Beast Taming Clan: I Have a Jade Book

Chapter 696: Chapter 520: The Taichang Bell Tolls, Aftermath of the Draft (Double-Length)

The silent night sky, adorned with stars, shone brightly as Ye Jingcheng stepped into the courtyard, the spiritual almonds already hanging heavily from the branches, ready to fall.

A woman in a blue dress was waiting below.

She wore a cyan jade spirit hairpin, with her dark hair coiled up, and two locks of hair resting on her chest, making her appear even more charming and delicate.

Her eyes, like ink dyed with water, were full of life and spirit.

Seeing Ye Jingcheng enter, she held up a basket and said:

“Look, a few spiritual fruits can’t wait any longer!”

“Let’s pick them all then!” Ye Jingcheng smiled slightly and nodded.

The words of worry he initially planned to say were altogether forgotten when she spoke.

He was not a rigid person; on the contrary, he cherished ordinary and simple days even more.

Cultivation was never about abandoning everything but about cultivating both mind and body simultaneously.

The two of them picked all forty-eight spiritual almonds and placed them in a basket.

Watching the basket filled with spiritual almonds, with their brilliant glow and the rich fragrance of fruit wafting, Chu Yanqing couldn’t help but smile brightly.

“These spiritual almonds have grown a lot.”

“Of course, this spiritual almond tree was planted by my great-grandfather,” Ye Jingcheng remarked.

“In the past, we had to complete alchemy tasks to enjoy them.”

As he spoke, Ye Jingcheng couldn’t help but reminisce. In those days, Ye Haiyun was very strict with his alchemy training.

Every time he visited his courtyard, there was always a test awaiting Ye Jingcheng.

It was precisely because of Ye Haiyun’s generous teachings that he built a solid foundation and excelled in alchemy; otherwise, even with the Treasure Book within him, without proficient alchemy skills, he wouldn’t have made it this far, nor would he have been specially recognized by the family.

Ye Jingcheng took the basket and moved towards the house in the courtyard.

Seeing the change in Ye Jingcheng’s mood, Chu Yanqing refrained from speaking and followed him into a small house, carefully observing everything around her.

Clearly placed here by Ye Jingcheng, she had not looked around, just quietly waiting in the courtyard.

Here, she was no longer the proud daughter of the Chu family, nor the diligent Water Refining Master of the Ye family but merely a girl waiting to pick spiritual almonds.

The room, located at the far end, resembled a small shrine, with the tablet of Ye Haiyun placed inside.

Two candles, left burning for some time, had nearly melted away, about to extinguish.

Ye Jingcheng replaced them and also lit some sandalwood incense.

Then, he took the largest almonds from the basket and placed them on the offering plate.

“In the past, these large spiritual almonds would mysteriously appear in the Chu Ye Pavilion, even when I went to Taichang Market!” Ye Jingcheng explained.

Following this, he retrieved some spirit tea, specifically the Tier Two Top-Grade Cloud Conceal Tea.

After brewing the spirit tea, Ye Jingcheng didn’t pour it directly but handed it to Chu Yanqing.

Understandingly, Chu Yanqing accepted it, poured a cup, and offered it.

Once she had finished offering the tea, the mist from the brew rose above the spiritual almonds, enveloping the tablet, then quickly disappeared.

Ye Jingcheng proceeded to offer spirit tea as well, bowing deeply three times.

Having never met his mortal parents, this world had only the old town mayor of White Cloud Town and Ye Haiyun as his close ones.

“Yanqing, I’ve met my most important elder!” Ye Jingcheng said with a smile.

These words brought a blush to Chu Yanqing’s face.

Indeed, the almonds were ripe, all picked.

The timing was right for marriage, so it was only natural.

But now that the day had come, Chu Yanqing felt it all a bit like a dream.

Ye Jingcheng, seeing Chu Yanqing silent, gazed at her, making her slightly nervous.

“Brother Cheng, I have no elders left…”

“From now on, the Ye family will be your elders; you can feel at home!” Ye Jingcheng reassured her.

“Brother Cheng, I mean, I’m in charge!” Chu Yanqing said cautiously, delighting Ye Jingcheng.

“Yanqing, shall we become Dao companions?” Ye Jingcheng proposed.

At his words, Chu Yanqing nodded.

“As long as Brother Cheng doesn’t mind my low cultivation level,” Chu Yanqing teased, a hint of playfulness in her eyes.

She mimicked the tone Ye Jingcheng used when they first met.

At that time, Ye Jingcheng, wanting to avoid entanglement between their families, had deliberately said Chu Yanqing hadn’t reached Foundation Establishment.

Unlike other female cultivators, Chu Yanqing always retained a childlike innocence.

This innocence, in Ye Jingcheng’s view, was precisely her true essence.

He wanted to pull Chu Yanqing into his embrace.

Yet he found her somewhat resistant.

This took Ye Jingcheng by surprise, and he quickly stopped.

“Brother Cheng, I have a Sunflower Water Spirit Body; I can sense your Water Attribute Spiritual Energy is strong/ If we unite when you’re at the peak of the Early Stage of the Purple Mansion, it could help you breakthrough!” Chu Yanqing whispered, her face increasingly flushed.

“Hmm!” Ye Jingcheng initially intended to tease her, but thinking it might be too frivolous, he swallowed back his words.

He gently pulled Chu Yanqing into his arms.

“Yanqing, I plan to choose an auspicious date for marriage three months later. I’ll spend the next two months in seclusion, and also arrange an identity for you at Cyan Cloud Nunnery to marry into the Ye Family.”

“But rest assured, given the chance, I’ll help you eliminate the Jin Family!” Ye Jingcheng promised.

Regarding the Jin Family, Ye Jingcheng didn’t have a favorable impression.

Although he had dealings with Jin Yutang for a time.