"Master?"
"Yes."
"Master..."
"Hmm?"
"Master, are you really not angry?"
"Hmm."
"Really?"
"Now I am getting angry."
"..."
The little girl closed her mouth.
The cold wind wrapped in fine snow swept past the plum branches, staining the green tiles of Shunshui Street with mottled marks.
The snow, which had stopped for only a day, began to fall once more.
Chen Ye stood beside the old plum tree, gently rubbing the rough bark with his fingers, lost in thought.
"Master, should we trim this plum branch?"
Qing Jun held up the pruning shears, looking up at him.
The pruning shears were a gift from their neighbor Xue Chengjun, almost half the size of Qing Jun, specifically for trimming leaves.
The little girl hugged it to her chest, wobbling and struggling with its weight.
She was especially well-behaved today, even asking for permission to climb and break the plum branches, but... she was a bit talkative.
Chen Ye was very curious about what Qing Jun’s personality would be like when she grew up.
The Qing Jun in the original storyline was almost an extreme opposite to the Qing Jun now.
Cold, harsh, cruel, bloodthirsty...
But at this moment, how could this little girl show any trace of that original plot?
Forget it, this girl hasn’t even reached her rebellious phase yet.
It’s pointless to ponder over such distant matters.
Chen Ye withdrew his gaze from the next door and shook his head: "Leave it, we can still make wine in the spring... no, plum flower cakes."
"Plum flowers, can make plum flower cakes?"
The little girl stood on tiptoe, biting half a petal.
She chewed it in her mouth, her cheeks puffed up like a hamster stealing food.
Chen Ye couldn’t help but laugh, pinching the little girl’s soft cheeks:
"Spit it out, it’s not clean! Don’t put everything in your mouth."
"Oooh..."
The little girl was forced to pout, reluctantly spitting out the plum flower residue.
Master, so mean!
It’s no wonder her sister mumbled in her sleep last night, "Chen Ye, you’re so bad!"
Chen Ye crouched down, helping the little girl wipe the corner of her mouth, patting her head: "Go back and play with your sister, there will be guests soon."
"Oh..."
The little girl hugged the scissors and waddled back home.
Chen Ye glanced at the neighbors again.
The young couple next door had been acting very strangely lately.
Especially Xue Chengjun, who usually worked in the Three Thousand Great Mountains and rarely came home.
But after returning home yesterday, he hadn’t gone out at all today.
Every now and then, he even tried to curry favor with him.
No one curries favor for no reason, unless they have an ulterior motive!
"Brother Chen!"
Tian Feng’s loud voice came from outside the courtyard.
This man, wearing a dark cyan cloak today, with a bulging storage bag at his waist, crossed the threshold full of joy:
"Yesterday at the association, the brothers saw the Red Orchid recover and all wanted to see your miraculous skills!"
Chen Ye invited him to sit: "Brother Tian should know, the tall tree catches the wind, don’t spread it too much."
"How could I!"
Tian Feng laughed heartily, the vibration causing the teacup on the table to tremble,
"The Stone Mirror Association values loyalty, how could we betray Brother Chen? Even the Xue Family boy was brought in to guard Brother Chen..."
The words stopped abruptly, and he awkwardly stroked his beard, as if he had let something slip.
Chen Ye’s hand holding the teapot paused almost imperceptibly.
Warm water poured into the teacup, the rising steam blurring the cold glint in his eyes.
He joked: "You’re saying guard, but it better not be surveillance."
"How could it be!"
Tian Feng exclaimed, rubbing his hands, lowering his voice,
"With your skills, our Stone Mirror Association is eager to support you! How about joining the Stone Mirror Association?"
Indeed,
joining the Stone Mirror Association would mean having their strength to counter the threat from Kong Hongxuan, and the ability to sleep peacefully for a night.
However, once in the association, the troubles faced would no longer just be from Kong Hongxuan...
He has a proficiency panel, all he needs is to cultivate slowly and make money, no need to risk his life in a gang.
"Chen likes to wander freely and has no intention of joining gang fights." Chen Ye shook his hand.
Disappointment flashed in Tian Feng’s eyes, yet he still smiled and took out three sickly plants from the storage bag.
As soon as the bag was opened, a sweet and fishy scent hit the nostrils.
The stems and leaves of the three Spirit Plants were twisted, their spiritual light dim, with faint purple-black veins visible.
Startling the black cat on the roof tiles to arch its back, its fur standing.
"These three were all obtained by the brothers recently, if Brother Chen can cure them, the Stone Mirror Association is willing to offer twenty Spirit Stones as a reward!"
Tian Feng raised two fingers.
Normally, a Tier One Lower Grade Spirit Plant is priced between ten to twenty Spirit Stones.
The previously agreed forty-sixty split, twenty Spirit Stones was a fair price.
Although, if Chen Ye secretly acquired Spirit Plants from the Stone Mirror Association to resell, he could earn more Spirit Stones.
But that would also mean he would have to spend a lot of time.
Setting up a stall, finding Stone Mirror plants to sell...
It’s better to cooperate directly, simplifying the process.
Even though he is being watched by the Stone Mirror Association for this cooperation.
If he doesn’t cooperate, he could also draw attention, and possibly trouble from the Stone Mirror Association.
"But I’ve already caused trouble."
Chen Ye watched the retreating back of Tian Feng, rubbing the teacup in his palm, lost in thought.
He did not regret it,
if he kept hiding his skills, he would still be cowering, waiting for Kong Hongxuan’s revenge!
Is there any foolproof plan in this world?
Rather than waiting passively, Chen Ye preferred to seize the opportunity and rise!
...
Chen Ye moved the three Spirit Plants to the cultivation room.
Casually, he conjured a Cloud Rain Technique,
fog appeared, forming a fine drizzle, showering the sickly plants.
"Strange, why are there so many Spiritual Medicines in East Valley? Although they’re all sickly, they are still worth some Spirit Stones. The Jade Lizard Association just leaves Spiritual Medicines in East Valley, letting the Stone Mirror Association steal them?"
Chen Ye realized something was amiss.
But the feud between the Jade Lizard Association and the Stone Mirror Association had nothing to do with him now.
Instead, the threat from Kong Hongxuan was imminent.
Although the Jade Lizard Association was just a gathering of loose cultivators, in Yunxi District, it couldn’t dominate.
Compared to forces with sect backgrounds like the Herb Pavilion and Cloud Clothing Pavilion, it was far inferior.
But to Chen Ye at the moment, it was still a huge entity.
Moreover,
he was not alone now, with two little girls depending on him for survival.
"However, even if I die, Qing Jun and Zhiwei should be fine."
Chen Ye suddenly realized he was worrying unnecessarily.
The two little ones could be considered the children of destiny... albeit five hundred years into the future.
Without him, they would likely live well.
Chen Ye fiddled with the Cloud Rain, unable to calm his mind.
He decided to ignore the Spirit Plants for now, as Geng Metal Qi wound around his fingertips.
[Geng Metal Technique Perfection: 275/400]
Only by increasing the proficiency in Geng Metal Qi could he gain a sense of security.
Strength is always the top priority!
Not a means to earn money!
"Creak—"
The door opened, a black furball with its eyes lowered, carrying a basin of hot water.
"Master, for washing." Zhiwei’s tone was very calm.
Chen Ye put away the Geng Metal Qi, quite surprised: "In broad daylight, why are you bringing water to Master?"
The little girl’s voice remained calm, but her head kept drooping lower, almost into the basin:
"Because... I didn’t bring Master any yesterday."
After she finished speaking, her thin lips pressed tightly together, looking like she didn’t want to explain.
Chen Ye was utterly baffled by this.