"Hmph! Stingy!"
Qing Jun pouted but didn’t argue further, instead curiously asked,
"Master, is that sword really that powerful? More powerful than your new Iron Sword?"
"The Jade Hidden is an external sword, the Heart Slaughter is a soul sword, each has its own emphasis, they can’t be compared."
Chen Ye explained simply, calculating in his mind.
With the Heart Slaughter Sword, he had covered his shortfall in Spirit Soul Attack techniques.
In the future, when facing enemies, he now had an immensely powerful trump card.
However, the self-damaging side effect of "losing five hundred" was quite a headache and should not be used unless absolutely necessary.
But even now, he couldn’t use it readily; the Heart Slaughter Sword still needed a considerable amount of time to be nurtured.
"It seems that I must diligently train the Seven Luminaries Soul Nourishing Technique, to quickly enhance the strength of my divine soul, so I can better wield the Heart Slaughter Sword to reduce backlash."
This matter ended, and the gains far exceeded expectations.
He came to Divine Mist Valley precisely for the inheritance of the Heart Slaughter Cave.
Now, the inheritance was in hand...
As if she could sense her master’s thoughts, the little girl looked up expectantly:
"Master, master! Can we go home now? I’ve heard that several demon vines have moved in, the back mountain must be lush green!"
Qing Jun had long wanted to go home and have a look.
She had heard from her senior sister that back then, her senior sister and master encountered the Demon Vine Tribe in the three thousand Tao Steles; this tribe was particularly sly, disguising themselves as steles.
If not for the White Fox recognizing the Vine King, who knows what might have happened.
Chen Ye also wanted to go back; staying at someone else’s place was never as comfortable as being at home.
But,
Just taking the inheritance and leaving immediately would seem too impolite.
Moreover, from Mao Cheng’s attitude... he subtly implied a desire to get closer to Qing Jun, after all, he considered himself Qing Jun’s grandfather.
Chen Ye patted his disciple’s little head: "Let’s stay a few more days, Aunt Mao still wants to have some fun with you."
"Hmm..."
Qing Jun actually quite liked Aunt Mao and felt a strange affection towards her.
But seeing her master’s demeanor, she hesitated,
"Then, how many more days do we have to stay?"
Chen Ye estimated: "The Guardian at the Herb Pavilion is almost healed, about half a month, I guess."
The little girl looked a little dejected.
But now, it was just her and her master!
Her mood switched from cloudy to sunny, swinging her master’s arm happily:
"Master, master! It’s just the two of us now!"
Qing Jun hung on Chen Ye’s arm like a koala, her earlier grievances were swept away by the joy of "just the two of them now."
The little silver-haired head rubbed against Chen Ye’s sleeve: "Master, what do we do now? Senior sister is in seclusion, it’s just us two!"
Chen Ye looked down at his disciple’s bright and sparkling eyes, and the heartache from the depletion of his cultivation was somewhat soothed.
He flicked Qing Jun’s smooth forehead lightly: "What do you mean just us two? Your Aunt Mao has been busy for you these days. Since she wants to see you, as the junior, you should accompany her and have a chat."
"Oh..."
The little girl’s excitement visibly dwindled, her little mouth pouting again,
"But... Qing Jun just wants to be with Master."
Though she said this, she didn’t resist as much as before, she just hugged Chen Ye’s arm tighter, afraid he might slip away.
"Silly girl."
Chen Ye ruffled her hair,
"Aunt Mao treats you with genuine affection, how can you let her down? Besides, your senior sister needs quiet to integrate the inheritance, and I..."
He paused, rubbing his still faintly aching temples.
"I also need time to get familiar with the Heart Slaughter Sword and stabilize my cultivation. The Spiritual Qi in Divine Mist Valley is abundant, it’s an excellent place for recuperation."
What he said was true.
Though the Heart Slaughter Sword was refined, the unreal sensation pricking his brow hadn’t entirely vanished.
More importantly, swallowing a substantial amount of Spiritual Power and Power of Divine Soul equivalent to months of hard cultivation had some shaky effects on his Realm, desperately needing to calm and consolidate.
The pristine Spiritual Qi in Divine Mist Valley, combined with the Array here calming and Concentrating Spirit, indeed made it a better option than rushing back to Lisong Valley for recovery.
Qing Jun noticed her master occasionally rubbing his temples.
She looked up concernedly: "Master, are you uncomfortable? Is it because of that darn sword?"
Saying so, her little hand tried to touch her master’s forehead.
Chen Ye dodged and caught her restless hand:
"It’s nothing, just finished the ritual and need to blend. Be good, go play with Aunt Mao for a bit, and I’ll teach you something new later."
He offered a bait.
Sure enough, the words "something new" immediately lit up Qing Jun’s eyes: "Really? What’s it? A really powerful move?"
"You’ll find out once you go." Chen Ye played coy, patting her back, "Go on, don’t keep your Aunt Mao waiting."
With that, he informed Qing Jun of Mao Qingzhu’s current whereabouts.
This matter, he wasn’t worried about Mao Cheng intervening.
Now that Mao Cheng is accepting Qing Jun, why would he prevent a mother and daughter reunion?
"Then... okay."
Qing Jun reluctantly let go, taking three steps forward and one step back towards the bamboo grove, mumbling all the while,
"Master better not be lying! Qing Jun holds grudges!"
Watching the little girl disappear among the verdant bamboo, the smile on Chen Ye’s face faded.
"Finally, everyone is gone..."
Chen Ye’s expression occasionally twitched.
While his disciple was here, he had to endure the pain to maintain his dignity as a master.
But the longer the Heart Slaughter Sword stayed in his divine soul, the more his head hurt, so he hastily sent his two disciples away.