Chapter 185: Just Pretend You Didn’t Hear That

Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Just Pretend You Didn’t Hear That

"You don’t mind, Senior Brother?"

Ji Suyao asked nervously. The advice from her elders and even her ancestors had always been to maintain a good relationship with her Senior Brother and to avoid offending him at all costs. This put her under immense pressure.

"What’s there to mind?"

Liu Chen glanced at Junior Sister Suyao in surprise, not quite understanding her train of thought. Certain things were unavoidable once he came to the Great Xia Imperial City. Even if his relationship with Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong wasn’t public knowledge throughout the city, it was an open secret to the Great Xia Royal Family and the Ye Family.

Under these circumstances, it was only natural for his two junior sisters to attract attention. If the current Ye Family residence wasn’t so remote and didn’t look like a place where a Cultivator would live, he figured someone would have already paid a direct visit this morning.

"That’s good. That’s good."

Ji Suyao patted her chest in relief. Ye Linglong, who had slowly walked over, reached out and poked her on the head before slowly sitting down in a nearby chair.

"Linglong!"

Ji Suyao spun around and glared at Ye Linglong. The fact that this girl had been alone with their Senior Brother for so long really unsettled her.

"You didn’t run away again, did you?"

Ye Linglong paid no mind to Ji Suyao’s glare, her thoughts drifting back to the last time. The girl had snuck away back then. Although there were certainly Guards arranged by a certain someone lurking in the shadows, it had still given her a fright.

Given Ji Suyao’s history of running away, it was very much in character for her to dash off before finishing her business with the Royal Family.

"Of course not! I left openly and properly. I even brought a gift that Grandpa asked me to pass on to Senior Brother."

Ji Suyao pouted, averted her gaze, and pulled a letter from her Storage Ring. Placing it on the table, she turned her burning gaze to her Senior Brother.

"A gift?"

Liu Chen picked up the letter. After getting an affirmative nod from Ji Suyao, he placed it directly into his Storage Ring. It wouldn’t be appropriate to open it right away; he’d better wait until his two junior sisters had left to see what it contained.

It was most likely the Magic he wanted. This would count as owing the Emperor a favor, but a single meal of Third Grade Spiritual Cuisine later should be enough to settle the matter.

"Let’s eat."

As an enticing aroma wafted through the air, Liu Chen began dishing rice into the bowls. Ji Suyao’s eyes instantly lit up, while Ye Linglong simply shook her head and started serving rice herself.

After dinner, Ji Suyao wanted to stay in one of the mansion’s other courtyards, but Ye Linglong dragged her away.

Liu Chen stared at the leftover portion of Third Grade Spiritual Cuisine, unsure of what to do with it. He had originally planned to give it to Junior Sister Linglong’s parents, but with Junior Sister Suyao’s return, that plan was off the table. It wouldn’t be right to give the final portion to either of his junior sisters, so he had no choice but to set it aside.

’I can’t sell it, and there’s no real point in saving it for tomorrow.’

Liu Chen pursed his lips. In the end, he sealed the leftover Spiritual Cuisine with the Solid Spirit Technique and stored it in his Storage Ring. He decided he would deal with it later, depending on the situation.

「Nightfall」

Liu Chen was still practicing the Eye-blocking Technique. Since he had already started cultivating this Magic, it was best to see it through to the end.

Most importantly, Liu Chen hadn’t yet thoroughly surveyed the area. Practicing Swordsmanship rashly in the courtyard could attract unwanted attention and risk exposing his hidden Cultivation.

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"Wouldn’t it be more convenient if we just lived at Senior Brother’s place?"

In the Ye Mansion, in the courtyard opposite the one Liu Chen once inhabited, Ji Suyao was lounging on a chair. She lazily watched Ye Linglong, who was preparing a menu nearby. "Since we’re going to keep visiting Senior Brother, why don’t we just live there?"

"It would be convenient, but what would you do if the Royal Family came looking for you?"

Ye Linglong glanced at her. As long as they asked, their Senior Brother certainly wouldn’t mind letting them use the empty rooms. But therein lay the problem: under normal circumstances, their Senior Brother would never receive guests.

Even if someone came to visit, he could pretend not to hear, and no one would say anything. But if they were living there, the Ye Family and the Royal Family would inevitably use their relationship as a pretext to visit.

Wouldn’t that be a huge hassle? Even living at the Ye Mansion couldn’t completely prevent it, but at least if nothing important came up, they’d have an excuse not to disturb their Senior Brother.

"I don’t know..."

Ji Suyao thought for a moment and finally shook her head. Her blood ties to the Royal Family were impossible to sever. If someone really used the excuse of looking for her to enter the mansion, it would be inappropriate for their Senior Brother not to show his face.

Ye Linglong looked up at her, her eyes filled with resignation. She also had no plans to linger at their Senior Brother’s home. It was best to just go over at mealtimes. For the rest of the day, it was more sensible to commute back and forth to keep their Senior Brother from being disturbed.

「The next morning」

Liu Chen walked out of his room and stretched. The sky had just begun to lighten, but he had already been practicing his Cultivation Technique for an hour. It was a habit he had formed on Purple Bamboo Peak. As long as circulating his Qi Refining Realm technique didn’t take too much time, he would continue this daily practice indefinitely.

Liu Chen had just finished preparing the Spiritual Cuisine when Ye Linglong arrived outside the mansion with a yawning Ji Suyao. Liu Chen sent a telepathic message for them to come in.

"Senior Brother, the Patriarch of the Ye Family will be coming this afternoon."

After breakfast, Ye Linglong spoke slowly as she cleared the dishes. This was news she had gotten from the Ye Family. The Ye Family Patriarch hadn’t been in the Great Xia Imperial City originally, but after receiving word that their Senior Brother was here, he had reportedly traveled through the night.

"Oh."

Liu Chen nodded. He didn’t have a good impression of the Ye Family Patriarch, but unfortunately, the man was the Patriarch. The Spirit Contract from his master specified severing ties with the family, not severing blood ties. Therefore, the decision required the Patriarch’s approval, not that of his two junior sisters’ parents.

"Senior Brother, my second uncle will probably come looking for you. He’s the Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty. If he comes looking for you using my name as an excuse, just pretend you didn’t hear him."

Ji Suyao said with a yawn. Since that fox had followed her here, her second uncle would definitely not stand by idly. Ji Suyao didn’t want to influence her Senior Brother’s judgment because of her.

"It’s no trouble."

Liu Chen glanced at Ji Suyao. He had no idea how much sleep she’d gotten. She’d been yawning up a storm when she arrived, ate with gusto, and now that she was done, she was back to yawning again.

"I’ll take Suyao to prepare the ingredients for lunch. Do you like fish, Senior Brother?"

With the important matters discussed, Ye Linglong pulled the drowsy Ji Suyao to her feet. In truth, she could handle these things by herself, but leaving Ji Suyao here would be a hassle if the Royal Family came looking for her. In the presence of this Royal Princess of the Great Xia, their Senior Brother would surely have to be more careful with his words.

"I’m fine with anything."

Liu Chen nodded and flicked out a Storage Ring.

The ingredients weren’t the most important part of Spiritual Cuisine. As long as the ingredients themselves contained Spiritual Qi, they could be cooked. The only difference was how much Spiritual Qi one could absorb afterward. And the Great Xia Imperial City definitely had Spirit Fish for sale.

"Then we’ll have steamed fish for lunch today."

Ye Linglong took the Storage Ring and quickly left, pulling the drowsy Ji Suyao along with her.