Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 122 A flurry of rewards, Chen Ye reports on his duties.

"almost."

After leaving Luoli Courtyard, Chen Ye looked at the medicine garden, which had clearly improved, and made some calculations in his mind.

The task assigned to him by Master Pang was to take care of the Hundred Wonders Garden and restore some of its soil's fertility.

The current situation can be considered an overachievement.

He had no intention of lingering here; he only wanted to complete the mission as soon as possible so that he could have more time to spend with his disciple and focus on his cultivation.

However, the art of cultivating spiritual plants progressed rapidly during this period.

Especially the Swift Blade, which successfully broke through the limit!
[Swift Blade Technique Limit Break: 3/800]

The most significant changes during skill upgrades often occur after breaking through skill limits.

As for the later masters and grandmasters, there was no qualitative change.

Even the Evergreen Kung Fu is the same.

After breaking through the limits of the Evergreen Technique, a unique vitality will miraculously emerge from the spiritual energy. Subsequent breakthroughs merely nourish and strengthen this vitality, without any qualitative change.

Of course, there may be a qualitative change in the breakthroughs to come, but Chen Ye has not yet reached that level.

After breaking the limit with the Swift Blade Technique

In Chen Yemu's eyes, all things in the world, whether grass, trees, mountains, or rocks, seem to vaguely reveal an inner vein and texture like spiritual plants.

This insight meant that the Swift Blade Technique's effectiveness was no longer limited to dealing with spiritual plants; its application was now on a completely different level.

"Hey! Xiao Chen!"

Bai Susu stood with her hands on her hips, her golden hair swaying in the breeze, and raised her voice.
"The yard was tidied up so-so today, no wonder you're my slave!"

Chen Ye stopped what he was doing.

Yes,

Today he was going to take over Baiqi Garden from Master Pang, so naturally he wanted to make the garden look nice before leaving, so that the other stewards could inspect it.

Upon hearing Bai Susu's summons, he straightened up, a familiar smile on his face, respectful yet somewhat distant: "What are your orders, Uncle Bai?"

During these seven days, although Bai Susu did not stop him from rummaging through the yard, she would occasionally make some strange requests.

Sometimes she would ask him to transplant the mourning orchids from the east to the west, simply because she felt that the flowers' constant weeping and wailing were affecting her spiritual practice.
Sometimes he was ordered to catch the spirit bees buzzing on the Soul-Eating Flowers, under the guise of cleaning up the house.

Chen Ye readily accepted the offer, showing no sign of impatience.

Bai Susu gave a light snort, walked up to Chen Ye with her slender legs, tilted her small face up, and asked in a questioning tone, "Why are you so late today? This is my Bai Susu's herb garden! How dare you be so negligent!"

This little girl, does she really treat him like a servant?
Chen Ye looked apologetic: "I hope Uncle Bai will forgive me. My cultivation has reached a certain level and I need to consolidate it, so I wasted some time."

"Hmph! I bet you wouldn't dare to slack off!"

Seeing his respectful attitude, Bai Susu's smugness swelled even more.

No matter how authoritative you are in front of your two disciples, you can only be respectful and deferential in front of me!
She cleared her throat, put her hands behind her back, and began to "patrol" the Hundred Wonders Garden, imitating the mannerisms of the sect elders.

"This Heart-Eating Grass is not old enough, and its demonic energy is mixed, so it's useless. Pull it out!"

"That blood vine is growing well, but the Yin Sha flower next to it is disturbing its growth, so let's get rid of it too."

"And this... what was this again? Never mind, it's an eyesore, I'll pull it out too!"

Bai Susu acted imperiously, pointing out the flaws in the landscape, much like someone pointing out their own backyard.

Chen Ye listened intently, his eyelids twitching. These were all mid-grade or high-grade spiritual plants, each one incredibly valuable.

Besides, doesn't this little girl value these spiritual plants very much?
He could only cautiously say, "Uncle-Master Bai, these are all spiritual plants left behind by True Immortal Bai..."

Bai Susu narrowed her eyes: "What's it to you? You ungrateful bastard!"

Chen Ye gritted his teeth, wishing he could pin Bai Susu down on his lap and spank her.

Although I used to criticize the protagonist's behavior in certain works.

But when it comes to him, I really want to beat him to a pulp...

"But... what if the sect blames us?"

"Hmm? What's a few less spiritual plants? At worst, just say they died from the treatment. If that's not enough, just say your master wanted to pull them out!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye had no choice but to silently dig out all the spiritual plants marked by Bai Susu.

After being dug out, it naturally fell into his storage bag.

One high-grade spiritual plant and three medium-grade spiritual plants.

The total value of spirit stones is close to two hundred!
Although the price was discounted due to illness, it was not a problem for Chen Ye.

After making her rounds, Bai Susu was a little tired, so she put her hands behind her back, took measured steps, and prepared to leave with a satisfied expression.

Before leaving, she turned back and gave Chen Ye a condescending order: "Remember, when I come back tomorrow, if this garden isn't clean, see how I punish you!"

Chen Ye agreed, his tone remaining respectful.

Although he won't be in the garden tomorrow, he'll have more than enough time to tidy up the Garden of Wonders...

……

The day for reporting on his duties had arrived, and Chen Ye went to the Peak Master's Hall.

Upon entering, one sees a young cultivator dressed in sky-blue robes chatting happily with Peak Master Pang.

The cultivator had a handsome face, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and his cultivation had clearly reached the eighth level of Qi Refining. He possessed an extraordinary demeanor.

"Deacon Chen has arrived,"

Peak Master Pang raised his eyes in greeting, a gentle smile on his face.

"How's the matter at Baiqi Garden going?"

The young cultivator also looked over upon hearing the sound, his gaze falling on Chen Ye. He smiled politely and nodded slightly, but did not speak.

Chen Ye's heart stirred slightly.

Judging from his appearance, this person should be an inner disciple, but his aura far surpasses that of Zhao Qing.

He showed no emotion on his face: "The spiritual plants in Baiqi Garden have begun to recover, and I have come to report to the Peak Master."

"Oh? I thought Deacon Chen was going to extend the time..."

Peak Master Pang was slightly surprised, then said,
"Very well, I'll have someone go with you to take stock. If there are no problems, then this matter will be considered complete."

He immediately summoned two stewards and ordered them to go to the Garden of Wonders.

Half an hour later, the two stewards returned to the Herbalism Hall with strange expressions. Peak Master Pang took a sip of tea and casually asked, "How was it?"

One of the deacons looked at Chen Ye with surprise and admiration.
"Reporting to the Peak Master, the Hundred Wonders Garden has indeed been completely transformed under the management of Deacon Chen! His skillful and mature plant cultivation techniques have allowed most of the plants to regain their vitality! This assessment can be described as perfect!"

The other deacon was an acquaintance of Chen Ye.

It was Zhou Mingyuan.

He looked up at Chen Ye, but still reported the truth:
"It seems that four of the spiritual plants in the garden are missing."

Zhou Mingyuan deliberately covered up for Chen Ye, describing one superior-grade plant and three mid-grade plants as four spiritual plants using subtle language, which implied a very different meaning.

It is indeed a bit excessive to take away four ordinary spiritual plants.

However, considering the special circumstances of Baiqiyuan, it is understandable.

But what happened next was beyond Zhou Mingyuan's expectations.

"Hmm?" Peak Master Pang frowned slightly and put down his teacup. "Deacon Chen, what's going on with the spiritual plants in this courtyard? Why are four plants missing?"

Before Chen Ye could speak, the young cultivator spoke up in a gentle tone to defend him:
“Peak Master Pang, although these spiritual plants are of extraordinary quality, they have been buried in the Hundred Wonders Garden for a long time and are probably beyond cure. Deacon Chen had no choice but to… Alas, it is a pity. Although the sect has punishments for damaging rare spiritual plants, I think that considering that Deacon Chen is new here and has made great contributions, he will not be too harsh.”

Upon hearing this, Peak Master Pang's face darkened:

"The Garden of auspicious creatures is a sacred land, no matter how desolate it may be! True Master Bai even personally protected the vital energy of these plants, making them difficult to heal even for ordinary disciples! Could it be..."

The young cultivator waved his hand: "Peak Master, please don't misunderstand Deacon Chen. In my opinion, Deacon Chen is an upright person and would never do such a shameless thing as hoarding spiritual plants! Deacon Chen, don't you agree?"

He turned to look at Chen Ye, his smile still gentle, but his eyes held a hint of condescending scrutiny.

Chen Ye took in the expressions of the two men and was puzzled.

The two were working together, but it was clear that the young cultivator was the one in control.

But this person was a complete stranger to me...

"It certainly didn't kill him."

Chen Ye spoke calmly, but did not take out any spiritual plants from his storage bag.

Since Zhou Mingyuan was covering for him, it would be detrimental to him to reveal the truth directly.

"Yes, these four spiritual plants were all bestowed by Uncle Bai!"

"Master Bai?" The young cultivator's smile faltered slightly; he almost thought he had misheard. "You mean... True Disciple Bai Susu?"

He then chuckled, the gentle smile fading, replaced by a faint tone:

"Given Bai Zhenchuan's personality, why would he give you a spiritual plant for no reason? Do you think we're just making things up because we don't dare to verify with Bai Zhenchuan?"

This young cultivator was none other than Xu Qingsong.

Xu Qingsong deliberately chose the day Chen Ye was reporting for duty to rush to Bencao Peak.

If anything were to happen to Chen Ye, he could quietly bring the illegitimate child back to the Xu family.

If Chen Ye is lucky and Bai Susu doesn't come to Baiqi Garden these days, then he will find another way to deal with Chen Ye.

Of course, if none of those work, there's one last option...

But for now, there's no need for him to do anything!
However, upon hearing this, Peak Master Pang fell silent.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead, as if in sudden realization, and said:
"Oh dear! I forgot! These past few days, the disciples of my herb peak have reported that Uncle Bai has indeed been frequently visiting the Hundred Wonders Garden... I suppose it must be because Uncle Bai saw that Steward Chen was working hard taking care of the herb garden, and specially rewarded him. Hmm, that should be it."

He spoke with absolute certainty, as if he had witnessed it himself.

Xu Qingsong froze, his mind racing.

This Pang Taining is truly becoming more and more incompetent as he gets older!

He wanted to do Chen Ye a favor, but he didn't want to offend him...

In reality, even if it was bestowed by Bai Zhenchuan, so what?

First, find a pretext to exile him to the outskirts of the Yan state.

Afterwards, even Bai Zhenchuan probably wouldn't have noticed that such a minor figure had disappeared!
Fortunately, he didn't show any hostility towards Chen Ye at all, and even spoke up for Chen Ye.

"I see. It was my oversight."

Xu Qingsong quickly regained his smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Since it's a reward from Senior Uncle Bai, then it's naturally rightfully Chen's!"

Seeing that the time was right, Peak Master Pang smiled and smoothed things over:
"Alright, alright, now that this matter is clear, let's do as Deacon Chen says. The recovery of the spiritual plants in Baiqi Garden is promising, and Deacon Chen deserves much credit. Within the sect, rewards and punishments are clearly defined, and the disciples of the External Affairs Hall will personally deliver the subsequent rewards to Luoli Courtyard."

He paused, then looked meaningfully at Xu Qingsong:
“Nephew Xu Qingsong, although this Deacon Chen has only been a disciple for a short time, I have personally witnessed his mastery of spiritual plant cultivation, and it is indeed extraordinary. If you need anything in the future, you may wish to get closer to Deacon Chen.”

Xu Qingsong?
Chen Ye felt a chill run down his spine.

How could he not know this name?

Qingjun came from the Xu family, and he inquired about the Xu family after arriving at the Lingyin Sect.

Xu Qingsong is the second young master of the Xu family and an inner disciple of Yunfeng!

Xu Qingsong cupped his hands and smiled, "Peak Master Pang is right. I will definitely learn more from Deacon Chen in the future."

……

After Chen Ye took his leave.

Only Pang Taining and Xu Qingsong remained in the Peak Master's Hall.

Peak Master Pang chuckled and said, “Nephew, as you can see, it’s not that I’m unwilling to help you… it’s because he has a true disciple of Bai behind him. How could I dare to offend him? I’m an old man, and I really don’t dare to take the risk.”

Xu Qingsong twitched his lips and politely cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you very much for your help, Peak Master Pang. I am deeply grateful! I have important matters to discuss with Deacon Chen, so I will take my leave now!"

Pang Taining watched Xu Qingsong's retreating figure and took a sip of tea.

He had already decided that if something happened to Chen Ye, he wouldn't mind helping Xu Qingsong.

But if Chen Ye is safe and sound, he doesn't want to get involved in the conflict between the two.

after all,

Back then, Master Bai lived for a long time at Bencao Peak.

One reason was for the Hundred Wonders Garden, and the other was to practice swordsmanship at the nearby Purple Cloud Peak. I heard he even helped a teacher take care of a child for a while...

Therefore, how could Pang Taining, who had a deep memory of Bai Zhenren's appearance, not notice that Chen Ye's appearance was so similar to Bai Zhenren's?

"Regardless of whether Bai Susu's attitude towards him is good or bad, she has ultimately come to care..."

(End of this chapter)