"...Drop a single drop of that life's vinegar, slice off a few pieces of the years' ginger; the mortal world's fireworks are as delicious as a feast, tempting the immortals to taste them a few times..."
Humming a tune, Xian He headed toward the kitchen.
The kitchen was in the southeast corner of the backyard, right next to the East Wing Room, separated from the main gate by a spirit screen wall.
He pushed open the door and entered the room.
It was not large inside, containing only a clay stove. Lifting the lid, a large black pot came into view.
Covering the pot again, Xian He glanced around at the other areas.
Aside from the stove and the large pot, a pile of firewood was stacked in the kitchen, and some seasonings, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and the like were placed on a shelf.
He lifted the lid of the water vat and took a look; it was empty inside.
Without hesitation, Xian He picked up the wooden bucket next to the water vat and went to fetch water from the riverbank.
He was a Two-star Azure Obsidian warrior with two hundred jin of strength in a single arm, making carrying a bucket with one hand effortless.
If he did not fetch water, once Yun Ling moved in, the task of fetching water would fall upon her.
Xian He doted on Yun Ling far too much to ever let her fetch water by herself.
Having finished all this, Xian He left the Siheyuan, closed the main gate, and with a thought, returned to his dilapidated thatched cottage.
The moon was still like a white pear blossom, blooming quietly in the pitch-black night sky.
Xian He had stayed in the Inner World for nearly half an hour, while only about five seconds had passed in the Real World.
Store! Xian He gave a soft shout, storing the Mountain River Society Diagram that had fallen to the ground into his Soul Sea.
The Soul Sea was where Spirit Masters stored their Soul Power, located at the back of the head.
Everyone had a Soul Sea, but very few were able to become Spirit Masters, and the Sky Fortune Tribe did not have a single one.
Cultivating Soul Power was extremely difficult, and without a cultivation method, it was even harder still.
Xian He cultivated even physical strength extremely slowly, let alone Soul Power. Even if he wanted to try, no one could teach him.
He entered the house and returned to the bedroom.
Xian He pulled off the black cloth covering the Purple Smoke Stone, sat down on the edge of the bed, and poked Yun Ling's flushed little cheeks.
Tear stains still lingered on her face, making her look just like a little civet cat.
"What is it?! I was sleeping so soundly!" Yun Ling opened her watery, blue eyes impatiently and glared at the nuisance.
Yun Ling complained with a grievance-laden, coquettish reprimand: "You're like a dog, haven't you had enough?!"
"I'm giving you a gift." Xian He smiled naturally and reached into his bosom.
Yun Ling had misunderstood!
Calling her up wasn't because he wanted to continue playing games with her.
Yun Ling turned back around, covered her head with the quilt, and muttered in a muffled voice, "I don't want it, you keep it for yourself!"
Seeing Xian He reach into his bosom, she assumed he wanted to undo his buttons.
What kind of gift required undoing buttons? The only thing she could think of was that.
"I'm not tricking you into playing a game, I really have something good for you. Do me the favor of getting up and taking a look." Through the quilt, Xian He patted Yun Ling's little butt.
Yun Ling's delicate body trembled, and she hurriedly turned around, presenting her backside to the wall.
"What is this?" Yun Ling discovered that Xian He's right hand was supporting a strange red fruit, about as large as a clay jar used for storing water at home.
Yun Ling lifted the quilt, endured the pain, and sat up.
"Something delicious!" Xian He replied with a smile.
At the mention of something delicious, Yun Ling's eyes immediately lit up with excitement.
The vast majority of the fruits on the Tianyun Plateau were poisonous, and the only edible ones were those few types that were either super sour, immensely bitter, or extremely spicy.
The fruit in Xian He's hand was different from those; not only was it large, but it also emitted a sweet and sour fragrance that made one's mouth water uncontrollably.
"Don't rush, wipe up first." Xian He caught Yun Ling's slender wrist and used a wet towel he had prepared in advance to help her wipe her little hands clean.
"This kind of fruit is called a pomegranate. Peel off the outer rind and eat the pulp inside."
Seeing Yun Ling hugging the large pomegranate without knowing where to start biting, Xian He helped her peel off a section of the rind.
As the rind was peeled back, fruit grains as exquisite and translucent as purple crystals were exposed, and a sweet and sour fragrance diffused along with them.
Yun Ling swallowed frantically, her appetite thoroughly stirred.
However, instead of immediately hugging it and devouring it, she raised the fruit grains right up to Xian He's face and said sincerely, "You eat."
"Don't worry, it's not poisonous, I've already eaten some." Xian He joked half-heartedly.
He was deeply moved; Yun Ling was still the same as when she was a child, saving the good food for him whenever she had it.
Hearing this, Yun Ling could no longer resist the temptation and began to wolf it down ravenously.
"Mph... This fruit is too delicious! I've never eaten anything that tastes this good."
She had only drunk a bowl of Wood Powder Porridge that evening, and after a bout of intense exercise, it had long since been digested away.
Part of the reason she didn't want to continue playing games with Xian He was that she was hungry.
Quietly watching Yun Ling devour her food, Xian He felt a dull ache in his heart, and he silently swore to himself, Yun Ling, I will never let you suffer again from now on.
Yun Ling stopped after eating only a small half of the Crystal Pomegranate.
"Are you full?" Xian He used a wet towel to wipe the fruit juice from her little face.
Yun Ling shook her head, then nodded, and said, "I want to save this half for Dad; he definitely hasn't eaten anything this delicious. By the way, where did you pick this fruit?"
"No need to save it, finish all of it." Xian He stroked Yun Ling's soft blond hair and continued, "When you're done eating, I'll take you to pick new ones for our dad."
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