"Little girl, why are you blushing? Your brother touched you, and your soul nearly flew away?"
Tangyuan appeared from who knows where, hopping onto the table, its eyes full of mischief.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Shen Manyi shot it a glare.
"Tsk."
Tangyuan curled its lips in disdain and didn't continue the topic.
Instead, it pointed at her stomach with its paw, "Aren't you hungry?"
At that reminder, Shen Manyi's stomach cooperatively let out a "gurgle."
She waved her small hand, "Come on, let's go find a kitchen!"
But Tangyuan lay lazily without moving, "There's no kitchen here. I've already looked all over this place!"
"Then what do we do?" Shen Manyi's little face fell.
Then, as if remembering something, she flipped her wrist, and the black token appeared in her palm.
"Have you forgotten? I have this now!"
She shook the token smugly.
"Having them build one just for us shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Tangyuan's eyes lit up, and it sprang to its feet.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Shen Manyi popped a Bigudan into her mouth, then scooped up Tangyuan and headed down Tai Shang Feng.
On the mountain path, disciples occasionally passed by.
The moment they saw her, their relaxed demeanor instantly tightened, and they hurried away with quick steps, some even nearly tripping.
Shen Manyi watched, feeling speechless: "Am I really that scary?"
"You've made a name for yourself with that one battle!" Tangyuan laughed triumphantly in her mind.
"Probably the entire Guiyuan Jianzong knows now that you're protected by your brother.
They're not afraid of you—it's the one behind you, get it?"
Shen Manyi felt pleased hearing that.
This feeling of being respected without having to lift a finger was indeed nice.
She walked unimpeded, even stopping someone along the way to ask for directions.
When they arrived at Siwu Tang, the hall responsible for sect logistics and affairs,
they saw a young man wearing inner disciple robes dozing off at his desk.
Hearing footsteps, he raised his head impatiently.
"What is it?"
"Senior brother, hello,"
Shen Manyi tried to make her voice sound as polite as possible,
"I'd like to build a kitchen."
The disciple looked her up and down. Seeing that her cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Third Layer,
and that she wasn't wearing the sect's uniform, a hint of contempt crept into his eyes.
"A little girl like you, who hasn't even entered the inner sect, wants to build a kitchen?"
"If you want to eat, go queue up at the dining hall!"
"I live on Tai Shang Feng, and the dining hall is too far away," Shen Manyi explained.
"Tai Shang Feng?"
The disciple let out a "pfft" laugh, his face full of mockery.
"You? Living on Tai Shang Feng?"
"Little girl, there's a limit to daydreaming."
"Do you know what kind of place Tai Shang Feng is? How could someone like you go there? Hurry up and leave, don't bother me while I sleep!"
Tangyuan was getting a bit angry, "Little girl, he's looking down on you! Smack that token in his face."
Shen Manyi also felt that wasting words on someone like him was a complete waste of breath.
She slapped the token onto the table.
The disciple's mocking voice came to an abrupt halt, his gaze locked onto the token.
His entire body stiffened as if struck by a Dingshen Zhou.
Tai Shang Feng!
She's that girl?
The one who got Senior Sister Liu sentenced to life imprisonment at Siguoya.
He had just… actually looked down on her. Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.
The next second, he shot up from his chair so fast he nearly flipped the table.
"Se… Senior! No, no, no! Immortal! This humble one failed to recognize your greatness! Please don't hold it against me!"
He bowed his body, his voice trembling.
"You wanted to build a kitchen, right? Right away! I'll arrange it immediately—I'll build you the best one!"
Shen Manyi put away the token. Seeing that his attitude had finally improved, she graciously decided not to hold it against him.
After all, she really was low in cultivation strength!
Tangyuan smacked its lips: "This token of yours really comes in handy."
"Of course, my brother gave it to me."
Then they heard the disciple ask again, "Immortal, do you need any ingredients as well?"
"We just received a batch of Bainian Xueou, Beidi Bingcan cocoons, and some tender meat from peak third-tier Lingshou beasts. Would you like to take a look…" Afraid Shen Manyi might be dissatisfied, he added, "I'll personally pick out the best for you and deliver them over!"
"Great,"
Shen Manyi was delighted now, and she made her request without any hesitation.
"I want sweet and sour ribs—send me some premium Lingzhu ribs!"
"Yes, yes! No problem!"
The disciple nodded like a pounding pestle, "I'll also include some fine Lingmi and seasonings!"
"Thanks then, you're actually pretty nice."
Shen Manyi gave a casual compliment.
Hearing that, the disciple was almost moved to tears.
His only thought was: as long as you don't hold a grudge, I'll do anything!
Afterwards, Shen Manyi told him the location for construction and left with Tangyuan.
After she was gone, a kindly-looking, slightly plump middle-aged man walked out from the adjacent room.
He looked at the disciple and teased, "Xiao Zhou, I've never seen you so generous with anyone before. Did you take a fancy to that young lady today?"
"Shh! Elder Wu, please don't say such things!"
Xiao Zhou's face turned pale with fright as he lowered his voice and said, "That young lady… she belongs to someone from Tai Shang Feng!"
The smile on Elder Wu's face instantly froze, and then he smacked Xiao Zhou on the back of the head.
"Then why are you still standing here doing nothing! Hurry up and take care of what she asked for!"
"It's just that you stopped me…"
Xiao Zhou muttered resentfully, then scurried off to make the arrangements.
Shen Manyi didn't rush back. Instead, she took Tangyuan and wandered around the sect to familiarize herself with the surroundings.
By the time she returned to Tai Shang Feng, an exquisite little kitchen had already been built.
Inside the kitchen, cookware and all kinds of rare ingredients and seasonings were neatly arranged, a dazzling array of items.
Shen Manyi rubbed her eyes, a bit taken aback by the efficiency.
"Senior Brother, you all work way too fast!"
Xiao Zhou, who had been waiting there all along, immediately smiled and greeted her as she returned.
"Our Siwu Tang always values efficiency."
"Take a look—is there anything you're not satisfied with?"
"Satisfied? I'm more than satisfied."
Shen Manyi was in a great mood and took out a Spirit Burst Pill from her spatial storage to give him.
"This is for you, Senior Brother. Don't think little of it."
Xiao Zhou's eyes lit up. "Fairy, you're too kind."
He accepted it as if it were a treasure, and seeing that there was nothing else needed, he cheerfully took his leave.
As soon as Xiao Zhou left, Tangyuan couldn't wait to urge her on.
"Sweet and sour ribs! Sweet and sour ribs! The ingredients and cookware are all here—why haven't you started cooking yet!"
"I know, I know. Look how greedy you are—you're even more impatient than me."
Shen Manyi chuckled as she walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the pile of top-grade ingredients to find the Lingzhu ribs.
Then she began washing, cutting, blanching, frying, and stir-frying…
Soon, a rich aroma, sweet and sour intertwined, wafted out from the pot.
"So fragrant!"
Tangyuan sniffed the scent, eyes gleaming, drool nearly dripping down.
"Is it almost done? This Divine Beast can't wait any longer!"
"Almost! Just need to reduce the sauce!"
After a little while longer, Shen Manyi walked out of the kitchen carrying two plates of glossy, red, fragrant sweet and sour ribs.
She gave Tangyuan his plate.
The ribs were sweet and sour, with a rich sauce, and since they were made from Lingshou meat, the flavor was absolutely exceptional.
Tangyuan couldn't wait to claw a piece into his mouth.
His eyes instantly narrowed in delight.
"Delicious! Little girl, your cooking skills are amazing!"
He wolfed it down while mumbling praises between bites.
"This is way better than those Lingguos in the spatial storage!"
Shen Manyi was amused by him and picked up a rib for herself, savoring it slowly.
Mmm, the taste really is good!
If my brother doesn't eat this, it's his loss.