Longevity Begins From Raising Disciples

Chen Ye coldly transmitted a message to Hua Jingxin:

"Miss Hua, now... it all depends on how you choose."

Actually,

Chen Ye wasn’t worried whether Hua Jingxin would confess or not.

Even if Gu Tangyin, Hua Wuyin, and He Qinyuan, these three cultivators at the late period of Foundation Establishment, fought him together, they could barely contend with him.

If they were exposed, Chen Ye might as well kill them one by one in the Celestial Abyss.

But,

If these three died, as their guide, he might encounter many troubles upon returning to the Emotion Crossing Sect, making it difficult to continue searching for Bai Li’s corpse.

Hua Jingxin shivered all over, biting her lower lip, and responded timidly, "I understand..."

Chen Ye felt somewhat reassured.

Being able to avoid a fight was naturally the best.

Amidst the rolling heavy miasma ahead, a clear brilliance pierced through the darkness, revealing Hua Wuyin’s anxious figure in their sight.

"Brother!"

Hua Jingxin took a deep breath, her eyes reddened, and tears rolled down like broken pearls.

She clutched the Crimson Fox Cloak and stumbled into the spiritual light barrier Hua Wuyin had raised, bursting into tears:

"Where have you been! I thought... I thought I’d never see you again!"

Hua Wuyin, seeing his sister in such a sorry state, felt a tightness in his chest.

He quickly shielded Hua Jingxin behind him, inspecting her up and down. Confirming her spiritual power was just a bit unstable, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Immediately, his gaze turned cold towards Chen Ye: "Jingxin, don’t be afraid, brother’s here. Was it this old thing’s failure to protect you that made you suffer?"

Hua Jingxin clung tightly to her brother’s sleeve, her nails unconsciously digging into Hua Wuyin’s arm.

She dared not look back at Chen Ye, not even a glance, only gritting her teeth and cursing:

"This useless old dog! Couldn’t even maintain a spiritual light shield, dragging his feet all the way, almost getting me frozen to death by the yin wind! Brother, once we’re out of the Celestial Abyss, you must skin him alive!"

Listening to his sister’s furious cursing, Hua Wuyin instead became less suspicious.

This was indeed his good sister. If she suddenly started being polite to this old man, he’d suspect she’d been schemed against.

"Jingxin, Senior Sister Gu and Junior Sister He are probably nearby, our mission from Huayue Mansion this time is of great importance, and every move represents the sect’s reputation."

Hua Wuyin shook his head and softly advised,

"Since nothing’s wrong with you, just endure for now, to avoid being reprimanded by the senior sister."

Hearing her brother’s advice,

Hua Jingxin was filled with complex emotions, nothing wrong... Brother, Jingxin has already been controlled by this old dog.

She wanted countless times to confess the truth to her brother, but every time she thought of that heavenly fragrance dew, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

"I... I understand."

Hua Jingxin bit her pale cherry lips, burying her face in the Crimson Fox Cloak, her voice trembling,

"I’ll listen to brother... for now, I’ll spare this old dog’s miserable life."

The three of them ventured further into the Celestial Abyss.

On the way, they met up with Gu Tangyin and He Qinyuan at a relatively calm black rock highland.

Seeing the Hua siblings unharmed, Gu Tangyin slightly nodded, offering some comfort to Chen Ye as well.

After all, Chen Ye was traveling with them, and any mishap would reflect poorly on Huayue Mansion.

Upon reaching the break at the second layer of the Celestial Abyss,

Gu Tangyin stopped, turning to Chen Ye:

"From here on, Huayue Mansion has its own sect secret technique for exploration. You, as an outsider, should wait here, don’t wander off — if swept into the void, your death wouldn’t mean a thing."

Clearly,

They were about to commence a formal investigation, concerning Huayue Mansion’s core secrets; they couldn’t allow a mysterious Demon Sect guide to accompany them.

"Yes, yes... Don’t worry, Fairy Gu, I’ll stay here and won’t go anywhere."

Chen Ye acted as if greatly relieved, appearing eager to keep his distance, like a coward clinging to life.

Hua Wuyin sneered at the side, harboring no suspicions, then escorting Hua Jingxin to follow Gu Tangyin and others deep into the second layer’s break.

Watching them leave, Chen Ye stood up, brushed the dirt off his knees, a mischievous look on his face.

Guarding against him?

No matter.

Huayue Mansion, no matter how tightly they protect themselves, would never imagine that Hua Jingxin, whom they shielded layer by layer, had already become an obedient dark hound raised by him, Chen Ye.

...

The investigation lasted several hours.

When Gu Tangyin and the others returned, their faces were extremely grave, the smell of blood wafting around them.

They seemed to have encountered some surviving aberrations on the road, after a bloody battle.

Yet, due to Chen Ye’s presence, they all remained tight-lipped and silent.

"Return." Gu Tangyin coldly spat out two words.

With the investigation complete, they lingered no longer in this perilous area.

They withdrew from the Celestial Abyss without incident, whereupon Gu Tangyin summoned the flying boat, everyone boarded, and they swiftly returned to Cold Scale Mansion.

Night fell.

The flying boat smoothly traversed above the cloud sea of the Nine Heavens.

In the dim cabin at the stern, Chen Ye was sitting cross-legged on a pile of worn prayer cushions, resting with closed eyes.

Suddenly,

The patterns within the cabin flickered slightly.

The door silently opened a crack.

A gentle breeze, mingling cold air and a maiden’s fragrance, quietly slipped into the musty bottom cabin.

"Plop."

The cabin door closed again, a sound insulation restriction carefully set down.

Chen Ye did not open his eyes.

The visitor, naturally, was Hua Jingxin.

The young girl wore only a thin gauze, her snow-white and jade-like bare feet stepping on the cold, rough wooden floor of the cabin.

By the faint moonlight outside the window, one could clearly see her face tinged with an abnormal blush.