When He Jingjing reached the edge of the pine forest, she remembered that the excuse she had given Wu Xiuyun when she left today was to pick some pine mushrooms. Now she had nothing, and it would be difficult to report this to Wu Xiuyun when she returned.
He Jingjing turned and walked into the pine forest. No matter what, she was working under Wu Xiuyun now, and she couldn't openly point out her faults to Wu Xiuyun.
Pine mushrooms are a specialty of this secret place called Langyuan. They grow in the soil at the roots of pine trees and look like donkey dung eggs. They are produced all year round, and one of them is bigger than He Jingjing's fist.
Pine mushrooms are delicious. After peeling off the brown skin, the inside is snow-white. When stewed or stir-fried with monster meat, the flavor is so delicious that you can't wait to swallow your tongue. Wu Xiuyun is only a cultivator in the middle stage of Qi training and cannot practice fasting. When practicing, he takes fasting pills, and when not practicing, he eats normally.
Speaking of which, Taoist Lingyun treated his third disciple, Wu Xiuyun, very well. In the courtyard where Wu Xiuyun lived, besides He Jingjing, the "little maid," there was also a cook who cooked for Wu Xiuyun. Furthermore, Taoist Lingyun would occasionally give Wu Xiuyun some rare ingredients like magical rice and monster meat as a snack. Whenever Wu Xiuyun found monster meat, he would have the cook make a pine mushroom stew with monster meat.
He Jingjing had been at the Yushan Sect for over two months. Thanks to Wu Xiuyun's generosity, she had once tasted pine mushroom soup. The delicious flavor lingered in her mind. Yesterday, Taoist Lingyun had sent some monster meat to Wu Xiuyun, and He Jingjing volunteered to go out early this morning to dig for pine mushrooms. Partly because she wanted to see Wen Ziqing, and partly because she couldn't stop thinking about the pine mushroom soup she had that time.
While pine mushrooms are delicious, they don't grow at the base of every pine tree. Xiaoyao Peak's pine forest is vast, and He Jingjing remembered the cook's instructions: when looking for pine mushrooms, look for bulges on the bark. Generally, a pine tree will have a large bump near the base, and you'll need to dig about 30 to 50 centimeters down to find a pine mushroom.
He Jingjing crouched down and walked, searching. After searching for a long time, she finally found a large bump on the bark near the base of a sturdy pine tree. With a heartfelt cheer, she squatted down and began to dig carefully.
He Jingjing didn't have much spiritual power and her only tool was a dagger, so it took a lot of effort for her to dig out a pine mushroom.
He Jingjing wore a new pink dress today, intending to impress Wen Ziqing. Unexpectedly, not only did she miss Wen Ziqing, but she also came here to dig for pine mushrooms. Not wanting to get her clothes dirty with the flying dirt, He Jingjing slowed down her digging. Wu Xiuyun hadn't said she had to have this dish at lunch, so it didn't matter if He Jingjing returned a little later.
The pine tree was so large that it would take three He Jingjings holding hands to hug its trunk. He Jingjing had just dug a few times when she heard footsteps. She was startled and was about to get up and walk away.
The pine forest was quiet, and few people came in except to look for pine mushrooms. The world of cultivation was full of secrets, and this pine forest was sparsely populated, making it a perfect place for those with ulterior motives to speak out.
After more than two months at Yushan Sect, He Jingjing's naive mind had become much sharper. In the world of cultivation, it wasn't laws and regulations that governed everyone, but rather sect rules. Yushan Sect's rules didn't forbid fighting among its disciples. It's no wonder, then, that in the world of cultivation, the strongest reigned supreme, and the occasional clashes between cultivators fueled the disciples' ambitions. In just those two months, He Jingjing had already witnessed two deaths over trivial matters.
"Junior sister, junior sister." A man's voice came from afar and floated over the pine forest.
Hearing the sound, He Jingjing stopped moving.
He Jingjing remembered clearly that the voice belonged to Liu Jingyu. Just last night, Liu Jingyu had asked her to meet him in this pine forest!
Here, Liu Jingyu gave He Jingjing an embroidered handkerchief and asked her to help him keep an eye on Wu Xiuyun. He Jingjing thought that Wu Xiuyun stayed in the yard to practice every day and there was nothing she couldn't tell, so she agreed to Liu Jingyu's request.
Didn't we agree to meet here tomorrow? This Senior Brother Liu is really anxious. He Jingjing blushed, thinking that Liu Jingyu was looking for her, and was about to answer.
"Junior Brother Liu, don't say anything. I won't believe you. Also, you have to call me Senior Sister. Although you are older than me, my cultivation is higher than yours." A girl's voice sounded about ten meters away from He Jingjing, interrupting the greeting that He Jingjing was about to say.
The Yushan Sect ranks its members based on their cultivation level. Who is younger than Liu Jingyu and has a higher cultivation level?
He Jingjing was curious. She quietly poked her head out and saw a figure in gray clothes not far away. There weren't many female cultivators in the Yushan Sect who could pull off such a dull gray outfit with such a graceful and elegant look.
Just as He Jingjing was curious, Liu Jingyu had already caught up and said to the female cultivator, "Senior Sister Mei...wait a minute, I haven't finished what I'm saying yet!" Liu Jingyu was a little annoyed. This Xie Hanmei was really just like what people said, cold and icy to everyone she saw.
Senior Sister Mei? He Jingjing was a little stunned.
The gray-robed female cultivator was also a disciple of Xiaoyao Peak, but she wasn't a direct disciple of the headmaster, Taoist Lingyun, but rather an inner disciple. Her name was Xie Hanmei. Xie Hanmei was very beautiful, at least much more beautiful than Wu Xiuyun. However, Xie Hanmei was always cold, and her phoenix eyes looked a bit sharp when she looked at people.
"If Junior Brother Liu wants to tell you the secrets of our sect, I'm sorry, Hanmei doesn't dare to listen anymore." Xie Hanmei looked at Liu Jingyu with a frosty face. The sharpness in her eyes seemed to turn into a knife, gouging a hole in Liu Jingyu's body.
Xie Hanmei has a mutated ice spiritual root. She is about the same age as Wu Xiuyun and her current cultivation level is the seventh level of Qi training.
Before Wu Xiuyun joined the Yushan Sect, many people speculated that Taoist Lingyun would accept Xie Hanmei as his personal disciple. Unfortunately, Taoist Lingyun's actions were shocking. He ignored Xie Hanmei, a promising cultivator, and instead went to the secular world to find her. It took him two years to find Wu Xiuyun.
Many people stood up for Xie Hanmei, but Xie Hanmei herself didn't take it to heart at all. Over the past few decades, Xie Hanmei practiced when she should practice, ate when she should eat, and never felt resigned to her status as an inner sect disciple.
"Senior Sister Mei, listen to me. It's true. True Lord Daoyan has been seriously injured. Master asked me to invite you to the main hall at the summit." Liu Jingyu's emotions were incredibly complex. If Taoist Lingyun hadn't personally revealed Xie Hanmei's identity to him, Liu Jingyu wouldn't have known Xie Hanmei had such an impressive identity—the direct great-granddaughter of True Lord Daoyan.
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