Chapter 7 Fishing 1: Skill successfully unlocked: Fishing
“It must be Miss Xu who is preparing the food,” Xiang Yuquan replied with his eyes closed.
"I didn't expect this little girl to be so good at cooking."
Zuo Qiuxu glanced at the ajar door, leaned closer to Xiang Yuquan, and lowered his voice, saying, "Senior brother, why did you tell her about the Ganoderma lucidum? If she tells the villagers, some ungrateful fools might go into the mountains to search for treasure, wouldn't that be..."
“She’s a bit special, not like a child, she wouldn’t do that.”
Xiang Yuquan still did not open his eyes. "Mortals have their own destiny. Please ask Senior Brother Shen to set up a barrier in the mountain. This is already the best you can do to help. If anyone enters and dies, then it is their fate."
Today, he appeared to be a kind and benevolent immortal in front of Zhao Desheng and Xu Xing, but his words now revealed a hint of coldness.
There is a world of difference between mortals and cultivators.
"oh……"
Zuo Qiuxu propped his head up, barely managing to endure it for a while, before suddenly jumping up, "No way! I'm going to see what kind of good stuff she's making!"
Xiang Yuquan asked helplessly, "Where are your fasting pills?"
Ordinary grains often contain impurities. While they may not have any effect on the health of cultivators, it is really unnecessary for cultivators who have already abstained from grains to consume them.
"I'm not hungry! It just smells so good, it makes my mouth water!"
Zuo Qiuxu ran to knock on the door with a clear conscience.
Zhao Bo was quite thoughtful; he not only provided grain but also added some oil and salt.
Xu Xing rummaged through the bag of grain and found something that looked like sweet potatoes. He stir-fried them briefly, then pinched off pieces of dough to make dumplings, mixed them all together, and cooked them haphazardly.
She was so hungry that she just wanted to eat something hot as soon as possible. Although it didn't look very appealing, it smelled delicious.
In the Life Skills panel, the [Cooking] skill has unlocked another dish: [Sweet Potato Stewed Noodles].
Xu Xing now understood that no matter what kind of mess she made, as long as it was edible, the skill panel could recognize it as a "dish".
Xu Xing, who was ladling food from the pot, heard a knock on the door and asked, "Is this the Immortal Master? Please come in."
Since the two cultivators were right outside the door, she didn't bolt the door.
Zuoqiu Xu peeked out from the doorway, sniffed the aroma in the room, and asked curiously, "Little sister, what did you make? It smells so good!"
Xu Xing smiled and invited, "If you don't mind, please come in and eat with us."
Zuo Qiuxu only hesitated for a moment before entering the house with his hands behind his back and naturally accepting the bowl and chopsticks handed to him by Xu Xing.
Xu Xing glanced behind him, "Immortal Xiang, aren't you going to eat?"
Zuo Qiuxu picked up a piece of dough with his chopsticks and tasted it. His eyes lit up immediately. How could ordinary sweet potatoes taste so good?!
He mumbled as he stuffed something into his mouth, "Ignore him, he won't eat."
Xiang Yuquan also believed that eating too much mortal food would accumulate impurities in a cultivator's body. He would either eat fasting pills or spirit beast meat and spirit rice, while Zuo Qiuxu was always carefree and did not care about these things.
The bowl of noodles was quickly emptied, and Zuo Qiuxu wiped his mouth with a lingering sense of satisfaction.
He had been taking fasting pills with his two senior brothers for some time, and it was a rare treat to taste such delicious food. His drowsiness from earlier had actually disappeared, and he felt more energetic.
Although he still wanted to eat, Zuo Qiuxu knew his limits. He put down the chipped bowl in his hand, thought for a moment, and ran outside to find Xiang Yuquan.
"Senior brother, senior brother~ Do you have anything in your storage bag that a mortal could use?"
Xiang Yuquan saw through his thoughts at a glance, "You've already given him the fasting pill, haven't you?"
Zuo Qiuxu chuckled, realizing he couldn't hide it from his senior brother, Xiang.
"She is weak and helpless, so it is not advisable for her to have anything valuable in her hands. If someone with ulterior motives sees it, it may bring trouble upon her."
The village chief only treated Xu Xing better because they were intentionally looking out for her. But they were only staying for a few days. After they left, it wouldn't be long before everything would go back to normal.
Possessing a treasure is a crime; if Xu Xing were to acquire something he shouldn't have, it would only bring her trouble.
Zuo Qiuxu scratched his head, somewhat disappointed, "I know, but her situation is really..."
"Fine, give this to her."
Xiang Yuquan took out a seemingly ordinary black rope.
"What is this?" Zuo Qiuxu took it, but did not sense any spiritual energy fluctuations on it.
"It is woven from the stems of low-grade Spirit-Stabilizing Grass, which can nourish the body. Most importantly, when it is tied to the hand, it can be integrated into the body, invisible and traceless, so there is no need to worry about being discovered by those with ulterior motives."
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Zuo Qiuxu knew about the Spirit-Solidifying Grass. It could nourish the body and accelerate wound healing. Low-grade Spirit-Solidifying Grass had little effect on cultivators, but it was very suitable for Xu Xing, who had a weak constitution.
I never expected that Senior Brother Xiang would have such a little gadget. Perhaps it was something he got before and kept in his storage bag without being cleaned out.
Zuo Qiuxu was about to accept it when Xiang Yuquan paused, "Although Miss Xu is young, she doesn't seem like someone who would accept a favor without feeling guilty. You'd better not say so directly, otherwise she probably won't accept it."
"Don't worry, senior brother. I'll tie it on for her quietly after she falls asleep."
Zuo Qiuxu didn't take it seriously.
Xu Xing, who was engrossed in eating inside, was unaware of Zuo Qiuxu's plans. Having lived alone for many years in her previous life, she naturally knew how to cook, but her skills were only average. The food she made tasted acceptable, but it wasn't exactly delicious.
To everyone's surprise, the food he made haphazardly this time turned out to be incredibly delicious. Even Xu Xing himself was astonished. Could it be the effect of the skill panel?
However, the bamboo shoots last time were terrible. Xu Xing thought of the bamboo shoots that were boiled in water. Indeed, if they could be made into delicious food like that, then the skill panel's bonus effect would be too outrageous.
After finishing a bowl of noodles, Xu Xing was still far from full, and she secretly marveled at how big her appetite was despite her small frame. However, with something in her stomach, she felt her strength had returned considerably, and she felt more energetic.
After happily clearing away the dishes, Xu Xing belatedly realized something: the dishes in the game, like the elixirs, all had attributes. Could the dishes she made have other uses besides filling her stomach?
Thinking this, Xu Xing immediately tried to access the skill panel in her mind. She didn't know how to "open the details" like in a game, so she tried to focus her attention on the dish [Sweet Potato Stewed Noodles]. Soon, a line of small text appeared.
"Delicious sweet potato stew with noodles, Spirit +2, Stamina +2"
It actually has other uses!
Xu Xing immediately checked the two dishes he had unlocked last time. The effect of [Stir-fried Hemostatic Herb] was "Restores HP +1", while the effect of [Bamboo Shoot Soup] was "Unpalatable Bamboo Shoot Soup, Reduces Spirit by 1".
Well……
So, the bamboo shoot soup she ate last time actually had a debuff, but because she was so hungry and felt dizzy and lightheaded, she didn't notice this negative effect...
Xu Xing was both amused and exasperated. She realized that her development level in the life skills panel was still too low. Not to mention the skills that were still grayed out, she hadn't even fully understood the few skills that she had unlocked.
But you can't blame her. How can someone who's starving every day have the mind to study these things?
Although he discovered that the bamboo shoot soup had some negative effects, Xu Xing didn't pay much attention to it. If his energy level dropped, so be it; he could just take a nap and be fine. But if he didn't eat enough, he would really starve to death.
However, now that the village chief has given him this bag of food, Xu Xing can have a long time to focus on learning life skills.
She set her sights on the gray "fishing" sign and planned to try it out by the river tomorrow.
If she can actually catch fish, why would she worry about not having enough to eat?
With a plan in mind, Xu Xing tightly tied the food bag, lay down on her bed with anticipation, and soon drifted off to sleep.
Xu Xing, who dreamt of catching a group of lively fish, was completely unaware that after she fell asleep, Zuo Qiuxu came in and quietly tied a bracelet on her right wrist.
Watching the Spirit-Solid Grass gradually disappear beneath Xu Xing's skin and flesh, Zuo Qiuxu smiled with satisfaction, "Eating the delicious food you made is my reward. Grow up well, little sister."
...
The next day, Xu Xing woke up hungry again. She was already used to it. She got up and drank a big gulp of water to relieve her hunger.
Looking at the bag of grain, Xu Xing hesitated for a moment, deciding to skip breakfast again and eat a full meal at noon. With yesterday's plan in mind, Xu Xing prepared to go out early to find usable tools.
Pushing open the door, Xiang Yuquan was still meditating in the same posture as yesterday, while Zuo Qiuxu was already fast asleep, sprawled out in all directions.
Xu Xing quietly closed the door and walked towards the bamboo forest, not noticing that Xiang Yuquan had opened his eyes and glanced at her.
She chose a thin bamboo pole and got some hemp rope from home, but when it came to bait, Xu Xing ran into a problem. She wasn't afraid of cockroaches, snakes, or rats, but she was terrified of long, thin insects like earthworms.
Even if insects are disgusting, they're still better than starving to death, right?
Xu Xing took a few deep breaths to prepare himself mentally, then found a damp spot and decided to dig for earthworms.
"What are you doing?"
She hadn't dug twice when she heard Zuo Qiuxu's voice behind her.
"Digging sweet potatoes?"
Zuo Qiuxu smacked his lips, still reminiscing about the delicious food he had yesterday.
Where can you find sweet potatoes in a bamboo forest?
Xu Xing chuckled and explained that he was planning to go fishing.
fishing?
Zuo Qiuxu looked at the tools she had prepared and shook his head: "How could these things possibly catch any fish?"
Zuo Qiuxu's master was an avid fisherman and even commissioned a craftsman to make an exquisite fishing rod with all sorts of tools, but he still came up empty-handed nine times out of ten.
Having grown accustomed to his master returning empty-handed, Zuo Qiuxu did not believe that Xu Xing could successfully catch fish with such limited skills.
The little girl is too naive.
Xu Xing didn't say much and focused on digging for earthworms. He didn't know about the soil conditions in this place, and after digging for a long time, he found nothing.
Zuoqiu Xu squatted down and looked at it for a while, then said, "How about this, I have some bait that you can use for fishing, but you have to take me with you."
He often saw his master using monster meat as bait, and since he had plenty in his storage bag, he could give it to Xu Xing to play with.
Senior Brother Xiang is always meditating, and Senior Brother Chen hasn't arrived yet. He's getting so bored.
Xu Xing was somewhat surprised. Looking at Zuo Qiuxu, whose face still had a childish look, he realized that although he was a cultivator, he was only a teenager, so it was normal for him to be playful.
"good."
Soon, the two arrived at the riverbank together. It was still early, but many villagers were already washing clothes there.
After circling around and finding a secluded spot, Xu Xing put down his basket and began to prepare.
Zuo Qiuxu crushed a small piece of monster meat and placed it next to Xu Xing. Since Xu Xing didn't have a fishing hook, he simply tied the piece of meat to the rope.
Watching Xu Xing's clumsy swing, Zuo Qiuxu, who had already foreseen the outcome, shook his head and lay on the grass, looking up at the sky with boredom. Why hasn't Senior Brother Shen arrived yet?
He's discovered a monster's lair this time; he should be able to bring back a lot of good stuff, right?
After Xu Xing cast his line, there was no activity on the life skills panel, which means it must be unlocked by successfully catching a fish.
She wasn't in a hurry; she held the bamboo pole and quietly gazed at the water.
Several villagers watched them from a distance. They had already heard the village chief talk about the demons in the mountains and knew that a celestial being was going to exorcise them for them.
Eager to witness the immortal's supernatural powers, but fearing to anger him, the curious villagers simply watched the commotion from a distance.
Why did this immortal take a liking to Xu Xing? He even agreed to go out and play with her.
The villagers didn't think Xu Xing was fishing. What kind of fish could a little girl like her catch with a bamboo pole?
After a while, Xu Xing finally felt the bamboo pole in her hand sinking. Her eyes lit up, and she pulled hard towards herself. Fortunately, it was just a small fish, otherwise she probably wouldn't have been able to pull it up with her current strength.
The bamboo pole is raised high, and the scales of the fish pulled out of the water shimmer silver in the morning light.
"Successfully unlocked gathering skill: Fishing".
Zuo Qiuxu sat up abruptly, his mouth agape in disbelief.
She actually caught the fish like that?!
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