She first circled Chen Ye two times warily, her big bright eyes flickering back and forth over Little Shuyao.
Finally, she wrinkled her small nose, looking disdainful:
"Master, where did you pick up this little crybaby? She smells like milk, so childish!"
"Qing Jun, don’t be rude!"
Zhiwei’s face turned solemn as she patted Qing Jun’s head,
"This is Shuyao! Qing Jun, have you forgotten about Shuyao?"
"Shuyao..."
Qing Jun was stunned for a moment and thought carefully.
Before going to the Xu Family, that uncle named Hee Qi had sent a girl over.
However, Shuyao had stayed in Lisong Valley for only a few days before returning to the Xu Family with Aunt Mao.
Moreover, Shuyao usually stayed at home by herself and rarely spoke to others, so Qing Jun was not familiar with Shuyao at all.
"Hmm."
Chen Ye also explained for Qing Jun,
"Her name is Hee Shuyao, and she will be your sister in the future. Before Uncle He returns, she will live in Lisong Valley."
"Sister?"
Qing Jun’s eyes widened even further,
"Qing Jun doesn’t want a sister who only knows how to cry! Master, hurry up and throw her out!"
Zhiwei gently tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Qing Jun, don’t make trouble. Everything will be fine when Uncle He returns..."
The little girl, however, sneered coldly: "What if Uncle He dies outside, wouldn’t she stay in Lisong Valley forever?"
She didn’t want to bully Hee Shuyao, but that didn’t mean she could sit back and let others take her things!
"Stop it, Qing Jun..." Zhiwei was worried that the master would get angry and quickly tried to persuade her again.
Chen Ye had a headache. His disciple was good in every way except that her possessiveness was terrifying.
Seeing little Shuyao’s eyes becoming redder, and tears about to fall, Chen Ye had to use his trump card.
"Well, never mind. Since Qing Jun dislikes Shuyao so much as a sister, Uncle... Master will just have to send her away now. It’s just that this poor child, with her father gone, is all alone..."
"Ugh..."
Before he finished speaking, little Shuyao in his arms couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into tears, her small body shaking with heart-wrenching sobs.
At this, Qing Jun suddenly panicked.
Thinking about it, even if she was unwilling, it seemed Shuyao was already homeless?
"Don’t... don’t cry!" She flusteredly tried to comfort her, not knowing what to do, and could only spin in circles anxiously, "I... I didn’t say I want to drive you away! I just... just..."
"Alright."
Chen Ye placed Shuyao down, putting her small hand into Zhiwei’s, and said with a smile,
"Then you should explain well to Shuyao privately. Master still needs to cultivate."
He trusted Zhiwei.
Isn’t it the responsibility of the eldest disciple to share Master’s burdens?
...
After arranging the three girls, the sky gradually darkened.
Shooting stars occasionally streaked across the sky, returning Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Three Thousand Great Mountains.
It seems,
Cultivators within the Grotto Heaven have already started returning, and it won’t be long before the sect learns of his and Bai Susu’s survival.
"It’s just... the little fox sleeping is one thing, but why is Bai Susu also sleeping all day? Could her Divine Sense be damaged..."
Chen Ye glanced at another room outside the window.
Since coming from the Ninth Layer Heaven, the little white fox seemed greatly stimulated and remained in a coma until now.
However, Chen Ye had long been accustomed to it. Since finding the little white fox, it slept nine out of ten days.
It was Bai Susu who worried Chen Ye.
The path of the Divine Soul is mysterious and profound.
Bai Susu, once trapped in the Tao Stele of the Divine Soul, probably suffered significant detrimental effects on her Divine Soul.
He initially wanted to contact the Bai Family, but Bai Susu firmly resisted, saying she would be fine after three more days of rest.
Seeing this, Chen Ye decided not to act on his own accord.
He took out that jet-black Piercing Barrier Bead again.
Within the bead, the Nascent Soul remnant of the Songyang Sect’s ancestor was firmly imprisoned, turning into a pure mass of Divine Soul power.
"How should this be used..."
Chen Ye stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Bai Susu said that this remnant could be used to refine Third Tier Spiritual Artifacts.
But where could Chen Ye find someone to refine a Spiritual Artifact for him?
Moreover, this was a remnant of a sect ancestor... using it for artifact refining seemed too wasteful.
He moved his thoughts, splitting off an exceedingly weak strand of Divine Sense, nibbling at the Nascent Soul remnant like a silkworm eating mulberry leaves.
After a while, Chen Ye regretfully stopped:
"Never mind, it has indeed become the purest soul power, with no memory at all, let alone the various cultivation techniques of the Songyang Sect. Directly refining it would be too wasteful... better to leave it for later."
He calmed his mind and took out a Three-striped Qi Nourishing Pill, swallowing it with the intention to cultivate.
But after the pill entered his stomach, the medicinal power obtained from refining it was negligible.
Chen Ye frowned.
Although this First Tier pill had reached the Three-striped level, it still couldn’t support Foundation Establishment cultivators’ cultivation.
Or rather,
even a Nine-striped Qi Nourishing Pill couldn’t provide any assistance to Chen Ye’s cultivation!
This was because the Spirit Plant for refining the Qi Nourishing Pill was merely a First Tier lower grade Spirit Plant.
The Nine-striped Qi Nourishing Pill only meant that the medicinal power of the Spirit Plant was fully utilized, maximizing the reduction of side effects.
"It seems, I’ll need to find a Second Tier Pill Formula..."
Chen Ye mused as he looked at the panel.
{Withering and Flourishing Profound Light Sutra at Great Success: 12/200}
{Profound Evergreen Technique: 160/6400}
The progress of the Withering and Flourishing Profound Light Sutra was extremely slow, while the proficiency needed for the Profound Evergreen Technique was immense.
If it weren’t for the assistance of pills, relying on oneself to cultivate might take an eternity.
A night passed in silence.
The next day, as dawn broke, the small courtyard was already filled with lively activity.
Qing Jun was standing with her hands on her hips, on her tiptoes, gesturing emphatically to Lin Qiongyu in the kitchen: "Sister Qiongyu, add more sugar to this! Master loves sweet things!"
Lin Qiongyu looked troubled, speaking softly: "Qing Jun, the Master... actually doesn’t like sweet food."
"Nonsense! Master does like it!" Qing Jun pouted defiantly, "I made lots of sweet food for Master before, and he loved it!"
That’s because Qing Jun was the one cooking...
These words, Lin Qiongyu dared not speak out loud and had to follow Qing Jun’s instructions, adding sugar.
The little girl curled up with an evil smile. She cooked for the Master every day, so how could she not know what he liked to eat?
But she simply wanted to sweeten him to death!
On the other side, Zhiwei was patiently teaching little Shuyao how to recognize Spirit Plants in the medicinal garden, her voice gentle.
Chen Ye nodded in satisfaction, knowing that leaving little Shuyao with Zhiwei was the right decision.
His eldest disciple was excellent at taking care of others.
And the guest room door creaked open, Bai Susu came out yawning, scanning the surroundings sleepily before her gaze fixed on Chen Ye as she spoke boldly, "Chen Ye, I want a cup of Lisong Valley’s Glazed Tea, hurry up and make me a cup..."
For a moment, the whole courtyard was in chaos.
Chen Ye began to have a headache, suddenly missing the quiet days when he only had two disciples.
He took a deep breath, ignored Bai Susu, and instead called out loudly: "Today, a Guardian from the sect will come; you all stay well-behaved in the Inner Valley and don’t cause any trouble."
Bai Susu rubbed her sleepy eyes, visibly more energetic after a day of rest.
Leaning against the door, she wondered aloud, "The sect already knows about the Grotto Heaven news? I remember you sent them to the depths of the Three Thousand Great Mountains, and logically it would take another day before they could return to the sect..."
Chen Ye nodded: "Yes, Xu Henshan probably led the first group back. With his cultivation, it only takes one night to return to the Lingyin Sect. The Bai Family must have sent someone immediately to welcome you..."
The efficiency was indeed fast.
Generally speaking, the journey to the Lingyin Sect took two to three days.
But just as Xu Henshan reached the Lingyin Sect, Chen Ye received the news that the sect envoy would come this afternoon.
Judging by this, the sect envoy was likely a Great Cultivator in the late period of Foundation Establishment...
"The sect is sending people, probably to clarify what happened inside the Grotto Heaven."
Bai Susu stretched, pinching her chin with a slightly solemn look,
"But remember to be cautious, the coming person has no good intentions..."
"No good intentions?"
Chen Ye was astonished.