This disciple's name is Wei Yongnian, and he is an Outer Sect disciple from the Wei Family.

He stared at the departing figure of Chen Ye, his face full of indignation.

If it wasn't for this person taking away the Wei Family's possession, the Wei Family would have benefited greatly from Lisong Valley, allowing these Wei Family disciples to profit!

Ma Jun pondered slightly.

Not long ago, this disciple had secretly made contact with him.

He promised a reward of two hundred Spirit Stones, hoping Ma Jun could make some manipulations during the handover of the Spirit Plants.

Afterward, without needing Ma Jun to take action, Wei Yongnian would report to the sect, accusing Chen Ye of trying to embezzle for personal gain.

At the time, he neither refused nor agreed, feeling a bit hesitant.

After all, he only needed to make some manipulations using his position as a steward, as for reporting and slandering, those dirty deeds would be handled by this Wei Family disciple.

However...

Ma Jun shook his head and coldly snorted, "Who in the Peach Mountain District doesn't know me, Ma Jun, as someone who keeps himself clean and responsible? This matter is not to be discussed!"

"This..."

Wei Yongnian's eyebrows jumped. No? You heard two hundred Spirit Stones, and your eyes turned green, and now you tell me you keep yourself clean?

...

In the private room on the second floor, the furnishings were more exquisite.

Liu Quan personally brewed a pot of excellent Spirit Tea for Chen Ye before starting to count the Spirit Plants. The more he counted, the more amazed his face became.

"Steward Chen, each of these Spirit Plants in your batch has spirituality far exceeding that of the same rank, and the quality is flawless!"

Liu Quan sincerely praised,

"I've handled countless rare Spirit Plants in the Herb Pavilion for decades, yet I've never seen such quality! No wonder the sect gave you an excellent evaluation; it's truly well-deserved!"

He swiftly settled the Spirit Stones and finally rounded it up, handing Chen Ye a bag containing three Middle Grade Spirit Stones.

This was the commission Chen Ye deserved.

The reward from Lisong Valley is based on the sect's fixed contribution points and the commission from the value of the Spirit Plants.

In addition, there were some unseen benefits, such as Chen Ye privately cultivating a Spirit Field.

"Thank you, Steward Liu," Chen Ye calmly accepted.

"You're welcome, Steward Chen," Liu Quan waved his hand, the smile on his face undiminished, but he lowered his voice and said, "Steward Chen, there's something I'm not sure I should say."

"Feel free, Steward Liu."

"You probably have offended the Wei Family."

Liu Quan sighed,

"In the Herb Pavilion, there are several disciples from the Wei Family, and these people have been acting suspiciously lately, likely with ill intentions."

Chen Ye took a sip of tea, his expression calm: "I'm well aware of this."

Liu Quan, seeing his composed demeanor, regarded him even more highly. He pondered for a moment and continued, "Since Steward Chen is prepared, I won't say more. Just remember, this Peach Mountain District is ultimately Wei Family territory, and you must be more cautious in your actions in the future."

Saying this, he added a reminder,

"Although the Wei Family only has one Foundation Establishment Cultivator on the surface, there is a core disciple from the Wei Family in the Inner Sect, and their influence is strong and not to be underestimated!"

Chen Ye pondered.

Core disciples are considered the backbone of the Lingyin Sect.

Only disciples at the Foundation Establishment Stage can be promoted to the Inner Sect!

Moreover, there is an age requirement; Cultivators must reach the Foundation Establishment Stage before the age of forty to be listed as core disciples.

For example, Mao Qingzhu advanced to Foundation Establishment at thirty and was promoted to a core disciple, but she chose to return to Divine Mist Valley instead of staying in the sect for cultivation — the sect is very lenient with core disciples, not requiring them to perform tedious tasks.

However, with the decline of the Lingyin Sect in recent years, although the rules on the surface haven't changed, the age limit has been secretly relaxed; they only need to reach Foundation Establishment before the age of fifty-five to be listed as core disciples.

This is why most of the guardians of the Lingyin Sect appear middle-aged or elderly — these individuals reached Foundation Establishment too late, which fixed their appearances.

Currently, Lingyin Sect has nearly sixty core disciples, equivalent to sixty young Foundation Establishment Cultivators!

And many of these core disciples, as well as guardians, come from various Cultivation Clans.

Therefore, the actual number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators in many families is higher than what appears on the surface.

Chen Ye sighed internally, realizing that even the strength of the Lingyin Sect is so formidable, let alone the Emotion Crossing Sect?

He put down his teacup, gratefully saying, "Thank you, Steward Liu. Speaking of which, I came here not only for the handover of Spirit Plants but also to purchase some Fire Stones for Alchemy."

"This is simple!"

Liu Quan slapped his thigh, a look of realization on his face,

"So Steward Chen is also an Alchemist! Don't worry, I'll personally select some excellent Fire Stones as a gift for you!"

After a series of transactions, Chen Ye, satisfied, left the building with the Fire Stones, accompanied by Liu Quan.

"Let's go."

Chen Ye nodded to Mao Qingzhu and Duan Ling, and the three of them calmly left the Herb Pavilion under the watchful eyes of many.

With this substantial amount of Spirit Stones and ample materials, his long-stalled alchemy plans could begin anew.

As for the threat of the Wei Family?

He only needed his cultivation to progress further; then there would be no need to worry.

...

Back at Lisong Valley.

Chen Ye did not immediately look for his two disciples, sending Mao Qingzhu home first and Duan Ling back to the Outer Valley to cultivate.

He quietly made his way to the courtyard of the Lin family sisters.

He hadn't come to guide Lin Jin's cultivation for a while.

The reason?

The reason is simple...

His disciples are like two little shadows!

No matter where he went, sometimes when Chen Ye suddenly turned around, he'd find two little figures quietly following him.

Even,

Once when he went to the toilet... Cultivators need to use the toilet too. Usually, it's fine because they eat Spirit Grain, but lately, Chen Ye found his Heavy Body Technique close to mastery, so he ate quite a bit of Demon Beast meat to speed up the progress, resulting in too many impurities in his body.

But that's getting off-topic.

In short, once when he was using the toilet, Chen Ye hadn't expelled impurities for a long time, and influenced by his past life, he had a habit of using paper — he always felt using a cleaning spell was like using an automatic bidet, something unsettling about it.

As a result, he forgot to bring paper this time.

Struggling for a while, Chen Ye was just forming some Spiritual Light in his hand.

A small hand hesitantly patted him on the shoulder from behind.

Just as Chen Ye was startled, he heard Qing Jun's hesitant voice behind him:

"Master... Master? Qing Jun has some paper here..."

Before Chen Ye could regain his composure.

He then heard Zhiwei's calm voice: "Master, let me serve you, Master..."

Turning sharply, Chen Ye saw two little figures squatting behind him, on either side, hugging their knees, silently watching him.

Adorable... but this is the toilet.

Chen Ye was dumbfounded: "Why are you behind me?"

Qing Jun blinked her big eyes, looking awkward and very embarrassed:

"Because Master taught Qing Jun the Qi Concealment Technique?"

It should be me who is embarrassed!

Wait...

"But... But you are right behind me, how did I not notice? Even Zhiwei's special physique, it's impossible!" Chen Ye was still in a daze.

Zhiwei's little face was serious as she said,

"Because Master doesn't guard against our aura, that's probably why."

She wouldn't say that,

she deliberately used her physique to hide her aura in front of Master every day, allowing Master to become familiar with her hidden aura state.

Over time, Master became accustomed to their auras, making it hard for a cultivator's sensory perception to detect.

Unless the Master used Divine Sense to scan the surroundings, only then would he discover their proximity.

But who would free themselves just to scan casually?

"I see... Zhiwei is really smart."

Chen Ye suddenly realized, not forgetting to give Zhiwei an approving look, habitually praising,

but quickly came to his senses and repeated once more:

"No, why are you behind me!!"

Zhiwei, with an expressionless face: "Because we want to show filial respect to Master, Master, please turn your head. Otherwise, Zhiwei is embarrassed to help Master wipe..."

What happened afterward is left unsaid.

In short,

afterward, the two little figures' butts became swollen, and they laid in bed for a full day.

Back to the present.

Chen Ye cautiously scanned his surroundings with Divine Sense, finding no abnormalities, and finally breathed a sigh of relief:

"I just returned from the Peach Mountain District; they shouldn't know."

Strange,

am I not just teaching honorary disciples,

why does it feel like I'm doing something secretive and improper?

Chen Ye's fists itched again, wanting to smack the two little figures into swollen balls once more.

It's all their fault!

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