This Water Definitely Tastes Like Strawberries

"The Foundation Establishment Pool."

The maidservant giggled and said, "Haven't you heard of it before, Venerable One?"

"Build... Foundation Establishment Pool?"

Bai Qiuran's breathing suddenly became rapid, like a lustful ghost seeing a beautiful woman whose clothes were half undone and whose spring scenery was suddenly revealed.

Is there anything special about that pool? Why is it named that?

"Grandmaster."

The Red Dust Immortal Elder explained to him, "The Foundation Establishment Pool appeared after the Fusang Divine Tree was moved to the Central Immortal Realm. Because the Divine Tree was rooted in the Great Emperor Huangzeng Heaven, it absorbed energy from the Void and transformed it into a large-scale spiritual energy. In a Spirit Qi Spirit Mountain growing on the treetop, a Spirit Spring appeared. The water of the Spirit Spring flowed from Haoting Xiaodu Heaven to the Six Heavens of the Desire Realm, forming numerous spiritual pools of varying sizes, which were collectively called the Foundation Establishment Pool. Because of their abundant spiritual energy, ordinary Qi Refining Stage Cultivators can cleanse their bodies and marrow and reach the Foundation Establishment Stage simply by Book of Questions them and bathing for half an hour."

"Our Foundation Establishment Pool in Haoting Xiaodu Heaven is the source of all the Foundation Establishment Pool in the Immortal Realm."

The maid added, "Besides the Three-Legged Crow Niang Niang, some of the other Niang Niang also enjoy bathing in there."

Is that a women-only pool?

Bai Qiuran pressed for an answer.

"There's no rule, but I know that the people who bathe there are all female immortals and goddesses."

The maid replied, "After all, no Lecher would dare risk being Sun True Fire's fiery heat just to see the scenery there."

"Tsk."

Upon Bai Qiuran had no choice but to give up, but he was unwilling to give up and kept gazing in the direction the maid pointed, looking very eager.

Noticing his movement, Li Jinyao coughed and then very discreetly tugged at the clothes of the Red Dust Immortal Elder.

The Red Dust Immortal Elder looked at her with a puzzled expression. Then, Miss Li pointed to Bai Qiuran, who was absent-minded and frequently gazing into the distance.

The Red Dust Immortal Elder glanced at it and immediately understood.

"Grandmaster."

He cupped his hands and said, "Why don't we go to the Foundation Establishment Pool and wait for the Three-Legged Crow Niang Niang?"

"May I?"

Bai Qiuran overjoyed, but still declined, saying, "Going outside the women's bathhouse... isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"What's wrong with that?"

The Red Dust Immortal Elder laughed and said, "You're not going to do anything lewd."

"That..."

Bai Qiuran coughed and said seriously, "To prevent the Three-Legged Crow Goddess from wandering too far, let's wait outside the Foundation Establishment Pool."

The Red Dust Immortal Elder nodded and beckoned to the maid, saying, "Please lead us there, young lady."

Following the maid, Bai Qiuran and her party arrived at the outside of a Spirit Mountain within the canopy of the Fusang Divine Tree. Even before entering, they could feel the warm Spirit Qi emanating from the depths of the Spirit Mountain. The energy even condensed into a golden-purple gradient of light that floated above the Spirit Mountain. A waterfall cascaded down from the mountainside, the water appearing crystal clear and breathtakingly beautiful.

"The Foundation Establishment Pool is located on the mountain."

Standing among the branches at the foot of the mountain, the maid bowed to Bai Qiuran and the others.

"Should I go and inform Your Niang Niang Venerable?"

"Go."

The Red Dust Immortal Elder waved his hand and said.

The maid bowed and took her leave, then walked up the mountain path. Bai Qiuran arrived at the waterfall, looked at the cascading water, and exclaimed, "This water looks so beautiful; it must taste like strawberries."

Upon hearing Bai Qiuran's words, Tang Ruowei gave him a disdainful look.

"Don't drink this! It's the bathwater of goddesses and immortals!"

"Cough cough."

Bai Qiuran put away the jade bottle in his hand and said seriously, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I drink it? This is called investigation and sampling. We're just taking a little water to analyze the sample later."

Tang Ruowei thought for a moment.

"Wouldn't it be even more perverted to take some of the goddess's bathwater, go back and carefully analyze and investigate the samples?"

"Did you think I came to fetch water because this is the bathing pool of the goddesses?"

Bai Qiuran furious. "You unfilial disciple, you're pretending to be ignorant when you know the truth! I don't believe that if this pool were called the Breast Enhancement Pool, you would have behaved even worse than me!"

"You're slandering my character!"

Tang Ruowei straightened her back and rebuked him.

The master and apprentice began their usual bickering, while Li Jinyao, standing to the side, gazed at the waterfall, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Senior Mo Chen."

She asked, "Do the water sources for the Foundation Establishment Pool in other parts of the Central Immortal Realm all flow out from here?"

"The source isn't this waterfall, it's that spring in the mountain, and there should be other branch streams as well."

After thinking for a moment, the Red Dust Immortal Elder replied, "But most of the water should come from here, because this waterfall connects to the best and largest Foundation Establishment Pool on this Spirit Mountain, where female immortals usually like to bathe."

"That..."

Li Jinyao pointed out incisively, "Doesn't that mean that most of the water in the Foundation Establishment Pool in all the Heavenly Realm below Haoting Xiaodu Heaven is actually the bathwater used by the goddesses and immortals of Haoting Xiaodu Heaven?"

"This..."

The Red Dust Immortal Elder pondered for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "That seems to make sense!"

"I've heard that some Heavenly Realm even use the spiritual water from Foundation Establishment Pool to refine Foundation Establishment Pill..."

Li Jinyao continued.

"Have none of you seniors thought about this question?"

"I don't know, I've lived in the Mortal World for a long time."

The Red Dust Immortal Elder said, "Perhaps they believe the water here is flowing water, so there's no problem."

After thinking for a moment, he cupped his hands and said, "I think the people in the Central Immortal Realm definitely know about this, but they haven't said anything. Please don't tell anyone, Miss Li."

"I see."

Just as the Red Dust Immortal Elder said, the water here is flowing water. If someone is doing something upstream, unless it's something like Bai Qiuran drinking Jiang Lan's poison and then urinating upstream, it basically has no impact on the downstream.

It's mainly a matter of face. The spiritual water that you cherish so much for refining elixirs and medicines is actually just the bathwater left over from the goddesses and immortal sisters' baths. If this gets out, all the Heavenly Realm beings below Haoting Xiaodu Heaven will lose face.

Immortals are concerned with their image. Perhaps someone with a particular interest would comment, "Isn't this even better?" But the Immortals living in the Central Immortal Realm are all proud. If this is directly pointed out to them, some of the more hot-tempered ones might do something very irrational.

The group waited there for a while. During that time, when the others weren't paying attention, Bai Qiuran couldn't resist secretly taking some water from the waterfall and storing it.

A moment later, a soft laugh came from the mountain, followed by a deep, mature voice that greeted Bai Qiuran: "Long time no see, Marshal Bai."

Upon hearing this Bai Qiuran and the others looked up and saw a beautiful goddess, dressed in a long dress with gold patterns, wearing a gold crown and pendants, and with her shoulders partially exposed, slowly walking down the mountain path, surrounded by several maids. It was none other than the Three-Legged Crow.

She was still a little damp from her bath when she approached Bai Qiuran, looked him up and down, and then smiled, "It's been over 300,000 years. Marshal Bai still looks as extraordinary as ever."

"Long time no see, Three-Legged Crow Goddess."

Bai Qiuran cupped his hands and smiled at her, then noticed two water droplets on the goddess's fragrant shoulder, and stared at them without moving.