
"Exactly! We saw Steward Chen in the Herb Pavilion that day; how could it be Steward Chen? The funny thing is, the Wei Family claims it was a hired assassination by Steward Chen, laughable, without evidence, blatantly slandering. Why don’t they say it was me, Wang Hao, who hired the assassin?"
Chen Ye chuckled internally, but his external anger gradually subsided.
He sat down slowly, took a sip of tea, observing the courteous disciple in front of him.
Wang Hao felt his skin crawl being stared at, unsure of what scheme this Steward Chen might be up to, only managing a dry laugh, standing there awkwardly.
"Wang Hao," after a while, Chen Ye finally spoke, "what do you think of Lisong Valley?"
"Ah?" Wang Hao was stunned, then immediately flattered him without thinking, "Good! Naturally excellent! Especially under your leadership, Steward Chen. Nowadays, Lisong Valley is thriving, incomparable to the past!"