Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 26 Qingjun's Background

Chen Ye squatted by the stove, scraping snake skin.

Snake blood soaked through the coarse cloth apron.

As expected of monster meat, even a kitchen knife couldn't cut it, so he had to use a jade knife.

As for whether it's hygienic to use a jade knife made from healing herbs to cut flesh, that's not within Chen Ye's consideration.

Seeing the oil pan smoking, Chen Ye hurriedly slid the marinated snake meat into the pan. With a sizzling sound, a faint fishy smell mixed with ginger and garlic churned in the iron pan.

A rich fragrance spread out.

This made Chen Ye swallow hard.

Not to mention Qingjun, who was secretly watching.

The little girl stood on tiptoe and looked up, asking, "Master, what are you doing?"

Chen Ye rolled his eyes at his apprentice, who was sucking his finger: "What do you think? Why did you go out to find your master just now?"

Qingjun lowered her head shyly: "I just noticed that Master was missing... so I wanted to go and see where he went."

When the little girl woke up and didn't see Chen Ye, her heart skipped a beat.

She thought that her master wanted to abandon them, which was why he treated them well before leaving.

In this freezing winter, if I lose my master, won't I be waiting to die?

Fortunately, Master didn't leave...

If you're going to leave, at least wait until they're a bit older!

"Qingjun, do you miss home?" Chen Ye suddenly asked.

Qingjun is not an orphan; she comes from a large family—the Xu family of Yuexi Lake.

He only remembered the Moon Rhinoceros Lake Market after hearing about it from He Qi.

The little girl froze, then timidly asked, sucking on her finger:

"Home, isn't this Qingjun's home?"

Chen Ye suddenly sensed something was wrong and probed, "Don't you remember Moon Rhinoceros Lake?"

The little girl shook her head, looking completely bewildered.

Oh well, it's better to forget about it.

That memory was nothing more than a bitter nightmare for Qingjun.

When she was born, her naturally snow-white hair was seen as an auspicious sign, and her clansmen mistakenly believed that she was some kind of spirit.

However, after the aptitude test, it was discovered that she didn't even have a spiritual root.

As the saying goes, the higher you're praised, the harder you fall.

It just so happens that Xu Qingjun's father, Xu Buhui, is preparing to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Under the instigation of certain individuals,
Some called Xu Qingjun an ominous sign, while others claimed she was a bastard.

This caused a rift between Xu Buhui and his wife—after all, both parents had black hair, so how could they have a silver-haired child?
In addition, some elders believed that Qingjun was merely a mortal.

It would be better to just kill them, so as not to damage the Xu family's reputation.

Anyway,

In the end, Qingjun's mother took Qingjun to escape to the Three Thousand Mountains, but they were still found by the Xu family.

In her haste, she entrusted Qingjun to Chen Ye.

The memories of the previous life are exceptionally clear.

The man was casually washing himself in the forest stream, and then he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Suddenly, a female cultivator who looked like a fairy from the moon palace descended from the sky.

The moonlight sculpted a cold, jade-like gleam on her brow bone, and her exquisite beauty was faintly visible beneath the blood-stained white gauze.

Even the usually shameless former self felt ashamed upon seeing this beauty and instinctively covered his body.

"Take care of her for me for a year, and I will repay you handsomely afterward!"

The female cultivator's voice trembled as she pushed the swaddled baby into her arms, her fingertips tracing her daughter's baby hair before she mercilessly stepped onto her sword and left.

Seven years have passed in the blink of an eye, but the female cultivator has never appeared in the previous body's sight.

Either they are forced to not come looking for them.

Or perhaps, after her initial deep protectiveness, she belatedly realized that it was just a mortal being, destined to die and be reborn...

Chen Ye felt the latter possibility was more likely.

He picked up a piece of snake meat, gently blew on it to cool it, and put it into the little white fluffy ball's mouth.

"Qingjun just came to see what Master is doing, she doesn't want to eat..."

The little girl said one thing, but her mouth betrayed her words as she took a bite.

Their eyes lit up: "Delicious!"

Chen Ye smiled slightly, then sighed with emotion.

The little baby, who used to curl up in the blankets and sob, once tried desperately to grab her mother's fingers with her tiny hands.

But now, she can no longer remember her mother's existence.

"I have a master."

Under Qingjun's strange gaze, Chen Ye suddenly patted her head.

The little girl puffed out her cheeks.

For the sake of the snake meat, I'll forgive Master for patting my head this time!
Chen Ye looked at the little girl with a smile; she was too young to hide her emotions.

At this moment, its puffed-up appearance is just like that of a pufferfish.

Chen Ye then gave another piece to the girl.

"Ugh!" Even though she hadn't finished eating, the little girl opened her mouth wide as if she really wanted to.
Seeing this, Chen Ye took the opportunity to reach out and rub the little girl's fluffy head.

……

The snake meat has a very good texture; it's tender and smooth.

Even Zhiwei, who has a small appetite, ate a large bowl of food.

It seems that with my skills, I'll be able to fatten up my two skinny little girls into chubby, healthy babies sooner or later!

Besides this, Chen Ye was overjoyed. This monster meat could actually increase the proficiency of his cultivation technique!

[Minor Mastery of Body Regeneration Technique: 40/100]

[Evergreen Mastery: 50/200]

The price increased by more than ten points after just one meal.

Spiritual practice really does require dietary supplements!
Chen Ye estimated that, based on the cultivation speed of the fully mastered Evergreen Technique, it would take him at least five more years to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Not to mention foundation building.

In the cultivation world, for other cultivators, if they cannot break through to the Foundation Establishment stage before the age of sixty, then it is almost impossible for them to achieve Foundation Establishment again.

Chen Ye wondered if he, with his proficiency panel, would be in the same situation.

Since he has a cheat code, he is naturally not satisfied with the status quo and also harbors a dream of cultivating immortality.

"It would be best to reach the Foundation Establishment stage before the age of sixty, which means I need to improve my Evergreen Technique as soon as possible. At the very least, I need to break through to the limit!"

Chen Ye pondered his future development. He was already forty years old and only had twenty years left, so he had to plan carefully.

The state that comes after perfection is called breaking through limits.

Even if a skill reaches its full potential, the effect it can produce is still within its expected range.

The most profound mystery of the panel lies in the qualitative change after breaking through perfection!
"We still need to make money. With spirit stones, everything will be fine. That way, we can use Qi-restoring pills to improve our skills..."

Just as Chen Ye was thinking this, there was a knock on the door:
"Bang bang! Fellow Daoist Chen, are you there?"

The newcomer was an unfamiliar rogue cultivator, carrying a bamboo basket and looking anxious.

This scene immediately reminded Chen Ye of the day he had just transmigrated.

The old man with the dark complexion looked anxious as he asked the old man to help heal the medicinal herb.

Before its inception, it relied on these regular customers to make a living.

This is only the second order Chen Ye has received in so many days.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, my Mingyan Fireworks suffered from the winter cold yesterday and is listless today. Please take a look at it for me."

The rogue cultivator quickly untied the bamboo basket.

Inside the bamboo basket, the fiery red lily drooped as if frosted, its leaf edges tinged with icy blue veins.

The moment Chen Ye's fingertips touched the leaves of the Mingyan flower, he felt a bone-chilling cold: "This is a cold poison penetrating to the marrow. Did you store the spiritual flower in the fire cellar, fellow Daoist? Could there be something wrong with the fire cellar?"

The rogue cultivator wrung his hands anxiously, his expression turning embarrassed upon hearing this:

"The other day, the price of flint in the market rose, and I bought a batch of old stock because I was greedy for a bargain. Fellow Daoist Chen, you are indeed a spiritual plant master in our shantytown. You even noticed that."

Chen Ye remained calm, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

For Linghua, whose marrow is poisoned by cold, the Quick-Clearing Blade Technique is not very effective.

More importantly, it needs the nourishment of the Cloud and Rain Technique.

He recently achieved a minor level of proficiency and is more than capable of curing the cold poison.

Chen Ye picked up the jade knife, which still had traces of snake blood on it.

The rogue cultivator panicked upon seeing this: "Fellow Daoist Chen, would you like to clean the knife?"

"It doesn't matter."

Before Chen Ye finished speaking, the jade knife already gleamed with a bluish light. The tip of the knife skimmed the water like a dragonfly, and as it traveled along the veins of the leaf, there was even a sound of ice shards cracking.

The perfect state of the Swift Blade Technique was fully revealed at this moment, with exquisite control.

[Swift Blade Technique Proficiency +3]

Chen Ye frowned. It was the dead of winter, and the cold poison was constantly growing due to the surrounding environment. New ice patterns were growing back on the spot where the poison had been removed.

"Bring me a flint!"

He gave a low shout, and the rogue cultivator hurriedly pulled out a flint.

Chen Yeyu's dagger grazed the flint, and a blue flame instantly rose from the blade as it sliced ​​through the leaf stem.

The rogue cultivator was shocked and furious. He hadn't expected Chen Ye to take the flint to ignite his blade, and he couldn't help but reach out to snatch the firework back.

Fortunately, neighbor He Qi heard the commotion and stepped forward to hold the cultivator's shoulder.

"Don't you know the rules! When a spirit plant master is treating a spirit plant, don't point fingers and gesture!"

He Qi was thin, but he had considerable strength in his hands, pressing the rogue cultivator down so that he couldn't move.

The rogue cultivator's eyes turned red:

"What kind of spirit plant master is he! Although Mingyanhua is a fire-attribute spirit flower, it cannot be exposed to fire!"

He Qi was taken aback upon hearing this.
But he remained resolute, understanding that Chen Ye, as a plant master, should have his own considerations.

Besides, even if Chen Ye makes things worse, it's none of his business.
Thinking of this, He Qi said in a deep voice, "What's the rush? Let him get treated first!"

"If he messes it up, he won't have any spirit stones to compensate!"

The rogue cultivator saw that Chen Ye was already burning fireworks, and knew that there was no way to turn things around. He was devastated.

At the door, two apprentices nervously clung to the door frame, their heads, one dark and one white, huddled together, peeking outside.

Chen Ye remained calm and composed, completely ignoring the argument between the two.

That wisp of azure flame seemed to streak across the bright fireworks, but under the perfected level of the Swift Blade, it was controlled with exquisite precision; the trembling flame merely brushed past the layer of ice patterns.

"Click——"

A blue flame swept past, and the sound of ice shards shattering continued.

He Qi saw through the trick and his eyes narrowed: "Incredible skill! Even the spirit plant masters of Moon Rhinoceros Lake might not be able to perform this fire-forging-ice technique, Fellow Daoist Chen!"

The rogue cultivator's hand trembled, and he rubbed his eyes as if he had seen a ghost.

He clearly saw the blue flames brush against the veins of the leaves, but the bright fireworks showed no signs of wilting; on the contrary, they seemed to grow even more vibrant.

Chen Ye used his left hand to form a cloud and rain incantation, condensing a thin mist to protect the flower's stamen, nourish the spiritual flower, and revitalize its vitality.

The flaming blade in his right hand danced like a butterfly, its icy blue poisonous patterns turning into wisps of white smoke amidst the green flames.

As the last wisp of cold poison dissipated, the Mingyan Fireworks suddenly unfurled its leaves, and when the flower buds burst open, a wave of warmth washed over them.

The scarlet petals unfolded layer by layer, and the ice beads that had condensed at the center of the flower turned into scalding dew, which burned small holes in the snow as they dripped down.

Chen Ye twirled his jade blade and looked at the rogue cultivator with a smile: "How about it?"

(End of this chapter)