Another Wonder Seed

The next day at noon, Lin Qingchen changed into clean clothes and went straight to the Ye Family.

Ye Lingling had already told him the location of his home yesterday, and with the help of asking for directions from time to time, Lin Qingchen did not get lost.

The Ye Family was located in a quiet alley in the east of the city. It was a house of moderate size, and it looked quite nice.

Ye Lingling was standing at the door waiting for him. She wasn't wearing a veil today, but a light blue dress, and her hair was tied up with a plain silver hairpin, making her look quite ordinary.

Seeing Lin Qingchen approach, her fingers unconsciously twisted the sash of her skirt.

"Qingchen, you've arrived."

"Hmm, sorry to have kept you waiting. I'm not late, am I?"

Ye Lingling shook her head repeatedly. "I just came out too, come in with me first."

As she spoke, she turned and led the way, adding in a low voice, "My mother is a very good cook, so eat more later."

"I didn't expect it to be Auntie cooking herself! I'm so lucky!"

Lin Qingchen really hadn't expected this. He thought that families like this would all have chefs, but he never expected that Ye Lingling's mother would cook herself.

Perhaps because she was at home, Ye Lingling became much more talkative and less shy, chatting and laughing with Lin Qingchen as they walked.

Only when they reached the main hall did Ye Lingling suddenly stop talking and revert to her usual taciturn demeanor.

Upon entering the main hall, Ye Qingxian had already set out a table of dishes.

Lin Qingchen glanced at it; it did indeed look very homey and appetizing.

"Qingchen's here, have a seat." Ye Qingxian smiled and invited him to sit down, then sat opposite him, while Ye Lingling sat down next to Lin Qingchen.

"My name is Ye Qingxian, and I'm Lingling's mother," Ye Qingxian first poured Lin Qingchen a cup of tea. "You saved Lingling's life, and I've always wanted to thank you in person. This meal is indeed a bit simple, please don't mind."

"Auntie, you're too kind. It's my honor to taste your cooking." Lin Qingchen shook his head.

"Alas, Lingling has been frail since she was little. Our lineage has always been based on single-lineage heirs, and our population is sparse. She's the only one left in her generation. If something happens to her, I..."

"Oh, let's not talk about that, let's eat first."

The Ye Family seemed to adhere to rules such as not speaking while eating. Seeing this, Lin Qingchen remained silent and simply ate his meal at Ye Qingxian's invitation.

During the meal, Ye Lingling would also serve him some food.

Lin Qingchen didn't refuse and ate everything he could.

Ye Qingxian observed the two's behavior and gained a clearer understanding of their situation.

It seems my cabbage is doomed after all...

Halfway through the meal, Lin Qingchen got up to get more rice. As she passed a room next to the main hall with its door half open, she caught a glimpse of several old books on a shelf against the wall inside.

One of the ancient books, its cover yellowed, lay open, with illustrations on the pages and dense annotations written beside it.

It looks like this book has been flipped through frequently, causing the pages to become loose.

However, Lin Qingchen was definitely not looking at that; he was looking at the light emanating from the ancient book.

Another Wonder Seed!

In just two days, he actually saw two Wonder Seed.

He didn't understand what the Wonder Seed behind Xue Qinghe was, but now that it was right in front of him, he certainly couldn't let it get away so easily.

He continued walking forward, holding the bowl, and memorized the location of the book.

After finishing their meal, Ye Lingling seemed to realize that she had gone a bit too far earlier, so she quickly volunteered to go to the kitchen to clear the dishes (although this task was actually done by a maid). Meanwhile, Ye Qingxian and Lin Qingchen were drinking tea in the main hall.

Lin Qingchen hesitated for a moment before speaking directly, "Auntie, I just passed by that house next door and happened to see some ancient books inside. I've always been interested in studying ancient books. Would you mind letting me take a look?"

He was already prepared to be rejected when he said that.

After all, those kinds of ancestral books are not usually lent out by ordinary families.

His plan was actually the same as before: to "borrow" using the Great Five Elements Escape.

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingxian didn't even hesitate. She stood up, walked into the room, took out the pile of ancient books, and placed them in front of Lin Qingchen.

"I didn't know you liked studying ancient books. That's a perfect match for my interests. If you'd like to take a look, feel free to do so."

Lin Qingchen was taken aback. "Auntie, this is a family heirloom..."

"I know, so you can just look around here."

Ye Qingxian sat back down in her chair and casually said, "Aren't books meant to be read?"

Okay...

Without hesitation, Lin Qingchen picked up the book that was shining in his eyes.

Ye Qingxian raised an eyebrow and said directly, "I didn't expect you to read this. This book is actually a research notebook on the Nine Heart Begonia compiled by my Ye Family. It records some insights into the use of Soul Skill, as well as speculations about the issue of single-lineage transmission, but it's just speculation."

Lin Qingchen picked up the ancient book and flipped through it.

The paper was somewhat brittle, with even some traces of insect damage on the edges. The annotations inside were written in different handwriting, clearly indicating that many people had written them in succession.

Having seen it, however, getting his hands on it was a real problem.

You can't really steal or rob someone, can you?

After thinking it over, Lin Qingchen decided to give up for the time being and instead focused on reading the book, occasionally chatting with Ye Qingxian about its contents.

Midway through, Ye Lingling returned, looking at the book in Lin Qingchen's hand.

She certainly knew this book; she had even read it countless times.

But why would Qingchen be interested in this? His Martial Soul isn't the Nine Heart Begonia, is it?

Ye Lingling sat down next to Lin Qingchen without disturbing him, but she silently began to make plans in her mind.

They chatted for over an hour before Lin Qingchen got up to say goodbye.

Ye Qingxian personally escorted him to the door. "Come visit often when you have time. Lingling doesn't have many friends at the academy, so I'm quite happy to see her caring about someone, which is rare for her."

"Good."

Ye Lingling escorted Lin Qingchen to the alley entrance alone.

"Alright, it's not like we'll never see each other again, there's no need to be so sad."

Upon hearing this, Ye Lingling blushed slightly, then lowered her head to look at her toes, her fingers twisting the ribbon of her skirt again.

"Okay, I'm off then. See you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

Ye Lingling stood there watching him walk away, and only turned back into the courtyard after he had turned the corner of the alley.

Ye Qingxian leaned against the doorframe waiting for her. When she saw her return, she crossed her arms and said with a half-smile, "Oh, so you've finally had enough? Looks like my daughter has grown up and can't be kept here."

"Mother!"

"Alright, alright, go back now. I don't know what you've been doing in the kitchen; you haven't even finished washing the dishes."