The morning sunlight filtered through a thin mist and fell across the medicine garden. Chen Yang had not slept all night, yet he was full of energy.
He first fertilized the spirit herbs in the medicine fields, then watered them carefully. Watching the dew-kissed plants shimmer with a soft glow in the early light, he felt a rare sense of contentment.
With his chores done, he set off for Butterfly Valley to visit Liu Yiyi.
The valley was alive with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers — a world apart from the quiet of the medicine garden, brimming with vibrant life.
Several Butterfly Orchids grew in front of the small cottage where Liu Yiyi lived. They were in full bloom, their pale violet petals swaying gently in the breeze.
Liu Yiyi was resting against her headboard. When she saw Chen Yang arrive, a look of delighted surprise broke across her pale face. "Brother Chen, what brings you here?"
"I came to check on your injuries." Chen Yang walked to her bedside and studied her complexion carefully. "You look better than yesterday."
Liu Yiyi gazed at him with gratitude. "It's all thanks to your help yesterday, Brother Chen. Otherwise..." She left the words unfinished, but the lingering fear in her eyes said everything.
Just then, Xiaochunhua walked in carrying a steaming bowl of porridge. Seeing Chen Yang there as well, her eyes lit up.
"Senior Brother Chen, your timing is perfect — I just made some porridge for Sister Liu."
"Let me feed her," Chen Yang said, taking the bowl.
Xiaochunhua grinned and handed it over. "Then I'll leave it to you, Senior Brother Chen."
Chen Yang carefully scooped up a spoonful of porridge, blew on it gently to cool it, and brought it to Liu Yiyi's lips.
Liu Yiyi felt a little embarrassed, but she opened her mouth and ate.
Xiaochunhua watched from the side, then suddenly burst out giggling.
"You two really look like a married couple," she teased. "You're both Menial Disciples in the medicine garden — why not just become cultivation partners?"
Liu Yiyi's expression shifted at once. She said hurriedly, "Chunhua, don't talk nonsense! A wilted flower like me — how could I ever be worthy of Brother Chen?" She lowered her head, her voice growing smaller. "If Brother Chen doesn't mind, I would be glad to serve by his side at any time, but the name of wife or concubine... I dare not dream of such a thing."
Chen Yang said earnestly, "Junior Sister Liu, please don't speak of yourself that way. You have a kind heart — you are a good person. Don't sell yourself short."
Liu Yiyi's expression dimmed for a moment, and she managed only a faint smile.
Seeing this, Xiaochunhua chimed in.
"What does it matter that we came from a brothel? That was simply the misfortune of us women of the pleasure quarters. Now we've both joined an immortal sect — and Senior Brother Chen is so capable. I admire him greatly myself."
As she spoke, she leaned lightly against Chen Yang. "Sister Liu and I could both serve Senior Brother Chen."
Chen Yang cleared his throat. He hadn't expected Xiaochunhua to be so direct.
But she only grew more animated.
"If Senior Brother Chen hadn't been there yesterday, who knows what Li Baode and Zhang Sheng would have done to us. If I could be with Senior Brother Chen day and night, that would be more than I could ask for."
She blinked her wide eyes and asked with deliberate innocence, "Could it be that Senior Brother Chen finds Sister Liu not pretty enough? Or that he finds me plain? That my figure isn't as good as Sister Liu's?" She straightened up pointedly. "Even if we came from a brothel, we know better than most how to take care of a man. We'd make sure Senior Brother Chen was thoroughly pampered."
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Chen Yang coughed twice, his face growing warm.
This Xiaochunhua was truly a handful. It was no surprise — yesterday's rescue had clearly left a deep impression on her.
When a woman faces danger and a man steps forward to protect her, it is all too easy for him to find a place in her heart.
He deliberately changed the subject. "Did Li Baode come to cause trouble again last night?"
Xiaochunhua saw that he wasn't taking the bait and gave a soft huff, turning her head away.
Liu Yiyi answered, "He didn't come. But..." She hesitated. "You injured Li Baode yesterday. I'm afraid the consequences won't be pleasant."
"Why?" Chen Yang asked.
Liu Yiyi said with worry, "Li Baode has an uncle named Li Wantian, who is a laborer steward among the outer disciples. If we've offended him, he's sure to come looking for trouble."
Chen Yang asked about Li Wantian's cultivation level. Liu Yiyi said he was probably around the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm.
Chen Yang understood the situation. He himself was currently at the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, but without any spell techniques to back him up, he truly needed to train harder.
Fortunately, the Silver-Haired Senior had gifted him a Flying Sword and a cultivation technique — those should be enough to handle the situation.
"Don't worry. Even if Li Wantian comes, I can protect you both," Chen Yang said reassuringly.
Liu Yiyi gave a small nod, her eyes full of trust.
Xiaochunhua's eyes lit up. She suddenly stood up and planted a kiss on Chen Yang's cheek. "Then thank you for looking after us, Senior Brother Chen!"
Liu Yiyi gasped. "Chunhua, how could you do that!"
Xiaochunhua grinned. "What, is Sister Liu jealous?"
Just then, Chen Yang noticed a figure flash past the window.
He immediately rose to look, but caught only a glimpse of a slight, thin silhouette vanishing swiftly into the bamboo grove.
"Who was that?" Chen Yang asked.
Xiaochunhua's expression changed.
"It's probably Xiaoshouhou — one of Li Baode's lackeys who usually runs errands and delivers Pills for him. He must have come to spy on us."
Chen Yang's face darkened.
No matter what, he would protect Liu Yiyi and Xiaochunhua.
If Li Baode dared to come looking for trouble again, he wouldn't mind breaking the rest of his limbs as well.
* * *
At that moment, the disciple known as Xiaoshouhou was jogging along, making his way to Li Baode's quarters.
Li Baode was lying in bed, groaning and whimpering, his arm wrapped in bandages, his face a patchwork of bruises.
"Brother Baode, I saw him!" Xiaoshouhou said breathlessly. "That Chen Yang is in Butterfly Valley right now, getting all cozy with those two wenches!"
Li Baode flew into a rage at the news. He tried to sit up, but the movement pulled at his wounds, making him wince and bare his teeth in pain.
He thought for a moment, then had Xiaoshouhou help him to a nearby pavilion building.
He knocked lightly on the door. A low voice came from within: "Come in."
Li Baode pushed the door open and dropped to his knees with a thud, breaking into a tearful tirade.
"Uncle, you have to stand up for me!"
Seated inside was a middle-aged man — none other than Li Wantian.
He looked coldly at his nephew kneeling on the floor and let out a contemptuous snort. "I've already heard about it. A Menial Disciple at the second level of the Qi Refinement Realm beat you into this state?"
Li Baode wailed even louder. "That laborer is freakishly strong — his strength was terrifying. I was careless for just a moment..."
"Useless wretch!"
Li Wantian slammed his palm down on the table.
"You were at the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, and you nearly lost a spell duel against a cultivator at the fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm. And now this — you lose to a laborer at the second level of the Qi Refinement Realm! What's next, losing to a laborer at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm? Keep losing like this, and one day you'll go down the mountain only to be beaten to death by some street thug from a common gang. Then there'll be nothing left to lose!"
Li Baode dared not raise his head under the scolding, but still managed to whimper.
"Uncle, that laborer really is freakish..."
Li Wantian waved his wide sleeve dismissively.
"Get out! I'm not going to go pick a fight with a Menial Disciple — people would talk. I am a steward, after all."
Li Baode refused to get up and kept on weeping and begging.
Li Wantian finally let out a long sigh. "Wait for your cousin Li Yan to come back."
At those words, a fearsome figure rose in Li Baode's mind — Li Yan!
That cousin of his who was always at Zhao Yanran's side, the one Li Baode had always envied.
The reason he had agreed to go harass Liu Yiyi for Zhao Yanran in the first place was because he coveted Zhao Yanran's beauty, hoping that one day he might get close to her.
But now a new worry crept into his heart: what if Senior Sister Zhao told cousin Li Yan about the night she had sent him to the small building? The consequences would be...
On top of that, Chen Yang's strength gave him pause. "Cousin should be able to deal with that laborer easily enough, right?"
Li Wantian gave a cold snort. "You think everyone is a useless pile like you, who only piled up his cultivation by stuffing himself with Pills? I've heard that Li Yan broke through to the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm during this trip down the mountain."
Only then did Li Baode's heart settle. A vicious resolve hardened inside him.
Thinking of the humiliation he had suffered yesterday, he swore that Menial Disciple would pay dearly — and as for Liu Yiyi and Xiaochunhua, he would make those two women suffer beyond all endurance, wishing they were dead but unable to die.
A cruel light flickered in his eyes, as though he could already taste the sweetness of revenge.