Chapter 79: Senior Brother May Go By Himself

Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Senior Brother May Go By Himself

"Not at all, Grand Elder. This is simply my duty."

Steward Lin bowed to the Grand Elder. He was responsible for matters concerning Inner Sect Disciples from Purple Bamboo Peak becoming Honored Guest Elders. Affairs related to the peak’s businesses had to be reported to the Peak Master, while those concerning Inner Sect Disciples had to be reported to the Third Elder and the Grand Elder.

Ordinarily, the Third Elder would have handled matters involving a regular Inner Sect Disciple himself. But after seeing the contents of the report today, he sent Steward Lin directly to the Grand Elder to inquire about the situation.

Usually, requests from other stewards were handled according to standard procedure, and those stewards would typically give him a heads-up. But today, while processing documents, he came across two names that demanded special attention.

The Yang Family wanted their own family member, Yang Haichen, to become an Honored Guest Elder. Under normal circumstances, Steward Lin might have even met the waiting Patriarch of the Yang Family for tea in the Marketplace outside Purple Cloud Valley. But now, everyone knew that Yang Haichen was the Grand Elder’s disciple.

So, he set that request aside and first dealt with the cases of two other newly promoted Inner Sect Disciples, which proceeded without any issues.

However, the final message—from the Ye Family, a family that could be considered in decline—mentioned another name that made him even more restless: Liu Chen.

A Second Grade Spirit Chef and a disciple of the acting Peak Master—either identity was enough to demand his utmost attention. So, he had come directly to the Grand Elder. The fact that Yang Haichen sold Spiritual Cuisine was no secret on Purple Bamboo Peak, which indicated that the two of them were on good terms.

Steward Lin didn’t believe a declining family like the Ye Family would dare to trifle with Purple Cloud Valley, but the matter still needed to be handled with caution.

Yang Haichen followed Steward Lin out of the Bamboo Garden. After walking for a long time, Yang Haichen suddenly noticed that Steward Lin had stopped up ahead.

"Young Friend Yang, do you know what connection Young Friend Liu has with the Ye Family?"

Steward Lin turned and voiced his confusion. In his mind, he only knew there were three disciples on the rear mountain—one man and two women. Liu Chen had become an Inner Sect Disciple directly due to his status as a Spirit Chef, but there was no news about the other two.

Since someone who understood the situation was right here, it would save him the trouble of looking up the names the two had registered with.

If the acting Peak Master had appeared frequently with the two, no one would have forgotten their names. The problem was, the acting Peak Master was barely seen a few times a month, let alone the others on the rear mountain.

"Reporting to the Steward, one of the two junior sisters on the rear mountain is surnamed Ye."

Yang Haichen replied respectfully. He was well aware of this information, but he didn’t know why Steward Lin was asking.

"We’re all on the same side here, no need to be so formal."

Steward Lin nodded, finally understanding the situation. According to the information he’d received, the Ye Family’s circumstances were grim; they were even being relentlessly pressured by the Nangong Family. Under these conditions, it was perfectly logical for a junior sister to request her senior brother to become an Honored Guest Elder.

As for the Nangong Family... one could only wish them well.

’The status of a Second Grade Spirit Chef was enough to resolve the issue, to say nothing of him also being the acting Peak Master’s disciple.’

"I’ll have to trouble you, Young Friend, to go to the rear mountain and ask Young Friend Liu to come down to discuss the details with the Ye Family."

Steward Lin turned to Yang Haichen. Stewards were originally allowed to go to the rear mountain to report on Purple Bamboo Peak’s affairs, but that had only lasted for three days. Then, the acting Peak Master directly forbade stewards from going there to make reports.

It wasn’t clear what exactly had happened. However, rumor had it that the acting Peak Master was taking a stroll on the rear mountain with his Dao companion when a certain steward barged in to give a report. That colleague hadn’t been seen back for seven or eight years now; he was supposedly sent to oversee a mine somewhere.

"Please wait a moment, Steward. I’ll go get Junior Brother Liu."

Yang Haichen nodded. He didn’t know much about the Ye Family’s situation, but since this steward had managed to find his way here, it proved the Ye Family had already contacted Purple Bamboo Peak. Regardless, it was something Junior Brother Liu needed to know.

Steward Lin nodded, and Yang Haichen hurried off toward the rear mountain.

"Junior Brother Liu~"

Senior Brother Yang’s voice came from outside the bamboo forest. Liu Chen, who was practicing the Cyan Lotus Demon-Slaying Sword, put away his Bamboo Sword. He glanced at his two junior sisters, whose Body Tempering was nearly complete, and after confirming that there would be no mishaps, he walked out of the forest.

"What is it, Senior Brother?"

Seeing Senior Brother Yang, Liu Chen asked casually. The two of them had become quite familiar with each other, so all the unnecessary formalities were no longer needed.

"Junior Brother, Steward Lin from Hundred Affairs Peak sent me to find you. He said it’s to discuss becoming the Ye Family’s Honored Guest Elder. You know about this, right?"

Yang Haichen asked. ’If Junior Brother Liu doesn’t know, then the Ye Family is in big trouble. But if he does, then it proves that Junior Sister Ye was the one behind all of this.’

"I already promised Junior Sister Ye. Wait a moment, Senior Brother. I’ll go ask if she wants to come with me."

Liu Chen nodded. ’The Ye Family is much slower than I expected,’ he thought. ’But Purple Cloud Valley was sealed during the Inner Sect Disciple assessment. Even if they had come then, they would have had to wait in the Marketplace outside the valley.’

That Marketplace was controlled by Purple Cloud Valley, but it was still different from the area within the valley itself.

Besides the Hundred Affairs Hall, which was generally used for trade within Purple Cloud Valley, each peak also had its own smaller, spontaneously formed marketplaces. Under normal circumstances, disciples would frequent the external Marketplace, but during the assessment period, they probably couldn’t even see a Purple Cloud Valley disciple, let alone a Steward from Purple Bamboo Peak.

"Of course. Go ahead, Junior Brother."

Yang Haichen nodded. ’Since Liu Chen knows about it, there shouldn’t be any problem. Still, the Ye Family will probably have to pay a considerable amount of Spirit Stones each month.’

"Wait here a moment, Senior Brother."

Liu Chen walked back into the bamboo forest. He returned to where his two junior sisters were cultivating; they had just finished their Body Tempering.

"Linglong, people from the Ye Family are here. Do you want to go and see them with me?"

Liu Chen asked the still-confused Ye Linglong directly. She had been the one to bring up the matter; one could even say she had orchestrated it herself. Now that only the final step remained, she needed to be aware of it no matter what.

"You can go on your own, Senior Brother. If I go, the Ye Family might try to press their advantage."

Ye Linglong shook her head. According to the information she had received, her branch of the family was still on the fringes of the Ye Family. Even if she helped make this happen, her branch definitely wouldn’t be the ones negotiating with her senior brother in the end. That being the case, it was better for her not to show her face.

"I see. In that case, I’ll go."

Liu Chen nodded and turned to leave. ’Since my junior sister doesn’t want to go, I’ll just go by myself. This shouldn’t be too difficult. The Inner Sect Disciple assessment is over, and the Ye Family managed to contact Purple Bamboo Peak this quickly, so they must have gotten the news.’

"Do you think I should also have my family contact our senior brother?"

After Liu Chen left, Ji Suyao, who now understood what was happening, couldn’t help but look at Ye Linglong. Since their senior brother had agreed to help Ye Linglong, he would surely agree to help her too. After spending so much time together, she was at least that confident.

"You’d best ask our master about that. The Great Xia Royal Family has ties to the Three Immortal Sects. Our senior brother’s status is too unique; it might not be feasible."