Chapter 50: Handmaiden and Trial
Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Handmaiden and Trial
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Bai Mingde, Li Ping asked him the purpose of his visit.
Bai Mingde quickly replied with respect, "Reporting to Elder, the Patriarch heard that you have moved to Immortal Peach Mountain. He was concerned that you didn’t have anyone to attend to you, so he specially ordered me to bring Lin’Er here to look after your daily needs."
As he spoke, he pointed to the girl with her head bowed beside him and said with a smile, "The Patriarch specially selected Lin’Er."
"Oh?"
Li Ping couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, his gaze once again falling on the girl beside him. Just then, Bai Lin also boldly lifted her head, looking at Li Ping with a hint of curiosity.
Their eyes met. Li Ping smiled and nodded. A hint of panic appeared in Bai Lin’s eyes, and she hurriedly lowered her head again.
The Foundation Establishment Cultivator from Cyan Dragon Mountain, Fairy Meng Qingyi, whom Li Ping had met before, also had the appearance of a young girl and was no less attractive than Bai Lin.
But in reality, she was actually well over a hundred years old, old enough to be Li Ping’s grandmother.
However, because she was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, her Magical Power slowed her aging. Additionally, the Cultivation Technique she practiced had a special youth-preserving effect, which was why she appeared as a lovely young girl.
When Li Ping interacted with her, he could clearly sense the weight of her years in her eyes.
But Bai Lin was different. Her flustered movements, the sweet naivety in her eyes... Her entire being, inside and out, overflowed with the air of youth. Just a few glances at her, and Li Ping felt his mood improve.
Li Ping could tell that she was still a virgin.
...
’What does the Bai family mean by sending one of their own younger generation to work for me?’ Li Ping pondered inwardly.
He guessed that perhaps the Bai family hoped to use this to draw their relationship closer, so that if the Bai family ever truly faced a crisis, they could use this connection to ask him to intervene.
Of course, if that was their goal, then Li Ping could only say they were getting ahead of themselves.
The Bai family had gifted him Spirit Wood, and in name, he served as their Honored Guest Elder, lending the Bai family the prestige of his title as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. The slate was already clean.
So, even if they had a good relationship, he would never risk intervening in the Bai family’s affairs.
In the end, however, Li Ping still agreed to let Bai Lin stay.
It wasn’t that he was lusting after her body. He mainly had the following 999 reasons that forced him to let her stay. (Specific reasons omitted)
...
Bai Mingde left. Before he did, Li Ping also sold a batch of the Qi-Replenishing Pills and Qi Gathering Pills he had refined to the Bai family.
Of course, he didn’t say he had refined them himself. Just like his previous excuse, he claimed a friend of his had refined the Pills.
As a Cultivation Clan with several hundred Cultivators, the Bai family’s demand for these types of Pills that could enhance one’s Cultivation had always been very high.
Being able to buy them from Li Ping was a pleasant surprise for Bai Mingde.
Of course, he wasn’t carrying many Spirit Stones on him, so he would need to return to the family first and then send someone to deliver them to Li Ping.
...
After the Pill transaction was complete, Bai Mingde left.
Within the thousand-mu cave residence, only Li Ping and Bai Lin remained.
"Elder, what should I do?" Bai Lin asked, standing before Li Ping, a little awkwardly.
A smile appeared on Li Ping’s face. He pointed to the dozen or so rooms on either side of the courtyard pond, meant for disciples and servants. "You can choose any of these rooms to live in."
After settling Bai Lin’s living arrangements, Li Ping then pointed to the ornamental flowers and plants in the courtyard. "Your next task is to dig up all of these flowers and plants and then plant Spirit Medicine in their place. By the way, have you ever handled Spirit Plants for your family?" Li Ping asked, looking at Bai Lin.
"Ah... I’ve learned how to grow spirit rice, but I’ve never grown Spirit Medicine," Bai Lin answered, a little flustered.
"Never grown them..." Li Ping mused for a moment before speaking. "In that case, first, clear out all these flowers and plants. Then go to the Spirit Medicine Garden at the Fishing Square and ask a Female Cultivator named Cheng Yao to come and plant the Spirit Medicine. You can learn from her while you’re at it."
With that, Li Ping took out fifty Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and handed them to Bai Lin. "Take these Spirit Stones. Use them to buy the Spirit Medicine seeds and to pay Cheng Yao’s fee."
"So many Spirit Stones?" Bai Lin was stunned. With her Cultivation at the Qi Refining Third Level, she only performed odd jobs within her clan.
The Bai family gave her less than twenty Spirit Stones annually as a reward, and she had to spend a considerable amount on cultivation resources each year, leaving her with almost nothing to spare.
Now, Li Ping had just given her two and a half years’ worth of wages in one go. It was only normal for her to be shocked.
Seeing her stunned, Li Ping didn’t think much of it and simply urged her, "Go on."
Bai Lin hurriedly agreed, "Yes, Elder."
...
When the Bai family sent Bai Lin over, Li Ping saw through their intentions at a glance.
He was no Saint and had his own needs, so he naturally wouldn’t refuse this goodwill gesture from the Bai family.
Besides, with such a large cave residence and himself busy with cultivation, he really did need someone to help manage it.
Someone from the Bai family was more reliable than a random person he could hire in the Immortal City.
Considering he had too many secrets of his own, if someone were to live and interact with him day in and day out, they could easily discover them.
Therefore, if Bai Lin could earn his approval and be allowed to stay, he would definitely have to make her one of his own.
It was just like in Li Ping’s previous life, where many female executives in companies were close to the boss. Was it really because they were all stunningly beautiful?
Not at all. It was simply because only by becoming one of the boss’s own people could they be considered reliable and thus get promoted.
...
Of course.
As a Gou Cultivator, Li Ping didn’t want someone by his side who was always stirring up trouble and causing problems for him.
Even if Bai Lin had earned his approval in the looks department, if she turned out to be a brainless, greedy idiot who loved to stir up trouble everywhere, he wouldn’t keep her around.
He wasn’t a man who let his little head control his big head.
Coincidentally, ever since moving into the Immortal Peach Mountain cave residence, Li Ping had been planning to clear out all the ornamental flowers and plants in the courtyard. This would free up over a hundred mu of spirit fields that could be used to grow Spirit Medicine, which would become a considerable source of income over time.
However, because he had been too busy, he hadn’t gotten around to it yet.
Now, this was the perfect opportunity to use it as a test for Bai Lin.
By observing how she handled the task, Li Ping could also get a more comprehensive understanding of her.
Only then would he decide whether or not to let her stay.
...
She cradled the ’huge sum’ of fifty Spirit Stones as she watched Li Ping simply turn and leave.
The shock on Bai Lin’s face gradually faded, replaced by the excitement of being trusted. She whispered silently in her heart, ’Elder, thank you for your trust. I won’t let you down.’
’Now, first I’ll clean up my living quarters, and then I’ll go dig up those weeds.’
’You can do this, Bai Lin!’
...
In truth, when they were sending Bai Lin over, the Bai family’s Patriarch and Bai Mingde had only instructed her to serve Elder Li carefully and not to anger him; they didn’t say much else.
In their eyes, as long as Li Ping agreed to let Bai Lin stay, it was a foregone conclusion. He would be spending his days and nights with a youthful, lovely girl, and Li Ping wasn’t a eunuch—it was impossible that he wouldn’t eventually take her for himself.
Anything more they might have said would have been superfluous.