Hearing Jiang Ping's unyielding tone, Da Huang whimpered and hurriedly fled.
Little Kitten meowed, instantly putting on a cute, pleading act. He curled into a little ball and rolled away in a wobbling spin.
Jiang Ping awkwardly scratched his head and said indignantly, "This... Mister Da Yuan, please don't take it to heart. When I get the chance, I'll just kill them. Honestly, they're awful!"
Zhen Yuanzi was deeply hurt to hear his most treasured Ginseng Fruit criticized one after another.
Hong Yun watched Zhen Yuanzi's crestfallen expression from the side, secretly delighted.
Zhen Yuanzi, you look so funny right now. You treated those Ginseng Fruits like precious treasures and never brought them out. You wouldn't even let me eat one—couldn't you at least have let me smell one?
And look at you now. The Peerless Expert won't eat a single Ginseng Fruit, and even the chickens and dogs he keeps turn their noses up at them. You've made a complete fool of yourself today.
Zhen Yuanzi was speechless. Normally, with the Ginseng Fruit Tree in his possession, countless mighty figures of the Primordial World—even those whose cultivation surpassed his by a level or two—would respectfully address him as Daoist friend when they met.
The Great and Golden Immortals all looked at his fruit with eager eyes.
So how was it that here, in front of the Peerless Expert, his Ginseng Fruits were treated like rotten cabbages in a field, worth nothing at all?
The more Zhen Yuanzi thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. Somewhat irritated, he said, "Young Master, there's no need to get angry over such a small matter. As you said, they're practically half your family. How can you just kill them?"
"I'm just a little curious. This place is in the middle of nowhere. What do you usually eat?"
"How is it that even these two little chicks and the puppy and kitten are so picky? Their tastes are far too particular."
Jiang Ping coughed twice and said earnestly, "Mister Da Yuan, to be honest, I know a little about planting and cultivation. I've planted several fruit trees in the backyard, grafted by my own hand."
"There's also a place a little farther away where I've opened up a few plots of land to grow vegetables and things like that. The taste is a bit worse than what I was used to where I lived before, but perhaps that's because of the varieties. They still have their own unique flavor."
"Well... at the very least, they're a lot tastier than your Ginseng Fruit."
Hong Yun secretly curled his lip in disdain, grumbling inwardly.
Yes, yes, you're the Peerless Expert. Go ahead and boast all you like. No one would dare call you out to your face anyway.
Though I can't stand Zhen Yuanzi, his Ginseng Fruit really is one of the top Spirit Fruits in the Primordial World.
In flavor and effects, only the Yellow Middle Plum and the Purple-Patterned Flat Peach could compare. All the other Spirit Fruits were nowhere close.
Besides, the Ginseng Fruit Tree is one of the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots. No matter how powerful your abilities are, there's no way you could use acquired methods to cultivate something that surpasses Ginseng Fruit.
If those trees of yours turn out to be peach trees, then I'll take back what I said. I'd assume you were joking.
Zhen Yuanzi grew even more upset as he listened.
He'd meant well, offering the Young Master his most precious Ginseng Fruit.
And yet the Young Master had compared one of the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots to ordinary acquired fruits and vegetables, indirectly belittling the value of the Ginseng Fruit.
If it weren't for his status as a Peerless Expert, Zhen Yuanzi would have every reason to believe that he was deliberately insulting him!
"Are you joking, Young Master? I don't believe there's any other fruit that tastes better than Ginseng Fruit!"
Zhen Yuanzi's tone had grown somewhat angry. Hong Yun, standing nearby, secretly worried.
He feared that the usually levelheaded and clever Zhen Yuanzi might act rashly. It wouldn't do him any good to anger the Peerless Expert.
Hong Yun wanted to warn him, but at the same time, he was looking forward to seeing the Peerless Expert teach him a lesson.
Jiang Ping didn't take Da Yuan's attitude amiss. After all, he was the one in the wrong.
He'd eaten the man's Ginseng Fruit and spat it out, and his pets hadn't shown it any respect either.
Then he'd gone and said a few more things that were simply true. Da Yuan had surely misunderstood and thought he was deliberately putting down his Ginseng Fruit.
Forget it. There was no use explaining. He'd just take him to see and taste for himself.
"Come, come. You two, follow me to the backyard. Then you'll know whether what I said is true."
Zhen Yuanzi was unconvinced. He wanted to see for himself whether things grown by acquired methods could really surpass the innate. It was simply impossible!
Jiang Ping led them both to the backyard.
Zhen Yuanzi looked around, and his expression darkened.
He saw only seven or eight sparse fruit trees in the backyard. Each one was crooked and twisted, its leaves withered, with barely a dozen left.
The only thing worth praising was that every tree was laden with fruit. Each bore at least several hundred, so many that every branch was bent beneath their weight.
Seeing this, Zhen Yuanzi shook his head. Whether they were Innate Spiritual Roots or acquired spirit trees, no exceptional Spirit Fruit could possibly be cultivated with a method like this.
The Peerless Expert was neglecting what mattered. When cultivating Spirit Fruits, one should focus on their effects rather than chasing high yields.
Every tree here bore so much fruit that there couldn't possibly be enough nourishment for each one. Naturally, they wouldn't produce Spirit Fruits of exceptional quality.
My Ginseng Fruit, on the other hand, had first been nourished by Spiritual Energy for thousands of years, then bathed in the essence of the sun and moon for thousands—or even tens of thousands—more. Only then could the tree produce a dozen or so fruits. At its most productive, it yielded no more than a few dozen.
What's more, my Ginseng Fruit Tree was lush, tall, and sturdy. It was nothing like these sickly fruit trees before me.
This time, I have to speak the truth. Your fruit just isn't as good as my Ginseng Fruit!
Even if you're a Peerless Expert, this time, for the sake of setting the record straight about my Ginseng Fruit, I absolutely won't flatter you!
Jiang Ping smiled at the two of them. "Da Yuan, Xiao Hong, pick whichever ones you like and help yourselves."
Hong Yun took a careful look. These fruits looked pretty good. Could they really be a little better than the Ginseng Fruit, as the Peerless Expert had claimed?
Hong Yun wondered if the Peerless Expert had any reason to joke about something so trivial. Perhaps it really was as he'd said. I may as well give one a try and see for myself.
"Very well, Young Master. Then I won't hold back."
Hong Yun looked from side to side, then his eyes lit up. The peach tree looked quite good. Every peach seemed plump and juicy, with a wonderful appearance. He'd try one of those first.
Hong Yun picked a large peach with a faint purple sheen and held it in his hand, examining it closely. He secretly marveled at how beautiful it was. If he hadn't sensed that it contained no Spiritual Energy, he might have thought it was a Purple-Patterned Flat Peach.
Seeing Hong Yun pick a peach, Jiang Ping praised him. "Xiao Hong, you have a good eye. This is a Honey Peach. Its skin is thin, it's full of juice, and it's very sweet. Go on, give it a try."
Hong Yun picked it up and took a gentle bite.
In an instant, his whole body froze. He stood there, dazed for a long while.
Zhen Yuanzi watched in surprise from the side. He was waiting for Hong Yun to give his opinion. Why had he suddenly gone blank?
But Hong Yun was immersed in boundless bliss. The peach's sweet juice flowed down his throat and into his stomach, then spread throughout his limbs and bones.
His entire Dao body was instantly filled with an immense force of Spiritual Energy. That one small bite had released, in an instant, as much Spiritual Energy as he would absorb in half a month of cultivation.
The peach's sweet, delicious flavor made him eager to keep eating, taking great mouthfuls.
But the very next moment, waves of Dao Sound began to chant in his ears.
Wave after wave of Dao Intent swirled around his primordial spirit.
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