Chapter 103 Osmanthus Yam Cake

The old ancestor was determined to die.

On the other side, on Mount Fuyu, Bai Yanxing was staring at Little Master Huang.

The old man dug a large hole in the ground with his bare hands and wrote a line on paper: "I don't want much. You fill this hole with your magic treasure, I'll bury it, and then I'll take you to find someone skilled in transformation techniques."

Bai Yanxing estimated the depth of the pit and said, "If you're going to try to extort money from me like this, I'll bring the Imperial Army here to talk to you."

Unperturbed, Little Master Huang picked up a pen and wrote: "I'm timid. When I'm scared to the extreme, I turn into a blank sheet of paper. Then the Book of No Words will truly be empty! You must know this, otherwise it would be Emperor Jiang coming to me now."

Little Master Huang knew perfectly well that if they wanted to find out the truth, they could only start with him. If he didn't take this opportunity to make a fortune, he wouldn't deserve the title of the most money-loving little immortal in the Heavenly Realm!

...

Leaving aside Bai Yanxing, who contributed both money and effort, let's talk about Dixi Mountain first.

After ten days of nourishing food, Old Master Duan is now able to get out of bed and walk around.

She never expected to recover so quickly. Both Yan Kuo and the great physician of the Wilderness Clan said that she would need at least fifteen days to recover, but now, including the two most painful days, only twelve days have passed.

"You can jump and bounce around in just twelve days?"

She was actually hopping around on the ground when she said that. She had been bedridden for a while and her back and legs ached from lying down. She needed to move around a bit to feel better.

Today, Lianpeng was on duty, watching with a smile as Duan Jiuyou stretched his limbs in a grand and expansive manner.

Lianpeng said, "This shows that the old ancestor is in good health and recovers quickly. It's all thanks to Sister Liantang's dedication. She prepares the ingredients in advance every day, and they all suit your taste. You eat well, so your body naturally recovers quickly."

Jiuyou's smile remained unchanged: "It is indeed thanks to Liantang. I never knew she was so good at taking care of people. Our clan does not experience birth, aging, sickness and death, so we do not need to take care of others, let alone ourselves. It is as if she has been sick herself or has been taken care of by others, which is why she has so much experience."

As he spoke, his voice grew softer, and the more he thought about it, the more puzzled he became.

How can she be so good at taking care of people? Especially when it comes to food, it's almost entirely based on her taste preferences in the Ten Realms of Breaking Wind.

But Liantang has never lived in the Ten Realms, so how would he know what she likes to eat?

Duan Jiuyou recalled his illness and discovered that the lotus pods were replaced at certain times in the lotus pond.

For example, she would find an excuse to go out when she needed to change clothes, tie her hair up, or after taking a bath the day before.

Is it a coincidence? Or is there some reason that must be avoided?

As soon as "Lotus Pond" entered, he saw Duan Jiuyou standing barefoot on the ground, and his face darkened.

"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" she said, leading Jiuyou to sit on the bed. She touched Jiuyou's feet, finding them icy cold, which made "Lotus Pond's" face darken even more. She knelt down to put on her shoes and socks, then turned to scold Lotus Pond: "Is this how you serve me?!"

When "Lotus Pond" gets stern, she's quite intimidating; even the lotus pods were frightened and took a step back.

He stammered, "The old ancestor said he was hot and refused to wear shoes and socks. I tried to persuade him, but he didn't listen to me."

"Why didn't you go and call me? This is perfect timing. What if you catch a cold? The jade ground is the coldest. If the cold seeps into your body, you'll suffer again! Do you think your ancestor hasn't been lying here long enough?"

The lotus pod thought the lotus pond was terrifying, but it couldn't help but mutter to itself.

“But our Ao clan has always been physically strong. Even if our ancestor lost the painless bone, he wouldn’t get cold just from going barefoot.”

She felt that "Lotus Pond" was being overly concerned about the Ancestor. The Ao Clan wasn't that fragile, and Duan Jiuyou, having lost his divine bone, only experienced more pain.

"Lotus Pond" was taken aback, then remembered the difference between Ao Zong and ordinary gods. "She" herself suffered from a cold ailment, so she was used to worrying about Jiu You catching a chill. She quickly relaxed her expression, sighed and said, "I was just worried and confused. The Ancestor was so badly injured before, I was always afraid that something else might happen. I was just overthinking it and raised my voice a bit, please don't take it to heart."

Lianpeng is like a little child, easy to coax. When "Liantang" softened his tone, she smiled.

“I understand that my sister is worried about the Ancestor. Just now I told the Ancestor that my sister serves him the best, and none of us can take better care of him than my sister.”

"Lotus Pond" also laughed: "It's not like I'm taking care of everything by myself. You've all been busy running around, and it's no easier for you than for me, especially in the kitchen, where Qingyu and the others are mostly doing the work. I've never been to the Ten Realms with the Ancestor, and I only learned about the Ancestor's dietary habits from Qingyu's guidance."

This was a clever remark; seemingly unintentional, it was actually an explanation of why she knew Duan Jiuyou's eating habits.

Qingyu had been to the Ten Realms of Breaking Wind, and she knew Duan Jiuyou's tastes. Under Qingyu's guidance, Liantang was able to prepare food that Duan Jiuyou liked every time.

Did you receive that letter from Jiuyou?

"Lotus Pond" turned to look at her and found that she didn't seem to care much about "her" conversation with the lotus seedpod. She was sitting on the bed, swinging her little feet, looking out the sunlit window.

"Lotus Pond" said, "The weather is nice today, would you like to go for a walk, Ancestor?"

Duan Jiuyou kept his gaze fixed on the window, watching a dark shadow floating outside the barrier.

"Has that bastard been out all this time?"

"Liantang" nodded and said, "Yes, I've been outside all this time."

"Bastard" has become a synonym for Dijiang, and even Dijiang himself has gotten used to this title.

Duan Jiuyou hummed in agreement but didn't say anything.

Half an hour later, the food was served. "Lian Tang" served Duan Jiuyou the food. Duan Jiuyou ate a few bites, patted the seat next to him, and said to Lian Tang, "Don't bother, sit down and eat with us."

"Liantang" placed a piece of crisp bamboo shoot into her bowl and said with a smile, "Grandpa, have you forgotten? We have always fed on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, so how could we feel hungry? If you hadn't been injured recently, you wouldn't have needed to eat these."

"But it's so delicious, it would be a shame if I were the only one eating it."

Duan Jiuyou had dined with Dijiang in the Ten Realms of Breaking Wind for over a year. At first, he would only eat a couple of bites as a symbolic gesture, but later his appetite improved, and he would eat some candied fruit and pastries in addition to his three meals.

She looked at the plate of osmanthus and yam cake on the table.

This was something she often ate in the Ten Realms. Di Jiang didn't like yams, but Duan Jiuyou forced him to try one once. Di Jiang frowned deeply and said he didn't like the texture of yams, and he never touched them again after that one taste.

Duan Jiuyou took a sip of congee and said to Liantang, "Try that plate of yam cakes, it's my favorite snack."

"Lotus Pond" frowned secretly, really hating yams! Besides that, there's also orange blossom dew and taro cheese.

"She" has different tastes from Duan Jiuyou; the things she particularly likes are mostly the things he dislikes the most.

I'd rather starve than eat.

But he is now in the lotus pond, so he cannot show disgust, much less refuse, especially since Jiuyou's move is very likely a test.

So he picked up a piece and carefully tasted it: "It is indeed soft and delicious, no wonder the old man loved to eat it."

Duan Jiuyou's eyes lit up. He couldn't tell whether he was doing it on purpose or genuinely believed that "she" liked to eat it. He reached out his little hand, took the whole plate, and placed it in front of "her".

"Here, have some. This is good for your health. I used to eat it a lot over there. Eat more of it."

She was reluctant to mention the words "Ten Realms" because it would bring back many memories. After saying that, she pushed the yam towards the "Lotus Pond".

Indication: Eat quickly.

"Lian Tang" forced a smile and reluctantly picked up a second, third, and fourth piece...

She finished all six pieces of yam cake, and Duan Jiuyou beamed with joy, as if he was happy because she liked them.

After the meal, Duan Jiuyou sat in the main hall to unravel the Nine Linked Rings to pass the time. "Liantang" kept her company. Suddenly, Duan Jiuyou handed the Nine Linked Rings to "Liantang". "Liantang" thought she wanted her to unravel it herself, but she didn't expect her to say, "Liantang, can you help me comb my hair? Just comb the Lotus Fairy Bun. They are clumsy. You are the only one in the whole Earthly Rest Mountain who can comb the hair the best."

"Lotus Pond" stared blankly, thinking: What... bun?

What is that?

Does "lotus" mean actually picking a lotus flower to put in your hair, or simply combing your hair into the shape of a lotus flower?

Did Duan Jiuyou ever style his hair in such an intricate bun?

She searched her memory repeatedly, but couldn't find a single reference point.

Duan Jiuyou never styled her hair, and Liantang would never style her hair into a lotus fairy bun.

Duan Jiuyou lied just now. Liantang is actually the dumbest female disciple in the entire Dixi Mountain. She is not good at tying her hair up, and Lianpeng usually does her hair in a bun.

Duan Jiuyou, trailing her long dress, walked back to her bedchamber first, eager to see how "she" would style her hair.