Chapter 159: No Trouble at All

Chapter 159: Chapter 159: No Trouble at All

"Senior Brother, what are worldly ties?"

On a small path in the bamboo forest, halfway along their walk, Ji Suyao finally voiced the question that had been troubling her. She didn’t truly understand what worldly ties meant, or how she was supposed to sever them.

"It just means you tell your family that from now on, Master will decide all your affairs. Your parents are still your parents, but that’s all they are. After Senior Brother Yang became an Inner Sect Disciple, he was treated as an Honored Guest Elder by the Yang Family, not as one of their own. It will be the same for you two from now on."

Liu Chen explained casually. He himself was all alone in the world and had never experienced this so-called severing of worldly ties. But based on what Senior Brother Yang had said back then, this was what he could gather: parents were still parents, elders were still elders, and if one had any friends in the mortal world, they would likely still be friends.

The only difference was that to the family, an Honored Guest Elder was ultimately not one of their own. In the future, you might not participate in some family matters, but in return, if the family got into any trouble, you wouldn’t be affected.

And that was the situation now. Purple Cloud Valley’s resources would always surpass those of an ordinary family, to say nothing of the Mo Family—which, though they hadn’t seen its full extent, was certain to be even more powerful than Purple Cloud Valley.

The Stewards and Elders within Purple Cloud Valley might have once been members of a certain family, but now they were just a part of Purple Cloud Valley. Perhaps at the beginning, the connection between a Purple Cloud Valley disciple and their family was still close, but with the inevitable shifts of power and passage of time within the family, that connection would ultimately vanish completely.

That would be the true severing of worldly ties. And by the time his two junior sisters went to the Mo Family and then returned or passed through this place again, it was questionable whether the Great Xia Dynasty would even still exist.

"I see."

Ye Linglong, who was beside them, nodded. She understood. Back when she was still part of the Ye Family, the family Elders could arbitrarily decide her marriage. But after signing the Spirit Contract, the Ye Family could no longer control her choices.

As for her parents, it wouldn’t affect the bond between them, but she would be going to the Mo Family soon, and it would likely be a very long time before she saw them again. Worse, by the time she returned, she might only find their graves.

At this thought, Ye Linglong felt a wave of sadness. Ji Suyao, who was listening with only partial understanding, couldn’t help but glance at Ye Linglong. Already confused, she now felt even more bewildered.

However, this didn’t change anything. In the end, the three of them each returned to the Bamboo Garden.

Liu Chen took the three tattered secret manuals that had originally come with the storage ring and placed them on his desk.

"This is the Fire Dragon Technique. You can practice it in the future; at least it’s an Intermediate Magic. As for the other two secret manuals, one is the refining method for the Fire Dragon Sword, and the other is the refining method for the Fire Dragon Armor.

The Fire Dragon Valley of the past actually managed to obtain the corresponding Artifact Refining Technique. If nothing unexpected had happened, Fire Dragon Valley might have produced a true Artifact Refiner. Perhaps this is the truth behind Fire Dragon Valley’s destruction..."

After flipping through the three old books, Liu Chen set the matter aside for the time being. He then spent some time studying a secret manual that, judging by the handwriting, seemed to have been written by his mistress. It recorded thirty-three types of magic: twenty-four Basic Magic Techniques, eight Intermediate Magic, and one Advanced Magic.

’This is quite comprehensive. But why would Mistress have mastered the Soul Locking Technique and Puppetry Technique?’

Liu Chen briefly looked through the magic. The most conspicuous among them wasn’t the Advanced Magic, but two skills that wouldn’t seem out of place in the hands of an Evil Cultivator: the Soul Locking Technique and the Puppetry Technique.

As their names implied, the former used a special Dharma Seal to lock a Cultivator’s soul, while the latter, in addition to controlling refined puppets, could also turn a living Cultivator into a puppet.

Combining these two types of magic would allow one to refine a living person into a puppet. And if one had other needs, like Nangong Mu, they could even be refined into a Furnace Cauldron.

And a nearly perfect Furnace Cauldron at that. The Soul Locking Technique would seal the soul, the Puppetry Technique would control the body, and if you added a spell planted in the soul to be detonated when necessary, you’d basically be a top-tier Evil Cultivator.

’My disguise as the Hundred Ghosts Elder will be even more flawless in the future. An upgraded Hundred Ghosts Elder, even.’

Liu Chen shook his head, not dwelling on the matter. Although this kind of magic was difficult to cultivate, it was easy enough to purchase. It was most likely a trophy of war from his mistress’s past.

Even though he had suddenly obtained so much magic, Liu Chen wouldn’t let it affect his own cultivation plan.

Late at night, he continued to practice his Cultivation Technique and the Bright Eyes Technique. October 2nd arrived as scheduled. Liu Chen methodically completed his cultivation practice, then went to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast.

[Spirit Chef Proficiency +50]

"Which of you wants to deliver food to Master and Mistress?"

After breakfast was ready, Liu Chen looked at his two junior sisters and placed the food container on the table.

"I’ll go."

Ji Suyao quickly got up, took the food container, and scurried off. Liu Chen’s gaze fell on Ye Linglong.

Ji Suyao wasn’t usually this eager. It was obvious they had planned this beforehand. Under these circumstances, Ye Linglong most likely had something to discuss with him.

"Senior Brother, after we return to the Mo Family, will you no longer be the Ye Family’s Honored Guest Elder?"

As expected, Ye Linglong didn’t hesitate for long and directly asked the question on her mind. Returning to the Mo Family was now unavoidable. Although her experiences with her own family had left mostly bad impressions, her parents still had to rely on them.

"That’s right. But you don’t need to worry, Junior Sister. When the time comes, I can help the Ye Family connect with a senior brother who’s easy to get along with. That way, you won’t have to worry about the Ye Family losing Purple Cloud Valley’s protection."

Liu Chen thought for a moment. Once they were gone, even if the Ye Family wanted to pay with Spirit Stones for protection, there would be no one to accept the offer. Since they were going to spend the Spirit Stones anyway, finding a reliable-looking senior brother shouldn’t be a big problem. If he remembered correctly, Senior Brother Ren from before still had a spot for a Servant.

Even if that senior brother couldn’t become the Ye Family’s Honored Guest Elder, accepting a member of the Ye Family as a Servant seemed like another way to solve the problem.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Senior Brother."

Ye Linglong finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although she understood that their next meeting might be their last, she still wanted to ensure her parents’ safety was guaranteed.

"It’s no trouble. No trouble at all."

Liu Chen shook his head. This kind of arrangement—getting Spirit Stones for doing very little—was something any Inner Sect Disciple would want. The only problem was that Liu Chen didn’t know how those Inner Sect Disciples would actually treat the Ye Family.

The few senior brothers Liu Chen was familiar with all had families of their own backing them, so he could only consider the Servant option. However, compared to an Inner Sect Disciple becoming a Ye Family Honored Guest Elder, if a Ye Family disciple became a Servant, they would be considered one of Purple Cloud Valley’s own people.

Before long, Ji Suyao returned. Breakfast proceeded as usual. Or rather, the morning’s cultivation practice proceeded as usual—dull and tedious, but at least it was peaceful.

In the afternoon, just as Liu Chen finished circulating his cultivation technique, his master appeared directly in the Bamboo Garden.

"Let’s begin refining the Spirit Ghost."