Her graceful figure was slender, her curves exquisite-a devil's body with a fairy's face.
She had a pair of phoenix eyes that tilted slightly upward, lending her an unusually captivating allure, utterly seductive.
"When you suddenly disappeared back then, I thought something had happened to you!" Looking at Jin Tailang, Lin Jia could not help punching him, her voice reproachful.
"Yes, something unexpected happened. That day in the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land, I suddenly passed out. When I woke up, you were nowhere to be seen..."
Taiyi nodded.
Leaving out part of his experiences, he smiled at Lin Jia and said, "After I left the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land, I met a supreme elder of the Yaoguang Holy Land. He took a liking to me and accepted me as his final disciple!"
"The Yaoguang Holy Land?"
Lin Jia was utterly astonished.
She gazed at Taiyi, dashing and handsome, with an otherworldly air.
Even her expressive eyes briefly lost their focus.
Having spent so long at Yanxia Cave Heaven and embarked on the path of cultivation, Lin Jia had naturally heard of the Yaoguang Holy Land.
It was said to be one of the renowned overlords of the Eastern Wasteland's Southern Region. Only the immensely ancient Ji Family, which dated back to Desolate Antiquity and had once produced an Ancient Great Emperor, could stand shoulder to shoulder with it.
Even Yanxia Cave Heaven, though one of the Yan Kingdom's six great cave heavens, was merely an insignificant little sect under the Yaoguang Holy Land.
When she joined Yanxia Cave Heaven, she had been told that if she performed exceptionally well, she might someday be recommended to cultivate at the Yaoguang Holy Land, with its ancient heritage and profound foundations.
Yet he had reached the finish line in a single stride, transforming straight into a disciple of the Yaoguang Holy Land?
Still, for a holy land's supreme elder to accept him as his final disciple...
It was easy to imagine that Taiyi's talent was almost certainly beyond belief.
But Lin Jia did not become reserved. Her eyes danced as she winked at Taiyi and said with a smile, "Then I'll be counting on 'President Jin' to look after me from now on!"
He had been a prominent figure at school, and she had never expected that, even here, he would remain far ahead of all their classmates.
Just now, her teacher had treated this direct disciple of the Yaoguang Holy Land...
With the utmost courtesy.
"Of course, of course..."
Taiyi chuckled.
He knew Lin Jia was joking.
Without standing on ceremony, he casually sat down.
Crossing one leg over the other, he beckoned directly to Lin Jia. "Come on, give your lord a shoulder massage and knead his legs first... With me watching over you, I guarantee you'll feast on the finest food and drink!"
"Jin Tailang, cut that out! I'm not your secretary!"
At his words, Lin Jia...
Could not help rolling her eyes, both annoyed and amused.
She shot him a sidelong glance with her phoenix eyes and raised her foot to give him a light kick, but Taiyi dodged it with a laugh.
She had once fallen for the tall, handsome, sunny Jin Taiyi, and had even considered taking the initiative to pursue him.
But after hearing about his womanizing exploits, reason had ultimately prevailed. After much hesitation, she had chosen to back away.
She had buried that innocent flutter of affection deep in her heart.
"Perfect, it's getting late..."
The two chatted for a while.
Glancing at the sky, Taiyi smiled and said, "Come on, it's been a year since we last saw each other. Let's make some snake-meat hot pot and take our time catching up!"
As he spoke...
He beckoned with his right hand.
A large, square, jet-black cauldron with two handles and four legs appeared, exuding an ancient simplicity.
Taiyi had always believed that cultivation was meant to help him enjoy life better.
Whenever circumstances allowed, he never deliberately deprived himself.
Thus, he had long since prepared all sorts of utensils and seasonings.
"Heh, you really are..."
Under Lin Jia's astonished, speechless gaze...
"When life goes your way, savor every pleasure; never let a golden cup face the moon empty!" Taiyi replied with a smile. "Cultivating immortality isn't about cultivating loneliness. It's about doing as your heart desires!"
Immediately afterward-
He took out enormous chunks of snake meat.
Along with a large quantity of ingredients and spiritual herbs.
And the appropriate seasonings.
"These are..."
Rosy mist wreathed the beautiful mountain peak.
Seeing the ingredients Taiyi had brought out, Lin Jia was dumbstruck.
The spiritual herbs alone were extraordinary, with considerable age to them.
Even those huge chunks of snake meat, outrageously thicker than a water vat, were probably no ordinary snake meat.
"I happened to gather these spiritual herbs while training in the great wilderness..."
Taiyi said with an easy smile.
Those spiritual herbs were only of great use to cultivators in the Bitter Sea Realm and the Life Spring Realm.
For him, having already broken through to the Other Shore Realm and possessing the sun sacred body, they no longer had much effect.
So he mostly used them as "seasoning."
"You really do defy expectations. You've thought of everything!"
Lin Jia could not help chuckling too.
Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, she beamed upon seeing Taiyi again.
Although she had long since been designated an immortal seedling at Yanxia Cave Heaven, receiving special training and enjoying considerable status...
She had never felt that she belonged here, and always wanted to return to the past.
Spending time with Taiyi, an old classmate from the same place as her...
She felt truly relaxed.
Whoosh... With practiced ease, he cast the Water Control Art.
A lifelike water dragon gathered before them.
It washed the snake meat, spiritual herbs, large cauldron, and several sets of jade bowls and chopsticks.
He swept out a streak of divine light, quickly slicing the ingredients before tossing them into the black treasure cauldron.
He even took out a jade bottle and poured in some spirit spring water that Danyangzi had collected at an ancient ruin during his lifetime, using it as the broth.
Though far inferior to the Divine Spring in the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land, it contained astonishing spiritual energy and essence, beyond anything Ye Fan and Lin Jia could imagine.
Before the cooking had even begun, an extraordinary fragrance already filled the air, suffused with spiritual energy.
Even Lin Jia, who possessed considerable talent and was already a Bitter Sea cultivator...
Could not help instinctively swallowing.
Chapter 18: The Sentimental Lin Jia
Crackle...
Soon...
Taiyi cast a fire incantation.
A mass of roaring flames appeared out of thin air beneath the cauldron.
It burned fiercely there.
Sizzle... Within moments...
The aroma of meat assailed their senses, and the pot began to boil.
Milky-white broth swirled with vapor, rich with concentrated essence.
It was enough to make anyone's appetite stir.
And their mouth water.
"All right, let's eat!"
Taiyi smiled faintly.
Holding a large ladle, he scooped up a generous serving and gestured to Lin Jia with a smile. "There's no need for formalities between us!"
"Then thank you!"
Being a woman, Lin Jia initially picked up a piece of snake meat and tasted it with considerable elegance.
But she discovered that the snake meat was not only perfectly tender and extraordinarily delicious; after she swallowed it, a powerful stream of vital essence flowed into her body, leaving her amazed.
Just that single bite of snake meat was worth ten days, half a month, or even a month of arduous cultivation.
She hesitated no longer and began swiftly devouring the food.
"Eat slowly. There's plenty to fill you up!"
Taiyi smiled.
He served himself a bowl as well and slowly savored it.
Those spiritual herbs were actually all relatively young.
For cultivators in the Bitter Sea Realm or Life Spring Realm, however, they were quite suitable; this could well be called a rare pot of potent medicine.
Before you continue