Chapter 1038 - 479: Qing Jun’s Shell; Secret of the White Fox (Part 2)

"Wow! So hot! Master, something crawled into Qing Jun’s belly!"

The little girl was startled, tears welling up as she looked at her master,

"Master, what should I do? Qing Jun’s belly is all warm, will I give birth to little dragon babies..."

Chen Ye’s face turned dark:

"What little dragon babies! What’s going on in that brain of yours with all these crazy ideas? Didn’t you feel the same way when you ate dragon scales back then?"

"Well... but it’s really so hot, much worse than that time, like there’s a little furnace stuffed inside my belly."

Qing Jun covered her round little belly with her small hands, sniffing pitifully, looking at Chen Ye with puppy eyes, the picture of utter misery,

"Master, what if I really give birth to little dragon babies? Should we name one Chen Jin then? Then Qing Jun’s daughter would be Jin’er, hehe..."

Chen Ye was completely amused and angered by the nonsense of this girl:

"...You’ve got the seniority sequence all figured out, huh."

He could see that this little girl was just playing the fool!

And beside her, Jin’er was grinding her teeth:

"Xu Qingjun, stop talking nonsense! And you can’t joke about Master, why should your little dragon baby have the surname Chen!"

Qing Jun replied righteously:

"What’s wrong with that! Qing Jun is Master’s apprentice, so Qing Jun’s little baby should be under Master’s name too! Jin’er, I’m doing this for you, that way you would be my daughter, let’s see how you can complain about me to Master every day then, hehe..."

Chen Ye ignored the bickering of his two apprentices.

Since Qing Jun still had the energy to bicker with Jin’er, it seemed like there was no real problem.

Chen Ye reached out a large hand to clasp his apprentice’s wrist, carefully investigating.

The apprentice’s pulse was steady, with those shell fragments turned into innate origin energy, dormant in the depths of the dantian.

It seemed that her extraordinary constitution came into play again, sealing this vast energy within her body to be slowly digested.

Simply put, this white-haired girl didn’t even need to go into seclusion to cultivate.

She didn’t even need to move; her body would naturally break through her cultivation bottleneck during her daily activities.

"Master... is Qing Jun really going to have little dragon babies?"

Seeing her master not speaking for a long time, the little girl grew timid again, tears welling up as she looked at him.

"Rest assured, everything’s normal. Since you’re here, why don’t you cultivate in this cold pool for a while? As Jin’er would say, it’s like taking a bath, purifying the turbid energy."

Chen Ye comforted with a smile.

Unexpectedly,

as soon as he said this, all three apprentices looked at him in unison, which made Chen Ye feel a bit uneasy and asked puzzledly:

"What? Are you reluctant because it’s cold?"

Only then did the apprentices snap back to reality.

The eldest apprentice calmly brushed off the cold mist from her sleeves.

"Yes, apprentice will obey Master’s command."

The young girl slightly bowed, her tone calm, as she slowly and methodically took down the four gourd swords, placing them neatly on the green stone by the shore.

But in reality, her pale fingers hidden in her wide sleeves were unconsciously curling slightly.

"Taking a... bath?"

"How can Master say such things so openly..."

"Though cultivators aren’t bound by trivialities, really having to shed clothes in front of Master to enter the water, this is just... too bewildering."

She thought to herself.

Yet, the next moment Master spoke again:

"You all stay here to cultivate well, I have some matters to attend to and will go back first. After training, return to the guest courtyard."

As he waved his long sleeves, a breeze arose, and he strode out of the restricted area of the cold pool.

"Huh? Master, you’re not going to bathe?" Qing Jun craned her neck, shouting somewhat disappointedly.

"I have important matters to handle."

Chen Ye’s clear voice slowly drifted over with the mountain wind,

"Elder Xu is hosting a grand Golden Core banquet today, with esteemed figures of Yan Kingdom gathering at Dragon Sleep Mountain, of course I need to meet them."

"Oh..." Qing Jun was somewhat disappointed.

As for Zhiwei, she looked at the departing back of her master, then lowered her head to see her own fingers already undoing her outer robe.

The girl’s mind went blank with a buzz.

Turns out, from the start, she was the only one daydreaming...

Luckily, Master was striding away quickly, not noticing her embarrassment.

And fortunately, the two junior sisters beside her, one was busy holding her belly, the other teasing Qing Jun, none noticed her embarrassing action just now.

"Hey? Senior sister, what are you doing? You’re so quick, taking off all your clothes!" a curious girl asked.

"Xu Qingjun, why are you still standing there? The master has already left, hurry and get into the pool! Don’t waste any more time." The senior sister’s tone was icy.

"Oh... Senior sister, why so harsh all of a sudden? It’s scary..."

...

At this moment,

The official ceremony was completed, the extraordinary celestial phenomena spread across the sky faded, yet the main hall was still bustling with people. It was the time for Loose Cultivators and sect cultivators to socialize and exchange.

Fragrant incense wafted throughout the hall, and celestial music flowed like water.

Famed figures, seldom seen, gathered in this place.

For this grand ceremony, even the long-isolated Refining God Sect broke precedent and sent two cultivators with grand gifts.

"Hmm? That is..."

Chen Ye’s gaze shifted, landing on a table not far away.

There sat a young man clad in a plain Taoist robe, washed to a slight fading. The man was thin, with a black, heavy, bladeless sword across his knees, standing out amidst the noble family cultivators who crowded around.

At the moment, he was drinking spiritual wine alone, his expression calm.

"Why do I keep seeing him?"

Chen Ye was surprised.

This person was named Jian Gu, who once aided him in the Songyang Cave Heaven. Later, according to Zhiwei, Jian Gu came to Baopu Peak, seemingly inquiring about Chen Ye in secret.

Upon seeing Jian Gu,

Chen Ye couldn’t help but think of the little white fox that had been sleeping recently, and so he set his mind to approach him:

"Fellow Daoist Jian, it’s been a long time."

Jian Gu’s fingers paused on the wine cup, raising his eyes.

Seeing Chen Ye, his expression showed a slight change of surprise:

"Taoist Friend Chen... Long time no see."

His gaze lingered on Chen Ye for a moment, his eyes slightly amazed.

In his perception, the Chen Ye before him was like the East Sea, unfathomable, with cultivation far surpassing his own.

"Back when we first met in Songyang Cave Heaven, his cultivation was still below mine. Yet now... I can no longer see through him."

Jian Gu pondered internally, increasingly certain of his conjecture,

"Even for a prodigy, the speed of cultivation couldn’t be this rapid... Unless there’s a Nascent Soul True Monarch behind him!"

In the current Yan Kingdom, who could be a Nascent Soul True Monarch?

Only that first cultivator of Yan Kingdom!

And only she could resolve the internal conflict of the Refining God Sect!

Jian Gu stood tall, appearing composed as he remarked, "Since parting years ago, I knew Taoist Friend Chen was destined for greatness. Seeing you now, indeed your fortune is enviable."

"Fellow Daoist Jian overpraises; it’s merely the result of accumulated efforts,"

Chen Ye replied with a faint smile, pulling out a wooden chair beside him and sitting down, glancing at Jian Gu’s solid Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer, nodding inwardly.

This person’s foundations were well-built, certainly able to break through to the late-stage Foundation Establishment and possibly Core Formation.

Curiously, he asked, "Fellow Daoist Jian, which elder of the Refining God Sect are you accompanying today?"

Seeing Chen Ye take the initiative, Jian Gu also sat back down.

He shifted the heavy sword on his knee inward, replying solemnly:

"It is my father, named with Iron above and Clothing below. He has reached the Ninth Layer Foundation Establishment. As the sect elders are occupied, my father came to represent the sect with gifts, and I’m merely accompanying for support."

Upon Jian Gu’s self-introduction, Chen Ye’s fingers paused on his wine cup.

Jian Tieyi.

He had heard of this name before.

The man was already a renowned Great Cultivator in the Yan Kingdom’s cultivation realm, his mastery of the heavy sword unparalleled in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Moreover, he was in his prime, likely to achieve Core Formation, and his son too was highly gifted, their family a pair of shining stars.

"So it is Elder Jian,"

Chen Ye expressed,

"With such teachings, outstanding disciples are surely produced. I’ve long heard of your father’s reputation. Seeing Fellow Daoist Jian’s Sword Bone now, the rumors seem true."

Normally, people would continue with small talk in response to such compliments, but Jian Gu, being a straightforward Ascetic Cultivator, lowered his eyes and directly transmitted:

"Taoist Friend Chen’s praise is too much. I wonder what brings you here today? If there’s anything my father or I can assist with, you may speak plainly."

Jian Gu gazed directly at Chen Ye, his straightforward inquiry driven by the urgency of his conjecture.

Hmm?

Chen Ye’s heart skipped a beat.

This fellow’s gaze was so intense...

"Fellow Daoist Jian is indeed straightforward. Since you’ve asked, I won’t hide it. My visit today, besides congratulating Elder Xu, does indeed aim to take advantage of this grand ceremony with sects and families gathered to uncover certain matters... such as the long-missing True Monarch Ye."