' Huh....it's very satisfying to cultivate, it's so peaceful. Yeah, cultivate some more.'
Growl!.....
"..."
"???"
Tian Lan: " Huh?...was that thunder?.."
Xiang Qing Ling:" Shuhh..quiet! close your eyes and keep cultivating!" mouth twitching secretly.
" Buahahaha...Master, your face is gone." Abhram clapped his hands happily.
" Brat, do you wish to get out or do you want to spend your whole life in there?!" Jiang Ying Yue threatened to look very dangerous. She was really angry this time, her temper acted up whenever she was hungry.
Abhram suddenly turned pale, " No, no, master, just hang in there, you are about to have a breakthrough." He was hopping mad in frustration.
His mouth would be the reason for his downfall!
" No, I can't, I am going up." Jiang Ying Yue wasn't the one to go hungry to work. Even when she was absorbed in work she always made sure her stomach was satisfied.
" No, master, just wait a bit " Abhram wanted to cry. When people cultivate they forget about time, they don't even need to eat.
Why was his master so different?...
" Ah..wait, I smell something familiar, something beautiful and....s*xy." exclaimed Jiang Ying Yue after taking a few sniffs, " It smells like a door to the heavens " Her eyes were still closed but her sharp nose kept working. The distance seems quite far away.
" Are you hungry?" asked the cold, emotionless voice.
Jiang Ying Yue was very familiar with this voice, the owner of this voice had been serving her for more than a week. Jiang Ying Yue swiftly opened her eyes and looked up to ask the man, " Did you bring me something to eat?"
" Hmm...come up." The man came up to the pool and stretched his hand.
Jiang Ying Yue grabbed that extended large rough hand with ease and went up the shore. There was a warm tingling sensation on her palm with that touch that left her bewildered for a moment.
Wei brought her up and covered her soaked body with a large, warm cape from head to toe. His movements were gentle and skilful as if he had done it many times. His eyes always seemed indifferent and blank seemed to hold a trace of gentleness.
Jiang Ying Yue, who was tightly wrapped wriggled out her head with some difficulty and around sideways, " Sister Tian Lan, aren't you guys going to eat?"
Tian Lan and Xiang Qingling had already changed long ago they were just sitting beside the pool consolidating their cultivation and also accompanying the lonely Jiang Ying Yue. While the rest were also taking a break outside.
Now that the person was leaving obviously they had to leave.
" Yes, we're going." The two waved gestured to her and left, " You go and change, we'll wait for you in the outer hall."
After the two left, Wei brought her to a side chamber to change as he waited outside standing guard.
His tall and straight body stood like a pine tree. His eyes fixed on the door not moving an inch for even a moment, his handsome face as usual cold but there was no hint of impatience.
It took Jiang Ying Yue more than a quarter of an hour before Wei saw her figure coming out of the door.
He strode forward and took her hand without a word and dragged her for dinner.
Jiang Ying Yue:"...."
Jiang Ying Yue was speechless.
What was he holding her hand for?
She tugged her hand back when the man was unprepared and walked away dashingly leaving the man behind who stood there motionless.
The dead man was getting too touchy. She had to teach him a lesson.
" Grandmaster, come and eat, it won't taste good when gets cold." Elder Mo's jolly voice rang behind them as he carried along a stack of bowls and chopsticks into the hall.
The elderly man was very caring, although he kept addressing Jiang Ying Yue Grandmaster in his way of doing there was always care for the younger generation from the older generation and it was the same for others.
" You kids also eat something. It's good to be diligent but one mustn't go hungry for a long time. It won't be good for your health."
Now that Elder Mo not only bring them food but also personally urged them to go up to eat, how could they say no?.... Plus, it smelled so amazing.
" It's...it's a dumpling, Goodness these are dumplings!!" An excitement-filled scream reverberated underground.
Others were all startled, they jumped back into the pool.
" Dump.....ling? Grandmaster, what is that?" Elder Mo was always the curious one.
However, Jiang Ying Yue had turned deaf. Her mind and soul were all set on eating.
Her dashing attitude was long gone.
And she wasn't at all bothered about keeping her image. What she cared most at the moment was, " Cabbage.....carrots, pork.....damn! These people have normal vegetables here!"
Jiang Ying Yue felt like spitting fire. She had been having a hell of a time here eating all weird kinds of herbs that these people kept calling vegetables...oh, not vegetables....its spirit herbs, spirit herbs.
Damn spirit herbs!!
After eating them her spirit was flying away.
This was outright scamming!
" Elder Mo, where did you get these ingredients?!" Jiang Ying Yue didn't waste any time asking this.
" Eh...these, uh...these are grown in the back garden behind my house. They are delicious aren't they?" Elder Mo was smug not knowing what was coming for him.
" Hmm.." Jiang Ying Yue hummed softly hearing Elder Mo's response as she cooked her plan secretly.
The others were also curious about the food that could make their always calm, mature and sophisticated companion scream and react this way.
" Elder Mo, what are these vegetables....hmm, I can taste some pork but the rest I have never tasted before." Tian brother and sister, Yuan Feng, Xiang QingLing, Hu Meilin, Qin Xia and Jiang Ying Yue's sister and their maids were all hooked by its captivating taste.
" Hmm....it's delicious."
" What's this called?" asked one of them.
" Ah...it's called wheat pouch. It was a recipe passed down by our ancestors." as Elder Mo said this he started recounting the past.
Elder Mo and the rest of the elders were all descendent of ordinary people. They weren't cultivators, they were the weakest and their status was the lowest in society. They couldn't afford the herbs that aided them in their cultivations and grew and ate these ordinary vegetables.
The land stretched for the stronger people but for them, it shrunk. They were scorned and humiliated wherever they went. Even enduring all these they continued living only to be forced into slavery, to work without meals and proper pay. They were also human but they were never treated as one. So, to escape such a miserable fate they left their homes and wandered far away from human civilization.
Elder Mo and the rest were also among those unfortunate people who were forced to leave their homes to wander in the wilderness. However, it appeared that their luck wasn't that bad because it was they were fortunate enough to meet Azure and get accepted as her disciples. They were wanderers who were passing by Lan Quan but eventually, Lan Quan became their home. A home for ordinary people who were peaceful shelter.
Yes, Lan Quan was different from the rest of the world out there. Here ordinary people were treated just as equally as cultivators. They did their own business and lived in peace protected by Guardians.
As for the Guardians, it's been so many years already still they never forgot their roots. They never acted like typical cultivators acting all haughty and mighty. They continued living like ordinary people eating ordinary. Besides their diligence in cultivation, there were no changes in their daily lives.
Elder Mo was slightly emotional as reminisced about their past. There was a bitter smile on his wrinkled face.
Tian Lan's eyes grew red, and Tian Shan and Yuan Feng bowed their heads. They all felt uncomfortable, ashamed and guilty for some reason. The bite of food in their mouths turned tasteless and heavy to swallow.
When Elder Mo saw them stop eating he waved his wrinkled hand and gave another jolly smile.
" Hey, don't feel guilty and ashamed when you have done nothing wrong. Not all cultivators are narrow-minded, although the majority of them might be, there are still a quite few who are generous and kind," said Elder Mo his eyes looking ahead as if he was thinking of something as he mumbled softly, " One of those kind people who left me with a deep impression was General Jiang of the Burning Phoenix nation. People may think that he is War God he must be ruthless and brutal but on the contrary, he's very kind and gentle. Always polite when he spoke with others. He never looked down on people because of their social status."
There was a clear admiration and respect in Elder Mo's eyes as he spoke about General Jiang.
Jiang Ying Mei's chin was raising high with every word Elder Mo spoke of their father as if no one would know she was his precious youngest daughter.
Qiu and Niu couldn't help but elbow their little master whose chin was about to fly high in the sky.
While Jiang Ying Yue, on the other hand, was exceptionally quiet. She sat there and listened quietly without interrupting. She was thinking about the man who was now her father. However, she had yet to meet that man since she came here.
Jiang Ying Yue suddenly felt stuffy. So, she decided to interrupt.
" Elder Mo, did you catch those troublemakers?" Jiang Ying Yue had asked Elder Mo to catch those people who were making trouble that day forcing their way into their inn. She had to teach those scums a good lesson.
"Ah...Grandmaster, don't worry they are all locked inside I heard that they were scorning us, useless men. Huh?.... did they forget Lan Quan's root? Hmm, it looks like it's time to teach some history to these people." Elder Mo harrumphed then remembered something and started again.
" Grandmaster, here." Elder Mo handed a silver ring to Jiang Ying Yue as he said, " The sword is also inside."
" Why didn't you keep that sword?... I don't need it." Jiang Ying Yue sighed softly.
" Ah...no need, Grandmaster I am not interested in that bulky sword. It's good but it doesn't fit my taste." Elder Mo gave a look of disgust at the sword that Jiang Ying Yue had taken out as he continued, " instead of this bulky sword I find your needles more interesting.....Grandmaster, when you've time someday please teach me that technique."
Jiang Ying Yue could only smile and nod her head at the old man's enthusiastic request.
Alright, she'll teach him just don't blame her later.
Jiang Ying Yue found that this old man and her aesthetic taste were quite similar, both of them were equally disgusted at the sight of this lump of metal.
After talking with Elder Mo for a while Jiang Ying Yue turned to Wei, " Wei, take care of those people. Don't kill them but also don't show them mercy. Didn't they insult you for being useless then let them see what you are capable of." Then she waved her hand and turned to start another round of cultivation.
They'd be leaving tomorrow so she wanted to achieve a breakthrough before that.
Others were also good, however, they couldn't match her speed. So, she had to slow down purposely to avoid suspicion. It was so troublesome.