Rejected Again!
"What are you here for?"
At those words, Tang Xiaohan's smiling expression stiffened for a moment as she looked at Li Ye.
She wore a pale blue-green dress, and her features were delicate and pretty. With just a touch of makeup, she was an ethereal beauty.
Anyone who saw her would find it hard not to have their eyes light up.
In the past,
even if Tang Xiaohan said nothing and merely stood there, Li Ye would have been unable to tear his eyes away. He would have gone over of his own accord, asking after her well-being and letting her order him around.
But they had only been apart for a little while. How had Li Ye become like a different person...
So inconsiderate!
Tang Xiaohan thought to herself.
"...What are we here for?"
The sharp-mouthed cultivator let out a laugh and looked Li Ye up and down.
Seeing his bedraggled state, with dirt smeared over his clothes and dried into hard clumps in places, he wore a mocking expression.
In the past, Li Ye's cultivation and combat strength had both been greater than his, and he had needed Li Ye to take the lead and risk his life fighting.
Even if the sharp-mouthed cultivator looked down on Li Ye, he had naturally still needed to placate him with nice words.
But things were different now.
After their last risky mission succeeded, the sharp-mouthed cultivator had also broken through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, becoming a mid-stage cultivator.
His own cultivation had risen, while Li Ye had gotten himself covered in mud in the spirit fields, looking every bit a dirt-footed peasant.
The contrast gave the sharp-mouthed cultivator a secret thrill.
What was more, after his breakthrough, Senior Brother Cai actually intended to take them with him to explore a cave abode left behind by someone from the past.
Having already had a taste of the benefits, he was reluctant to bring Li Ye back and have one more person share the credit.
With such a good thing as exploring a hidden place, he was even less willing to see the brat return.
Intent on making Li Ye leave in anger, the sharp-mouthed cultivator had no intention of being polite.
"Just look at you now..."
But before the fellow could say more, Tang Xiaohan spoke first.
"It's been a long time, Senior Brother Li. Have you been well?"
"We visited your residence, but there was no response. We only found our way here after asking around several times. Senior Brother, you certainly made your little sister search hard!"
The female cultivator's eyes were smiling, and her expression was full of concern, like a pool of spring water.
Even Zhang Liangfu, standing to one side, felt his heart tremble and swallowed instinctively.
"There's no need for pleasantries. I'm still busy here, so just say whatever you came to say."
But Li Ye merely glanced at the sharp-mouthed cultivator and replied offhandedly.
He was not far from accumulating the next strand of Jade Sprout Spiritual Essence, and he had little mind to waste on idle nonsense with this bunch.
"Why are you being so distant, Senior Brother...?"
Tang Xiaohan was taken aback again, and she could barely maintain her expression.
Seeing that Li Ye remained unmoved, she had no choice but to say,
"Senior Brother Li, you haven't joined us for many days, and all our fellow disciples miss you dearly... Why don't we find somewhere else to talk in detail?"
Going by their past practice, this meant they had something good and wanted to invite him along.
"Ahem... I haven't finished tending my spirit field..."
Zhang Liangfu slapped his forehead and strode back to his own spirit field without looking back, burying himself in his work.
The three looked satisfied when they saw he had the sense to leave.
Li Ye, however, shook his head.
"I appreciate your kind intentions, but my injuries still haven't fully healed, and this spirit field needs tending day and night. I really have no intention of leaving the sect..."
"Please go back, all of you, and please don't disturb me again in the future!"
His words could hardly have been less polite.
He knew perfectly well.
Judging by the relationship between his predecessor and this bunch, even if there really were some fortuitous opportunity or benefit, none of it would fall to him.
They clearly knew the state of his injuries, yet had come looking for him anyway. Most likely, their mission or the place they intended to explore held hidden dangers, and they wanted him to go in and step on the mines for them.
Let alone while he was injured, Li Ye wouldn't wade into these muddy waters even if he were in perfect condition.
Rather than deal with trouble later, he might as well take this chance to make things clear once and for all!
"Senior Brother Li, are you truly going to part ways with us?"
Tang Xiaohan's smile faded, and she stared at Li Ye expressionlessly.
If Senior Brother Cai hadn't insisted on inviting Li Ye along, and even thought that wasn't safe enough and wanted to bring in other cultivators they knew,
she would never have appeared here and come looking for Li Ye herself!
And even though she had spoken so gently, this man could still refuse without hesitation.
He simply didn't know what was good for him!
Recalling his refusal by voice transmission talisman last time, Tang Xiaohan grew even angrier.
"Hahahahaha!"
The fat and thin cultivators were so angry they laughed on the spot. Raising their hands to point at Li Ye, they sneered,
"Li Ye, oh, Li Ye, one encounter with a Bandit Cultivator and a little injury scared the guts out of you! You don't even dare take half a step outside the sect!"
"Since you're happy to muddle around in these fields with this bunch of dirt-footed peasants, then stay here and be a turtle hiding in its shell for the rest of your life!"
"Junior Sister Tang... his cultivation has nearly fallen below the Fourth Layer, and who knows how much fighting strength he has left? He'd be nothing but a burden!"
"Why waste any more words on him? Let's go!"
With that, the two swept their sleeves and left directly on their Law Artifacts.
"I thought you were a brave man who pressed forward, Senior Brother, but I never expected you to be so timid and spineless... Senior Brother Li, you've disappointed me greatly!"
Tang Xiaohan spoke coldly to Li Ye, as if grief-stricken, then immediately shot into the air and chased after the fat and thin cultivators.
Li Ye stood where he was, his expression unchanged from beginning to end.
His heart was utterly unruffled, and he even felt like laughing.
They couldn't get their tool to work, so now they're upset, and they still want to try provoking me...
You're not nearly skilled enough for that!
As the three departed, the spirit-farming disciples who had been watching the show popped out one by one.
The way they looked at Li Ye had changed somewhat.
There was even a trace of admiration in Zhang Liangfu's gaze.
"Junior Brother Li... you could refuse without hesitation even when such a beauty invited you so nicely. Your character really is extraordinary!"
"If it were old Zhang here, I'm afraid I'd have agreed to anything she said on the spot!"
He came over and gave Li Ye a thumbs-up, a complicated expression on his face.
He said nothing about the fat and thin cultivators' mocking words.
Although the two cultivators had suppressed Zhang Liangfu with their presence earlier, he had remained at Li Ye's side the whole time, despite not knowing why they had come.
Later, when he saw they had something to discuss, he had the sense to leave.
That was already quite decent of him!
Li Ye's manner toward him grew a little warmer.
"You're joking, Senior Brother!"
Li Ye chuckled. "You should know that those who follow different paths cannot make plans together! If it does me no good, what difference does it make if she's a beauty?"
"She's not half as lovely as my field full of seedlings!"
With that, he turned and walked straight into the field, carefully tending the spirit seedlings one by one.
His carefree manner, as though nothing had happened at all, left the others staring in a daze.
"Whew..."
In the quiet room, Li Ye slowly let out a breath.
It scattered the faint lingering scent of rice in the air.
He raised both hands and clenched them lightly a couple of times, an excited look on his face.
"After refining that strand of Jade Sprout Spiritual Essence, my Law Power has indeed become a little purer... Now I've finally gained complete control over all my Law Power and eliminated any future trouble!"
He possessed a Low-Grade Earth-Wood Spirit Root, with the wood attribute slightly stronger.
In fact, anyone born with Spirit Root aptitude possessed all five elements; it was merely a question of which ones were more prominent. Even elements that restrained one another could maintain a delicate balance.
As long as one's Cultivation Method preserved the original balance or suppression, there would be no problem.
And although the Cultivation Method he practiced was not among the most commonplace in the cultivation world, like the Eternal Spring Instruction, the Azure Origin Cultivation Method Fragment was only slightly better.
It lacked both accompanying Law Techniques and higher-level content. Reaching Qi Refining Perfection with it was the absolute limit!
Given such aptitude and a Cultivation Method like that, his predecessor had only managed to reach the Qi Refining Fourth Layer at the age of twenty-four entirely thanks to medicinal pills!
That had also caused pill toxins to build up in his body and left his Law Power insufficiently refined.
Under such conditions, gaining control of all his Law Power had been exceedingly difficult for Li Ye. For quite some time after transmigrating, he had made no progress at all.
But ever since he began refining Jade Sprout Spiritual Essence, the nature of his Law Power had gradually grown purer, making it much easier to control.
Otherwise, with his current meager means, which could not even afford him spirit rice, who knew what year of the monkey or month of the horse it would have taken!
"With this, I can finally perform a preliminary refinement on the Law Artifact my predecessor left behind..."
Li Ye murmured and pulled out his Storage Bag.