The little girl was shocked and looked at her master warily:
"Master! You you you you... you’ve turned bad!"
Chen Ye’s heart skipped a beat, but he calmly said, "How have I turned bad?"
"Master is worse than Taoist Zhang, and even..."
As she was speaking, Qing Jun saw her master’s dark gaze fixed on her and quickly put on an innocent smile, speaking in a childlike voice,
"Master, why are you staring at me?"
"It’s nothing. Go on, tell me how I’ve turned bad. I just haven’t looked at you properly for a long time." Chen Ye smiled.
Qing Jun’s mind was racing, and mimicking her senior sister, she put on a serious face:
"Master, think about it. If I were your daughter, you could rightfully order me around in the future! Master, you’re too bad. I’m clearly not your daughter, yet you want me to fulfill a daughter’s duties anyway."
"Stop, stop, stop, is this why you’re saying I’ve turned bad?" Chen Ye sighed in relief.
Qing Jun blinked her big eyes, clueless: "If not, then what?"
Chen Ye, unfazed, flicked his disciple’s forehead: "Master just feels wronged. Besides, disciples also need to be filial to their masters."
"That’s different!" Qing Jun said righteously, "In the Cultivation Realm, there are many disciples who kill their masters, but fewer daughters who kill their fathers!"
Chen Ye’s face darkened further, realizing that he shouldn’t expect anything good from the girl’s mouth.
The little girl was sweating, aware of her slip, instinctively covering her small mouth.
Her bottom was perched on her master’s arm, feeling the muscles tense, ready to spring. If this continued, her bottom was in for trouble...
Quick-witted, she pretended to dodge his gaze: "Master, do you really want to hear the truth from me?"
Chen Ye was about to scold Qing Jun, but was taken aback by her words.
Although,
instinct told him, nothing good ever came from her mouth.
But Chen Ye refused to believe that!
He squinted his eyes: "Speak!"
"It’s because... it’s because..."
Qing Jun nervously twisted her fingers, her big eyes fluttering shyly as she glanced at her master.
Chen Ye: "? I suddenly think it’s better if you don’t speak."
"Of course it’s because! I can marry master... but a daughter... ah!"
With a loud slap, her words were shut inside her mouth. She nearly leaped from his arm, shielding her bottom with both hands, glaring at her master in anger,
"I was just telling the truth, why hit me!"
Chen Ye, with a cold face, grabbed Qing Jun’s slim waist and flipped her over his knee.
"Wait, wait, wait... if you dare hit me, I won’t like you anymore!"
The little girl was scared, her hands protecting her bottom were pinned to the back of her head.
Like a fish out of water, she wriggled powerlessly on his knee.
This left her feeling very insecure!
Chen Ye looked down coldly at the back of his disciple’s head: "I’d suggest you organize your words better."
Qing Jun stubbornly: "I wasn’t wrong!"
Chen Ye: "Very well, master’s hand is just itching."
"Master, you can’t be serious about your hand itching, are you?"
Qing Jun was dumbfounded, immediately sensing trouble.
...
After teaching the little disciple a lesson, Chen Ye felt refreshed.
"It’s strange, the little disciple always cares about this daughter issue..."
He walked out of the Inner Valley, inspecting the nearby medicinal fields along the way, pondering silently.
It seems both disciples care a lot about this.
"Probably because they’re both orphans without parents... Though Qing Jun has a nominal mother, that mother is neither caring nor nurturing, just Mao Qingzhu’s wishful thinking."
Chen Ye felt immense emotion and couldn’t help but feel a shred of pity.
Chen Ye, how could you spank your disciple’s bottom until it’s swollen?
Truly a terrible person!
He reproached himself internally, yet his steps did not slow down.
After settling his disciples and Bai Susu, his foremost concern was the safety of Lisong Valley.
He had been framed by the Wei Family, thrown into Grotto Heaven, his fate unknown.
Given the Wei Family’s vengeful nature, they certainly won’t easily let go of his Lisong Valley.
In truth, Chen Ye is not lacking in resources now, and the medicinal garden of Lisong Valley is just the icing on the cake.
After this journey to the Grotto Heaven, Chen Ye gathered a large amount of resources and no longer lacks Spirit Stones. After exiting the Grotto Heaven, Bai Susu even shared half of the collected Spirit Stones with him, amounting to as much as six thousand Spirit Stones.
What he’s worried about is that the Wei Family might take retaliatory action against the cultivators within Lisong Valley.
Fortunately, he observed all along the way.
The medicinal fields in the Outer Valley are not only not abandoned but are thriving even more vibrantly.
Row after row of Spirit Plants, under the nourishment of the Spirit Gathering Array, are growing splendidly, with several medicinal farmers busy between the fields.
In the distance, Lin Jinghua is patrolling the medicinal fields.
Everything appears orderly and systematic.
"Supervisor!"
"Supervisor Chen is back!"
Sharp-eyed medicinal farmers noticed Chen Ye’s figure and immediately shouted with surprise and joy.
In an instant, the bustling medicinal garden seemed to freeze.
Soon afterwards, erupted into cheers like a tidal wave!
"Heavens have eyes!"
"The Supervisor is back!"
Lin Jinghua was shaken all over and turned his head around abruptly. When he discerned that familiar figure, this man, who is over fifty years old, suddenly had his eyes turn red.
"Supervisor Chen, you finally came back! These six months, people outside were saying..."
Lin Jinghua’s voice trembled and choked up before he could finish the sentence.
No wonder he was so emotional.
Lin Jinghua owes his current position entirely to Chen Ye’s favor.
Moreover, his whole family has long been tied with Chen Ye, sharing both prosperity and loss.
"Saying I died in the Grotto Heaven?"
Chen Ye smiled and patted his old subordinate’s shoulder, his gaze sweeping across the excited and gathered medicinal farmers around.
He noticed that among the crowd, at least seven or eight familiar faces were missing.
Lin Jinghua lowered his voice and said, "Supervisor, the Wei Family came over three times, saying they have proof that you colluded with a Demon Cultivator. Lingyin Sect gave them the order to take over Lisong Valley. Zhang Scaramouch couldn’t believe it and merely questioned it vocally, and as a result, he was killed on the spot by the Wei Family as a warning..."
He felt sorrow, grief, and hastily added,
"Fortunately, Mr. Qingzhi guarded the Inner Valley. Those beasts couldn’t deal with him. The Wei Family originally had a Foundation Establishment cultivator intending to make a move... Later, I heard someone from the Mao Family intervened. The sect then changed its mind, deciding to consider the ownership of Lisong Valley only after the Grotto Heaven event."
A glint of cold light flashed in Chen Ye’s eyes. He had expected the Wei Family to seize the opportunity for reckoning, but he did not expect that they would not even spare ordinary medicinal farmers.
Seeing the unusual expression on Lin Jinghua’s face, seemingly hesitant, he added, "Elder Lin, speak freely if there’s anything. Please don’t hold back anything."
Lin Jinghua hurriedly bowed and said urgently, "How would I dare hide anything from Supervisor Chen... It’s just that after Miss Mao from the Mao Family spoke up in your support, it infuriated the Patriarch Mao, who confined her in a dire place. She asked me not to mention this to Supervisor Chen. Alas, Miss Mao used to frequently visit Lisong Valley to care for the Spirit Plants, but since that day, she hasn’t shown herself. I’m a bit worried about Miss Mao’s safety."
Chen Ye was silent.
If he remembered correctly, the relationship between the Patriarch Mao and Mao Qingzhu was already strained due to the issue of Mao Qingzhu’s illegitimate child back then.
And now, seeing Mao Qingzhu lend support to an outsider like him... The Patriarch’s anger is justifiable.
"As for... Miss Mao’s matter, I will find a way..."
Chen Ye glanced at the medicinal farmers and suddenly asked,
"I noticed quite a few people missing within the fields. Are they on leave, or did they fall victim to the Wei Family?"
At this point, there was no need for Lin Jinghua’s explanation, as an old farmer angrily filled in:
"Those ingrate bastards, seeing the master family in trouble, they directly defected to the Wei Family! It’s ridiculous. Without the good name of Mr. Chen, would they be where they are today? Besides, the Wei Family’s willingness to win them over, isn’t it only because of our Lisong Valley’s renowned reputation?"
These medicinal farmers, unlike the former disciples of Lisong Valley,
were all selected by Chen Ye from the Spirit Peach farmers who were exploited by the Wei Family, and hence there’s no impropriety in calling Chen Ye the master family.
Chen Ye said calmly, "It’s natural for people to follow the trend and seek profit... Yet, maintaining one’s original intentions and sharing in gratitude and hardship are what’s truly admirable. I understand these matters. Do not worry, as long as I, Chen Ye, am here, this Lisong Valley will not change its sky. As for your loyalty, I, Chen Ye, hold it dearly in my heart."
He retrieved a bag of Spirit Stones from the Storage Bag and instructed Lin Jinghua to reward everyone.
Lin Jinghua took the Spirit Stone Bag in silence, and suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Supervisor Chen, I... my little daughter... these days... I hope Supervisor Chen can find a little time amidst your busy schedule."
Remembering his daughter’s state, a pang of heartache struck him.
Yet he dared not speak plainly, fearing Chen Ye might misunderstand his intentions as demanding.
Moreover, Chen Ye had just returned to Lisong Valley and must be extremely busy; how could he have time to care for his daughter...
But due to a father’s personal desire, he still dared to bring it up.
"Lin Jin..."
Chen Ye was startled and sighed softly.