IW: Chapter 266 - Uncle Nine's Envy: As Expected of the Chosen One!
"Grandma originally didn't let me come, but I secretly snuck out!"
Snowflake took a small bite of her steamed bun, her little legs swinging back and forth unconsciously beneath her seat. Back when she was staying in Miao Jiang, her grandmother had always strictly forbidden her from venturing beyond the borders.
The outside world was far too chaotic and volatile these days. The old woman constantly worried that she would stumble into severe danger.
However, Snowflake's burning desire to see Bai Ye had ultimately overridden her obedience. She had quietly slipped away under the cover of night.
"Your grandmother almost certainly knows that you ran away."
Bai Ye reached over and gently patted Snowflake's head, his hand lightly smoothing her hair before he reminded her, "If you wanted to see me, didn't I explicitly tell you before? All you had to do was channel your spiritual energy into that token, and I would instantly know."
He truly hadn't expected Snowflake to completely abandon her people in Miao Jiang and journey all this way entirely on her own.
One had to remember that Snowflake held the revered position of Saintess. With her grandmother's eyes constantly monitoring her every move, it would be an absolute miracle if she could sneak out without the old matriarch discovering her absence immediately.
The most probable scenario was that she had been noticed right from the start, but they had deliberately chosen not to stop her.
"But I kept thinking, wouldn't it be so much better if I actually came in person?"
Snowflake murmured, her voice dropping. She hadn't been entirely sure if Bai Ye was currently in deep meditative seclusion or if he would even be willing to make the journey down to see her. She genuinely felt that by showing up in person, Bai Ye would feel the absolute depth of her sincerity, and she could also give him a wonderful surprise.
Because of that little hope, she had chosen to bypass the communication item entirely and traveled straight to his doorstep.
"Smells like the sour aroma of young love."
Ren Tingting, Ren Zhuzhu, and Ren Qingqing silently exchanged glances across the table, a knowing look passing through each of their eyes.
Although they had long accepted that remaining here meant they would inevitably have to witness these sweet interactions, they couldn't help but feel like massive, glaring light bulbs illuminating an awkward room.
Yet, despite the sudden wave of self-consciousness, none of the three women made any move to get up and leave.
It felt exactly like watching a romantic story unfold right in front of them; the two figures sitting together genuinely looked like a flawless, perfect match.
"Snowflake, if you ever want to come over in the future, you must still use the transmission method I gave you. Do not travel alone like this again. The trails outside are incredibly perilous right now, and don't forget that there is still a hidden traitor operating within your own borders."
Bai Ye spoke with heavy gravity. He knew exactly how those malicious rogue cultivators operated—they would only dare to target him by striking at the vulnerable people closest to him first.
His three female disciples lived and cultivated alongside him within the core boundaries of the mountain, meaning any enemy attempting to harm Ren Tingting and the others would first have to breach his personal defenses.
That was practically an impossible feat unless the adversary possessed absolute, overwhelming certainty of victory.
Therefore, Snowflake represented a much easier, highly exposed target. There were high-ranking members within the Miao Jiang hierarchy who were actively maintaining secret correspondence with Granny Wang.
The sole reason Granny Wang had been able to operate so flagrantly in that region for so long without facing an immediate, sweeping purge from the local forces was entirely due to the protection of that internal informant.
Granny Wang, the rogue occultists, and the internal mole.
Every single one of these threads revolved precisely around the corrupted Dead Dragon Vein.
According to the intelligence gathered during his previous investigations, there appeared to be an active, hidden Dragon Vein resting right within the heart of Miao Jiang's territory as well.
If those reports were accurate, then it was an absolute certainty that Snowflake, given her high-profile spiritual status as the Saintess, would eventually be dragged right into the center of the storm.
"Mhm, I understand."
Snowflake blinked her large, expressive eyes, tilting her head as she playfully stuck out her tongue in mild embarrassment. Even though Bai Ye was technically scolding her, she could easily hear the deep undertone of protective worry in his voice. Instead of feeling upset, a sweet warmth bloomed inside her chest.
Being genuinely cared for by the person you admire was truly a wonderful feeling.
"Daoist Priest, aren't you going to show me around the grounds?"
Snowflake asked eagerly, craning her small neck as she tried to peek past Bai Ye's broad shoulders to look deeper into the temple interior.
This was her very first time setting foot inside the ancestral home of the Shenxiao Sect.
Before embarking on her journey, she had listened to her grandmother recount tales of this lineage, giving her a rough understanding of the sect's historical standing and its current state.
Furthermore, Snowflake hadn't forgotten the details Bai Ye had shared with her during their previous meeting.
Aside from Bai Ye himself, the once-glorious Shenxiao Sect currently only housed a small handful of disciples.
Now the entire household relied on Bai Ye to support it.
She was curious about what it was like inside.
She had never been here before, and besides, if she were to marry Bai Ye in the future, would she have to meet the Patriarch?
She heard that Daoist sects would enshrine their Patriarchs.
"You can go in and look around, but we're leaving immediately."
"Leaving?"
Snowflake was a little surprised. Was she leaving just after arriving?
"It's Uncle Nine. He invited us over, saying he found something."
Ren Tingting explained.
Originally, they were indeed planning to leave, and it just so happened that Snowflake arrived. If she had been a little later, she probably would have been met with a closed door.
No, that's not right.
With that item, Master should be able to return.
In fact, Ren Tingting was also a little excited about going back.
She hadn't seen her father in a long time.
"Uncle Nine?! Are we going to Uncle Nine's place? Can I come along?"
Snowflake understood.
If she remembered correctly, Uncle Nine seemed to be from the Maoshan Sect.
He was in Ren Family Town, right?
Snowflake remembered Uncle Nine and Ma Ma Di from before.
She had a deeper impression of Uncle Nine.
If Bai Ye was going, he wouldn't just leave her here, would he?
Snowflake looked at Bai Ye timidly, as if she was very afraid that Bai Ye would leave her here.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Would he really leave her here?
"Mhm, then we won't look around. Let's go first, and after we've dealt with the matter, we can come back and see!"
Snowflake didn't want to delay Bai Ye's matters. Anyway, she was just curious about what was inside.
"Okay."
Uncle Nine probably wanted him to solve the problem in Teng Teng Town.
That place involved a Dragon Vein, and it would be good to resolve it sooner.
Since Snowflake said to come back and look later, there was no need to rush now.
"Master, we're all packed and ready to go."
Seeing Bai Ye's gaze fall on them, Ren Tingting and the two others also picked up their packed luggage and set off for Ren Family Town.
Ren Family Town, Yi Village.
Wencai straightened his clothes and looked into the distance, his eyes filled with anticipation.
A few days ago, he learned from Uncle Nine that Bai Ye would be coming, and the next day he went to buy new clothes.
Ever since he started diligently cultivating with Uncle Nine, although he was always the one holding them back.
But he had a little more money. Ever since Uncle Nine saw Ma Ma Di and his disciples, he was not as strict with Qiusheng and Wencai.
He loosened up a tiny bit on money, but he was still very strict with cultivation.
That's why Wencai had money to buy this.
As for Bai Ye coming or not, Wencai welcomed him, but not to this extent of formality.
The main reason was that Ren Tingting was coming back.
"Hey, you really look like a victorious rooster today!"
Qiusheng walked up to Wencai and gently patted Wencai's shoulder.
Compared to before, Qiusheng now had a touch more maturity.
He was no longer as impetuous. Thinking of Ren Tingting, Qiusheng couldn't help but sigh in his heart; she was probably the most beautiful person he had ever seen, and the one who had made Qiusheng's heart flutter back then.
Unfortunately, Qiusheng saw further than Wencai.
Ever since he witnessed Bai Ye's strength, Qiusheng also gave up the idea of pursuing Ren Tingting.
Firstly, in reality, her father was a landlord, so he and Ren Tingting were not a good match.
Secondly, both of them would embark on cultivation later, and Ren Tingting's talent was even better than his, which frustrated Qiusheng. Coupled with his gradually maturing mindset, he decided to focus on cultivation.
Qiusheng was no longer like before, but whenever he thought of this, Qiusheng still felt a little emotional. At least he had indeed met a girl who made his heart flutter back then.
"You don't understand, Tingting is coming back this time, I definitely have to leave a good impression!"
Wencai said, and then tidied his hairstyle.
He thought that since they hadn't seen each other for so long, leaving a good impression on Ren Tingting would definitely be fine.
Seeing his excitement, Qiusheng couldn't help but shake his head, but he didn't say anything to discourage Wencai.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you talking about, you fellow? My cousin won't like you!"
Awei flamboyantly slicked his hair with pomade.
Ever since he became Uncle Nine's disciple, he had reined himself in quite a bit, but when it came to Ren Tingting, he wouldn't admit defeat!
The reason he became a disciple back then was partly because he had seen the power of cultivators. If he could cultivate, he wouldn't care about being the Security Team leader anymore.
At the same time, it was also because of Ren Tingting. Ren Tingting went to cultivate, so if he didn't cultivate, wouldn't he have no chance in the future?
Seeing Awei's flamboyant look.
Wencai wanted to retort, but before the words could leave his mouth, a voice from behind startled them: "What are you three talking about here?"
"Master?!"
Wencai and Awei were startled.
If Uncle Nine knew that the two of them were just now vying for Ren Tingting's affection.
They would probably really get a severe beating from Uncle Nine later.
After all, they weren't even that dedicated to their cultivation.
Moreover, Uncle Nine had always taught them to be pure of heart and desire in cultivation.
As a result, they turned around and started pulling these stunts.
"Nothing, nothing."
The two exchanged glances, and then decided not to argue about who Ren Tingting liked anymore for now.
"Really?"
Uncle Nine raised an eyebrow. He had actually heard what the two of them were talking about earlier.
But he didn't want to pursue it too much.
It was just that Uncle Nine felt a little tired.
When would his two disciples become a little more stable?
He should have known better than to tell them that Bai Ye was coming here.
Now it's good, knowing Ren Tingting is coming, these two are like roosters trying to attract a mate.
"Of course it's true, truer than true, Master. You know, we're just welcoming Bai Ye Daoshi, we're all friends!"
Awei's mouth was like a machine gun; words sputtered out directly in a rush.
He was different from Wencai.
Now Awei had changed his strategy.
He wanted to curry favor with Bai Ye. As his cousin's teacher, if he could make Bai Ye happy, wouldn't his chances be greater than Wencai's?
"That's right, Master."
Seeing Uncle Nine's gaze fall on him, Wencai also nodded repeatedly. His mouth was slower, unlike Awei, who could lie through his teeth.
Seeing that both of them had become much more honest, Uncle Nine nodded with satisfaction.
However, he was still a little worried, so he reminded them, "Pay attention later, don't embarrass me!"
Uncle Nine was just afraid that these two were fine now, but wouldn't be later.
Looking at Qiusheng, Uncle Nine felt a little satisfied in his heart.
At least Qiusheng was relatively stable.
"Old ghost, the dishes have been bought. Bai Ye Daoshi won't mind, will he?"
In the distance, Ma Ma Di quickly walked back to Yi Village, carrying the vegetables he bought from town to Uncle Nine.
Ever since his failure in corpse-herding that time, he had been staying at Uncle Nine's place recently.
On one hand, his reputation had been ruined by his two disciples, A Hao.
This led to no one being willing to hire him for corpse-herding recently.
On the other hand, he wanted to settle down for a while, so he stayed here. Originally, he had decided to leave recently, but after hearing that Bai Ye was coming, Ma Ma Di also decided to stay here for a while longer.
After all, he owed Bai Ye a lot for what happened back then; otherwise, he might have really died.
"He won't mind."
"Bai Ye Daoist!"
"Bai Ye Daoshi!"
Hearing Bai Ye's voice, several people quickly looked in the direction of the sound.
Uncle Nine's face flashed with excitement as he stepped forward. The moment he approached Bai Ye, his heart couldn't help but be startled.
This aura seemed even more profound than the last time he saw him.
It seems Bai Ye has become stronger again?!
Indeed, comparing oneself to others really is infuriating!
Ever since being stimulated by Bai Ye, Uncle Nine had also been diligently cultivating.
However, in this era where spiritual energy was gradually dissipating, he felt as if his cultivation was always stuck, as if no matter how hard he tried to cultivate, he couldn't cross that threshold.
Now, he could only pray that after the Dragon Vein was restored, he would be able to break through his realm, or perhaps, with this merit, he could secure a good position after his death.
But that was a matter for later. Uncle Nine grinned and congratulated, "Daoist friend's cultivation has advanced a lot, congratulations! Congratulations!"
Uncle Nine's words were full of sincerity, and he was also happy for Bai Ye's improvement.
At the same time, he also felt that the stronger Bai Ye became, the smoother their future actions would be.
"Recently, I've had some insights, so my cultivation has improved. It seems Daoist brother has encountered a bottleneck in your cultivation recently?"
As Bai Ye spoke, Uncle Nine couldn't help but nod in agreement, "That's right. The spiritual energy is getting scarcer and scarcer, and I suppose my physique can't compare to yours, Daoist friend!"
Uncle Nine knew very well that the older he got, if he continued like this, he would only fall further behind Bai Ye.
However, he had already come to terms with it.
"Daoist brother, you don't have to belittle yourself. All of this is actually related to the Dragon Vein. Once we revive the Dragon Vein, with Daoist brother's talent, you will definitely be able to break through."
This wasn't Bai Ye flattering him; Uncle Nine himself was a genius in cultivation.
He was, after all, known as the'Saint Teacher of Ten Thousand Realms' and 'Novice Village Chief,' and he was also the protagonist of this world, with the blessing of world's luck.
In a world that emphasized luck, Uncle Nine's cultivation speed was not due to his own reasons, but due to the world itself.
If the Dragon Vein of this world was still intact and spiritual energy was abundant, Uncle Nine's strength would have been many levels higher than it was now.
One could only say that Liu Bowen's original intention in severing the Dragon Vein was indeed to prevent future cultivators from overthrowing the Ming Dynasty and to use the Dragon Vein to suppress the Ming Dynasty's destiny, but it also blocked the path of subsequent cultivators!