Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Hearing Cang Li filled with scenery…

Hearing Cang Li's admiring tone, Donghuang Taiyi felt a little embarrassed for some reason, and coughed lightly, saying:

"It's not much trouble at all. I'm just glad you don't blame me for taking the initiative."

Cang Li waved his hands repeatedly: "How could that be! You've been a huge help to me! I don't know how many days it would have taken me to dry the leaves myself. With your help, I can go home in about ten more days!"

While they were talking, Cang Li had already taken a winnowing basket to the salt pond to dig salt and put it into a fine bamboo basket.

Donghuang Taiyi followed to see, asking as he went:

"Why do we have to stay for another ten days or so?"

Cang Li rolled her eyes, sighed, and said with feigned worry, "Because this is not enough, I need to dry some more."

Donghuang Taiyi suddenly realized what was going on and generously said, "I'll help you."

Cang Li immediately stood up straight: "Really!? Then thank you so much, fellow Daoist!"

After saying that, he immediately used magic to turn over all the salt in the salt ponds and put it into bamboo baskets. More than a dozen salt ponds were filled with hundreds of ten-liter bamboo baskets of coarse salt. Then, seawater was introduced to fill the ponds. Cang Li looked at Donghuang Taiyi expectantly.

Donghuang Taiyi condensed a small flame and threw it into the salt pool. Soon, the white mist caused by the steam rose up again.

Cang Li could clearly feel that the temperature of the salt pond rose several times in an instant, achieving the effect of instantly vaporizing the water.

Once the white mist dissipated and the surrounding temperature dropped, the water in the pool completely evaporated, leaving behind white crystals.

Cang Li was overjoyed: "Thank you so much! You're such a kind person!"

Seeing Cang Li so happy, Donghuang Taiyi asked, "Is that enough? If not, I can help you more."

Of course, that wasn't enough. Cang Li wished he could detain Donghuang Taiyi to work for him, but he also understood that one couldn't be too greedy; sustainable development was key. So, Cang Li reluctantly agreed:

"That's enough, that's enough. I'll take these back and they'll be enough to eat for a while. Thank you so much, fellow Daoist! You're such a kind and generous person!"

Donghuang Taiyi laughed: "Fellow Daoist, you are welcome to visit the Demon Court when you have time. Today, I have learned about the needs of your human race, which can be considered as our two races getting to know each other better."

Cang Li thought about it and agreed. Her mother was a demon, and the human and demon races were indeed related from the beginning.

Donghuang Taiyi glanced at the setting sun, then cupped his hands in greeting to Cangli and said:

"Fellow Daoist, it's getting late today, and I have some matters to attend to. We'll talk again next time."

Cang Li nodded and said, "No problem, no problem!"

Donghuang Taiyi transformed into a streak of fire and flew into the sun.

Cang Li looked away from the white salt and felt particularly good. Before dark, he collected all the salt, introduced fresh seawater, packed up his belongings, left a letter for Fu Qu, and then went home that night.

The next day, Fuqu couldn't find Cangli when she went ashore. She only saw a piece of salt at the small wooden house where Cangli lived. Fuqu was a little sad. She didn't expect the immortal to go home so soon. Fuqu sighed and sat by the salt pond for a while before returning to the sea. Then, she would go ashore every few days to see if Cangli had come. When she saw that the seawater in the salt pond had dried up, she would draw seawater back into the salt pond.

Cang Li traveled on her Thousand-Mile Boots. Having walked the same route before, she was even more familiar with it. On her way back, she took an easier route and refined the details of the map as she went. This resulted in her taking two days to return to the cave. By then, two months had passed since she left. The rice and wheat in the fields had begun to turn golden and would soon be ripe.

People were scattered throughout the farmland, and things seemed to be gradually getting back on track. Cang Li breathed a slight sigh of relief. When she left, she was a little worried that something might go wrong if she was gone for too long.

Cang Li then gave a self-deprecating laugh. Humans aren't stupid. Over the millennia, human wisdom has been boundless. Even without her, humans would have successfully taken root and survived on this land. Having her simply made their initial lives a little less difficult.

The moment Cang Li stepped into human territory, Tai Qing knew it. With a thought, he appeared before Cang Li and nodded slightly.

"You're back."

Taiqing's tone was calm, and his expression was abrupt, as if he didn't care whether Cangli came or went. However, the hint of pleasure in his eyes betrayed his true thoughts.

Cang Li also revealed a relaxed smile. In the past two months, although the travel time was only four or five days, there was no one on the road, only wild animals. The nights at the seaside were also very terrifying. Fortunately, she had Fu Qu to accompany her. Now that she has returned to her familiar... home, Cang Li was stunned for a moment. It turned out that in less than a year, she had already regarded this place as her home.

"Yes! I'm back. How have you been, Daoist Master?"

Soon, Cang Li greeted Tai Qing cheerfully.

Taiqing and Cangli walked side by side, with Taiqing asking, "Was the journey smooth?"

Cang Li nodded: "It went smoothly, and I brought back enough salt. However, after the crops in the fields are harvested, I will take a group of people to walk the road to the seaside, and then let them go there to collect salt every year."

Taiqing nodded: "Good. It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. The human race cannot rely on you for long."

Cang Li laughed: "That's exactly what I meant, Daoist Master. How are Ji Hejie and the others doing while I was away?"

People have varying degrees of closeness. These five children were raised by Cang Li for a year, and compared to others, Cang Li clearly valued Ji, Jie, Er, Zhong, and Yu more.

Taiqing said, "Hmm... Jihejie and Er are alright, but Zhonghe and Yu often cry and fuss."

From the very first pause, Cang Li could tell that this was no ordinary crying fit. Even Tai Qing, who usually ignored children's noise, hesitated before speaking. Cang Li tilted his head teasingly at Tai Qing:

"Master, are you perhaps frightened by the children's antics?"

Taiqing nodded generously in acknowledgment:

“Those two children cry every day when you’re not around. When they get really upset, they start fighting. And the fact that their cultivation levels are increasing day by day makes their fights never end. It’s really a headache.”

Cang Li was overjoyed; it wasn't easy to see Tai Qing looking so troubled.

The two walked back along the river. When they reached the cave entrance, Jie, who was working in the field, immediately saw Cang Li, dropped his sickle, and rushed over.

"Big sister!!!"

The sound echoed throughout the field, and all the hundred or so people working in the field straightened up and looked over; their leader had returned.

Cang Li caught the rushing Jie, weighed it in his hand, and said, "You've grown quite a bit taller. Did you miss me?"

Jie snuggled into Cang Li's arms and said, "Sister, I missed you so much!"

Ji and Er, who ran up behind, also looked at Cang Li with longing eyes: "Sister, we miss you too." Sister has been gone for a long time. The sun has risen and set sixty or seventy times. They have never been separated from Sister for so long.

Cang Li hugged each of them and patted their heads, saying, "I'm back."

After speaking, Cang Li looked around again and did not see Zhong and Yu. She found it strange. Normally, the two little ones would have run over and squeezed through the gap to rush into her arms by now. Why have they not been here for so long?

"What about you and me?"

As soon as Cang Li asked the question, the three children looked at Tai Qing.

Taiqing said calmly, "They were too noisy, so I punished them by making them face the wall in the cave to reflect on their mistakes."

Cang Li: Huh?

Making a child under four and a two-year-old stand facing the wall in repentance? Cang Li couldn't understand.

Er then explained, still shaken: "Sister, you don't know, ever since you left, Zhong and Yu have been crying every day. They cry so loudly that all the people in our tribe can hear them. They only stop when they are exhausted from crying. The Taoist priest had no choice."

Cang Li was starting to have a headache. It had been two months, and he still couldn't soothe a baby. What would the human race do when they had children?

"I'll go check. You and Jie go and inform Dashan and Shitou. I have something to tell them later."

Ji Hejie immediately nodded and ran to the field to call everyone together.

Er followed behind Cang Li and asked curiously, "Sister, where did you go this time? Is the outside world fun? Is it the same as here?"

Cang Li pinched Er's cheek: "It's not quite the same. There are many mountains over there, and beyond the mountains is the sea. There are also many ferocious beasts, so you can't go alone. When you grow up and your cultivation level is higher, you can go out and gain some experience."

Er's eyes lit up immediately. He wanted to go out and see the world. The more Cang Li and Tai Qing taught him, the more he longed for the outside world.

When Cang Li entered the cave, he saw Zhong and Yu standing together, facing the wall without making a sound. Cang Li found it strange, because logically, one should make a sound when facing a wall.

Er glanced quietly at Taiqing behind her and whispered:

"The Taoist priest cast a spell to freeze them and a spell to silence them..."

Cang Li: ...Alright then.

Cang Li turned around and said with a smile, "Daoist, untie them. If you don't, they'll be hard to appease."

Taiqing moved his fingers, and the next second a deafening cry erupted. The two children, who had been facing the wall in contemplation, turned around and rushed over, grabbing Cangli's legs.

"Sister!"

"Sister!"

"Waaaaah! Big sister, you're finally back! I was so scared..."

"Waaaaaaah! Big sister!"

Cang Li had a headache. The tears and snot from the two children were wiping her clothes. Cang Li sighed and picked up the two children. She could lift the two children without any effort now.

He pulled the person up to his face and said:

"Why are you crying? Didn't I say I'd be back after a while? Look, I'm back now. Okay, stop crying."

The crowd looked at Cang Li, sobbing: "But our elder sister has been gone for a long time. I haven't seen her for a very, very long time. Our Mother Goddess hasn't come back for a very, very long time either."

I nodded in agreement, though his speech was not as clear as the others'.

Cang Li put the two down and carefully wiped their faces, saying:

"Don't cry anymore. I have to go out again next time. You are still too young to take you with me. If you cry every day after I leave, won't you cry yourself to death? If you cry yourself to death, you will never see your older sister again."

The others immediately stopped crying, holding back their tears and looking at Cang Li with teary eyes.

Cang Li led the two out of the cave: "Sister still has things to do. If you're tired from crying, sit here and rest for a while. You can see me, so please stop crying, okay?"

The group nodded together and obediently sat down. Cang Li patted their heads and took out the fruit they had picked along the way from his backpack, placing it on the bamboo table.

"I'll cook seafood porridge for you tonight, so be good and play here."

After saying that, Cang Li walked down the steps. Ji Hejie had already gathered the hundred or so people together and were waiting for Cang Li to come over.

Cang Li used his spiritual energy to transmit his voice to everyone's ears, saying:

“I brought back salt this time. Since you still have time, set off now to inform the tribal chiefs to come over. There’s no need to travel at night. Stay overnight after you arrive and come back tomorrow. Have the tribal chiefs bring two more people with them to take the salt back.”

Dashan and Shitou were the first to react. After nodding, they set off promptly. The others followed Cangli's instructions one after another, and the cave became quiet again after these people left.