It’s rare for us to come out like this.
The three disciples and one fox had another good round of fun at Cloud Gathering, and only then did they return, satisfied.
Dinner was naturally incomparably lavish, to celebrate Jin’er’s Foundation Establishment today.
After eating and drinking their fill,
only then did Chen Ye deliberately say with a mysterious air, "Did you all have fun today? In a few days, your master will give you another surprise."
Zhiwei and Jin’er looked puzzled,
while Qing Jun couldn’t wait and blurted out, "What surprise, what surprise? Master, stop keeping us in suspense!"
She was his most impatient disciple. The moment she heard there was a surprise, she stared at her master with wide, unblinking eyes, that little face full of curiosity.
But today,
this disciple had really made her master angry. She’d actually failed to read the situation and chimed in for Zhang Chuxi, saying something about how Master wasn’t short of Spirit Stones at all...
This silly girl, it was true he wasn’t short of Spirit Stones, but that didn’t mean he was willing to be taken for a fool.
How could Chen Ye let her get what she wanted?
He just waved his hand with an inscrutable look on his face. "You’ll know in a few days. If I say it, it won’t count as a surprise anymore. These next few days, Jin’er, you’ve only just entered the Foundation Establishment Stage and your Realm is still unstable, you need to polish it well. Qing Jun, Zhiwei, you two can’t slack off either."
Qing Jun didn’t get an answer, and her little mouth immediately pouted so much you could hang an oil bottle off it. Muttering "Master is the worst," she scooped up the little fox that was licking its paws to the side and stomped back to her room.
At a glance, it was obvious she was about to fiddle with those new Magical Artifacts she’d just bought on that little white fox.
But Chen Ye wasn’t worried that Qing Jun would go overboard.
Those Magical Artifacts wouldn’t hurt the little white fox; they’d just annoy it a bit.
...
Three days later.
In Luoli Courtyard, the autumn wind was sweeping up fallen leaves.
In these three days.
Qing Jun had practically lost all interest in food and drink, obsessing over the surprise her master had mentioned.
And the little white fox was the pitiful one, being dressed up nonstop with all sorts of Magical Artifacts Qing Jun had bought.
Originally Qing Jun had also bought some toys for teasing cats and dogs, but unfortunately this fox refused to cooperate with her at all.
Zhiwei, on the other hand, had calmed her mind and focused on cultivating, and was on the verge of Foundation Establishment.
At this moment,
Chen Ye was guiding Lin Jin in adapting to the sudden surge of Spiritual Power from the Foundation Establishment Stage, when a golden rainbow streaked across the sky at the horizon and came crashing domineeringly down toward the courtyard.
Boom!
The shockwave surged, making all the pear trees in the yard rustle loudly.
"Chen Ye!"
A cold and proud voice rang out.
When the dust dispersed, they saw Bai Susu in a light blue Taoist Robe, arms folded over her chest, standing gracefully in the courtyard.
Her chin was slightly raised, amber eyes sweeping over everyone in the yard, finally fixing on Chen Ye.
"True Inheritor Bai!"
The three disciples hurriedly bowed.
Chen Ye had sensed her presence long ago. He smiled wryly, got up, and cupped his hands. "True Inheritor Bai has graced us with your presence, forgive me for not welcoming you from afar. I wonder, today..."
"Cut the nonsense." Bai Susu’s willowy brows arched, and she directly cut off his polite words. "Are you packed?"
Chen Ye thought to himself that this little ancestor really had a temper, but none of it showed on his face. He turned to look at his three bewildered disciples, the corners of his lips lifting in a smile:
"This is the surprise your master prepared for you."
"True Inheritor Bai... is the surprise?"
Qing Jun blinked her big eyes, a little dazed.
She practically wanted to drill into her master’s head to see what exactly he was thinking!
Calling this a surprise was more like calling it a fright!
Chen Ye shook his head and said loudly, "The surprise is—your master is taking you all on a long trip, back to Lisong Valley for a vacation! And we’ll be riding True Inheritor Bai’s luxurious flying boat there."
As he spoke, he looked at Lin Jin:
"Jin’er, you’ve been away from home for a long time. Now that you’ve reached Foundation Establishment, it’s time to go back and see your parents, and also... let them see what you’ve become."
This was the surprise Chen Ye had been talking about.
Lisong Valley held extraordinary meaning for their master and disciples, especially for Jin’er.
Moreover,
being able to go to Lisong Valley meant she wouldn’t need to cultivate on Baopu Peak for the time being. You could just about call it a vacation, which would naturally make the girl happy.
At his words, Jin’er’s head snapped up.
Ever since coming to the Lingyin Sect, she’d never once brought it up, but in the dead of night she often dreamed of her strict yet loving father and her mother who was always quietly wiping away tears.
"Mm! Jin’er... thanks you, Master!"
Jin’er’s voice carried a slight choke. What child who has left home doesn’t miss their parents? Even a long-term shut-in like Jin’er—though you couldn’t see it on her face—still missed them deeply in her heart.
"You and I are master and disciple, what thanks is there to speak of?"
Chen Ye walked forward and gently patted her shoulder,
"You’ve now completed Foundation Establishment. It’s like returning home in silks and brocade; you ought to go back in style, to ease your parents’ worries. Especially since you’ve already reached Foundation Establishment, and your parents don’t even know yet..."
Not only did they not know; even Lin Qiongyu, who was also in the Lingyin Sect, had no idea how far her little sister’s cultivation had come—this girl was just progressing too fast, far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
Even Chen Ye was a bit looking forward to how Father Lin and Mother Lin would feel when they saw their daughter had reached Foundation Establishment.
"Yay! We get to go out and have fun!"
Qing Jun finally processed it and immediately cheered, jumping for joy, sweeping away all her previous gloom.
Perfect!
She’d thought Master’s surprise meant he’d found them a Mistress.
Zhiwei also showed a smile.
She, too, was fond of and missed the clear mountains and waters of Lisong Valley.
Only Bai Susu, standing to the side watching this display of deep master-disciple affection, curled her lip and secretly sent a voice transmission to Chen Ye:
"Hey, that’s enough. Don’t forget the real business."
Chen Ye’s expression didn’t change as he silently replied, "Don’t worry, Chen will naturally do his best with what he promised True Inheritor Bai. It’s just... I didn’t expect there to be a Demon Cultivator spy in Peach Mountain District?"
Bai Susu let out a cold laugh.
"Heh! Great Guardian Chen, have you already forgotten how you were ambushed by a Demon Cultivator in Peach Mountain District back then? Not just Peach Mountain District—Yunxi District, Moon Rhinoceros Lake District, and several other counties all have spies... But this time, you just need to follow me and deal with the two Yunxi District branches under Peach Mountain."