Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 7 Mystic Pill Pavilion

The man in the tight-fitting clothes sat on the ground, covering his face with his hands and sighing in pain.

Only when he saw Chen Ye standing by the stall did a glimmer of hope appear on the man's face:

"Fellow Daoist, would you like some Silver Scale Flower? It's only... ten spirit stones!"

Chen Ye was quite envious. Although the Silver Scale Flower was seriously ill and on the verge of death, it was a good opportunity for him to increase his skill in casting spells.

But ten spirit stones are still too expensive. He only has twelve spirit stones in his savings. If he gets killed by the spirit flower, he'll have nowhere to turn for help.

Moreover, Chen Ye had just arrived in this world and had more spirit stones on him, which gave him more confidence.

"I'll just take a look, I'll just take a look."

Chen Ye gave an awkward laugh and quickly carried Qing Jun away.

He had just carefully observed the silver scale flower and found that the situation was not as serious as the old man with the goatee had said; the old man with the goatee was probably just deliberately trying to lower the price.

……

Next, Chen Ye's heart pounded with anxiety.

It's time to bring my eldest apprentice, Lu Zhiwei, home.

The young apprentice, Xu Qingjun, seemed quite dangerous at first glance; he was about to be given poisoned tea as soon as he arrived.

But once Chen Ye got to know her, he found that this little girl was very easy to get along with.

I just don't know what kind of personality my eldest apprentice has.

In the game, Xu Qingjun is a world-destroying demon, while Lu Zhiwei is a savior goddess.

Logically speaking, Lu Zhiwei should be easier to get along with than Xu Qingjun, right?
A short while later, Chen Ye led Qingjun to a bustling street.

Compared to the chaotic free trade zone, the environment here is much quieter, and the cultivators coming and going are clearly of a higher cultivation level.

Finding the shop with the sign "Miaodan Pavilion," Chen Ye hesitated for a moment at the main entrance before knocking on the side door.

A burly maidservant half-opened the side door, revealing half of her body as she looked around.

Seeing the peasant monk carrying the dirty little girl about to enter through the side door, he made a move to close the side door: "Go away! Go to the East Market to beg for food!"

Dongshi is the official name of the Sanxiu Free Trade Zone.

Chen Ye hurriedly stuck his foot out to block the crack in the door, forcing a smile: "Fairy, please wait a moment, I am Master Lu Zhiwei."

The burly maid chuckled, "That's quite novel. It's the first time someone has addressed me like that. Master Lu Zhiwei? Never mind, let me take you inside first."

Chen Ye breathed a slight sigh of relief and followed the maid to the backyard of the shop.

As soon as you step inside, a strong, bitter smell of medicine hits you right in the head.

In the backyard, dark brown medicinal residue water splattered on the blue brick ground, and two rough maids were bending over to scrub a bronze alchemy furnace that was half a person tall.

The furnace walls were covered with a thick layer of medicinal residue, and scraping them with a copper brush made a screeching sound that made one's teeth ache.

"Hurry up! The Pavilion Master still needs to refine pills tonight!"

The old woman in charge stood with her hands on her hips under the eaves. Upon seeing Chen Ye, she grinned.
"Oh, isn't this Lu girl's master?"

Chen Ye chuckled awkwardly and took half a step back, the old woman's spittle almost splashing onto his face.

There were baskets of flint piled up in the corner, and a small figure in a gray cloth shirt was squatting there picking through them. Hearing the noise, he suddenly shuddered.

Is this his eldest disciple?

Judging from their backs, the eldest apprentice was a year older than the youngest, but their height and build were almost the same, both being thin and short.

Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, tied together with a straw rope.

From behind, it looks like a black furry ball.

"Knowing the subtle—"

The old woman drawled, grabbed the scale rod, and slammed it against the girl's knee.
"Are you trying to kill me? Your master is taking you home to enjoy your retirement, why are you still busy as if Wang Po has mistreated you?"

Lu Zhiwei staggered from the blow and silently turned around.

Chen Ye subtly observed the older girl. Hmm, she was still a bit taller than Qingjun. Her dark hair covered her eyebrows and eyes, and there was a cut on the tip of her chin. Her ears were red and swollen beyond recognition, a result of being pinched by Granny Wang.

"Master."

Zhiwei called out softly, her voice as calm as still water.

Granny Wang's face was full of flesh, and when she smiled, her eyes were almost invisible.
“Master Chen, you are our sect leader’s sworn brother, how can Granny Wang mistreat her? Look how well this little girl is raised.”

Seeing that the black furball was walking slowly, she frowned impatiently, wanting to kick it in the butt, but a long whip wrapped around her ankle.

Chen Ye gripped the bone-scraping whip tightly, his smile unchanged:

"Wang Po, my apprentice is clumsy. Why don't I take her back and discipline her? Zhiwei, come to your master."

The little black fluffy girl's eyes behind her bangs moved slightly. She obediently walked to Chen Ye's side and looked down at the little girl that Chen Ye was holding under his arm.

A hint of apology appeared in Qingjun's eyes as she timidly presented the oil paper package in her arms to her senior sister.

Zhiwei glanced thoughtfully at the oil paper package and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"What's wrong with you today, Mr. Chen? You think you're so great now? We call you Mr. Chen, do you really think you're some kind of boss?"

Granny Wang spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm, about to have an attack.
Chen Ye suddenly stepped forward, interrupting her:

"What does Wang Po mean by this? Does she want to fight me to the death?"

Granny Wang chuckled, her eyes full of mockery: "Who wants to fight to the death with a good-for-nothing like you? It's nothing, what does Master Chen mean by this?"

Chen Ye sighed: "So, it turns out that Granny Wang knew I was a good-for-nothing. I idled away my time and did all sorts of bad things..."

Granny Wang snorted but didn't say anything.

Chen Ye looked at Zhiwei's injuries and saw that, apart from the sins committed by her predecessor, many of them were sustained at Miaodan Pavilion.

He added, "I, Chen Ye, am unrestrained and only seek to live a carefree life. If Wang Po doesn't want to encounter trouble, then she shouldn't bother me."

Granny Wang was taken aback.

Why is this scoundrel taking this so seriously? He's always been shameless...

He is truly a carefree person. Although he has two apprentices, living under his command is worse than death. How could this heartless bastard care about them?

Granny Wang laughed heartily: "What are you saying, Master Chen? I was just disciplining your apprentice on your behalf."

Her tone became much more polite. In the end, she was just a servant in Miaodan Pavilion, with only the third level of Qi Refining cultivation. She was still afraid of a rogue with the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Chen Ye cupped his hands and said, "Then please, Granny Wang, settle my apprentice's wages."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Granny Wang had already prepared in advance, carrying a small money bag, which she tossed to Chen Ye.

Chen Ye took it, tapped it lightly in front of her, and suddenly frowned:
"Wang Po, this is where you're wrong. You promised me twenty spirit sands a month, but you only gave me fifteen?"

Granny Wang's face was bulging with fat, and she smiled eagerly: "I haven't shortchanged Master Chen on spirit sand. After deducting the dust tax, isn't that fifteen pieces? Fine, fine, I'll add five more spirit sand for you myself."

"What a joke! What does wages have to do with dust tax? Didn't I pay it myself when I brought my apprentice into the city?"

Chen Ye adopted a roguish and unruly demeanor, and laughed without hesitation.

The sound of the bone-scraping whip piercing the air suddenly rang out, and the tip of the whip had already grazed past Wang Po's ear.

With a slight flick of his wrist, the whip coiled around his waist like a nimble snake.

"Oh my goodness!"

Granny Wang wailed, clutching her bleeding ear, her finger trembling as she pointed at Chen Ye.

"Where did you get the nerve! Someone, someone! Go and call the guards!"

The maids were so frightened that they scattered and fled, calling for the guards inside the Miaodan Pavilion.

Chen Ye casually stroked Zhiwei's fluffy head:
“Zhiwei worked odd jobs at Miaodan Pavilion for five months, but you, old woman, have been ruthlessly withholding her wages. If you treat your own people like this, what about the outside cultivators? I never imagined that Miaodan Pavilion, which has a good reputation among the cultivators, would be such a heartless place.”

"Fine! Since you old hag are so incorrigible, I'll make a scene here and let everyone in the market know the true nature of Miaodan Pavilion!"

(End of this chapter)