Chapter 174: Senior Sister Bai, Waiting for My Brother Home
After a few days, Tianyun Peak of Xuan Xing Sect.
Early autumn has arrived, and Xuan Xing Sect is now in its annual season for harvesting spiritual fruits and medicinal herbs. The mountains and plains are filled with abundant spiritual energy, and the fragrance of medicine and fruit permeates the air.
However, not all disciples can enjoy the fruits of the autumn harvest.
Although the sect generally takes care of the cultivation progress of inner disciples and distributes essential items like pills and spirit stones for free, it is not a charity organization. The pills and spirit stones provided can only ensure the minimum expenses for the disciples.
In other words, it’s just enough to not starve to death.
If one wants to advance their cultivation, relying solely on the resources distributed by the sect regularly is like cultivating at a snail’s pace, unless one has heaven-defying luck.
Regarding this issue.
Disciples from aristocratic families will receive support from their families, so they don’t need to worry.
However, these disciples only make up a small portion.
Most of the parents of inner disciples in Xuan Xing Sect are cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage or Core Formation Stage, and some of them have qualifications and cultivation levels that are even lower than their own children, providing very limited help.
As for cultivators like Bai Yuexin, who come from ordinary families, they need to be thrifty and manage their expenses carefully.
During the autumn harvest, she would go to the spirit fields and ask acquaintances for work picking spiritual fruits or harvesting spiritual herbs to earn some extra spirit stones.
Sometimes, if she was lucky, the disciples there would give her a few spiritual fruits or other good things.
“Whoosh—Junior Sister Bai, let’s call it a day here. This acre of land is almost harvested.”
“Okay!”
Bai Yuexin plucked the last fruit from the red fruit tree in front of her, threw it into the basket, and landed on the ground. She loosened the tie securing her cloud sleeves and looked at Senior Sister Feng, who was walking over.
“Um, Senior Sister Feng, will there be any work tomorrow? After harvesting, we should be planting, right? I want to…”
Senior Sister Feng looked at her with a wry smile and shook her head, her arms crossed.
“You are a disciple of Tianyun Peak, and you haven’t learned how to sow. Harvesting spiritual plants is easy, but sowing is difficult. The sowing method for each spiritual plant is different, so you can’t do it.”
“Ah… Then I can help carry water, right? We still need to fetch water from the spirit spring?”
“Last year, the Elder created a special puppet to transport spirit pool liquid. One puppet can do the work of five or six disciples, and it operates day and night, consuming only five or six spirit stones per day. So, all the water-carrying work this year has been assigned to the puppet.”
“Oh, geez…”
Bai Yuexin listened, her brow furrowed, revealing a hint of helplessness.
She remembered that last autumn, helping the disciples in the spirit garden carry water could earn her nearly five or six spirit stones per bucket.
Last year, just by carrying water, she earned nearly ten thousand spirit stones in over three months. Now that the water-carrying work is gone, her annual income has drastically decreased.
“Alright, I understand.”
Bai Yuexin dejectedly unfastened the tie on her shoulder, placed the basket full of red spirit fruits on the ground, cupped her hands at Senior Sister Feng, and bowed.
“Then Senior Sister Feng, I’ll be heading back. If there’s anything I can do, please call on me, I’ll be there anytime.”
After speaking, she summoned her flying sword to leave, but was stopped by Senior Sister Feng.
“Wait.”
“Huh? What is it?”
Bai Yuexin turned to look and saw Senior Sister Feng reaching into the bamboo basket at her feet. She grabbed five red spirit fruits of average quality, walked up to her, and presented them.
“I wouldn’t dare give you the ones of exceptionally good quality. Take these few for your own cultivation, or you could sell them at the marketplace for some money. They should fetch about ten thousand spirit stones. These fruits…”
“Ah…”
“Here, take them~ The Elder won’t be able to tell, don’t worry.”
Bai Yuexin trembling, hesitated for a moment, then accepted them and put them into her storage bag.
“Then… thank you, Senior Sister Feng.”
“You’re welcome~”
After another bow, she flew her sword in the direction of Tianyun Peak.
Riding the clouds and breaking the waves, Bai Yuexin felt her mood lift because of the few spiritual fruits she received today. She made her sword perform aerial maneuvers and, arriving at the mountainside of Tianyun Peak, she incidentally saw the still tightly closed three-bay house below. After a moment of hesitation, she flew down.
She took out her token from her storage bag, opened the restriction on the courtyard gate, and pushed open the house door.
Creak—
She walked to the stone table in the courtyard, her jade-like fingers tracing across the surface. She pinched it and saw that her fingertips were once again smudged with black. With a sigh, she quickly went to the backyard to get a broom and a cloth and began to clean.
Bai Yuexin would come over to check every four days.
Before Xiao Yunluo and Feng Yu Die left the sect, she had proactively offered to help manage the weeds and dust in their courtyard until they returned.
Xiao Yunluo and Feng Yu Die readily agreed, gave her some spirit stones, and handed over the “key” to the house.
However, for Bai Yuexin, this was more than just earning spirit stones; it was a sentiment.
When Ye Anping returns, seeing that his house is clean, how good would that be?
When he returns, he would call her “Elder Sister.”
Oh, and Junior Sister Pei too.
Two calls of “Elder Sister Bai,” how sweet that would be.
She also received five red spirit fruits today. She wondered if Ye Anping and Junior Sister Pei could use them; she could give them one each.
The physiotherapy center was also waiting for him to return and reopen.
Should she redecorate it?
Speaking of which, the rent should be due, right? I should talk to the landlord of that shop later and have them give Ye Anping this little one some discount.
“Heh heh~~”
After finishing tidying the courtyard, Bai Yuexin wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked up at the sky. Seeing that the sun was about to set, a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes, and her heart felt heavy. She worried inexplicably and complained,
“It’s been over half a year. Didn’t they say they’d only be gone for five or six months? It’s almost a whole year now.”
Whoosh—
The autumn wind rustled against her face, blowing her jet-black hair. Bai Yuexin raised her hand, tucked a strand of hair behind her left ear, and sighed.
Suddenly, the spiritual light of two flying swords rose from behind the adjacent Baixiang Peak.
Bai Yuexin’s eyes widened, and she stared for a while, disbelieving. She rubbed her eyes and looked again.
She rubbed her eyes and looked again.
She rubbed her eyes and looked again.
Until the corners of her eyes were red from rubbing.
A young man and a young woman, riding on swords, descended, stirring up fallen leaves around them.
The young man looked at Bai Yuexin at the entrance of the three-bay house. His eyes curved upwards into crescent moons, filled with gentleness. However, the young woman beside him was a step ahead, waving and calling out with a smile,
“Sister Bai, we’re back.”
Bai Yuexin seemed to be relieved, her shoulders slumping. She walked up to the two of them, nodded at Pei Lianxue, and then looked at Ye Anping, frowning as if waiting for him to speak first.
Ye Anping was silent for a moment, then took out a small storage bag from his storage bag.
“Senior Sister Bai, here are some pills and materials. Consider it a return gift. Thank you for previously helping us ask Elder Zhang for leave.”
Bai Yuexin immediately became unhappy, crossing her arms, pouting, and turning her head away.
“Hmph, we agreed to be back in just five or six months. What about these past few months? If I hadn’t covered for you, Elder Qin would have recorded you two as missing. And you think these things can buy me off? Tsk, do you think I’m a beggar?”
“… …” Ye Anping was stunned for a moment, not quite reacting. He asked, “Then… what does Senior Sister Bai want?”
“Hmph.” Bai Yuexin hmph-ed again, reached out and rubbed Pei Lianxue’s head, then moved her hand to her neck, smiling and asking, “Junior Sister Pei, it’s been a year, have you grown taller?”
“Mmm…”
Seeing her being so friendly to his junior sister and so harsh on him, Ye Anping immediately reacted and, somewhat reluctantly, whispered, “Elder Sister…”
“Hmm?” Bai Yuexin pretended not to hear, but her smile changed. She turned her ear and asked, “What did you say? The wind is too strong.”
“Elder Sister.”
“You taught Junior Sister Pei to speak so loudly before, but now you speak so softly… Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
“Whoosh—Elder Sister!!”
“Ay!!”
After responding, Bai Yuexin pulled the junior brother and sister into her embrace, hugging them tightly and burying her face between their heads, pressing their backs firmly.
“It’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back! I’ve seen it many times before. Many inner disciples go out to travel and promise their fellow disciples they’ll return in half a year, only to never come back. You two had me worried for months, without any news.”
Ye Anping and Pei Lianxue turned their heads and saw two crystal-clear tears squeezing out from the corners of her eyes. They were stunned for a moment and said nothing, letting her hug them.
“Mmm…” “Mmm.”
After an unknown amount of time, Bai Yuexin released them, turned to wipe her eyes, and then turned back, saying,
“The house has been kept tidy for you. You can sleep after making the beds shortly.”
Ye Anping glanced at the three-bay house, pretended not to know anything, and prepared to inquire about the news. He asked,
“Um… Senior Sister Xiao and Senior Sister Feng? Have they gone out?”
“Yes, they’ve gone to Chi Long Mansion. I heard that something significant seems to have happened at Chi Long Mansion, but I don’t know the specifics. I only know it’s related to demonic cultivators. Because of this, Elder Lei was even kicked to the western border by the Sect Master.”
Border… Ye Anping caught the keyword and raised an eyebrow slightly, asking,
“Huh? Why? What does that have to do with him?”
“Elder Lei is in charge of the border of the Western Regions. I heard that some demonic cultivators might have crossed the border, which led to the incident at Chi Long Mansion. So, naturally, the Sect Master placed the blame squarely on him.”
“… …”
“You didn’t see it. The Sect Master was furious about this matter back then. The scene was truly extraordinary. We thought the sky was about to fall. A cultivator in the Deity Transformation Stage is too terrifying.”
“When did this happen?”
“About half a month ago. Elder Lei is probably fighting with the demonic beasts on the border for water right now.”
“That border? Southeast or northwest?”
“The southeast border of the Western Regions.”
The southeast border of the Western Regions, and the Moon Shadow Sword Sect that Ye Anping had been contemplating these past few days was located on the northwest border of the Southern Region, not too far away.
This was indeed a bit too coincidental.
Moreover, Ye Anping remembered that after the incident at Chi Long Mansion, Si Xuanji had thrown Lei Wanjun to the desert area of the western border of the Western Regions.
If players went there after the Chi Long Mansion storyline, they would find Lei Wanjun half-naked, hiding in a cave, trying to escape the tide of demonic beasts.
But now, Lei Wanjun had been thrown to the southeast.
Although it didn’t change anything significant, it undeniably proved that the plot line had deviated considerably.
If Ye Anping wasn’t mistaken, Si Xuanji must have heard that the Sect Master of Moon Shadow Sword Sect, Yun Tianchong, was preparing to come out of seclusion, and thus deliberately sent Lei Wanjun to wait there.
However, the purpose was likely not to help.
The events concerning Moon Shadow Sword Sect were internal sect matters, and Xuan Xing Sect would not send a mid-stage Deity Transformation Elder to intervene.
After all, interfering in another sect’s internal affairs would tarnish Xuan Xing Sect’s reputation.
So, if it wasn’t to help, it was likely to observe from the sidelines or to pick up the scraps.
The Loli Old Woman’s calculations…
Ye Anping shrugged and asked, “Should we report to Elder Qin now?”
“I’ll accompany you to tell her. If you go alone, you’ll get at least one or two hours of scolding,” Bai Yuexin said with a smile. She took out two red spirit fruits from her storage bag and said, “By the way, here, these are for you…”
“Red spirit fruits? No need, we can’t use them, and we’re not short of spirit stones. Elder Sister, you keep them yourself.”
“Whoosh… You have money now, so you think Elder Sister is a poor ghost? You don’t look down on Elder Sister’s gifts anymore.”
“We appreciate your kind intentions, but aren’t you poor too, Elder Sister?”
“I… Hiss—You little brat! Forget it, if you don’t want them, fine! Let’s go see Elder Qin. You only dare to mouth off to your Elder Sister. Try mouthing off to Elder Qin for a bit? See if she makes you kneel and get spanked with bamboo.”
… …
