Chapter 29: Is That the Kind of Person Senior Brother Is in Your Eyes?

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Is That the Kind of Person Senior Brother Is in Your Eyes?

"Go ahead and speak, Junior Sister."

Liu Chen looked at Ye Linglong’s desperate expression and nodded. ’If I can solve this myself, that would be for the best.’

’If that doesn’t work, I’ll call for Master. And if even that fails, then it’s simple. I’ll just cultivate to a high enough Realm and deal with the other party myself.’

Liu Chen had a natural advantage in that regard.

’The Immortal Sects don’t get involved with marriage alliances or taking concubines, so Ye Linglong’s troubles must stem from some clan or Noble Family. Based on the vague information Liu Chen had gathered, the strongest fighters in these Noble Families were merely Qi Refining Cultivators.’

’Body Tempering, Meridian Passage, Qi Refining, and Foundation Establishment—those were the four Realms Liu Chen knew of so far. To deal with a Noble Family, he only needed to reach the Qi Refining Realm. That would be enough to stand on equal footing and speak directly with their true leaders, not some random Young Master.’

’It couldn’t be that the head of some Noble Family has taken a fancy to Junior Sister Ye, could it? If so, how could they ever hold their head high in the Cultivation Realm again?’

Besides, the Great Xia Dynasty, under the control of the Three Immortal Sects, was a relatively reasonable place. Liu Chen had never heard any rumors about some old ancestor with a particular fondness for women.

"In Purple Cloud Valley, disciples are divided into the Outer Sect, Inner Sect, and True Inheritance. Inner Sect Disciples are given two slots for Servants. If, one day, Senior Brother is promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple, could you possibly save one of those slots for Linglong? It would be a place of refuge for me."

As Ye Linglong spoke, Liu Chen felt two presences lock onto him. It was the first time he’d ever sensed anything so clearly. ’This must be Master’s and Mistress’s Spiritual Sense,’ he thought.

It was impossible that Master and Mistress hadn’t been paying attention before, but for their presence to be this obvious was truly unexpected.

"A single Servant slot from an Inner Sect Disciple can solve the problem?"

Liu Chen couldn’t help but ask. He had been planning on cultivating to a certain Realm, then leaving the sect to solve the problem once and for all. ’But if a single slot is enough to resolve this, then with Master’s status, wouldn’t a single word from him be enough to settle everything?’

’They wouldn’t dare touch someone an Inner Sect Disciple of Purple Cloud Valley has taken an interest in, so would they really dare to move against the disciple of a Steward, or even an Elder? Is their entire family made up of reckless fools?’

"It is the last refuge I can ask for."

Ye Linglong spoke with her head down. She had originally planned to wait until she knew him better before bringing this up, but the memories and nightmares from last night had pushed her to the breaking point. She had been watching her Senior Brother cook for so long, yet she still couldn’t grasp the slightest knack for it.

The despair was more than she could bear.

"There’s no need to be so pessimistic. It’s just a slot. If you want it, Junior Sister, it’s yours."

Liu Chen nodded. Seizing the moment, he took out his Inner Sect Disciple Token, pricked his finger, and let a drop of blood fall onto it. Instantly, a column of purple light shot toward the sky, causing all the disciples on Purple Bamboo Peak to involuntarily look toward the rear mountain.

The Spiritual Sense of his Master and Mistress vanished. Ye Linglong, who had been about to thank him, was rendered speechless by the scene. Ji Suyao, having just returned, also stared, dumbfounded, at the token floating before Liu Chen.

"I thought that would take a while. I didn’t expect it to be over so fast."

Liu Chen reached out, and the Inner Sect Disciple Token fell into his palm. He could feel a faint Spiritual Power connection to it. ’Other than that, this thing probably doesn’t have any major uses.’

「At the same time」

In a hidden hall within Purple Cloud Valley, row upon row of bright Soul Lamps flickered with a unique light. Each one corresponded to an Inner Sect Disciple of Purple Cloud Valley.

A brand-new Soul Lamp flared to life. Within the great hall, an ancient figure opened his eyes and glanced at the information that appeared on it.

"Liu Chen of Purple Bamboo Peak. Spirit Chef."

A glimmer of light surfaced in the old man’s cloudy eyes, but he ultimately closed them again. His shift wasn’t over yet; he had to continue his watch.

"Senior Brother, that’s an Inner Sect Disciple Token, isn’t it?"

Compared to Ye Linglong, who was still in a daze, the recently returned Ji Suyao was clearly more stunned. ’Didn’t I just tell Ye Linglong yesterday that it was only a matter of time before Senior Brother became an Inner Sect Disciple? But now, today, the Inner Sect Disciple Token is already in his hands. Isn’t this a bit... off?’

"That’s what Master told me when he gave it to me," Liu Chen said. "I’ve been busy cultivating lately, so I thought it would take a while for the token to acknowledge its owner. Turns out it only takes a moment."

Liu Chen casually placed the token on the table. After a moment’s hesitation, Ji Suyao picked it up and studied it closely.

Shaken from her initial shock, Ye Linglong gradually came back to her senses. Seeing Ji Suyao’s attention diverted, she quickly composed herself to avoid causing any more misunderstandings.

"But haven’t the Inner Sect Disciple assessments even started yet?"

Ye Linglong, who had been paying close attention to this matter, couldn’t help but ask. From what she had heard from the other senior disciples, the Inner Sect Disciple assessments weren’t supposed to start for another three months. So how did her Senior Brother already have an Inner Sect Disciple Token?

"According to Master, each peak gets one reserved spot per year. You two junior sisters could try aiming for that."

Liu Chen said nonchalantly. ’I definitely got the reserved spot because I’m a Spirit Chef. But if my two junior sisters want a spot, they’ll have to follow Purple Bamboo Peak’s original rules and compete for it.’

’Unless, of course, Ye Linglong becomes a Spirit Chef herself. Purple Cloud Valley would never complain about having too many Spirit Chefs; if anything, they have too few.’

"Forget it," Ji Suyao said listlessly as she put the token down. "That sounds even harder than the normal assessment."

She knew that when civil and military officials wanted to pull strings for their disciples or descendants, they would surely make them go through the assessment rather than giving them a reserved spot directly.

She knew this sort of thing quite well.

"Linglong and I will just..."

Before Ji Suyao could finish, she noticed Ye Linglong’s unnatural expression. She glanced at their Senior Brother, who showed little reaction, then back at her best friend. She was about to speak again when she saw Ye Linglong give her a slight shake of the head.

"I’ll tell you later," Ye Linglong said softly. Now that her Senior Brother knew, she would definitely have to explain things to Ji Suyao to prevent any misunderstandings. "The food’s getting cold."

After receiving her Senior Brother’s promise and seeing the genuine Inner Sect Disciple Token, she felt she had nothing left to fear. At worst, she could just stay by her Senior Brother’s side and live on Purple Bamboo Peak for the rest of her life.

「After breakfast」

Liu Chen went to the bamboo forest to practice his Body Tempering, while Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong returned to the Bamboo Garden.

"What’s going on? Did Senior Brother do something to you?"

Ji Suyao grabbed Ye Linglong, questioning her incessantly with a worried look.

"Is that really what you think of our Senior Brother?"

Ye Linglong rolled her eyes. ’First of all, Senior Brother is an absolute gentleman. And even if something like that *had* happened, what right would I have to feel wronged?’

’Ji Suyao’s worst-case scenario was a marriage alliance with a disciple from some family. My worst-case scenario, on the other hand, is being forced to become a concubine. Best case, I last three to five years; worst case, one or two months before I lose all value and become a pile of dried bones.’

"Of course not!"