That trace of doubt was instantly cast away by Chen Ye.
Zhiwei just wanted her master to accompany her...
...
The next day.
The morning light faintly fell on the side of the man’s handsome face.
Chen Ye had already woken up, but seeing his disciple sleeping soundly, he couldn’t bear to wake her up.
He gently wrapped his arms around his disciple.
Zhiwei’s small face was pressed against his chest, sleeping deeply, her black hair spreading out, covering his arm.
The usually cold face was now serene and soft.
Chen Ye wished time could slow down to let his disciple sleep longer, but unfortunately, things don’t always go as one’s wishes.
"Creak—"
The door of the quiet chamber was gently pushed open, creating a small gap.
A small head peeked in, with a few strands of hair sticking up playfully.
The silver-haired little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes, mumbling something incomprehensible in her dreams.
Wearing a little white nightdress and barefoot, she looked like she had just crawled out of bed.
On her shoulder, a little white fox was curled up into a fluffy ball, eyes closed in slumber.
"Master... Senior Sister, Senior Sister is missing." The little girl’s soft voice carried a hint of fear, as she groggily started to walk towards her master, her eyes half-open.
Chen Ye was shocked.
Qing Jun usually went to bed early and woke up late due to her constitution.
But perhaps because her senior sister wasn’t around today, she felt out of sorts and woke up early.
Fortunately,
His little disciple was not yet fully awake.
Chen Ye quickly and earnestly said, "Qing Jun, your senior sister has already gone back. Go take a look and you’ll see."
"Oh... so senior sister went back."
The little girl’s feet wobbled as she turned her body dazedly, heading back towards the door.
"Chirp?"
Unexpectedly, the little white fox suddenly woke up, raising its head in confusion, looking at the three people before it.
Once it saw Chen Ye holding Zhiwei while deceiving Qing Jun, the little white fox instantly became alert.
Now was its time for revenge!
The little white fox wagged its fluffy tail, vigorously patting Qing Jun’s little face while chirping.
Chen Ye was furious, whispering, "You little beast, what are you doing!"
The little white fox was stunned, being called a little beast?!
It wagged its tail even more energetically, waking up the little girl from her daze.
She shook her head, turning back in confusion.
"Ouch, it hurts... huh?!"
Qing Jun suddenly stopped in her tracks, her little mouth forming a round "O".
What did she see?!
The usually quiet and cool senior sister was now curled up like a kitten in their master’s arms!
This this this...
New grievances and old ones surged in the little girl’s heart.
She remembered clearly!
When Aunt Mao came to Lisong Valley before, she had to sleep with Aunt Mao while her master stayed with her senior sister!
It was so unfair!
Could it be that her senior sister and master were always sticking together where she couldn’t see?
The little girl’s vision went black!
A furious emotion surged to Qing Jun’s head.
"Mas-ter!!"
"Nasty Senior Sister!!!"
"What are you doing!!!"
Lu Zhiwei suddenly opened her eyes, momentarily lost and confused like obsidian, upon seeing Qing Jun.
The eldest disciple was equally shocked!
Trouble—if Qing Jun found out, there would be no sneaking around in the future!
She attempted to spring out of her master’s embrace as if electrocuted, but Chen Ye’s arm hadn’t completely let her go, causing her to only flail around awkwardly, her face instantly reddening to her ears.
She could only hurriedly turn her face away, not daring to look at her master, much less their furious little junior sister at the door.
Chen Ye inwardly thought this was bad, as the little jealousy jar had caught him in the act!
He quickly let go of Zhiwei, earnestly saying, "Qing Jun, listen to what Master has to say..."
"Not listening, not listening! Donkey’s gospel!"
Qing Jun covered her ears, shaking her head like a rattle drum, with glistening tears wildly swirling in her eyes,
"Liar Master! Bad Senior Sister! You... you were snuggling behind Little Qingjun’s back! Little Qingjun wants that too! Waaah——!!"
The ball descended from the sky, furious and ferocious!
The still-stunned Zhiwei hadn’t fully backed away before she saw the White Furred Ball with great impact crashing over.
"Thud!"
The puffed-up Little Qingjun successfully squeezed into Chen Ye’s arms, forcefully knocking into the still slightly dazed senior sister. Then, using both hands and feet, she began to climb onto Chen Ye, trying to take over the throne her senior sister had just occupied. Climbing as she cried out in her baby voice with a sob:
"Master is biased! Only hugs Senior Sister and not Little Qingjun! Little Qingjun also wants Master to hold her to sleep! Boo... here! Little Qingjun wants to sleep here!"
Her little finger pointed at the spot on Chen Ye’s chest where Zhiwei’s cheek had just been resting.
Zhiwei was completely dumbfounded by her junior sister’s crash and squeeze, her fair little face still flushed.
Embarrassed and annoyed, she softly called out: "Little Qingjun! Stop causing trouble..."
As for the little white fox?
Seeing Chen Ye’s darkened face staring at it, it silently tucked itself in even tighter, pretending to be an innocent fluffy decoration.
Chen Ye had one hand stabilizing the still-climbing Little Qingjun, and the other constantly comforting his humiliated and exasperated first disciple; he felt completely overwhelmed.
All in all,
On the first day of joining the sect, the curtain rose amidst this chaotic scene of embarrassment and laughter.
Meanwhile, within the courtyard unknown to Chen Ye,
there was also a sickly disciple, secretly eavesdropping on the commotion inside. She smirked coldly, seemingly confident of her victory.
"Yang brings chaos, Yin awaits the reversal. The tyrant will destroy itself in its ferocity. Move with ease, and ease with movement."
"The advantage is mine!"
...
Danxia Peak.
"Qiuyun, what do you think, how should fox meat be cooked to taste good?"
"Huh? Fox meat? Uncle Chen, do you want to eat the little white fox? The little fox is so cute. If Uncle Chen doesn’t like it, give it to me."
"That fox is really wicked. Qiuyun, you’re no match for it."
"Hmm? What does Uncle Chen mean by this?"
"It’s an evil fox that knows how to get others to do its dirty work."
Chen Ye gritted his teeth in anger.
He originally thought the fox was dumb, playing dead right in front of him, planning to teach it a good lesson later.
Who would have thought that the fox was just deliberately flaunting itself before his eyes, and by the time he calmed his disciple and had a free hand, it had already run off to who knows where!
Damn it! Surely Little Qingjun was lured over here by the little white fox!
Chen Ye sensed something amiss, why wouldn’t his senior sister be around? Perhaps washing up, cooking, or cultivating... Why did she come looking for Master first thing?
Li Qiuyun listened, puzzled, and shifted the topic back:
"Uncle Chen, did you come to Danxia Peak this time to seek out the Second Tier Pill Formula?"
The Second Tier Pill Formula already belonged to the strategic tier of the sect’s formulas.
It was generally only passed down to core disciples of the sect, like the personal disciples of the pill peaks such as Danxia Peak.
However, there were exceptions.
For instance, those Second Tier Pill Formulas that had long been circulated outside, which could be purchased from the sect with contribution points.
Chen Ye suppressed his vexation and nodded: "Upon reaching Foundation Establishment, Second Tier Pills are needed as cultivation resources. Does Qiuyun have any recommended pill formulas?"
The young girl furrowed her brows in thought. Although she was a late-period Qi Cultivator, she was born into the sect and had heard of Second Tier Pill Formulas.
Before long, she introduced Chen Ye:
"Foundation Establishment Cultivators commonly use a pill called Jade Marrow Pill, which is inexpensive and mild. However, our sect has another secret formula, from the past Hundred Herbs Valley. It’s called the Purple Sun Pill, an undisclosed secret formula of our sect. The Purple Sun Pill is aggressive in nature but with fewer erysipelas and enormous potency. It cannot be exchanged. However, Uncle Chen, as an A-level Guardian, should receive a monthly stipend of three Purple Sun Pills."
Purple Sun Pill!
Chen Ye’s eyes brightened.
This pill was considered a top-tier Second Tier Pill in the Yan Kingdom.
Surprisingly, its formula was within Lingyin Sect.
Moreover, the reason why Second Tier Pills were so expensive was fundamentally due to the rarity of corresponding Second Tier Spirit Plants.
But the fact that Lingyin Sect could supply stably indicated they had mastered the cultivation of medicinal plants.
If Chen Ye could obtain this formula, again obtain seedlings from the sect, and with his expert Spirit Plant Technique to cultivate... wouldn’t that mean he could have one Purple Sun Pill every day?
Chen Ye tentatively asked: "Qiuyun, how can I obtain this Purple Sun Pill Formula then?"
The young girl was taken aback, she curiously said:
"Uncle Chen, you know alchemy? Uh... Though the formula is a secret transmission, it’s not without solutions. Uncle Chen becoming a personal disciple is undoubtedly out of the question. However, having just been promoted to Guardian, if you take on an alchemy position, there might be a way to access the major pill formulas of the sect."
An alchemy position?
Chen Ye felt a surge of happiness, he hadn’t thought about this before; fortunately, he specifically had Li Qiuyun accompany him this time.
If he could access all the major pill formulas of the sect... combined with his proficiency panel, wouldn’t he become the top alchemist in Lingyin Sect?
He quickly inquired: "And what is this alchemy position? Is it about refining pills for the sect?"
"Yes! Simply put, that’s it... you’ll need to refine the corresponding pills and submit them to the sect each month."
Li Qiuyun nodded, seeing that Chen Ye was truly interested, she whispered,
"But... Uncle Chen, do you remember the brothers Zhao Qing and Zhao Tong? Their aunt is precisely a Guardian at Danxia Peak!"