The young man in black brought Ye Qingci to a stone house in the center of the ancient city. It was spacious but cluttered, and a strong smell of mildew hung in the air.
He pulled a handful of beans from his robes and tossed them onto the floor.
Clatter!
The beans scattered across the floor, then erupted in clouds of white smoke. When the smoke cleared, more than a dozen women in green robes stood inside the house. Each bore an azure mark between her brows that gave off a faint ripple of Spiritual Power.
The women bowed to the young man in black in perfect unison and called out respectfully, "Greetings, Master!"
"Clean this place up," the young man in black told them.
"Yes!"
The green-robed women answered as one and began tidying the stone house. They were puppets crafted by mechanism masters, with enough intelligence to handle all sorts of tasks.
Before long, the Puppet People had left the house spotless.
The young man in black took some everyday supplies from his storage ring. After furnishing the house, he said to Ye Qingci, "Stay here and don't wander off. I need to cultivate and recover for a while."
"Mm."
Ye Qingci nodded slightly, then went over to the bed and sat down.
The young man in black took out a meditation cushion and tossed it onto the floor. After swallowing a pill, he sat down and began to cultivate.
An hour later, he opened his eyes. Two flashes of Golden Light flickered deep within them and vanished. He glanced at the bed and saw that Ye Qingci had fallen asleep.
He walked over, pulled up the quilt, and gently covered her.
His name was Ye Kong, and he came from the Ye Family of the Central Land.