Chapter 203: Unexpected Gains

Shù Shí Residence.

Chá Jǐn sat on a stone stool, lost in thought.

For some reason, since Su Yì and Níng Sìhuá left together tonight, she felt slightly restless in her heart.

Even though she knew that Su Yì and Níng Sìhuá were capable of handling any danger, she couldn't truly find peace of mind.

"The stronger the young master becomes, the greater the gap between him and me will be. Sooner or later, when I become useless to him, perhaps... perhaps he will abandon me?"

With this thought, Chá Jǐn felt a sudden sense of unease.

As one ascends higher, water flows downward. For cultivators who pursue the Dao with single-minded devotion, how could they possibly bring burdens along the way?

"No, why am I thinking about these things? Could it be that I've already become dependent on that guy?"

Chá Jǐn's beautiful eyes stared blankly, her heart in turmoil.

"Aunt Chá Jǐn, if you're tired, you should go back to rest."

Suddenly, Zheng Mùyāo's voice sounded not far away.

This black-dressed girl sat there, with skin as fair as snow, a curvaceous figure, and a captivating beauty. Her sparkling eyes shone brightly under the lamp's reflection.

Aunt!

Upon hearing this address, Chá Jǐn couldn't help but twitch her forehead.

She took a deep breath and smiled gently, "Little girl, if you're tired, go home first. You're still young, and you're a girl. It's the time to grow your body, so you shouldn't stay up late."

Zheng Mùyāo's slightly arched eyebrows wrinkled, and she straightened her delicate figure. The front of her clothes was lifted by her prominent chest, creating a curvaceous shape resembling an inverted jade bowl. Her tone was indifferent but carried a trace of pride as she said:

"My figure has always been good. Aunt doesn't need to worry. However, Aunt, you're getting older, so you must take care of yourself!"

Chá Jǐn chuckled lightly, sweeping her autumn-water-like beautiful eyes over the girl's chest. A playful smile appeared at the corner of her rosy lips.

She didn't say anything.

But her gaze and playful smile made Zheng Mùyāo feel uncomfortable all over, her delicate face changing constantly. She asked, "Aunt, why are you laughing?"

Chá Jǐn pointed to the lotus flowers in the nearby lake and said, "Look, the young lotus has just emerged, they're merely flower buds. They don't look as beautiful as when they're fully bloomed."

The night was dark, and even with good eyesight, it was impossible to clearly see the lotus flowers in the lake.

Zheng Mùyāo was not a fool and realized that Chá Jǐn was subtly mocking her, implying that her figure was not as impressive as hers.

"Aunt, while the flower buds still have their time to bloom, those blooming lotus flowers... hehe, it won't be long before they wither."

Zheng Mùyāo countered without reservation.

Chá Jǐn smiled calmly and said, "Little girl, you don't understand. As cultivators like us continue to improve our cultivation, we can master the art of preserving youth and eternal beauty. Well, forget it. Even if I explain, you wouldn't understand."

Zheng Mùyāo gritted her teeth in anger, about to say something.

Suddenly, Zheng Tiānhé, who was standing in the distance waiting, spoke up, "Master Su and the others have returned!"

Before his words fell, a black shadow as fast as lightning appeared in the distant night sky.

In the blink of an eye, it slowly descended into the courtyard.

When Chá Jǐn saw Su Yì and the others stepping down from the backs of the Azure Scale Eagles one by one, the slight worry in her heart instantly dissipated, and she was about to go forward to greet them.

Zheng Mùyāo had already exclaimed and rushed up like a gust of wind, her smile sweet and her voice crisp, "Uncle Su! Are you okay?"

"This little vixen is really competitive..." Chá Jǐn inwardly complained.

"Master Su, Lady Níng, you're back," Zheng Tiānhé also greeted them with a smile.

Níng Sìhuá nodded, then turned to Su Yì and said, "I'll take Elder Zhú back to the Tianyuan Academy. When I have free time, I'll come to visit you, Daoist friend."

Immediately, she and Zhú Gūqīng rode the Azure Scale Eagle and disappeared into the sky.

"Lady Níng is truly a remarkable person," Zheng Tiānhé sighed, then smiled and clasped his hands to Su Yì, "Su Young Master, now that the matter is resolved, I'll take my leave."

Su Yì said, "Consider this incident as me owing a favor to your Zheng family."

Zheng Tiānhé trembled all over, feeling an indescribable joy welling up in his heart, realizing that this incident had gained Su Yì's approval.

He smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's a small matter. It's an honor for Zheng to do something for the young master!"

Su Yì didn't say anything more.

Seeing this, Zheng Tiānhé didn't dare to linger any longer and turned to leave with Zheng Mùyāo, who had a reluctant expression.

As she left, the seductive and alluring young beauty kept waving, "Uncle Su, I'll come again tomorrow~~"

Chá Jǐn coldly snorted in her heart and vowed to find an opportunity to make this little girl retreat.

"Young Master, is Miss Ling Xue alright?"

Seeing Su Yì carrying Wen Língxuè into the attic, Chá Jǐn quickly followed.

"She's fine. You go and start a fire, prepare some hot water. Ling Xue will most likely want to take a bath when she wakes up," Su Yì instructed.

"Okay."

"It will be daylight soon. Later, go and buy some food again and prepare more hot porridge. Not salty, as Ling Xue likes sweet porridge."

"Okay."

"By the way, if you have time, don't forget what I told you about buying more clothes from Fúruì Zhai."

"Okay."

With that, Su Yì arrived at the door, glanced at Chá Jǐn who was still by his side, and said, "Alright, go and be busy."

He pushed the door and entered, then closed it behind him.

Chá Jǐn stood alone outside the room, gently biting her red lips, feeling an indescribable sense of bitterness in her heart.

"This lazy and arrogant guy, he even remembers that his little sister-in-law likes sweet porridge. Obviously, he has long had ulterior motives!"

Chá Jǐn sighed inwardly.

She had been following Su Yì for some time, but it was the first time she had seen how considerate he could be towards women...

After a while, Chá Jǐn shook her head and turned away.

In the room,

"Alright, stop pretending to sleep."

Su Yì sighed softly, but there was a hint of indulgence in his tone.

Wen Língxuè, who was sleeping soundly on his shoulder, flickered her eyelashes slightly. Her eyes were closed as she mumbled, "Brother-in-law, I haven't slept for two days and nights. Only when I rest my head on your shoulder can I sleep peacefully."

Her voice was soft and coquettish.

But the next moment, she lifted her delicate head and patted Su Yì's shoulder with her fair and slender jade hand, saying, "Brother-in-law, put me down."

Su Yì relaxed his arms, and the beautiful and graceful young girl slid down.

The absence of the girl's warm and tender touch on his back made Su Yì feel at ease, but he couldn't help but feel a slight reluctance.

Immediately, he shook his head lazily and sat on a nearby chair, looking up and down at the girl's graceful figure. He spoke gently, "Later, Chá Jǐn will prepare the bathwater for you. Take a good bath, then have a good meal and get a good sleep."

Wen Língxuè sat on the side, cupping her face with both hands. Her watery eyes stared at Su Yì as she said softly, "Brother-in-law, do you know what I was thinking when I was in Jiǔqū City?"

Without waiting for Su Yì to answer, the young girl earnestly continued, "I firmly believed at that time that if there was anyone in this world who could save me and Senior Zhú Gūqīng, it would definitely be you, Brother-in-law."

Her voice was gentle,

But it carried an undeniable conviction.

Immediately, the young girl revealed a brilliant smile. "Sure enough, at the moment when I was in despair, Brother-in-law, you descended from the sky like a deity. You don't know, at that moment, I could hardly believe it myself..."

Her delicate face was still quite pale, and there was a trace of exhaustion in the contours of her beautiful eyebrows and eyes. But at this moment, she smiled with utmost happiness.

The clarity and purity of that smile stirred a deep feeling of tenderness in Su Yì's heart. Unable to resist, he reached out and rubbed the girl's head, saying, "Don't worry, no matter what happens in the future, I will stand by your side just like today."

The girl murmured in agreement, "And I will treat Brother-in-law the same way!"

Su Yì smiled.

Not long after, Chá Jǐn prepared the hot water for bathing and took Wen Língxuè to her room.

Su Yì then pushed open the window, his gaze looking into the distance.

A ray of morning light, unrivaled in its brilliance, pierced through the ink-like darkness, casting a gentle glow upon the world.

Dawn had arrived.

Taking a deep breath of the morning air, Su Yì took out a large bundle from the ink jade pendant.

The bundle contained treasures offered by the ghosts and monsters as compensation for their mistakes.

A cursory glance revealed third-grade spiritual materials, third-rank spiritual herbs, third-grade spiritual stones, and other treasures. There were also some peculiar and rare items, such as an ore that could nurture the soul and a jade that could temper one's vitality.

Their value was quite remarkable.

"Hmm?"

Su Yì's gaze was suddenly drawn to an object. He immediately picked up a brownish-gray stone that resembled amber and examined it closely.

The stone was unremarkable, about the size of an infant's fist, with a dull gray color, but a faint spiritual aura emanated from it.

It was obvious that the stone had been recently excavated, as its surface was still covered with fine dust and debris.

Holding it in his hand, it felt heavy, weighing over a hundred kilograms.

However, in Su Yì's perception, there was a subtle and imperceptible sharpness hidden within the stone!

With a clang, Su Yì took out the Yù Xuán Sword and carefully used the blade to chip away at the stone.

As the stone chips flew, a gleaming light emerged from within the dusty stone. The sharp aura became even more intense.

Before long, a shiny silver iron piece, as sharp as a blade and the size of a pigeon's egg, appeared in Su Yì's palm. It was transparent and radiant, and the brilliance was so dazzling that it made Su Yì squint slightly.

"Starfall Essence Iron! It really is this!"

Amidst his realization, Su Yì couldn't help but reveal a smile. "I didn't expect to gain such a harvest on this journey..."

Starfall Essence Iron!

A rare spiritual material that fell from beyond the heavens, it could be classified as a fifth-grade material. Its texture was radiant like silver, sharp as cold lightning, and contained an extremely fierce stellar power.

In the eyes of a sword cultivator, it was an excellent material for refining spiritual swords. Even a small amount of it could greatly enhance the quality of a spiritual sword.

The Starfall Essence Iron in Su Yì's hand appeared to be the size of a pigeon's egg, but it weighed over a hundred kilograms. Its value far exceeded that of other fifth-grade spiritual materials.

"The power of the Yù Xuán Sword has already been depleted by about forty percent. Once I reach the late Qi Gathering stage, the Yù Xuán Sword's power will no longer allow me to unleash my full strength."

Su Yì thought to himself, "But with this Starfall Essence Iron, I can forge a truly meaningful spiritual sword!"