"Then let's hurry up and set off, before others get there first," Wen Longting said excitedly.
Wen Chuyu told the injured students to return to the academy first, taking only Su Mu and Sun Lin with her.
A group of people rushed to the place where the Yuanling Fruit was growing, but a shocking scene came into their view.
There are five Yuanling Fruits!
A faint sound came from the waist-high grass, "Moo moo moo~" Everyone was startled and held their breath. Could there be another bronze bull guarding this place?
For safety's sake, Ji Jiuying sent Xiao Huang'er to fly up into the sky to check the situation.
Apart from Wen Longxiu, no one else had ever seen Xiao Huang'er before. They were very curious, but no one asked any questions.
“Mother, it’s a bronze ox.”
Upon hearing this, Ji Jiuying immediately became alert and was about to warn them.
"Cub".
······
Ji Jiuying gritted her teeth, "Little Phoenix!"
Everyone looked at Ji Jiuying's ever-changing expression with puzzlement.
"Xiao Jiu, how are you?"
"It's alright, go ahead, there's a calf of the Crimson Copper Ox in the grass." He said, getting up and walking over to pick the Yuanling Fruit.
Wen Longting excitedly picked up the bronze calf from the ground.
Ji Jiuying uprooted the Yuanling Fruit Tree and secretly planted it in her space. She then distributed the Yuanling Fruits to Shen Miaoqing, Wen Longting, Su Mu, and Sun Lin.
Su Mu and Sun Lin were surprised that Ji Jiuying would suddenly give them to them, but neither of them were alchemists. In the end, they suggested that Shen Miaoqing help them refine the Longevity Pill.
The group continued deeper into the forest, and Ji Jiuying gradually witnessed the true face of the Demon Beast Forest, with countless kinds of spiritual herbs, poisonous plants, and various spirit beasts.
Along the way, Ji Jiuying harvested many spiritual herbs and poisonous plants and planted them in the Cloud Butterfly Dreamland.
"It's getting dark, we need to find a cave as soon as possible."
“Senior brother, I visited this place last time I came here for training. There’s a nice cave nearby.” Shen Miaoqing looked at the surrounding flowers, trees, and plants, especially the clear stream in front of her, which she remembered very well.
"Let's go then."
Not long after the group crossed the clear stream, they indeed saw a cave. For safety's sake, Wen Chuyu suggested that they go and explore the situation first.
After confirming that it was safe, everyone hid in the cave. Wen Longxiu took out a luminous pearl, which made the cave much brighter.
Surprisingly, the cave was quite dry, with some dry grass inside, suggesting that spiritual practitioners often spent the night there.
"Is this a luminous pearl?" Ji Jiuying asked in surprise and confusion.
"Yes, haven't you seen Xiao Jiu before?" Now it was Wen Longxiu's turn to be puzzled.
Everyone turned to look at Ji Jiuying.
Ji Jiuying chuckled lightly, dismissing it, "Otherwise what? Don't you all already know about my situation?"
Everyone fell silent.
Wen Chuyu's icy blue eyes drooped slightly. After learning that she was Ji Jiuying, he had his subordinates investigate.
The woman he knew was different from the one in the rumors. The rumors portrayed her as a useless, incompetent, cowardly, and timid person. But the woman he knew was a Great Spirit Master, a Heavenly-level Alchemist, intelligent, calm, composed, and decisive in the face of adversity.
What made her become like this? Or was she always like this? That's truly baffling.
Although she had only been in this world for a short time, she knew that those who could produce luminous pearls were all either very rich or very powerful.
"Xiao Jiu, why don't you come with me to Star Academy?" Shen Miaoqing said with heartache.
"Really? Xiao Jiu, Sister Miao Qing is the vice dean's daughter. Getting you in will be a piece of cake."
"No, the path I forge myself is the most reliable." Ji Jiuying's eyes were full of determination.
Taking shortcuts may be appealing, but it comes with all sorts of gossip and rumors. Besides, she prefers to rely on herself.
Shen Miaoqing looked at her in silence for a long time. If it were anyone else, they would probably be overjoyed, but she rejected her.
Just then, a 'gurgling' sound came from inside. Wen Longting touched her stomach a little awkwardly, 'Hehe~'.
Ji Jiuying glanced at the table and realized it was almost dinner time. How could winter be complete without hot pot?
"How about we have hot pot?"
"What is hot pot? Can you eat the pot?" Wen Longting asked疑惑地.
Everyone looked at her with the same puzzlement.
Ji Jiuying scoffed, "You'll find out soon enough."
The villa had all kinds of tableware and seasonings. Ji Jiuying took out a large pot and various vegetables and ingredients from the space.
"Chu Yu, Su Mu, you two take care of the ox. Sun Lin, go and bring some stones over." After saying that, he took the bronze ox out of his spatial storage.
"·····"
"Xiao Jiu, can this spirit beast really be eaten?" Shen Miaoqing swallowed hard.
"I guarantee you'll want to eat more of what I make later."
Ji Jiuying busied herself with preparing the beef, then gathered her spiritual energy to start a fire.
Charcoal is nowhere near as comfortable as fire condensed from spiritual energy; the heat can be controlled at any time, it's simply too good.
"Take the dipping sauce from this side if you want it spicy, and from that side if you don't," Ji Jiuying said with a smile. She missed it so much; this was the first hot pot she had eaten since arriving in this time of year.
Soon, the fragrance filled the entire cave.
"Xiao Jiu, is this the hot pot you were talking about?" Wen Longting swallowed, it smelled so good.
"Yes, today we're having beef hot pot. Just put the meat in the pot and cook it, then dip it in some sauce, and it's ready to eat."
Ji Jiuying demonstrated for them once, teaching them how to eat it.
Following Ji Jiuying's example, Wen Longting boiled the meat, dipped it in the sauce, and took a bite. The beef was tender and delicious, with a hint of sesame flavor, instantly satisfying her taste buds. She exclaimed, "This is absolutely delicious! Jiuying, you're amazing!"
The crowd gathered around.
"It's so delicious!"
"Yeah~ Wow~ It's spicy and refreshing."
"I never imagined that the meat of a spirit beast could taste so good."
"Hmm~ This thing is really novel."
······
Ji Jiuying also released Xiao Huang'er. "Mother, what is this? It smells so good! Huang'er wants to eat it too."
"Okay, okay, let Mommy cut it for you."
"Mmm~ Mother, it's so delicious! I want more."
Seeing that Little Phoenix was also eating, everyone looked at it, very curious about what kind of bird it was.
"Little Nine, what's its name? It looks so smart." Wen Longting couldn't help but touch Little Phoenix, but it dodged away.
"Just call her Little Phoenix," Ji Jiuying said while cutting meat.
······
"Hoo hoo~ It's so spicy! If only I had some spirit fruit wine right now!" Shen Miaoqing's words were slurred from the spiciness.
Upon hearing this, Ji Jiuying took out cocktails from the refrigerator, one for each of them.
"Wow, this is so delicious! Xiao Jiu, you don't just fill your ring with all that good stuff, do you?" Shen Miaoqing gave Ji Jiuying a thumbs up.
"The sweet aroma of grapes mixed with the scent of alcohol is something I've never tasted before," Wen Chuyu said, looking at the purple cocktail. "But I can't sense any spiritual energy in this spirit fruit wine?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
