Chapter 20: Ye Chen with no future

Ye Chen’s calm demeanor left Lin Ke’er slightly stunned. However, she quickly realized the truth behind his attitude. Ye Chen’s demeanor was likely an attempt to avoid adding any pressure on her.

In the time they had known each other, Ye Chen had proven that he was someone who would quietly give to her without asking for anything in return.

Although Ye Chen had his father backing him with resources, the Ye family was a small clan. The amount of resources he could gather couldn’t possibly be much. To be able to offer her external techniques, spells, and a weekly supply of pills was already the extent of his capabilities.

Ye Chen was fully aware of his limitations and his inability to help her in more substantial ways, which was why he never stopped her from pursuing her own path. He could only support her from the shadows.

Once Lin Ke’er understood Ye Chen’s intentions, she felt a deep sense of gratitude. However, that only made the harsh reality all the more apparent.

Ye Chen simply had no future. His talent was too lackluster. His background was from a small, low-level family of cultivators. Even his best asset, his alchemy, was barely superior to that of an average loose cultivator.

Lin Ke’er knew full well that the mid-grade pills Ye Chen had been gifting her, although he claimed to have made them himself, were beyond his current ability.

No one knew better than Lin Ke’er how lacking Ye Chen’s alchemy skills were. The Qi Gathering Pills he had once made were some of the lowest quality pills. How could his skills have improved so dramatically?

If his alchemy had genuinely improved so fast, perhaps Lin Ke’er might have considered him more seriously. But as things stood, it was clear to her that Ye Chen truly had no future.

Lin Ke’er looked up at the sky, noticing it was already late. She had to head into the mountains early the next morning, so she planned to rest early tonight. After all, the mountains were dangerous, and being her first time going, there was a natural sense of unease.

With a smile, Lin Ke’er spoke, “I’ll be heading out early tomorrow, but once I return, I’ll make sure to come find you, fellow daoist, to treat you to a meal to show my gratitude for your care these past few days. There’s no need for you to come to my place during this time.”

Hearing this, Ye Chen immediately understood Lin Ke’er’s meaning. No wonder she had come to find him today. It wasn’t just a casual visit. She was letting him know that, while she was away, there was no need for him to visit her residence. She was probably concerned about him running into Lu Jing.

Ah, women…. Even if they didn’t think highly of simps, they still didn’t want anyone else to take them away. Such a classic reaction! It seemed like Lin Ke’er was also trying to manage how Ye Chen viewed her, making sure she didn’t come across as too indifferent.

Lin Ke’er added a few more words, perhaps to soften the impact: “Also, Lu Jing is a quiet person, and she doesn’t like to be disturbed. I know that Lu Jing has several suitors, one of whom is a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Gathering. He seems a bit overbearing. Of course, Lu Jing doesn’t have any relationship with them. But if he happens to see you at my place, it could cause some trouble….”

Ye Chen chuckled to himself. Lin Ke’er certainly had a high level of skill when it came to handling these things. She said she was warning him to avoid trouble, but in reality, she had taken a nice jab at Lu Jing. It was clear she wasn’t a fan of Lu Jing.

Ye Chen couldn’t help but find the situation amusing. Girls often talked behind each other’s backs, and he had witnessed plenty of similar situations in his past life.

In fact, during his travels in his past life, he had met a pair of close friends, who seemed inseparable, only to find out later that they were secretly competing against each other in subtle ways.

Perhaps it was because Ye Chen was handsome and his demeanor was mature, which drew the interest of both women. When they traveled together, the two friends always appeared to have a deep, unshakeable bond.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

But when they chatted with Ye Chen privately on their phones at night, they couldn’t help but reveal each other’s less-than-flattering pasts.

How many boyfriends they had, their past relationships that led to things like a miscarriage. Those things came spilling out, leaving Ye Chen amused. It was a common trait among most women’s friendships, really.

Now, Lin Ke’er, who always maintained a calm, detached demeanor, was no exception, starting to play the same game. It was clear that Lu Jing’s presence had indeed pressured Lin Ke’er.