Serving Water and Meat

Unless one is fleeing and the other is chasing, the probability of skilled fliers encountering each other in the air is extremely low.

Rong Tianding had been flying for years and had never encountered any other cultivators in the air, so he was quite surprised to run into one in this place.

Seeing Zhang Xuezhou's slight surprise, it seemed the other party was someone he knew.

Three beams of colorful light flashed by, and the figure drew closer. A beautiful woman's face came into view, and Rong Tianding finally remembered the other person's identity.

Unlike Rong Tianding's disheveled appearance, and unlike Zhang Xuezhou's carefree demeanor, the woman's face showed signs of fatigue and restlessness.

Have I seen you before?

As the colorful light fell, Kong Ning landed near the two of them and clasped his hands in a salute.

Has the Demon King Kong forgotten me?

Zhang Xuezhou returned the greeting with a cupped hand, then pointed to himself.

"The Dharma King adopted me as his godson back then, and Feiyu and Lu Baibai even took care of me. His Excellency also passed on a magic technique to me and Wu Chao. We've also met in Bashu," Zhang Xuezhou said. [Note: Zhang and the others wore headscarves and Xiong State clothing in Mayi.]

"You are that... I remember you are that. No wonder you look familiar. You have grown up a lot over the years. I almost didn't recognize you. Where has the Dharma King been all these years?" Kong Ning asked after thinking for a moment.

He is enjoying his twilight years in Kunlun!

Zhang Xuezhou rambled on for a few minutes.

Perhaps Kong Ning was quite tired, because she didn't discover his identity as before, and even forgot what his name used to be.

"You seem to have flown a very long way?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"Yes!"

Kong Ning spread his arms out, gliding through the air like a bird spreading its wings, and kept flying back and forth around Zhang Xuezhou and the others.

"I've made a long journey," Kong Ning said. "I thought I could get things done, but things aren't as easy as I imagined. What are you doing here?"

"We thought it was too shady downstairs, so we came up here to soak up some sun!"

Zhang Xuezhou responded casually.

During his discussion with Rong Tianding, he felt a sudden urge to penetrate the clouds and stand at a high place, then try to achieve Unity of Celestial Person and Heaven and see if he could establish contact with Hongjun.

However, Zhang Xuezhou's ideas were just that—ideas. He tried to achieve a state of Unity of Celestial Person and Heaven for a long time in the air but failed, making it difficult to verify his thoughts.

The matter had to be left unresolved for the time being; he hadn't accomplished anything, and could only enjoy a good sunbath for a while.

"It's not easy to get up to this height, and you guys are just using it to sunbathe?" Kong Ning complained. "When did your flying skills become so amazing?"

"We live in Chang'an City, where the imperial court provides access to classical texts on martial arts, so we've learned a bit from them," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Since you've come from afar, would you like to come to our house for a cup of hot tea?"

Zhang Xuezhou looked at Kong Ning.

He sensed that Kong Ning's life must not be easy.

When Zhu Jiuyin was down on his luck, no great demon in the Xieluosi River Holy Land could be happy.

After Daojun Yangpo's incarnation was killed, he immediately sought revenge, while Zhu Jiuyin didn't even make a sound.

While it's certain that the location of Zhu Jiuyin's main body was too far away to arrive, Zhu Jiuyin was also further injured, making his situation extremely dire.

Zhang Xuezhou wanted to learn about Zhu Jiuyin's current situation through Kong Ning. Perhaps he could also inquire about Zou Bugui's condition, or perhaps he could urge Kong Ning Kong Ning leave the Xieluosi River Holy Land as soon as possible to avoid causing trouble for the Great Han Dynasty.

"I don't like tea... Oh well, it'll be good for me to rest at your place!"

Kong Ning tilted his head and thought for a moment, then quickly changed his mind after uttering his refusal.

"Please!"

Zhang Xuezhou gestured with his hand.

He glanced at Rong Tianding beside him, and with a sway of his body, he began to pull Rong Tianding downwards.

In winter, the cloud cover is not very high, usually only five or six miles above the ground, which is less than a quarter of the height of the Soul-Locking Pillar in the small world.

At this altitude, the ascent speed is slow, but the descent speed is extremely fast.

A hazy, misty cloud swept through, and the mountain mist enveloped the land.

"You're descending so fast!"

Kong Ning called out from behind, unable to keep up with Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding's almost freefalling descent speed for a moment.

"The Southern Jambudvipa Continent dynasties have evolved over thousands of years, and the foundation inherited by this Great Han Dynasty is indeed very strong. I remember... what did the Dharma King call him, Tolkien?"

Kong Ning shook his head, but ultimately couldn't recall Zhang Xuezhou's name.

She followed the direction Zhang Xuezhou had descended, her body transforming into three streaks of colorful light as she continued to fall.

The simple stone slab pile came into view, and the surrounding area was covered with various pottery figurines and jars, which gave Kong Ning an inexplicable sense of gloom.

When she saw Rong Tianding changing into his new clothes in the central courtyard, she suppressed her emotions.

A beam of colored light swept across the area, Kong Ning had already landed.

"Your clothes are really nice. Our clothes were soaking wet after our last flight; we had to change clothes every time we flew!"

Zhang Xuezhou started spouting nonsense, claiming that he himself was soaking wet even though his brocade clothes weren't wet at all.

Kong Ning didn't dwell on these minor issues; her legs felt a little weak when she landed.

From the moment she took off until she landed, she wasn't in good condition.

It's not a joke that some cultivators skilled in flying and leaping can travel thousands of miles on foot, only to have their heads chopped off with a single blow upon landing. Rather, it's because everyone's physical condition is generally poor after such a long journey, and even she, skilled in flying and leaping, is no exception.

Kong Ning reached out and pulled up a large wooden chair, leaning against it.

The wooden chair creaked under the weight, and Rong Tianding, who was changing clothes nearby, couldn't help but twitch his eyelids repeatedly.

Kong Ning's body appears normal, but his weight is clearly unusual.

Given the weight of the other person's body, if they were to sit on an ordinary person, the person being sat on would likely be pressed down and find it difficult to breathe.

"The place is simple, but we'll use spring water for tea. Please!"

Zhang Xuezhou poured a bowl of water into an earthenware bowl, and Kong Ning didn't stand on ceremony, simply holding the bowl and drinking it down.

Seemingly dissatisfied with the small amount of water in the earthenware bowl, she poured water from the water jar herself after finishing her drink, and then gulped the water down her throat.

"Is there anything to eat?" Kong Ning asked.

"You can catch millet, wild deer, wild boar, and chickens here in Maoling," Rong Tianding said, pointing to a ceramic urn with embers still burning at the bottom of the stove. "The people here always bring some of their wild game here, and I stew all the meat together. It has a rather unique flavor; if you like it, feel free to try it!"

"This meat needs some spices!"

Zhang Xuezhou reached out and grabbed the earthenware jar containing more than ten pounds of stewed meat.

He sniffed the meat in the jar and found the smell to be a mixed and indescribable odor. Only young people like him and Rong Tianding, who didn't mind the taste, could tolerate this smell. If Rong Li were to taste it, she would probably scold the two of them for being too lazy, and for not being able to cook meat dishes well after all these years.

"You gave me some Soul-Severing Powder before. The taste of that poison powder added to it is indeed quite good, but it easily causes internal heat. Every time I eat it, I have to go home and find my wife," Rong Tianding said.

"It seems that the Soul-Severing Powder can also help with fertility. If you take it a few times like this, your wife's belly will get big," Zhang Xuezhou laughed.

"Her belly is already quite big, which means the whole family is happy!"

Rong Tianding grumbled, feeling that he had finally given himself an explanation and could finally have some peace and quiet.

If Rong Tianding hadn't learned real skills from Zhang Xuezhou, he felt his life would have been no different from Daoist Mu's. He had some minor skills but couldn't use them much. He knew there was a great path to cultivation, but he couldn't participate in it himself, ultimately wasting his youth in vain.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't personally guide Rong Tianding every moment, but he always provided guidance at crucial moments, covering almost everything from elixirs and inheritance to cultivation opportunities.

Most importantly, their cultivation methods were compatible with those of independent Rogue Cultivator, which led to their continuous growth.

Rong Tianding once thought that the two of them would continue to live like this, but he never expected that after Divine Ability, their styles might change completely.

He had unwavering faith in Zhang Xuezhou's keen insight into spiritual practice and would take Zhang Xuezhou's behavior into account, making appropriate changes as a result.

There aren't many things that could interest Zhang Xuezhou right now. After glancing at Kong Ning, Rong Tianding felt that Kong Ning was likely involved in some factor that was causing a stir, otherwise Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't have been so eager to please him.