Bai Xiaoya quickly stuck her long and slender fingers out to pinch Bai Xiaolong's ear. She smiled coldly and jibed, "Great! Not only did you get duped by others, but you're teasing your sister now. You've got some nerve!"
Bai Xiaolong's facial muscles quivered as he thought, What happened to the trust between humans?
He frantically begged for mercy. "Sister, I am telling the truth. If you don't believe me, give it a try. It won't be too late to teach me a lesson after you've tried."
"Okay, then I'll wait to try it!" said Bai Xiaoya, feeling rather curious too. If Bai Xiaolong had really been conned, the swindler's means must be truly impressive. Although her younger brother was incompetent, he wouldn't have been so silly as to treat some kind of rice as a treasure. She decided to just wait and see, but she would never believe what he said, for she felt that the porridge would not be incredible.
"Sister, there is only so much rice. Don't vie with me later. I bought this rice for 10 mid-grade spirit stones per 500 grams." Bai Xiaolong reminded Bai Xiaoya as he poured the rice into the pot while looking at her.
"Vie with you?" Bai Xiaoya raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips in disdain. "Hah, I think you're seriously ill—"
She suddenly widened her eyes and looked at Bai Xiaolong, who was still extremely excited, wishing she could kick him into the lake. She exclaimed in disbelief, "What? 10 mid-grade spirit stones for 500 grams? You must be out of your mind! Do you know that the most expensive rice costs only 10 low-grade spirit stones per 500 grams!?"
"Sister, trust me. You might not necessarily be able to buy this kind of rice, even if you have money. Just wait for the fresh porridge to be ready…" Bai Xiaolong moved his nose to the pot, looking mesmerized as if he could smell the fragrance that was coming from the pot.
Bai Xiaoya looked at Bai Xiaolong coldly and reckoned that he had probably been cheated or bewitched to the extent of hallucinating and praising ordinary rice to no end.
How dare you plot against my brother!? If I find out who you are, I'll definitely teach you a lesson!
With the passage of time, wisps of white smoke began to emanate from the pot. At the same time, there was some fragrance too.
"It's almost cooked! It's almost cooked! Sister, hurry and sniff it." Although it had been less than 20 minutes, Bai Xiaolong felt uneasy when facing Bai Xiaoya's inquisitive gaze. Minutes passed like years, and there were some sweat droplets on his head. Finally, the porridge was almost ready.
Bai Xiaoya did not need Bai Xiaolong's reminder at all, for she had already smelled the porridge's aroma. The look of astonishment on her face did not fade away.
Are you serious? Is there only plain porridge in this pot?
"This smells… heavenly…"
"Yeah! Young Master, Miss, what are you cooking?"
"This smells so good. If only I could taste it…"
"It must be a treasure!"
…
The maids in the courtyard all gathered together, discussing softly among themselves. From time to time, they would cast gazes of envy at the pavilion and swallow their saliva. Many of them were clutching their stomachs for fear that they would squeal. It was truly a torment to them.
"Sister, how is it? I didn't lie to you, did I?" asked Bai Xiaolong, looking conceitedly at the bewildered Bai Xiaoya. He had already picked up the bowl and was waiting to eat the porridge as soon as it was cooked.
Although he had already eaten before this, the heavenly aroma was truly appetizing, and it even made him feel hungry. If he did not eat that delicacy, he would truly be letting himself down.
"Xiaolong, tell me where you got the rice from," Bai Xiaoya ordered solemnly.
The fact that the rice tasted so delectable meant that it was definitely not an ordinary item. She had to find out the rice's origin. She wanted to know whether the rice itself was delicious, or the porridge was seasoned with something else.
"Sister, I really bought this at the market…" Bai Xiaolong recounted everything that happened this morning and even described Su Yu as a mysterious and tyrannical person. Initially, he bore a grudge against Su Yu, but his resentment turned into respect after tasting the porridge because Su Yu had every right to behave haughtily.
"Mysterious young man who sells rice?" Bai Xiaoya asked with a frown.
"Sister, stop thinking about it. The porridge is cooked! Hurry up and try it!"
Bai Xiaoya was initially reluctant to try the porridge because she was afraid that it might have been spiked. However, she couldn't help herself since it was truly fragrant, and her inner glutton erupted. In the end, she took a small spoonful and pursed her lips to try it.
The smooth porridge slid past her lips like silk and slipped away from the gaps in her flawless pearly whites. In the end, they lingered on her little tongue. She subconsciously closed her eyes and let her pores relax. She even almost forgot to breathe.
This porridge… is unrivaled!
Bai Xiaoya couldn't help but start polishing off the porridge one small mouthful at a time. She finally opened her eyes when the bowl was empty. As soon as she did, she saw Bai Xiaolong staring at her with a silly and smug smirk.
"How is it, sister? I didn't let you down this time, did I?"
Bai Xiaolong knew his sister very well. She had always been indifferent, and it was a Herculean task to get her to experience such an intense yet complicated fluctuation of emotions! Nonetheless, the porridge managed to do it!
In addition, she usually ate rather little portions, but this time, she subconsciously finished an entire bowl of porridge and even seemed to be craving for more.
"This porridge is not simple! The person who sold you this porridge is extraordinary too! You've done the right thing this time." Bai Xiaoya seemed to have sunk into deep thought as she gave him a compliment. The rice was definitely worth more than 10 mid-grade spirit stones per 500 grams!
"Hehehe, that's right! Why would I suffer a loss?" Bai Xiaolong was grinning widely from ear to ear, for he had finally received a compliment from his sister. "Tomorrow, that person will be setting up his stall there again. I'll buy a large sack of rice from him!"
"He's going to run his stall again tomorrow?" asked Bai Xiaoya, her eyes glistening.
"Yeah, and the price remains at 10 mid-grade spirit stones per 500 grams."
"10 mid-grade spirit stones? That's not expensive at all! I'll go there with you tomorrow!" exclaimed Bai Xiaoya.
…
Su Yu still did not know that Bai Xiaolong had already helped him with his rice's publicity. At noon, he had already returned to Great King Mountain.
"Kid, you're back?" Elder Zhao was teaching Mu Xiaoxiao on a vast patch of land near the Great King Mountain, not surprised to see that Su Yu had returned empty-handed. It would be strange for the wonderful rice to not sell out.
"Brother Su." Mu Xiaoxiao's forehead was covered in small droplets of sweat, and she called Su Yu delightfully when she saw him.
"Xiaoxiao, this water is for you. Learn martial arts well from Elder Zhao," said Su Yu as he handed a bottle of spiritual spring water to Mu Xiaoxiao. It could be used for relieving fatigue and allowing one to have sufficient energy. It was a good supplement for martial arts practitioners.
"Thank you, Brother Su."
"Kid, if you're free, join the lesson." Upon seeing that Su Yu was ready to leave, Elder Zhao interjected. "Your proficiency in martial arts seems mediocre. I'm afraid you don't know much about the dao of martial arts. Today, I'm going to talk to you about the general knowledge of the dao of martial arts in the Five Deltas Continent."
Su Yu paused in his tracks. He did not have a thorough understanding of this world and had never even come into touch with the dao of martial arts before. If he wasn't proficient in it, he would not be able to develop his Great King Mountain well and make it earn a good reputation.
At the thought of this, he did not stand on ceremony, and instead obediently went to the side and began listening…