Ling Xiaoyu

(9 p.m. One more update... Please support me in every way...) Precious ingredients from every corner of the country filled the kitchen. All were fresh; none had been stored for more than half a month.

They had all been flown in by helicopter!

Nearly everything had already been cleaned and prepared. Tang Changsheng paid little attention to what he chose, grabbing a few things at random and tossing them into a clay pot to cook.

Fresh, premium beef, marbled with beautiful veins of snowy-white fat, went into the pot with several well-aged medicinal herbs to stew.

He boiled a few palm-sized lobsters in plain water. Dipped in Guangde Prefecture's most famous soy sauce, they would be more than enough to go with rice.

He also cooked two bowls of Green Essence Rice. Of all things, grain nourished people best!

For practitioners, cultivation was ultimately a matter of refining and transformation. Whether they absorbed the essence of the sun and moon or took elixirs and nourishing food, the aim was to replenish what the body lacked.

Tang Changsheng enjoyed himself as he cooked. It was another way to relax and shift his state of mind.

Just then, a soft, pleasant voice called from outside the General's Temple. "Is anyone there?"

The General's Temple was not very large. Though the kitchen stood in the northeast corner of the courtyard, he could hear the call clearly.

Tang Changsheng had not intended to answer, but the person outside spoke again. "Is Master Tang Changsheng here? I came to thank you for saving my life!"

With a quiet sigh, he went out through the temple gate. Sure enough, a young woman stood there, peering inside. The moment she saw him, delight lit up her face.

But once she got a good look at him, her delight turned to astonishment.

Tang Changsheng still looked as disheveled and grimy as he had when he came back from the mountains. More comically, he had tied on a snow-white apron and was cooking...

The sight clearly struck the young woman hard. Her curved eyes widened, and for a moment she seemed unable to say a word.

In her imagination, the master of the General's Temple had been mysterious and powerful. A place like this ought to be gloomy and uncanny, its master dressed in sweeping black robes that hid his face, radiating an aura that warned strangers away.

Reality, however, was often cruel. Tang Changsheng's appearance had shattered most of that fantasy!

Once Tang Changsheng saw who she was, though, he felt a headache coming on.

He had recognized her. She was none other than Ling Xiaoyu, the young woman he had saved last time.

She stood outside in a cream-colored tracksuit, looking as quiet and gentle as she had while asleep...

But Tang Changsheng could faintly sense the impish wit hidden deep in her bones!

That was hardly surprising. One look at the strange Necklace she wore told him as much.

And given the frightening stories about the General's Temple, most young women, even if they had been saved here, would never have found the courage to come alone.

Tang Changsheng had sharp eyes, too. Just before he came out, he had caught her eyes darting about with curiosity!

An impish young woman had come to his General's Temple because she was curious...

And when he thought of how unusual her background seemed to be, the prospect felt even more troublesome.

He could almost see the word trouble pasted across her forehead as she appeared before him.

Damn it. She's like a tender blade of grass tied right in front of my nose. I can look, but I can't eat...

Tang Changsheng grumbled inwardly. Last time, he had seen that she was born with seductive bones, a cultivation vessel of the finest quality.

She was terribly tempting! But her background gave him pause. He could not make a move recklessly...

That being so, Tang Changsheng had lost interest. At any other time, immersed as he was in cultivation, he would have wanted nothing more than to send her away quickly and get back to it.

But he had just spent over ten days cultivating in seclusion. Day after day in the mountains, with no diversion at all, only practice...

His body could still bear it, but his mind had grown weary and could take no more.

That was why he had returned and taken pleasure in cooking for himself.

So when this lively, fresh-faced young woman appeared before him, Tang Changsheng gave her a rare, kindly smile. After all, anyone who came to the temple was a worshipper, was she not?

"No need for ceremony, miss. They say you take someone's money and ward off their troubles. I didn't save you for nothing; didn't your family send a generous offering? Please, come in..."

Tang Changsheng spoke casually, trying to make himself seem as mercenary as possible.

He knew well that young women her age were at their most curious. Better not to act like some exalted master and pique her interest...

Beautiful and captivating though she was, almost beyond anyone Tang Changsheng had seen in his life,

he was too absorbed in the boundless mysteries of Daoist arts to spare a thought or any energy for courting a woman...

Even if he did want a change of pace right now!

Sure enough, a hint of disappointment crossed her face. Still, she asked, "Could I come in and offer incense to the Deity Statue?"

What temple would stop someone from offering incense?

So although Tang Changsheng would rather have seen her leave at once, he could only smile and invite her inside.

"Master, what deity does this temple worship? Why does he look so imposing?"

More like terrifying, surely?

Tang Changsheng retorted inwardly. "Master, why was this temple built in the mountains? Doesn't that make it inconvenient to come and go?"

So people won't come and bother me!

"Master... my name is Ling Xiaoyu..."

"I think I know that!" Tang Changsheng scratched his head.

Faced with the young woman's endless questions, as though she were curiosity itself, Tang Changsheng could not stop grumbling inwardly.

Still, when dealing with a worshipper who had made such a generous offering, Tang Changsheng maintained his professional standards.

He answered patiently, "This temple worships the Guardian Divine General. He may look fierce, but he's a benevolent deity who has always aided those in danger and helped those in need.

"As long as you're within Lower River, whenever danger finds you, call upon the Protector King Divine General by name. Misfortune will turn to good fortune, and you'll come through danger unscathed..."

Tang Changsheng was not merely saying that. In his heyday, the Protector King Divine General of the General's Temple truly had possessed such power and answered prayers unfailingly.

Back then, Lower River Prefecture had a population of only a few hundred thousand, yet it had dozens of temples large and small dedicated to this Divine General.

The main temple on Yin-Yang Mountain had sent disciples to serve as abbots at every one of them...