Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 14 Selling Spirit Herbs
Before the morning mist dissipated,
Chen Ye scooped up a ladle of cold water from the water vat and washed his face.

The biting winter cold made him shiver.

He let out a long breath, looking refreshed.

The withered face reflected in the water surprisingly revealed a long-lost vitality.

"With a little grooming, it can still retain some of my former glory."

Chen Ye looked at the water's surface, rubbing his chin, and seemed fairly satisfied.

He picked up a jade knife and shaved his beard, the stubble falling into the mud, making his unkempt old face look cleaner.

When the last strand of unruly hair was tied up with a straw rope, the person in the water relaxed their brows, their features mature and well-proportioned, yet still possessing a sharp edge.

Chen Ye was slightly taken aback; this was almost like a completely different person.

Before he was groomed, he looked like an old beggar fleeing famine, making people want to stay away from him.

After being groomed, he resembled a down-on-his-luck wanderer in the martial arts world, possessing a mature and weathered air.

Ultimately, his predecessor was forty years old, a time when a man is in his prime and his appearance is unlikely to be bad.

Chen Ye patted his face, then pulled out a clean set of clothes from under the table, and left the storeroom where he had spent six days with light steps.

The aroma of rice wafted from the kitchen. Zhiwei was standing on tiptoe, frying leftover rice, while Qingjun was stuffing firewood behind the stove, her little face glistening with sweat.

Suddenly, she heard a soft creaking of the door hinges behind her, and the older girl, gripping the spatula, turned around abruptly.

"Teacher...master?"

The black-furred ball of fur stared wide-eyed at the sight of its eyes beneath its bangs.

The man standing in the morning light wore a simple blue robe and had a light blue beard on his chin. Although his eyes were deep-set, he no longer resembled a demon.

The most astonishing thing was his eyes, which used to be shrouded in a hazy, yellowish mist, but now they were as clear and bright as obsidian soaking in a stream.

She bit her lower lip, her nails digging into her palm.

It must be an illusion!

Qingjun looked up at the sound, the firewood in her hand fell to the ground with a thud, and her small mouth opened slightly.

"The rice is almost burnt. Hmm? Have you finished all the food we bought the other day?"

Seeing the shocked looks on his two disciples' faces, Chen Ye felt very pleased, but he didn't show it on his face.

He reached out and took the spatula, stirring the leftover rice in place of his apprentice.

The little girl, as if possessed, raised her face, stared at her master's profile, and whispered, "Master, did you take the legendary youth-preserving pill?"

"My skills have improved a bit, and I've tidied up a bit more." Chen Ye smiled.

The little girl suddenly lowered her head, looking somewhat helpless as she stuffed firewood into the fire.

Master has laughed more times these past few days than in all of the previous days combined!
Moreover, Qingjun noticed that when her master smiled, there was a very shallow dimple on his left cheek.

"What are you standing there for? After breakfast, your master will take you to the market."

Chen Ye deliberately put on a serious face, suppressing his laughter.

Qingjun jumped up in surprise and hurriedly went to pick up the porcelain bowl, standing side by side with her senior sister in front of Chen Ye.

The two girls moved in unison, holding their porcelain bowls and looking up at Chen Ye to serve them rice.

The sight of the two little ones, so thin and small, with long hair reaching their legs, softened his heart.

"Come on, one shovel each."

Chen Ye served rice to his two disciples, then suddenly raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't Master buy you new clothes? Why haven't you changed into them yet?"

The eldest girl whispered, "Without Master's permission, I dare not act on my own."

That makes sense.

Although the clothes were clearly bought for them, they wouldn't dare wear them unless I specifically pointed it out.

Chen Ye slapped his forehead and made a decision: "Then you guys change into them later, and after you're done, we'll go to the market together!"

……

Old Zhang was curled up against the wall, basking in the sun and smoking, thoroughly enjoying himself.

After Chen Ye left.

Old Zhang flicked his pipe, his cloudy, triangular eyes darting back and forth across Chen Ye's body.

The man, dressed in a neat blue robe, was impeccably clean and looked nothing like his usual hunched figure.

Just a few days ago, this guy was just like me, covered in a layer of lingering sour and rotten smell.

Why has it changed so much today?
Old Zhang's Adam's apple bobbed twice, oblivious to the sparks from his pipe splashing onto the back of his hand until the burning pain made him hiss and shake his hand.

"Ha, is Old Chen trying to find a woman like a pheasant spreading its tail feathers?"

He grinned sarcastically, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and tapped his pipe against the brick wall intermittently.

"Don't blame your brother Zhang for being blunt. In our area, no matter how much we dress up, we can't attract any girls from Yunshang Pavilion."

Chen Ye saw this and understood, and smiled gently:

“Old Zhang, you’re so old and you’re all alone in the shantytown, there’s really no other way! You’re old and not very talented, who would want you?” “But I’m forty and in my prime, and I have two clever apprentices to keep me company. I should try to make my life brighter.”

These words struck a chord with Old Master Zhang.

The old man coughed repeatedly in anger, pointing at Chen Ye but unable to speak.

At this moment, the two girls followed Chen Ye out the door.

Qingjun timidly hid behind Chen Ye, while Zhiwei lagged half a step behind, protecting her younger sister tightly.

They no longer looked dirty at all.

To an outsider at first glance, the three of them—master and disciples—might be a happy and harmonious family.

Chen Ye greeted the morning light with a cheerful mood: "Come on, Master will buy you some delicious food today!"

When Zhang Laodao saw this, his face turned even uglier than if he had swallowed a fly.

Even when others bully or humiliate him, this old man can act as if nothing has happened.

However, he was deeply uncomfortable with Chen Ye's desire to change the status quo.

……

After paying the tax of fifteen spirit sands, Chen Ye led his two disciples into the market.

In the early morning market, the bluestone slabs were still covered with dew from the night.

But the streets were already bustling with activity, with crowds of people.

"This time, we have completely offended Old Master Zhang."

Chen Ye pondered for a moment, but he didn't regret it.

For someone like Zhang Laodao, the more you back down, the more he will take advantage of you.

However, we still need to be prepared to prevent Zhang Laodao from having any wicked ideas.

Chen Ye arrived at the free trade zone and chose a location with a high volume of people.

He spread the rags he brought from home on the ground before placing the flowerpots he was holding in his arms.

After the black cloth covering the flowerpot was lifted, the moonlight shimmering on the silvery-scaled flowers instantly attracted several gazes.

Chen Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

According to the memories of the predecessor, although the silver scale flower has a high yield and is widely circulated in the market in the Three Thousand Mountains.

However, this flower is a key ingredient in refining essential pills for low-level cultivators, and it remains a hot-selling item in the market.

Chen Ye squatted on the street corner with his neck hunched over, a pot of silver scale flowers in front of him.

His two young apprentices huddled together like quails, waiting for the cultivator to arrive.

"Sister, Master really cured the Silver Scale Flower!"

Qingjun tucked her little hands in her pockets and couldn't help but keep staring at the silver scale flower.

She was just a little girl who was very interested in these shimmering flowers and would often look at them when she was given food.

Zhiwei stared blankly at the spiritual plant that shimmered with silver light, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the hem of her clothes.

The master who beat them while drunk, the master who was dejected and disheveled while wielding a knife at his desk, and the master who was now squatting in front of them, hawking his wares...

The warm sunlight shone on the pale face of the black-haired girl, and the hustle and bustle of the market swept over her like a tide.

But the world was unusually quiet at that moment.

She carefully wiped the mud off her new clothes.

If time could freeze at this moment forever, wouldn't that be nice?
Chen Ye, however, began to feel uneasy.

Although people occasionally glanced at the silver scale flower, few stopped to ask its price.

No matter how popular the Silver Scale Flower is, its price remains at eighteen spirit stones.

Perhaps people in the free trade zone can't afford it?

Chen Ye quickly rejected the idea; eighteen spirit stones were indeed a lot, but not too much.

Renting a house in the market for six months costs eighteen spirit stones!

Other stalls also had bloodstained magical artifacts, with prices often reaching tens or hundreds of spirit stones.

Chen Ye wiped the sweat from his palms; it was his first time setting up a stall, and he was indeed anxious.

Still not composed enough!

Just as Chen Ye was calming down, the old man with the goatee strolled over.

The old man was leisurely looking around at the stalls of the independent cultivators, until he saw the silver scale flowers on Chen Ye's stall, at which point he stopped:

"Young friend, did you just pick this from the Three Thousand Mountains?"

The old man with the goatee didn't recognize Chen Ye at first glance.

(End of this chapter)