Aunt's Gifts

Could Master have had these made especially for me?

A suspicion immediately sprang into Ye Fei's mind.

"Go visit Green Bamboo Peak when you have time. As her disciple, you should call on your master more often."

After offering Ye Fei that reminder, Jiang Mengyun said no more.

Call on her more often.

At those words, Ye Fei felt his face flush.

He had been complaining all along that his master wasn't close to him, yet he hadn't exactly been fulfilling his duties as a disciple either.

Jiang Mengyun had spelled it out so plainly that even a fool would have known what to do.

He immediately summoned his flying sword and flew toward Green Bamboo Peak.

Since Green Bamboo Peak wasn't far from Jade Maiden Peak, Ye Fei arrived outside Luo Ying's cave abode in less than half an incense stick's time.

"Kree!"

The moment Ye Fei stepped off his flying sword, the Immortal Crane standing guard beside the cave abode cried out at him.

"Junior Brother Ye, you're here!"

The Immortal Crane's cry had barely faded when Ning Siyu came out of the cave abode, brimming with excitement.

"Greetings, Senior Sister Siyu."

Ye Fei hurriedly bowed in courtesy.

"You're always so formal. We're fellow disciples; there's no need for that."

"You're here to see Master, right?"

Ning Siyu waved a hand as she asked.

"Yes. It's been over a year, and I still haven't visited Master. I came specifically to pay my respects today."

Ye Fei spoke awkwardly.

"Hehe, silly junior brother, you've finally wised up."

Ning Siyu giggled and led Ye Fei straight into the cave abode without asking Luo Ying's permission.

This was Ye Fei's first visit to Luo Ying's cave abode.

Like Jiang Mengyun's, Luo Ying's cave abode held a faint fragrance.

The scent was quite distinctive, refreshing the mind and spirit with every breath.

"Master, Junior Brother Ye is here."

After showing Ye Fei to a seat in the sitting room, Ning Siyu called toward the inner chambers.

Her voice had barely fallen when Luo Ying slowly emerged, dressed in yellow gauze.

"Greetings, Master."

Seeing Luo Ying appear, Ye Fei hurriedly rose and bowed.

"You've made swift progress. You've already reached qi refining perfection."

Luo Ying nodded lightly, her face betraying neither joy nor sorrow.

"Thank you for your praise, Master."

Ye Fei bowed as he spoke.

"There's no need to thank me. I've never taught you anything."

"With your current cultivation, you're bound to enter the Divine Feather Secret Realm this time. I suppose you've come to ask me for treasures?"

Luo Ying raised an eyebrow as she asked.

"Your disciple simply wanted to visit you, Master. I had no intention of asking for treasures."

Ye Fei hurriedly explained.

"Whatever you may think, that's how I see it."

"Since you've asked, I naturally can't let you go home empty-handed, lest others call me a stingy master."

"How about this? I'll give you the Elephant Armor Art and the Shadowless Boots. Combined with your body-tempering technique, they should make it difficult for anyone in the secret realm to hurt you."

As she spoke, Luo Ying willed a book and a pair of blue boots to float before Ye Fei.

"Thank you for these treasures, Master."

Ye Fei sighed inwardly, then put both items away after expressing his thanks.

Although his aunt appeared cold and distant toward him, with little warmth to offer, deep down she still cared about him.

"Siyu, lend your Vajra Umbrella to your junior brother for now. Keeping it won't do you much good at present."

After a moment's consideration, Luo Ying looked at Ning Siyu beside her.

"Sure! Junior Brother Ye, you can have this Vajra Umbrella."

Without the slightest hesitation, Ning Siyu willed out a pitch-black iron umbrella roughly four feet long.

"Thank you, Senior Sister."

Ye Fei quickly accepted the Vajra Umbrella and put it away.

"All right, if there's nothing else, you can go."

"Keep your wits about you in the secret realm. Don't go dying in there."

"Your life is a small matter, but it would be a shame if someone stole these magic treasures."

After tossing out those final reminders, Luo Ying waved Ye Fei away.

Hearing Luo Ying's words, Ye Fei's mouth twitched.

Still, he bowed to Luo Ying before turning to leave.

As she watched Ye Fei depart, a gleam flashed through Luo Ying's beautiful eyes, and her lips curved into an enchanting smile.

"Go fetch your Senior Brother Qinghuai."

Once Ye Fei had left, Luo Ying gave Ning Siyu the order.

"Are you worried something might happen to our little junior brother in the secret realm, Master, and want to make arrangements in advance?"

Ning Siyu asked with a smile.

"If I tell you to go, then go. What's all this chatter?"

Luo Ying snapped in annoyance.

"Yes, yes, your disciple is going right away."

Ning Siyu giggled and walked out, her hips swaying.

After returning to Jade Maiden Peak, Ye Fei went straight back to his cave abode.

Sitting cross-legged on the stone bed, he first took out the Vajra Umbrella.

The Vajra Umbrella was rather unusual. Its shaft was roughly four feet long, and its thirty-six ribs were all forged from black gold.

Each rib supported a black umbrella panel forged from black essence iron, and beneath each panel lay a concealed flying blade about an inch long.

These flying blades were controlled by a button on the umbrella's shaft.

Pressing the button would send the blades flying out to meet the enemy; pressing it again would bring them back into the Vajra Umbrella.

Ye Fei bound the Vajra Umbrella to himself with a drop of blood. After fully refining it, he took out the Shadowless Boots.

The boots were blue all over and could automatically adjust their size to fit the wearer's feet.

After binding them with a drop of blood, Ye Fei put them on.

The instant he donned the Shadowless Boots, he felt his body grow much lighter.

Then, channeling a thread of true qi into the Shadowless Boots, he stepped toward the entrance of his cave abode.

"So fast!"

After just two steps, Ye Fei couldn't help crying out.

He discovered that with the Shadowless Boots on, he moved more than three times as fast as before.

They even held their own against his Black Disc magic treasure.

These are all precious treasures.

An aunt is still an aunt. She knows how to look after me.

Sitting back down on the stone bed, Ye Fei felt a little moved.

Having a relative who cared for him left him deeply content.

After reflecting on it for a while, Ye Fei took out the Elephant Armor Art manual.

As its name suggested, the Elephant Armor Art was a cultivation technique that strengthened the body and enhanced defense, achieving much the same result as his body-tempering technique through a different path.

With a sweep of his divine sense, Ye Fei committed the entire book to memory.

Then he settled his mind and began cultivating.

The Elephant Armor Art had four levels in total. With his qi refining cultivation, he could only practice the first.

Fortunately, the first level wasn't particularly difficult. After just a few days, Ye Fei gradually found his stride and made a small breakthrough.

Twenty days passed in the blink of an eye. That day, while Ye Fei was cultivating, he suddenly heard Jiang Mengyun's voice transmission.

"Martial Nephew Ye, you'll be setting out for Divine Feather Valley tomorrow. Don't forget what you promised me."

"Rest assured, Martial Aunt. Since I promised to take you inside, I certainly won't go back on my word."

Ye Fei spoke to the empty air before him.

He knew Jiang Mengyun could hear him speaking inside his cave abode.

"Good. That girl Yiyun will be back later. Don't let her know about this yet."

Jiang Mengyun reminded him again.

"No problem."

Ye Fei nodded, then asked, "When will you enter the Azure Dragon Sword, Martial Aunt?"

"Just before you set out."

Jiang Mengyun replied.

Her voice had barely faded when Jiang Yiyun's voice drifted in from outside Ye Fei's cave abode.

"Senior Brother Ye, I'm back!"

Immediately afterward, a breathtakingly beautiful young woman dressed in white gauze, her figure curving in all the right places, appeared before Ye Fei.