Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 187 A Morbid Today
"That's it, that's all."

Chen Ye shook his head, ultimately unable to bring himself to punish the two little girls any further.

He knew in his heart that although his disciples were a bit mischievous, they were just too concerned about him.

As their teacher and elder, arguing with them too much would only make me look bad.

He straightened his robes before taking a step towards the Lin sisters' separate courtyard.

The courtyard gate was ajar, and Chen Ye pushed it open and entered.

The courtyard was empty, just as he expected.

Lin Qiongyu should be serving his two disciples at this time, leaving only Lin Jin behind.

"Hmm... We need to prepare my two disciples mentally as soon as possible, otherwise, leaving the child alone in the courtyard every day will inevitably lead to psychological problems sooner or later."

Chen Ye felt somewhat guilty.

But he had no choice but to leave Lin Jin there for the time being.

It wasn't just because of his disciple; it was mostly due to Lin Jin's personal reasons.

This woman is withdrawn, taciturn, and dislikes contact with outsiders.

Forcing her to stay with her two disciples will only worsen her condition.

We can only take it one step at a time...

Chen Ye walked to the window and, through the gap in the window paper, saw Lin Jin still sitting quietly in her wheelchair, motionless, like a lifeless porcelain doll.

Although her leg has recovered.

But the hardest disease to cure is the heart disease.

Lin Jin seemed to have sensed his arrival, and her small hand quietly gripped the handrail.

Chen Ye didn't know whether he should be pleased or not—this girl wasn't interested in anything, except for him, she had a strange sense of fear about him.

"The practice of cultivation cannot be accomplished overnight, nor should one give up eating because of a minor setback."

Seeing that he had been exposed, Chen Ye simply went inside.

His gaze swept around the room.

The scene inside the house was exactly the same as he remembered.

The light was dim, and the air was filled with the smell of dust. On the girl's table were several plates of food that had long since gone cold.

Most of the time, Lin Qiongyu made it for Lin Jin, and then rushed off to serve her disciple, leaving no time to take care of Lin Jin.

Chen Ye approached Lin Jin and, without waiting for her consent, directly placed a fasting pill between her pale lips.

Caught off guard, the girl's lips parted slightly involuntarily, allowing the pill to be squeezed into them.

Before she could react, Chen Ye gently lifted her smooth chin with his fingers.

The pill went down his throat.

"..."

Being controlled like a doll was unbearable for Lin Jin, but she could only accept it in silence, staring at him with her dark pupils.

"Hmm? You're not happy that I'm feeding you?"

Chen Ye raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

The girl's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she lowered her gaze.

Seeing this, Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

That's good; at least he still has emotions, instead of being a complete wooden doll.

"Concentrate, calm your mind, and guide the spirit into your body..."

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Lin Jin's ears.

A vibrant, life-giving energy flowed slowly from his fingertips into her limbs and bones.

Using his own divine sense as a guide, he directed the circulation of Lin Jin's spiritual power.

"Hmm? He's actually reached the third level of Qi Refining?"

Chen Ye was startled when he sensed the spiritual energy within Lin Jin's body.

This little girl's cultivation speed is really fast.

In just one month, he broke through from the first level of Qi Refining to the third level!

Thinking about it, Chen Ye felt it was only natural.

Unlike his disciple, Lin Jin spent almost all his time cultivating at home.

Although the little girl was not interested in the outside world, she had an unexpected fervor for cultivation—perhaps she believed that all the suffering of the Lin family came from the cold flame in her body, and thus she had an almost obsessive desire to cultivate and refine the spiritual fire.

"With dual spiritual roots of water and fire, a profound yin body, and the cold flame of water and fire attributes, tsk tsk, his future is probably limitless."

Chen Ye stopped with satisfaction. After circulating his spiritual energy, he had expelled most of the cold energy accumulated in Lin Jin's body.

He suddenly asked, "Lin Jin... cough cough, Jin, where's the doll I gave you back then?"

After hesitating for a moment, he chose to use a more intimate term of address.

After spending so much time and developing a relationship, it wouldn't be right to keep calling him Lin Jin, after all, he was his disciple, even if he was only a nominal disciple.

Chen Ye was actually mentally prepared, knowing that the girl would not respond.

Unexpectedly, when he mentioned the word "doll," Lin Jin's face suddenly turned pale and his body trembled.

"?"

Chen Ye was taken aback. He quietly scanned the room with his divine sense.

His pupils contracted as he discovered the doll under the bed, but... the doll was completely unrecognizable.

He was puzzled, but his movements were swift. He bent down and reached under the dusty bed.

What my fingertips touched wasn't the softness a doll should have, but a hard, slightly sticky texture.

When the doll's full appearance was revealed in the dim light, even Chen Ye, with his calm demeanor, couldn't help but gasp.

Where is that cute long-eared rabbit doll anymore?

It was clearly a mangled corpse that had been tortured.

The snow-white, soft down was now matted into clumps, mottled with unknown dark brown stains, and exuded a bloody smell.

One of its eyes, which should have been like black gemstones, had been gouged out, leaving an empty hole.

The other eye was also hanging crookedly from its socket, as if it could fall out at any moment.

The mouth, sewn with red silk thread, had long been torn to shreds, with a few broken red threads resembling dried blood, its laughter chilling.

Its body was covered with countless needle marks.

Normally, Chen Ye wouldn't be shocked to see this doll.

But he knew perfectly well that Lin Jin was behind it!
No wonder, in the original storyline, she would indiscriminately slaughter the cultivators of Taoshanfang later on...

At this moment, Chen Ye suddenly realized that he had underestimated Lin Jin's mental illness. In the long years of suffering, her soul had long been ravaged and distorted by the strange fire.

Her mental illness was not autism or silence; on the contrary, it was something she did intentionally to control the madness within her.

Co-authored…

The reason this little girl is prone to trembling is not just because she is scared, but more likely because she is about to lose control of herself.

Chen Ye was shocked. Good heavens, isn't this a ticking time bomb?
You should know that his disciple was not a weak woman who could be easily bullied. If she were to turn completely evil, she could unleash the strength of a pseudo-core stage cultivator!

"crunch..."

The black-haired girl lowered her head, her teeth chattering.

It's like throwing away a broken pot; after someone discovers the darkness in your heart, you decide... to just stop pretending altogether?

Just as Chen Ye was in shock, the door creaked open.

"Sister is back today!" Lin Qiongyu hurriedly walked in from outside the door, carrying a bowl of steaming hot spiritual porridge.

Phew... Fortunately, Senior Mao returned to Linsong Valley, and she finally had a reason to escape.

If she hadn't taken care of her younger sister, she probably wouldn't have eaten all day!
Before the smile on Lin Qiongyu's face had faded, she saw Chen Ye inside the room and the doll in his hand.

His smile froze instantly.

"pat-"

The tray in her hands, along with the bowl of spiritual porridge, crashed heavily to the ground with a piercing crack.

The warm porridge splashed all over her, but she seemed not to notice.

"Today!"

Lin Qiongyu's voice suddenly rose, filled with panic.

He rushed to the wheelchair in two quick strides and began to berate her sternly:

"Why did you mess things up like this again! How many times have I told you not to touch these things!"

As she spoke, she forced a smile that looked more like a grimace at Chen Ye, and stammered as she explained:

“Master…please don’t take offense. Today she…she’s always liked to do this since she was little. When she’s bored, she just messes with whatever’s around her. She doesn’t mean any harm, she’s just…just playing around, she doesn’t know her own strength.”

It should be noted that when accepting disciples, the cultivation world will definitely consider the disciple's character.

Lin Qiongyu was worried that when Chen Ye discovered that his sister had a problem with her character, he would stop taking her as a disciple, or even hate her!

If that's the case, the Lin family's hard-won good life will be completely ruined! And her sister's illness will not receive treatment from Chen Ye!
"Ok?"

Chen Ye was even more surprised, and he glanced at Lin Jin.

After her inner darkness was exposed and she was mercilessly scolded by her sister, her body trembled even more violently.

That won't do...

He frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Master...?" Lin Qiongyu raised her pretty face blankly, not understanding what he meant.

Chen Ye clicked his tongue in amazement: "Your sister's skills are quite good. Look at these eyes, she gouged them out cleanly and neatly, without any hesitation. The sinister smile on her lips is also quite charming, perfectly capturing that despair and madness."

He spoke with a serious expression, while carefully examining the doll, becoming more and more amazed with each look.

"..."

Lin Qiongyu froze completely, her mouth agape, her beautiful eyes filled with bewilderment and disbelief.

Master... what... what is he saying?
Praise?

He was actually praising today's cruel and twisted behavior?
On the wheelchair, the girl's eyes, which had been burning with a cold, eerie flame, froze instantly.

She was prepared for her darkest secrets to be exposed, ridiculed, and despised.

Unexpectedly, he received praise instead.

Ignoring their shock, Chen Ye flipped the doll over, pointed to the dense array of pinholes, and continued to comment in an almost appraising tone:

"Especially these stitches, so fine and even, with such strength, it's clear the person who did it was meticulous and incredibly patient. But..."

He changed the subject, a look of regret on his face, pointed to the doll's ear, which was torn in half, and shook his head:
"...It's just that the ear was torn a bit roughly, which ruins the overall aesthetic. Next time, you can use scissors, which will make it neater."

next time?

And next time? !
Lin Qiongyu felt that her brain was completely overwhelmed.

She even began to wonder if the man in front of her was a madman like her sister.
Indeed, in Lin Qiongyu's own view, her sister had become mentally unstable and practically insane due to prolonged suffering.

The younger sister's silence simply concealed all of this madness.

Chen Ye chuckled, put the doll into his storage bag, and said apologetically:

"Anyway, this doll was originally a gift from me to Jin'er, cough cough... I'll give Jin'er other new dolls later."

Lin Qiongyu was speechless. So the master liked her sister's doll so much that he even wanted to "forcibly take" the doll that had been given away... This doll was covered in the blood of her sister's self-harm.

How can there be people in the world who like such disgusting dolls?

Lin Qiongyu said respectfully, "Everything in the Lin family originally belonged to the master."

"No...no!"

But to Lin Qiongyu's surprise, her sister unexpectedly spoke, gripping the armrest tightly, barely managing to straighten her frail body, and looking resolutely at Chen Ye.

"That's mine... I won't give it to you!"

"But I am your master. Aren't you even allowed to be your master?"

Chen Ye was a little reluctant. He hesitated for a moment, then took out the doll and handed it to Lin Jin.

"fraud!"

The little girl was somewhat disappointed when Chen Ye took out the doll.

She suddenly reached out, snatched the doll back, hugged it to her arms, and curled up back into her wheelchair, her long, slightly curly black hair covering her face, refusing to look at him.

Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat.

Judging from Lin Jin's reaction, he probably shouldn't have taken the doll out. Perhaps in her eyes, if he really liked it, he wouldn't give it back to her no matter what.

Therefore, the girl felt disappointed, thinking that she was just trying to comfort him.

This is indeed the case.

Chen Ye was a normal person, and seeing such a miserable and terrifying doll naturally made him feel disgusted.

But he understood,

Lin Jin reacted strongly after the doll was exposed because she felt that her shame had been publicly displayed.

Like a rat that has lived in the sewers for years, accustomed to darkness and stench, when suddenly exposed to bright light and naked in the sunlight, it will not feel warmth, but only a deep-seated fear and an inescapable shame.

Generally speaking, such a foul-smelling rat would be universally hated—and the rat knows this, hence its fear and shame.

But what if someone said they liked this mouse?
According to expert Chen Ye, the girl named Lin Jin has a serious condition and it is impossible to forcibly change her mindset.

Therefore, one should go along with her preferences, gradually gain her acceptance, and then try to heal her subtly.

“Liar…” Lin Jin hugged the doll tightly, her voice low.

"Why would Master steal something that came today?"

Chen Ye quickly tried to salvage the situation, his voice gentle as if he were coaxing a sulking child.
"However, as you can see today, the cotton cloth is ultimately of poor quality and won't withstand much wear and tear. I have some leftover scraps from making puppets, including tough beast hides and sharp bone spikes. Perhaps we can make an even more unique doll: a doll that will never break and can play with you for a longer time?"

"The eternal doll..."

The girl muttered to herself, resting her chin on the doll's head, and secretly glanced at Chen Ye.

snort!
Chen Ye naturally noticed Lin Jin's peeking.

He was pleased with himself.

Girls are girls, and that's how he became interested.
Hmm... Since this little girl is interested in dolls, maybe she can pursue a career in puppetry in the future.

Exactly, she has a slightly wicked nature.

Chen Ye was worried that she would go astray and use her body to cultivate and create corpse puppets.

He himself was a body cultivator!
However, with his teachings, it is impossible for me to go astray today!

　Thank you to the fisherman who drinks porridge for the 800 coins!

　　My head is a little dizzy today. I was thinking of taking the day off and then explaining how I'm going to write tomorrow...

　　However, I hadn't paid back the last time, and I was too embarrassed to ask for leave, so I gritted my teeth and continued writing.

　　The plot has been moving too slowly lately. I'll try writing 10,000 words a day tomorrow!

　　Is it possible for the author to do this...?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)