Ah Chen said, "If you give them good food, they’ll naturally come. They’re much more lovable than people."
Hearing this, Ling Yu sighed and sat down beside Ah Chen.
The Heavenly Spirit Root was originally supposed to be perfect, but when it turned out to be born flawed, who wouldn’t feel hurt?
No matter if the little junior sister’s personality is less charming than when she was a child, she is still pure and kind-hearted.
Those with poor talents envy the little junior sister’s privileged background.
And those with good talents fail to understand the little junior sister’s heart. To be fair, has the little junior sister really done anything wrong? While others may overlook this, the disciples accepted by the Master are overly indifferent to the little junior sister.
Of course, neither the Master nor I, as the third disciple, can demand that they must take care of the little junior sister.
They think nothing of it, but as a Sect Master, how could the Master be unaware of these matters?
As a Sect Master, there’s a responsibility, and when a disciple hasn’t truly done wrong, there won’t be unfair punishment. In fact, the Master fulfills the responsibilities as a teacher towards the disciples, but seeing their coldness, even jealousy towards the little junior sister, the Master must feel disheartened too.
Haven’t they noticed that the Master is becoming increasingly distant from them over the years? Aside from the necessary duties as a teacher and Sect Master, the Master no longer grants them extra attention.
This has led the disciples to feel uncomfortable, thinking that the Master only cares about the little junior sister.
Isn’t it natural for the Master to protect his daughter? Moreover, the Master has never treated them unfairly.
How ridiculous.
To put it bluntly, how long can the Master favor the little junior sister? At most, a few hundred years. Being a Sect Master, yet unable to solve the problem of one’s own daughter, must be hard for the Master too.
"The Secret Realm discovered this time is so vast, perhaps it’s filled with many magical treasures?" Ling Yu spoke somewhat ambiguously.
Ah Chen understood, "Then I’ll thank Third Senior Brother for his kind words. Even if there aren’t any, it’s alright."
With that, Ah Chen succeeded in alchemy.
Ling Yu watched in a daze as she stored the round, fragrant elixirs into a jade bottle, only coming to his senses later, saying, "Little junior sister, are you so skilled at alchemy now?"
Ah Chen nodded, "A while ago, I went to my father to learn alchemy, and unexpectedly, I have a talent for it."
Ling Yu showed joy, "That’s wonderful."
The little junior sister’s talent in alchemy seems to be top-notch, which is good news. Even if the elixir fire isn’t enough, she can use a Fire Spirit Stone. With this talent, the little junior sister’s heart should be less troubled. No wonder she could refine such good elixirs in just two years; she must have worked hard in private, right?
Probably, since the little junior sister is now hiding in her cave residence secretly practicing alchemy.
But somehow, when he returned this time and saw the little junior sister, he no longer felt that stirring in his heart.
Is his affection so shallow that a two-year separation has changed it?
Ugh... is he really that kind of person?
Thankfully, he noticed the little junior sister had feelings for Jin Congmo back then, or else expressing his feelings would have been harmful, considering his fickleness, right?
Perhaps he should cultivate the Heartless Path?
The gift he had prepared, filled with his hidden thoughts, was now inappropriate to give.
Better to go back and choose something else, something a senior brother might give to his junior sister.
Ah Chen continued with her alchemy, not missing Ling Yu’s reaction.
Ling Yu’s affection for the commissioner was something she had analyzed in her memory.
This sort of thing should naturally be resolved by the commissioner herself. From Ling Yu’s reaction, it seems to be true love; with her, it would only be brother-sister-like feelings.
Among the senior brothers and sisters, Ling Yu was the most sincere and kind-hearted to the commissioner, even becoming crippled for her sake in that Secret Realm.
Because of this, the commissioner’s reputation worsened, and some even considered her a calamity.
Now that she thinks about it, Ling Yu’s misfortune was likely not a mere accident.
"Why did you sneak off to hone your skills before?" Ling Yu asked, "Did you suffer any loss?"
"Not really, with the things Mother gave me, few could harm me, so don’t worry, Third Senior Brother."
"There’s no need to sneak off for practice. A word to the Master, and she’d surely arrange someone to accompany you, letting you go wherever you wish." Ling Yu said, his voice gentle, and he was the only one whose words didn’t provoke the commissioner like a firecracker. "Or wait for my return, and if you want to go, I can accompany you."
Ah Chen said, "I was a bit off before. When I heard Senior Sister Jin and the others were going to practice, I didn’t think much."
Ling Yu was surprised; the little junior sister had changed a bit, could it be influenced by her alchemy talent? It seemed like a good thing.
Ling Yu rummaged in his storage ring and eventually found some Spiritual Medicine, thinking the little junior sister could use it.
He didn’t linger; since he no longer felt that stirring for the little junior sister, he shouldn’t stay here.
Walking out of the cave residence, he looked at the mist and shook his head.
Oh Ling Yu, who would have thought you were this kind of person.
Once he even said he would quietly protect the little junior sister, as long as she hadn’t found someone she liked and was with them, he’d never change.
Yet two years of adventure changed his heart!
He really despised himself a bit.
He shook his head as he returned to the cave residence, feeling somewhat dejected.
Soon, Ah Chen left the cave, preparing to visit her Spiritual Beasts at Spiritual Beast Peak.
Of course, she would also help Senior Sang Biao gain some Experience Points.
Don’t think she didn’t know that each time she visited, he prepared grilled fish. Who wouldn’t want to gain a hundred thousand experience points?
Hardly had she left the cave when Ah Chen bumped into the returning Xie Jiuqing.
"Senior Brother," she called and prepared to head towards Spiritual Beast Peak.
The commissioner’s Senior Brother had never liked her, whether when she was little or after she grew up. He never liked the soft and whiny types, nor those with a proud yet capricious personality.
As someone with poor talent who wasn’t diligent and often showed off, appearing flamboyant, he really disliked her.
Of course, he wouldn’t interfere much, as long as she didn’t bother him directly.
The commissioner could sense that this cold Senior Brother didn’t like her, so she usually wouldn’t approach him unnecessarily.
During the initial blossom of love, she first developed feelings for Senior Brother Xie Jiuqing.
For a prodigy like him, handsome to boot, it was only natural for a young girl to have a crush. At that time, she hadn’t realized that the cold-looking Senior Brother actually didn’t fancy her.
Later, due to some incidents, she finally saw Senior Brother’s impatience and indifference, and she realized that following him like that was really annoying and gradually got over her feelings for Xie Jiuqing.
She then turned her attention to Jin Congmo because his personality was warm, always comforting her, never impatient, like a big brother she could trust, even Jin Congshuang was patient with her.
Looking back now, some guidance, though subtle, already existed.
For a simple-minded little girl, it’s quite easy to be guided.
Xie Jiuqing noticed the commissioner’s gaze shifted towards Jin Congmo, becoming even colder towards her.
With no further conflicts between them, Ah Chen didn’t intend to do anything.
"Are you going to find Brother Jin?" Xie Jiuqing asked.