Snowy Mountain City.
In the courtyard of Lan Shi'er, fine snow fell silently.
Snowflakes like broken jade swirled and quietly climbed up the bluestone steps and dead branches.
The old plum tree in the courtyard has accumulated a thin layer of snow, and the scent of meat floats faintly in the air.
In the center of the courtyard, a copper pot was sizzling and steaming.
A small beige snake and a Stone Lion are sitting around the pot.
Thunder Eel Demon pieces of meat are being cooked in the pot. The meat is floating in the boiling soup. From time to time, tiny lightning lights burst out from the surface, crackling and flickering, reflecting the surrounding snow.
Little Lion clumsily grasped the chopsticks, finally picked up a piece of sizzling meat, and eagerly stuffed it into his mouth.
Thunder and lightning exploded between the teeth, and the spicy taste that followed rushed to the tip of the tongue. The numbing and spicy taste made it narrow its eyes in satisfaction.
It ate in a hurry, its cheeks were bulging, and its body was wet with oil, but it didn't care, as if it wanted to bury its whole face in the pot.
After devouring it for a long time, it realized belatedly that Tuanzi on the other side had not moved its chopsticks.
Little Lion struggled to swallow a mouthful of meat and muttered vaguely:
"Tuanzi Boss, why don't you eat? Could it be that you ate something good behind my back? Are you full?"
Tuanzi lay limply on the stone bench, sweeping the snow listlessly with his tail.
It stared blankly at the tumbling hot pot, its throat moved slightly, but it couldn't bring out the slightest interest.
"It's been almost a hundred years..."
It whispered, its voice almost melting into the snow, "The master hasn't come back yet. I don't know if he is doing well, if he is hungry, if he is in danger..."
"Hey, why do you think so much!"
Little Lion waved his chopsticks nonchalantly, and the oil star almost splashed on Tuanzi, "Based on my opinion, that guy must be hugging him from left to right, drinking fairy wine, and eating seafood!"
Thinking of this, it angrily stuffed another piece of meat into its mouth and chewed it hard. "Damn it! You are wandering outside and don't know how to bring something delicious back!"
Tuanzi threw out a Wind Blade and slashed at it. Little Lion was caught off guard, and even the lion and the stool fell to the ground, falling on all fours.
"I know how to eat all day long!"
Tuanzi threw away his chopsticks and slid down from the stone bench. His voice was filled with suppressed annoyance, "I'm going back to retreat. If I practice for a few more decades, maybe... the master will come back."
It twisted around and crawled into the house, its scales scraping against the snow, making a soft rustling sound.
Over the years, he has always used spiritual practice to divert his attention to suppress the thoughts surging in his heart.
"I should come back later, so you can concentrate on your practice."
A smiling voice suddenly sounded at the entrance of the courtyard, gentle and a little helpless.
Tuanzi was shaken all over and turned around suddenly.
A familiar figure stood in the snow, with white hair whiter than the snow.
Tuanzi's red eyes blurred for an instant, and it rushed over like a stray arrow, slamming into the person's arms.
"Master!!"
It rubbed the warm chest hard, whimpering intermittently. "Why did the master go so long... Tuanzi I miss the master so much... Wuwu..."
Jiang Ping An's eyes were full of tenderness. He stretched out his hand and gently squeezed the cold little head, "You are so old and you are still crying."
The fingertips brushed against the fine scales of Tuanzi, and I recalled in a daze that when they first met, this little guy was just a weak little snake. Now, it has grown to God King First Level.
"Tuan...Tuanzi can't control it..."
It choked and sobbed, and snot bubbles popped up one after another, shattering in the cold air.
Jiang Ping An took out several spiritual fruits.
The fruits are colorful and exude a sweet and attractive aroma.
These fruits were picked by his fellow monk Blue Sea Country when he came out of the ruins.
Seeing these fruits, Tuanzi burst into tears and smiled. He sniffed and stared longingly at the energetic fruits.
Little Lion who was standing next to the hot pot saw this and hurriedly got up and shouted, "Boss! I miss you too! I miss you so much!"
But its eyes were glued to the spirit fruit, not thinking about Jiang Ping An.
Jiang Ping An gave the fruit to the two little guys, shook his head and laughed. After so many years, the temperament of these two little guys is still the same as before.
Suddenly, several ripples appeared in the space, and a blue figure came walking on the snow, with long hair fluttering in the wind.
Seeing that Lan Shi'er was also back, Tuanzi hurriedly rubbed his nose on Jiang Ping An's clothes, quickly put away the fruit, and flew over. "Sister Shi'er!"
"Hey, our Tuanzi is getting cuter and cuter as we grow older."
Lan Shi'er caught it with a smile and kissed it gently on the forehead.
Tuanzi narrowed his eyes happily, his pink tongue vomited softly, and the tip of his tail swayed happily.
"Shi'er sister, try it!"
It entangled Lan Shi'er affectionately, pulled it to the pot, and said like a treasure, "This is the bottom of the pot that Tuanzi has been studying for a long time. The cooked meat is delicious!"
"Okay."
Lan Shi'er responded, then turned his gaze to Jiang Ping An and asked softly:
"Uncle, is Lord of Order's blood... very important to you?"
"It's not important." Jiang Ping An sat down and picked up the chopsticks.
"Huh? Not important?"
Lan Shi'er was stunned, a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes, "Since Lord of Order's blood is not important, why should uncle exchange it?"
With the Talent and potential shown by the uncle, he could have obtained more tangible benefits from his father, such as top-level training resources, or a stronger Protective Magic Treasure.
But the uncle chose to exchange the blood of Lord of Order.
Jiang Ping An chuckled lightly and rinsed a piece of meat, "You know, I'm used to being loose and don't like to be restrained."
He gently swung the meat slices in the boiling soup and continued, "If you directly reject Azure King's proposal, how can Azure King let me go so easily? If I am Talent, how can he feel at ease if he turns his head and invests elsewhere?"
"Simply make a request that is difficult for him to agree to, and then let him put forward a task that is as difficult as the sky and let me complete it. This way, he does not have to be bound by Blue Sea Country rules and can do things for him, so he can rest assured."
Lan Shi'er suddenly realized it and smiled like a flower, "So this is what uncle planned."
Her hanging heart finally dropped.
Originally, she was thinking that if that drop of blood was really important to her uncle, she would trade her freedom with Azure King.
Now that I know the uncle's "real" plan, I don't have to wrong myself.
Jiang Ping An put the cooked meat into his mouth and naturally changed the topic, "Have a try. The pot bottom studied by Tuanzi is really good. It is very good for cooking meat."
"I'm going to call sister Long Ya!"
Lan Shi'er ran away with brisk steps, her skirt brushing against the snow, like a cheerful butterfly.
When the blue figure disappeared behind the moon gate, the smile at the corner of Jiang Ping An's mouth gradually faded away.
Although Lan Shi'er concealed her well, he was too familiar with her.
From just now, he noticed the suppressed emotions in her eyes.
Based on the other party's questions, I immediately guessed 70% to 80%.
So he categorically said that the blood was not important.
Seeing Lan Shi'er regain her lively appearance, Jiang Ping An became more convinced of her guess. Azure King must have wanted her to make some kind of sacrifice for this reason.
He would never allow this to happen.
Even if that drop of blood was crucial, he would never Lan Shi'er sacrifice himself to help in exchange for it.
Not long after, Long Ya was dragged over by Lan Shi'er.
This woman was furious and sat directly next to Jiang Ping An. She raised her hand and punched him on the shoulder lightly:
"Okay, you! You hid it deep enough! Even Nightmare Trial passed!"
On the way here, she heard Lan Shi'er chirping and showing off, and she realized that Jiang Ping An not only passed the legendary examination, but also got a top-level Divine Art.
Although I have not personally experienced this inheritance, I know that among so many geniuses, only two people have passed the nightmare level inheritance.
She never thought that the guy who looked ordinary back then could reach this point today.
"If I had known today, I should have chased you ruthlessly back then." Long Ya curled his lips and joked with a smile, "I got a genius for nothing Son-in-law. It also saves my old man from nagging me every day and urging me to get married."
When it came to urging marriage, she took out a bottle of wine irritably.
"Come on, come on! This is the wine I got from the old man's collection! I must drink it to my heart's content today!"
The mouth of the altar was opened, and the Rules divine light mixed with the rich aroma of wine overflowed. The aroma penetrated into the nose, making people feel refreshed.
Good wine!
Excellent wine!
The pure Rules power contained in the wine can nourish the body, soul, and even Origin.
Lan Shi'er sniffed the aroma of the wine, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. "Could this be Forget Worry Wine? I saw it once at the Lan Clan's imperial banquet in the past. It is said that this wine can not only nourish Dao Foundation, but also make people forget their worries temporarily."
Long Ya smiled and filled the wine glass, "That's right! Someone asked my old man to refine a valuable treasure, and it was specially presented. There were only two jars in total, and I found one jar."
Lan Shi'er had a strange expression, "This wine is extremely precious. I'm afraid even the ordinary third-level God King can't afford it. Let's just drink it like this. Isn't it a bit bad?"
"Oh, the old man doesn't like to drink these anyway, so it would be a waste just to leave them alone." Long Ya waved his hand indifferently.
What a filial daughter.
Jiang Ping An felt sorry for Senior Long having such a daughter, but his hand honestly picked up the filled wine glass in front of him.
When the wine entered my throat, it was not as pungent as expected, but instead felt refreshing and sweet.
A comfortable coolness slipped from the throat into the abdomen, and immediately turned into a warm current, flowing gently to the limbs and bones, reaching deep into the soul.
The hatred, pain, and unspeakable sadness accumulated in my heart were actually temporarily healed and diluted by this power!
Jiang Ping An felt a long-lost relaxation.
The countless hardships and tests he has endured at Legacy Ground over the years have already strained his mind to the extreme, and he needs to relax.
He allowed the power of alcohol to spread in his body, coveting this moment of peace and emptiness.
A faint smile appeared on that face that had been frozen all year round and showed no emotion.
Looking at the falling snow in the courtyard with drunken eyes, I felt extremely happy. In a trance, I seemed to have returned to those leisurely and peaceful years with my parents, wife and children many years ago.
I don't know how long this pure joy lasted. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the familiar beams.
"I actually fell asleep..."
He closed his eyes and savored the rare comfort.
I can't remember the last time I slept so peacefully. I seemed to have had many beautiful dreams.
Suddenly, he noticed a strange warmth and even breathing beside him.
He opened his eyes suddenly and turned his head——
In his arms, a peaceful sleeping face was facing him.
Her breathing was shallow and long, her long and dense eyelashes trembled slightly in the morning light, and her face looked full of excitement and satisfaction.
Jiang Ping An's face changed drastically.