Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 158 Holding Hands, Shopping Trip: My Disciple's Daily Life
Chen Ye didn't care what Steward Liu's intentions were.

This is the confidence that the puppet gave him!
After briefly familiarizing himself with the herbal medicine pavilion in Taoshanfang, Chen Ye did not immediately set off for Linsong Valley. Instead, he bid farewell to Steward Liu and went to Taoshanfang.

He wanted to take advantage of the fine weather today to take his two little girls out for a good stroll and relax their tense minds.

You know, even Chen Ye, a grown man, felt mentally exhausted, let alone the two little girls.

In recent days, they have experienced various changes, coupled with long periods of arduous training and several days of travel. The two disciples should relax their minds.

A balance between work and rest is the key to long-term success.

Moreover, he, as their master, truly owed them a great deal.

Thinking back, he realized that he had never actually taken them out for a trip since leaving Yunxifang.

Thinking of this, Chen Ye felt guilty. After all, they were just two children, at the age when they were most playful...

"Master, where are we going?"

Qingjun held Zhiwei's hand with one hand, and in the other small hand she was still holding half a piece of unfinished dragon beard cake. She looked up at her little face, which was covered with some cake crumbs, and asked curiously.

The clever little girl began to think: "Could it be... that Master is in trouble again and needs Qingjun and Senior Sister's help? Oh dear, what a useless Master!"

After scolding her master, the little girl quickly hid behind her senior sister, peeking out half an eye to secretly observe her master's expression, ready to back down at any moment.

What puzzled Qingjun was that her master didn't get angry after being scolded!

Instead, her smile became even gentler?
Even Xu Qingjun, who prided herself on being the smartest girl in the Chen family, was somewhat puzzled by this.

Could it be that Master enjoys being scolded by her?
It's really strange for the girl... It's the first time I've ever seen someone laugh while being scolded.

Chen Ye sighed, his guilt deepening.

He rarely brought his two disciples out to play, but Qingjun actually thought they had encountered some kind of trouble...

It's all his fault as the master. He failed to provide his two disciples with a stable environment for cultivation and rarely played with them.

Just as Chen Ye was about to explain...

The little girl squinted her eyes: "You stinky master!"

Chen Ye maintained his smile: "?"

The little girl saw the smile, suddenly realized what was going on, and exclaimed angrily, "Strange master! The strangest master in the world!"

Chen Ye's smile froze: "..."

The little girl said smugly, "Why are you looking at Qingjun? Old Chen, quickly take your green eyes back! Otherwise, Qingjun will poke your...your eyes out!"

It's really frustrating for Qingjun. Having a master who likes to be scolded is such a headache!

However, the little girl's smugness didn't last long.

Suddenly, her master raised a fist the size of a clay pot, his face extremely sour!

Oh no, Master is angry!

Master had this expression when he spanked Qingjun last time!

Just a moment ago, Qingjun was smug and considered herself the smartest girl, but when she saw the fist the size of a clay pot, her face turned pale instantly.

Without a second thought, she darted out like a tiny flying sword, grabbed Chen Ye's leg, raised her cute, delicate face, and pitifully said, "Master, Qingjun was wrong, I'll never dare to do it again!"

The anger in Chen Ye's heart vanished instantly under Qing Jun's animal-like gaze.

This little girl, you can't bear to hit her, but if you don't, she'll start climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles...

He sighed and slowly lowered his fist.

The little girl secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she knew that her master wouldn't dare to hit her!

You should know that Master is getting older and older, while Qingjun is getting older and older.

Master must be afraid of her taking revenge in the future!
But... no matter how good her master was to her, she was determined to take revenge on him in the future!

The little girl almost burst out laughing with joy at the thought of how she could do whatever she wanted to her master in the future.

Chen Ye had no idea what Qingjun was thinking; his eyes darted between the two girls.

They've grown quite a bit taller these days, and the clothes they bought at Yunxifang are already a bit too short.

“Even if Master encounters trouble, how can you help? Master is taking you to buy some new clothes and some little trinkets that girls like.” Chen Ye glanced at Qing Jun, who was secretly laughing, and then at Zhi Wei, who was silent, and explained casually.

"Buying new clothes?"

Qingjun's eyes flickered as she struggled to pull herself out of her reverie—in her imagination, her master was incredibly miserable!
Upon hearing the words "new clothes," her eyes lit up immediately. She shoved the dragon beard cake in her hand into Zhiwei's, then happily twirled around in front of Chen Ye.

"Great! Qingjun wants to wear a dress with lots and lots of pretty lace! And a chain made of sparkling beads!"

Girls always love to look beautiful.

Chen Ye nodded in agreement, complying with Qingjun's request.

Zhiwei silently put away the half of the dragon beard cake, glanced at her slightly worn cloth dress with her dark eyes, then looked at her master, and gently shook her head: "Master, Zhiwei's clothes are still wearable, there's no need to spend money."

"Nonsense, Master isn't poor, why would he be so stingy with such a small amount of spirit sand?"

Chen Ye put on a stern face and reached out to tidy up the slightly messy stray hairs at her temples.

“How can my disciple, Chen Ye, be dressed so shabbily? This matter is up to Master.”

Feeling her master's large hand, Zhiwei lowered her head and stopped speaking, but her small hand secretly clenched the hem of her clothes.

She wasn't being frugal; she genuinely didn't care about the quality of her clothes.

In addition, she is a very sentimental person; she will even develop feelings for the clothes she wears after wearing them for a long time.

Moreover... these clothes were also bought for them by their master.

"strangeness……"

Chen Ye glanced at Zhiwei, who seemed a little reserved, and wondered to himself, why was this girl so nervous? She seemed to be getting more and more reserved in front of her master.

He let go of her hand and swaggered ahead, strolling through the streets with his apprentice.

Taoshanfang's streets, though far inferior to Yuexihufang, are much wider and more bustling than Yunxifang.

Even after the great chaos, the area is still bustling with people and vehicles.

Qingjun was like a bird just released from its cage, full of curiosity about everything.

"Master, look! That sugar figurine looks just like a little tiger!"

"Wow! Senior sister, look! That shop is selling pink flying swords!"

"Master, Master, what kind of fruit is that? It's bright red and looks delicious..."

Chen Ye was driven crazy by her nagging, but he patiently answered her questions one by one.

He led his two apprentices to the largest clothing shop in the market.

The shop was filled with a dazzling array of silks and satins of all colors.

As soon as Qingjun entered, she was drawn to a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) embroidered with a pattern of butterflies among flowers in colorful thread. She grabbed Zhiwei's hand and refused to leave.

Seeing her expectant look, Chen Ye found it amusing and said to the shop assistant beside him, "Take down that pale yellow dress and the sky-blue one next to it and let these two children try them on."

That sky-blue long dress was simple and elegant, with only a few pear blossoms embroidered in silver thread on the cuffs and hem, which perfectly suited Zhiwei's aloof temperament.

The two little girls, dressed in their new clothes, looked like completely different people. Qingjun, who was already lively, looked even more charming and adorable in her bright yellow dress, her long, silvery-white hair reaching her calves like flowing snowflakes.

She twirled happily, her skirt and hair billowing up like a little sun blooming in the spring breeze, so charming that it was impossible to look away.

Zhiwei changed into a sky-blue long dress, which complemented her long, calf-length, ink-black hair, making her skin appear fair and her beauty ethereal.

However, her innate aloofness also stood out, making her appear even more distant.

Zhiwei fluttered her long, curled eyelashes, feeling a little embarrassed by her master's intense gaze. Her small hand unconsciously fiddled with the hem of her skirt as she cautiously asked, "Master?"

Chen Ye feigned exaggeration, as if he was stunned before abruptly withdrawing his gaze, and praised without reservation: "Zhiwei is so beautiful, she has even made Master speechless!"

"Master!"

Caught off guard, the black-haired girl blushed, feeling embarrassed, and lowered her head, staring intently at her toes.

Chen Ye chuckled inwardly; he had done this intentionally.

My eldest disciple is too cold-hearted; it takes my warmth to melt him!
In her previous life, Zhiwei would definitely have been a withdrawn and dull elementary school student. For such students, teachers need to praise them more often to help them find their sense of self-worth.

"Master! Master! Master! Master! Master!"

The little girl was unhappy. She braced herself against her waist and glared fiercely at her master.

"Is Qingjun pretty?"

hiss……

Why are you being so fierce when you're asking questions?
Chen Ye, being a fair and impartial master, immediately smiled gently and said, "She looks good. Our Qingjun looks good in anything."

"stare--"

The little girl was still unhappy, her soft eyebrows furrowed, and she squinted at her master.

"Ahem, even Master is stunned."

As an expert on female dolls, Chen Ye immediately realized the reason for Qing Jun's unhappiness and promptly added to the explanation.

"This is right!"

Qingjun smiled sweetly and suddenly put her little hand into her master's big hand.

Before Chen Ye could react, his eyes darted around, and he stammered:
"Oh dear... everyone else is leading their little girls by the hand, only Master looks so pitiful... Since Master bought Qingjun such beautiful clothes, let's reward Master!"

Chen Ye was taken aback, feeling the softness and dependence in his palm, and immediately smiled: "Alright, then Master thanks Qingjun for his blessing."

The little girl's eyes widened.

Master, you're so good with words! Those words made her feel completely comfortable!

A master should always be grateful for the blessings he has received!

Chen Ye glanced at his eldest disciple, who was looking down, her dark hair falling down and obscuring her expression.

If you want Zhiwei to let him hold her hand, that's impossible...

Chen Ye shook his head and took Zhiwei's cold little hand in his other hand.

Her fingers twitched, but she remained silent, as if she had tacitly agreed.

Ugh……

These two little girls, how could they be future goddesses and demonesses?
……

"Master, where are we going?"

The little girl was very restless, her little hands moving around incessantly in Chen Ye's palm, sometimes secretly pinching her master's flesh with her fingernails, and sometimes tickling him with her fingers.

Finally, he impatiently tried to pull his hand away.

But is the master's hand a place that a girl can come and go as she pleases?

Chen Ye gripped Qing Jun's small hand tightly in return: "Master will take you to Peach Blossom Market, where independent cultivators usually sell spirit peaches."

Qingjun was initially unhappy because her master controlled her little hands.

Upon hearing this, they forgot all about struggling: "Oh? Spirit peaches! Master, let's go quickly! Qingjun has been wanting to taste the spirit peaches from Peach Mountain Workshop for a long time!"

snort!
Something that doesn’t live up to expectations!

Zhiwei is still the best. She's obedient and well-behaved when he leads her around, and she never causes him any trouble.

Chen Ye shook his head before leading his two apprentices toward the most famous market in Taoshanfang, Taolin Market.

He came out this time not only to help his apprentice relax.

Another purpose was to observe the current peach business in Taoshanfang.

The presence of that Cold Flame cultivator was like a fishbone stuck in Chen Ye's throat, leaving him no choice but to pay attention.

If things go wrong, and this Cold Flame cultivator suddenly turns evil without Chen Ye's knowledge, and slaughters Chen Ye and his two disciples, then their deaths would be truly unjust.

Taolin Market, as the name suggests, is a market in Taoshanfang that specializes in trading spirit peaches.

On both sides of the street, there were makeshift stalls with piles of bright red peaches, which emitted an enticing aroma.

The spirit peaches of Taoshanfang are called spirit peaches, but ordinary spirit peaches are not of superior grade, not even of first-grade low grade. They can only be described as peaches with spiritual energy.

Of course, there are also a very small number of spirit peaches that have reached a higher grade.

It is said that the Wei family still possesses a peach tree that can bear first-grade high-quality spirit peaches, but the yield is extremely low, and most of them are handed over to the Lingyin Sect. Only elder-level cultivators are entitled to enjoy them.

Chen Ye's gaze swept over these fruit farmers one by one. Perhaps, among these people, there were relatives of that Cold Flame cultivator.

He led his apprentice and casually walked to a stall.

The stall owner was an old man with gray hair and a weathered face. The peaches in front of him were of excellent quality, each one plump and round, but no one bought them.

"Old man, how much are these spirit peaches?" Chen Ye asked casually, lowering his voice.

Upon hearing this, the old man finally raised his cloudy eyes and replied weakly, "One pound, twenty spirit sands."

This price is significantly cheaper than that of regular glutinous rice.

Logically speaking,

Since Taoshanfang suffered from the cold disaster and the production of spirit peaches has been greatly reduced, the price of these spirit peaches should rise instead of fall.
Chen Ye's heart stirred slightly, and he asked again, "I see that these peaches are of excellent quality, why are they so cheap?"

Upon hearing this, the old man's face showed a hint of bitterness.

He sighed, looked around, and then lowered his voice, saying, "Alas, fellow Daoist, you are unaware of this. Several major families in Peach Mountain Ward, under the guise of 'stabilizing prices and weathering the storm together,' are forcibly restricting prices. If we don't sell to them, we can only sell at this price..."

He pointed to several monks in uniform who were patrolling not far away.
"See those people? They're from the Wei family. With them around, who would dare to take large quantities of peaches from us rogue cultivators?"

Chen Ye understood that the spirit peaches of Taoshanfang were famous far and wide, and it was the largest spirit peach producing area in the Yan Kingdom.

In the past, the spiritual peaches from various families could fully meet the needs of the Yan Kingdom market.

However, the cold weather has caused a significant reduction in the production of spiritual peaches, resulting in a shortage of peaches for them.

To protect their own interests, these families resort to all sorts of extortionate methods, shifting the losses onto independent cultivators. Perhaps, even though it's a year of famine, they can actually earn more spirit stones...

　Thank you DouDai for the 600 coins!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)