The night gradually deepened, and stars lit up one by one.
The stone pot burbled, sending a fresh fragrance drifting into their noses. Zhang Song licked his lips. “Is it about ready?”
“It’s done.” Gu An sniffed, also feeling famished.
The stone pot was brought over, and bamboo tubes were placed on the table. The two sat down on either side.
When they opened the stone pot, the fresh, spicy aroma of the milky-white soup rushed out. They split open the bamboo tubes, releasing the smoky fragrance of roast Spirit Chicken.
Zhang Song brought out the Bamboo Fruit Wine and tilted the bamboo jar. Pale green wine pattered into the earthenware bowl like spring rain. Tiny bubbles rose where the stream struck the bottom, carrying a sweet, fresh scent.
As the bowl filled, fruit pulp settled at the bottom beneath a clear layer of wine, while an emerald sheen like fresh bamboo shimmered on the surface. Cloudy though it was, the wine brimmed with spiritual qi.
Gu An sniffed the wine’s fragrance, uncertain. “This is Spirit Wine, right? Your grandfather didn’t give you the wrong thing? You didn’t sneak it yourself, did you?”
“Of course not. This is First-Grade Lower-Tier Bamboo Fruit Wine. If I dared to take it, my legs would be broken!” Zhang Song grinned.
Gu An had a suspicion. A jar like this probably cost five or six spirit stones. Even Zhang Song’s grandfather could only afford so much: he had other grandsons and his own cultivation to support. Was this one last gift to help Zhang Song get started?
Zhang Song saw Gu An’s eyes flickering and knew he had probably guessed it. It wasn’t hard to guess; he had mentioned this matter before!
So he deliberately showed off: “My grandfather also gave me a magical artifact this time, a First-Grade Middle-Tier Li-Fire Sword, and another thirty spirit stones. Your buddy is getting rich too.”
Gu An shook his head. Whatever else happened, Zhang Song had started out with far more support than he had. There was no point dwelling on it.
But then he thought of Spirit Source Feedback, and his mood improved again.
“Come on, let’s drink.” Mistaking Gu An’s changing expression for envy, Zhang Song raised his earthenware bowl.
“Cheers.” Gu An also raised his bowl.
The wine tasted fresh and sweet at first, then fruity, with a hint of bamboo. Its lingering finish was warm and mellow as honey. It was like standing in a bamboo grove after rain, surrounded by cool, clean air.
A faint current of spiritual qi followed, giving his cultivation a small boost.
Half-drunk, the two chatted excitedly, talking freely about the future.
“I plan to join the Demon-Hunting Team, follow the team to take on some demon hunting and spirit herb gathering missions. That way, spirit stones come faster.”
“I’m not bragging to you. With my Dual Cultivation of Body and Magic, and having the Li-Fire Sword in hand, I’ll be a hot commodity in any Demon-Hunting Team. A little Demon Beast, easily captured.”
“By then, I’ll be rolling in spirit stones, and I’ll directly break through to Foundation Establishment and become a Foundation Establishment Elder.”
“Then I’ll gain the appreciation of a True Person, who will insist on supporting me to form a Golden Core. And I’ll be very lucky to succeed on the first try. By then, I’ll be a Golden Core True Person.”
“Once I become a Golden Core True Person, you can just waltz right through this Qingyuan Sect.”
Gu An listened to Zhang Song’s bragging booming to the heavens, but didn’t spoil the fun. Smiling, he raised his wine bowl.
“Come, a toast to the future Golden Core True Person.”
With that, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one go.
To be fair, although Zhang Song was bragging, joining the Demon-Hunting Team wasn’t a bad choice.
Demon hunting was dangerous, but it paid well and offered plenty of opportunities for lucky discoveries. The Qingyuan Mountains were a resource-rich branch of the Cloudmist Mountains. For those who lived nearby, the mountains offered a dependable livelihood.
Only like this would Zhang Song’s chance at Foundation Establishment not be so slim!
Gu An took another sip, his face flushed with wine. “I’m not much of a fighter. I’d like a job looking after one of the sect’s properties, preferably a spirit beast farm. I do have three years of experience raising Colorful-Feather Chickens.”
“That’s simple. In half a month, my grandfather will be on duty at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. Go take a look then. He knows all the ins and outs.”
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony. I’ll pay him a visit.”
Zhang Song waved his hand: “Hey, such a small matter, no need to be polite. Besides, he likes you well enough anyway.”
Gu An lightly tapped the rim of his bowl, moved in his heart. He raised his wine glass, pushed it forward slightly, and downed it in one gulp.
…
Morning clouds floated with dew. Half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside a room, a young man slowly withdrew his technique. The blue spiritual light gradually subsided. This person was Gu An.
Half a month had passed since their drinking session. Zhang Song had left on a mission with a Demon-Hunting Team the following day. With no assignment of his own, Gu An had spent his days practicing spells.
He could now cast all three spells smoothly enough to use them in a fight.
In terms of cultivation, he had gained another thirteen strands of spiritual Qi this half month. This spiritual Qi was extremely pure and easy to refine. With the support of this spiritual Qi, Gu An’s cultivation had taken another big step forward.
He estimated that with another eighty strands, he could step into the fifth layer of Qi Condensation.
There were only about thirty Colorful-Feather Chickens left outside. They couldn’t even make up the number, let alone the fact that Spirit Source Feedback required spirit beasts he had raised himself. He had only been raising these Colorful-Feather Chickens for a year. If Qingyun Tower kept delaying the slaughter, he was afraid they wouldn’t be recognized.
“More sources of spiritual qi. I need to find more, and soon.”
Gu An gritted his teeth. He’d had his cheat for over half a month and still hadn’t made proper use of it.
Today happened to be the day Zhang Song’s grandfather was on duty. He needed to hurry and see if there was any way in.
As for why he had to pick the day Zhang Song’s grandfather was on duty to go, of course it was because without pulling some strings, such a cushy job wouldn’t fall to him.
One had to know that Steward Liu could catch a Spirit Chicken to eat from time to time. The stewards of other spirit beast farms weren’t any less active in this regard. This kind of perk wasn’t an isolated case.
Although the Qingyuan Sect’s regulations on the number of spirit beasts to be handed in weren’t exactly lenient, with some scheming, one could always keep a little surplus in hand.
Thinking of this, Gu An didn’t delay any longer. He tidied up a bit and went out.
The Miscellaneous Affairs Hall wasn’t far from Little Thousand Peak. It was located between the five outer disciple peaks and one inner disciple peak. To be precise, many of the Qingyuan Sect’s buildings were here, including the Scripture Pavilion Gu An had gone to before.
Its name was Qingyun Peak.
The Qingyuan Sect had one Third-Grade Spirit Vein, encompassing nine peaks: six disciple peaks, one Qingyun Peak, one Qingyuan Peak where the sect’s main hall and the core of the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation were built, and one Cloudrise Peak where Foundation Establishment and Golden Core elders resided.
Beyond the nine peaks, there were some scattered Spirit Veins, either on mountain peaks or in valleys, serving as sect industries, continuously providing resources for the Qingyuan Sect.
Gu An activated the Light Body Spell and swiftly dashed towards Qingyun Peak.
A moment later, he arrived at the sect’s Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.
The morning mist on Qingyun Peak’s Miscellaneous Affairs Hall had not yet fully dissipated. The ancient and grand wooden pavilion was already glowing with spiritual light.
Azure smoke rose from the bronze incense burner. Gu An stepped inside. There were already a few scattered disciples here to receive tasks.
A long green jade desk stood facing the door. An old man in green robes sat behind it, flanked by two young Senior Brothers, each with a smaller desk holding dozens of jade slips.
The old man was slightly plump, with a kind face. His fingers rhythmically tapped on the desk. The green jade thumb ring occasionally struck the jade desk, producing a crisp sound.
Gu An stepped forward and bowed. “Greetings, Steward Zhang. Disciple Gu An has come to receive a task.”
Steward Zhang lifted his head slightly. Seeing it was Gu An, he gave a light cough. “Ahem. That last task of yours had some issues. Come with me to the quiet room to discuss it in detail.”
“Yu Feng, Murong Lin, you two keep an eye on things.”
With that, he stood up and walked towards the inner quiet room.