Liu Jingyun’s expression relaxed upon hearing those words, and a strange, joyful light flickered in his dark eyes.
Qiu Lingzhou was not satisfied. He pouted and said, “Senior Brother is being partial. You agree to whatever Liu Dog says, but even though Azhou earned money and built a house, you have not given me a single word of praise!”
“Did Senior Brother not simply forget? Little Zhouzhou did the best this time. However, you are not allowed to go back to Master Zhang’s to earn money next time.”
“Okay,” Qiu Lingzhou replied, his lips curving into a happy smile.
Chen Ji felt deeply exhausted. He had spent the entire morning coaxing these two unfilial sons. Being a father was truly tiring work!
Feng Zhimu sat by the stone table holding a steamed bun. He watched his two senior brothers competing for favor with a look of disdain. He thought to himself that his senior brothers were not even as mature as he was.
Cultivators build houses very quickly. With enough materials and the use of spiritual energy, a house can be completed in the blink of an eye with just a flick of the fingers. Since Qiu Lingzhou and Liu Jingyun’s cultivation levels were among the top of the Tianyun Sect disciples, building a house was incredibly simple for them. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the house was finished.
Liu Jingyun had his house now, but Qiu Lingzhou’s was still missing. Seeing that it was still early, Chen Ji said to them, “I need to go down the mountain. Stay at home and be good. You are not allowed to fight or argue. If I come back and find anything damaged, Liu Jingyun and Qiu Lingzhou, you are both dead meat!”
Every time Chen Ji finished scolding them, he would usually compromise and coax them, but he never missed a single word of his warnings.
“A-Ji, I will go down the mountain with you,” Liu Jingyun said.
Hearing this, Qiu Lingzhou added, “I want to go too.”
“Only one person can come with me. The other must stay home and guide Zhimu in his cultivation.”
Chen Ji had not forgotten Tianjizi’s warning about Zhimu’s early grave. In the original novel, the original Chen Ji was closest to Feng Zhimu for no other reason than the fact that out of the three junior brothers, Zhimu was the most obedient and the youngest. The original Chen Ji doted on him, accompanying him through his daily cultivation and sword practice. Because of this constant training, Feng Zhimu leaped to a level of strength that rivaled Qiu Lingzhou and Liu Jingyun within three years.
Chen Ji lived a completely different life from the original owner. He had to go down the mountain to earn money to support his unfilial sons and could not bring Feng Zhimu along. If he let Feng Zhimu neglect his proper duties and constantly follow him down the mountain to earn money for his senior brothers, the child really might die young.
Determined not to be the cause of the child’s early death, Chen Ji decided that someone must be arranged to guide Zhimu’s cultivation and help him grow strong.
“Liu Dog guided Zhimu yesterday. He should continue today,” Qiu Lingzhou suggested.
Liu Jingyun glanced at him. “You earned money to build me a house. I will go down the mountain with A-Ji to earn money and return a house to you.”
“No need. I can just sleep with Senior Brother.”
“A-Ji taught me to repay kindness,” Liu Jingyun said.
“I do not need it.”
“I do.”
“Enough! Why are you arguing? Rock, paper, scissors. Whoever wins comes with me.”
Chen Ji did not want to listen to their bickering anymore and offered the most efficient solution. The two of them were quite obedient to Chen Ji and decided on a best of three match. In the end, Liu Jingyun was the winner.
Chen Ji instructed, “Lingzhou, you must teach Zhimu well. No slacking off, and no taking him out to play. If I find out you have, I will be the one teaching him from now on.”
“Understood,” Qiu Lingzhou said reluctantly.
Seeing that it was Qiu Lingzhou staying behind, Feng Zhimu ran to Chen Ji’s side and asked, “Big Senior Brother, can I not go down the mountain with you?”
“Zhimu, this age is the best time to build a foundation for your cultivation. If you miss this opportunity, it will be much harder later. So, for the sake of your path as a cultivator, practice well for now. Once you are powerful, you can go wherever you want,” Chen Ji advised warmly.
Feng Zhimu nodded obediently. “Zhimu understands!”
“Practice well. Big Senior Brother will bring you a candied hawthorn when I get back.”
“Thank you, Big Senior Brother!” Feng Zhimu said sweetly.
Chen Ji smiled with relief, ruffled the boy’s head, and bid them farewell before heading down the mountain with Liu Jingyun.
Tianyun City was as lively as ever. Thinking about the two rejections he faced yesterday, Chen Ji led Liu Jingyun toward the docks. The harbor was the transportation hub of Tianyun City where there were massive amounts of cargo to load and unload every day. Although the work was hard, he definitely would not be turned away there.
The docks were swarming with people, even more crowded than the city center. Chen Ji scanned the merchant ships for anyone needing day laborers. Just then, he heard Tianjizi’s voice.
“A-Ji, Jingyun, why have you brothers come down the mountain today?”
Chen Ji looked up and saw Tianjizi standing on a merchant ship. He hurried to pay his respects. Before he could speak, a wave of warm spiritual energy enveloped them both, and they were gently lifted onto the ship to land before the Sect Leader.
“Disciples greet the Sect Leader.”
“No need for such formalities. A-Ji, are you bringing Jingyun down to find work and earn silver?”
Chen Ji was famous in Tianyun City. The fact that he worked to earn money was known not only to the townspeople but to the disciples of the Tianyun Sect as well. Since he was caught red-handed by Tianjizi, Chen Ji did not plan to lie. He laughed and said, “We had nothing else to do, so we came down to find some work.”
“You,” Tianjizi felt a bit helpless.
The phrase “Disciples of the Tianyun Sect should focus on cultivation and avoid wandering down the mountain” applied to every other disciple, but it did not work on Chen Ji. This was because Chen Ji’s talent for cultivation was inferior even to that of an outer sect disciple. He possessed almost no comprehension or spiritual root; he was as ordinary as a commoner. If Haiyangzi had not taken him in, he would never have even touched the threshold of immortality.
Tianjizi knew this, so he could not bring himself to say, “Why are you not focusing on your cultivation?”
“I heard you do not come down every day. Did Jingyun and Lingzhou break something again, forcing you to earn silver? How much do you need? I will give it to you.”
“Sect Leader Shibo, there is no need!” Chen Ji quickly refused. He glanced at the other disciples standing nearby and said, “Sect Leader Shibo, we are grown up now and can earn our own silver. See? I even brought Jingyun with me today. His cultivation has shown great results over the years, so I brought him down for experience and to earn some money.”
Tianjizi remained silent for a moment, his gaze resting on Liu Jingyun. He nodded slightly and said, “Jingyun and Lingzhou are indeed qualified to descend for experience. They should travel and slay demons. From now on, you may enter and leave the Tianyun Sect territory freely. You can go wherever you wish.”
This was exactly what Chen Ji had been waiting for!
He said excitedly, “Thank you, Sect Leader Shibo! By the way, why have you come down the mountain today?”
Tianjizi was the Sect Leader. Most sect affairs were handled by elders and protectors; he usually stayed at the sect as its pillar of strength. In all his years at the sect, this was the first time Chen Ji had seen him leave Juyang Peak.