Chapter 673: The Seclusion Begins Tomorrow
The old Daoist quickly composed himself. Even though he had seen her many times, he was still stunned by Ye Qianning’s appearance.
The young woman let her hair down, propping her head up with pale, slender fingers. Her face was as lovely as a hibiscus, her brows as fine as willows, but it was her eyes that made it impossible to look away.
’Who could have imagined that the short, chubby little girl from back then would blossom into such a peerless beauty? She was simply an enchantress!’
"Old Daoist, have you been hitting my Dun Dun?" Ye Qianning spoke first.
"Bullshit! I’ve barely even seen the creature," the old Daoist said as he walked in.
"Impossible. Look at my Dun Dun. It’s this terrified just from seeing you. How can you say you haven’t hit it?" Ye Qianning angled her body to give him a better look.
The little monkey clapped its paws over its head and began to tremble, its little eyes secretly peeking at the old Daoist.
The old Daoist glanced over. He shouldn’t have. The moment he did, his eyes met the little monkey’s.
"EEK..."
The little monkey leaped into the air before its body slammed onto the ground, going completely rigid!
It had fainted from fright!
"..."
"Tsk. See? You must have hit it a lot. Why else would it react like this?"
The old Daoist was speechless. He had no idea why the little creature was so terrified. As outrageous as he could be, he wouldn’t pick a fight with a monkey.
’Hit it?’
’How bored would I have to be to chase a monkey all over the island just to beat it up?’
"Forget your worthless monkey. Tell me how you’re going to compensate me for the back island."
Ye Qianning thought for a moment, then retrieved a bouquet of flowers from her space.
"Don’t try to fool me with these." The old Daoist didn’t dare take anything from her. ’Such a beautiful face, but what a black heart.’
"They’re not poisoned this time, really. I’m sincerely trying to apologize. These flowers make for the most delicious pastries."
The old Daoist eyed the flowers, still shaken from the last incident. He didn’t believe a single word that came out of this brat’s mouth.
"It’s true! If you don’t believe me, I’ll eat one." Ye Qianning plucked a flower from the bunch, popped the blossom into her mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed.
The old Daoist was tempted.
"You’re a great cook. With these flowers, the pastries you make will taste absolutely divine. I guarantee it’ll be a flavor you’ll never forget in your entire life." Ye Qianning wasn’t just flattering his skills.
He was a true connoisseur—not just an eater, but a maker. His skill with pastries surpassed even that of her own aunt.
The old Daoist loved to eat, but he loved to cook even more. His eyes carefully studied the subtle changes in Ye Qianning’s expression, and he finally came to a conclusion: she was being somewhat sincere.
He reached out and took the vibrant, fragrant flowers. "Fine. For the flowers’ sake, I’ll let it slide. It’s not like you’ll be here for much longer anyway."
"What? Trying to kick me out?"
"In a few days, I’m going into seclusion."
"You’re in perfect health. Why go into seclusion?"
"Let’s just call it a wellness retreat."
’My body is fine, but my spirit is weary!’
"You’re over a hundred years old but look like you’re only a few decades in. You still need a retreat? Don’t tell me you’re aiming for immortality?" The old Daoist hadn’t changed a bit in ten years. On this island, it seemed that aside from her, nothing ever changed.
Even the birds never grew bigger. Her Dun Dun had been by her side for seven years now, yet it still seemed like a little youngling.
"You brat, are you wishing for my early demise?"
"Hey, I never said that. I’m just curious. Isn’t living on this island basically the same as being in seclusion? Isn’t this redundant?"
"Seclusion is seclusion! Why do you have to talk so much nonsense?" the old Daoist snapped, slamming his hand on the table.
"Alright, alright. Seclusion it is, seclusion it is."
’Perfect. Now there’ll be no one to nag me.’
The old Daoist snorted and declared righteously, "I am going into seclusion. The island will be empty, so it’s time for you to return to the mainland."
’See? He is trying to kick me out!’