222: Chapter 222 The Great Sword Immortal Ye Chen!

He couldn't afford to be impatient.

Xiao Caiyue couldn't afford to be impatient either.

The sky was clear for thousands of miles, without a single cloud.

A silver-white flying boat was gliding smoothly above the clouds.

A faint spiritual light flowed over the hull, shielding it from the high-altitude astral winds.

The flying boat wasn't large, about five or six zhang long, and was divided into front and rear cabins.

Several children sat in the front cabin, while Lu Shiyin and two maids responsible for looking after them were in the rear.

"Auntie Shiyin, how much longer until we arrive?"

Leaning on the gunwale, Ye Chen gazed listlessly at the sea of clouds below and turned to ask Lu Shiyin.

Lu Shiyin calculated the distance and said gently, "About another month, I suppose."

"Ah—that's still so long!"

Ye Chen let out a wail and slumped against the gunwale like a salted fish that had lost all its dreams.

The excitement he felt at the start of the journey had long since faded.

Now, he just felt bored.

Extremely bored.

He rolled over on the gunwale, his gaze falling on a nearby little girl who looked as if she were carved from pink jade.

The little girl was about four or five years old, wearing a pale pink dress. Her jet-black hair was tied into two small buns, framing a fair and tender little face with features so delicate she looked like she had stepped out of a painting.

She sat there quietly, holding a picture book and reading it intently.

This was Ye Zhenzhen—the daughter of Ye Changge and Lu Shiyin.

Ye Chen's eyes darted around, and he reached out to pinch Ye Zhenzhen's doll-like, fair cheeks.

"Sister Zhenzhen, tell your big brother a story."

Her little face was slightly distorted by his pinch, but she didn't get angry. She just looked up at Ye Chen with her clear, large eyes and tilted her head.

"Big brother, what kind of story do you want to hear?"

Her voice was soft and sweet, like a marshmallow.

Ye Chen thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up:

"Hmm... tell a story about how once upon a time, there was a Great Sword Immortal named Ye Chen who took his sister along to slay demons and monsters, and they found lots of Heaven And Earth Treasure!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a sneer came from nearby.

"Ye Chen, you're truly shameless! 'Sword Immortal Ye Chen'?"

Ye Ruyi sat opposite him with her arms crossed, looking at him with a face full of disdain.

Ye Chen didn't care at all. Instead, he puffed out his little chest and said righteously:

"Tch, Sister Ruyi, just you wait! I will definitely become a peerless Great Sword Immortal in the future!"

"You?" Ye Ruyi rolled her eyes. "You even slack off on your daily lessons, and you want to be a Great Sword Immortal?"

"That's... that's balancing work and rest!" Ye Chen argued, stiffening his neck. "Father said that cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation!"

"Father said 'a balance of tension and relaxation,' not 'being skilled at slacking off.'"

"You—!"

Seeing that the two were about to bicker again, Lu Shiyin finally spoke up.

"Alright, both of you, say less."

Her voice wasn't loud, yet it carried a gentle power that made people quiet down instinctively.

Ye Chen and Ye Ruyi both shut their mouths at the same time.

Taking the opportunity, Ye Zhenzhen tugged on Ye Chen's sleeve and whispered, "Big brother, I'll tell you a story."

Ye Chen's eyes lit up. He immediately tossed his bickering with Ye Ruyi to the back of his mind and leaned in.

Ye Zhenzhen opened the picture book and began to read word by word in her soft, sweet voice.

She was reading a story from the picture book.

Although it had nothing to do with 'Great Sword Immortal Ye Chen,' Ye Chen listened with great interest, occasionally chiming in with questions.

Watching this scene, the corners of Lu Shiyin's lips curled up slightly.

She looked up toward the distance.

At the horizon, the sea of clouds surged, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"One more month..." she thought silently to herself. "Husband, have you arrived home yet?"

She shook her head, pulled back her thoughts, and clapped her hands for the children.

"Let's take a break. We've been traveling for so long, you must be tired. Eat something and stretch your limbs."

"Great! Auntie!"

"Yay—!"

The children let out a cheer.

"Great! Auntie!"

Ye Chen was so happy he almost jumped off the flying boat.

He turned his head, his eyes darted about, and his gaze landed on Ye Ruyi, who was leisurely smoothing out the corners of her clothes. A fawning smile immediately appeared on his face as he leaned over.

"Sister Ruyi—"

Ye Ruyi glanced up at him, expressionless. "What?"

Ye Chen rubbed his hands together with a grin. "Sister Ruyi, could you lend me the Little Golden Mouse for a bit?"

Looking at his shameless appearance, Ye Ruyi almost laughed out loud.

Just a second ago, he had been arguing with her until he was red in the face, quarreling incessantly.

Yet in the next moment, this person had changed his face and was smiling like a flower.

Ye Ruyi snorted and turned her head away. "No."

"Don't be like that, Sister Ruyi!" Ye Chen hurriedly circled in front of her, pressing his palms together with a sincere look. "Just for a while! A little while! I promise to return it as soon as I'm done!"

"That's what you said last time." Ye Ruyi said expressionlessly. "And you ended up getting the Little Golden Mouse covered in mud; it took me three days to wash it clean."

"Not this time! I swear!"

"You swore last time, too."

"..."

Ye Chen was momentarily speechless, looking at her expectantly.

In the end, Ye Ruyi couldn't help herself, and the corner of her mouth curled slightly.

She snorted, unfastened a palm-sized beast-taming bag from her waist, and tossed it casually toward Ye Chen.

"Take it, take it. So annoying."

Ye Chen caught it, and the smile on his face blossomed instantly, brighter than the sunlight outside.

"Thanks, Sister Ruyi! Don't worry, Sister Ruyi, when I, Ye Chen, become a Great Sword Immortal, I definitely won't forget you!"

"Give it a rest." Ye Ruyi rolled her eyes. "Great Sword Immortal? You should stabilize your cultivation at the first level of Qi Refining first."

Ye Chen didn't care about her sarcasm. He turned and pulled along Ye Zhenzhen, who was tilting her head and looking at the two of them somewhat blankly.

"Let's go, Zhenzhen! We're going treasure hunting!"

The flying boat slowly descended.

Below was an open valley with lush green grass and scattered wildflowers. A clear stream meandered through the valley, its waters shimmering under the sunlight.

Ye Chen was the first to jump off the flying boat. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he couldn't wait to untie the beast-taming bag.

A golden figure darted out from the bag, landed on the grass, and shook its furry body.

That was a palm-sized golden spiritual mouse, its fur looking as if it were cast from pure gold, shining brilliantly in the sun.

Its ears were round and small, its eyes dark and translucent, and most notably, its two bulging cheeks twitched in an indescribably adorable way.

This was exactly the Treasure-Seeking Rat that Ye Changge had brought back from outside.

Although this rat's cultivation was low and its combat power almost nonexistent, it possessed an extremely special talent: an extraordinary perception for Heaven And Earth Treasure rich in Spiritual Qi. Within a radius of several miles, any spiritual item of significant grade could not escape its nose.

Ye Chen squatted down, carefully cradled the Little Golden Mouse, and reached out to pinch its chubby, soft cheeks.

The Little Golden Mouse let out a couple of "squeaks" from being pinched, its dark eyes looking at him innocently.