Chapter 51 - The Eldest Apprentice Brother

Chapter 51: Chapter 49: The Eldest Apprentice Brother"Senior Brother, you are so awesome!" The child ran up to Ye Qiu, his chubby little hands clutching his own clothes, bright eyes sparkling with admiration. He wanted to come closer due to Ye Qiu’s imposing presence but didn’t dare to, soft and tender like a little dumpling.

This is a very likable child!

Facing such a child, Ye Qiu really couldn’t harden his heart. With a gentle expression, he asked, "Whose child are you? Are you lost?"

The child, overjoyed because Ye Qiu spoke to him, had his little face flush red, his small lips pursed revealing two cute dimples, his voice clear and melodious like a lark: "I am my grandfather’s child. I’m not lost. I came here specifically to find Senior Brother."

"Senior Brother, I watched your competition yesterday. You were so incredible!" The child babbled incessantly, but it wasn’t annoying, even though he shared no useful information.

Being within the territory of the Medicine Sect, there was no danger of getting lost, Ye Qiu wasn’t concerned, and continued, "What’s your name then? What do you need from me?"

"I am called Chen Qingchi, Senior Brother can call me Chichi." The child suddenly dropped such explosive information, stunning Ye Qiu.

Chen Qingchi? Could he be one of Qingling’s future harems? The most talented Alchemist in the Cultivation World?

Ye Qiu looked at the child with a strange look in his eyes, not sure how to view him. For his sake, the Medicine Sect could be said to have poured in all their efforts into nurturing him, but the result turned out to be Qingling, that woman, plucking the fruits of their labor and even taking away the sect’s secret Elixir Recipes and carefully nurtured Spiritual Medicines, a complete waste of effort and resources.

"Senior Brother, your sword strike was so powerful, can you teach me? Grandpa says, like us Pill Refiners are the weakest."

Seeing that Ye Qiu spoke to him, the child grew bolder and unconsciously acted spoiled, tugging at Ye Qiu’s sleeve.

Just like Little Wood Spirit!

Even knowing the child had poor judgment in his previous life, facing him like this, Ye Qiu still couldn’t bring himself to be harsh. With a thought, he smiled at the child, cunning like an old fox.

"You are a Pill Refiner, I am a Sword Cultivator, it’s impossible to train like I do." Seeing the child’s spirit dim, Ye Qiu continued, "But, I can protect you though!"

"Senior Brother, you are so good!" The child’s admiring gaze intensified.

"However, my protection comes with a condition," Ye Qiu said as he pinched the child’s chubby cheek, continuing to coax.

"What condition?" The child asked innocently, looking at Ye Qiu with utmost trust.

"That is, you have to practice diligently with your grandfather and strive to become the most powerful Alchemist in the Cultivation World. That way, when we go out and venture, we will be unbeatable. I’ll fight the enemies at the front, and you support from the back with your spirit revival, how awesome would that be!"

The child, motivated by the scene described by Ye Qiu, felt even more assured of how good his Senior Brother was, guiding him in cultivation and taking him adventuring, truly blissful.

The child’s gaze towards Ye Qiu was fiery, he patted his little chest vowing, "Senior Brother, don’t worry, I will definitely practice diligently, I will definitely become the ultimate Alchemist."

"I could become such a powerful Sword Cultivator because I concentrated on sword practice and stayed away from girls, remember, you should do the same," Ye Qiu patted the child’s shoulder, continuing to encourage him.

The child believed his words wholeheartedly. Grandpa said, Senior Brother was the only one who achieved Foundation Establishment at the age of eight among millennium Sword Cultivators, and also comprehended extremely incredible techniques, super super powerful, so whatever Senior Brother said must be right.

"Senior Brother, rest assured, I will focus and learn from Grandpa, I will definitely stay away from girls," the child clenched his little fists, promising.

Ye Qiu nodded, very satisfied with his own teaching, "Hmm, I will come to check on you occasionally, to see if you are practicing diligently, if you are being disturbed by outsiders."

The child, knowing that Ye Qiu would often come to check on him, became even happier, about to take Ye Qiu to see his alchemy. He was also very awesome, already able to concoct Spirit Revitalizing Pills, though only first-level, but Grandpa said it was already incredibly amazing.

Having nothing else to do, Ye Qiu did not reject his kindness. He followed him to watch his pill refinement and couldn’t resist his strong request to visit his small treasury. To stimulate his enthusiasm, Ye Qiu took out the Spiritual Medicine he had obtained from the Little Spirit Cloud Mountain Secret Realm and shared some with him.

As expected, the child’s trust in him grew even stronger.

Ten days later, after the Third Elder and Medicine Sect concluded their cooperative discussions, Ye Qiu left Medicine Valley under the moist eyes of the child.

Ten years later, Ye Qiu successfully advanced to the Golden Core stage. Because Shun Hua and Shun Ying moved up to Nascent Soul, Ye Qiu became the foremost among the young disciples, and was revered by everyone as the great senior brother.

After his successful advancement, Ye Qiu, as usual, visited Flying Sword City. He made it a point to stroll through the street where Loose Cultivators traded every year, hoping to find the tall, big-bearded Loose Cultivator who sold the Chaos Pearl before Qingling entered the sect.

This time his luck wasn’t bad; he seemed to have found his target.

Ye Qiu approached the big-bearded man’s stall and carefully examined the items he was selling.

The Chaos Pearl, when hidden, appeared as a white bead the size of a fingertip, with no energy fluctuations, resembling a dead fish eye. Before being sold to Qingling, it had been unnoticed by anyone.

"Brother, what caught your eye? Everything I have here is of good quality," said Big Beard, spotting Ye Qiu’s attire and assuming he must be an Inner Sect Disciple from the Sword Pavilion—such people were usually wealthy.

"Take a look at this Buddha Lamp, which is the lighting used by the Buddha at his bedside, capable of warding off myriad evils."

"And this Deep Sea Secret Silver, perfect for making swords."

Listening to his nonsense, Ye Qiu chuckled silently and picked up the unremarkable white bead, asking, "And what is this?"

Big Beard’s eyes lit up, sensing a potential sale: "Young brother, you have a keen eye. This is no simple item—it was obtained along with this Buddha statue from a secret realm, and it is a Shariputra left by a high monk who achieved enlightenment."

"How much?"

Big Beard swallowed, chuckling slyly, "A thousand low-grade Spirit Stones."

Ye Qiu, amused, said, "Oh, so the Buddha’s lamp and the high monk’s Shariputra together only cost a thousand low-grade Spirit Stones?"

"Hehe, that’s because I see you as a kindred soul, so I’m offering a favor," Big Beard awkwardly replied.

"Then why don’t the Buddha statue and the Shariputra possess any Buddha Power?"

"Oh, it’s because they have been stored for too long. Brother, your Major Sect has good relations with the West; just take it to the Buddhist sect for a consecration, and it might recover," Big Beard explained insistently.

Not wishing to argue further, Ye Qiu pointed at the two items and said indifferently, "One hundred low-grade Spirit Stones, will you sell?"

"That’s too harsh," Big Beard said, with a pained expression.

"If you won’t sell, I’m leaving."

"Sell, sell, sell!" Big Beard quickly said, seeing Ye Qiu did not really seem keen on buying. These two items were picked up in a dilapidated temple anyway; getting a hundred Spirit Stones for free is better than nothing.