"When gods fight, mortals suffer. Don't you gods have any sympathy for the pain of us mortals?" Ye Xiruo leaned back in her chair without any regard for her image, the tea leaves in her clear teacup floating slowly, exuding a certain charm.

Yes, she came back because someone promised to protect her, and she didn't know if it was a momentary impulse or a sudden whim, but she actually agreed.

Tiesheng couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he left.

The young man opposite him continued to sip his not-so-expensive tea at a leisurely pace, his expression indifferent, as if the distant roars of beasts did not concern him at all.

"I am very grateful that you trust me so much."

Ye Xiruo rolled her eyes silently: "This is my choice, it has nothing to do with you." The world is vast, where else could she find refuge besides here?

The girl opposite him was clearly only a teenager, but her world-weary eyes and indifferent expression, as if she had disregarded life and death, shocked Xiu Qiyu greatly. At the same time, she felt somewhat numb.

Through these few days of observation, I've discovered that this girl has many secrets, but there's no denying that she's a genius, a true genius.

I don't know how I cultivated, but I'm improving every day, and the improvement is significant every day.

"Don't worry, I will definitely protect you." The man's eyes were bright, and his expression was very serious.

Ye Xiruo downed her tea in one gulp: "I will try my best to survive."

"Then you need to work hard." With such rare talent, if he had been able to cultivate from a young age, who knows what level he would have reached by now.

But things don't seem so bad as they are now; watching a genius grow up must be quite interesting.

"This is for the tea." Xiu Qiyu placed a spirit stone on the table, which reflected a colorful light in the sunlight.

Ye Xiruo didn't stand on ceremony: "Remember, accommodation costs money, and so does food."

"I know." After saying that, he turned into a white shadow and left.

Ye Xiruo looked at the spirit stone on the table with a complicated expression. Who exactly was he? His eyes seemed to be able to see through all her secrets.

But she knew clearly that he meant her no harm, which was why she was able to tolerate him.

Forget it, I should hurry up and cultivate properly. There's still half a book left. Ye Xiruo once again immersed her mind in her sea of ​​consciousness and began to identify each herb one by one.

According to the system's schedule, there are still four days left, which should be enough! She didn't know if it was because of her cultivation, but she seemed to be memorizing faster today, which was naturally exciting news.

When Ye Xiruo opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the white-clad man sitting opposite her, but then she saw the huge prey in the courtyard that was clearly dead. It had horns on its head and looked like a bull. Ye Xiruo's eyes immediately lit up.

"This is the prey you hunted." Ye Xiruo didn't care about anything else and rushed straight towards the huge prey, which could make a lot of food.

Xiu Qiyu's lips curled into a smile, and her cold eyes seemed to melt a little: "If you like, I can call you every day, just as payment for your hotel stay."

Ye Xiruo looked at Xiu Qiyu seriously: "You're such a good person." No way! There's no such thing as a free lunch. This guy is clearly after her. What does he want from her?

"You protect my safety, but it seems I can't afford the bodyguard fees."

"You can take it as me protecting my own territory." Xiu Qiyu is indeed Xiu Qiyu; when he gets shameless, he's simply unbeatable.

"Fine, whatever you want. How do you handle such a large prey?" Do these high and mighty cultivators even know how?

Xiu Qiyu said nothing, picked up the prey in one go, and walked briskly: "I'll go to the river to process it, you cook first."

What's with this rhythm? It's so weird!

Opening the kitchen door, Ye Xiruo was once again shocked. What had he done while she was reciting her lessons? The rice container in the kitchen was full of rice, each grain crystal clear, unlike anything she'd ever seen. There was also a large bucket of oil, of some unknown origin, that smelled even better than sesame or peanut oil. And there were bags of soybeans, millet, cornmeal, and wheat flour piled high in the middle of the room.

Unfortunately, there were no seasonings left, so I could only use what I had left.

The rice was expertly rinsed and cooked; it smelled wonderful, but I wondered what variety it was.

"This is spirit rice, something cultivators eat, it has a faint spiritual energy." The system explained, and Ye Xiruo's eyes lit up even more.

"Are these grains also included?" What a windfall! I've unexpectedly become friends with a tycoon.

"Yes, they are."

The man in white returned quickly, carrying nothing. Ye Xiruo was stunned. Had he eaten everything raw? He was a monster!

The man in white slowly and methodically took out the meat, along with the fat, ribs, and internal organs from his ring, and cleaned them thoroughly.

"That's enough, don't take any more. This is enough for us to eat tonight."

"Do you need any help?" Seeing Ye Xiruo struggling to chop the meat, Xiu Qiyu couldn't help but ask.

"Of course we need it. What kind of meat is this? The knife is even chipped." Ye Xiruo looked at the knife with great sorrow.

"This is spirit rhinoceros meat, a first-level spirit beast, so the meat is naturally a bit firm."

"Will it cook through?" This was what Ye Xiruo cared about most.

"Yes, Lingxi meat is delicious whether it's steamed, boiled, fried, or grilled."

"Then you come here. I'll render the meat fat into oil first, so we can use it when making hot pot later."

What is hot pot?

"I'll make you a delicious dish tomorrow night."

Add diced cabbage, chopped green onions, ginger, and other seasonings to the minced beef, along with a few drops of oil, and mix thoroughly.

Once the oil in the pot was hot, Ye Xiruo put the shaped beef balls into it one by one, and soon a layer of fragrant beef balls floated to the surface of the pot.

Xiu Qiyu's eyes were very bright. This smells so good: "Is it ripe yet?"

"tasty."

"Slow down, be careful not to get burned."

Xiu Qiyu squinted as she ate heartily, while Ye Xiruo was still busy on the side. Suddenly, a golden-fried meatball was brought to her lips, and she turned her head to see the clear eyes of the man in white.

Without hesitation, Ye Xiruo ate the beef ball in one bite. As expected of a spirit beast, the meat was delicious and chewy. One bite was simply unforgettable.

Xiu Qiyu and Ye Xiruo started a happy meal of meatballs, one for each of them, and it has to be said that the scene was very harmonious.

Luckily, Ye Xiruo fried a lot of meatballs, otherwise there wouldn't have been enough for the two of them.

"Alright, let me stir-fry some vegetables and pork, make a four-happiness meatball dish, and a vegetable meatball soup."