Something's wrong with this demon.

Chapter 164 Master

The shop was filled with the aroma of herbs.

When Luo Qingchen appeared at the door, all three pairs of eyes in the shop turned to him.

"Owner!"

Ayao was immediately filled with excitement and surprise. She exclaimed and ran towards him with joy.

Chen Ya, standing to the side, was also filled with excitement and surprise, but she remained somewhat reserved and did not go over.

As for Bai Tang at the counter, she only glanced at it briefly before lowering her head and continuing to look at the book in her hands.

"Master, I thought you really weren't coming."

Ayao wept with joy, her eyes brimming with tears.

Luo Qingchen walked into the shop and looked at the aloof woman behind the counter.

"Owner----"

Just then, a timid voice suddenly came from the side.

He turned his head and was momentarily stunned.

"Chen Ya?"

A look of surprise appeared on his face.

If it weren't for the fact that her clothes and appearance were similar to before, he wouldn't have recognized the girl in front of him for a moment.

The girl in front of me was clearly different from before.

Whether it's the other person's figure, temperament, or even appearance, everything is very different from before.

It's as if he's become a completely different person.

She was dressed in a plain white dress, her figure slender and graceful, her breasts already more prominent; her face had also matured, though she still looked somewhat immature, her eyes and brows were delicate and charming, and she was pretty and lovely; her long black hair was tied into a high ponytail at the back, revealing her slender and graceful swan neck and the fair and delicate skin on her neck.

She looks pure, charming, youthful, and graceful.

If she was once like a tender, unopened flower bud, then now, this young girl has quietly blossomed into a beautiful, charming, and fragrant flower.

"Master, hasn't Senior Sister become even more beautiful? She's also grown so much taller."

"Ayao, who was standing to the side, said with a grin."

Chen Ya lowered her head, seemingly sensing the other person's scrutinizing gaze. Two blushes, typical of young girls, unconsciously crept onto her delicate and fair face. Her two slender white hands tightly gripped her white dress, and her pearly teeth gently bit her pink lips, making her look somewhat uneasy and nervous.

"You have indeed grown taller."

Luo Qingchen gave a faint reply and then looked away, glancing at the woman behind the counter.

"Senior Sister Bai, it's been a long time."

Bai Tang continued flipping through her book with her head down, and said casually, "Long time no see."

The woman remained aloof and distant, with an air of keeping everyone at arm's length.

Seeing this, Luo Qingchen stopped exchanging pleasantries and got straight to the point: "Senior Sister Bai, I have now entered the inner sect's Medicine Peak. Since each Medicine Peak disciple is assigned three acres of medicinal fields, I came down today to bring A-Yao with me."

Upon hearing this, both A Yao and Chen Ya, who were standing nearby, were taken aback.

Bai Tang raised her head, her face still expressionless: "Just bring A-Yao?"

"Yes, one person is enough."

Luo Qingchen nodded.

If circumstances allowed, he wouldn't want to bring anyone along.

He knows nothing about the inner sect's situation yet, and bringing one more person might just create more trouble.

He just wants to cultivate quietly now and doesn't want to waste any time on anyone.

Chen Ya's face immediately changed. Her previous joy and happiness vanished without a trace. Her face, which was originally covered with the blush of a young girl, was now deathly pale.

"But I have already formally accepted her as my disciple."

At this moment, Bai Tang said expressionlessly.

Luo Qingchen paused for a moment, then turned to look at the little girl with ugly scars on her face beside her, and said, "Senior Sister Bai, she is my medicine person."

Bai Tang didn't say anything more, and her gaze fell on the little girl beside him. After a pause, she asked, "Ayao, are you going with him?"

"I----"

When Ayao saw that both of them were looking at her, she immediately lowered her head nervously, twisting her skirt with her fingers, stammering, and not daring to speak for a moment.

"It's okay, go ahead and say it."

Bai Tang said in a calm tone.

Ah Yao then raised her head and looked at the young man before her, saying, "Master, you—you can only bring one person up?"

Luo Qingchen replied, "Yes."

Ayao bit her lip, then suddenly knelt down, her voice choked with emotion, and said, "Then Master, please take Senior Sister upstairs. Ayao—Ayao wants to stay here and keep Master company."

Luo Qingchen stared at her silently for a while, then looked at Chen Ya behind her and asked, "Would you like to come up with me?"

Chen Ya, her eyes red-rimmed, knelt down, head bowed, her voice trembling slightly: "Master, aren't inner disciples allowed to bring three people? Could you please bring all three of us up with you?"

Ayao also raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and pleaded, "Yes, Master, can you take all three of us up with you? Please!"

Luo Qingchen paused for a moment upon hearing this, then looked towards the counter.

"I'm not your drug user."

Jin Baitang said expressionlessly.

"I can only bring one up."

Luo Qingchen's gaze returned to the two girls kneeling before her.

Ayao rubbed her eyes, sobbed, and stood up, saying, "Master, then let's take Senior Sister up with us."

Senior Sister is a cultivator and can help Master. Ah Yao knows nothing but how to prepare medicine, and she's not as strong as Senior Sister. Going up there would only be a burden to Master.

Chen Ya knelt on the ground, her face covered in tears.

Luo Qingchen didn't say anything more, and said, "Then I'll take Chen Ya upstairs."

Chen Ya wiped away her tears and kowtowed to Bai Tang at the counter.

The shop was quiet for a moment.

Bai Tang put down the book in her hand, paused for a moment, looked out the counter and said, "Cultivate diligently and remember what I told you before."

Chen Ya stood up, wiped away her tears again, and choked out, "Yes, Master."

Luo Qingchen was about to leave when she glanced at the woman behind the counter. After hesitating for a moment, she took out the flower from her storage bag and handed it to her: "By the way, Senior Sister Bai, I saw a flower on the way here and thought you would like it, so I picked it for you."

The flower was not yet in full bloom; it had only opened a small opening, revealing pure white petals and emerald green stems and leaves below.

At the very bottom of the stem and leaves, there are still long roots and soil.

The roots looked quite intact, with almost none damaged, indicating that they were dug very carefully.

"I don't know if it can be raised."

Luo Qingchen looked at the woman behind the counter and did not see a trace of joy on her cool and beautiful face.

"White peony root?"

Bai Tang paused slightly, then reached out and carefully took the flowers from his hands.

"Is this white peony root?"

Luo Qingchen naturally didn't recognize him.

Ayao, standing nearby, quickly said in a crisp voice, "Master, this is white peony. White peony can nourish blood and regulate menstruation, astringe yin and stop sweating, and is specifically used to treat women's—"

Bai Tang glanced at her.

She quickly stopped talking and covered her mouth.

"Chen Ya, let's go."

Luo Qingchen did not linger any longer and turned to walk out of the shop.

"Master, I—I'll pack my things."

Chen Ya quickly ran back to her room.

Actually, she had already packed her things last night.

Soon, she came out of the house carrying her bundle, knelt down in front of the counter, kowtowed three times, and choked out, "Master, your great kindness—"

"You don't need to call me Master anymore. I have never formally accepted you as my disciple."

Bai Tang spoke calmly from behind the counter.

"Also, remember what I said before: do not practice any of the Demon-Slaying Sect's techniques, and do not use blood or demon stone baths."

Chen Ya agreed and stood up with tears streaming down her face.

Ah Yao threw herself into her arms, crying, "Senior Sister, you must come down to see me and Master often from now on. We'll miss you, boohoo—"

Chen Ya stayed with her while she cried for a while, then wiped away her tears and turned to leave the pharmacy.

"Let's go to the office to register first."

Luo Qingchen led her away without looking back at the pharmacy.

Inside the stone house of the steward, only Sun Qiao'er was guarding it.

It was already evening, and she was packing her things to leave when she looked up and saw a familiar figure outside the window.

"Luo—Senior Brother Luo!"

Upon seeing who it was, Sun Qiao'er immediately stood up from her chair and said with a beaming smile, "I didn't expect Senior Brother Luo to come down at this time. I thought I would have to wait for several days."

She was naturally aware that inner disciples could bring medicine practitioners up.

However, when she saw that behind the young man was only the girl named Chen Ya, she was stunned for a moment and said, "Senior Brother Luo, are you... taking only her up here?"

Luo Qingchen took out Chen Ya's waist token, handed it in, and said, "One person is enough."

Sun Qiao'er took the waist token, glanced at the graceful young woman behind him, smiled, and said without daring to ask any more questions, "Senior Brother Luo, please wait a moment, it will be ready soon."

She immediately took out paper and pen, wrote a temporary identity document, stamped it with the office seal, and then respectfully returned the document and waist tag with both hands.

"I haven't even congratulated Senior Brother Luo on breaking through to the Opening Aperture Realm and becoming an inner disciple yet. Wang Jing came back yesterday and told me, and I still can't believe it. It's only been a few days, and Senior Brother Luo has already broken through again. Back then—"

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Luo Qingchen and Chen Ya took their leave.

After the two figures disappeared into the distant street, Sun Qiao'er murmured with some doubt, "Could it be that I guessed wrong before? Senior Brother Luo and that shopkeeper Bai at the pharmacy... don't have that kind of relationship?"

"Give me the package."

As Luo Qingchen walked up the steep steps, she glanced back at the girl behind her, who was carrying a large package.

Chen Ya was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, and then quickly handed over the package.

Luo Qingchen took the package and put it into her storage bag, saying, "Once you enter the inner sect, you will help me manage the herb fields. When you have nothing to do, you can also cultivate in the cave. But without my permission, you cannot enter or leave the cave at will."

"Yes, Master."

Chen Ya bowed her head respectfully.

Luo Qingchen didn't say anything more and led her to continue walking up the mountain.

Both of them were cultivators, so they didn't need to rest.

As darkness fell, the two finally entered the inner gate.

At this moment, the setting sun hung on the horizon in the distance, revealing half of its rosy cheeks.

The orange-red light draped the entire mountain peak in a beautiful rosy hue.

"What a nice view----"

Seeing this, Chen Ya looked dazed.

She hadn't seen the sun or such a beautiful sunset in a very, very long time.

"Go back to your cave first, and come back to register tomorrow morning."

Seeing that the manager's office was already closed, Luo Qingchen had no choice but to take her back to the cave first.

"Um."

As Chen Ya watched the figure walking ahead, her heart raced at the thought of soon living in the same cave with him.

At this moment, her cheeks were flushed, whether from the sunset or from her natural shyness, she looked like a beautiful flower in full bloom, exceptionally alluring.