Chapter 310 Work is Here

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest's expression turned displeased.

"Why bring up something you shouldn't talk about? Go cook, I'm going to pick some radishes to eat."

Seeing her senior brother turn and walk away, Song Chunxue didn't ask any further questions.

That's true. My senior brother has been traveling the world for many years. Even if he had a mount, he wouldn't suffer with him.

Fearing that her martial uncle wouldn't eat chicken blood noodles, she made two kinds of noodles: red ones were chicken blood noodles, and white ones were pure wheat flour.

After the chicken soup was cooked, she stir-fried the chicken again to color it, added a little oil and some seasonings to make it more flavorful.

The Taoist priest returned to help start the fire and also washed the tools that had been used on the cutting board.

This mountain truly lives up to its name, Five Springs Mountain; there are two springs right in the courtyard, so there's no need to worry about running out of water.

After the chicken and chicken noodle soup were served, everyone ate the noodles first and then the meat without exchanging pleasantries.

The slurping sound of eating noodles tells you how delicious they are.

After a hearty meal, each of the three poured himself a drink.

"Uncle-Master, this courtyard is now ours. The spiritual energy here is even stronger. Would you like to stay here?"

“My junior sister is going to Liangzhou City, and I’m worried about bandits and outlaws on the way. I’ll wait until she gets to Liangzhou before she comes back. If you don’t mind, Uncle-Master, we can worship our ancestral master here and build a temple for cultivation from now on?”

“There’s no need to build a temple. Just find a few craftsmen to renovate it. This courtyard is already quite grand. There’s no need to waste money.” The uncle sipped his wine and nodded. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had apricot blossom wine. It’s very fragrant.”

"I'll watch over this yard for you for now. Once you return, I'll go back to my own mountain. Silver Tiger is likely to encounter people on this mountain. It won't hurt anyone, but I'm worried that someone might be after it."

Human nature is treacherous, and greed is inherent in human nature.

Such a beautiful silver tiger, if others saw it, many would rather kill it and use it as a blanket.

"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle-Master."

Seeing that they had a long time to talk and had much to say to each other, Song Chunxue went to the kitchen to wash the dishes and then took a walk in the yard.

Wherever she went, Silver Tiger followed.

I was quite scared at first, but later I found it to be well-behaved, clever, and incredibly cute.

Song Chunxue then took it for a walk outside in the yard.

She was quite disappointed that the large rock she had her eye on was no longer there.

She just wanted to find a nice-looking stone, something to display at home.

Since she doesn't know anything about stones, she can just pick up another one and look at it herself.

However, after walking around, I still didn't meet anyone I liked.

The man and the tiger returned to the courtyard, where the Taoist priest and his uncle stood together.

Song Chunxue realized she shouldn't have taken Yin Hu out with her and quickly apologized.

"Uncle-Master, I shouldn't have taken it out so casually."

"It's nothing, you can go about your business." The martial uncle put his hands behind his back and looked at Silver Tiger.

As if it knew it had made a mistake, the silver tiger lowered its head, flattened its ears, and obediently walked to its master.

Song Chunxue bypassed them and ran to the backyard.

The Taoist priest followed behind her, saying, "You're incredibly bold to secretly steal your master's mount. Aren't you afraid that if your master isn't around, it will become wild and eat you as a snack?"

"Isn't it a mount tamed by my martial uncle?"

The Taoist priest was both angry and amused. "Do you know that it runs down the mountain to eat one person every year? It hasn't eaten anyone this year yet. You're really carefree."

"..." Surely not? Silver Tiger just looks fierce, but when it gnaws on chicken bones, it's no different from a cat. Senior brother is just trying to scare her.

The Taoist priest sighed, "Never mind, it won't harm its own kind. I'm going to take a nap. I'll go down the mountain at dawn tomorrow, so don't oversleep."

"Yes, senior brother." Song Chunxue nodded honestly.

The Taoist priest shook his head and smiled, "How come you're getting worse as you get older? I reckon even your daughter standing in front of you now wouldn't look as silly as you do."

How could Song Chunxue not understand?

She smiled faintly, "That's all thanks to my senior brother's excellent teaching. Taoism emphasizes returning to simplicity and authenticity. After studying with my senior brother for two or three years, how could I be expected to be cunning and clever at first glance?"

“No, what I mean is, you listen to your senior brother too much, you’re too obedient.” The Taoist priest put his hands behind his back and looked down at her. “You can let your senior brother cook, tend the fire, and wash the dishes. If you take on all the chores like this, it’s hard for me not to slack off.”

So that's what he meant.

Song Chunxue smiled, her once tired eyes now clear and bright. "Isn't my senior brother always helping me? Besides, it's just food for two or three people, so it's easy to cook and wash, it only takes a few seconds."

"I can't cook many meals on the road, and I buy food most of the time. My senior brother always feels that I'm doing the work. Aren't you embarrassed?"

"If I die before you in the future, lying in bed waiting to die, will you bring me water and food?"

The Taoist priest frowned. "Yes."

"That's right. My senior brother treats me well, so I'll treat him well in return. Don't overthink it. If you really feel bad about it, just stop scolding me."

The Taoist priest was completely bewildered. "Did I insult you?"

"Yes, I've been a bit impatient lately, but it's not very obvious; it just comes out naturally. I hope you'll treat me the way you treated your former fellow disciples, and not give me special treatment just because I'm a girl. Actually, going to Liangzhou City isn't a big deal..."

If there really was something going on, how could Hongying, who was heavily pregnant, have arrived at Lijiazhuang with one child and another in tow?

"Alright, alright, no need to say anymore. Senior brother, you're overthinking it. I'll speak more politely from now on, okay?"

Song Chunxue wanted to say, who is actually getting worse as they get older?

It was clearly the senior brother who got impatient when he couldn't win the argument, constantly saying things like "okay, okay, okay," and "fine, fine, fine" to shut him up.

“Yes.” She nodded seriously. “Senior brother, go take your lunch break. The tea is ready and it’s on the table.”

With that, she turned and walked toward her room.

He couldn't help but grin.

Even when you're not raising children, aren't you still a child at heart?

*

The next day, when the brothers and sisters finished getting ready and went out, their master had not yet gotten up.

Silver Tiger stood at the door to see them off.

Perhaps because he had been trained by his uncle, Silver Tiger dared not step out of the door. He put his two furry paws together, looking incredibly docile.

It hummed softly twice, as if giving them a warning.

"Alright, you can go back now. Don't worry about us." Song Chunxue waved to Yin Hu. "We'll come back to see you in a few days."

"Woo," Silver Tiger raised his head in response.

Master Zhang asked curiously, "You understand animal language?"

"I don't understand, but when saying goodbye, whether it's a human or an animal, the only advice you can give is something like 'Have a safe journey,' which is usually true."

The Taoist priest gave a thumbs up, "Junior brother, you have excellent comprehension."

"The eldest brother taught well."

"cut!"

"..."

...

After they came down the mountain, they bought two bowls of sweet fermented rice and two thin, crispy naan breads on the street to eat on the way.

The road from Jincheng to Liangzhou is quite long; it would be fine if we could get there before dark.

The driver they encountered this time was very enthusiastic. He picked up many people along the way and then got off many more. He would call everyone "aunt" or "uncle" and chat about anything. It was exhausting to listen to him because of his bad temper.

If he encounters a beautiful woman, he'll casually mention his mother-in-law and suggest that he bring a matchmaker to propose marriage another day.

Sure enough, he was born for this line of work.

"Whoa~"

"This mountain is mine, these trees are mine, if you want to pass through, leave your toll."

Song Chunxue suddenly opened her eyes, her voice excited, "Senior brother, we have a job!"