"But Master..."
"Get out!"
"...Yes."
Zhiwei left disappointedly holding the little white fox, but after this incident, the little white fox seemed not so sad anymore.
Instead, it looked at Zhiwei with teary eyes.
Zhiwei, truly a good child!
The little fox’s thoughts, however, were different from the master’s.
Chen Ye secretly thought: Damn! It must be because of the Purity Glaze Body that Zhiwei has lost the emotion of humiliation!
...
To calm his mood and to inventory his gains, Chen Ye turned his attention to the greatest reward of this journey to the Three Thousand Great Mountains.
That is, the Wood Element Tao Stele!
The Wood Element Tao Stele and other Five Elements Steles are among the core elements of the Songyang Cave Heaven Grand Array, treasures at the Golden Core level.
"I remember that among the Five Elements Steles, the Earth Element Tao Stele and the Gold Element Tao Stele were relatively intact... but the Earth Element Tao Stele’s whereabouts are unknown, and the Gold Element Tao Stele was likely taken away by that Jian Gu from the Refining God Sect."
Chen Ye pondered, obtaining the Wood Element Tao Stele was already lucky, and he was satisfied without coveting the other steles.
It’s just that when he thought of Jian Gu, he always felt something strange.
Why would Jian Gu help him?
Could it be that the little white fox is actually True Man Ye?
But how could the little white fox, such a silly fox, be the nearly Nascent Soul True Man Ye?
It should be noted that Nascent Soul True Monarchs are already among the top-tier figures.
This is different from Foundation Establishment.
Foundation Establishment is indeed rare and holds a respected status among Loose Cultivators.
But in the Yan Kingdom, or even in the Lingxu Realm, it’s rather ordinary, barely an entry into the immortal path.
Yet in the vast Cultivation Realm, Nascent Souls are figures of enormous stature!
Even those who haven’t formed their Nascent Souls like True Man Ye can be considered the number one person in the Yan Kingdom!
And look at this little fox... uh... not long ago it was tied up by him.
Chen Ye understood that the little fox was most likely a relative of True Man Ye, which is why Jian Gu cherished it and helped.
He calmed his mind and moved his Divine Sense.
In the Spirit Beast Bag, a green stone stele stood quietly.
The stele was ancient and vast, emitting a green glow, with a rich life aura almost overflowing the entire space.
And King Vine was affectionately entwined at the base of the Tao Stele, absorbing its power for healing.
"With the Wood Element Tao Stele in place, King Vine seems to be able to reside permanently in the Spirit Beast Bag?"
Chen Ye clicked his tongue.
This means the Wood Element Tao Stele has the capability to transform a space into a small grotto heaven capable of nurturing life!
If all the Five Elements Steles are gathered, one could create a cave mansion in a ring and hide disciples inside!
Chen Ye suspected that the Wood Element Tao Stele was among the top spiritual artifacts within the Third Tier.
For the Songyang Sect, which once possessed a Nascent Soul True Monarch, it was also the core heritage of the sect.
"Wait... Even Third Tier spiritual artifacts rarely have such miraculous effects. Could it be, the Five Elements Steles are originally a complete set of Fourth Tier Spiritual Treasures?" he speculated, the more he thought about it, the more it aligned with reality.
After the wild joy, Chen Ye quickly calmed down.
Such a treasure capable of reversing the seasons, once exposed, would undoubtedly lead to one’s doom.
Though Luoli Courtyard is nice, it is ultimately within the sect’s inner domain, filled with experts and numerous spies.
"Fortunately, upon returning, I have placed the four Foundation Establishment Stage Demon-eating Vines in the Inner Valley of Lisong."
Chen Ye felt a little more at ease,
"At that time, I can place the Tao Stele in Lisong Valley and try using it to cultivate Spirit Plants..."
...
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the clouds at the horizon a splendid orange-red.
Two small figures were walking side by side on the road back to Luoli Courtyard.
One wore a purplish-red Taoist robe, with silver hair like the moon, walking briskly, it was Xu Qingjun.
The other was in a well-fitted black dress, with jet-black hair like ink, walking gracefully, it was Zhang Chuxi.
"Has your master not returned home yet?" Zhang Chuxi suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
"Why are you always asking about my master?"
Qing Jun immediately became vigilant, like a little beast guarding its food, looking at her discontentedly, the little girl muttered,
"Besides... every time you come home with me, you always change your clothes."
Zhang Chuxi’s expression did not change: "The Taoist robe from Baopu Peak is too ugly. Besides, soon we will be having a Magical Battle, according to the rules, both of our teachers must be present to observe."
"Oh..."
The little girl suddenly realized, then furrowed her soft eyebrows,
"So that’s how it is. Humph, don’t worry, I won’t hold back then!"
The two chatted along the way and soon arrived at the entrance of Luoli Courtyard.
At the entrance, a familiar figure was waiting.
"Master!" Qing Jun called out joyfully and rushed over.
Zhang Chuxi glanced at Chen Ye, her eyes like stars just skimmed over Chen Ye’s body before moving away:
"Guardian Chen, tomorrow is the Magical Battle between me and Qing Jun, I hope the Guardian is informed."
Chen Ye thought to himself, this little girl is also strange indeed?
He nodded politely: "Thank you, Nephew Zhang."
Zhang Chuxi nodded, about to turn and leave, but then turned back to add a mention: "Guardian Chen, your disciple... although fond of lying and stealing others’ Spiritual Medicine, is not entirely without merits."
Does this guy still not know his mistake by now?
Chen Ye didn’t bother to get angry with the little girl, just smiled and said: "Nephew Zhang, such a statement is rather unfair. The matter of that day, who is right or wrong, has yet to be concluded?"
"Think as you please, it doesn’t matter."
Zhang Chuxi tugged at the corners of her lips, gave Chen Ye a sidelong glance.
The pretty little face smiled without warmth, and her tone lacked interest.
She made a polite bow and turned to leave.
"How annoying!"
Chen Ye suddenly felt an itch in his hands, how could he possibly get angry because of a little girl... his hands just itched!
"How annoying!"
The little girl tightened her small fists, in accord with her master, angrily gazing at the back of Zhang Chuxi.
To speak so rudely to Master!
She thought, tomorrow she must teach Zhang Chuxi a good lesson!
With this in mind, Qing Jun tugged at Chen Ye’s sleeve and whispered: "Master, I previously agreed with her that during the Magical Battle, no one else is allowed to watch..."
Chen Ye puzzled: "What’s the reasoning behind this? Didn’t Peak Master Xu say they’ll be observing the techniques?"
"Ah... don’t I know what she’s thinking!"
Qing Jun smiled proudly,
"That day, I took off her skirt and spanked her on the leg! She definitely wants to get back at me! As for the old man, we’ve already talked. Only you and that Aunt Lan will watch by then!"
Hiss...
Chen Ye somewhat understood why Zhang Chuxi was so aggrieved later, he probed: "Did you hit her very hard at that time?"
"Hehe! Her white bottom was all red from my spanking! At first, she was stubborn, always saying she wanted to kill me! Later... unable to bear the pain, when I saw her crying, I made her call out ’mom’, didn’t expect she really did."
The little girl indulgently recalled, in the past, Master had spanked her bottom, now it’s her turn to spank others!
Oh boy!
Chen Ye was startled, but then, how did Zhang Chuxi and Qing Jun become friends later?
At first, he thought it was just a simple spanking...
Anomaly suggests the presence of demons!
Moreover, he noticed lately that Zhang Chuxi, despite her graceful and polite appearance, has a rather vicious temperament, so how could she easily let go of her grudges?
He hurriedly pinched Qing Jun’s cheek: "Disciple, you must be careful. As your master, I always suspected she’s up to no good!"
Qing Jun placed her hands on her hips, laughing like a devil: "Would I be afraid of her! Don’t underestimate me, Master... humph, Qing Jun knows she has secrets?"
Alright!
He shouldn’t be worried about the little girl, this brat is very cunning and won’t be bullied by Zhang Chuxi.
Rather than worrying about the little girl, he might as well worry about Zhang Chuxi bullying him instead.
"Seems like, that might actually be the case? That little girl always sneaking peeks at me, as if she’s got something bad planned in her mind."
Chen Ye shook his head.
He decided to let Qing Jun and Zhang Chuxi get along.
Even if this girl has malicious intent, it’s still a form of training for Qing Jun.
Besides,
With Xu Henshan watching, Chen Ye need not worry, Zhang Chuxi using extraneous resources to bully Qing Jun.
Moreover, that little girl seems proud, apparently wishing to personally get her revenge...