The sound of bronze rang out, and just as the students of the Licentiate Candidate Institute were seated, Master Cen walked in carrying a wooden basin, which he slammed onto the table.
Who solved yesterday's problem?
Upon hearing this, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look at Master Cen. Master Cen thought to himself, "This isn't difficult at all; not a single person has come up with an answer."
Just as he was wondering, Meng Anci stretched out her small hand and said loudly, "Master, I can take out the fruit."
Master Cen gestured for him to come forward, and all the students stood up curiously, craning their necks to look ahead. They saw Meng Anci put his hand into the water.
Zhao Yushan scoffed, "I thought there was some other method, but it's still just scooping it out by hand."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Meng Anci began stirring the water, and the fruit slowly floated to the surface. He then took it out and handed it to Master Cen.
Master Cen nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. Can you tell me how you came up with this problem?"
Meng Anci, "Master, this method wasn't my idea; it was my aunt's."
Master Cen was somewhat disappointed and was about to tell him to go back and sit down when Meng Anci said, "However, I learned a lesson from this."
"Oh... tell me about it..." Master Cen became interested. Although this child came later, he listened to the lessons very attentively and had a quick mind. He was able to keep up with his pace in just three days, which was truly remarkable.
"The essence of this method is to make good use of external forces. The fruit is obtained by water power."
The same applies to reading. We know little, so we rely on the classics and the teachings of sages to understand principles and know when to advance and retreat.
Master Cen was delighted upon hearing this, "You are a promising student... I am very pleased to have a student like you. Please go back and sit down."
Shiyan secretly gave him a thumbs up, Zhao Zhiyuan stared at Meng Anci thoughtfully.
Zhao Yushan was so angry that his face turned pale. This little brat had managed to impress the teacher in just a few days.
They're definitely not to be underestimated!
Meanwhile, Jin Shanyao, carrying a basket of red dates and a cart full of food boxes, arrived at Hat Mountain again. The oxcart stopped at the foot of the mountain, and she called out with her Spiritual Power.
" Xie Chao, come down and get me..."
"Roll..."
Tsk... still angry? He's so easily beaten!
"Come down, I brought you some snacks to go with your drinks, all of them are signature dishes from the Drunken Immortal Pavilion." Jin Shanyao as she sat on the oxcart, but no one came down for a long time.
Yang Shu, standing beside him, tentatively spoke up, "Ancestor, although the mountain god's Spiritual Power can cover the entire Hat Mountain, his body cannot leave; he can only reach the halfway point at most."
Jin Shanyao her lips and thought to herself, " The Heavenly Court is quite strict; they don't even allow people to come down from the foot of the mountain."
Oh well, what can she do? She wanted to take him on as a follower; she's still capable of being courteous and respectful.
Jin Shanyao unloaded the oxcart, hung all the food on the old ox, and started walking up the mountain, only to be blocked by a Spiritual Power after less than a hundred meters.
"Tsk..." Look at you, knowing you can't beat me, you still resort to these little tricks," the Jin Shanyao waved its hand across the void, and the barrier instantly disappeared.
The man and the ox walked directly to the crooked tree. Xie Chao had already repaired the tree, and the ox was still lying on it, only this time with its back to him.
"Hey... look what I brought you!"
"The weasel offering New Year's greetings to the chicken has no good intentions."
Jin Shanyao her eyes. "You're obviously uneducated. Are you a weasel or a chicken?"
She opened the food boxes one by one, conjured a fan in her hand, sat cross-legged on the ground, and fanned the fragrance towards Xie Chao.
Xie Chao's nose twitched, and his Adam's apple bobbed twice. "I've been thinking about this all night. You're not a proper deity at all. What proper deity would appear in this godforsaken place?"
They live in a small world devoid of Spiritual Power, in an outdated dynasty, making it impossible for any immortals to appear here.
Jin Shanyao scoffed inwardly, "You're no real immortal," but outwardly smiled and said, "Good girl, don't think about such nonsense."
She tore off two chicken drumsticks, stood up, and walked around to Xie Chao. "Want some? I made these this morning."
Xie Chao hadn't eaten human food for a hundred years. He unconsciously swallowed, stubbornly turning his eyes away. "Go away. I won't let you stay in this herb garden."
His mistake caused a severe drought in West Long, almost wiping out the vegetation. He wanted to atone for his sins and protect Hat Mountain.
Jin Shanyao took a bite of the chicken leg. "Mmm... it smells so good! Don't you want to try some? I also brought roast goose, roast duck, and braised pork knuckle..."
The more she talked, the more Xie Chao drooled.
Jin Shanyao snatched the wine jug from his hand and shoved the chicken leg into his mouth. "Eat... nothing is more important than eating and drinking."
Xie Chao held the chicken leg silently, and Jin Shanyao didn't urge him on. Instead, he sat down next to Xie Chao and looked up at the sky with him.
"Giant scales eat small scales, small scales eat mantis shrimp, and mantis shrimp eat the muddy soil; this is the natural order of life. Even if you protect them, they will still wither and die, only to be reborn again."
"So you use herbs to cure human diseases?" Xie Chao was so angry that he threw the chicken leg away.
"Sigh..." Jin Shanyao hurriedly used her Spiritual Power to freeze the chicken leg in mid-air, "If you don't want to eat it, then don't eat it, why throw it?"
Jin Shanyao took a bite of her chicken leg. "Then what do you suggest? Let humans die of disease, starve... and use their corpses as nutrients to nourish the vegetation, right?"
If all humans die, who will poop and who will be buried...?
Besides, from Taishang Laojun to the Jade Emperor, who didn't consume spiritual herbs and elixirs? You're lucky you weren't refined into medicinal ingredients."
Xie Chao was stunned by what she said. Jin Shanyao put the chicken leg back into his hand, "You were imprisoned on Hat Mountain, not that you died on Hat Mountain."
"As long as you follow me, I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury and still reign supreme on Hat Mountain."
Xie Chao's expression became slightly unnatural. His true form was a jade spirit mushroom, naturally formed and translucent, and when he transformed, he was enveloped in a seven-colored glow.
Cave abode maids often passed by the entrance to the cave, some bringing various gifts, but none were as direct as Jin Shanyao.
He said awkwardly, "You came for me."
Jin Shanyao was taken aback. "Otherwise???" She brought all this food precisely to try and recruit him. What's there to question?
Xie Chao turned his face to the side and said softly, "Your way of pursuing people is quite unique."
"Huh??" Jin Shanyao didn't hear clearly, so she moved closer to him, her ear almost touching Xie Chao's body. Xie Chao's face turned red.
"You... you should stay away from me."
Hey... you shameless bastard, you're as tall as the tree roots, and you're still complaining about a tree... Jin Shanyao tolerated it, after all, Xie Chao was a local.
You can't really kill them, or offend them so badly that you have to file a complaint with the emperor five hundred years later.
Jin Shanyao may not have tamed a god, but he did tame Lu Chi. One should give a slap and a treat when dealing with a subordinate.
Jin Shanyao suddenly remembered that she had brought red dates, so she quickly jumped down from the tree, threw the chicken leg into the food box, picked up the basket and went to Xie Chao.
"Here, it's all red dates..."
Xie Chao looked a little awkward, thinking to himself that she was quite thoughtful, having gone to such lengths to find out his preferences in order to please him.
Jin Shanyao saw that he refused to take it and assumed he was still angry. She understood; who would be in a good mood after being hit? She had no other choice.
The book says that it's more effective to reason with someone after they've been beaten into submission.
Jin Shanyao put the basket on the ground. "Tell me when you're done eating, and I'll buy you more."
After saying that, he glanced at the sky, walked to the old ox, patted its rump, and turned to go down the mountain.
Xie Chao frowned as he looked at the food spread all over the floor, wondering how he could refuse her.