Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 169 On How to Defeat Your Master!
The night was as dark as ink, and the moonlight as clear as water.

A cool summer breeze gently brushed against the hem of my clothes.

In the courtyard, beside the stone table, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed as if water was about to drip from it.

The girl in the black robe trembled slightly with her slender legs, her pale hands gripping her collar tightly, her head bowed, not daring to look at the sky-blue figure before her.

In contrast, there was a spirited young woman standing with a sword in hand.

Her pretty face was as cold as frost as she stared at the shameless woman with disgust, as if she were looking at a fly—a fly that had no shame and wantonly defiled others.

"Master, Master...why are they fighting?"

The little girl tugged at her master's sleeve, her phoenix eyes fixed on him.

"Qingjun thinks it's all Master's fault! So Master, please stop attracting other men! Aren't two disciples enough to keep you company?!"

soy Mujer!
Chen Ye curled his fingers and flicked Qing Jun's head hard.

In the vast world of cultivation, there are not many cultivators who can uphold male virtues like him!

After bullying Qingjun, Chen Ye stepped forward, gently pressed down on Li Qiuyun's trembling sword, and shook his head, indicating that she didn't need to do that.

"Qiuyun, that's enough." His voice broke the suffocating silence.

Li Qiuyun glared at Lin Qiongyu resentfully before sheathing her sword and stepping aside.

"I know about your situation."

Chen Ye had already made up his mind. He took out a money bag from his storage bag and placed it on the stone table.

"Here are fifty spirit stones, enough for you to pay off your debts and buy some life-extending pills for your sister."

Lin Qiongyu suddenly raised her head, staring at the bag of spirit stones in disbelief.

She thought Chen Ye would make her sell herself, which was why he offered spirit stones in exchange.

Unexpectedly, he gave me fifty spirit stones directly!

Li Qiuyun, standing to the other side, gritted her teeth and strained her fingers on the hilt of her sword, but could only turn her head away in frustration.

I am just Uncle Chen's bodyguard, what right do I have to interfere in his life?

"I...I will never forget Senior Chen's great kindness!"

The girl in black robes was almost in tears as she tightly hugged the small bag of spirit stones, filled with gratitude.

Seeing her almost ecstatic expression, Chen Ye remained unmoved and suddenly said in a low voice:

"You said your parents are spirit peach farmers in Peach Mountain Village?"

According to Lin Qiongyu, her ancestors were among the first cultivators to come to Taoshanfang.

After that, generation after generation settled in Taoshanfang, relying on spiritual peaches to make a living and cultivate...

Since the Lin family has always been rooted in Taoshanfang, even if they haven't done well, they have accumulated some prestige among the fruit farmers in Taoshanfang over the generations.

"Yes." Lin Qiongyu was taken aback upon hearing this, and nodded subconsciously, not understanding why he suddenly asked this.

"In that case, these fifty spirit stones will be considered as extra wages I'm giving to your father."

Chen Ye's gaze fell on the black-robed girl's pretty face. After experiencing such extreme joy and sorrow, her fair complexion was now flushed with a sickly redness.

“Tomorrow, I will be recruiting spirit plant growers in Linsong Valley. Your father needs to be the first to step forward.”

"Wha...what!"

Lin Qiongyu was completely stunned.

There was another reason why she came to find Chen Ye: her father was desperate and wanted to go to Linsong Valley.

But she didn't want her family to get involved in the Wei family's troubles... even if it meant sacrificing herself.

"What, you don't want to?"

Chen Ye smiled.

He was by no means a kind person; after hearing that Lin Qiongyu was coming to visit, he already had a plan in mind.

He remembered that Lin Qiongyu had left her hometown to come to Yunxifang to help her sister with her cough. Back then, after Lin Qiongyu was attacked by a monster, she begged him to help deliver the medicine to her sister.

This suggests that Lin Qiongyu has family in Taoshanfang, and perhaps one of her relatives or acquaintances is a peach farmer in Taoshanfang.

After hearing Lin Qiongyu's plea, he felt even more reassured.

What a pleasant surprise!

Chen Ye never expected that Lin Qiongyu's parents and even her ancestors were peach farmers in Taoshanfang!
“Deacon Chen, I… I can’t drag my family into this mess! You don’t know what the Wei family is capable of…”

Lin Qiongyu gripped the spirit stone tightly, then loosened, then tightened again.

Chen Ye shook his head: "Fellow Daoist Lin, fifty spirit stones is no small sum. You don't think your father's skills are worth that many spirit stones, do you? This is just my way of showing you sincerity... Fine, then I'll give you another promise: I'll find a way to cure your sister's illness, how about that?"

"No...no. If the Wei family gets angry, my whole family...I'd rather die..."

The girl in black robes looked terrified and staggered back a step.

She would rather sacrifice herself than let her family face the Wei family's overwhelming revenge.

What would you prefer to do?

Chen Ye looked at her, his eyes devoid of any emotion, only a cold indifference.

"Do you think that if you submit to me tonight and become my woman, the Wei family will let your family off the hook? They will only become more ruthless! They will think that suppressing your family is a slap in the face to me, Chen Ye!"

He stepped forward, and his aura as an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator inadvertently emanated, making Lin Qiongyu almost unable to breathe.

A sinister glint appeared in Chen Ye's smile:
"You think the Wei family will be angry, but I, Chen Ye, won't? Now that you've taken the spirit stones... the deal is done!"

"I……"

Lin Qiongyu turned pale from his combination of soft and hard tactics.

A heart, as if plunged into an abyss.

She was being too naive...

When Chen Ye was her neighbor, he was approachable and kind.

She then assumed that Chen Ye was a kind-hearted person—although he had once refused to help someone in distress, he had not sought revenge because of the past.

But at this moment, Lin Qiongyu finally realized how wrong she had been.

The man in front of me is definitely not a kind-hearted person!

"Qiongyu, I understand..."

……

The courtyard has returned to calm.

"Master, why do you insist on forcing Sister Qiongyu?"

Looking at Lin Qiongyu's desolate figure, Qingjun couldn't help but ask.

Master's appearance just now was exactly like those bullies!
Chen Ye looked at the little girl: "You think your master is a bad guy?"

"Well?"

The little girl tilted her head, pondered for a moment with a puzzled look, and then her eyes lit up.
"If Master is a bad guy, can Qingjun also be a bad guy?"

Chen Ye was speechless for a long time, stunned by her peculiar way of thinking.

But I felt a sense of relief.

It seems that in Qingjun's heart, no matter what, she will always stand on the same side as herself.

Chen Ye reached out and pinched the little girl's chubby cheeks in an annoyed tone, scolding, "What nonsense are you spouting! Even if Master is a bad guy, Qingjun can't be a bad guy!"

"That's not fair!" the little girl protested vaguely, glaring at her master even as he pinched her cheeks.

"Master is the greatest fairness!"

Chen Ye picked up the little girl and threw her onto the bed in the next room.

"ah?"

The black furry ball, who was pretending to be asleep and eavesdropping on the noise next door, was caught off guard and stunned when his junior sister hit him.

"Senior sister, help Qingjun! Master is bullying Qingjun!"

Seeing that her senior sister wasn't asleep, the little girl quickly and obediently crawled into bed, angrily tattling to her senior sister.

“...He...he doesn’t listen to me again!” the older girl said sullenly.

"Damn it, Master is so naughty!"

The little girl was filled with righteous indignation. Listening to her senior sister was the most natural thing in the world!

Why won't Master listen?
Master, you're becoming more and more willful!
The little girl's eyes darted around, and she whispered in her senior sister's ear, "Senior sister, if we do this and that, then Master will listen to you, won't he?"

The older girl exclaimed in surprise, "Why would I do that!"

"But that way, Master will listen to Senior Sister!"

"Who cares about that..."

"Do you really not care?"

"Really." "Stare..."

"...Just give it a try, if it doesn't work out, so be it." She added at the end, "I'm doing this all for Qingjun..."

“Qingjun understands.” The little girl squinted her eyes.

"You don't understand!!" The older girl was inexplicably annoyed.

……

After finishing that matter, Chen Ye focused all his attention on alchemy.

Now, although he has broken through to the eighth level of Qi Refining, he can be considered a figure in the market based on his cultivation alone.

However, only those who have established a foundation can be considered to be at the top of the market!
After the elixir was completely removed, Chen Ye was free from a potential future worry and could continue taking the elixir.

"But... if you consume too many low-grade or mid-grade pills, the pill-related disorder will reappear sooner or later. It might even be more severe than before..."

After considering it for a moment, Chen Ye took out the Hundred Herbs Furnace and glanced at the panel:
[Qi-Nourishing Pill Completed: 180/200]

Unbeknownst to him, his proficiency in the Qi Nourishing Pill had reached the Great Perfection stage and was about to break through to the Perfection stage.

Now, he can reliably produce half of the high-grade pills when refining a batch of Qi-Nourishing Pills!

However, top-grade pills have yet to appear.

"In the cultivation world, top-grade pills are rarely seen in public. It is said that only the most skilled alchemists can refine them. Such pills have virtually no side effects..."

Chen Ye took a deep breath, clearing his mind of all distractions, and completely immersed himself in alchemy.

He took out all kinds of spiritual herbs needed to refine the Qi-Nourishing Pill, his movements were smooth and fluid, without the slightest hesitation.

Ignition, furnace warming, chemical addition, purification...

He had repeated each step hundreds of times and knew it by heart.

But this time, his state of mind was quite different from before.
After his divine sense broke through, he could perceive every change in spiritual power and every fusion of medicinal properties within the alchemy furnace with unprecedented clarity!
"not enough……"

A flash of understanding crossed Chen Ye's eyes.

His technique changed, revealing himself to be the Jade Touch from Danxia Peak. This was a superior alchemy technique, and he had now broken through to the Great Perfection stage!

Time slowly passed amidst the tedious process of alchemy.

When the last trace of medicinal fragrance completely condensed inside the alchemy furnace.

A glint flashed in Chen Ye's eyes. He made a hand seal and shouted in a low voice:
"open!"

The stove lid popped open, and a rich, pure medicinal aroma instantly filled the entire quiet room!

Become!

Chen Ye was overjoyed. He stared intently into the furnace, and even with his calm demeanor, he couldn't help but gasp.

At the bottom of the alchemy furnace, ten pills lay quietly.

Each one is round and full, sparkling with spiritual light, and even surrounded by a faint cloud of cinnabar!
There were ten pieces in one batch, all of them top quality!

[Qi Nourishing Pill Completed: 1/500]

"Consummated!"

Chen Ye was about to put away these high-grade pills when his gaze suddenly sharpened.

He discovered that among the nine high-grade pills that emitted a lustrous white light, there was one that was quite unique.

Not only were there swirling clouds of crimson clouds above it, but there was also a thin, thread-like golden crimson pattern!

The ancient and profound patterns on the cinnabar pattern seemed to contain the ultimate truth of heaven and earth. Just one glance at it made Chen Ye feel refreshed and happy!
"This is... a legendary top-grade elixir?"

Chen Ye carefully took it out of the alchemy furnace, his blood flowing faster.

He thought he would only be able to refine top-grade pills when he broke through his limits.

This means that Chen Ye can continue to consume pills without restraint from now on!
"Gudong."

Chen Ye's Adam's apple bobbed, and without further hesitation, he tossed the priceless, top-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill directly into his mouth.

The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, lacking the overwhelming and domineering medicinal power he had imagined. Instead, it was like a warm, clear spring, slowly flowing into his limbs and bones.

The feeling wasn't like swallowing a pill; it was more like savoring some unparalleled delicacy.

An hour later, after refining the medicinal power, Chen Ye slowly opened his eyes.

He sensed the spiritual energy within his body, which was now a little purer than before, and his cultivation level had stabilized at the early stage of the eighth level of Qi Refining.

"The effect is about 40% stronger than that of a high-grade pill!"

Chen Ye secretly assessed the situation.

"But most importantly, after taking it, I didn't feel any stagnation in my body at all, as if this spiritual power was something I had cultivated through hard work."

Unfortunately, the Qi-Nourishing Pill is not very effective for Chen Ye, who is in the later stages of Qi Refining.

But alchemy isn't necessarily for personal consumption.

Feeding it to your apprentice or selling it are both good options.

……

The next day.

Taoshanfang, the Wei family residence.

Inside a lavishly decorated hall, Wei Cheng was enjoying spiritual tea and chatting with several cultivators from the Wei family.

"Brother Wei."

A middle-aged cultivator, whose face bore a resemblance to Wei Cheng and dressed in fine clothes, put down his teacup and asked with a smile,

"Has anything happened with the new manager of Rin-Matsuya lately?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Cheng chuckled softly:
"That guy surnamed Chen is just a hothead. Hmph, does he think he's so great just because he's a steward? He's nothing but a frog in a well. Ever since that day when he failed to recruit people, he hasn't made a sound. He hides in the valley all day, who knows what he's doing. I guess he's scared out of his wits by that mess in the garden."

Wei Cheng picked up his teacup and shook his head dismissively.

He had seen many cultivators like this.

Especially those cultivators who rise from rogue practitioners to stewards in one step, they think they are superior to others.

Little did they know that the stewards were merely laborers in the sect, how could they possibly contend with a cultivation family like the Wei family?
Even if they have a sect backing them up, does the Wei family really have no one left in the Lingyin Sect?

"That's good. Once you acquire Linsong Valley, you'll become a great contributor to the Wei family!" The richly dressed cultivator was excited, but then suddenly sneered, "That Chen Ye is really grasping at straws in desperation. Those peach farmers are nothing but sheep that the Wei family can take at will. How dare they defy the Wei family's taboos and switch allegiance to him?"

Just as everyone was chatting and laughing, enjoying themselves immensely.

A servant rushed in from outside, looking flustered, and knelt down with a thud, reporting in a trembling voice:

"Deacon Wei! No...something terrible has happened!"

Wei Cheng frowned and said unhappily, "What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disrespectful! Speak quickly if you have something to say!"

The servant swallowed hard, pointed in the direction of Peach Blossom Village, and stammered, "Peach... Peach Blossom Village, that... that Steward Chen from Linsong Valley, he... he's gone to recruit people again!"

"Oh?" Wei Cheng scoffed, dismissively saying, "Let him go. He went back looking utterly defeated last time, and it'll probably be the same this time. Surely there's no one else so foolish as to dare apply?"

"No...no, Butler!"

The servant was on the verge of tears.
"This time it's different! That... that Lin Jinghua from the Lin family, he... he was the first to step forward! Now... now all of my Wei family's fruit farmers... have been almost all recruited by that Deacon Chen!!"

"What?! He's not only recruiting ten people? Wait, how come someone dares to apply? Wait, why is this my Wei family?"

Wei Cheng's smile froze instantly; his mind was about to explode.

The servant turned pale with fright and hurriedly kowtowed, saying, "Yes... he recruited more than thirty people, all of them experienced old fruit farmers! And... most of them are from my Wei family's peach orchard!"

"what?"

Wei Cheng's vision went black. How could Chen Ye recruit someone from his Wei family?
and many more……

He remembered that the peach orchard belonging to the Wei family was nominally owned by the Lingyin Sect in order to gain the sect's protection and benefits.

That's why he was able to bring the outer disciples of Linsong Valley to the Wei family's peach orchard.

Similarly, Chen Ye also has the right to bring the fruit farmers from Wei Family Peach Garden to Lin Song Valley, as long as he obtains permission from the sect's superiors.

But nominally it is indeed possible to do so.
But which sect leader would do something so unethical?

A mysterious golden-haired fluffy creature scratched its head: "Huh? Which bastard dares to insult me ​​behind my back!"

　The author is currently experiencing mixed feelings.

　　Despite updating four times a day for the past few days, which is not very diligent, I still received many monthly votes from readers when I asked for them, even exceeding two thousand.

　　This was unexpected by the author.

　　I felt both touched and guilty.

　　Because this month I often talked about reaching 10,000 a day, but I didn't achieve it, I'm sorry for your support.

　　I really want to talk about how hard I'll work next month, but I'm afraid you'll be disappointed again.

　　Thank you to reader 20250630220046671 for the 200 monthly tickets!

　　In short, the author will work hard!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)