You Su Gives the Earth Wood People a Small Shock

The second floor of Ancient Moon Residence is divided into elegant pavilions. It is not only the best place to eat in Ancient Moon Residence, but also an excellent viewpoint for the entire Xuanxiao Sect, simply because Ancient Moon Residence is backed by a cliff.

Looking out from the second floor, one sees a scene of celestial beauty, with clouds rising and mist swirling, cranes soaring through the sky, and deer treading the air.

Many elders and deacons who have transcended the five grains also have their own private rooms here. Before their meals, they often bring two bottles of precious wine from Bihua Residence at the foot of the Third Elder Peak, and then seek out two or three fellow Daoists, or simply pour and drink by themselves. Accompanied by delicious food and beautiful scenery, it is truly a wonderful thing that even immortals cannot resist.

The three of them arrived at the private room. Ji Lingruo found everything fascinating. She chose a seat by the window and sat down, gazing at the scenery outside. Her heart and appetite both opened up.

As soon as she sat down, she eagerly picked up a pale blue pastry and tasted it. It melted in her mouth, sweet but not cloying, and a refreshing sensation spread throughout her body.

Ji Lingruo's eyes lit up, and she said:

"It's delicious! Senior brother, you should try some!"

As she spoke, she picked up a piece of pastry and handed it to You Su, while she continued to eat it bite by bite, finishing her piece in no time.

"Thank you, junior sister," You Su said with a smile.

Suddenly, Ji Lingruo seemed to remember something. She glanced at the silent Wangshu Fairy and realized that the girl in the white dress was staring intently at the pastries on the plate.

Ji Lingruo pursed her lips and pushed the plate towards Wangshu Fairy, after all, she and Wangshu Fairy weren't close enough to personally feed each other.

"Wangshu Fairy, you should try some too."

Wangshu Fairy paused for a moment, then reached out to take it, but ultimately withdrew her hand halfway, lowered her eyes, and gently shook her head.

Ji Lingruo frowned, puzzled.

Wangshu looked at the pastries with obvious curiosity and a desire to try them, so why did she stop?

Could it be...?

Ji Lingruo glanced at the exquisite Rabbit Mask on Wangshu Fairy's face and asked:

"Wangshu Fairy, why aren't you eating?"

Caught off guard by the question, Wangshu appeared flustered. Her eyes darted around, and she stammered:

"I... I can't eat it."

Can't eat it?

Ji Lingruo's suspicions were confirmed once again, and she said helplessly:

"Wangshu Fairy, we'll soon be members of the same sect. Can't you even take off your mask in front of us?"

You Su thought back carefully, and it seemed that his senior sister had never actually taken off her mask. But to him, a blind man, whether she took off the mask or not made no difference. His senior sister must have her reasons for not taking it off. Therefore You Su never asked, nor did he want to make things difficult for her, so he solemnly reminded her:

"Junior Sister!"

Ji Lingruo pursed her lips; she was still very curious about the true nature of this potential rival.

Why would someone with such poise and figure constantly wear a mask?

Is she devastatingly beautiful? Or is her face flawed and too delicate to be shown to others?

"I'm sorry, I really can't eat this..."

Wangshu Fairy lowered her head even further, and the Little Flower among her snow-white hair seemed to sense her emotions, their bodies softening and no longer standing upright as hairpins.

For some reason, Ji Lingruo's heart softened again when she saw the girl's appearance, and she felt that the novel pastry in her hand no longer tasted good.

"If you can't eat it, then don't eat it. Why apologize to us? It's not like you did anything wrong."

Ji Lingruo didn't mention asking Wangshu Fairy to remove her mask again. Although her tone was still somewhat firm, Wangshu Fairy clearly felt the goodwill emanating from her. This restored Wangshu's confidence, and she raised her head and pushed the plate of pastries closer to Ji Lingruo.

You Su used his Divine Sense to observe these subtle movements. Seeing that the two women were getting along better, he was pleased and readily swallowed the pastry in his hand.

But before he could even feel happy for a moment, another conflict arose.

"Junior brother, eat more."

Wangshu Fairy personally picked up a piece of pastry and handed it to You Su, her eyes full of anticipation.

Ji Lingruo. "You won't eat it when I offer it to you? So you're saving it to show off in front of your senior brother?"

"You're not allowed to eat it!"

"Why can't we eat it?" Wangshu Fairy asked, puzzled.

"Ask him!"

Ji Lingruo didn't know how to explain for a moment, so she could only shift the blame to You Su.

You Su had a terrible headache. He chuckled awkwardly as he took the pastries from Wangshu Fairy's hand, quietly placed them back on the plate, and said:

"Senior sister, junior sister is reminding us to eat less dessert before the meal, since we're here for the main course."

"So that's how it is."

Wangshu nodded as if she had learned something new.

Just then, the manager who had led the way earlier knocked on the door and, after being granted permission, came in with an elegant menu.

"Junior Brother You Su, may I ask which restaurant you would like to order from?"

There was no reason to let a blind person order food, nor was there any reason to let someone who doesn't eat order food. Ji Lingruo volunteered and raised her hand, saying:

"I'll order!"

After the steward learned that the female demon was the third disciple of the Lotus Sword Venerable, he dared not neglect Ji Lingruo and hurriedly handed her the menu with a smile.

Calling it a menu wouldn't be an exaggeration; it's more like a picture book. The dishes inside are dazzling, all drawn by spirit painters specializing in the art, so lifelike that they make your mouth water just by looking at them.

After watching for a long time, Ji Lingruo couldn't name a single dish.

The prices listed were simply too outrageous. Although she was the Second Young Lady of the snake clan, she didn't actually live a lavish life under her older sister's tutelage.

"You dare to sell this chestnut chicken for 150 Spirit Stone? With that money, I could buy a top-grade Rejuvenation Pill! Why don't you just rob me?" Ji Lingruo angrily closed the menu.

"Junior sister, you may not know this, but the chickens we use are not ordinary chickens. They are Old Immortal Chicken specially raised by Beast Taming Peak, which sell for 150 Spirit Stone. To be honest, we don't even make much profit from them."

The manager smiled apologetically, but inwardly he felt helpless; this elegant second-floor room was never intended for poor disciples.

"Old Immortal Chicken? The Lao Xiang Ji I had in Chuyun City wasn't this rip-off!"

Ji Lingruo sulked, touching her half-empty purse. As the one who suggested eating here, she had a responsibility to treat everyone; it would be too embarrassing to turn back because she thought it was too expensive.

"It's my treat, Junior Sister, please order whatever you like." You Su noticed Ji Lingruo's predicament; she had come all alone, so her expenses must have been enormous.

"Really?! Then bring out a plate of Chestnut Old Immortal Chicken. I want to see what's so magical about this chicken!" Ji Lingruo was still quite sensible and didn't splurge just because You Su was treating. She then whispered, "By the way, this matcha cake is free, right? Bring us some more."

"Reporting to Junior Sister, it costs money, ten Spirit Stones." The manager continued with a fawning smile.

"What?! We ate half of this plate, so you can only count as five!" Ji Lingruo exclaimed excitedly, feeling a pang of pain even though it was You Su's money that was being spent.

Upon hearing this, You Su smiled calmly, took the menu from Ji Lingruo's hand, and then purposefully flipped through a few dishes:

"This, this, and this, please bring me one of each. Thank you, senior brother."

Ji Lingruo glanced at the menu in disbelief; all of them were dishes she had been very interested in earlier. She realized that You Su had been observing her all along, even noticing which page her gaze lingered on.

"Senior brother... is it really necessary? I don't like eating these." Ji Lingruo looked at You Su's simple black robe and felt sorry for him. "This Snow Jade White Clam Soup is a Grade B dish, costing a full three hundred Spirit Stone. That's enough to buy so many other things."

You Su laughed and said boldly:

"Making my junior sister happy is more important than anything else. Senior brother, that's all for now, let's serve the food."

"Alright." The manager quickly took the menu and left.

Upon Ji Lingruo felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey, and secretly resolved to spend more money on her senior brother, but she still complained aloud:

"Who asked you to put on a show of wealth when you're not?"

You Su smiled but didn't answer. She simply poured a cup of tea for each of the two women and started chatting.

Soon, four incredibly fragrant delicacies were served. Ji Lingruo felt a pang of regret, she ate faster than anyone else. You Su, who rarely got to taste this savory flavor, also ate to her heart's content.

Wangshu Fairy sat to the side, not touching her chopsticks at all, watching the two who were eating with great relish, making them feel slightly awkward.

Ji Lingruo simply ignored her, and as if rewarding her, picked up a chicken leg from an Old Immortal Chicken and put it in You Su's bowl. Then she picked up another one and asked knowingly, "Wangshu Fairy, may I give you this chicken leg?"

"No, I can't eat it," Wangshu Fairy replied honestly.

Ji Lingruo, as if showing off, put the food back into her own bowl and laughed:

"Then I'll have no choice but to reluctantly accept the chicken legs that go with my senior brother."

Upon hearing this, Wangshu Fairy's gaze towards the chicken leg changed noticeably, but that longing vanished in an instant, replaced by a somber expression.

Ji Lingruo felt that this girl truly possessed a kind of magic, making it unbearable to see this pure white girl suffer. She stopped using similar tricks to provoke Wangshu and ate her meal properly.

The cultivators had a much larger appetite than ordinary people, and the two of them finished all four dishes.

When it was time to pay the bill, Ji Lingruo boldly took out her small purse and offered to pay, feeling that it was enough to feel You Su's kindness.

You Su was surprised by the change in his money-grubbing junior sister and was touched. Indeed, being kind to someone is always reciprocal.

He took out the special silver talisman given to him by Elder Zhu and paid the bill first. Ji Lingruo then realized that You Su paid no money for dishes below Grade A when he ate here! So all her earlier gratitude was fake! You Su could have said so earlier!

She angrily elbowed You Su again, and then the three of them left amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd.

The next destination was naturally the eighth peak of the Xuanxiao Sect — Earth Wood Peak.

Earth Wood Peak is the mountain that governs earth and wood construction. The Xuanxiao Sect's majestic and celestial aura is largely due to Earth Wood Peak.

From a distance, one realizes that this is not a naturally formed mountain at all, but a giant peak composed of stacked pavilions.

"At the center of Earth Wood Peak stands a colossal, round tree that reaches the sky, serving as the spine of this mountain and bearing everything within it. All the pavilions and towers in the mountain are branches extending from that spine. It is not actually a naturally grown divine tree, but rather the culmination of the art of earth and wood by the founder of Earth Wood Peak, a man- Earth Wood Peak masterpiece that took a hundred years to create."

The disciple who was guiding the way proudly described the wonders of this man-made mountain.

"Just call Fang Gong. It's not that my surname is 'Fang' and my given name is 'Gong,' but in Earth Wood Peak, regardless of seniority, everyone uses 'Gong' as a suffix. Master is not currently on the peak, but he instructed me that he still owes You Su a request. As long as it's something that can be built, Junior Brother, just ask. Earth Wood Peak will do its utmost."

"Fang Gong, are all the people on Earth Wood Peak always out in the field, with dark skin, and you never see a female disciple on the entire mountain?" Wangshu Fairy was also visiting Earth Wood Peak for the first time and found everything very novel, so she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Even someone as spoiled Ji Lingruo felt embarrassed after hearing this, and whispered a reminder: "Why are you attacking others for no reason?"

Wangshu Fairy looked bewildered. "I didn't attack Fang Gong, I just asked about what I saw."

Thank goodness, this clear-headed girl truly meant no harm. Fang Gong also wore a wry smile, wondering why the autumn sun felt so intense.

"What Senior Sister said is true, but it further illustrates the greatness of the people of Earth Wood Peak. They have endured wind and rain, sun and moon for many years to build the foundation of the human race. They are truly remarkable and good people," You Su instructed.

Upon hearing this, Wangshu Fairy nodded and sighed, "The people of Earth Wood Peak are truly kind people. Fang Gong, you must always be a kind person."

"Of course..."

Seeing Fang Gong's unpleasant expression, Ji Lingruo forced herself to suppress her laughter for the sake of her new house.

"This is the speed of civil engineering!"

You Su used his Divine Sense to survey the newly renovated yet extremely familiar courtyard, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

With just a few words from her junior sister, the layout of the courtyard was basically restored to the original one-to-one with that of the Mandarin Sword Sect, and an extra exquisitely decorated boudoir was added for Ji Lingruo.

Moreover, the facilities in the room are more user-friendly. For example, in the kitchen and bathroom, Fang Gong built pipes underground to bring in spiritual spring water from nearby. They used a special Formation Technique to block the pipe openings, so the water could be turned on whenever needed. This way, they would no longer need to go out to fetch water for washing vegetables, laundry, or bathing.

The disciples of Earth Wood Peak completed all these projects in just half a day, before sunset.

"Senior Brother Fang, I will personally present you with a banner in the future, inscribed with the four characters 'Infrastructure Maniacs,' to express my admiration for you."

You Su bowed respectfully, still addressing him as "Senior Brother" to show his respect.

"Junior brother is too kind. It's nothing at all. I'll come back tomorrow to pave the mountain path for you. However, Lotus Peak is extremely rugged, and even if the path is paved, it will probably be difficult to walk on. I hope you can understand that."

Fang Gong helped You Su up, feeling extremely guilty for not being able to come up with a solution.

The problem of difficulty in going up and down the mountain was indeed hard to solve. Fang Gong had come up with many solutions, but due to various factors, he felt that paving the road was the most effective option.

"This is not Earth Wood Peak's fault, Senior Brother, please don't blame yourself."

You Su stroked his chin, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "However, I have a method that might reduce the burden of going up and down the mountain, but it would be a bit troublesome to build."

"Does Junior Brother You have a solution?"

Fang Gong looked surprised and doubtful, while the disciples behind him listened with disdain. The professionalism of the Earth Wood Peak was among the strongest of all the peaks, and suggestions from people outside the Earth Wood Peak were often just castles in the air and difficult to implement.

Previously, the Earth Wood Peak suffered heavy losses because it followed the plans of outsiders. Later, the Peak Master ordered that only the people of the Earth Wood Peak could make all the decisions on construction matters, and others could only make requests.

Over time, this has become a prevailing attitude. The people of Earth Wood Peak cannot compare to other immortals who wield swords with such elegance, so few of them can be arrogant. This lack of professionalism is one of the reasons why they hold a contemptuous attitude towards the method that You Su is about to describe.

However, Fang Gong was still unwilling to reject You Su too directly, since he felt very comfortable with You Su, so he could only say it tactfully:

"Junior brother, please speak freely. If it is feasible, I may consider adopting it."

Even so, he was already prepared for You Su to refuse after she finished speaking.

Having received permission, You Su said:

"Does Senior Brother Fang know how people in the mortal world draw water from wells?"

"Naturally, we use a well pulley, relying on a rope to suspend the water basket to fetch water." A disciple from the Earth Wood Peak behind Fang Gong answered first, thinking that laymen are laymen after all, showing off such basic knowledge in front of them, truly showing off their ignorance.

"That's right. Do you know what the fastest irrigation tool is for farmland in the mortal world?" You Su then asked.

At this moment, the group of civil engineering students behind him were quite speechless. It was Fang Gong who answered:

"It uses Dragon Bone Water Wheel, with people moving the wheel and the wheel moving the spokes. One spoke rises and the other falls, and the water churns from one spoke to the other like jade being poured."

You Su nodded in approval. The wisdom of mortals should not be underestimated, but whether it is writing, planting herbs, or building, immortals often feel superior and overlook the wisdom of mortals. Fang Gong's ability to notice this is enough to earn You Su's respect.

"It has links, spokes, a keel, and even drive wheels and steering wheels. This way, it can not only transport water but also people," You Su pointed out. "Mortals cannot build a keel ladder for transporting people, but this afternoon, Senior Brother Fang introduced me to that giant divine tree that embodies the Heart's Blood of the Earth Wood Peak, which is why I dared to make this assumption."

"This..."

Fang Gong was clearly frightened by this idea. The most significant difference between immortals and mortals in the path of civil engineering is productivity, which allows them to complete in half a day what would take mortals half a month. However, this also makes them less inclined to think about solving engineering problems compared to mortals.

"Of course, if we're really going to build it, it can't be at an angle. I think we can create a combination of a windlass and Dragon Bone Water Wheel, standing upright between heaven and earth, with people like water in a basket, allowing them to go up and down. And the whole way is grounded, undisturbed by the Trouble Wind. This ladder is actually more suitable for the majestic Earth Wood Peak than Lotus Peak."

When You Su explained his entire plan, all the disciples of the Earth Wood Peak, including Fang Gong, were speechless with astonishment. They no longer dared to underestimate You Su, because they all felt that this plan was indeed feasible!

"Junior Brother You! You are truly a genius!"

Fang Gong excitedly placed his hand on You Su's shoulder:

"Your method is extremely constructive! This will be the most valuable design for Earth Wood Peak in nearly a thousand years! I will go back and report to Master immediately! Once approved, we will mobilize the entire peak to build this ladder for Lotus Peak! Let's go, down the mountain!"

Before You Su could even try to persuade him to stay, Fang Gong eagerly led his disciples down the mountain.

On the bumpy mountain road, a disciple asked hesitantly:

"Fang Gong, while You Su's method is ingenious, it's hardly worthy of being called the strongest in a thousand years. It simply solves the problem of us on Earth Wood Peak having to walk up and down stairs. We are all cultivators; it's not actually that tiring."

Beneath Fang Gong's simple and unassuming face, his eyes shone brightly.

"You know nothing! What kind of civil engineer are you if you only focus on the height of Earth Wood Peak? You should look at the sky that no one has been able to reach for millions of years!"

"Once this thing is proven to be feasible, even mortals... will have the chance to climb the ladder to heaven and ascend to the heavens in one step!"