"What are you here for?"
As soon as those words left his mouth, Tang Xiaohan's smiling expression froze slightly as she looked at Li Ye.
She wore a light blue dress, her features delicate and graceful. With just a touch of makeup, she already looked like a beauty untouched by the world.
Anyone who saw her would find it hard not to be impressed.
Back in the day
Tang Xiaohan wouldn't even need to say a word. Just standing there was enough to make Li Ye unable to take his eyes off her. He would rush up to offer help, hanging on her every word.
But it hadn't even been that long since they last met, and Li Ye now seemed like a completely different person...
So cold and distant!
Tang Xiaohan thought to herself.
"…What are we here for?"
The sharp-faced cultivator let out a mocking laugh, his gaze scanning Li Ye from head to toe.
Looking at the dirt-streaked and half-dried mud caked on Li Ye's clothes, he sneered.
In the past, Li Ye's cultivation and combat strength surpassed his own, and they'd always pushed Li Ye to the front lines to do the fighting and take the risks.
Even if he looked down on him, the sharp-faced cultivator still had to butter him up and keep him happy.
But times had changed.
After their last mission succeeded, he had broken through to Qi Refining Level 4 and became a mid-stage cultivator.
His strength had improved, while Li Ye was now crawling around in muddy fields like some backwater farmer.
That contrast felt oh-so-satisfying.
Not to mention now that Senior Brother Cai had advanced in rank, he was planning to lead them in exploring an ancient cultivator's hidden abode.
The sharp-faced cultivator had already tasted the sweetness of such ventures and wasn't exactly thrilled about having to share future rewards by bringing Li Ye back into the fold.
The last thing he wanted was this guy tagging along.
With that thought in mind, he decided to just aggravate Li Ye until he left on his own. His tone was blunt and unkind:
"Just look at you now"
But before he could say more, Tang Xiaohan cut him off.
"It's been so long Senior Brother Li, have you been well?"
"We stopped by your residence several times but got no response. After searching around, we finally found you here. You made this little sister worry!"
Her eyes glimmered with concern, her expression soft and caring like the warmth of spring water.
Even Zhang Liangfu, watching from the side, felt his heart skip a beat and subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
"No need for small talk. I'm busy. Just say what you came to say."
But Li Ye merely glanced at the sharp-faced cultivator and replied casually.
He was close to accumulating his next sprout of Emerald Essence and had no interest in wasting time with pointless chatter.
"Why so distant, Senior Brother…"
Tang Xiaohan was stunned again, her smile faltering.
Seeing that Li Ye still wasn't moved, she finally said:
"Senior Brother Li, it's been days since you last joined our group. Everyone misses you dearly… why don't we find somewhere quieter to talk?"
As per their usual unspoken code, this was a clear invitation to join in on some profitable opportunity.
"Ah my spirit field still needs tending…"
Zhang Liangfu slapped his forehead and quickly turned around, briskly heading back to his plot, burying himself in work.
Seeing how tactfully he excused himself, the three new arrivals looked pleased.
But Li Ye only shook his head.
"I appreciate your concern, but I'm still recovering from my injuries. The spirit fields also require constant care I'm not planning on leaving the sect anytime soon."
"Please head back, and in the future, I ask that you don't disturb me again."
Those words were as blunt as they came.
Li Ye knew perfectly well in his heart.
Given the kind of relationship his previous self had with that group, even if there was some great opportunity, he'd never get a share of it.
They were aware of his injuries, yet still came looking for him. Most likely, whatever mission or ruins they planned to explore was fraught with danger, and they wanted to use him as cannon fodder.
Injuries or not, Li Ye wouldn't step into that mess even if he were in perfect condition.
Rather than deal with trouble later, better to take this chance and make things clear once and for all!
"Senior Brother Li, do you truly intend to part ways with us?"
Tang Xiaohan's smile faded, her face now expressionless as she stared coldly at Li Ye.
If it weren't for Senior Brother Cai insisting on inviting Li Ye to join them and still feeling it wasn't safe enough without roping in more familiar cultivators
she wouldn't dream of coming to seek out this guy!
And after all the kind, gentle words she spoke, he could still turn her down so decisively?
Utterly ungrateful!
She grew even more annoyed, thinking back to when he rejected her transmission talisman the last time.
"Hahahaha!"
The two cultivators one fat, one thin burst into laughter, clearly enraged.
One of them pointed mockingly at Li Ye and sneered:
"Li Ye, Li Ye… One run-in with a demonic cultivator and a few injuries, and you're already scared out of your wits? Too afraid to even leave the sect now?"
"If you're so eager to stay in the fields with these mud-diggers, then go ahead and be a coward hiding in the dirt for the rest of your life!"
"Junior Sister Tang, this guy's cultivation has dropped so low he's barely at the fourth layer. Who knows if he even has any strength left he'd only be a burden!"
"Why waste your breath on him? Let's go!"
With that, they flung their sleeves and soared away on their flying artifacts.
"I once thought you were bold and diligent, Senior Brother... but now I see you're just a coward without a spine."
Tang Xiaohan said coldly like she was deeply disappointed. Then she, too, flew off after the other two.
Li Ye stood there, his expression unchanged from beginning to end.
There wasn't a ripple in his heart he even found it a little funny.
Trying to bait me into volunteering and getting mad when it doesn't work? Resorting to reverse psychology?
Please... you're way out of your depth.
Once the trio had left, the other disciples tending the spiritual fields who had been watching the scene from the shadows finally peeked out.
Their gazes toward Li Ye had shifted.
Zhang Liangfu, in particular, now looked at him with a trace of admiration in his eyes.
"Junior Brother Li... to turn down a beauty like that so decisively now that's some impressive willpower!"
"If it were me, I'd probably have agreed to anything on the spot!"
He shuffled over with a complicated expression and gave Li Ye a big thumbs-up.
He didn't mention a word about the mockery from the two cultivators earlier.
Even though Zhang Liangfu had been intimidated by their presence at first, he never stepped away from Li Ye's side while their intentions were unclear.
And when he realized they needed privacy to talk, he quietly made himself scarce.
That alone was enough to count as real loyalty.
So Li Ye's attitude toward him now carried a bit more warmth.
"You're too kind, Senior Brother."
Li Ye grinned. "But we all know those who don't share the same path shouldn't walk it together. If something brings me no benefit, then even the most beautiful woman isn't worth the trouble."
"I'd rather spend time with these little sprouts in my field they're far more lovable!"
With that, he turned and walked back into the fields, carefully tending each spiritual seedling.
His carefree demeanor made it seem like nothing had even happened, leaving the others dumbfounded.
"Whew…"
In a quiet meditation chamber, Li Ye slowly exhaled.
The faint scent of rice lingering in the air was gently stirred away.
He raised his hands and gave them a light squeeze, his expression energized.
"Refining that sprout of Emerald Bud Essence did purify my mana a bit more... At last, I've fully regained control over my spiritual power no more lingering issues!"
His spiritual root was a low-grade dual Earth-Wood root, with Wood slightly dominant.
In truth, as long as one had spiritual roots, all five elements were present it was just a matter of which ones stood out more. Even conflicting elements could find some balance.
As long as one practiced the right cultivation method to maintain or suppress that balance, it posed no real issue.
Li Ye's current method wasn't exactly the most common "Evergreen Technique," but it wasn't much better just a fragment of the Qingyuan Technique.
It lacked matching spells and had no advanced content. At best, it could carry him to the peak of Qi Refining.
Given his talent and this meager cultivation method, the only reason his predecessor had reached the fourth layer at age twenty-four was pure pill-popping.
Which left behind a ton of pill toxins and unrefined spiritual power.
Under such conditions, Li Ye found it incredibly difficult to control his spiritual energy. For a long time after transmigrating, he made no progress at all.
But ever since he started refining Emerald Bud Essence, his mana had gradually become purer, and control had become much easier.
Otherwise, with his current wealth he couldn't even afford proper spiritual rice he'd probably still be struggling come the next century.
"Now that things are stable, I can finally start refining the magical artifacts my predecessor left behind…"
Li Ye muttered to himself, pulling out a storage pouch.