I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

She was worried that Lin Yi might be unhappy with the way Erni brought him back, or that he might dislike Erni touching him.

He won't become rich and powerful; instead, he'll face certain death.

He had witnessed it a few years ago: a fellow fishmonger from the same fishing village dirtied the shoes of a nobleman and was immediately dragged out and beaten to death—it was terrifying.

He quickly explained, "My lord, it was Erni who told me that we carried you back together."

Is that so?

Erni hesitated.

This wasn't the truth, but she didn't dare to expose her father's words, even though Lin Yi's voice was very gentle, she still didn't dare to tell the truth.

However, Lin Yi knew about it the moment she thought of it.

She carried her back by herself.

Lin Yi didn't press her for answers; he knew it himself.

"Good child, will you come with me from now on?"

Lin Yi's voice was very gentle. Erni had never seen such a handsome person before. The way he spoke to her was also very pleasant. There was no disgust or disdain in his voice; in fact, it seemed to carry a hint of concern.

She nodded subconsciously, and only after agreeing did she nervously look at her father.

The man was overjoyed to hear that Lin Yi was going to take Erni away; he was just waiting for a reward from a benefactor!

Lin Yi knew what he was thinking, so he didn't disappoint him.

He casually pulled a pearl the size of a pigeon's egg from his cloud pouch; it was the least valuable thing he had.

“I will exchange my pearls for your daughter. From now on, she will have nothing to do with you.”

The man was so infatuated with the pearl that he nodded hastily, afraid that Lin Yi would change his mind.

Such a large pearl could guarantee him a lifetime of wealth and status; he might even be able to marry another wife and have several more children.

Only a fool wouldn't trade something worthless for this treasure.

Fair trade, with payment and goods exchanged.

Lin Yi took Erni's hand, but Erni was still filled with reluctance.

This is the bond of blood ties; not only do parents have an unbreakable love for their children, but children also have an equally unbreakable bond with their parents.

Even though Erni's father wasn't good to her, Erni still couldn't bear to part with him.

But Erni's father thought differently. He was worried that the deal would fall through, so he kept urging Erni to leave, his eyes filled with a fierce look. He only dared not do anything because Lin Yi was there.

Lin Yi shook his head slightly, picked up Erni, and flew away on his sword.

Erni's father was stunned. It was actually a deity!

That's wonderful! His daughter has gone with the immortals; he'll have a life of happiness from now on!

Lin Yi never expected that he would bring back a child after going out for a short trip.

Now that he had brought Erni along, he naturally intended to raise her well.

There are many people suffering in this world, and he cannot save them all, but he will try his best to do so.

The major merchant family now has a large portion of its financial expenditure on childcare.

According to the national policy of the Shang Dynasty, for every child born, one could register at the government office and receive a living allowance. Children under the age of eight could also receive this allowance every year, regardless of gender.

This policy left the once very wealthy Shang Dynasty's treasury extremely empty, with many poor people relying on having children to support their families.

Even if we're not rich, at least our children won't starve.

Although the policy is good, many remote areas are still neglected, and some people are lining their own pockets. Lin Yi can only send people to supervise and inspect as much as possible, but he dares not say that he has done everything perfectly.

In fishing villages like those in the East China Sea, there must be people who have embezzled funds.

We'll send someone to investigate right away.

As they approached their destination, he finally instructed Erni, "Don't tell anyone about what happened last night, understand?"

Erni nodded; she was very well-behaved and sensible.

Lin Yi felt a pang of sympathy for her timidity; children of this age are usually the most lively and active.

Any behavior that goes against one's nature is a result of being harshly punished by reality.

But now is not the time for heart-to-heart talks. He has been missing for so long, Lingyi must be worried sick.

Sure enough, when he found Lingyi's residence, Lingyi was restless and had even started burning incense, considering asking her friends for help.

Upon seeing Lin Yi return, she stopped lighting incense and immediately threw herself into his arms.

"Where have you been again? Do you know how worried I was about you?"

She angrily punched Lin Yi's chest with her little fists, and Lin Yi immediately pretended to be in pain, acting very exaggeratedly, which was obviously fake.

Lingyi didn't believe it either, but she still asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Last night I fought a great demon, and we fought for hundreds of rounds. I was also seriously injured, which is why I had to break my promise."

If you don't believe me, come and touch this place and you'll see.

As Lin Yi spoke, he took Ling Yi's hand and pressed it against his chest.

Lingyi blushed deeply; she knew perfectly well that Lin Yi was up to no good.

This rascal always likes to tease her and secretly hold her hand. Today he's gone even further. What will he do after they get married?

Lingyi was shy and refused to comply, her eyes darting away. When she saw Erni, she quickly changed the subject by talking about Erni.

"What's wrong with this little girl?"

“I picked her up and took her in because she was helpless and alone.”

I plan to take her as my apprentice. She'll stay with you here, so you'll have someone to keep you company when I'm not around.

Lin Yi had already made up his mind on the way.

If it were merely an adoption, he should have some kind of relationship with Erni; otherwise, Erni would probably consider herself a servant.

Lin Yi couldn't possibly take her in as a child bride, so after thinking it over, a master-disciple relationship was still the best option.

"Helpless and alone..."

Lingyi had spent a considerable amount of time in the mortal realm, so she naturally knew a great deal about those four words.

She felt a pang of sympathy for Erni, but didn't show any pity. She simply squatted down in front of her and said gently, "Erni, from now on, I'll be your support, okay?"

"She's not my elder sister, she's my master's wife. Don't get the seniority wrong."

Lingyi blushed at the mention of "master's wife" but did not object.

They're getting married soon, and thinking about it, I'm actually quite happy.

She just said arrogantly, "I don't care, I want to be the older sister. Let's separate the two of us. Erni, from now on you will call me older sister and him master."

Lin Yi only found her cute; he didn't care about etiquette and rules, so he let Lingyi do as she pleased.

Seeing that they were getting along well, Lin Yi said, "I have to go back to the palace first. Please take care of Erni for now."

Lin Yi has been missing for so long, the people in the palace must be worried about not being able to find him.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Lin Yi decided to go back first.

Erni is a somewhat introverted child, so it's perfect for Lingyi to take care of her.

As soon as Lin Yi left, Lingyi took Erni to take a bath.

Erni is still quite introverted and doesn't dare to speak much, but Lingyi is a chatterbox.

Erni should say something; the more she says, the less afraid she will become.

The houses here are naturally much more magnificent than those in the fishing village, but the larger the mansion, the more frightening it is.

Because this place is so unfamiliar.

However, Lingyi's smile was always so sweet, which gradually put Erni at ease.

Lingyi gave Erni a bath, changing the water three times before she was clean. At this time, the clothes that Lingyi had arranged to buy also arrived, and Erni was dressed in them.

After being washed, Erni was still a bit dark, but she looked completely different from before.

"Hmm, she's got the makings of a beauty. When you meet your master later, she'll definitely give him a shock!"

Lingyi wasn't trying to fool a child; Erni was indeed quite pretty, with well-proportioned features, small lips, a high nose, and big eyes.

It's just a little dark; it will eventually turn white again.

Erni couldn't believe it. She lowered her head shyly, but secretly hoped it was true...

Chapter 661 My Goddess Girlfriend

After dealing with court affairs, Lin Yi took some things and went to find Lingyi.

It was his first time being a mentor, so he was taking it very seriously.

His cultivation was like a cheat code, but he also gained access to many cultivation methods in the human world.

These cultivation methods vary widely, but their core principles are roughly the same, namely, three growth paths: body refinement, qi refinement, and spirit refinement.

In this era, body cultivation is the most common practice, and there are quite a few body cultivators in Lin Yi's army.

These body cultivators possess incredibly strong and ferocious physical bodies.

Lin Yi, however, did not want Erni to focus on body cultivation. He believed that cultivating Qi and refining the spirit were the correct directions for development.

The reason is simple: the world's resources are finite.

Body cultivators often need to consume many spiritual herbs and aged beasts to break through their physical limits.

These resources are not non-renewable, but they take time. As body cultivators advance to higher realms, the required grade of medicinal herbs also increases.

If this continues, high-end medicinal herbs will become increasingly scarce, and body cultivators will have no future.

In contrast, Qi cultivation and spirit cultivation are different.

The world is rich in spiritual energy, and the recovery speed of spiritual energy is much faster than that of high-end medicinal materials.

In order to teach his apprentices well, Lin Yi carefully prepared a teaching syllabus before formally accepting them as disciples.