To avoid troubling the cooks, Rong Jiaojiao asked Yueling to help her disassemble and clean the gifts.
As for fish and shrimp, Rong Jiaojiao used those from the little secret realm.
Rong Jiaojiao prepared a lot more this time, enough for the soldiers to have some meat before the New Year and a banquet on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
When Rong Jiaojiao returned from the mountains, it was already evening.
He went directly to Rong Lianhu, who took her to He Da. This time, they didn't need to go outside to get the ingredients; Rong Jiaojiao directly delivered the clean ingredients into the warehouse.
Looking at the mountain of prey and fish, He Da smiled so broadly that wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes and brows.
The next day, Rong Jiaojiao's family didn't let her do anything. The whole family busied themselves preparing a large table of dishes, plus a pot.
Of course, the ingredients were contributed by Rong Jiaojiao, since she brought out the best-tasting ones.
After the dishes were placed on the table, Rong Lianhu and Fu Ya did not rush to pick up their chopsticks. Fu Ya took out a set of gold-inlaid jade jewelry and said, "This is a birthday gift that your father and I prepared for you. It is an old item from the past. Mom knows that you don't need these, but this is your parents' heartfelt gift. Please accept it."
Rong Jiaojiao accepted the box with delight. Inside lay a carved jade hairpin, a pair of jadeite earrings, and a white jade bracelet, all wrapped in gold thread, making it both elegant and luxurious.
Her eyes welled up slightly: "Thank you, Mom and Dad, I really like it."
Rong Zhigao brought over a large wooden box, opened it, and took out a jade sculpture.
She looked like a fairy in flowing robes, and her face was exactly the same as Rong Jiaojiao's when she was a child.
Rong Zhigao said, "This was carved from Uncle Qingxuan's portraits. It took many years to carve, but this one looks the most like you."
Rong Jiaojiao couldn't take her eyes off him: "He's so cute, thank you, brother!"
Rong Zhigao also took out a wooden box and took out eighteen rag dolls from it, from how they looked when they were just born in a swaddle to how they grew up and looked like they were wearing flowing fairy clothes.
Rong Jiaojiao was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes; her two older brothers' gifts were so thoughtful.
She hugged her second brother and said, "Thank you, second brother, you are both so good to me!"
Rong Lianhu then took out a watch and said, "I noticed that Jiaojiao doesn't have a watch, so I prepared one for her. Jiaojiao, take a look and see if you like it."
He hadn't taken it out before because he was afraid of giving the same gift as his sons.
Rong Jiaojiao took the watch; it was a very fashionable mechanical watch with an exquisite dial and a flexible, comfortable strap.
She immediately put it on her wrist, looked at it from left to right, and was overjoyed: "Dad, this watch is so beautiful! It will be so convenient to check the time when we go out."
"If you like it, that's fine."
"I like it."
Yueyue clung to the gift Rong Zhiyuan had given to Rong Jiaojiao and said, "Auntie, Yueyue wants to see Auntie."
The family celebrated Rong Jiaojiao's birthday and also the Lunar New Year's Eve of 1976 in a joyful atmosphere.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Rong Zhiyuan's wedding banquet was held in a lively manner. Rong Lianhu and his wife did not show any bias because their second daughter-in-law's family background was not good, and the betrothal gifts they gave were exactly the same as those given to their eldest daughter-in-law.
This deeply moved Lin Xue. She knew about her sister-in-law's family background, but she didn't expect her in-laws to be so fair. Lin Xue felt that this was a gift from fate and resolved to treat her in-laws well in the future.
My older brother went back home with his wife and daughter on the third day of the Lunar New Year, and also brought back many nice things that Rong Jiaojiao had given him.
Rong Zhiyuan stayed at home until the eighth day of the lunar new year before heading back. The things Rong Jiaojiao prepared for him were the same as those she prepared for her older brother.
After seeing them off, the Rong family returned to peace and quiet. Rong Jiaojiao didn't rush back; instead, she settled down at the Rong family home.
I would send messages to my master every day to ask about the situation at the sacred mountain.
Rong Jiaojiao stayed for three months. During this time, she didn't cultivate much during the day. She just accompanied her mother for walks and chats, played chess and talked with her father, and honed her cultivation at ten times the speed in the small secret realm at night.
Before he knew it, his cultivation had reached the critical point of a breakthrough.
As the evening sun shone on the Rong family's courtyard, Rong Jiaojiao sat cross-legged opposite her father, playing chess in the heat of the moment.
"Checkmate!" Rong Lianhu triumphantly placed his chess piece.
Rong Jiaojiao wrinkled her nose: "Dad, you're cheating again. It wasn't like this just now."
“Why not?” Rong Lianhu pointed at the chessboard. “My cannon has always been here.”
Just as the father and daughter were arguing, a red cannon on the chessboard suddenly moved two squares out of thin air.
The two of them froze simultaneously. Rong Lianhu's eyes widened: "Jiaojiao, what's wrong with you...?"
Rong Jiaojiao quickly waved her hands: "It wasn't me!" She looked down at her palms and noticed that the space around her fingertips was slightly distorted. "It seems like spiritual energy is leaking out..."
Fu Ya walked over with a fruit platter and almost dropped it when she saw this: "What happened?"
"It's alright, Mom." Rong Jiaojiao quickly concealed her aura. "It's just that my cultivation is close to the breakthrough point, and my abilities are a little out of control."
She carefully placed the chess piece back in its original position, only to find that when her finger passed through the piece, it flickered like a phantom.
Rong Lianhu and Fu Ya exchanged a worried look.
"Jiaojiao, shouldn't you go back to the Immortal Mountain?" Fu Ya put down the fruit plate, her voice a little tense. "Wouldn't it be dangerous to break through at home?"
Rong Jiaojiao looked apologetically at her parents: "Mom and Dad, I'm sorry! I have to go back to the Immortal Mountain to cultivate in seclusion."
Fu Ya said reluctantly, "Go back now, and remember to come back to see us after you break through."
Rong Jiaojiao nodded: "I know."
Rong Lianhu asked, "When are you leaving?"
Rong Jiaojiao looked down at her surroundings, where the spatial energy fluctuations were becoming increasingly obvious. She said, "Let's do it early tomorrow morning, otherwise I'm afraid something might happen."
Rong Lianhu nodded: "Take the pickled vegetables your mother made for you, and those preserved fruits too..."
“Dad…” Rong Jiaojiao’s throat tightened, “Please smoke less, and remember to drink the spiritual tea I left for you.”
"And there are also spirit wine and pills. You and Mom shouldn't be reluctant to eat them and should save them. It's not worth it if you get sick."
Fu Ya said with red eyes, "Alright, alright, let's cook a nice meal for Jiaojiao tonight to send her off..."
Outside the Immortal City, Qing Xuanzi saw his disciple, whose spiritual energy was overflowing, land in front of him and angrily poked her forehead: "Couldn't you have come back sooner? Why did you have to wait until you couldn't suppress it anymore before rushing back in such a hurry!"
Rong Jiaojiao shrank back, and Qing Xuanzi snorted coldly, "Let's go!"
With a flick of his sleeve, he wrapped her and Zi Ling together on the flying sword and headed towards Xuanqing Sect.
An hour later, the two returned to the sky above Xuanqing Gate. Several divine senses swept over them, and no one stopped them after they realized it was them.
Upon arriving at the courtyard, Qing Xuanzi immediately activated the formation for her and then said to Rong Jiaojiao, "I have already told you about the Mind-Questioning Illusion that will occur when you break through to the Earth Master Realm. Remember, the Mind-Questioning Illusion will directly target your deepest obsession."
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