Longevity Begins From Raising Disciples

Not long after.

A heavy sound of footsteps came from down the mountain path.

Hee Qi arrived with several skilled members of the Inner Valley.

Chen Ye pointed to Hua Wuyin and the others on the ground and ordered:

”Lock them all up in the caves at the back mountain and remember to assign guards to watch them daily and deliver meals.”

”Rest assured, Peak Master Chen, I guarantee not even a fly will get through!”

Hee Qi said seriously.

In front of outsiders, he refrained from using any informal language, his tone more formal.

”As for her...”

Finally, Chen Ye’s gaze fell upon Gu Tangyin, who was bound separately under an old tree.

This Hidden Dragon of Huayue Mansion, though her cultivation was sealed and her expression bleak at this moment, kept her eyes tightly shut, lips pursed pale, exuding a flavor of undying defiance.

”Master, how should we handle Gu Tangyin? Should she be locked up in the caves too?” Zhiwei asked.

”No. She is an important figure and naturally deserves special treatment.”

Chen Ye’s lips curved slightly,

”Bring her to the Inner Valley. I will personally interrogate her well; perhaps I can uncover numerous secrets from this Hidden Dragon.”

Gu Tangyin’s identity far exceeds Hua Jingxin’s.

Maybe, she doesn’t know the true nature of True Man Dongshan, but being a Hidden Dragon, she certainly holds substantial insider information about Huayue Mansion.

Zhiwei’s eyes dimmed slightly.

Is the master so hard to satisfy?

First interrogating Hua Jingxin,

Now interrogating Gu Tangyin...

The young girl lowered her eyelids, concealing the trace of anomaly in her eyes.

...

One matter resolved.

Hua Wuyin and the others were confined within the caves of the back mountain.

Gu Tangyin was left in a side room within the inner courtyard.

Chen Ye managed to seal their cultivation, leaving a mark of divine thought, giving them no chance for escape.

Chen Ye returned to the Quiet Chamber, sitting in meditation with closed eyes.

At this time, affairs in Lisong Valley had temporarily subsided; it was time to deal with a fish that had slipped the net.

With a thought, his divine sense connected through the ethereal sensing, straight to the Peach Mountain District, dozens of miles away.

In Peach Mountain District, within a secluded and hidden inn.

The middle-aged man meditating for recuperation suddenly opened his eyes, his expression fluctuating.

This man, with a beard and weathered appearance, yet possessing a cultivation at Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer, was the escaped cultivator surnamed Qian, named Qian Jin.

”Taoist Qian, you sure ran fast, huh? Is the Spiritual Qi of Peach Mountain District to your liking?”

Chen Ye’s voice directly resonated within Qian Jin’s mind.

Qian Jin remained silent for a while, then let out a wry smile, responding through that trace of divine sense:

”Peak Master Chen’s means are impressive, I concede defeat.”

Chen Ye raised an eyebrow slightly.

This person showed no surprise nor panic, seemingly having detected his divine sense long ago, just not erasing it.

”Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer, quite some skill. Since you noticed the spiritual mark I left on you, why not remove it? With your cultivation, forcibly erasing this trace of my divine sense isn’t impossible.”

Chen Ye asked, indeed his divine sense was powerful, but leaving just a trace on Qian Jin’s body for tracking purposes shouldn’t be difficult to erase for a cultivator of Ninth Layer.

”Erase it? I’m afraid if I did, Peak Master Chen would immediately chase and kill me, allowing no chance for escape.”

Qian Jin sighed,

”Peak Master Chen’s strength is unfathomable, I admit I’m no match. It’s better to keep this trace of divine sense, as a gesture of sincerity. Besides, although Gu Tangyin labeled you a Demon Cultivator, I wouldn’t blindly trust her words. Lingyin Sect wouldn’t appoint a malefactor as Baopu Peak Master. Hence, I have some faith in Peak Master Chen’s nature. I kept this divine sense also hoping to test master’s intent and seek a chance for reconciliation.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye couldn’t help but chuckle lightly.

This Qian Jin, his mind turns rather quickly, still sufficiently clear-headed, a smart individual.

”Testing my intent? What are you trying to find out?”

”Naturally to see...whether those few undeserving juniors from Huayue Mansion are dead or alive.” Qian Jin probed.

”And if they’re dead?” Chen Ye countered.

”If dead, I’d leave Yan Kingdom immediately, wandering afar, this life never returning to Huayue Mansion again.”

Qian Jin answered decisively,

”After all, leading the team only to get annihilated, returning alone, Mansion Master and True Man Dongshan would surely accuse me. It’s better to disappear, live freely as a Loose Cultivator.”

Essentially, he cares more for his own well-being than for the survival of Gu Tangyin and others.

”Lucky them, they are still alive.”

Chen Ye said evenly,

”Not only alive, but I’m also planning to offer Huayue Mansion an opportunity for countervailing merit, to redeem them back.”

Upon hearing this, miles away in Peach Mountain District, Qian Jin exhaled a sigh of relief.

As long as they’re alive!

After all, he doesn’t have to pay the ransom himself...