Returning to the Market, the sky had completely darkened.
The courtyard was brightly lit, and two small figures were sweeping snow in the yard.
Chen Ye felt a warmth in his heart and pushed the door open to enter.
"Master!"
"Master."
The crisp and childish calls dispelled all of Chen Ye’s day’s fatigue and vigilance.
He revealed a gentle smile.
No matter how turbulent the world outside was, at least at home, someone was waiting for him.
"Did you have fun today?" Chen Ye asked casually.
Qing Jun happily stuck the broom handle into the snow and licked her lips, "Fun! Brother Xue and Sister Lin next door gave us lots of pastries to eat!"
Chen Ye froze.
Xue Chengjun and Lin Qiongyu had already let the apprentices call them "Brother and Sister"?
These two really had a knack for winning people over.
"Did you have more fun with Master or with them?" Chen Ye deliberately put on a stern face.
Qing Jun blinked her eyes, timidly, "Of course... with Master!"
"Oh? What was fun about it?"
"It was just... um..." The little girl was at a loss for words, her little face scrunched up in thought.
Chen Ye couldn’t help but chuckle; teasing Qing Jun was one of his rare pleasures.
He bent down, pinched her little nose, jokingly saying, "In the future, call them Uncle and Aunt! Master is the Brother!"
Qing Jun pouted, the little girl was very honest: "Master is not Brother! Master is Uncle!"
Chen Ye pretended to be angry, "Not Uncle! It’s Brother, calling Dad is also fine."
The little girl widened her eyes warily, "Master... is so strange!"
Zhiwei silently swept the snow beside them; upon hearing Master’s words, a hint of wavering seemed to flicker under her bangs.
Master... does he really want to build a family with them?
But if it’s just a deception?
The black-haired girl gritted her teeth, swinging her broom with even more force.
After teasing Qing Jun,
Chen Ye suddenly said, "What if Master is not Master, if your former Master died, and the person standing before you now is someone else... What would you think?"
He had wanted to be honest with the two little girls for a long time.
Even if he and his predecessor had become indistinguishable... saying this is better than having the two girls constantly guard against him, right?
The two little girls fell silent upon hearing this.
Chen Ye felt relieved at their reaction, as it was within his expectations.
After abusing someone, then telling them that the person who abused them wasn’t you, hoping past grievances will be wiped out.
Would this person believe you?
Would they be willing to wipe the slate clean?
"Hmm... when you grow up, perhaps you will believe Master."
Even though it was expected, Chen Ye couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
He didn’t stop; time was pressing, and he needed to practice diligently.
...
Inside the Cultivation Room.
Chen Ye lifted a floor tile, revealing a small cellar beneath the three-finger thick bluestone slab.
This was a cellar he had secretly dug out over the past four days.
If the people from the Lingyin Sect found out, it would definitely cost him quite a few Spirit Stones in compensation.
Inside the cellar, the meat from the Demon Beasts hunted in the past few days was neatly arranged.
Some were preserved through curing, while others were frozen using the natural low temperature to maintain freshness.
Chen Ye stored the already processed Iron-backed Pig meat in the cellar.
"Not bad, totaling over two hundred pounds of Demon Beast meat. The meat alone is worth about seventy Spirit Stones. It’s a pity there’s no Storage Bag; storing it is too troublesome."
This meat wasn’t meant as food reserves for Chen Ye.
It was simply for consumption, to nourish the body and enhance cultivation.
Chen Ye sealed the cellar again, planning to add some more supplies tomorrow.
He returned to the table and began to tally today’s spoils,
Among them, what Chen Ye cared most about was the Small Sword from the masked Tribulation Cultivator.
The Small Sword was only three inches long, entirely blue, with a flawless surface and no chips.
Back then,
Gao Ming’s Tier One Lower Grade Magic Sword chipped after a single clash with Geng Metal Qi.
Clearly, the material of the Small Sword was superior to Gao Ming’s Magic Sword.
Chen Ye tried to channel Spiritual Power into it.
Magical Artifacts generally lacked spirituality, and didn’t require refining.
So, if you faced a cultivator with a realm far higher than yours, your Magical Artifact might even be taken away.
"Buzz——"
The Small Sword floated in response.
Chen Ye, thrilled by the find, skillfully maneuvered the Small Sword to spiral through the air.
This was a magical artifact of the First Tier Middle Grade! It could at least sell for over twenty Spirit Stones!
In terms of power, it surpassed Geng Metal Qi.
Luckily, the masked Tribulation Cultivator had insufficient control over the Small Sword, almost losing it after a strike from Geng Metal Qi.
Chen Ye put away the Small Sword and opened the Qi Concealment Technique, studying it carefully.
"Qi Concealment Technique is a good thing; it can hide your aura, useful for both escaping and ambushing in the future."
Moreover, in the novels he read before, which protagonist didn’t know some Qi Concealment Technique?
"Could it be that one day, I, Chen Ye, might pull off a ’wolves in sheep’s clothing’ moment?" Chen Ye began to anticipate.
For example, achieving a high level of cultivation in the future and meeting Bai Susu flaunting skills in front of him again,
he would directly deactivate the Qi Concealment Technique to reveal his profound cultivation.
Then pin that cold and proud little girl down on his knee and give her a good spanking...
Of course, Chen Ye was merely daydreaming.
Actually, this little girl was quite nice.
Before parting, she even specially reminded them.
"Tap, tap..."
While Chen Ye was lost in his fantasies, he suddenly heard tiny footsteps behind him.
He turned around, only to see Zhiwei standing at the doorway of the Cultivation Room, holding her small blanket, silently watching him.
"Zhiwei, what’s wrong?" Chen Ye asked, puzzled.
The black-haired girl bit her lip, her long eyelashes trembling slightly as if she were hesitating.
She kept her head down, speaking softly as a mosquito’s voice:
"Master... Zhiwei, wants to stay with Master."
Chen Ye was stunned.
This was the first time the elder apprentice had actively expressed closeness.
In his impression, Zhiwei always avoided him whenever possible.
The petite figure of the black-haired girl, clutching the blanket, looked extremely frail at the doorway of the Cultivation Room.
"If you stay with Master, then who stays with Qing Jun?"
Chen Ye’s heart softened as he approached, intending to gently pick up the older girl.
However, at the very moment he extended his hand.
Zhiwei’s body recoiled as if startled, like a frightened bird.
"No... there’s no need. Qing Jun is asleep, Zhiwei doesn’t need to stay with her."
Her voice trembled slightly, and her small hands gripped the blanket tightly.
Speak of the devil, and she will appear.
Just then, a fluffy little head peeked out from the door.
Qing Jun, noticing Zhiwei absent from the bed, curiously followed the sound.
The little girl rubbed her eyes, sleepily wrapped in a thick blanket, resembling a moving cotton candy, exuding the warm breath of a cozy bed.
Upon seeing the two in the Cultivation Room, she paused before running over with short steps.
"Sister? Master? Why are you together..."
The older girl suddenly buried her face into the blanket, even more nervously.
As if having a guilty conscience.
"Sister... why are you hiding from Qing Jun? What were you and Master doing?"
The little girl was not happy, staring intently at her older sister.
Zhiwei’s fingers, clutching the blanket, sank deeply into the bedding, her tone forced to remain calm: "Just, just came to take a look."
Could it be that Zhiwei was somewhat afraid of Qing Jun?