Nuwa was overjoyed.
She had truly come to the right place this time. The sage was willing to show her around his cultivation grounds, which meant he must consider her one of his own.
Getting a close look at the sage's cultivation grounds was bound to bring her an opportunity.
Nuwa followed Jiang Ping obediently as he led her into the only room in the little courtyard.
As soon as they entered, Jiang Ping shut the door and called out, "Da Huang, Xiao Bai, tidy up the courtyard."
Da Huang barked in protest, while Xiao Bai simply lounged lazily without even lifting an eyelid.
Nuwa was deeply shaken. Those two really had some nerve, treating the sage like that.
Once they were inside, Jiang Ping asked with a cheerful smile, "Miss Feng, would you like a soft drink, some tea, or grape wine?"
Nuwa was secretly delighted. Her opportunity had come so quickly, and she hadn't even had time to prepare.
"Um, Young Master, could I have one of each? I'd like to try them all."
As soon as she finished speaking, Nuwa felt terribly regretful. She thought she had been far too forward and not at all reserved.
She had received only a little favor, yet she already couldn't control herself.
That would inevitably leave the sage with the bad impression that she was insatiable and had no sense of propriety.
Nuwa took a deep breath, reminding herself over and over to be cautious and never let her guard down.
Who would have thought that the sage wouldn't even frown? Instead, he smiled broadly, leaving Nuwa utterly bewildered.
Jiang Ping nodded approvingly. "Miss Feng, you really are true to yourself. You're nothing like those other people, who are all fake and proper—two-faced hypocrites!"
Nuwa was confused. She knew the sage was praising her, but she had no idea what he meant.
Nuwa was a little troubled. Sigh, the sage was wonderful in every way, but sometimes he would suddenly say strange words and phrases that she simply couldn't understand.
That was a serious problem. It was easy to misinterpret the sage's intentions, and if she wasn't careful, she might somehow offend him for no reason.
Nuwa was helpless. One reason was that she hadn't learned enough.
But more than that, her cultivation was too low, so she couldn't grasp the deeper meaning behind the sage's words.
Nuwa secretly resolved that as long as she clung to the sage's coattails, one day she would catch up with him.
She didn't dare hope she could surpass him, but at least she might catch a glimpse of his back. Then she wouldn't feel lost on the path of the Great Dao.
Nuwa held her cup and looked at the green liquid inside. It gave off a faint fruity aroma.
Jiang Ping raised his own cup with a smile and drained it. "Miss Feng, this is fruit juice I squeezed myself. You happened to come at the right time; it takes a lot of work, so I only make it once in a while."
Nuwa was delighted to hear that.
If even the sage called it precious, it had to be extraordinary.
Nuwa quickly raised her cup and took a small sip.
Hiss!
Nuwa couldn't help sticking out her tongue.
Good heavens!
The taste was so intense!
That tiny sip burst across her tongue with all kinds of sweet and sour flavors and fruity aromas.
She could barely feel her tongue anymore and almost swallowed it whole.
As she savored the sip, every pore in her body seemed to open in bliss.
She felt as if she were floating toward immortality, her soul swaying in a daze.
"How is it? What does it taste like?"
Nuwa took another sip. After finally managing to collect her thoughts, she said shakily, "Young Master, this fruit juice tastes absolutely wonderful. After just one sip, I feel like I'm about to take flight, and every pore in my body has opened up. In short, it feels... yes, it feels just like what you once called 'so good.'"
Jiang Ping's face twitched repeatedly.
He was speechless. This girl really didn't think before she spoke.
She'd only had a few sips of fruit juice, yet the way she put it made it sound as if he'd added something shady to it.
Jiang Ping cleared his throat twice. "Um, Miss Feng, why don't you try the tea too?"
Reluctantly setting down her cup, Nuwa accepted the tea Jiang Ping handed her.
Nuwa examined it closely. A few tea leaves danced gracefully in the clear water, seeming full of life.
The sage was so particular. His every word and action concealed Heavenly Secrets, and even the food and drink he served were pleasing to the eye.
"Please, drink it while it's hot."
Nuwa nodded gently, parted her lips, and took a sip.
The boiling tea entered her stomach like cold water splashed into hot oil.
A powerful surge erupted in an instant.
Wave after wave of vigorous Spiritual Energy surged through Nuwa's body.
Nuwa's face changed slightly as she hurried to absorb and refine it.
"How does the tea taste?"
Nuwa couldn't explain. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she'd spray Spiritual Energy all over the sage's face.
All she could do was nod, murmuring.
Jiang Ping was quite pleased with himself. I've spent ten years honing my skills!
For years, I've worked hard, practicing every technique from the books that damn system gave me until I knew them inside out.
At last, someone appreciates it—and she's such a beautiful, otherworldly woman, too.
Nuwa quickly refined the Spiritual Energy. The cup of tea in her hands now felt as heavy as a mountain; she didn't dare lift it casually again.
"Have a couple more sips. This is excellent tea, and the best part is yet to come. It starts bitter, then turns sweet."
At Jiang Ping's polite invitation, Nuwa braced herself and took a few more sips.
This time, she was prepared and didn't panic as much.
Still, the powerful energy contained in the tea put her under considerable strain.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ping remained calm and unruffled, drinking three or four cups of spirit tea in a row.
Nuwa was deeply impressed. The Spiritual Energy in those several cups of tea was at least equivalent to a full-force strike from a Great Encompassment Realm expert.
Yet once it entered the sage's body, not a trace leaked out. There wasn't even the slightest fluctuation.
The sage's cultivation truly was unfathomably deep.
Compared to him, she might be at the Quasi-Saint level, but after just two or three sips, she had nearly lost control.
The difference between her and the sage was like a firefly compared to the moon!
After finally suppressing the surging Spiritual Energy, Nuwa was about to speak when she suddenly sensed a strange change within her.
She furrowed her brows slightly, secretly worried. She had to stay steady. She couldn't let something unpredictable happen at such a crucial moment.
The next moment, Nuwa's mind trembled violently.
Waves of Dao Sound echoed in her mind.
Wave after wave of Dao Rhyme struck her primordial spirit!
Nuwa was both shocked and delighted.
She was shocked because this was neither the right place nor the right time to seek enlightenment. But she was delighted because she had encountered another rare opportunity for enlightenment.
Her mind wavered, and she seemed to find herself adrift in the vast void.
All she could see was emptiness.
All she could sense was boundless expanse.
Only her own understanding of the Great Dao resonated with the countless other Great Daos in the unseen depths!
"Miss Feng? What's wrong?"
Lost in the boundless Sea of Dao, Nuwa suddenly heard someone calling her.
She immediately came to her senses, breaking into a cold sweat.
That had been perilously close. If the sage hadn't called her back, she might have been lost forever in the boundless Sea of Dao.
Nuwa was still shaken. This showed that her foundations were not yet strong enough.
That rare state of sudden enlightenment she had entered just now had merely been an opportunity bestowed upon her by the sage.
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