Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Revealing One’s Heart

The thought had only just surfaced when Bai Lin mentally shook her head. *No, that’s not right. How can I even compare Elder Li to the Ancestor?*

Elder Li was very good to her, but theirs was a relationship of employment. She worked for him, and he paid her—though his payments were a bit too generous.

The Ancestor was different. His contributions to the family were completely selfless, asking for nothing in return.

Without his selfless sacrifice, she might never have even been born.

How could Elder Li possibly compare?

At this thought, Bai Lin’s gaze toward the Ancestor filled with reverence.

...

The Bai family’s Ancestor asked with a smile, "Little Bai Lin, are you and Fellow Daoist Li getting along well?"

"Yes. Elder Li treats me very well," Bai Lin replied earnestly.

"Oh?" The Ancestor smiled and nodded. "Then I can rest assured."

Next, the Bai family’s Ancestor asked Bai Lin a few simple questions about her work environment on Immortal Peach Mountain, her living conditions, her meals, and her daily interactions with Li Ping.

Bai Lin answered each question honestly.

They chatted for a full hour before the Ancestor smiled and encouraged her, "Little Bai Lin, Fellow Daoist Li is our family’s Honored Guest Elder. Keep up the good work for him. If you run into any trouble, you can contact Mingde."

Bai Lin nodded seriously. "Yes, Ancestor. I will do my best."

...

By the side of the pond, Bai Lin had already departed.

Bai Mingde stood beside the Ancestor, lost in thought.

The Bai family’s Ancestor asked with a smile, "Mingde, what are your thoughts?"

Bai Mingde hesitated before speaking uncertainly, "I’m not entirely sure myself. Initially, when Elder Li had Lin’Er weeding flowers and planting Spirit Medicines, it seemed like he was testing her. But later, even when he was clearly satisfied with her performance, he never took her as his own. I can’t figure out why."

The Bai family’s Ancestor chuckled. "Didn’t you notice the change in Little Bai Lin’s tone and expression whenever she mentioned Fellow Daoist Li?"

"That?" Bai Mingde was taken aback. He had been so focused on analyzing her words that he had paid no attention to her expressions or tone.

The Ancestor seemed to recall something, a nostalgic smile gracing his features. "It’s not that Fellow Daoist Li dislikes Little Bai Lin; he simply doesn’t want to force her. The reason he hasn’t made a move is that he is cultivating the feelings between them."

With the honored status of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, acquiring a concubine would only take a single word.

But finding a truly compatible partner is just as difficult for a Cultivator as it is for a mortal.

After all, all the Spirit Stones in the world can’t buy true affection.

In the Bai family Ancestor’s eyes, it was clear that Li Ping saw Bai Lin as a potential lover. He wasn’t in a hurry to possess her; instead, he was savoring the wonderful feeling of their affection slowly deepening through their time together, and he was delighting in it.

He thought to himself, *I never expected Fellow Daoist Li to be such a sentimental and inwardly passionate man.*

...

Several months later, at Li Ping’s residence on Immortal Peach Mountain.

Li Ping was sitting in his courtyard with his neighbor, Master Hu, sipping Spirit Tea and chatting idly.

Gazing at Bai Lin bustling about in the spirit medicine field, Master Hu suddenly flashed a mischievous grin. "Fellow Daoist Li, this maid of yours... she still seems to be a virgin, doesn’t she? Would you like this old man to refine some special Spirit Pills for you?"

Li Ping put a hand to his forehead, cursing inwardly, *This old rascal is a real piece of work.*

It had been over a year, and he had finally begun to move on from the grief of his master’s passing.

The main reason he hadn’t yet taken Bai Lin for his own was that he thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere that currently existed between them.

Just imagine: every time you accomplished a task, you had a beautiful young woman looking at you with eyes full of adoration, as if to say, ’You’re so amazing!’

The feeling was even better than drinking an ice-cold cola on a sweltering day.

If they were to actually break through that barrier in their relationship, he felt it would lose its charm.

"Heh, you jest, Fellow Daoist Hu." Li Ping shook his head, having no desire to delve deeper into the topic.

Master Hu had teased him about Bai Lin occasionally in the past, but he would always drop it as soon as Li Ping laughed it off.

Today, however, Master Hu didn’t let it go. He continued, "Fellow Daoist Li, I have a rather forward question to ask, and you mustn’t get angry with me for asking."

Li Ping thought, *If you know it’s forward, then don’t ask.*

Outwardly, however, he maintained his smile. "What are you talking about? Please, Fellow Daoist Hu, ask away."

"Very well, I shall ask then." Master Hu’s gaze grew a little more serious. "Fellow Daoist Li, do you only intend to use this young woman as a housekeeper, with no other plans for her?"

Li Ping looked at Master Hu, perplexed, unsure of what he was getting at.

Stared down by Li Ping, Master Hu spoke with some embarrassment. "It’s my youngest disciple... ever since he saw your maid a few days ago, he’s been completely smitten and can’t seem to focus on anything."

He paused here, glancing at Li Ping’s expression before continuing. "From what I’ve observed, Fellow Daoist Li is a man dedicated to his cultivation—pure-hearted, ascetic, and uninterested in the fairer sex. So... if you have no plans to take this young woman for yourself, could you perhaps let them be together?"

Li Ping was incredulous. He hadn’t even made a move on Master Hu’s Pill Furnace yet, and here his disciple was, already making a move on his little housekeeper.

"Heh... Liu Yuan, is it? I’ll remember you."

Silently, he made a mental note of this little upstart who was trying to poach his maid. He then looked up at Master Hu, his expression solemn. "Fellow Daoist Hu, you have gravely misunderstood me. What kind of person do you take me for?"

A smile spread across Master Hu’s face. Hearing Li Ping speak with such righteous conviction, he assumed the man was about to do the noble thing and grant his disciple’s wish. But Li Ping’s next words nearly made him throw his back out.

Li Ping stated with great gravity, "I am not the pure-hearted, ascetic man, uninterested in women that you imagine me to be, Fellow Daoist Hu."

"Ah." Master Hu shook his head sheepishly and said no more on the matter.

Still, he couldn’t help but roast him internally, *Did you really need to say something like that with such a straight face?*

...

That evening, while Bai Lin was attending to him.

In the Talisman Making Room, Li Ping drew two Lower Grade Spirit Talismans in a single, fluid session before finally stopping.

Seeing the worshipful look in Bai Lin’s eyes and recalling his daytime conversation with Master Hu, Li Ping decided it was time to make a move.

If he kept waiting, his precious little cabbage might get plucked by someone else.

Li Ping wasn’t one to delude himself; he was keenly aware of the difference in looks between himself and Master Hu’s young disciple.

If that young upstart actually managed to slip in and steal her away, his own Dao Heart might become unstable.

At that thought, he pointed to the cushion in front of him and gestured to his little housekeeper. "You can tidy up the Talisman Making Room later. There’s something I’d like to ask you about."

Bai Lin sat down as instructed, her charmingly innocent gaze flickering away, not daring to meet his.

Li Ping got straight to the point. "Today, Fellow Daoist Hu mentioned that his youngest disciple greatly admires you and wishes to set the two of you up. What are your thoughts on that?"

"Master Hu’s youngest disciple?" Bai Lin looked up in surprise, then immediately began shaking her head. "I don’t like him. There’s... someone else I like."

At the mention of someone she liked, a blush instantly spread from her earlobes to her cheeks, but she still summoned her courage and said, "I like you, Elder Li."

Hearing Bai Lin’s answer, Li Ping broke into a smile and reached out, pulling the young woman into his embrace.

As his hand touched her shoulder, he felt her tremble as if struck by a tiny jolt of lightning. But she didn’t resist; instead, she actively pressed closer to him.

Inhaling the sweet fragrance of the woman in his arms, Li Ping felt a pleasant sense of intoxication wash over him.

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