The cultivators, noticing Zhao Xixiang's arrival, cowered in fear and hid inside. The woman crossed her arms and covered her face, preventing them from seeing her features.
What brings you two here?
An older woman spoke timidly, protecting the women behind her.
“I am the director of the Beast Garden. The Beast Garden is short of helpers. If you don’t mind, you can move to the outer mountain. Seeing that you are in difficulty, here is some food for you.”
Zhao Xi wanted to take out the flatbread and cornbread from the ring.
The disciples' eyes lit up, and they all gathered around, bowing to thank her for the food.
The two men in front of them snapped out of their daze and rushed back to block Zhao Xi's path, stopping them.
One of the burly men glared at Zhao Xi, thinking, "So you're the head of the Hundred Beasts Garden?! Your men killed my sect leader, and your demonic beasts destroyed the Five Spirits Sect!"
This person actually speaks up for the Five Spirits Sect?
Zhao Xi wanted to sized him up.
Although she couldn't discern the other person's cultivation level, having spent a long time on the mountaintop with Atu, she knew that cultivators' robes were generally made of spiritual cotton.
It wasn't just this person; the other survivors' equipment was tattered and worn from head to toe, not much different from ordinary people's burlap.
Even with the Five Spirits Sect in such a state, he still speaks up for the sect.
Is this blind loyalty?
Have all the cultivators from the major sects in the Immortal Realm been brainwashed?
Luo Haiqing asked, "Director, what kind of vegetable were you talking about again?"
Zhao Xi thought, "Chives?"
Luo Haiqing spat on the ground and cursed at the big man: "You're such a coward!"
The burly man glared at him: "Why did you call me a leek? What are you insulting me with?!"
"Don't let these two lead you astray!"
Another burly man hurriedly interrupted, shooing them away, "You should leave. We won't go with you. The Demon Sect is ruthless; their demonic beasts feed on humans. We're just Qi cultivators; if we go with you, we might become food for the demonic beasts!"
The disciple was still holding a flatbread and a cornbread bun, which he was wolfing down.
After saying that...
They were caught in a dilemma: whether to eat or not.
Zhao Xi wanted to laugh: "I am just a mortal. If it were really as you say, I would have been reduced to ashes long ago. How could I be the director of the Hundred Beasts Garden? You can live next to the Vermilion Fruit Spirits. Those Vermilion Fruits only drink water and don't eat people."
"You're just a mortal?" the older woman asked in surprise.
"Yes, you can come and verify it."
Zhao Xi wanted to walk over and open his palm to her.
The woman first sat down cross-legged, activated her energy, closed her eyes and exhaled slightly, concentrating her spiritual energy in her palms, before standing up and touching Zhao Xixiang's hand.
Their level of understanding is too low; they do everything in a rigid and inflexible manner.
If Lin Che were here, he could tell the other party's cultivation level at a glance, and even Wu Tuba and the others wouldn't need to exert any extra effort.
It is precisely because their cultivation level is too low that they are unable to sense the spiritual energy in the food.
They'll probably only realize how much their seemingly ordinary flatbread and cornbread could sustain them through several days of cultivation after they've digested it.
"She really is a mortal; this little girl has no spiritual roots!"
After checking, the woman nodded and said to the people around her.
The two burly men walked over and also tried to touch Zhao Xixiang's hand.
Luo Haiqing, wielding his magical implement, shooed them aside: "You dared to touch the headmistress?!"
The group huddled together, discussing the matter enthusiastically.
Many people clearly wanted to go, but a few were less willing.
One of the men spoke loudly: "I had already made arrangements with the Wuji Sect, but things have changed now. How am I supposed to explain this to their elders?"
"This young headmistress is just a mortal. If her people can cut off the head of a Maoji person, they can definitely protect us too. The Wuji Sect isn't any better; they've done plenty of bullying and harassing of men and women outside!"
"I think her pancakes taste better than mine, so she must be a good person! Only someone who is beautiful and kind-hearted can make such delicious food! Anyway, I'll just be a handyman at the Wuji Sect, so why not go to the Hundred Beast Garden? It's closer!"
A burly man said, "Who said going to the Wuji Sect is just doing menial tasks? I have decent aptitude, I want to become an inner disciple!"
Zhao Xi was getting impatient, so she leaned closer and asked, "Then why don't you split up? If you want to go to the Wuji Sect, go ahead. If you want to come to my Hundred Beast Garden, you can come too. My Hundred Beast Garden won't force you. If you don't want to come, I can recruit people in town, that's the same thing."
Everyone fell silent.
Having entered the path of cultivation for hundreds of years, I've long been accustomed to being with this group of people.
After the Five Spirits Sect got into trouble, they hid down there, waiting for their senior brother to take care of their escape route. They really didn't think about separating.
Zhao Xi might have wanted to appear easygoing, like a mortal, or perhaps they sensed after eating the food that it was rich in spiritual energy, which would aid their cultivation.
All twenty-odd people agreed to settle down at the Hundred Beasts Park.
These people are even more fragile than demon cultivators, but they are familiar with the surrounding environment, know the location of the teleportation array in the mountains, and also know the rules of cultivators.
The demon cultivators have been living in the Hundred Beasts Garden for quite some time now. Their daily work is actually quite easy, but they prefer to stay deep in the mountains and forests and cultivate diligently rather than go to the towns.
These Qi Refining Realm human cultivators are different; they are very willing to follow Zhao Xi's lead.
Even the two men who had been resistant earlier apologized to Zhao Xi after she found them a place where spiritual plants flourished.
Demon cultivators can make do with living in tents, while human cultivators are more accustomed to living in houses.
Atu planted timber, and Xiao Jia, Mei Mei (wearing a veil), and the three siblings, Hongshu, carried the timber over. Xiao Ding wanted to help, but Saliya punched him, telling him to focus on his cultivation and not worry about anything else.
The demon cultivators from Kangnan all came to help build the houses. Demon cultivators are strong, and these houses use mortise and tenon joints, so they don't even need hammers. They can put the house frame together with just one punch.
The human cultivators were overjoyed. Hearing that these demon cultivators did not abstain from grains, they set up a campfire, caught some fish, and wanted to invite them to a meal.
“We don’t eat these, we only eat what the headmaster makes.”
"Why?"
"The food made by the headmaster has a magical quality!"
Meimei strongly agreed: "Yes, the headmistress's fried fish is the best!"
The three siblings, including Hongshu, carried a plank together, and all agreed.
Zhao Xi picked up a booklet and was listening to Caiyue describe everyone's special skills.
Their work mainly includes herb gathering, mining, hunting, cooking, alchemy, weapon crafting, weaving, talisman drawing, and dust removal.
Occasionally, they will tame spirit pets or go on adventures in monster caves with other people.
Their cultivation level was too low to use any magic, so they could only follow behind the group and pick up items.
"Before Mei'er began her cultivation, she was the daughter of a butcher, and she knew how to raise pigs and herd goats. However, she and Shao Ende were Daoist partners."
These outer disciples who did odd jobs all used their own names.
Only those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage are entitled to have their sect named, which is different from the situation at the Hundred Beasts Garden.
"This one's great, she can be the cat's servant!" Zhao Xi glanced at the plump woman cooking by the campfire and asked, "What's her name? Can she cook?"
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