There's Some Soup Left. Want Some?

Duobao really hated to leave. He wanted another look at that zither.

But his master's orders were hard to disobey.

He had already spent long enough here.

If he didn't hurry back,

and delayed his master's important business any further,

the consequences would naturally be unthinkable.

So Duobao cupped his hands toward Lin Tian, sighed helplessly, and said,

"Fellow Daoist, I'll eat with you next time."

"I really do have urgent business."

"Next time, I'll bring some delicacies from the mountains and seas when I visit you."

Seeing how helpless Duobao looked,

Lin Tian paid it no mind. He waved casually and exchanged a few polite words.

He poured the mineral water he had brought out of the room into the pot.

Then he turned and headed back to the bamboo house.

Duobao watched Lin Tian walk away.

When Lin Tian reached the threshold,

his foot once again came down on the guqin.

Hearing the mysterious sound that came from the guqin,

Duobao's mouth twitched.

It seems Fellow Daoist Lin Tian really does use that zither as a stepping stone.

What a terrible waste of a heavenly treasure.

Duobao sighed, his face full of helplessness.

He stared at the zither for a long while.

At last, Duobao suppressed his curiosity.

He turned and left the courtyard.

Forget it, forget it... I'll wait until I've finished what I'm doing, then come back to drink and chat with Fellow Daoist Lin Tian.

For now, the most important thing is still that book, Buddha Is the Dao.

Thinking of Buddha Is the Dao, Duobao couldn't help feeling a little excited and expectant.

He had a feeling that the book would help him comprehend something.

With those feelings,

Duobao headed down the mountain.

He deliberately chose not to leave on a cloud.

Instead, he went to the trouble of circling the little peak several more times.

In the end, he reached a conclusion.

"The Spiritual Qi here really is thin, and there's no special presence at all."

"It's just an utterly ordinary mountain. If not for that prayer bead and the subtle trace of Buddhist intent released from the courtyard just now,

I couldn't possibly have sensed this place."

At that thought,

Duobao recalled how he had given that prayer bead to Fellow Daoist Lin Tian.

He didn't think he'd come out at a loss!

The prayer bead was good too, but it wasn't as direct as the book Buddha Is the Dao.

What he lacked most right now was time.

This book had appeared at just the right moment!

"I can't waste any more time. I'll return to the Interception Sect first."

Duobao stood in the air halfway up the mountain.

He gazed at Fellow Daoist Lin Tian's courtyard in the distance.

He took a long, deep look at him.

Then he prepared to leave.

But

just then,

a refreshing fragrance suddenly wafted through the air.

The aroma stirred the appetite.

Duobao took just a light sniff.

He felt as though all his pores had opened.

A soothing sensation rippled out from the depths of his primordial spirit.

Duobao swallowed involuntarily, a look of longing on his face.

"What is that smell? How can it be so fragrant?"

"There is even pure Spiritual Qi rippling within the aroma, and it can nourish my primordial spirit!?"

"This... isn't this just ordinary mortal food? Why does it have such effects?"

Sensing the aroma,

Duobao's eyes flew open.

A look of astonishment spread across his face.

Ever since he had taken human form,

he had mostly eaten spiritual pills and miraculous medicines, immortal plants and spiritual water.

He had never eaten mortal food.

Yet this smelled like the aroma of fish.

When he had traveled through the mortal world before,

he had smelled it.

"The aroma of fish... hmm? Could it be the pickled mustard greens fish Fellow Daoist Lin Tian mentioned just now?"

The moment that thought flashed through his mind,

Duobao froze, and a look of astonishment crossed his face.

"If the aroma can nourish the primordial spirit, perhaps it can even increase one's strength!"

Realizing this,

Duobao couldn't help feeling a little regret.

If he had known, he wouldn't have left.

If he went back now,

wouldn't he be a little too thick-skinned?

With that thought,

Duobao steeled himself and headed in the direction of Jin'ao Island.

But

the aroma kept him itching to return.

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to leave,

but his feet wouldn't carry him away.

He moved at an exceedingly slow pace.

His honest, good-natured face wore a conflicted expression.

"Ah, the aroma alone has such a presence."

"If I leave, won't I miss a golden opportunity?"

"Why don't I go back and take a look?"

As he murmured to himself,

the thought took hold, and Duobao couldn't suppress it.

He gritted his teeth, and his figure flickered as he descended through the clouds.

In less than a moment,

he appeared not far from the courtyard once again.

At that instant,

Duobao immediately caught an intensely rich aroma of fish.

It was sour and smelled unusually fresh.

It was also accompanied by surging Spiritual Qi.

Duobao immediately looked ahead.

There,

in the courtyard,

Lin Tian was holding a bronze bowl,

eating the food in it in great mouthfuls.

He seemed to have a look of enjoyment on his face.

Beside him, Yazi lay on the ground. Having finished the fish in his own bowl, he stared at Lin Tian longingly.

Every now and then, he managed to eat a few more fish bones.

At this sight,

Duobao took a deep breath.

Unable to resist the aroma wafting from the courtyard,

he hurried forward and called out to Lin Tian.

"Fellow Daoist..."

"I'm disturbing you again. I'm terribly sorry..."

Lin Tian, who was eating fish, froze when he heard Duobao's call. He looked up instinctively and saw Duobao standing there foolishly, an embarrassed look on his face.

He couldn't help asking in surprise,

"Huh? Fellow Daoist Dabao?"

"What brings you here?"

Seeing the puzzled expression on Lin Tian's face,

Duobao gave a somewhat embarrassed smile.

He coughed and hesitated for a while before saying,

"Fellow Daoist, the fish soup you're cooking smells so good."

"May I still have a taste?"

As he said this,

Duobao saw the strange look Lin Tian gave him.

He was instantly overcome with embarrassment.

He even wanted to find a crack to crawl into.

It was just too embarrassing.

If only he hadn't left just now.

Now he had left and come back.

Who knew what Fellow Daoist Lin Tian would think?

Although he hadn't left because he didn't want to eat,

but mainly because of Master Tongtian's orders,

the fish Fellow Daoist Lin Tian had made could even increase the density of his primordial spirit.

Duobao couldn't be bothered to worry about saving face anymore.

But the very next moment,

Lin Tian's words made Duobao feel even more awkward.

"Huh?"

"That's bad timing."

"The fish Erha caught was a bit small. I just ate half of it and gave him the other half..."

"It's gone."

As Lin Tian spoke,

he pointed at Yazi.

At that moment,

Yazi was gulping down the fish in the bowl in front of him.

He was wolfing it down.

Yazi seemed to notice Duobao looking his way.

He promptly picked up the little bit of fish and the fish bones in his mouth and moved away from Duobao.

He seemed afraid Duobao would snatch his food.

Seeing this,

Duobao: "..."

Duobao was speechless and glared hard at Yazi!

He gave up.

You're a legitimate son of the Dragon Clan, blessed with the clan's fortune and endowed with talent and innate foundations far beyond those of the vast majority of beings in the Primordial World.

And yet you still eat fish?

Aren't you ashamed?

Duobao looked down on him a little.

Just as Duobao was thinking this,

Lin Tian's voice suddenly came from beside him.

"Fellow Daoist, if you don't mind, there's still some fish soup and bits of meat in the pot."

"If you'd like a taste, you can try some."

"I'll make more later."

As soon as Duobao heard this, he promptly forgot what he had just been thinking and nodded.

"Very well. Many thanks, fellow Daoist."

Yazi: "..."

Lin Tian: "..."

I was only being polite, brother!

Lin Tian was at a loss for words.

In front of him, Duobao picked up a bowl without being asked.

He clumsily ladled out a spoonful of fish soup.

Then he held it in his hand and drank it down in one gulp!

The scalding fish soup exploded in his mouth.

Spiritual Qi of the utmost richness poured madly into his mouth.

Then it flowed down his esophagus and surged into his abdomen.

Whoosh!

In mere moments,

the bowl of fish soup transformed into pure spiritual Qi that surged toward his primordial spirit.

In an instant,

Duobao's primordial spirit was nourished by this force!

It was subtly stronger than before.

"Just as I thought!"

Sensing the pure spiritual Qi in the fish soup,

Duobao was startled.

"The spiritual Qi in this fish soup really can nourish the primordial spirit."

"And it's a hundred times stronger than the spiritual Qi I sensed before!"

"If I could drink this fish soup every day, it probably wouldn't be long before I broke through my own shackles and stepped into the next realm!"

As these thoughts flashed through his mind,

Duobao helped himself to another bowl of fish soup and drank it down in one gulp.

His rough movements, paired with his honest, simple expression,

left Lin Tian staring in astonishment.

"Ah."

Seeing Duobao wolf it down,

Lin Tian's lips twitched, and he sighed helplessly.

"Could it be that fellow Daoist Dabao's family isn't well-off either?"

"There's only fish soup left, and he's still drinking it so fiercely!?"