Liu Lanying's considerations were also correct. Without some skills, it would be easy to drag Ye Tiancheng down, and that wouldn't be good.
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. Fine, I'll do as you say. You'll be my logistics support. I do need someone to accompany me. I'm all alone here at your ancestral home, and besides loneliness, I'm quite scared."
"Okay, as long as you, Brother Ye, give the order, it doesn't matter what I do. As long as I can be by your side, that's all that matters."
Ye Tiancheng saw all of Liu Lanying's devotion. He smiled sweetly and then reminded Liu Lanying.
"Don't get too deeply involved. We're a fake couple. I don't want to say anything that spoils the mood, but I can't lie to you. I've already wronged a girl before, and I really can't wrong you again. I feel rather guilty."
Ye Tiancheng said this with a serious expression. Instead of being unhappy, Hu Lanying stared at Ye Tiancheng and couldn't help but laugh.
"Brother Ye, you're too funny. I'm not a child, how could I thank you? I know what you're afraid of. This situation won't happen. We've already agreed on this, it's not a spur-of-the-moment decision to get married falsely."
"Good, that's good!" Ye Tiancheng was indeed quite sleepy. "I'll take a nap first. The air here is too fresh, it makes my head spin."
"You sleep first. I'll make you something delicious. You'll have food to eat when you wake up."
When Ye Tiancheng woke up, he smelled the aroma of food. It was completely dark outside, and he didn't know how long he had slept. However, sleeping had its benefits; it allowed Ye Tiancheng's true qi to gather. He felt his true qi was abundant and circulating within him, which felt quite good.
"You made so much delicious food."
"Yes, I know you've been working hard lately, so I wanted to reward you properly."
"Mmm, the ribs are made well. They look delicious. I'll have to eat more later."
Ye Tiancheng might have gotten used to eating Liu Lanying's cooking, as he always found it particularly delicious. It tasted exactly as he wanted. He ate more than half of a large plate of ribs and felt a little embarrassed.
"I can't keep eating, can I? It's too much. I should leave some for you."
Seeing Ye Tiancheng scratching his head with an embarrassed look, Liu Lanying suddenly felt like laughing.
"It's okay, you eat. I'm not that hungry. Brother Ye, you slept for too long, so all your energy was consumed. It's normal to eat a bit at this time. Don't starve yourself."
Seeing Liu Lanying's virtuous demeanor, Ye Tiancheng truly felt like he had struck gold. Being liked by such a gentle girl made him feel incredibly fortunate.
"You're really so good. Fortunately, you're willing to stay here with me. Otherwise, I would really be a bit lonely. If it were just me, I wouldn't even have anyone to talk to, let alone such delicious food."
"Brother Ye, as I said, don't be so polite with me. I'm staying here with you willingly. Besides, I think staying here with you is better than working in the village. I'm doing this of my own free will."
When Liu Lanying spoke, she always had a hint of shyness, which Ye Tiancheng liked the most. She seemed as bashful as a young girl, very pure and lovely.
"Okay, then you eat more too. If you don't eat, I'll suspect you're angry with yourself."
Liu Lanying smiled brightly, her small face beaming like a flower. "How could that be? I'm very happy. As long as I'm with Brother Ye, I'm happy no matter what."
"Alright, let's stop being polite to each other. It makes us seem like strangers. We're very familiar with each other. Let's both eat more, don't be shy."
While eating, the two discussed how good this era was, with peace being the most important thing. The past era was the worst, with people acting as if they had no intelligence. Those ignorant people should have been eliminated by the times. Now was a good time filled with hope.
"Actually, I've never told you, but my greatest wish is to become an immortal. If I can cultivate successfully, then I can go to the Heavenly Court to take a look."
Throughout China's five thousand years of history, there have always been people who believed they could achieve immortality. However, what they believed might not always be true; sometimes it could be false.
"Brother Ye, did I hear you wrong, or are you just joking with me? Aren't all your special abilities preparations for cultivating immortality?"
Ye Tiancheng had drunk a little wine, which made him talk more. He wouldn't usually say this much.
"Before, I was always an entrepreneur with a noble image. In reality, I've been cultivating in secret. My path of cultivation began when I discovered that magical stone, and it slowly unfolded. However, I encountered problems midway, and I had to disappear."
"Then I'm willing to help you. Brother Ye, I feel it. Do you think there's some treasure you desire here, which is why you chose to stay?"
"Yes, it's related to my cultivation."
"Since you've brought it up, I need to tell you about our Liu family's history. There was a very famous woman in the Liu family before, who was said to have magical powers and was also excessively beautiful. This led to disaster. Our ancestor, due to her special abilities, died a tragic death."
Ye Tiancheng had heard such stories before. Some women with extraordinary talents actually brought trouble upon themselves. Ye Tiancheng wanted to hear more and asked Liu Lanying curiously what had happened. Liu Lanying answered Ye Tiancheng's questions earnestly.
"I heard it from others. Before that young girl died, her hands were cut off, and her tongue was also pulled out. Finally, she was tied to a frame and burned bit by bit. After she was burned, there was a heavy rain. It's said that many animals ran out of the forest, and they all bowed their heads to her, as if in mourning. After that, a curse was placed."
Ye Tiancheng wasn't someone who liked listening to stories, but when he heard about a curse, he became very interested. "What kind of curse?"
"A few days after my ancestor was executed, a child came. That child said that all those who brewed this conspiracy must suffer misfortune. Then a great fire broke out, and the forest turned into withered wood. Those who had advocated for burning my ancestor to death lived in simple, dilapidated houses, but they were all injured by collapsing houses. They died covered in mud, which was very terrifying."
Hearing these stories from Liu Lanying, Ye Tiancheng felt it was a great pity because Liu Lanying was not someone who talked nonsense.
"It seems it was truly cursed."
"Those people died miserably, covered in mud, and the livestock went mad, sniffing at the corpses. Upon sensing the aura of death, the bodies of those people were literally eaten, leaving no trace. So, no one dared to lay hands on people with abilities anymore."
Listening to Liu Lanying tell this story, Ye Tiancheng basically guessed that the so-called skills were nothing more than the true qi of cultivators.
Now, unlike in the past, it was easier to conceal one's true qi. Ye Tiancheng also felt that this was a good era. Back then, cultivators meant being constantly close to death. Some people remained silent, extremely careful to hide everything, not wanting anyone to know they were cultivating. But once discovered, if people anticipated that these individuals were anomalies, they would be regarded as rebellious traitors, and every effort would be made to kill these cultivators, thereby blocking their path to immortality.
Everything needed order and security, otherwise, the interests of ordinary people would be threatened. Just like robbers, if all robbers were arrested and executed, then no one's belongings would be safe.
"No wonder those cultivators in the past didn't dare to speak out and tried to hide in caves. As soon as they made a sound, they worried that others would find them and deal with them."
In the past, cultivators were like bandits to ordinary people because cultivators' abilities surpassed those of ordinary people. Ordinary people could openly rob cultivators of their possessions.
"Exactly. In fact, there have been cultivators for a long time, and some cultivators didn't obediently go to the mountains to cultivate. Instead, they chose to rob the rich and help the poor. Those arrogant officials were all dealt with by cultivators, and then they tried to find ways to deal with those with abilities."
"I've heard of that too. So, it takes a certain amount of courage to mention one's cultivation to others, otherwise, it's very likely to bring disaster. I heard that cultivators in the past could directly break into houses to rob. They could stop time, but after things were stolen, ordinary people would become vigilant, and then it would be difficult to steal things again. Some were even caught and directly hanged. The endings for those cultivators were actually not very good."
When these matters were brought up, the deaths of cultivators happened incessantly. There were too many examples to count. In these events, no one was willing to seek justice for the cultivators; instead, everyone thought those who wanted to become immortals were crazy.
Therefore, from ancient times to the present, those in power, in order to maintain peace, would try their best to suppress cultivators, not allowing cultivators to affect their authority. Rulers were always majestic and autocratic, allowing their power to be fully exercised. History recorded the great achievements of those in power, but cultivators were only summarized in a few strokes, even less than some minor figures who did good deeds. Those people were very pitiable.
"Brother Ye, then you must be careful. Don't let anyone know you're cultivating. I don't want to lose such a good friend like you."
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone except those who are very close to me."
After finishing his meal, Ye Tiancheng felt that this night was an unusual one. He went outside and observed. For him, the starry sky that night was exceptionally brilliant. He decided to climb that mountain. Only at night was his mind particularly clear. Perhaps by climbing to the other side of the mountain, he could see a different scenery.
"It's not raining now. How about I accompany you? It's not safe to be alone at night, and I'm very worried about you, Brother Ye. If you take me with you, I can at least help you with some small tasks. Don't worry, I won't drag you down, I guarantee it."