Early the next morning.
Before dawn, Sun Tingxuan, supported by Su Zhe, was about to bid farewell to Danxia Mountain and return to Medicine King Valley.
Xu Ming'an was filled with gratitude. He repeatedly urged them to stay for a bowl of chicken soup noodles as a send-off, but Sun Tingxuan politely declined. Afterward, the two ascended on the wind and departed, no longer wishing to impose.
"Master."
In the Taoist temple, Xiao Man and Xiao Han stood at the doorway, both looking dejected. The events of the previous day had truly frightened the two children.
"It's alright now."
Xu Ming'an clapped his hands, feeling a sense of melancholy. He smiled and said, "There's quite a bit of chicken soup left from last night. Master will make you two bowls of chicken soup noodles. Wait here. After you finish your noodles, it should be dawn, and we'll repair the vegetable patch that was damaged yesterday."
"Mhm!"
Xiao Han nodded and stepped forward, linking her arm with her Master's. "Master, your injuries... are they alright? If not, I can cook the noodles instead."
"They are."
Xu Ming'an affectionately ruffled the little girl's head and chuckled, "If you want to help, then help Master with the fire."
"Okay!"
The little girl darted towards the kitchen, her movements practiced and swift. After all, she, the future Valiant Woman Gu, would be training in swordsmanship and alchemy with her Master. If she couldn't even master the art of stoking a fire, how could she possibly refine elixirs in the future?
Xu Ming'an's smile was warm. Although the Taoist temple was very poor, the three of them, Master and disciples, were quite content. He only hoped that the disturbances from the outside world would not intrude upon this mountain forest.
...
Mountain Summit Villa, early morning.
Early in the day, Lin Zhao personally went to the back mountain. He took off his boots, rolled up his trousers, and, along with Mu Zha, Chen Ben, and Tong Yu, began sowing seeds in a meticulously prepared paddy field. Currently, they were only cultivating the seedlings for spiritual rice, not yet at the transplanting stage. Sowing seeds was a meticulous process, and several aunts and elders invited from Tianchi Town stood by, pointing and directing.
"Hey, hey, hey, Mountain Master, the seeds you're sowing in that patch are too dense. This won't do."
"Mountain Master, please pull that weed on the south side. Otherwise, it will block the sunlight, and the seeds won't sprout well."
"Mountain Master, don't rush. Don't add too much water. If it submerges the seeds, they'll drown."
"Mountain Master is so kind, and handsome too, with such good character. My seventh grand-uncle's third daughter is fourteen years old, and she's the belle of seven villages. Mountain Master, do you think perhaps..."
Beside them, Su Qingjiu smiled faintly. Brother Lin Zhao was exceedingly attentive to the spiritual rice fields of Mountain Summit Villa, second only to the gourd vine in front of Tianranju.
Not long after, Dong Cang and Liu Liying arrived gracefully, carrying plates. Each plate held four bowls of freshly cooked noodles. As usual, there were shredded eel noodles, fresh shrimp noodles, shredded meat noodles, and so on, to each their own. Lin Zhao washed his hands and came ashore, taking a bowl of shredded eel noodles and squatting on the field embankment with Huang Tingyu and Tang Guangjun to eat.
"Mountain Master is as meticulous as dust when sowing seeds, and shows great care for Mountain Summit Villa and the human world. Tang Guangjun is deeply impressed. Should the Mountain Master have any commands, Tang Guangjun will not hesitate, and will go through fire and water without complaint!" Tang Guangjun, holding a bowl of fresh shrimp noodles, slurped them up while showering praise.
"Tsk tsk."
Huang Tingyu, while slurping his noodles, cast a glance at his brother Tang. If nothing else, Tang's flattery skills were truly top-notch. No wonder he rose from a doorman to a mere attendee. All results had their reasons. It was just a pity that his state of mind was still a little lacking. He had been staring at those aunts and elders for quite some time, his saliva almost drooling. How long had it been since he had been with a woman?
Thinking of this, Huang Tingyu also felt a pang of sadness. As a dignified twelfth-realm demon immortal, it was one thing to have no luck with women over a hundred years ago, but to still be like this over a hundred years later? Dong Cang was definitely out of the question. Although her cultivation was not high, she was well-liked and was not only the Mountain Master's personal maid but also the chief steward of the entire Mountain Summit Villa. Liu Liying was also out of the question. That brat Lin Zhao was like a dog in a manger, making Liu Liying work all day without ever considering bringing her to his bedside, truly a waste of resources.
Upon thinking this, Huang Tingyu sighed. What an unfortunate era! Back at the foot of the Demon Ancestral Mountain, how many fair and beautiful demon fairy maidens had cast affectionate glances at him? It was a pity that as a verdant youth, he was too reserved and dared not respond to the admiration of the fairy maidens, thus missing his opportunities. Otherwise, he could have filled half the Ancestral Mountain.
Just as they finished their noodles, two sword lights arrived from the south.
"Who's there?" Huang Tingyu frowned.
"No need to be nervous."
Su Qingjiu stood up and smiled, "It's my two senior sisters."
"Oh~~~"
Su Qingjiu sent out a sword light, guiding the two senior sisters to fly directly into the back mountain. As the sword light descended, two maidens from Changming Mountain in white robes appeared. They were both of superior beauty and graceful figures. Both were at the eleventh realm, and they clasped their fists in unison and respectfully said, "Greetings, Junior Sister Sect Master!"
"Mhm, two Senior Sisters."
Su Qingjiu linked her arm with Lin Zhao's. "This is my Brother Lin Zhao."
"Oh!"
The eyes of the two Changming Mountain maidens lit up as they looked at the legendary Lin Baiyi. He was indeed extraordinary, exuding an aura of a sword immortal, with clear and gentle eyes. The two then clasped their fists in unison and smiled, "Greetings, Mountain Master Lin!"
"You're too kind."
Lin Zhao returned the greeting with clasped fists.
Afterward, the two Changming Mountain maidens greeted Huang Tingyu, Wu Zhi, Chu Yu, Mu Zha, and the others.
"Two Senior Sisters, what brings you here from afar?" Su Qingjiu blinked her eyes.
"???"
One of the senior sisters looked at Su Qingjiu with a gaze filled with feigned ignorance and doting affection, but still spoke politely, "Junior Sister Sect Master has been in the Northern Territory for too long. Have you perhaps forgotten about the annual outer disciple grand competition selection of Changming Mountain? This year, we will again select ten outer disciples with exceptional sword talent to be admitted into the inner sect for rigorous training. This matter requires the Sect Master's personal approval. If you do not return, this competition cannot be held."
"Ah?"
Su Qingjiu's delicate mouth parted, and she chuckled guiltily, "I forgot..."
Lin Zhao said, "Alright, alright, go back to the mountain with the two Senior Sisters. We can't delay Changming Mountain's important affairs! Dong Cang, pack some of our stored delicacies for Xiao Jiu'er. And, give Xiao Jiu'er one of the free-range chickens Xu Ming'an sent us, and a bag of potatoes. Danxia Mountain has good feng shui, and the potatoes grown here are soft and delicious."
Dong Cang smiled and nodded, "Mhm."
Su Qingjiu also nodded with a smile. She had no objections to these things. Xueyu Tianchi was her hometown, and she was accustomed to the food here. She couldn't say she liked Southern cuisine, let alone depended on it.
The two senior sisters had nothing more to say. Who could blame them? Mountain Summit Villa was their Junior Sister Sect Master's ancestral home, and that Brother Lin Zhao was someone she cherished as much as her own life. A hundred years ago, when the news of Lin Baiyi's demise in Xueyu Tianchi reached Changming Mountain, they had personally witnessed how this most talented sword-practicing junior sister of Changming Mountain had cried until her eyes were red, and she cried for a long, long time. Many years later, when she became Sect Master, she would sometimes secretly shed tears alone. As sisters, how could they not feel heartache? Xiao Jiu'er's dependence on and affection for Brother Lin Zhao far exceeded anyone's imagination.
In the morning, Su Qingjiu was sent off.
At noon, after eating at Tianranju, the matter of the spiritual rice seedlings in the back mountain was almost complete. The seeds had been sown, consuming less than a third of the supply. Chi Zhong Yucu was wealthy and had brought far too much from the Lingnan Sword Sect. Thus, Lin Zhao took out ten jin of spiritual rice and, with Dong Cang and Liu Liying, pounded the spiritual rice into grains. He kept half of it and instructed Dong Cang to cook three bowls of rice porridge every morning for Tong Yu, Zhang Luobai, and Zhuang Yirong. This would greatly benefit their cultivation. As for Lin Zhao, he would not drink it for the time being. The buff of accelerated physical recovery was indeed useful, but good steel should be used on the blade; he would not waste the limited quantity of spiritual rice.
The remaining shelled spiritual rice would be given to Xu Ming'an when he had time. That fellow was as poor as a church mouse. If Lin Zhao gave him money directly, he would definitely refuse, and it wouldn't be quite proper. Therefore, when he could give items, he would try not to give money. This spiritual rice was a rare commodity. Giving a bowl to Xiao Man and Xiao Han every day would greatly benefit their cultivation.
...
Several days later, one afternoon.
In the forest, a figure carrying a bamboo basket and a long sword flitted through the trees. It was Xu Ming'an, a fifth-realm Taoist cultivator. As a fifth-realm cultivator, although he had not yet mastered the ability to fly with magic artifacts, he could circulate his spiritual energy to make himself as light as a swallow, allowing him to dash through the mountain forest at incredible speeds. In the basket were a pile of beans and potatoes, all grown by Xu Ming'an himself.
Dozens of miles away, a small town by a government road.
Xu Ming'an entered the town and stopped in front of an inn. He emptied the beans and potatoes from his bamboo basket. The innkeeper's eyes lit up. The plump beans and potatoes were very fresh and large, perfect for stir-frying. So, he waved his hand and said, "Little Taoist, I won't take advantage of you. It's a total of 20 jin. Calculated at one copper coin per jin, here are 20 copper coins. Take them."
"Alright, thank you, boss!"
Xu Ming'an smiled and nodded. This price was already very satisfying to him.
Carrying his empty basket, he darted to the other side of the town and stopped in front of an oil noodle shop. He took out eight copper coins and bought two jin of deep-fried twists. Both his disciples loved this delicacy. While buying the twists, two martial artists were drinking and chatting in a nearby tavern. One, a third-realm martial artist, frowned and said, "Have you heard? Just yesterday, Medicine King Valley announced something."
"What is it?"
The other, a third-realm spiritual cultivator, chuckled, "Has Sun Qinghe, the Medicine King, come out of seclusion?"
"Not quite."
The third-realm martial artist's lips curled up, and he lowered his voice, saying, "The patriarch of Medicine King Valley, Sun Tingxuan, after enduring hardships for three years, has finally reverse-engineered a fragmented ancient formula left by his ancestors and refined the Zhenyuan Pill, which has been lost for thousands of years."
"What?!"
The cultivator's eyes widened in disbelief.
Beside them, Xu Ming'an was also struck as if by lightning.