Chapter 182: No Need to Offend

Chapter 182: Chapter 182: No Need to Offend

"It’s hard to know whether to laugh or cry."

Standing in the courtyard, Lady Ye glanced at her slowly departing daughter, then at her husband who had already begun cultivating, and shook her head helplessly.

Then, her gaze shifted to the adjacent courtyard. The complex emotions in her eyes faded, leaving only gratitude.

’A Third Grade Spirit Chef... we owe him a massive debt of gratitude. But if that girl Linglong really succeeds, then we won’t have to worry about her being wronged anymore.’

Lady Ye couldn’t help but mutter to herself before shaking her head. Perhaps Linglong was still fantasizing about some simple bond between a senior and junior sister, but from what she understood, a Third Grade Spirit Chef was a hot commodity no matter where they went, someone all the major powers would vie for.

Compared to those female cultivators who were specifically groomed for such purposes, Linglong’s only advantage was perhaps her experience in Purple Cloud Valley.

’Forget it. If my scheming affects his impression of Linglong, it would be more trouble than it’s worth.’

Lady Ye had initially thought of orchestrating something, but after some consideration, she shook her head. She wasn’t familiar with the Third Grade Spirit Chef. Since Linglong had the ability to bring him to the Ye Family, it was best for her not to overcomplicate things.

Three hours later, the sky began to brighten. A fluctuation of power at the Meridian Passage Late Stage emanated from the house. Lady Ye, who had been resting in the courtyard with her eyes closed, let out a sigh of relief. ’It seems my husband and I still have a chance to ascend to a higher realm in this lifetime.’

"My lady, I’ve broken through to the Meridian Passage Late Stage!"

A moment later, Ye Hui walked out of the house, his eyes filled with joy, like a child who had never grown up. Before Lady Ye could say a thing, he pulled her into an embrace.

Lady Ye, who had been about to say something, sighed helplessly and slowly relaxed, nestling into her husband’s arms.

AHEM, AHEM, AHEM...

Just as the two were about to speak, Ye Linglong’s voice came from outside the courtyard. Lady Ye patted her somewhat overexcited husband. Once he came back to his senses, the two slowly separated.

"You silly girl, come on in."

Lady Ye sat to the side, speaking with a helpless tone. The emotional knot between them had been untied, and this should have been the perfect moment to pour their hearts out to each other. But of course, Linglong had to come running in, completely ruining the mood.

"I’m only home for half a month. You’ll have plenty of time after I leave."

Ye Linglong walked slowly into the courtyard, her gaze shifting between her parents. ’In my memories, my parents had a good relationship, but they would never have embraced like that. It’s obvious Senior Brother’s Third Grade Spiritual Cuisine resolved the emotional burden between them. That’s why they’re so emotional.’

’If I’d known, I would have waited a bit longer before coming over.’ However, after sensing the Spiritual Power fluctuation, she had been desperate to know her father’s condition and hadn’t considered the timing.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Lady Ye shot Ye Hui a look. Under his wife’s gaze, Ye Hui sighed helplessly and turned to his daughter.

"Here." After a moment of silence, Ye Hui placed a deed recognized by the Great Xia Royal Family on the table. "The Patriarch sent this over a little while ago. Take it to your Senior Brother."

"Senior Brother probably doesn’t care about these things."

Ye Linglong picked up the deed and glanced at it. It was for a luxurious mansion with grounds estimated to be more than twice the size of the current Ye Mansion.

"In the future, people will definitely come to visit your Senior Brother. He can choose not to see them, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to turn anyone away. We can’t afford to offend them, nor is there any need to."

Ye Hui was very calm. Originally, it would have been impossible for him to become the Patriarch. The only reason he had managed it was because of his connection to the First Grade Spirit Chef from Purple Cloud Valley back then—the same Young Master his wife once followed.

Otherwise, even with the Ye Family’s internal problems, those people wouldn’t have been so eager to push him out of the family’s center of power. The only thing that caught everyone off guard was that his daughter had now become the junior sister of a Third Grade Spirit Chef. Even though he was only publicly known as a Second Grade Spirit Chef, it was enough to influence the Ye Family’s situation.

If he and his wife had any intention of getting involved with the Ye Family’s affairs again, they could have used this connection to reclaim the Patriarch position long ago.

"I understand, Father."

Ye Linglong nodded. She had some understanding of such matters. If those people came to visit her Senior Brother, he could turn them away directly. But if they came under the pretense of visiting the Ye Family, it would be very difficult for her family to refuse.

"Of course, this deed is also a small token of our appreciation. If you were to truly calculate its value, the entire Ye Family isn’t worth as much as a single portion of Third Grade Spiritual Cuisine, but we don’t have any more resources to offer."

Lady Ye nodded. It was a harsh reality, but that was their current situation. Their branch of the family once had several hundred members, but following the subsequent suppression by the Nangong Family, over ninety percent of them had chosen to leave. The few who remained eventually left without a word.

"You two just focus on your cultivation. I’ll ask Senior Brother if he needs anything."

Holding the deed, Ye Linglong slowly departed. ’Back on Purple Bamboo Peak, we’d already be eating breakfast by now.’ She still needed to take the ingredients over to her Senior Brother’s place. Although she really wanted her parents to get a few more servings of Spiritual Cuisine, it all depended on her Senior Brother’s mood.

***

"Is your breakfast always this lavish?"

Early in the morning, Liu Chen looked at the two cold dishes, a bowl of congee, and several steamed buns his junior sister had quickly whipped up, and couldn’t help but ask.

Although Liu Chen was very keen on improving as a Spirit Chef, especially after tasting delicious food, this quantity was a bit more than he had imagined.

"Please don’t make fun of me, Senior Brother. The Ye Mansion has been in decline for a long time. In the Imperial Palace, I doubt even the servants would eat this."

Ye Linglong waved her hand dismissively. She didn’t think much of it, having long grown accustomed to a simple life. It was only when that friend of hers, Ji Suyao, came to visit that she would bring some High Level ingredients.

But hearing her Senior Brother’s words, Ye Linglong still felt a little embarrassed. His Third Grade Spiritual Cuisine last night had solved her family’s greatest crisis, yet now all she had to offer him was this. It felt incredibly inadequate.

But at this hour, if she went out to buy more ingredients, they would definitely miss breakfast.

As for the ingredients her father had bought last night, they weren’t suitable for breakfast, and besides, she had already given them all to her Senior Brother.

"Let me see if I can turn these into Spiritual Cuisine. Still, this is much better than what I ate as a mortal. Back then, breakfast was little more than rice water."

Liu Chen shook his head, not paying mind to the deeper meaning in Junior Sister Linglong’s words. He simply began preparing Spiritual Cuisine according to the techniques he had memorized.

A short while later, steamed buns, congee, and cold dishes imbued with Spiritual Qi appeared before them. Liu Chen already knew the techniques for the congee and cold dishes; it was just a matter of having more ingredients. The steamed buns, however, were something he had never made before.

The first batch of steamed buns he made looked much worse than the ones his junior sister had demonstrated earlier, but they contained a considerable amount of Spiritual Power.

"You should let them rest for a moment after steaming before taking them out."

Ye Linglong stood beside him, her expression very serious. This was one of the few areas where she could actually help her Senior Brother.