Chen Renfeng lit a fire in the kitchen and cooked rice in the pot. He prepared chili-fried cured pork, scrambled eggs, stir-fried mushrooms, chili-fried greens, and several immortal herb leaves fried together with chili peppers.
Half an hour later, a table of delicious dishes had been set. Chen Qing and Bai Xue still had not returned, so he left the Siheyuan Courtyard to call them back for dinner. In a daze, Chen Renfeng felt like a father who had prepared a meal and was calling two mischievous children home to eat.
Bai Xue and Chen Qing returned, carrying a basket between them and swaying as they walked. When they got close, they split up, while two puppets followed behind Chen Qing, fighting and playing with each other.
"Uncle Chen, look!" Bai Xue lifted the basket in front of the professor. Two fluffy ducks poked their heads out from among the herbs. Looking closer, they turned out to be two black-and-white swans.
"You little rascal, why did you bring these two back?" the professor said, sounding somewhat reproachful.
"Uncle Chen, these two ducks were different from the other ducks, and the others bullied them, so I rescued them and decided to raise them separately. Look, doesn't this black one look like Chen Qing? He's so silly." Bai Xue giggled.
Hearing that, Chen Qing hurriedly retorted, "Professor, the white one is the silly one. Don't you think he looks like Bai Xue?"
"Chen Qing, you're the silly one!" Bai Xue snapped angrily.
The professor laughed heartily. "Let's go back and eat! Neither of you is silly or dull!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Renfeng heard White Crane calling to him from outside the cave.
"There's someone looking for me outside," Chen Renfeng told the two of them. "Go home and eat first. I'll be back soon!"
In the blink of an eye, Shi Xianfeng's spiritual essence returned to his body. As soon as he walked out of the cave, he saw two women conversing in the courtyard, one dressed in white and the other in red.
"Immortal, why have you come personally? You only needed to send word, and I would have gone to your residence!" Chen Renfeng greeted her with an obsequious smile.
When White Crane saw Immortal Elder come out, she returned to the cave.
Seeing this, White Deer Immortal replied, "Chen Tuan, how is the matter of helping Qing Shi and Bai Yu resolve their tribulations in the mortal world going?"
Chen Renfeng was stunned when he heard that. He had long since put the matter out of his mind. He hurriedly made up an excuse. "Immortal, I discovered that the greater tribulations ensnare the lesser ones, and the lesser ones ensnare the greater ones. I'm resolving them one by one."
White Deer Immortal could tell that he sounded insincere, but she did not press him. Instead, she shared her own plan. "Ancestor Lu has returned as well. I went to ask him, but he refused to say anything. After thinking it over, I decided that the safest course was to keep an eye on things myself."
Seeing this, Chen Renfeng could only go along with her. "You're right, Immortal. There aren't many years left in the mortal world anyway, so it won't take much effort."
White Deer Immortal was delighted that he had reached the same conclusion. "I plan to use the Qiankun Mirror to livestream Bai Yu and Qing Shi's growth. If a tribulation appears, I'll immediately intervene and resolve it."
Chen Renfeng flattered her, "How wise, Immortal! This will surely produce excellent results!"
White Deer Immortal nodded in satisfaction. "Chen Tuan, bring me the Twin Fish Jade Pendant I gave you. Qing Shi and Bai Yu have already been born, but I haven't sent them their gifts yet!"
Chen Renfeng panicked when he heard that. The pendant... White Deer Immortal had come today to demand it. If he gave it to her, what would happen to Chen Qing and Bai Xue? He hurriedly searched for a way to stall her.
White Deer Immortal grew displeased, thinking he intended to keep it for himself. She barked, "Where is it?"
Chen Renfeng shuddered. The might of a Golden Immortal was more than he could withstand. He hurriedly replied, "It's inside the house. Please wait a moment, Immortal. I'll go get it!"
After entering the house, Chen Renfeng's spiritual essence directly entered the jade pendant and rushed toward the Siheyuan Courtyard. At the kitchen door, he saw Bai Xue and Chen Qing eating. With a wave of his hand, he planted two golden protective talismans into their spiritual senses, then emerged from the Small World.
After splitting the jade pendant in two, his spiritual essence entered the first piece, the yin-fish jade pendant. The grass, lake, and Siheyuan Courtyard were still there, but the woods and mountains had vanished. He then entered the second piece, the yang-fish jade pendant. The grass, lake, and Siheyuan Courtyard had disappeared, leaving only the woods and mountains.
After emerging, Chen Renfeng took out a jade slip and briefly explained what had happened that day. He instructed the two of them to stay on the Siheyuan Courtyard side and absolutely not enter the woods or mountains, warning them to be careful in case the leopard appeared again. Finally, he picked out the important points regarding their cultivation and daily lives and gave them his instructions.
White Deer Immortal was already urging him from outside the cave. Chen Renfeng sent the jade slip into the Small World, transmitting it to the kitchen of the Siheyuan Courtyard. Chen Qing and Bai Xue were eating when the information in the jade slip began to play.
With a sharp crack, Bai Xue's rice bowl fell to the ground, scattering rice everywhere.
Outside the cave, White Deer Immortal scolded him impatiently. "Chen Tuan, why are you dragging your feet? Do you not intend to return my jade pendant?"
Chen Renfeng hurriedly pleaded, "You misunderstand, Immortal. I only washed it with water and dried it with silk. How would I dare keep your treasure for myself?"
White Deer Immortal swept it with her spiritual sense and, finding nothing wrong, ignored Chen Renfeng. She muttered an incantation, and the jade pendant split into two and flew through the air. Then, with a ringing sound, it vanished in an instant.
Chen Renfeng was shocked, but he still praised her aloud. "Your immortal power truly is extraordinary, Immortal. Where did you teleport the two jade pendants?"
White Deer Immortal was in a good mood and laughed. "I gave them to Bai Yu and Qing Shi. They will protect them when they encounter tribulations."
Chen Renfeng swallowed, his heart aching. The mortal world and the immortal world were not connected. Only immortals of the Golden Immortal Realm or above could cross that perilous barrier. What was he supposed to do?
After finishing her business, White Deer Immortal said with a smile, "Chen Tuan, you're also a Penglai Immortal Official. Why don't you watch the livestreams of Bai Yu and Qing Shi with me? Help me wish them success in overcoming their tribulations."
Chen Renfeng was in no mood for that now. He shook his head and refused.
White Deer Immortal was displeased, but she needed his help, so she asked gently, "Chen Tuan, what is troubling you? Can I help?"
Chen Renfeng sensed that White Deer Immortal was using her spiritual sense to probe his thoughts. He hurriedly calmed his mind and replied jokingly, "Immortal, I'm troubled by my cultivation. I haven't made any progress in many years. In particular, my Karma Value is increasing far too slowly. Being a Penglai Immortal Official seems useless—I haven't gained any Karma Value at all."
Hearing this, White Deer Immortal remembered the matter as well. It seemed that Emperor's promise had not been fulfilled. She immediately said, "I'll go ask Emperor about this. How can he go back on his word? He's not as straightforward as Donghua. Also, when Bai Yu and Qing Shi's livestream begins, I'll come pick you up personally. You're not allowed to refuse again!"
After saying that, White Deer Immortal formed a hand seal and teleported away. A Golden Immortal really could do whatever she pleased in Penglai! Chen Renfeng could only envy her.
Inside the Small World within the jade pendant, Bai Xue and Chen Qing finished reading the professor's message. They stopped eating and ran out of the Small World, only to discover that the distant mountains and woods were gone.
The two of them recalled the professor's words again, then hugged each other and burst into tears at the entrance of the Siheyuan Courtyard. They looked like two children abandoned by their parents. The plaque of the Home of Immortals and Mortals hung high above them. Only two mortals remained here—the immortal was gone.
After crying for a while, Chen Qing pulled herself together first. She helped Bai Xue to her feet and returned to the Siheyuan Courtyard. The professor's final words had told them to cultivate well and that he would return soon.
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