“Impossible. His sect is right there. If he lost it, is he supposed to take Ye Chenmeng and go begging?”
The elder also looked puzzled—what Cheng Liang said wasn’t wrong. “That shabby house, I led people to search it three times. That Su Cheng took everything, even the pots and pans. He clearly moved out!”
Cheng Liang scolded, “Useless fools! So many of you, and you can’t keep track of a trash without any cultivation?”
“Take more people this time and search the surrounding areas!”
“Yes!”
…
The next day, Su Cheng went out to buy groceries as usual, only this time, Ye Qinghan followed him. Compared to the light attire she wore at Soaring Immortal Hall, Ye Qinghan had changed into a slightly more modest dress, claiming it suited her master’s low-profile style. In truth, she just didn’t want others to get any benefit from looking at her—that kind of treatment was only for her master.
“Sect Master Su, is this your daughter? She’s so beautiful!” The vegetable vendor aunt saw Su Cheng and couldn’t help but speak.
“Aunt, do I look that old? This is my disciple!”
As Su Cheng spoke, he glanced back at Ye Qinghan, as if asking whether she too thought he looked old. Ye Qinghan stood beside him giggling without saying a word or explaining. She quite liked this kind of master—very entertaining.
“I was wondering why you stopped picking leftover vegetables lately. Now you’re even buying meat! Old Wang from the butcher stall even said you got yourself a wife!”
[That damn old man, spreading lies! I’m never buying meat from him again!]
“Qinghan, maybe next time I should go alone. This kind of place, with all its foul gossip, isn’t good for your cultivation.”
Ye Qinghan hadn’t expected that her master’s former life of poverty was really just like begging… But when she heard the words “got a wife,” her cheeks turned red. Master… would he be willing to marry her?
“Master, it’s fine. If I’m always under your protection, how could I ever grow?”
[I wish you were this clever elsewhere too! You’re clearly just here to watch your master make a fool of himself!]
“What’s your name, girl? You’re so pretty! Who would’ve thought Su Cheng would be this lucky?” The aunt rested her chin in her hand, looking at her like she was already her future daughter-in-law.
“Aunt, I’m Ye Qinghan. Meeting my master is the greatest blessing of my life.” Ye Qinghan replied casually, not reserved at all.
“Su Cheng, what did you threaten her with? Or did you lie to her?”
“Can’t I just take in a disciple?”
“What can you teach her? If you had any real skills, would you still be picking vegetable scraps from me every day?”
Su Cheng was speechless. This was exactly the persona he had built! It was Ye Qinghan who had ruined it! He was originally harmless! Even if he had no dignity, at least he could survive, right?
“Aunt, you misunderstand. I wasn’t threatened or deceived. I knelt for a whole day on Spirit Mountain before Master was willing to take me in.”
The aunt got even angrier after hearing that. “Such a beautiful child, and you made her kneel for a whole day! Don’t you have any shame?” “Qinghan, maybe stop talking for a bit…”
[My precious Qinghan! Please don’t make things worse!]
Hearing that only made Ye Qinghan more energetic, “Aunt, Master really treats me well. He even gives me food from time to time!”
The aunt had already reached behind her for a stick. “So he’s abusing you, huh? Only feeds you from time to time? Come, Qinghan, I’ll take you to report him!” “Qinghan, your master is going to die at your hands one day.” Ye Qinghan laughed so hard she swayed like a flower in the wind. “Aunt, ordinary guards wouldn’t be able to catch Master.”
“They can! They can!” Su Cheng quickly added, “Ahem—catch me? What for?”
“Aunt, anyway, Master is actually really powerful. Otherwise, why would I take him as my master?”
“How powerful?”
“Very powerful. I admire him so much!” Ye Qinghan blinked her big eyes, sounding completely sincere. The aunt squinted and looked Su Cheng up and down. He was tall, sure, but as for real skills… she couldn’t see any.
“Qinghan, Master will take you out to eat. Let’s stop chatting with her, okay?”
Ye Qinghan’s eyes sparkled, clearly excited about eating out. “Mm.”
“Aunt, I’ll chat with you next time! Master’s taking me to eat!” The aunt waved goodbye with a smile, but the moment she looked at Su Cheng again, her expression changed.
Not far from them, someone suddenly called out to Ye Qinghan.
“Miss Chenmeng?”
Ye Qinghan acted like she didn’t hear it, treating it as a dog barking. Her master had named her Qinghan, and you still called her Chenmeng? Are you looking for trouble?
Su Cheng, however, turned around and glanced at the newcomer. “Sect Master Su, a pleasure to meet you.” The person was none other than the Heavenly Dao Pavilion’s Second Elder, Lu Cheng.
“Elder Lu? You’re looking for my disciple?”
“Yes, the sect master asked me to deliver an important message to Miss Chenmeng.” Lu Cheng cupped his fists. If not for the public setting, he wouldn’t even bother being polite to this good-for-nothing.
Su Cheng rolled his eyes, “Qinghan, someone’s looking for you.”
“Master, he’s not looking for me. He’s looking for Miss Chenmeng. I don’t know anyone named Chen.”
“You must be joking, young lady.” Ye Qinghan realized this Second Elder couldn’t understand subtlety—she’d have to be blunt.
“You think I’m joking? My name is Ye Qinghan! My master gave me this name! Got it?”
“If you want to find that Chen girl, get lost and look elsewhere—I don’t know her!”
Su Cheng was a bit shocked by Ye Qinghan’s combo attack. He swore he even saw her little canine tooth poking out just now…
“Qinghan, Qinghan, the elder didn’t know, calm down, calm down.”
“What elder? I’ve just been too polite! Master, don’t stop me. If I don’t hit him today, I won’t be able to sleep tonight!” Lu Cheng fell silent. He couldn’t figure it out—how had this Chenmeng girl changed so much in just a few days under Su Cheng?
But Lu Cheng had no choice.
This was the woman the sect master had his eyes on—what could he do?
“Miss Qinghan, I was rude.”
Ye Qinghan ignored him completely, only focusing on her master’s inner thoughts, afraid he might be upset about someone calling her Chenmeng.
“What did you want to say to Qinghan? Say it now.”
“Uh…” The Second Elder was stumped. Could he say this in front of Su Cheng?
[Heh, just a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I already knew what he was up to.] [If Qinghan really wanted to leave… I couldn’t stop her.]
[The Six Ritual Gifts can be her parting gift. With them, even under Cheng Liang, maybe her ending will change.]
“I should step aside?” Su Cheng turned to leave, but Ye Qinghan grabbed him.
She thought, damn it, you’re trying to pull a wedge between us now? Sneaky!
“Master doesn’t need to step aside. Lu Cheng, go back and tell Cheng Liang that Miss Chen is dead. Tell him to give up!”
“Since Qinghan has chosen Master, then even if Master dies, Qinghan will be buried with him!”
[Damn it, even my disciple is this loyal, and I’m still hesitating? I’m such a fool!]
[Even though I always thought I’d die because of her, I’ve decided—this life now belongs to my precious disciple!]
[Even if I have to throw piles of heavenly treasures at her, I’ll raise her into a demon emperor second to none!]
Ye Qinghan finally let out a breath of relief. If her master had been misled by this guy, things would’ve gone bad. Good thing she reacted fast and stayed firm. Others tame beasts—I tame my master!
“I heard the sect master had his eye on a fox demon girl. Didn’t expect it to really be one!”
A tall woman brushed past the Second Elder, staring straight into Ye Qinghan’s eyes like a rival. “Miss Chenmeng…”
SMACK!
Before she could finish, Ye Qinghan slapped her across the face. “I just said, are you deaf? My name is Ye Qinghan!”
“You… you…” The woman looked stunned, not believing Ye Qinghan had hit her.
SMACK!
Another slap. “I’ll say it again. My name is Ye Qinghan, not whatever ‘you you you’!”
“Hey hey hey, Qinghan! This is Sect Master Cheng’s chief disciple—Shangguan Rou!” Su Cheng quickly pulled Ye Qinghan behind him, afraid she might actually start a fight with Cheng Liang’s chief disciple.
“Su Cheng! Your disciple dared to hit me?”
“I’ll—!”
Ye Qinghan was grabbed by the hand but not the leg—she kicked straight at Shangguan Rou! “You think you can call Master’s name so casually? Do you think I’m too nice?”
Shangguan Rou had never encountered anything like this before. She didn’t even have time to dodge before getting kicked to the ground…
Ye Qinghan didn’t care anymore.
She shook off Su Cheng’s hand and charged ahead. “My name is Ye Qinghan, chief disciple of Frost Edge Hall!”
“And you’re talking about how I dared to hit you? Let me tell you—”
“I’m bad at arguing, but I love fighting! So what?!”
Ye Qinghan was brimming with confidence. The Second Elder, with his Nascent Soul Realm cultivation, now stood aside obediently like a scolded child, not daring to breathe.
[Great, Cheng Liang will definitely settle this with me one day. But I’ve got so many debts already, what’s one more? He wasn’t going to let me go anyway.]
[Qinghan, use more strength—don’t let your master die in vain!]
Heh—Su Cheng thought Ye Qinghan couldn’t hear him, but he had just said exactly what she wanted to hear most. She wasn’t filled with spiritual Qi now—she was filled with the will to fight!
Ye Qinghan had never forgotten how, last time, right in front of her, Cheng Liang had kicked her master. This score… she would settle it one day! She had even been planning to go find Shangguan Rou—yet here she was walking straight into it!
“Why don’t you keep pretending now? Keep it up! Let’s see if I won’t slap you again!”
“I’m going to kill you!” Shangguan Rou was furious and went to draw her sword, but Su Cheng remained calm.
As long as he didn’t interfere, and no one died, even if the sky fell, it would just be a friendly duel between disciples.
Ye Qinghan thought, oh? So arrogant? You’re just a pet trained to serve men, and you want to fight me?
“Master, is this woman an idiot?”
“Qinghan, since Miss Shangguan seems eager for a duel, why not accompany her? After all, we’re all sisters—no need to go so far.”
Su Cheng smiled. Of course, he didn’t believe Ye Qinghan would lose. That puppet corpse was still lying in Soaring Immortal Hall.