Chen Ye smiled. Though he seemed to be teasing, in truth, he was concerned about a rift between the two sisters. He pointed it out in front of Zhiwei on purpose to let her know that Qing Jun missed her senior sister tremendously.
"It’s not... it’s not true!"
Qing Jun protested sullenly.
Zhiwei looked at her familiar younger sister, and a thousand words surged in her heart, yet they were stuck in her throat.
She recalled the time when Qing Jun accused their master of favoritism, the time she spent under the broad robes of their master, and the sadness on Qing Jun’s face when she left last time...
In the end, guilt overwhelmed her heart.
Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, she always felt guilty towards her younger sister whenever she remembered their joyful times with their master while her younger sister was alone.
She clutched the hem of her clothes, her voice low and bitter: "Qing Jun... I’m sorry... about last time..."
Her words were left unfinished.
The little koala who had just been sulking suddenly wriggled out of their master’s arms when it saw its senior sister sad.
"Ouch!" Qing Jun staggered as she landed, unsteady, and pitched forward.
"Qing Jun!"
Zhiwei exclaimed in alarm, almost instinctively stepping forward to catch the small, nearly falling figure.
The two little girls collided into each other’s arms.
Looking into each other’s eyes, all the previous awkward sentiments vanished in an instant.
"..."
Watching the two disciples embrace, Chen Ye smiled slightly and didn’t disturb their reunion.
Silently, he backed out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.
"Let them talk a while longer... Going back to the Xu family can wait."
Chen Ye contemplated.
During this time, he took out the iron box again, observing the letter within that shimmered and seemed nearly repaired.
"The Ninth Layer Heaven..."
He carefully put the iron box away, feeling quite worried.
He knew nothing about the situation in the Ninth Layer Heaven, yet witnessing the grand and strange phenomena of the array within, it seemed it would be a den of dragons and tigers.
Not to mention, there was that Demon Cultivator from the Emotion Crossing Sect still inside the Ninth Layer Heaven.
He could only hope that when he entered, the Golden Furred Ball wasn’t already a dead ball.
"However, if this grand array is truly related to Qing Jun... a change may occur, though it’s hard to say if it would be for better or worse."
Chen Ye sighed, discreetly pricking up his ears to listen to the two little girls’ heartfelt conversation.
Though... what he heard made his eyebrows furrow involuntarily.
Goodness, these two girls were gossiping about their master behind his back!
The little girl was saying with a fearful expression, that their master once said he just liked girls like Qing Jun, and she was terrified when she heard it!
And the older girl was nodding seriously, saying their master always smelled like incense, which was scary.
Then the little girl said when she came over, it was because their master forcibly hugged her back, calling him a big bad guy.
The older girl felt similarly, saying that on the way here, he was always hugging her, so they shared the same misfortune.
The two girls got more and more animated as they spoke,
Had Chen Ye not known they were bad-mouthing him, he would’ve thought they were arguing.
Just as Chen Ye was listening with great interest, his eyebrows suddenly jumped:
"Who’s there?"
"Impressive, to have such keen perception within the Eighth Layer Heaven."
In the shadows, a man in a cloud-patterned robe stepped out, his face square and handsome.
Behind him followed a cultivator in black armor.
"It’s you." Chen Ye’s voice deepened.
Xu Buhui’s gaze was sharp as a blade, passing over Chen Ye and landing intently on the closed door:
"Sir, choosing this place to hide my daughter, what are your intentions? That day, I already suspected your furtive behavior..."
In fact, the arrival of the Xu family was not unexpected for Chen Ye.
He had heard from Qing Jun that she had been coming out to find him every day recently, and no matter the excuses, it must’ve caught the attention of the Xu Family.
Of course, it wasn’t evil suspicion, it was just a concern over Qing Jun’s frequent outings.
And their meetings must’ve been noticed by the Xu Family.
But when Chen Ye and Qing Jun decided to acknowledge each other, he no longer cared about the consequences of being discovered by the Xu Family.
Now that he had become a Foundation Establishment True Man, he had the capital to converse with the Xu Family!
"So you must be the master Qing Jun spoke of..." Xu Buhui confirmed Qing Jun was inside and then looked at Chen Ye.
The atmosphere suddenly became stagnant.
Chen Ye stood before the tightly closed door; his posture appeared relaxed, yet within him, the Withering and Flourishing Profound Light Technique was quietly operating. His spiritual power remained latent and unexpressed, rushing within his meridians like a river, ready to be unleashed at any moment.
"Indeed." Chen Ye’s voice was deep and steady, neither denying nor showing any hint of fear, "I am Chen Ye, Qing Jun’s master."
He openly admitted his identity.
Xu Buhui frowned deeply, his face covered with a layer of frost.
How could he not know the name Chen Ye?
The Xu Family had long investigated Qing Jun, and there were even those who went to Lisong Valley intending to bring Qing Jun back to the Xu Family in advance.
He naturally knew that Qing Jun’s master was now the steward of Lisong Valley, Chen Ye.
Yet in the past, he never regarded this person seriously, just a Qi Cultivation Spirit Plant Cultivator in a medicinal garden.
But what he saw today, this person’s aura was as deep as an abyss, how could he still be merely at Qi Refining?
"Foundation Establishment! When did you reach Foundation Establishment?"
Xu Buhui’s face showed a trace of astonishment; as far as he knew, this person was in his early forties and had reached Foundation Establishment?
This meant he could go further on the path of Foundation Establishment.
Perhaps he had no chance of reaching Golden Core, but there was a certain possibility at Foundation Establishment Middle Period.
Like that Wei Shu, who only reached Foundation Establishment at nearly sixty, while he, Xu Buhui, only reached Foundation Establishment near forty.
Yet he was the head of the Xu Family, and this Spirit Plant Cultivator reached Foundation Establishment at almost the same age as him?
Chen Ye chuckled: "Patriarch Xu, a person of your stature is too busy to care about others’ cultivation. Since you know I am Qing Jun’s master, why suggest I’m ill-intentioned?"
Xu Buhui’s expression shifted slightly. He had thought this person would be submissive upon seeing him, yet he didn’t expect such a direct retort.
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, his voice grew heavier: "Even if you were lucky enough to reach Foundation Establishment, so what? Qing Jun is a member of the Xu Family and has no ties with others! If you don’t know what’s good for you, don’t blame the Xu Family for being impolite! From now on, you are no longer Qing Jun’s master, understand?"
"What if I don’t agree?"
Chen Ye calmly retorted, stepping forward.
This step seemed casual, but it brought up an invisible wave of energy, causing the dust underfoot to vibrate slightly.
The Profound Scale Guard standing behind Xu Buhui, with scarlet pupils suddenly lighting up, a gauntleted hand slowly gripped the black short blade at their waist.
The cold gaze pierced through the faceplate, firmly locking onto Chen Ye, ready to erupt at any moment.
Xu Buhui’s heart trembled a little; Chen Ye’s depth of spiritual power far exceeded that of a cultivator!
What realm is he in?
Upon observing this person’s abundant spiritual power, it seemed even higher than his!
Indeed.
From the Qi Cultivation Stage, Chen Ye’s spiritual power always far exceeded that of cultivators of the same level.
And since mastering the Evergreen Technique, achieving great success with the Withering and Flourishing Profound Light Technique, Chen Ye’s spiritual power was abundant, comparable to an ordinary Foundation Establishment Third-Layer cultivator.
Moreover,
since the last time, after severing a Ten Thousand Puppet Sect cultivator with a single sword, Chen Ye calculated that his Ningyuan had the capability to threaten a Foundation Establishment Middle Period cultivator.
And that was also why he dared to face the Xu Family.
Certainly, the Xu Family Ancestor was at Foundation Establishment Ninth-Layer, but the Xu Family Ancestor was aged and frail, and every time they acted, it cost them lifespan, so they generally did not act.
At this tense moment, a creak sounded.
"Bad person! Don’t bully my master!"
Qing Jun rushed in front of Chen Ye, like a bristling cat, glaring angrily at the two.
She first gave a fierce glare at the ferocious Profound Scale Guard: "Little black face, don’t bully my master!"
And that Profound Scale Guard, faced with Qing Jun’s childish admonishment, indeed paused slightly.
He loosened his grip on the blade hilt, and even lowered his head slightly.
Xu Buhui was once again taken aback. This Profound Scale Guard was his personal bodyguard, why would he listen to Qing Jun?
Could it be...
The ancestor had given some control over the Profound Scale Guard to Qing Jun, the Xu Family’s strongest force; did the ancestor regard her so highly?
Thoughts raced through Xu Buhui’s mind upon seeing his own daughter, Xu Qingjun, showing hostility towards him for the sake of an outsider, he couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied, and he said sternly: "Qing Jun, this place is dangerous, and as a father, I worry about your safety, that’s why..."
"What father! You’re not my dad!"
Qing Jun got angry, she sneaked a glance at her master.
How annoying! What if Master gets upset?
As the little girl expected, when Master heard these words, his expression turned slightly off.
The little girl knew her master well; she knew her master must be feeling a bit jealous!
So how should she express her stance...
Got it!