Longevity Begins From Raising Disciples

”...This is not up for discussion. Just tell me, where is that Treasure Pill hidden? And how am I supposed to help you?”

Chen Ye was speechless for a moment.

With such an absurd request, he absolutely could not agree.

Otherwise, Zhiwei would probably get so furious her old injuries flared up again.

”Big Brother agreed? Big Brother, you’re so nice!”

Qin Jiaming broke into a smile through her tears, her eyes shining. She rose up on her toes, planted a kiss on Chen Ye’s face, and said seriously,

”Tuoba Zhenshi set the place where he’s nurturing the Treasure Pill in the Soul-Locking Abyss beneath Wuyang Palace! Mm... which also happens to be where Brother Bai’s corpse is, you know? When the time comes, we can rescue Brother Bai together!”

Well then...

Chen Ye cast a glance at this seemingly naive young girl.

From the looks of it, whether he was willing or not, he had no choice but to wade into these muddy waters.

Without drawing attention, Chen Ye wiped the side of his face where he’d been kissed, his expression calm:

”Since everything is in the Soul-Locking Abyss, then let’s go. However, the defenses there will certainly be tight. In your current condition, how do you plan to get in? Forcing your way through?”

”Big Brother really loves to joke. Jiaming is so delicate, how could I possibly fight head-on?”

Qin Jiaming’s eyes curved into pretty crescent moons,

”Go now? Big Brother, you’re too impatient. That Treasure Pill still needs the last bit of tempering before it reaches Perfection. Besides, the Li Family’s envoy group only just arrived; they haven’t really made their move yet. If we break in now, wouldn’t we be facing those three old undying fossils head-on?”

Chen Ye frowned slightly: ”Then when do you plan to act?”

”Naturally we wait until the Li Family and that old dog Tuoba tear off their masks and are biting each other’s throats, fighting like mad dogs.”

A glint of cunning flashed in Qin Jiaming’s eyes,

”Jiaming can’t bear to let Big Brother take risks. I’ll only have Big Brother make a move when the timing is just right.”

Chen Ye pondered briefly and had to admit that although this woman looked crazy, she was actually cautious enough.

Since he couldn’t enter the Soul-Locking Abyss in the short term, Chen Ye had no desire to linger in this Demon Sect main hall. He said coolly:

”Since the Divine Son already has a plan, then call for me when the time is ripe. I’ll return to Cold Scale Mansion now.”

Having said that, he turned to leave.

”Big Brother, you’re already here, why are you in such a hurry to leave?”

Sometime during this, the girl’s petite, frail-looking body had already moved to block Chen Ye’s path,

”Since Big Brother is willing to be Jiaming’s savior and risk your life for Jiaming...”

She lightly lifted her skirt, like a delicate lotus blossom, and flowed down to kneel on the Spirit Beast fur carpet in front of Chen Ye.

Tilting up that pure, flawless face, her eyes shimmering full of adoration,

”Jiaming has no way to repay you, so in this time, I just want to serve Big Brother well.”

The girl’s voice was soft, sticky-sweet, adorably coy.

Only her actions... could hardly be called adorable.

She tilted her head slightly, and with her white shell-like teeth gently bit down on Chen Ye’s belt.

A light tug.

The belt came loose; his robe front parted slightly.

Chen Ye’s eye twitched.

He knew it—this Demoness would never let him go back so easily!

”Demoness, don’t you dare push your luck...”

...

To Chen Ye.

Going home always involved a fixed set of steps.

The first step.

Crouch down, pick up the cheering, bouncing Qing Jun, then lift her high into the air.

”Master, Master, you finally came home, Qing Jun missed you so much! Is that Divine Son obedient? Will she be like those bad disciples on Baopu Peak who never listen to their elders?”

Seeing her master return, Qing Jun was overjoyed.

But thinking of how Master had gone to teach that Duqing Divine Son, she couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous.

Afraid her master had been wronged.

She sniffed here and there; only after she smelled no blood did she relax.

The second step.

Set Qing Jun down, and rub Jin’er’s head as she came up.

”Master, your complexion looks a bit off... Did that Demoness intentionally make things hard for you and tire you out?”

Noticing the fatigue in her master’s eyes, Jin’er asked carefully.

In fact, she’d always suspected.

That Divine Son treated Master terribly!

She might even be abusing Master inside Wuyang Palace!

After all, the Duqing Divine Son was a Demoness—how could a Demoness obediently be a disciple and just study in peace?

Chen Ye sighed:

”Preaching and teaching the Way are, by nature, things that drain one’s mind and spirit. Though that Divine Son’s foundations are deep, her temperament is rebellious. In discussing the Dao with her, your master inevitably spent some energy. But it’s nothing—some days of meditation and I’ll be fine. You two needn’t worry.”

The third step,

and also the most important step—see whether his eldest disciple had noticed anything...

Chen Ye lifted his head and looked toward the direction of the inner courtyard’s Quiet Chamber.

At some unknown time, the door had already been pushed open; Zhiwei, dressed in plain clothes, was standing quietly on the steps.

The evening afterglow spilled over her thin shoulders, coating her cold and stunningly beautiful face with a faint halo.

The girl’s gaze was fixed on Chen Ye’s slightly weary face.

”Zhiwei, why did you come out of seclusion?”

Seeing his eldest disciple standing rooted in place, Chen Ye walked forward gently,

”You’ve just awakened your Earth Spirit Root, you should be seizing the time to stabilize it; don’t let yourself be distracted because of your teacher.”

”This disciple... saw that it was already late, and was worried about Master, so I came out to take a look.”

The black-haired girl said softly.

Seeing Zhiwei showing no unusual expression, Chen Ye felt slightly relieved.

Looking again at his three disciples, some happy, some worried, his heart felt warm, yet he also felt pressure.

The situation to come would only grow more perilous.

The Li Family envoys, the three Golden Core Divine Venerables, and that psychopath Demoness—many forces were about to vie within the Emotion Crossing Sect for that Supreme Treasure Pill.

And if he wanted to risk his life to rescue Bai Li, he was bound to be dragged into the center of this storm.

If his disciples knew nothing, once something happened they would easily fall into passivity and danger.

”Dinner can wait.”

Chen Ye flipped his hand and patted the back of Zhiwei’s hand, his expression grave,

”Come with me to the study.”

A short while later, inside the Cold Scale Mansion’s study.

Chen Ye activated an Array to block probing, and only after confirming the surroundings were safe did he sit down on the chair.

The three disciples obediently stood in front of the desk; seeing their master’s solemn face, even Lian Qingjun held her breath.

”This trip of your teacher’s to the Wuyang Palace was not merely to preach the Dao.”

Chen Ye said with a serious expression.

”??” The disciples’ faces were full of confusion.

”?!” The disciples seemed to be thinking of something.

”!!” The disciples’ breathing stalled.

”Uh... what are those expressions?”

Looking at the various looks on his disciples’ faces, Chen Ye couldn’t help being taken aback. He explained,

”That Duqing Divine Son has actually always been secretly controlled—and even had her essence blood consumed—by the three Golden Core Divine Venerables within this Sect. This time she summoned your teacher to help her escape her predicament, and to seize a pill for her.”

”Consuming essence blood?! The Divine Venerables of the Emotion Crossing Sect actually won’t even spare their own Divine Son?”

Qing Jun was very surprised.

This Divine Son was no ordinary person; even the Ruins Country didn’t dare do anything to her.

How is it that these Divine Venerables dare to take her essence blood?

”This is a long story. The Divine Son is the reincarnation of the Lord Luo Xiao, but there was a major problem with her reincarnation; her body is unstable. If her essence blood isn’t regularly drawn out, her fleshly body won’t be able to endure and will collapse...”

Chen Ye roughly explained.

The Divine Venerables indeed didn’t dare to snatch the essence blood outright.

But they were secretly using this essence blood for cultivation.

”However, under normal circumstances, the Divine Son will only draw out a very small amount of essence blood at regular intervals, yet even just that much is enough to benefit a Golden Core True Man endlessly.”

Chen Ye continued,

”From this, you can see how precious her essence blood is. And in Qin Jiaming’s previous previous life, before her fall, she once drew out the essence blood of her entire body...”

Not long after.

The three disciples had learned the ins and outs of the matter from Chen Ye’s account.

Zhiwei rubbed her cheeks.

Just now... she’d thought Master was about to say something strange.

Qing Jun, on the other hand, widened her eyes, her little mind racing; only after a long time did she sort out her thoughts:

”Master, let’s run!”

The little girl, silent before, now astonished with a single remark.

She puffed out her chest and analyzed with great seriousness:

”It’s Demon Lords and Ancestors this and that—it all sounds very dangerous. We’re not even familiar with that Bai Li, why should we risk ourselves for him? Master, listen to Qing Jun; let’s just run away directly!”

”Then we’ll find some hidden paradise and cultivate happily together, wouldn’t that be great? Qing Jun will definitely take care of Master comfortably! Once we’ve cultivated for a few decades, then Qing Jun will be invincible under heaven! By then we can kill all these bad people, isn’t that better?”

This little girl really was a genius!

And honestly.

If the three of them cultivated for a few decades, wouldn’t they be invincible under heaven?

But Chen Ye knew.

Zhiwei and Qing Jun were both people of destiny; if they chose to live in seclusion, it would be no different from sitting and waiting for death, waiting for some calamity to descend.

Besides.

Now Chen Ye could no longer cut himself off from this world.

Aside from his disciples, he had ties like Sister Qingzhu and Susu.

And though his disciples were extremely gifted, cultivation also required a vast amount of resources, and those resources would not appear out of thin air.