Chapter 38: Seize the Opportunity

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Seize the Opportunity

"But... did Senior Brother pay the Spirit Stones for this?"

Ye Linglong put the letter away and couldn’t help but ask. The Spirit Stones for sending the letter were naturally covered by her family, but to have it delivered directly to Purple Bamboo Peak must have cost extra Spirit Stones, right?

"Senior Brother Yang didn’t mention anything about Spirit Stones. I’ll ask next time. For now, let’s just eat."

Liu Chen answered truthfully. Senior Brother Yang hadn’t mentioned Spirit Stones, and besides, he didn’t have any on him to pay in advance anyway.

After lunch and cleaning up the kitchen, the three of them went their separate ways.

Liu Chen returned to his Bamboo Garden to cultivate. After the Spiritual Cuisine replenished his Spiritual Qi, his body would recover enough to endure another session of Body Tempering.

Meanwhile, Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong returned to their Bamboo Garden and immediately tore open the envelopes, each sitting in a chair to read the replies from their families.

Ji Suyao tore open her envelope, glanced at it, and tossed it directly onto the tabletop. Ye Linglong, who had only read a few sentences of her own letter, couldn’t help but look over at her.

"See for yourself. It’s just three words anyway."

Ji Suyao pouted. This was clearly a reply from her father; her grandfather’s reply would never be this simple.

Ye Linglong covered her own letter and picked up the paper from the table. The three large words that met her eyes read: "Seize the opportunity."

For a moment, Ye Linglong didn’t know what to say. Seeing that Ji Suyao was clearly not in a good mood, she ultimately chose to remain silent.

She went back to reading the letter from her parents. It detailed much about the Ye Family’s situation. After learning that she had officially joined Purple Cloud Valley, the clan members who wanted her to marry into the Nangong Family early had quieted down, and her parents’ circumstances had improved significantly. However, the Ye Family’s businesses were still in decline.

But the Nangong Family wouldn’t stop suppressing the Ye Family just because Ye Linglong had become a Purple Cloud Valley Outer Disciple. She was merely a sacrificial pawn. And even if she were truly sacrificed, the Nangong Family still wouldn’t let the Ye Family off the hook.

After reading the entire letter, Ye Linglong let out a deep sigh. Although it didn’t mention Senior Brother Liu once, after reading it all, the message she took away was no different from the one lying on the table.

The lines were filled with the Ye Family’s current predicament; if she squinted, she could see the three words "Seize the opportunity" written between them. Perhaps even her own parents believed that Senior Brother Liu was the noble benefactor who could help not only her, but the entire Ye Family, overcome this crisis.

Perhaps she had been a sacrificial pawn from the moment she chose to come to Purple Cloud Valley with that old letter. The only difference was whether she would be sacrificed to Purple Cloud Valley or to the Nangong Family.

If she hadn’t met her current Senior Brother, she might have been forced to become some Inner Sect Disciple’s servant in Purple Cloud Valley just to escape the clutches of the Nangong Family.

On the surface, she’d be a servant, but behind the scenes, it would be no different from going to the Nangong Family.

"Linglong, what is this all about?"

Seeing Ye Linglong finish her letter, Ji Suyao picked her own up again and examined it carefully, as if trying to see if it contained some deeper, hidden meaning.

"It means what it says. Stay on good terms with Senior Brother and cultivate well."

Ye Linglong glanced at her. Compared to herself, who knew exactly what the letter was implying, Ji Suyao was as naive as a blank sheet of paper. Fortunately, she had been sent to Purple Cloud Valley before she had to accept any of those arranged marriages. Otherwise, her friend would probably never be this happy again.

’She just didn’t know if that person had done it intentionally, or if Ji Suyao had been the only one to catch the Grand-Master’s eye back then.’

"Does that even need to be said? If we don’t get along with Senior Brother, we won’t even be able to eat."

Ji Suyao pouted. If that was the case, she thought she was doing a great job. At any rate, Senior Brother hadn’t shown any dislike for her. And if he didn’t dislike her, that meant their relationship was decent. Besides, he had even promised to make them Spiritual Cuisine before.

"That’s true."

Ye Linglong clearly wanted to say more, but after watching Senior Brother cook in the kitchen again these past few days, she no longer had that same restless urge. She had now set her sights on her cultivation.

’With ten years and Senior Brother’s help, advancing to the Meridian Passage Realm should be a sure thing.’

’In that case, I should just give up on being a Spirit Chef, something I can’t seem to get the hang of anyway. I’ll just consider it a farewell to my past.’

"You’ve changed. You would have argued with me before."

Just as Ye Linglong sighed and was planning her future, Ji Suyao scooted closer. Seeing the worried look in her friend’s eyes, Ye Linglong decided not to say anything. It was clear that while Ji Suyao might not have any ulterior motives, she was definitely not easy to fool.

"You can take your time thinking about it. I’m going to cultivate. Senior Brother did say we can only use the Purple Bamboo Grass after we reach Body Tempering Beginner, and he’s the one who traded his Spiritual Cuisine for it."

Ye Linglong pouted. Although she didn’t know what Senior Brother meant by "more than you can use," she had already made up her mind. If she couldn’t become an Inner Sect Disciple in ten years, she would become his Maid.

’If this Purple Bamboo Grass helps me become an Inner Sect Disciple, then I’ll naturally have to repay him. But if I can’t... then I suppose there’s no need to repay him. By then, everything I have will be his to handle anyway.’

This was the reason Purple Cloud Valley gave Inner Sect Disciples attendant slots. On one hand, it was to prevent them from being delayed in their cultivation by trivial matters; on the other, it was simply part of their benefits.

Most Inner Sect Disciples chose to give these slots to their family members. Even if they couldn’t cultivate, they would still be considered part of Purple Cloud Valley. Even for a Mortal, it was a life of luxury.

As for whether some messy business occurred, Ye Linglong knew it did without even having to investigate. But you could always choose not to take the slot. Under normal circumstances, an Inner Sect Disciple wouldn’t force you, since there were plenty of other Outer Disciples who wanted the position.

If it weren’t for Senior Brother, she might not have had a choice. In Purple Cloud Valley, she might have had a chance of meeting a decent Inner Sect Disciple, but with the Nangong Family, her fate was sealed.

"You really have changed. Before, you’d be thinking about how to repay Senior Brother."

Ji Suyao’s voice piped up again. Ye Linglong glanced back at her but didn’t respond directly. ’Even though Senior Brother only reserved a slot for me,’ she thought, ’if we’re both still Outer Disciples in ten years, it’s pretty obvious who the other slot will go to.’

’Unless Ji Suyao is willing to go back on her own.’

"Do you want to see all of Senior Brother’s efforts go to waste?"

Ye Linglong said with a sigh of resignation. Upon hearing this, Ji Suyao’s expression changed. Senior Brother guided their cultivation every day. If her progress truly stagnated, he would probably be very disappointed.

"Of course not."

Ji Suyao muttered, sitting down on her meditation cushion and beginning to circulate her cultivation technique.

Ye Linglong shook her head, then remembered something else. This was the reply to the first letter she’d sent. She wondered when she would get a response to the letter about building the bamboo house.

That was the one small thing Senior Brother had asked for. She hoped the reply would come quickly so he wouldn’t think she was unreliable.