Chen Ye felt a stir in his heart; he was indeed uneasy.
Seeing Xu Henshan offer him a way out, he took the opportunity, pretending to sigh helplessly:
"Alas, this girl is leaving me for the first time, and I just can’t rest easy. Since you insist, esteemed senior, I’ll stay for a day, so she can feel at ease."
"Who’s happy about that!"
The little girl was pouting, about to shed tears of gold. When she heard her master would accompany her, she quickly held back her tears and muttered,
"Anyway... Qing Jun isn’t happy about it!"
She ignored the two adults and strutted proudly toward the front hall.
As she crossed the threshold, she couldn’t help but take a quick glance back to make sure her master was indeed still there.
Her bravado made both Chen Ye and Xu Henshan chuckle.
Once Qing Jun’s figure disappeared behind the hall door, the atmosphere in the rear hall became slightly solemn.
Xu Henshan restrained his smile and focused on perusing the Jade Scroll.
Chen Ye felt uneasy, so he looked outside at a few leisurely and graceful Foundation Establishment Stage Spirit Deer.
"Senior Xu."
He felt moved and suddenly talked about something trivial,
"There’s something I don’t understand. These Spirit Deer on the peak, they have such strong auras, do they really have Foundation Establishment Stage power?"
Xu Henshan took a sip of tea: "Hehe, Little Friend Chen, you have keen observation. These deer are called Cloud Deer, and are Mountain Guardian Spirit Beasts nurtured by the sect for nearly a thousand years. Their herd is large, scattered across many scenic spots in the sect. But only three are at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and the sect specifically lets these Spirit Deer guard the young disciples on Baopu Peak. If fortunate, these Spirit Deer might even form a master-servant bond with a disciple..."
Chen Ye suddenly understood, so that’s how it is.
He had thought Foundation Establishment was all too common, but it turned out these were Mountain Guardian Spirit Beasts nurtured for nearly a thousand years, and only three such Spirit Deer were at Baopu Peak.
But it was already quite remarkable,
considering that some Peak Masters with seats in Dubhe Hall were still only in their early Foundation Establishment Period...
The two chatted casually for a few sentences before Xu Henshan suddenly put down his teacup, looked at Chen Ye with a faint smile:
"Little Friend Chen, no need to hold back, you’ve been preoccupied ever since. Is it about the Mao Family girl?"
Chen Ye’s heart skipped in shock, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
Mao Qingzhu was nominally the wife of Xu Buhui, and Xu Buhui was Xu Henshan’s descendant...
And there were some rumors between him and Mao Qingzhu.
Chen Ye steadied himself and said, "Senior, you’re joking. I’m just an old acquaintance of Senior Mao; there’s nothing..."
"Hahaha!"
Xu Henshan suddenly let out a hearty laugh, interrupting Chen Ye’s explanation.
He waved his hand, showing no sign of blame.
"Alright, alright, no need to be nervous. I’ve lived nearly three hundred years, what haven’t I seen? Throughout the Xu Family, from the main to side branches, down to the ordinary people under us, to put it bluntly, nine out of ten carry my blood." He said so.
The tension in Chen Ye’s mind eased slightly, yet he dared not completely relax.
Who knows if the old man would suddenly change his attitude?
Besides, it ultimately affects the Xu Family’s reputation. He spoke lightly, but who knows what he truly felt.
Xu Henshan looked at him and sighed wistfully:
"Time is the most powerful force in the world. I can only care for those descendants who have hope in the immortal path. As for the rest... let it be, all is but illusion, passing fleetingly."
Chen Ye was silent: "I am enlightened, Senior."
Indeed.
Take Zhao Qing and Zhao Tong, for instance, who are considered the direct bloodline of the Zhao Family, but are merely Outer Sect disciples in the Lingyin Sect.
Instead, their aunt, due to her exceptional talent, holds an extraordinary position and can inherit part of the Xu Family’s assets.
The Bai Family’s scarcity of descendants is a special case though...
But it’s likely due to special physiques causing difficulty in reproduction, yet everyone in the family is a genius, like Bai Susu, whose father is a Golden Core True Man, uncle is a Peak Master, and she herself is a Spirit Hidden True Inheritor...
Xu Henshan stroked his beard, his gaze growing more playful:
"Whatever private matters you have with Mao Qingzhu, it’s not my concern. I even welcome it. Qing Jun pretends to be naive and mischievous, but she’s actually stubborn and headstrong. It’s clear to me, though you and she are like father and daughter as master and disciple, there’s a layer between you. If you and Mao Qingzhu can become Dao companions, it would greatly benefit her character and growth."
!
Chen Ye was dumbfounded, what’s the old man talking about?
If Xu Buhui heard this, wouldn’t he jump up instantly?
Moreover, becoming Dao companions with Sister Qingzhu... Chen Ye never even considered it.
He awkwardly smiled and said, "Senior is joking..."
Xu Henshan suppressed the playful glint in his eyes and continued reading the Jade Scroll:
"Think I’m joking if you want... I only want you to know that I will never interfere. The rest is for you young people to handle."
He implied that if Chen Ye and Mao Qingzhu had intentions, they need not worry about his opinion.
One must say, the old man truly values Qing Jun.
However,
what exactly is the feud between the Lingyin Xu Family and the Ruins Country Xu Family, causing Xu Henshan to hold a grudge for so long... even to the extent of cultivating descendants for ’revenge’ at all costs?
But this is surely a major secret of the Xu Family, so Chen Ye wisely refrained from inquiring and instead started probing into the matter concerning the Mao Family.
...
Before he knew it, it was already dusk.
Not until the Instructor announced the end of studies in the front hall did Chen Ye come back to his senses.
He got up and went to the front hall, and Qing Jun’s eyes lit up the moment she saw him, sticking to him like a little tail.
Just... the master didn’t hold her hand?
Qing Jun saw her master nodding to her, so she walked ahead by herself, feeling somewhat unhappy right away.