The old man pointed to three bowls on the stove, each containing a blackish liquid of varying depth, and it was unclear what they all were. Gu Shi Yi was somewhat hesitant and thought to herself,
"I don't even know what's in these bowls, and if eating them might cause any issues. Can I trust him?"
Seeing Gu Shi Yi's hesitation, the old man wasn't annoyed but instead smiled and said,
"That's right, you've got some caution in you. But if I wanted to harm you, I'd only have to snap my fingers, you don't need to overthink it!"
That was actually true, for a mere mortal like Gu Shi Yi, a Great Cultivator wouldn't even bother to snap their fingers to kill her, probably just a blink would suffice.
Gu Shi Yi, quite the unabashed one, laughed heartily upon hearing this and said,
"Mr. Senior speaks the truth, I was being too narrow-minded!"
The old man, seeing her so well-spoken, was quite satisfied and laughed a little before saying,
"Go stoke the fire!"
Gu Shi Yi responded and proceeded to stoke the fire, pour water, and took out the finger to put it in a pot, simmering it together with the contents of the three bowls. The steps were quite simple. After guarding the stove for half a Shichen, she extinguished the fire, wrapped the pot in a thick cotton cloth, and brought it out to the hall, about to open the lid, when the old man waved his hand,
"Hold on!"
With a wave of his hand, a white Light Shield appeared inside the small shop, and the old man said,
"After simmering this concoction, it will have an ambrosial scent. I've set up a Prohibition to keep it from being detected by others!"
Ambrosial scent... How fragrant could it be?
Gu Shi Yi, with a puzzled look on her face, lifted the lid, and then she was stupefied...
Fragrant!
Truly fragrant!
A fragrance to die for!
How could this thing smell so heavenly?
How to describe this scent? It's like meat, incredibly fragrant, soul-captivating, mouthwatering!
It even bewitched Gu Shi Yi with its fragrance!
The old man looked at the dazed expression in Gu Shi Yi's eyes as if witnessing something very amusing, and chuckled to himself. Meanwhile, several unidentified little beasts in cages within the shop, together with the little monkey perched on the old man's shoulder, started to get restless. The little monkey shrieked and attempted to pounce toward the pot, but the old man grabbed it with one hand and said to Gu Shi Yi,
"Call your ghost out now!"
"Oh..."
Gu Shi Yi, jolted by his command, hurriedly reached into her neckline and pulled out Little Mud Man. The old man looked at Little Mud Man and grimaced in disapproval,
"Who made this body for it? Such craftsmanship is painfully bad to look at!"
Gu Shi Yi chuckled sheepishly, not daring to respond, but instead asked,
"How... How does it eat this?"
The old man slightly lifted his eyelids, flicked a fingernail, and instantly, the white vapor rising from the pot's mouth coalesced into a white line that darted straight for Little Mud Man's face. Gu Shi Yi hurriedly brought Little Mud Man closer, and Li Yaner opened her mouth instinctively as the white line targeted Li Yaner's tiny clay mouth,
"Drinking..."
A gentle inhaling, and in just a few breaths, the white line was completely sucked in. Gu Shi Yi moved closer and touched the pot, which had been steaming hot but had now turned ice cold. Gu Shi Yi lifted Little Mud Man up to her face, eye to eye with Li Yaner,
"Yanyan, how do you feel?"
"Burp..."
Little Mud Man let out a satisfied belch,
"Shiyi, I feel so full!"
"Is there... anything that feels off?"
Little Mud Man shook its head and patted its stomach,
"I feel so comfy!"
Even though she didn't usually need to eat, this long-missed feeling of fullness was still very pleasing!
Relieved, Gu Shi Yi nodded and returned Little Mud Man to its place before bowing to the old man,
"Thank you very much, Mr. Senior!"
The old man waved his hand,
"We merely each sought what we needed, no need to thank me!"
Gu Shi Yi said,
"Still, as a mere mortal, having the guidance of Mr. Senior is indeed a blessing that I could not have earned in ten lifetimes!"
The old man was quite pleased upon hearing this,
"Hmm, you have a way with words... since that's the case, I'll offer you another piece of advice..."
Pause, then he continued,
"Do you want to Cultivate the Path of Ghosts since your soul body has been attached to the clay figure, or are you seeking to possess a body to return to life?"
Gu Shi Yi shook her head,
"I just wish to possess a corpse to return to life..."
Possessing a corpse to return to life and Soul Possession, as mentioned by the old man, are different. Possessing a corpse is for when the body's original owner has already lost consciousness, whereas Soul Possession requires using one's strong soul body to annihilate or expel the consciousness of another, taking over their body. The difference between the two is significant.