Perhaps Hong Ze had been too focused, or perhaps Bi Xiao had hidden herself too well, because he had not noticed her.
Hong Ze continued working in an orderly fashion, boiling soy milk and making tofu with smooth, practiced efficiency.
When she saw that Hong Ze had finally finished, the feeling in Bi Xiao's heart became ever more real.
Now, she desperately wanted to seek confirmation from Hong Ze and seize the opportunity that was almost within her grasp.
"Eldest Senior Brother, what have you been tinkering with for so long? Could this tofu be some kind of miraculous pill?"
Hong Ze was startled by the sudden voice and sprayed out all the soy milk he had just taken into his mouth.
Bi Xiao could not help but laugh sweetly, only barely stopping herself from clutching her stomach and bursting into loud laughter.
When Hong Ze saw that it was Bi Xiao, his face filled with helplessness.
How had my little courtyard, which no one ever visited, suddenly become so lively lately?
Even Bi Xiao, who did not live on Golden Turtle Island, had come all the way here today.
He immediately set the soy milk in his hand on the table and casually wiped the soy milk from his mouth.
Then he said to Bi Xiao, "How come you make no sound when you walk? You came here without even saying hello.
You nearly scared your senior brother to death with this bowl of soy milk. This definitely counts as attempted murder."
Bi Xiao had no mind to care about that now. She directly pushed open the door and walked into Hong Ze's Thatched Cottage.
She reached out, picked up the soy milk Hong Ze had just drunk from, and held it beneath her nose for a sniff.
The rich fragrance of soybeans immediately stirred up Bi Xiao's appetite.
Not caring that Hong Ze had already drunk from the bowl, she took a large gulp.
As the sweet soy milk entered her mouth, Innate Spiritual Energy entered Bi Xiao's body as well and began nourishing her Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
Hong Ze was greatly startled. How was this girl even more careless than Holy Mother Gui Ling?
After finishing the soy milk, Bi Xiao walked directly over to the tofu Hong Ze had pressed.
She stared at it for a long time but could not make heads or tails of it.
"Eldest Senior Brother, people use pill furnaces to refine pills. What kind of pill-refining method are you using?"
In Bi Xiao's understanding, apart from Innate Spiritual Fruits containing Innate Spiritual Energy, only miraculous pills and medicines could possess it.
Thus, Bi Xiao believed that the soy milk and tofu Hong Ze had made must also be peerless miraculous pills.
Instead, Bi Xiao's question left Hong Ze stunned, and for a moment, he did not know how to answer her.
After all, making tofu in later generations was hardly some profound skill. Almost anyone could do it.
Seeing that Hong Ze did not answer her, Bi Xiao spoke again as though she understood.
"Since it is a secret, Bi Xiao will not ask any further, lest I make things difficult for you, Eldest Senior Brother.
But once these pills are finished, you must give Bi Xiao a few. After all, everyone who sees them gets a share."
By now, Bi Xiao had left Hong Ze thoroughly dumbfounded. Could there be something wrong with this girl's head?
Thinking about how she would one day dare to launch a sneak attack on Yuanshi Tianzun within the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation, Hong Ze became even more convinced that she was not right in the head.
Yuanshi Tianzun was a Saint, after all. What difference was there between ambushing a Saint and seeking death?
Left with no choice, he said, "Your senior brother does not know any pill refinement. These are merely a few blocks of tofu I made.
If Junior Sister Bi Xiao likes them, just eat a few more later. Your senior brother is definitely not stingy."
Bi Xiao did not care what Hong Ze said. After all, Zhao Gongming had told her that Hong Ze would never admit how impressive he was.
As long as she got to eat tofu, who cared whether it was a miraculous pill or ordinary food?
Thus, Bi Xiao nodded repeatedly and said to Hong Ze, "Then thank you, Eldest Senior Brother. Just do not feel too bad about it later."
Hong Ze smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. Your Eldest Senior Brother will make sure you eat your fill of tofu."
Bi Xiao was overjoyed. At the same time, she remembered Zhao Gongming saying that all the plants in Eldest Senior Brother's medicinal field were peerless Innate Spiritual Roots.
She immediately spoke again. "It looks like this tofu will need some more time to set. How about Eldest Senior Brother gives Bi Xiao a tour of your medicinal field?"
Hearing Bi Xiao call his vegetable garden a medicinal field, Hong Ze shook his head helplessly.
"Junior Sister Bi Xiao, feel free to look all you want, but your senior brother does not have any medicinal field. It is only a vegetable garden for growing vegetables."
With that, he led Bi Xiao out of the Thatched Cottage and toward his vegetable garden.
As they walked, he did not forget to explain what tomatoes were, what chili peppers were, and what cucumbers were.
Bi Xiao listened with complete attention and kept asking Hong Ze how these things should be eaten.
Hong Ze was not stingy either. He casually picked cucumbers, tomatoes, and the like for Bi Xiao to eat fresh.
Bi Xiao did not stand on ceremony and ate heartily.
She even took advantage of Hong Ze's inattention to pluck two red chili peppers.
Then she hurriedly stuffed them into her mouth, and what happened next was only too easy to imagine.
Seeing Bi Xiao stick out her tongue after being overwhelmed by the spiciness, Hong Ze could not help but smile helplessly.
"You silly girl, how can you eat chili peppers like that? Hurry and eat a tomato."
As he spoke, he picked a tomato and tossed it to Bi Xiao, who stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation.
While Hong Ze showed Bi Xiao around his vegetable garden, the Hens in the Chicken Coop did not stay quiet either.
"Who do you think our master should choose? The adorably silly Holy Mother Gui Ling, the mature and elegant Golden Spirit Mother, or the gentle and refined Mother Wu Dang?"
"Why can't it be this mischievous Bi Xiao? I think she is pretty good too. At the very least, she can bring our master joy."
"I think Holy Mother Gui Ling is more suitable. Look how adorably silly she is. Besides, our master likes her very much."
"I think we should match our master with Golden Spirit Mother. Only Golden Spirit Mother can keep him in line, so he will not always force us to lay eggs for him to eat."
"Are you all idiots? Why does our master have to choose just one? Can't he take them all?"
"That's right. Those girls' cultivation is far too low. Only by having them all marry our master can his safety be guaranteed."
Those Hens were secretly playing matchmaker, gossiping to their hearts' content.
However, when they said those girls' cultivation was too low, they were not boasting.
That was because these Hens had long since reached the peak realm of Great Luo Golden Immortals.
Logically, they could have taken human form and attained the Dao long ago, but they had chosen to give up on transforming.
Only in this way could they remain by Hong Ze's side without being directly driven away by him.
Hong Ze had no idea that the Hens he kept were choosing wives for him.
Instead, bursts of laughter occasionally came from him and Bi Xiao, making the atmosphere exceptionally harmonious.
Before you continue