Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 21 Going out
The wind was biting cold, and snowflakes were falling heavily.

The paths in the shantytown were muddy and overgrown with weeds.

The man in the straw raincoat tied his iron sword to his back with straw rope, and a long whip was wrapped around his waist. He led two girls, walking head down in the wind and snow.

"Master, where are we going?" the little girl asked the man countless times.

The man exhaled a puff of white mist and said gently, "I'll take you to Granny Li's house. Wait a while, my master has some business to attend to."

"Oh~" The little girl held the older girl's hand tightly.

After walking slowly for more than ten minutes...

The man, accompanied by two girls, arrived at a small courtyard.

He carried a bundle of cured meat and knocked on the courtyard gate: "Grandma, Dagen, is anyone home?"

The gate wasn't closed properly, and it opened as soon as I knocked.

"Wang Wang Wang!"

A dark figure lunged out from behind the door, startling Chen Ye so much that he stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.

He staggered a step and quickly spread his arms to protect his disciple.

What a huge black dog!
It's about half a person's height!
His skin and hair were shiny and oily, his muscles were strong, and he was baring his teeth at Chen Ye, breathing hot air into his mouth.

When has Chen Ye ever faced such a vicious dog?
In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person, and his legs were even a little weak.

But his apprentice's small frame meant that if the black dog bit him, he would lose half his life!

"roll!"

Chen Ye shielded his disciple tightly and exhaled several breaths.

With the light, ethereal aura of metal swirling around his fingertips, he felt a surge of courage.

The black dog arched its back, barking wildly, yet a hint of human-like fear appeared on its face.

This dog is quite clever; it knows that the Geng metal energy poses a threat to it.

"Yuanyuan, it's me!"

Qingjun waved happily behind Chen Ye, not afraid at all.

The black dog sharpened its claws on the ground, its tail wagging at the two girls.

But he was still wary of Chen Ye, crouching low as if about to pounce.

"Yuanyuan? Is that Grandma Li's dog?"

Upon hearing the name Yuanyuan, Chen Ye realized that it was the dog kept by Granny Li.

The protagonist had a past feud with Yuanyuan.

In the past, when his predecessor was drunk, he saw Yuanyuan sleeping by the roadside and kicked her without thinking.

Then the man and the dog fought for half a day on the muddy ground.

It was only when Granny Li heard her dog howling incessantly and came out to look for it that she stopped the previous person.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Ye noticed that Yuan Yuan's tail was completely bald.

This was caused by its predecessor using the Swift Blade Technique, which prevented its tail from growing any more fur...

It seems that his predecessor wasn't entirely useless; even when drunk, he could still overpower Yuan Yuan in hand-to-hand combat.

Chen Ye was both amused and exasperated.

Grandma Li, who was making lunch, heard the dog barking and quickly went out into the yard.

"Yuanyuan, come here!"

The old woman called out, and Yuanyuan stopped when she heard her owner's voice, then stood obediently beside Granny Li.

"What are you doing at my house? Where did you take the two children?"

The old woman stroked the dog's head and glared fiercely at Chen Ye.

A deep sadness filled my heart.

Since she hadn't seen Chen Ye and the others for more than ten days, the old woman had been tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

She was certain that Chen Ye had sold two dolls and was now enjoying himself somewhere.

If possible, Grandma Li would rather be strapped for cash than not be able to raise these two children.

They are hardworking, clever and intelligent, and could not be a burden!
Unfortunately, that scoundrel wasn't going to let them go for nothing...

Moreover, he had a son at a crucial stage of his cultivation, and he didn't have enough spirit stones to satisfy Chen Ye's appetite.

Chen Ye smiled broadly and glanced at his two short apprentices.

They stood under the fence, completely out of Grandma Li's sight.

So he squatted down and looked back and forth between his two disciples.

Finally, the silent black fur ball came to rest.

You're the one, Zhiwei!
Without a word, Chen Ye picked up the older girl and gently bounced her soft body in his arms.

"Grandma, look, Zhiwei and the others are still here!"

Zhiwei's face burned; this was the first time Chen Ye had hugged her in front of others.

It actually...it even bounced a little!
She almost couldn't maintain her usual cold demeanor.

The eldest girl sat upright with her slender waist hunched, sitting awkwardly on Chen Ye's arm. She bit her thin lips slightly and said, "Grandma, it's been a long time."

"Oh, right, and Qingjun too!"

Chen Ye kicked Qingjun's little bottom with his foot.

The little girl covered her bottom and glanced back at Chen Ye with a resentful look.

She stood timidly in front of Granny Li and said, "Granny, Qingjun wasn't sold by Master!"

Grandma Li's face lit up with joy, but when she saw the two little girls, she froze on the spot.

Are these the same two girls from before?
Half a month ago, Zhiwei Qingjun was like a skeleton wearing tattered clothes.

But now they are wearing clean, well-fitting, thick new clothes and sturdy cloth shoes.

He was clean and full of energy.

He's even gained some weight!
At this moment, she also noticed a detail. Chen Ye held Zhiwei very gently and carefully, and when Yuanyuan barked just now, Chen Ye seemed to have stood in front of them.

Grandma Li and Chen Ye had known each other for three or four years, but this was the first time she had seen him protect the girl so much.

If Chen Ye hadn't been such a terrible figure in her mind, a true ghost master, he would actually have resembled a compassionate master.

Chen Ye smiled subtly, quite pleased with Granny Li's surprise.

This shows that he has indeed raised his apprentice to be completely different!
“Grandma, don’t worry. I used to be a scoundrel, always drunk and outrageous. It wasn’t until I escaped death last time that I finally woke up to my mistakes.”

"Without experiencing life and death, one cannot know the preciousness of life... I hope my mother-in-law will not hold a grudge and forgive my past offenses."

His words were sincere and earnest.

"What's wrong with you? This is unbelievable!"

Granny Li looked Chen Ye up and down suspiciously.

She also remembered Chen Ye's description of escaping death.

Ten days ago, Chen Ye harassed a female cultivator who had just arrived at Yunxi Fang, and was beaten half to death by her Daoist partner.

If it weren't for the fact that his female cultivator partner didn't want to kill someone so soon after arriving at Yunxi Fang, Chen Ye might have been beaten to death.

This incident caused quite a stir in the nearby shantytown, and even Granny Li had heard about it.

The two little girls had adorable, innocent faces.

Master (Chen Ye) tells Granny Li to repent and start anew.

It's like someone has possessed me...

He used to be shameless and didn't care about other people's opinions, so he would just make fun of two girls!

Why are you being so polite to everyone now?
Chen Ye was prepared for the suspicions of Granny Li and the others.

But he couldn't very well say that he was a time traveler, could he?
If this were to be said, people would surely suspect him of being a demonic cultivator and kill him on the spot.

And most importantly...

He is not only Chen Ye of Blue Star, but also Chen Ye of the cultivation world.

He is the predecessor, and the predecessor is him.

If his predecessor hadn't been driven to mental instability by the shock and oppression, he would have been an excellent young man before...

Chen Ye briefly explained his purpose for coming:

"Grandma, I need to go out in a bit, but our house was burgled a few days ago, and I'm worried about leaving my two apprentices at home alone. Could you please look after them for me?"

As he spoke, Chen Ye hung the cured meat he had brought on the fence.

Grandma Li's gaze swept back and forth between Chen Ye and the cured meat.

That idiot is truly extraordinary!

He not only worried about his apprentice's safety, but also knew how to give her gifts.

Granny Li nodded indifferently: "Leave Qingjun and Zhiwei to me. They'll be much better off here than in your shabby place. I'll accept this cured meat."

"Thank you for accepting it, Mother-in-law. I'll be back tonight." Chen Ye nodded and bowed gratefully.

Granny Li hugged her arms tightly, snorted through her nose, and didn't give Chen Ye a kind look at all.

She wasn't worried about Chen Ye getting angry. Her family had been rooted in Yunxifang for decades, and they naturally had some tricks up their sleeves.

For example, using talismans and other methods, they are not afraid of cultivators at the mere fourth level of Qi Refining.

Chen Ye looked down at the two little ones: "You two must behave and listen to Granny Li, don't run around, and don't be naughty..."

He gave instructions for a while, until Granny Li yawned impatiently, at which point he awkwardly stopped.

He has been taking good care of his two apprentices lately.

Her face was washed clean, fair and delicate, with beautiful features, like a delicately carved jade sculpture, making her very pleasing to the eye.

This is one of the reasons why he is worried.

Before, Qingjun was dirty and was targeted by Zhang Laodao. Now that she is so cute, she is even more likely to attract attention.

Before parting, Chen Ye slipped a few more spirit sands into Zhiwei's hand:

"If you want to eat anything at your mother-in-law's house, you can buy it with spirit sand, don't be shy."

The wind and snow intensified, and the black dog whimpered incessantly.

Chen Ye tightened his raincoat, turned around, and stepped into the swirling snow.

The dull thud of a wooden door closing came from behind, mingled with Qingjun's playful laughter as she teased Yuanyuan, gradually fading into the howling north wind.

Grandma Li watched Chen Ye's departing figure, somewhat puzzled.

Only after Chen Ye's figure had completely disappeared did she take one of the little girls' hands in each hand.

In his rough, old hands, his two hands were slender and thin.

"It's good that you weren't sold. Grandma will cook you something delicious!" Grandma Li said with heartache.

Zhiwei was also silently watching her master leave.

She carefully placed the spirit sand into the inner lining, where there was also a lustrous spirit stone.

Suddenly, the older girl pursed her lips.

"delicious!"

Qingjun's eyes lit up, and she grinned foolishly without a care in the world.

The little girl never seemed to have the same complex emotions as her senior sister.

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(End of this chapter)