85: Chapter 85 What is this girl?

Her tear-streaked face, trying to suppress her sorrow, was truly pitiful.

Although Ye Changge had many wives and concubines, most relationships came about naturally or were mutually desired.

He rarely faced such direct and mournful crying from a woman, and for a moment, he felt at a loss.

He cleared his throat and tried to soften his tone, saying:

"My lady, please accept my condolences. I have already avenged your father. I killed those four Bandit Cultivators on the spot."

The girl's crying paused slightly. She raised her tearful eyes to look at Ye Changge, and in addition to sadness, there was a hint of gratitude.

Ye Changge continued:

"Before your father passed, he entrusted this Storage Pouch to me. It contains the Spirit Stones he accumulated, and he instructed me to hand it over to you so your younger brother, Xiaoguang, can enter the Qingyun Sect for cultivation."

He paused, omitting Zhao Yan's latter half of the entrustment regarding his "young daughter." It was truly inappropriate to mention it at this moment.

"Additionally, he gave me something that was quite helpful to me."

Ye Changge was referring to the incomplete scroll of the Longevity Nurturing Spirit Art.

"So, both in terms of emotion and reason, I will fulfill his dying wish."

He looked at the girl's still pale and tear-stained face, speaking gently.

"Although I am not immensely wealthy, I am the Family Head of the Ye Family of Longmai Mountain, Ye Changge. I have the capability to sponsor your younger brother's Sect cultivation."

"Ye Family of Longmai Mountain... Ancestor Ye?"

Upon hearing this, the girl's eyes widened suddenly, and a clear astonishment flashed in her teary gaze.

Her home was near Longmai Mountain. The Ye Family Talisman shop in White Bird Market was well-known, and the legend of Ancestor Ye Changge, who achieved Foundation Establishment at a young age and led the Family to rise, was widely circulated among nearby Loose Cultivators.

Cultivators who occasionally saw Ye Changge from afar in the market would return full of praise for his youthful handsomeness and extraordinary demeanor.

However, she was busy taking care of her younger brother and managing their meager Family business, rarely leaving home, and had never seen him.

She never expected to meet him in person in this way, and after her father's death, no less.

With shock and sorrow intertwined in her heart, the girl was at a loss for how to respond.

Ye Changge stood up, looked at the sky outside the window, and said:

"It might not be safe for you two siblings to continue living here.

Pack your essential belongings. Tomorrow, I will take you away. You can come with me to Longmai Mountain to settle down first.

We can then discuss your future arrangements at length."

With that, he prepared to leave to find a temporary lodging in the market.

The girl, however, seemed to suddenly awaken. She quickly stood up and anxiously said:

"Senior, please wait! Although my home is humble, there is still an empty side room that is quite clean. If Senior doesn't mind, please rest here for the night.

Tomorrow... tomorrow morning, we will go with Senior."

Her tone was pleading, and her eyes revealed deep unease.

She seemed afraid that if Ye Changge left now, he would no longer care for them.

Ye Changge's heart softened again, and he nodded:

"Alright, then I shall trouble you."

The girl visibly sighed in relief and quickly led Ye Changge to a side room on the west side.

The room was indeed small, with only a bed and a small table, but the bedding was clean.

On the windowsill, there was also a small pot of an unknown green plant, which added a touch of Life Qi.

"Senior, please rest for a moment. I will go prepare some hot water," the girl said, then prepared to withdraw.

"No need to trouble yourself," Ye Changge waved his hand.

"I can manage on my own. You also... accept your sorrow and rest early."

The girl lowered her head, softly assented, and then withdrew, gently closing the door.

Ye Changge sat down by the bed and shook his head.

He collected his thoughts and once again took out the cyan jade slip that recorded the Longevity Nurturing Spirit Art.

He carefully studied it, focusing on the requirements for the 'Natal Spirit Seed' and the details of its refinement...

As night deepened, the market fell silent, with only the occasional dog barking or the watchman's clapper sounding in the distance.

Suddenly, an extremely faint, hesitant knock sounded outside Ye Changge's room.

Ye Changge emerged from his contemplation, a quick sweep of his Divine Sense revealing the situation, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He naturally knew who was outside the door and roughly guessed their intention.

This "repayment" came so directly that it made him feel a complex mix of emotions.

He had a slight illusion of taking advantage of someone's vulnerability, even though that was not his original intention.

After a moment of thought, he still got up, walked to the door, and opened it.

Standing outside the door was indeed the girl from earlier in the day.

At this moment, she had changed out of her emerald green dress and was wearing a light blue, thin, spaghetti-strap nightgown.

The dress was of ordinary quality, even a bit thin, and in the dim light, it vaguely outlined the slender figure of the girl, who was just beginning to develop.

She seemed to have tidied herself up slightly, her face unadorned.

Yet, she possessed a purity and elegance akin to a lotus emerging from clear water, more so than during the day.

However, her eyes were still slightly red, and her expression was uneasy.

Her hands nervously twisted the hem of her skirt, and the words she had prepared seemed to be stuck in her throat.

Seeing Ye Changge open the door, she flinched slightly like a startled deer.

Then, she mustered her courage, raised her moist eyes, and her voice was as faint as a mosquito's:

"Se-Senior... thank you for avenging my father, and... and for being willing to help us siblings. This humble girl, Zhao Qingli... has nothing of value to offer in return... only..."

Before she could finish, her cheeks were already crimson like sunset, so embarrassed that blood almost seemed to drip from them, and she could no longer speak.

Ye Changge looked at her, so terrified and nervous.

He knew deeply how difficult the future would be for a girl who had lost her father's protection, possessed only meager cultivation, and was exceptionally beautiful, while also caring for a young brother, in the cruel lower echelons of the Cultivation World.

Her actions, rather than being an act of "repaying kindness,"

were more akin to seeking a potential safe haven for herself and her brother in a desperate situation.

It was almost an instinctive choice for survival.

"Come in," Ye Changge stepped aside, his voice a few shades gentler than usual.

Zhao Qingli seemed to have received some kind of pardon, or perhaps stepped onto a path of no return. She lowered her head and quickly walked into the room.

The door gently closed.

Ye Changge turned and looked at the girl standing in the room, flustered and trembling slightly. His last trace of hesitation vanished.

Since he had decided to take responsibility for the future of these siblings, and had expectations for her Spirit Nurturing Body, which he quite liked,

then providing her with a sense of security was only right.

However, he did not want this process to be filled with coercion and transactions.

He walked forward, and amidst Zhao Qingli's soft gasp, he gently lifted her into his arms.

The girl's body instantly stiffened, and she closed her eyes.

Her long eyelashes trembled violently, and her hands subconsciously clutched the lapel of Ye Changge's clothes, but she did not struggle.

Ye Changge gently placed her on the bed with clean bedding.

The bed dipped slightly, and the girl's eyes remained tightly closed.

Ye Changge sighed again, realizing that his personality was truly not suited for the Cultivation World.