Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 157 Today's Appearance!

"Steward Liu, wait a minute!"

As the fat steward saw the Lingyin Sect's carriage approaching, he was about to go forward to pay his respects when he was pulled back by a thin, shifty-eyed steward beside him.

"Ok?"

The fat steward turned around and saw that it was another steward from the Herbal Pavilion. He couldn't help but frown.
"What? Wait a minute! Didn't you see it's a carriage from the Lingyin Sect? This is the new head of Linsong Valley, who is succeeding Steward Tian. We can't afford to offend him!"

Although they were all stewards of the Lingyin Sect, their status within the sect was arguably the lowest.

They were responsible for manual labor such as selling spiritual plants and medicines, and their status was not comparable to that of a deacon like Chen Ye, who had a certain amount of real power.

"Manager Liu...why should we get involved in their struggle?"

The thin manager explained,

“There was another steward waiting to take over Steward Tian’s position at Lin Song Medicinal Garden. This Steward Chen was parachuted in out of nowhere, which will surely displease him.”

The thin steward lowered his voice: "Steward Liu, you haven't been in Taoshanfang long, so you may not know. The position of manager of Linsong Herbal Garden has long been coveted by Steward Wei. Steward Wei has deep roots and wide connections in Taoshanfang, and he has worked diligently at Linsong Herbal Garden for nearly ten years. He finally waited for Steward Tian to be promoted and step down, and he must have spent countless favors to do so. Now this Steward Chen has fallen from the sky and taken this lucrative position. Do you think... Steward Wei will let this go?"

The fat steward felt a chill run down his spine. His name was Liu Quan, and he had indeed been transferred from another place a month ago. He was not very clear about the intricate relationships within Taoshanfang.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and said in a low voice, "Brother Ma, do you mean... we should just wait and see? Or should we help Steward Wei teach this new steward a lesson?"

The skinny manager known as Brother Ma was a seasoned veteran of the Herbal Pavilion, named Ma Jun.

He chuckled, his beady eyes narrowing slightly: "Not so, not so. What do other people's squabbles have to do with us? We'll just ignore them. Although Steward Wei has considerable influence on Herb Peak, this Steward Chen was directly appointed by the sect, so his appointment is perfectly legitimate. In my opinion, if he could snatch food from Steward Wei's mouth, how could he not have a powerful backer?"

The skinny butler spoke with an air of composure, as if he had everything under control.

After pondering for a moment, Liu Quan felt that Ma Jun's words made sense.

He looked at the carriage that had slowly come to a stop, gritted his teeth, and said, "Brother Ma is right! Fortune favors the bold! I'll bet that this Steward Chen can stand firm!"

Having said that, he ignored Ma Jun's tugging, straightened his robes, put on a warm smile, and quickly went to greet him.

"This idiot!" the skinny steward exclaimed in surprise.

What did he understand?
So you only understood the second half of his sentence and didn't understand what he said earlier about not interfering, right?

Moreover, Lin Song Medicinal Garden is an important source of spiritual plants for Taoshanfang Herbal Pavilion, but it has suffered from the cold disaster recently, and most of the spiritual plants in it are in a state of rest.

Only Steward Wei, who has cultivated the Lin Song Herb Garden for ten years and is adept at handling spiritual plants, has been able to continuously supply healthy spiritual plants to the Herb Pavilion.

If we offend Steward Wei, he will probably keep making excuses when Steward Fei goes to ask for the spiritual plants.

You should know that each of these managers at the Herbal Pavilion has specific performance targets!

Although Lin Song Valley is bound to supply the spiritual plants to the Herbal Pavilion, the specific recipients depend on the Lin Song Valley steward's wishes.

Let's leave aside the matter of Linsong Valley for now... Steward Wei is a local bully in Taoshanfang!
Even a powerful dragon can't necessarily suppress a local snake!
The carriage came to a stop, and the curtain was lifted.

A slender, spirited female cultivator in a sky-blue Taoist robe stepped down first.

She placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, looked around, and frowned slightly at the desolate scene of the market.

He then stood respectfully to the side and pulled up the carriage curtain for the person inside.

The young female cultivator's respectful demeanor left the two stewards speechless.

Indeed, when a newly appointed deacon takes office in another place, he is usually accompanied and protected by disciples who are in the late stage of Qi Refining.

But they were just guards!
He doesn't usually get involved in the affairs of the steward.

In other words, the so-called guards are actually a training exercise for these disciples. The relationship between the guards and the stewards is equal.

When have I ever seen a guard disciple be respectful to his steward?
These disciples, despite their young age, had already reached the late stage of Qi Refining and were always proud and arrogant.

Immediately afterwards, a man calmly stepped off the car with two girls, one in black and one in white, on either side of him.

"Welcome, Steward Chen, Fellow Daoist Li!" Liu Quan bowed respectfully with a beaming smile. "I am Liu Quan, the manager of the Herbal Pavilion, and I have been waiting here for quite some time on orders!"

As the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face.

Chen Ye smiled broadly and said, "It's an honor to meet you."

"Steward Chen, please come into the pavilion so that we may host a welcome feast for you!"

As they spoke, the group escorted Chen Ye into the pavilion.

Although Linsong Medicinal Garden is located within Taoshan Ward, it is a medicinal garden and therefore not in the bustling ward.

Its location is remote, close to the Three Thousand Mountains, and borders Yunxifang.

It takes half a day to get to Linsong Medicinal Herb Garden.

Therefore, Chen Ye and the others rested at the Herbal Pavilion for a day.

……

Lin Qiongyu, who had been scolded by the fat steward and fled in panic, walked out of the Herbal Pavilion in a daze.

"Which important figure from which sect has arrived?"

She watched as the fat steward eagerly stepped forward to greet her, her mind numb with thought.

However, no matter how important a person was, they had nothing to do with her...

She raised her head, staring blankly at the desolate street scene of Taoshanfang. Beneath her gray headscarf, her once bright and watery eyes were now utterly empty.

My sister's cough...

Suddenly, a familiar reflection appeared in the empty pupils.

Lin Qiongyu's pupils contracted slightly; her first reaction was that she must have seen wrong.

But when she looked closely, she was struck dumb.

It's him!

How could it be him in the carriage?

The herbalist farmers in that shantytown were once wantonly bullied and framed by her and Xue Chengjun!
Senior Chen, who was also a neighbor on Bishui Street, had calmly treated Xuan Shen in Yunshang Pavilion, but then refused to help him during the cold disaster and beast tide...

Lin Qiongyu felt dizzy and disoriented, as if she were a rat from a ditch being lifted alive into the sunlight.

Although she knew that Chen Ye had passed the Spirit Plant Master assessment, in her mind, Chen Ye should be working diligently in the Herbal Pavilion, just like the fat and thin stewards.

Or perhaps in a spiritual field, he wields cloud and rain magic, resembling an old farmer who cultivates immortality.

That's it.

But why is he being surrounded by people at this moment, and why are the sect disciples in the late stage of Qi Refining so respectful?
this moment,
The contrast between their past and their current status stirred up an unprecedented mix of complex and bittersweet emotions within her.

She instinctively pulled her headscarf even lower, as if she wanted to bury her entire face in the shadows, then turned around in a panic and fled into the crowd, disappearing from sight.

"Today, sister, I will definitely save you, at all costs..."

...Liu Quan led the group through the front hall of the Herbal Pavilion to a quiet private reception room, his warm smile never fading:

"Steward Chen, our Peach Mountain Quarter is quite a wonderful place!"

He personally poured spiritual tea for Chen Ye and Li Qiuyun before continuing vividly, "Do you know the origin of our Peach Mountain Workshop? It's quite a remarkable story!"

Chen Ye took a sip of tea, gesturing for him to continue.

The two young apprentices also pricked up their ears in curiosity.

Seeing this, Liu Quan perked up even more. He lowered his voice and said with a hint of mystery, "Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, this place was not a market town, but an ordinary mountain range in the Three Thousand Mountains, with lush forests and rampant monsters."

"But one day, divine fire descended from the sky, its cold and scorching heat reaching the heavens, burning down the hundreds of miles of mountains and forests, turning them into scorched earth! At that time, everyone thought that this place had become a barren land, with no trace of life left."

He paused, keeping her in suspense, and seeing the little girl's eyes widen, he continued triumphantly, "But who would have thought that decades later, on this scorched earth burned by divine fire, peach trees miraculously grew, and the peaches they bore contained traces of spiritual energy!"

"Spirit Peach?" Qingjun, who was idly swinging her little feet, lit up instantly at the mention of food. "Is it delicious? Are there any left?"

Liu Quan was amused by the little girl and laughed heartily: "Little one, you have quite the appetite. Although the spirit peach is only the lowest grade of spirit fruit, it tastes sweet and can replenish some spiritual energy, so it is naturally delicious. It is precisely because of these spirit peaches that a large number of rogue cultivators have been attracted to come and pick them and settle down. Over time, this has led to the formation of Peach Mountain Village today!"

Li Qiuyun added from the side, "It is indeed recorded in the sect's records. However, the origin of that divine fire is a mystery. Some say it is a meteorite from outer space, while others say it was caused by a battle between some powerful cultivators. As the saying goes, those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water. The rogue cultivators of Peach Mountain Village rely entirely on these spiritual peaches for their cultivation. If Qingjun wants to eat some, there are plenty of spiritual peaches in Linsong Valley!"

"Oh!" Upon hearing this, Qingjun's little face immediately filled with anticipation.

Chen Ye's heart stirred slightly upon hearing these words.

Divine fire descended from the heavens, and peaches sprouted from the scorched earth...

Wait, is there a raging inferno?
This reminded Chen Ye of a fake pill mini-boss in the early side quests of the original game.

His specialty is the Frost Flame technique.

Han Yan alone was not enough to make Chen Ye remember this BOSS.

However, after killing this person, you can obtain rumors about her.

It is said that this person was infected with a parasitic cold and heat virus in his childhood, which caused him to be weak and sickly from a young age.

Her sister went to another place alone to seek treatment for her illness, but eventually died in a beast tide.

Her parents were farmers who grew spirit peaches. In order to cure her illness, they disregarded their own cultivation level and rented a large number of spirit peach trees from wealthy local families.

As a result... another cold disaster struck, and the fate of these spirit peach trees was predictable.

Therefore, his parents were forced to their deaths.

Finally, naturally.

This cultivator, who was possessed by the cold flames, has turned evil.

Chen Ye pondered for a moment:

"Why does this person sound more and more like a local from Taoshanfang? Cold Flame, Spirit Peach Tree, Cold Disaster..."

Chen Ye could not afford to be indifferent to this matter.

This is another character that Chen Ye encountered, a character with a name in the original game.

Let's call this person Han Yan Xiu Zhe for now.

Although this Cold Flame cultivator will only become a pseudo-core cultivator in the future.

He cannot compare to Bai Susu, the future Nascent Soul True Monarch, nor can he compare to his two disciples.

Even in the present-day Yan state, he wouldn't be considered one of the top figures.

However, cultivators of the Cold Flame Cultivator have one extremely special characteristic—the Cold Flame residing within their bodies is incredibly powerful.

His sudden recovery allowed his cultivation to soar to new heights!
The legends surrounding the death of the Cold Flame cultivator also record that if he hadn't turned to the dark side, blinded by murderous intent, forcibly unleashing the power of the Cold Flame to slaughter the entire city and then forcefully confront the Golden Core cultivators who came to his aid...

This caused her to suffer a severe blow as soon as she rose to prominence, cutting off her path to enlightenment; otherwise, her future achievements would have been limitless!
what does this mean?
This means it's a time bomb!
That future pseudo-core female cultivator is perhaps, at this very moment, in some corner of Peach Mountain Village, experiencing the pain of parting from her sister and parents.

Once she turns evil and her cultivation level skyrockets, she will slaughter the entire Peach Mountain Village!
Although a fake cultivator is nothing special in the vast world of cultivation.

But in a small place like Taoshanfang...

Chen Ye shivered.

He is currently the manager of Linsong Medicinal Garden in Taoshanfang. If the Cold Flame cultivator turns evil, he will not fare well either!

"Deacon Chen? Is it because you're not used to the new environment?"

Seeing that Chen Ye's expression changed slightly, the fat steward thought that he had spoken out of turn, so he quickly and cautiously asked.

"It doesn't matter."

Chen Ye waved his hand, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and his face returned to calm. "I was just feeling sentimental after hearing that the establishment of this market was not easy."

He turned his gaze to Liu Quan and asked casually, "Speaking of which, Manager Liu, you've lived here for a long time, so you must know the ins and outs of this place very well. I wonder which businesses in this place are doing the biggest business in the spirit peach trade these days? This cold disaster must have had a significant impact on them, right?"

Liu Quan assumed the newly appointed manager wanted to learn about Yunxifang and didn't think much of it, so he immediately told him everything he knew:

"Deacon Chen may not know this, but seven or eight out of ten spiritual peaches in Peach Mountain Market are controlled by local cultivation families, with the remainder in the hands of other sects and forces. However, the one that grows the most is the Wei family. This cold disaster has indeed caused them heavy losses."

Mentioning the Wei family, Liu Quan's eyes flickered slightly, and he casually said,
"Speaking of which, there is another steward in Lin Song Valley who comes from the Wei family... However, perhaps because he is clearly a steward of the Lingyin Sect, he is biased towards the Wei family, which makes Steward Tian Nong dissatisfied... Otherwise, the current manager of Lin Song Valley should be Steward Wei."

It is perfectly normal to favor one's own family.

In ancient times, there was a system of avoidance... However, the Lingyin Sect's sphere of influence only included a few markets, so it seemed there was no way to avoid it even if one wanted to.

Chen Ye then pondered the deeper meaning behind Liu Quan's words and immediately understood that the fat steward was implying that he had already developed a sordid relationship with Steward Wei. He immediately expressed his gratitude and said, "Thank you for your reminder, Steward Liu."

He finally understood why the other stewards of the Herbal Pavilion seemed to be avoiding him.

So they were afraid of offending the Wei family.

The Wei family is not only a local force in Taoshanfang, but also has a certain influence within the Lingyin Sect.

These ordinary stewards naturally felt a sense of dread towards him.

Manager Liu shook his head and sighed, "The Wei family is truly detestable. They control the spirit peach business and exploit rogue cultivators... They say they suffered heavy losses, but most of the cost was borne by the rogue cultivators. Although I am just an ordinary manager, I have long been disgusted with them."

Chen Ye twitched his lips.

He could see clearly that the fat steward had arrogantly driven away the rogue cultivators who were begging for medicine.

His current tone, however, is one of feigned compassion and pity...

　Thank you efe恶风 for the 100 coins!

　　Book friend 20241229215442453 donated 200 coins!

　　Okay, I'm out of touch again. The author is really incompetent yet loves to talk...

　　No!

　　Afterwards, I'll secretly do 10,000 words a day for a few days, and then start making promises (emm, I'll only reward myself with a chance to make a promise after I successfully finish doing 10,000 words a day!).
　　
　
(End of this chapter)