Chapter 179: Not Even Qualified to See Him

Chapter 179: Chapter 179: Not Even Qualified to See Him

"Here, this is the Hundred Flowers Secret Manual. I made a handwritten copy after I first got it, and now I’m passing it on to you."

Lady Ye took out a secret manual, tossing it nonchalantly in front of her daughter. The past was in the past. Now that her daughter had formally become a disciple of Peak Master Mo, even if the existence of the Hundred Flowers Secret Manual were exposed, the Spring Breeze Dynasty would have no choice but to turn a blind eye.

After all, Peak Master Mo was the one who had led Purple Cloud Valley to its second rise to fame.

"A Cultivation Technique that lets you cultivate to the Bright Aperture Realm?"

Ye Linglong picked it up and flipped through it casually. After reading the technique’s description, she couldn’t help but gasp. Purple Bamboo Peak’s own Purple Bamboo Scripture could only be cultivated to the Bright Aperture Realm as well. If Purple Cloud Valley were to get its hands on this Hundred Flowers Secret Manual, a brand new Hundred Flowers Peak might emerge.

"In truth, Foundation Establishment is its limit. The Young Master back then once said that the old Sect Leader had warned him that if he wanted to break through to the Bright Aperture Realm, he would be better off choosing a different, compatible Wood Attribute Cultivation Method."

Lady Ye shook her head. With insufficient preparation, the Young Master, then at the Meridian Passage Late Stage, had tried to force a breakthrough into the Qi Refining Realm and condense his Qi Sea. As a result, he perished, his dao scattered.

Recalling the Young Master’s tragic end, Lady Ye couldn’t help but add a word of caution. "If you intend to switch your cultivation, you should ask your master first. Of course, you are free to learn any of the Magic within it."

"Don’t worry. I would never treat my cultivation like a joke."

Ye Linglong nodded and put the Hundred Flowers Secret Manual into her Storage Ring. ’Master and Grandmaster both cultivate the Purple Bamboo Scripture,’ she thought. ’If it isn’t necessary, it’s better for me to stay on this path. I can use the Hundred Flowers Secret Manual as a reference.’

"I can’t rest assured. My own daughter can’t even lock down a husband."

Lady Ye shook her head, rose, and walked back into the house. Ye Linglong watched her go, feeling helpless. Her mother had never been willing to talk about these things in the past, especially after the engagement. Her Senior Brother hadn’t just rescued her; he had also eased the worries that had plagued her parents’ hearts.

"Your Senior Brother will be returning to the Mo Family with you?"

Father Ye asked calmly. Before his wife had started her story, he had already sent word to the Patriarch. The fact that his daughter was going to the Mo Family was no longer a secret.

"Senior Brother is participating in a trial. He’ll return to the Mo Family after it’s over."

Ye Linglong nodded. ’He has to go back sooner or later, so how long can one trial take?’ she thought. ’Even the Fire Dragon Valley trial only lasted a month with all the special arrangements.’

"This reunion is a golden opportunity. Trials are always dangerous. Seeing a familiar face after something like that will stir his emotions. If you seize that moment, your efforts will be twice as effective."

Ye Linglong, who had expected some solemn advice, looked at her father in exasperation as he spoke. ’No matter how he phrased it, he was still telling her to hurry up and lock down her Senior Brother,’ she thought. ’But was that really something she could accomplish so easily?’

"Fine, I’ll stop. But there is no Mo Family in the Land of the Seven Kingdoms south of the Jade Dragon River. By the time you return, your mother and I might be nothing but a pile of bones. Still, since he was willing to become an Honored Guest Elder of the Ye Family for you, he must be trustworthy."

Father Ye shook his head. The Land of the Seven Kingdoms was the extent of his knowledge; he knew nothing of the world beyond it and had never heard the name Mo Family. He assumed it must be a place that couldn’t be reached quickly.

"Don’t be so dramatic. Go buy some ingredients. Since our young friend is so thoughtful, we should find out what Second Grade Spiritual Cuisine tastes like."

Lady Ye came back out and tossed a Storage Ring to Father Ye with a casual wave of her hand. He caught it and headed straight outside.

"Your hidden injury has faded, so I can finally rest easy. All these years, your father never advanced his cultivation, likely to keep me from dwelling on painful memories. I damaged my foundation in the battle where I first met him.

Not only could I not advance my cultivation, but my injury also caused you to be born frail and sickly. If the Young Master hadn’t nourished you with Spiritual Cuisine for several days, you might have died in infancy. It’s funny how fate works. The Young Master once said that to completely cure your illness, you would need several days of nourishment from Second Grade Spiritual Cuisine. Perhaps this is destiny—for there to actually be a Second Grade Spirit Chef on Purple Bamboo Peak, and for it to be your Senior Brother, of all people.

Unfortunately, my own problem is far more severe than yours. Nothing less than a Third Grade Spiritual Cuisine can cure me. If you two really do get together, remember to visit my grave in your wedding dress. Then, I can die without any regrets."

Lady Ye sat down and pulled Ye Linglong into her embrace. It was a warm, if slightly sorrowful, moment, but after hearing everything her mother had said, Ye Linglong immediately stood up.

"If there really comes a day when I wear a wedding dress, you should be there to see it yourself. I forgot to tell you: Senior Brother was promoted to Third Grade Spirit Chef not long ago. He can already make Third Grade Spiritual Cuisine. Very few people know, so don’t tell anyone."

Ye Linglong shot her mother a helpless look. Maybe the Mo Family was just that far away, because ever since she arrived, her parents had focused on either her Senior Brother or the sorrow of being parted by life and death. In reality, neither of those things was an issue.

’If Mother recovers, Father will surely resume his cultivation,’ she thought. ’Advancing to the next realm shouldn’t be a problem. It’s not like they need to aim for the Peak Path; they just need to steadily advance to the next realm.’

"Third Grade, you say? Then you’d better forget any ideas about slipping him a potion. If you weren’t his junior sister, you wouldn’t even be qualified to meet him. You’d have to get in line just for a chance to be his concubine."

Lady Ye glanced at her daughter and slowly shook her head. Ye Linglong, who had expected a joyous reaction, was stunned. ’How did things take such a turn?’ she wondered. ’How am I suddenly not good enough for Senior Brother anymore?’

"Do you know the story behind Hundred Flowers Valley?"

Lady Ye couldn’t resist asking. Not waiting for an answer, she continued, "Hundred Flowers Valley was once the hermitage of a Third Grade Spirit Chef. That Spirit Chef was famous for being a philanderer.

He had countless wives and concubines, but most were exceptional disciples willingly sent to him by the major Cultivation Forces of the Spring Breeze Dynasty. After that Third Grade Spirit Chef died, the female cultivators who had come—whether of their own free will or forced by their Sects and families—were unwilling to return to where they came from. And so, Hundred Flowers Valley, which only accepts female disciples, was born.

That is the origin of the Spirit Chef legacy within Hundred Flowers Valley, and also the reason the Spring Breeze Royal Family set their sights on it in the first place. If your Senior Brother’s status as a Third Grade Spirit Chef were revealed, the threshold of our Ye Family home would be trampled to dust the very moment he showed up."

"Senior Brother doesn’t seem to be the promiscuous type."

Understanding her mother’s point, Ye Linglong offered a weak defense. She had never thought of her Senior Brother as particularly influential before. A Second Grade Spirit Chef was certainly prestigious, but it hadn’t caused any major stir in the secluded part of Purple Bamboo Peak. Yet, from the way her mother spoke, a Third Grade Spirit Chef seemed capable of influencing the very rise and fall of a Sect.

"Who knows? You only get to see that side of a man once he’s successful. Everyone wears a mask. You have to peel it away to see the truth."

Lady Ye shook her head. Some masks are thin, and some are thick. Some people even wear more than one.