A Basketful

He Yi felt that these were his heartfelt words.

If it were anyone else, he probably wouldn't even bother to say a word.

I don't know why I said so much to Lin Xiao today.

She probably hoped that, considering how much she had advised him, he would cooperate with her smoothly in the future and not resist too much.

He Yi found a reasonable explanation for himself.

Lin Xiao glanced at him silently, then stopped talking about the issue and suddenly asked:

"Messenger, have you eaten?"

When asked the question, He Yi subconsciously shook his head, "I didn't eat."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao immediately stood up happily and waved his hand, saying:

"The sun is about to set, let's go grab some dinner and talk more, it's on me!"

And so, bewildered, He Yi pulled out of the Lingxian Academy, and Lin Xiao led him toward Xiushui Village.

Once he left the academy, it dawned on him—wait a minute, weren't they just discussing the importance of time for cultivators? How come they're already going to eat?

No, no, what's there to eat? How could someone with his cultivation level need to consume mortal food?

No, no, no, Lin Xiao was talking about dinner just now. Do cultivators in the Mortal Realm eat on time? None of the other cultivators he's met along the way do that!

Could it be that this Sect Master Lin's actual cultivation level isn't high, so he still needs to eat?

This is different from the information he had previously received. The information circulating during the Execution Stone Incident clearly suggested that this person should have Golden Core Stage cultivation level...

He Yi felt that everything was in complete chaos.

He looked down at his arm, which was being gently tugged by the person in front of him.

This Lin Xiao doesn't play by the rules.

In the Immortal Cultivation Realm, who would grab someone they've just met like that? Allowing the other person to keep two meters away is already considered a friendly gesture!

But he just pulled so casually that I didn't even have time to react...

This is certainly not a matter of being careless.

It seems that this Sect Master Lin is indeed quite high.

While He Yi was lost in a jumble of thoughts, Lin Xiao had already pulled him to the busiest village road in Xiushui Village.

Lin Xiao did not disguise himself; he simply changed his sect robes into a plain blue long gown.

Because of the constant flow of people, and the fact that he had grown up over the years and his appearance and stature had changed, many villagers in the crowd did not recognize him.

Moreover, it was already evening, and most villagers were packing up their stalls in the fields or along the roadside to go home.

Lin Xiao didn't take He Yi to any of the restaurants or taverns in the village. Instead, he pulled him into a small alleyway by the main road.

It's called an alley, but it's actually just a bunch of village houses clustered together.

As soon as they entered the village alley, several children playing in the last moments before dinner spotted them.

One of the chubby-faced little boys stared at Lin Xiao with wide eyes for a while without moving, then, ignoring his other friends, he ran off towards a nearby house.

"Mom-- Brother Lin Xiao is here--!"

Lin Xiao recognized the child; Dou'er, the village chief's grandson.

He had teased his older Lin Lei about it when Lin Lei got married.

Although the other children didn't know Lin Xiao very well, they had often heard their elders talk about this village boy who had received divine guidance. So they all followed suit, running back to their homes as fast as Dou'er, shouting, "Brother Lin Xiao is here!"

In just a short while, all the children who had been playing in the alley disappeared.

He Yi glanced at Lin Xiao, who had just been addressed by his full name by the mortal child, and saw that he wasn't angry at all and even seemed amused, which puzzled him even more.

Judging from this, this person doesn't seem to have much authority in the eyes of ordinary people...

Before he could think further, the house where the first child to run away had gone was quickly emptied by a woman who was hurriedly wiping her hands on her apron. She smiled at Lin Xiao and said:

"Oh, Brother Xiao's here! Haven't had dinner yet? Auntie's cooking, it'll be ready soon! Come in and sit down, come in and sit down!"

As she spoke, the village chief's daughter-in-law noticed that there was another person beside Lin Xiao and quickly greeted him:

"You must be Brother Xiao's friend! Come on in, come on in and have something to eat!"

As they spoke, they ushered the two inside.

Lin Xiao followed him inside with a smile.

"Auntie, you're not busy. We have some things to do in a bit, so there's no need to stay for dinner. I just came in to see the village chief and Little Dou'er." She didn't forget to pull He Yi inside.

The adult male members of Village Chief Du's family are still away. Recently, due to the cold weather, Village Chief Du has not been feeling well, so he has entrusted many matters related to the construction of the village to his two sons. Because of their busy schedules, they have been coming home late these days.

Lin Xiao had been planning to visit the village chief recently, and this time it just so happened to be the right time.

The two did not stay long at Village Chief Du's house; they only sat for a short while before preparing to take their leave.

Just before leaving, He Yi saw Lin Xiao hand a small pouch to Village Chief Du, telling him to take one pill if he felt weak.

The pouch wasn't anything special; it was just an ordinary object. So He Yi didn't even need to investigate to easily discover that it contained pills.

It's not entirely accurate to call it a medicinal pill.

Because the Spiritual Qi it contains is negligible.

Even for Qi Refining cultivators, it's nothing more than a negligible scrap of medicinal pills.

But for this elderly mortal, though it may not be a panacea, it certainly has the potential to prolong life to some extent.

Just as they were about to leave, the village chief's daughter-in-law came out carrying a basket of things.

"Brother Xiao, Brother Xiao, don't rush off. Take these with you. Auntie doesn't know what you're going to do. You can have some if you get hungry on the way."

The winnowing basket contained large, fluffy white steamed buns, as well as many cakes, persimmons, and even a small earthenware pot the size of a palm containing two large chicken legs covered in hot broth, clearly just taken out of the stove.

In recent years, the lives of the villagers have improved, so Lin Xiao didn't refuse. He happily thanked them and accepted the entire basket of food.

"Come visit again when you have time!" The village chief's daughter-in-law saw them off.

"Okay, I'll come over for a meal next time I'm free!" Lin Xiao waved and left.

He Yi glanced at the pile of ordinary food in Lin Xiao's arms, then at his happy expression, and was about to say something when a door opened at another house nearby, and a woman waved to them:

"Brother Xiao! You brought friends over to play? Would you like to come in and have a seat?"

"We have something to do later, let's do it another day, Auntie," Lin Xiao replied with a smile.

The aunt didn't seem to mind being rejected. "Alright then, this is important. Hey Brother Xiao, wait a minute, let me get you some snacks!" Without waiting for Lin Xiao's reply, she immediately turned and went into the yard.

In no time, they brought out a bag full of fruits and stir-fried dishes.