Stop grinding, I'm really just a free spirit.

Chapter 25 True Disciple

Spirit Sword Sect.

Lingfeng Peak stands tall, piercing the clouds.

A cave halfway up a mountain, carved out of an unnamed hill.

The entrance to the cave is hidden deep in the bamboo forest, with only a corner of the white jade archway visible, which looks inconspicuous.

After passing through the archway and entering the cave, one finds a completely different world.

A magnificent hall stands prominently, unlike the glittering pavilions in the market, it resembles a secluded Taoist temple, surrounded by sacred pines and cypresses, and small pavilions for resting.

The interior furnishings were similarly understated, exuding an air of refined elegance.

The floor was paved with jade bricks, polished to a mirror shine. Several pearl-shaped luminous stones, no bigger than a fist, were embedded in the four walls, illuminating the hall just right without being too dazzling.

In the reception area of ​​the main hall, a scroll painting hangs in the center, depicting a white-robed Taoist priest flying on a sword. The brushstrokes are sparse and elegant, and with just a few strokes, a sense of soaring spirit is conveyed.

Yao Ye sat in the armchair in front of the painting.

He wore a moon-white, wide-sleeved Taoist robe, with small sword patterns embroidered on it in silver thread; this was the specific attire for inner disciples.

He had a handsome face, but his brows carried a hint of nonchalant weariness.

His left hand rested on the table, his fingertips gently tapping a jade slip, while his right hand held a cup of tea. The aroma of tea mingled with the smoke of sandalwood, filling the room with a fragrant mist.

Xue Zhen lay prostrate on the jade bricks, his forehead almost touching the ground.

His drab, coarse cloth Taoist robe clashed with the style of the hall, and the iron sword emblem on his chest was damp with cold sweat.

Yao Ye didn't look at him.

He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and his gaze fell on the clear pool outside the window, as if he were watching the few koi swimming around.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his tone indifferent: "Found it?"

"Reporting to young master, we've found it."

Xue Zhen quickly raised his head, his sallow face plastered with a fawning smile. "The mother and daughter are hiding in a dilapidated house outside the market. I have sent Xue Pan and Xue Shan to guard them day and night to ensure their safety."

"Three months."

Yao Ye's gaze remained fixed on the window, her voice devoid of emotion, "Xue Zhen, how long have you been following me?"

Xue Zhen's smile froze for a moment, and his voice involuntarily lowered: "Three years."

Three years.

Yao Ye finally turned her head and glanced at him. Her gaze wasn't particularly sharp, but it made Xue Zhen break out in another cold sweat.

"For the next three years, I will give you the title of outer disciple, the lucrative position of managing Mingzhen Workshop, and spirit stones to support your cultivation every now and then."

He placed the teacup on the table, making a soft clinking sound. "Now I'm sending you to find two mortals, and you've been searching for three months."

Is this your explanation to me?

Xue Zhen kowtowed sharply, his forehead striking the jade brick with a dull thud: "Young Master, please calm down! The truth is that the mother and daughter somehow got wind of our whereabouts and changed their hiding place time and time again. Your subordinate..."

"I don't want to hear this."

Yao Ye interrupted him.

He stood up and slowly walked to Xue Zhen, the hem of his moon-white robe casting a faint shadow on the jade bricks.

Xue Zhen only saw a pair of plain cloud-patterned shoes stop in front of him, and he didn't even dare to breathe.

"Do you know what I want this mother and daughter for?" Yao Ye asked.

"Your subordinate dares not make any presumptuous speculations."

"Wang Weizhi, Senior Brother Wang."

Yao Ye slowly uttered a name, "A true disciple of the Spirit Sword Sect, the third disciple under the sect leader."

Next spring, the sect will select a new batch of true disciples. Although I am an inner disciple, I am still lacking in both cultivation and seniority.

Senior Brother Wang has influence with the sect leader.

He paused, a hint of coldness creeping into his voice: "He's a capable man."

But this talented person doesn't have a very outgoing personality.

He had two great loves in life: swords and women, especially mothers and daughters.

Xue Zhen lay on the ground, not daring to reply.

"If I handle this well, Senior Brother Wang will naturally speak up for me. If I mess it up—"

Yao Ye bent down, leaned close to Xue Zhen's ear, and whispered, "You've been through more than just a little bit of pain."

"Rest assured, young master!"

Xue Zhen trembled, his voice becoming shrill, "I'll personally handle it right away, and I guarantee it will be done perfectly!"

"There's no need to rush."

Yao Ye straightened up and walked back to sit down in front of the armchair. "Senior Brother Wang is in the Ten Directions Mountains with the sect to fight the beast tide. He won't be back for at least ten days to half a month. Sending him here now would only make things more difficult to settle him down."

He picked up his teacup again, his tone returning to its previous calm: "Just keep an eye on them, don't let them run away again."

I know Senior Brother Wang's temperament best—he wants someone lively and obedient.

If it terrifies someone, it becomes worthless.

"Understood!" Xue Zhen kowtowed three times and, as if granted a pardon, backed out of the main hall.

He walked out of the bamboo forest, stood outside the archway, and exhaled a long breath of stale air.

A mountain breeze blew by, and the cold sweat on his back was abruptly stirred by the wind, sticking coolly to his spine.

Xue Zhen wiped the sweat from his forehead, and a sinister look gradually appeared on his sallow face.

"Xue Pan and Xue Shan, those two idiots, I hope nothing went wrong." He spat and strode down the mountain.

Long nights bring many dreams.

Let's go check again and keep a firm grip on them, since our lives and fortunes are at stake.

……

……

Wei Bo led Chen Bai out of the west gate of the market, and walked more than a mile west, entering a crooked shantytown.

The alley was narrow and sewage flowed everywhere. The mud-brick houses on both sides were crowded together, with peeling paint on the walls. The air was filled with a sour smell of garbage and animal excrement.

"They live here?" Chen Bai frowned.

"We didn't live here before."

Wei Bo said in a low voice, "When Qi Jing was alive, there was a small courtyard in Mingzhenfang."

Later, the person disappeared, the rent stopped, and the mother and daughter were evicted. After hiding for two months, I finally found a place to stay here.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wei Bo stopped at a corner and gestured ahead with his lip: "That's the one."

The one squatting by the door is Xue Pan.

Chen Bai leaned against the corner of the wall and peeked out.

About ten steps away was a mud-brick house with its doors and windows tightly closed. A burly man with broad shoulders and a thick waist was squatting at the door, dressed in a coarse brown robe with bulging muscles on his arms, idly munching on half a dry biscuit.

Beside the burly man's feet lay a short stick, its blade gleaming with oil, worn smooth from years of handling.

"What about the other one?"

"There's someone guarding the back window. I'll go distract him; you can handle the one in front."

After saying this, Wei Bo straightened his clothes and went around to the back of the house from the other side of the alley.

Chen Bai then walked straight out.

Xue Pan was chewing on a dry biscuit when he heard footsteps. He looked up, squinted, and grinned, "Oh, isn't that that pretty boy surnamed Chen?"

He stood up, grabbed a short stick from beside him, and sized Chen Bai up and down. "Three months have passed, and you've changed into clean clothes, looking all respectable. What are you doing in this godforsaken place?"

"I'm taking the people inside with me," Chen Bai said bluntly.