Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 186 Terrifying Disciple, Master is Afraid

Not bad.

This person is grateful, decisive, and ruthless; he is a capable individual.

Chen Ye put the remaining magical artifacts into his pocket, planning to exchange them for spirit stones later in Taoshanfang.

He now has very few spirit stones left, and these magical artifacts are just what he needs in an emergency.

To regain financial stability, we must wait until the first batch of Qi-Nourishing Pills is fully refined.

Silence fell over the carriage for a moment, with only the wheels rolling over the bluestone pavement of the market.

Mao Qingzhu closed his eyes to rest, showing no interest in these ordinary ritual implements.

Duan Ling stood to the side, carefully wiping the magic sword he had just acquired, his face beaming with joy.

Soon, the carriage stopped in front of a simple and elegant pavilion.

On the plaque above the pavilion, three large characters are written in a vigorous and elegant style: "Ben Cao Ge" (Herbal Pavilion).

"arrive."

Chen Ye got out of the car first, followed closely by Duan Ling, who looked around warily.

Mao Qingzhu was the last to walk out, her gaze sweeping over the surroundings, and no movement could escape her divine sense.

Although she didn't show it on the surface, she was still wary of demonic cultivators deep down.

Demonic cultivators are known for their ruthlessness and unscrupulous methods. They lurk in the shadows, making them extremely difficult to guard against.

At this moment, Mao Qingzhu was even vaguely worried that the demonic cultivators might secretly attack the two girls in Lin Song Valley.

"However... Lin Song Valley has a mountain-protecting formation and a fearless guard at the ninth level of Qi Refining. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would find it difficult to enter easily."

Mao Qingzhu pondered to herself, knowing that if something unexpected happened, she could rush back to Linsong Valley in no time.

The air inside the herbal pavilion was filled with the aroma of medicinal herbs.

An elderly man in a gray robe was holding a book on medicine and reading it carefully.

Upon seeing Chen Ye and his group enter, he raised his eyelids slightly and asked indifferently:
"Fellow Daoists, are you buying or selling medicine?"

Before Chen Ye could respond, a familiar voice, accompanied by a hearty laugh, came from the inner room.

"Hahaha, who do we have here? It's Steward Chen! What a rare guest!"

Before the words were finished, a plump figure emerged from behind the screen.

This man, dressed in a luxurious brocade robe, with a plump figure and a warm smile on his face, was none other than Liu Quan, the fat steward who used to have many dealings with Chen Ye at the Herbal Pavilion.

As soon as Liu Quan saw Chen Ye, he quickly came to greet him, his eyes, which were somewhat small due to his fat, were full of surprise.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, I have been waiting for you since you were promoted to Linsong Valley! I suppose the spiritual plants of Linsong Valley have already matured by the time you visit the Herbal Pavilion this time?"

The gray-robed old man who had originally been receiving Chen Ye showed a hint of displeasure upon seeing this, but seeing Liu Quan's attitude, he dared not say anything more and simply retreated to the side.

Clearly, Liu Quan's status was above his.

"Manager Liu, how have you been?" Chen Ye smiled and returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute.

Having more friends means having more options, and he had a fairly good impression of this Manager Liu.

Liu Quan's gaze swept over Chen Ye's back, and when he saw the ethereal Mao Qingzhu and the sharp-looking Duan Ling with his hand on the hilt of his sword, he couldn't help but feel a chill.

Good guy!
It hasn't been that long since we last met, and this Fellow Daoist Chen already has two such figures by his side!
One was a fairy who seemed to come from a noble family, and the other was clearly Duan Ling, who was quite famous in Yuexi Lake.

It seems that after this fellow Daoist Chen was promoted, his situation is no longer what it used to be.

Liu Quan's smile grew even more sincere, and he quickly made a "please" gesture: "Fellow Daoist Chen, please come in! I presume you've come because the spiritual plants in Lin Song Valley have ripened? Please let me see them!"

Chen Ye nodded and followed Liu Quan into the inner hall alone.

Inside the main hall, the aroma of medicine was even stronger.

Looking around, one could see four tall alchemy furnaces, their flames burning fiercely.

A steward, his face covered in sweat, was refining various elixirs. Many outer disciples hurried by, some observing, others offering herbs.

"Hmm? Isn't this Deacon Chen?"

A gaunt manager squinted his beady eyes, looking astonished.

This man was none other than the thin manager, Ma Jun.

After a moment's thought, he suddenly realized that, judging by the time, this Deacon Chen had been in Linsong Valley for over a month and should have delivered the first batch of spiritual plants by now.

Thinking of this, he secretly regretted it.

In the past, he had not been optimistic about Liu Quan's attempts to curry favor.

They believed that Chen Ye would not fare well under Wei Cheng after going to Linsong Valley.

Who would have thought that this person would manage Lin Song Valley so well, reportedly receiving top marks, attracting many spirit plant stewards from the sect who wanted to visit Lin Song Valley to observe and learn from him.

"Manager Ma, it's been a long time."

Chen Ye possessed a highly developed spiritual sense and an excellent memory. He recognized the steward at a glance and bowed in greeting.

"Ha...haha, congratulations to Deacon Chen on your successful governance, you are likely to be promoted in the future."

Ma Jun was also surprised that Chen Ye would greet him, considering that he had previously treated Chen Ye coldly and indifferently.

For a moment, he was inexplicably flattered and quickly bowed respectfully.

"I still need to hand over the spiritual plants to Steward Liu, so I won't bother you any longer. If I have time in the future, I'll talk to Steward Ma again."

Chen Ye nodded with a smile, and then followed Liu Quan into the second floor.

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Ma Jun nodded hurriedly, letting out a huge sigh of relief.

Ever since he learned that Chen Ye had gained power, he had wondered if this man would come to the Herbal Pavilion to humiliate him someday...

In retrospect, it seems I was judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person.

"Deacon Ma."

Beside him, an outer disciple quietly tugged at Ma Jun's sleeve and whispered,

"Now that Deacon Chen has come to hand over the spiritual plants, what about the matter the Wei family sent someone to discuss..."

This disciple's name was Wei Yongnian, and he was an outer disciple of the Wei family.

He stared at Chen Ye's departing figure, his face filled with resentment.

If this person hadn't taken what was in the Wei family's hands, the Wei family would have been able to extract a lot of spiritual plants from Linsong Valley, allowing them, the Wei family disciples, to benefit!
Ma Jun pondered for a moment.

Not long ago, this disciple secretly contacted him.

They offered him two hundred spirit stones as a reward, hoping he could tamper with the handover of the spirit plants.

Afterwards, without Ma Jun's intervention, Wei Yongnian reported to the sect himself, claiming that Chen Ye was attempting to enrich himself.

At that time, I neither refused nor agreed; I was somewhat hesitant.

After all, he only needed to use his position as a steward to do some dirty work; as for reporting and slander, that was done by this Wei family disciple.

but……

Ma Jun shook his head and snorted coldly, "Who in Taoshanfang doesn't know me, Ma Jun, who is upright, honest, and loyal? This matter is out of the question!"

"This……"

Wei Yongnian's brow twitched. "No way? Back then, your eyes lit up when you heard about two hundred spirit stones, and now you're telling me you're keeping yourself pure?"

……

The private rooms on the second floor are furnished with even more exquisite taste.

Liu Quan personally brewed a pot of the finest spiritual tea for Chen Ye before beginning to inventory the spiritual plants. The more he inventoried them, the more astonished he became.

"Deacon Chen, the spiritual energy of each of these spiritual plants far surpasses that of others of the same grade, and their appearance is flawless!" Liu Quan exclaimed sincerely.

"I have been in the Herbal Pavilion for decades and have handled countless rare spiritual plants, but I have never seen such quality before! No wonder the sect gave you such a high evaluation; you truly deserve it!"

He quickly settled the spirit stones, and finally, rounded them up, handing Chen Ye a bag containing three mid-grade spirit stones.

And this is the cut that Chen Ye deserves.

The rewards from Lin Song Valley are based on a fixed contribution point given by the sect, as well as a percentage of the value of the spiritual plants.

Besides, there were also some shady benefits, such as Chen Ye secretly cultivating spiritual fields.

"Thank you very much, Steward Liu." Chen Ye accepted the gift without hesitation.

"You're too kind, Deacon Chen." Liu Quan waved his hand, his smile unchanged, but then lowered his voice and said, "Deacon Chen, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"Steward Liu, please speak freely."

"You've probably already offended the Wei family."

Liu Quan sighed.

"There are several disciples from the Wei family inside the Herbal Pavilion. These people have been acting suspiciously lately, and I'm afraid they have ill intentions."

Chen Ye took a sip of tea, his expression calm: "I am well aware of this matter."

Seeing his composure in the face of danger, Liu Quan's opinion of him improved even more. After a moment's thought, he said, "Since Steward Chen is prepared, I will not say more. However, this Peach Mountain Lane is ultimately the territory of the Wei family. Steward Chen will need to be more careful in his future actions."

As he spoke, he added,

"Although the Wei family only has one Foundation Establishment cultivator on the surface, there is a core disciple from the Wei family in the inner sect. They are gaining momentum and should not be underestimated!"

Chen Ye seemed to be deep in thought.

The core disciples are the backbone of the Lingyin Sect.

Only disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage can be promoted to core disciples!
Furthermore, there are age requirements; cultivators who advance to the Foundation Establishment stage before the age of forty are eligible to be listed as core disciples.

For example, Mao Qingzhu reached the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of thirty and was promoted to a core disciple. However, instead of cultivating in seclusion in the sect, she chose to return to Shenwu Valley. The sect was very tolerant of core disciples and did not require them to do tedious tasks.

However, with the decline of Lingyin Sect in recent years, although the rules on the surface have not changed, the age limit has been secretly relaxed. Anyone who has reached the Foundation Establishment stage before the age of 55 can be listed as a core disciple.

This is also why most of the protectors of the Lingyin Sect look like middle-aged or elderly people—they established their foundations too late, and their appearances were already set.

Currently, the Lingyin Sect has nearly sixty core disciples, which is equivalent to sixty young Foundation Establishment cultivators!
Many of these core disciples, or protectors, actually come from various cultivation families.

Therefore, the actual number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in many families is higher than the number publicly stated.

Chen Ye sighed inwardly, even the Lingyin Sect was so powerful, let alone the Duqing Sect.
He put down his teacup, his tone grateful: "Then thank you very much, Steward Liu. Speaking of which, besides exchanging the spiritual plants, I also wanted to purchase some flint for refining pills. I wonder..."

"This is easily resolved!"

Liu Quan slapped his thigh, a look of sudden realization on his face.

"So, Deacon Chen is also an alchemist! Rest assured, Deacon Chen, I, Liu, will select some of the finest flints to present to you!"

After the transaction, Chen Ye, satisfied, took the firestone and went downstairs with Liu Quan.

"Let's go."

Chen Ye nodded to Mao Qingzhu and Duan Ling, and the three of them calmly left the Herbal Pavilion under the watchful eyes of everyone.

With this generous amount of spirit stones and ample medicinal herbs, his long-stalled alchemy project could resume.

As for the threat from the Wei family?
There's no need to worry if one's cultivation level only needs to advance further.

……

Back to Linsong Valley.

Chen Ye did not immediately go to find his two disciples. He sent Mao Qingzhu home first and Duan Ling back to the outer valley to cultivate.

He then quietly went to the Lin sisters' courtyard.

He hasn't come to guide Lin Jin's cultivation for quite some time.

reason?

the reason is simple……

His apprentices are nothing but two little shadows!
Wherever Chen Ye went, sometimes he would suddenly turn around and see two little dumplings quietly following him.

even,

Once, when he went to the outhouse... cultivators also need to go to the outhouse. It's usually fine, since they eat spiritual grains. But recently, Chen Ye was focused on his movement technique and was about to become a master, so he ate a lot of monster meat to speed up his progress, which resulted in too many impurities in his body.

I've gone off topic.

In short, one time when Chen Ye went to the outhouse, he hadn't expelled any impurities in a long time, and influenced by his previous life, he was used to using paper—he always felt that using the cleaning technique was like using an automatic toilet flush, and something about it felt uncomfortable.

This time, I forgot to bring paper.

After hesitating for a long time, Chen Ye finally managed to gather some inspiration.

A small hand hesitantly patted his shoulder from behind.

Just as Chen Ye was startled, he heard Qing Jun's hesitant voice behind him:
"Master...Master? Qingjun, I have some paper..."

Before Chen Ye could react...

Then, a faint, calm voice was heard: "Master, let your disciple serve you..."

Turning around abruptly, Chen Ye saw two little bundles of joy squatting on either side of him behind him, hugging their knees and silently watching him.

It's so cute... but it's a latrine.

Chen Ye was dumbfounded: "How come you're behind me?"

Qingjun blinked her big eyes, looking shy and embarrassed.
"Because Master taught Qingjun the art of concealing her aura?"

I should be the one feeling embarrassed!
and many more……

"But...but you were right behind me, how come I didn't notice? Even if Zhiwei has a special physique, it's impossible!" Chen Ye was still in a daze.

Zhiwei put on a serious face and said earnestly:

"It's probably because Master doesn't guard against our aura."

She wouldn't tell.
She deliberately spent every day in front of her master, using her physical abilities to conceal her aura, so that her master would become familiar with her ability to hide her aura.

Over time, the master became accustomed to their aura, making it difficult for cultivators to detect them with their spiritual senses.

Unless the master scans the surroundings with his divine sense, he cannot detect them at close range.

But who would just scan something when they have nothing better to do?
"I see... Zhiwei is really smart."

Chen Ye suddenly realized, remembering Zhiwei's approving glance, and habitually praised her.
But he quickly realized what was happening and repeated it again:
"Wait, how come you're behind me?!"

Zhiwei said expressionlessly, "Because I must show respect to my master. Master, please turn your head away. Otherwise, Zhiwei will be too embarrassed to help you wipe it..."

What happened next is another story.

Anyway,

Afterwards, the two little ones' bottoms swelled up, and they lay in bed for a whole day.

Back to the present.

Chen Ye cautiously scanned his surroundings with his divine sense, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he found nothing amiss.

"I just came back from Taoshanfang, they probably don't know."

strange,
I only teach my nominal disciples.

Why does it seem like they're doing something shady?
Chen Ye's fists were itching again; he wished he could beat the two little dumplings into swollen balls again.

It’s all their fault!
　Thank you to readers 20250719021543712 and 20221021082557511 for the 100 coins each!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)