When Lin Changkong finished sweeping the courtyard, two hours had passed.
He leaned the broom back against the wooden rack, straightened his back, and exhaled deeply.
"Phew!"
Although the broom made of Mystic Iron Bamboo was heavy, with his current physique, swinging it for two hours wasn't too exhausting.
But...
"Gurgle, gurgle!!"
An untimely sound came from his stomach.
Lin Changkong looked down at his belly and shook his head helplessly.
Breaking through to the Qi Refining Stage had transformed him, but he hadn't yet reached the level of Inedia.
He was still a mortal and needed to eat.
He glanced around, his eyes landing on the crooked old tree.
Elder Willow was still lying there, eyes closed, gently rocking in his chair, leisurely.
Lin Changkong hesitated for a moment but walked over.
He stopped three feet in front of the lounge chair and said softly, "Elder, I've finished sweeping."
"Hmm."
Elder Willow responded indifferently, not even raising an eyelid.
Lin Changkong didn't leave, standing there scratching his head, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Even with his eyes closed, Elder Willow could sense his actions.
After a while, he spoke slowly:
"What is it?"
Lin Changkong chuckled awkwardly, a bit embarrassed:
"Elder, I'm hungry... Is there anything to eat around here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed the old man's breath pause slightly.
The rocking of the chair also stopped for a moment.
"Ahem..."
Elder Willow cleared his throat, seemingly caught off guard by the question.
Food?
He had been guarding the Library Pavilion for over two hundred years and had long since practiced Inedia, untouched by worldly needs.
Except for occasionally sipping some mountain spring water, he didn't need to eat at all.
As for eating...
He carefully recalled, how many years had it been since he last heard the words "I'm hungry"?
Two hundred years? Three hundred years? Or even longer?
Elder Willow slowly opened his eyes, glancing at Lin Changkong's slightly embarrassed young face, feeling a bit at a loss.
The kid was right; people need food, and those in the Qi Refining Stage still need to eat.
But where in this Library Pavilion could he find food?
He sighed, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness:
"What a bother, I can't tell if you're taking care of me or I'm taking care of you."
With that, he closed his eyes again.
But in the next moment, an invisible wave spread from his brow, sweeping across the entire back mountain in an instant.
That was Divine Sense.
Lin Changkong couldn't see it, but he could vaguely sense a vast aura emanating from the old man, spreading into the depths of the mountain forest.
It felt like an invisible eye was overlooking the entire mountain forest.
Moments later, Elder Willow seemed to sense something.
He waved his hand casually, as if shooing away a fly.
Yet in that wave...
A sudden commotion erupted in the depths of the forest.
Birds took flight, beasts fled, and then a gray shadow shot up from the dense forest, as if seized by an invisible hand, flying straight towards the Library Pavilion.
"Thud!"
With a dull thud, the gray shadow landed on the ground in front of Lin Changkong, scattering a few dead leaves.
Lin Changkong looked closely and saw it was a plump wild pheasant.
Its feathers were gray-brown, its body robust, weighing at least four or five kilograms.
It lay motionless on the ground, lifeless, yet without a single visible wound.
Lin Changkong was stunned, looking up at Elder Willow, his eyes full of confusion.
Elder Willow still lay there, his tone as calm as commenting on the weather:
"Alright, eat."
"Huh?"
Lin Changkong was bewildered, looking at the wild pheasant on the ground, then at the unmoving elder on the lounge chair, uncertainly asking:
"Just... eat it?"
"What else?"
Elder Willow didn't even lift an eyelid, his tone carrying a hint of annoyance: "Do I have to feed you myself?"
"Uh..." Find the original chapter at g.com.
Lin Changkong's mouth twitched slightly, momentarily at a loss for words.
He looked down at the wild pheasant, its feathers still intact, and fell into thought.
Eat it raw?
He was hungry, but not that hungry.
Besides, back on Blue Star, he was at least a person of taste; he couldn't bring himself to eat raw, bloody meat.
Forget it, he couldn't rely on the old man.
Lin Changkong bent down to pick up the pheasant, weighed it in his hand, and turned towards the direction of the side rooms.
Elder Willow remained lying there, saying nothing more.
Lin Changkong returned to the side rooms, looking around, and indeed found a room resembling a kitchen.
The room wasn't large, with a clay stove built in the corner, an iron pot on top, and traces of soot at the bottom.
On the wooden rack against the wall were several clay bowls and jars, dusty but still usable.
In the corner were some dry firewood, and a fire starter by the stove.
Lin Changkong felt a surge of joy.
With a stove and a pot, things were manageable.
He first took the pheasant to the water tank in the courtyard, plucking its feathers and gutting it.
These tasks he had done often in the village, his movements swift and skilled.
In no time, a thoroughly cleaned pheasant was in his hands.
He returned to the kitchen, lit a fire, scrubbed the pot, and added water.
There were no seasonings, only half a jar of coarse salt found in the corner.
It would do.
He placed the prepared pheasant whole into the pot, covered it, and added a few sticks of firewood to the stove.
The flames licked the bottom of the pot, crackling softly.
Lin Changkong sat in front of the stove, watching the flickering flames, suddenly feeling a bit dazed.
Fifteen years since he crossed over, from Blue Star to the Cultivation World, from mortal to cultivator... Now, he sat in the kitchen of this ancient pavilion deep in the mountains, tending to a clay stove cooking chicken.
He shook his head, chuckling to himself.
Whatever.
Life had to go on.
And this was just the beginning.
The water in the pot gradually boiled, bubbling and steaming.
The aroma of meat began to fill the kitchen.
An hour later.
The fragrance wafting from the kitchen grew stronger, drifting through the doors and windows, permeating the courtyard of the Library Pavilion.
Lin Changkong lifted the pot lid, a cloud of white steam rising to meet him.
The pheasant in the pot was stewed to tenderness, golden oil floating on the surface, the aroma of chicken mingling with a hint of salt, making one's mouth water.
He found a large bowl, ladling out the entire chicken with its broth, and grabbed two pairs of chopsticks and a small bowl, carrying everything to the courtyard.
Under the crooked old tree, Elder Willow still lay there, resting with his eyes closed.
Lin Changkong placed the wooden tray on the stone table under the tree, filled a bowl with chicken soup, and deliberately picked a plump drumstick to put in, then carried the bowl to the lounge chair.
"Elder, the pheasant stew is ready, you can eat now."
He respectfully handed the bowl over.
Elder Willow opened his eyes, glanced at the steaming bowl of chicken soup, then at the large drumstick in the bowl, and waved his hand.
"I have long practiced Inedia, haven't eaten for over two hundred years, no need to mind me, you eat."
Lin Changkong was slightly taken aback.
Inedia?
He had heard in the village that high-level cultivators could absorb the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth to nourish themselves, no longer needing to consume grains.
He hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary elder to be such a high-level figure.
"Alright!"
Lin Changkong didn't say more, returning to the stone table to enjoy his meal.
He was indeed hungry.
From morning till now, he hadn't had a drop of water, and after all that work, his stomach was already growling.
Now, with hot soup and meat in his belly, he felt completely at ease.
He ate heartily, gnawing on chicken, sipping soup, thoroughly enjoying himself.
The aroma drifted with the mountain breeze, lingering in the courtyard.
On the lounge chair, Elder Willow's brow twitched slightly.
He didn't open his eyes, but the aroma seemed to have legs, persistently drifting into his nose.
A taste he hadn't experienced in over two hundred years suddenly stirred a long-lost sensation deep within him.
What was that feeling?
He carefully discerned.
It seemed to be... craving?
He, a dignified cultivator at the Late Golden Elixir stage, guarding the pavilion for over two hundred years, his mind as calm as still water.
Yet now, a bowl of chicken soup had awakened his appetite?
He opened his eyes, slightly turning his head to look at Lin Changkong by the stone table.
The kid was engrossed in gnawing on a chicken wing, his mouth greasy, looking utterly satisfied.
That eating manner, as if savoring some rare delicacy.
Elder Willow couldn't help but ask, "Is it really that good?"
Lin Changkong looked up, still chewing on chicken, mumbling:
"Mm... it's delicious, Elder, you should try it. It's really good."
He swallowed the meat and added:
"The wild pheasant in these mountains is very plump, makes for an especially fragrant stew. Even without much seasoning, it's very fresh and tasty."
Elder Willow was silent for a moment.
Over two hundred years without eating, yet now he suddenly wanted to taste that bowl's flavor.
There was no face to lose.
He had lived over two hundred years, long past caring about such trivialities.
"Bring it here for me to try."
Lin Changkong, hearing this, broke into a smile.
"Alright!"
He quickly got up, refilled a bowl, deliberately adding another drumstick, and brought it to Elder Willow.
Elder Willow took the bowl, looking down.
The soup was golden, dotted with oil, the chicken stewed to tenderness, the drumstick lying quietly in the broth, exuding an enticing aroma.
He brought the bowl to his lips, sipping the soup lightly.
The warm broth slid down his throat, a burst of savory flavor exploding on his tongue.
Elder Willow's slightly cloudy eyes suddenly brightened.
He picked up a piece of chicken, putting it in his mouth.
The chicken was stewed just right, a gentle bite separating the meat from the bone, tender and juicy, with a subtle salty flavor.
With two mouthfuls of hot soup and meat, a warmth rose from his belly, spreading to his limbs.
Two hundred years.
He hadn't experienced this taste in over two hundred years.
Elder Willow looked up at Lin Changkong, a new recognition in his eyes.
"You've got some skill, kid."
He said, his tone carrying a hint of praise:
"You're quite good at cooking. This taste... is very fresh."
He took another sip of soup, continuing:
"I haven't eaten in over two hundred years, long forgotten what food tastes like.
Now, tasting such deliciousness again, it's quite a unique experience."
With that, he abandoned any pretense, eating heartily.
That manner, no longer resembling a reclusive master, was clearly just a greedy old man.
Lin Changkong watched, feeling quite pleased.
"As long as Elder likes it, I'll cook for you often."
Elder Willow didn't reply, just continued eating.
In no time, a bowl of chicken soup and meat was finished, not a drop or morsel left.
He handed the empty bowl to Lin Changkong, unapologetically saying, "Another bowl for me."
Lin Changkong smiled, taking the bowl: "Sure!"
He filled another bowl and brought it over.
Elder Willow took the bowl, continuing to eat heartily.
Lin Changkong returned to the stone table, continuing his meal.
A large bowl of chicken, the two of them taking turns with chopsticks, was soon finished.
The pot's broth was also gone.
Lin Changkong leaned back in his chair, patting his slightly rounded belly, exhaling deeply.
Comfortable.
Elder Willow also reclined in his lounge chair, eyes half-closed, a satisfied expression on his face.
The mountain breeze gently blew, the shadows of the trees swayed.
In the courtyard of the Library Pavilion, there was a rare hint of earthly life.
For over two hundred years, there had only been the sounds of wind, water, bird calls, and the old man's breathing.
Today, there was finally something more.
Elder Willow slightly turned his head, glancing at Lin Changkong, who was tidying up the dishes, a barely noticeable curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
This kid...
Not bad at all.