29: Chapter 29 Moving into the Cave

Standing on the Flying Sword, located about a foot behind the Saintess, Ye Xiaoyao could clearly smell the cold, faint fragrance drifting from ahead with the wind.

It was like a cold plum blossom, and also like the first snow, carrying a trace of extreme sweetness within the coldness.

He gazed at the Saintess's slender and straight back in front of him and her waterfall-like hair swaying gently in the wind, but his thoughts were in a chaotic mess.

"Taking me to the Immortal Cave again... What is this for this time?"

He muttered to himself, having an ominous premonition.

"Could it be... that she's going to show her cards today and reveal the true purpose of choosing me as her Dao Companion?"

His original plan was to seize the time, use all resources to Cultivate diligently, and rush to the Foundation Establishment Stage as soon as possible.

As long as he successfully reached Foundation Establishment, his strength would undergo a qualitative leap, and then when facing the Saintess's unfathomable schemes, he would have more confidence and room to maneuver.

But right now, he was only at the Sixth Level of Qi Refining Stage.

With this meager cultivation, in front of the Saintess who was at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, he was no different from a child who had just learned to walk, almost completely at her mercy.

"Please don't let it be a show of cards today..."

"At least wait until I consume a few more bottles of medicine and let my cultivation rise a bit more..."

Ye Xiaoyao prayed silently in his heart, hoping that the Saintess just had other matters to instruct him on, or was simply giving him some rewards for his rapid progress.

Along the way, the Saintess focused on controlling the Flying Sword and did not say a word to him.

The mountain wind whistled in his ears, and the scenes of the Sect below flashed by rapidly.

Soon, the Saintess Peak, shrouded in clouds, mist, and Spiritual Qi, was right before his eyes.

The Flying Sword landed steadily on the flat ground in front of the Immortal Cave.

Stepping into this quiet yet pressure-inducing Immortal Cave again, Ye Xiaoyao felt even more conflicted than last time.

He walked through the spirit fields and ponds, entering the simple residence.

The Saintess did not take him into the boudoir from last time that was filled with her personal aura, but instead turned to a side room on the east side of the residence.

Pushing open the door, it was a fairly spacious room inside.

A kitchen, a hall, a bedroom, and even a small study and a washing compartment were all available.

The furniture looked brand new, with a simple style and made of high-quality wood, but there was a thin layer of dust on the surface, obviously not having been used for a long time.

"In just a few short days, your cultivation has advanced so rapidly; I am very pleased."

The Saintess stood still in the room, turned to look at Ye Xiaoyao, her voice flat, with no discernible emotion.

Ye Xiaoyao quickly composed himself and responded respectfully, "It is entirely thanks to the Spirit Stones bestowed by Your Highness that I was able to purchase sufficient Medicinal Pills and barely improve through the medicinal power. Without Your Highness's generous gift, I would certainly not have made such progress today."

He truthfully explained the role of the Medicinal Pills, but concealed the core reason for the anomaly in his body.

He always felt that the Saintess's cold eyes seemed to have already discerned something.

After listening, the Saintess just nodded slightly and then said, "Since that is the case, you will temporarily stay here, Cultivate with peace of mind, and raise your cultivation to the Perfection of Qi Refining as soon as possible to prepare for Foundation Establishment."

"Stay here?!"

Ye Xiaoyao was truly taken aback this time, almost unable to control his expression.

"Directly letting me move into the Saintess's Immortal Cave?"

"This... isn't this progress a bit too fast?"

"Could it be that she really treats me as one of her own?"

"Or is it... that this makes it more convenient for her to monitor and control me?"

He was very surprised and suspicious in his heart, but on the surface, he tried hard to maintain calm, and asked with appropriate hesitation, "Your Highness, my status as a Disciple is low, so moving into Your Highness's Immortal Cave rashly might be improper and easily invite criticism..."

The Saintess shook her head slightly, a very faint, almost gentle smile appearing on her face, though the smile did not reach her eyes: "It does not matter. This Immortal Cave has always been for my own quiet Cultivation, and there are no servants or other people. Since you are the Dao Companion I have chosen, temporarily staying here to Cultivate with focus, what more can others say?"

Her words were said lightly, but they blocked all of Ye Xiaoyao's excuses.

That's right, nominally he was the Saintess's Dao Companion, and moving into the Dao Companion's Immortal Cave was only natural.

As for the reason of "Cultivating with focus," it was even more high-sounding.

Knowing that further refusal would only make him look suspicious, Ye Xiaoyao had to nod and agree, "Yes, this Disciple will obey, thank you for the arrangement, Your Highness."

The Saintess's gaze lingered for a moment on the faded, worn-out cyan Dao robe he was wearing, and a faint glimmer seemed to pass through her eyes.

She did not say anything more, only leaving behind one sentence: "You settle in here first, and I will come to find you later."

Then she turned and left gracefully, her black dress trailing on the ground, disappearing into the courtyard corridor.

Watching the Saintess leave, Ye Xiaoyao finally let out a long sigh of relief and began to look around this new home that would soon belong to him.

The room was spacious and bright with a reasonable layout; compared to the drafty, dilapidated shack in the Outer Sect, it was simply worlds apart.

He walked to the window, pushed open the wooden lattice, and a gust of Spiritual Qi, more than ten times denser and purer than in the Outer Sect, rushed towards him, making him feel refreshed.

"Goodness, this Spiritual Qi concentration... it is indeed the core area of Saintess Peak."

He sighed, the world of Cultivation really was "location determines Spiritual Qi concentration."

Cultivating here, even without taking Medicinal Pills, was far more efficient than in the Outer Sect.

However, he still believed in the fast-track philosophy that Medicinal Pills were supreme.

Relying solely on his three Spiritual Roots to absorb Spiritual Qi, it was too slow.

He rummaged through his shabby Storage Pouch, took out a clean old rag, released a bit of spiritual power from his fingertips, and cast a basic, improved version of the Dust Removal Spell.

It could make the rag work automatically.

He saw the rag float up, nimbly flying and weaving between the tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets.

Wherever it passed, the dust was gone, and soon the whole room was cleaned until it was bright, clean, and spotless.

After doing this, he sat cross-legged on the clean floor of the hall and tried to circulate the basic Qi Refining technique.

The pure Spiritual Qi was like a trickling stream, flowing into his Meridians naturally without any effort, with amazing efficiency.

"Spiritual Qi is good, but it is not as direct as Medicinal Pills."

He stopped Cultivating and calculated silently.

"I must find an opportunity to go to the trading fair again to stock up on some goods... But now that I have moved into the Saintess's Immortal Cave, going in and out probably won't be that free, and I have to report to her first."

Just as he was thinking, a very faint fragrant breeze brushed past.

Ye Xiaoyao opened his eyes alertly, only to see that familiar black-dressed figure already standing quietly in the room; it was the Saintess who had returned.

She did not seem to be intentionally hiding her aura, but there was still a ghostly lightness in her movements.

"You have not been slack in your Cultivation."

The Saintess looked at him, her tone neither praising nor blaming.

Ye Xiaoyao quickly stood up and said respectfully, "Your Highness."

Remembering his plan just now, he took the opportunity to speak, saying, "Your Highness, you have returned just in time. This Disciple has something to report."

"Speak."

"This Disciple would like to... go out to purchase some Medicinal Pills to assist in Cultivation. Although the Spiritual Qi here is dense, if there are Medicinal Pills to assist, the cultivation improvement can be faster."

Ye Xiaoyao spoke sincerely, and this was the truth.

Upon hearing this, the very faint smile on the Saintess's face seemed to deepen a little.

She shook her head slightly, "There is no need for such trouble."

As she spoke, she flipped her hand, and the Storage Pouch at her waist flashed with spiritual light repeatedly.

Clatter—

A full dozen or so jade bottles, slightly different in color but clearly of superior quality, appeared in the air in front of her as if by magic.

The jade bottles hovered steadily, with spiritual light faintly flowing on the bottle bodies. Although the medicinal fragrance was sealed, the unique Spiritual Qi fluctuations of the Medicinal Pills were faintly emanating.

Ye Xiaoyao's eyes widened instantly, his mouth opened slightly, and he almost let out an exclamation.

"A dozen jade bottles?"

"This... this is too much!"

He felt his heart skip a beat.

"Last time the Saintess gave Spirit Stones and Talismans, which was shocking enough, but this time she is directly throwing Medicinal Pills at me?"

"And she threw a dozen bottles at once?"

"This generosity... is simply inhumanly wealthy!"

The Saintess's tone was flat, as if she had just taken out a few candy beans.

"These are naqi pills and Qi Gathering pills. The naqi pills will help you stabilize the Middle Stage of Qi Refining and charge towards the Late Stage, while the Qi Gathering pills are prepared for the Late Stage of Qi Refining, helping you reach the Ninth Level. The quantity should be enough for you to use until the Perfection of Qi Refining."

She paused, looked at Ye Xiaoyao's somewhat dazed expression, and continued, "As for the foundation establishment pill required for Foundation Establishment, I will naturally prepare it for you when the time comes. Your current priority is to use these Medicinal Pills, without distraction, to raise your cultivation to the Ninth Level of Qi Refining as soon as possible. Do you understand?"

"She even covers the foundation establishment pill?!"

Ye Xiaoyao felt a rush of heat go straight to his skull; it was the dizziness of being hit by a huge pie, mixed with a trace of deep unease.

"These benefits... are given too outrageously!"

"Is there really such a thing as a free lunch in the world, and every meal is an immortal feast?"

But he quickly suppressed his churning emotions, deliberately showing ecstasy and gratitude on his face, and quickly stepped forward to collect the dozen or so jade bottles into his own Storage Pouch one by one.

"This Disciple... thanks Your Highness!"

Ye Xiaoyao bowed deeply, specifically speaking in an excited and slightly trembling voice, "I will certainly not fail Your Highness's expectations, and I will do my utmost to reach Foundation Establishment soon!"

The Saintess seemed satisfied with his reaction and nodded slightly.

Then, she took out another item from the Storage Pouch.

It was a neatly folded piece of clothing, and when unfolded, it was a brand-new cyan Dao robe.

The fabric was fine and smooth, with spiritual light faintly hidden within; it was clearly not an ordinary mortal item.

The style was almost identical to the old robe he was wearing, only it was crisper, and the color was that kind of clean, bright cyan, like the clear sky after rain.

The Saintess held the Dao robe with both hands and handed it to Ye Xiaoyao. Her voice remained flat, but it had a hint of undetectable softness.

"The Dao robe you are wearing is old; change into this one."

Ye Xiaoyao looked at the brand-new cyan Dao robe in front of him, which still emitted a faint fragrance of soap, and for a moment, he was somewhat dazed.

"Medicinal Pills for Cultivation are one thing, but now she has even thought of clothing for me..."

"This Saintess is being a bit too good to me."

This meticulous care made the string of vigilance in Ye Xiaoyao's heart tighten even more.

But at the same time, a very subtle, strange feeling that he did not want to admit even to himself welled up.

He took the Dao robe, and it felt warm, cool, and silky to the touch, with a texture far superior to the old robe he had been wearing for years and which had become stiff from washing.

He looked up at the Saintess's clear yet bottomless eyes and thanked her earnestly, "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."