Raise a sword!

Several days later, Lan Yingying once again arrived outside the house at No. 42, Dingzi.

She arrived at dusk.

Standing outside the door, you can see smoke billowing from the chimney above the kitchen in the front yard, and the aroma of meat fills the air.

Lan Yingying had almost forgotten when she last had a proper meal.

Ever since I came to the market, I've been busy making a living every day.

By the time she had mastered the art of drawing talismans and established herself in the market, she had already become accustomed to living on fasting pills.

The aroma of food wafting from the courtyard made Lan Yingying stop and momentarily forget her original purpose.

She remained lost in thought for quite some time before finally remembering her business and activating the array outside the courtyard.

Soon, the door opened.

Fellow Daoist Jiang still maintained his simple and frugal appearance, with his long hair simply tied up with a wooden stick, and he was still wearing a plain-colored long robe.

The only difference was that today he was wearing an apron, and the sleeves of his long shirt were rolled up to his arms.

"Miss Lan has arrived at just the right time." Jiang Peng smiled slightly and welcomed Lan Yingying into the courtyard.

The dining table has already been set in the front yard.

The table was set with a simple four-dish meal and a soup.

Braised pork belly, stewed pork hock, sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables.

The soup is pork hock soup, with a clear broth and garnished with chopped scallions.

There was also a rice bowl next to it, containing freshly cooked spirit rice.

Gumbling—

Lan Yingying felt her mouth water.

Just then, Jiang Peng brought a chair from the inner courtyard and said with a smile, "It's been a long time since I've cooked. Please, Miss Lan, try my cooking and see how it compares to those restaurants in the market."

Lan Yingying stepped forward, took the chair, and sat down at the table.

A short while later, Lan Yingying saw Jiang Peng come out of the kitchen carrying a plate of cold dishes, with a small weasel-like gadget on his shoulder.

"Cold dishes are for cutting through the greasiness." Jiang Peng put down the cold dishes before sitting down at the table.

Lan Yingying pointed curiously at the weasel and asked, "Brother Jiang, what's this little guy?"

"Its name is Ah Huang," Jiang Peng said.

"Squeak—" Ah Huang bared its teeth on Jiang Peng's shoulder, clearly unhappy with the name.

But Jiang Peng ignored it, and simply took a rice bowl, lined it with rice, filled it with a little of each dish, arranged them neatly in the bowl, and then placed it on the corner of the table.

Upon seeing this, Ah Huang immediately tried to jump off Jiang Peng's shoulder.

But before he could make a move, Jiang Peng grabbed his waist with one hand.

"Want some, Ah Huang?"

No.

"Ah Huang?"

"Squeak!"

Seeing the little guy scratching his head anxiously and nodding his head like a sieve, Jiang Peng finally let go.

Then I saw Ah Huang leap up and fall directly into the food bowl, and then all I could hear were the sounds of chewing and swallowing, huffing and puffing.

"This is a spirit pet I bought in the market. It's just an ordinary rat demon, but it's quite intelligent."

"I can tell." Lan Yingying's mind was no longer on Ah Huang; her gaze kept drifting towards the food on the table.

Seeing this, Jiang Peng gestured for them to proceed.

"Please make yourself at home, fellow Daoist."

As he spoke, he picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of braised pork knuckle, and put it in his mouth, skin and all.

The skin is soft and the flesh is tender, with a rich, oily flavor.

Although she had already eaten a meal, Jiang Peng still served herself another bowl of rice.

Lan Yingying also imitated Jiang Peng's way of eating, eating the pork knuckle with skin and meat on, the braised pork belly with the sauce, and the ribs with her hands.

If you get tired of it, change your taste and have a bite of fresh vegetables and a bite of cold dish.

Another bowl of pork hock soup will help me eat better.

Lan Yingying didn't say anything critical or judgmental.

Once she put her chopsticks down for the first time, she never stopped eating, and her eating speed increased faster and faster.

About fifteen minutes later, the five dishes and one soup on the table were completely devoured.

Most of them ended up in her stomach.

Jiang Peng put down her chopsticks early and brought out a cup of hot tea from the kitchen to sip slowly.

Seeing your cooking skills recognized is also a kind of enjoyment.

Lan Yingying tilted her head back and drank the pork hock soup in one gulp. Then she relaxed completely, slumped back in her chair, and let out a heavy sigh.

"call--"

She gently touched her belly with one hand, and as she touched it, she suddenly remembered something. She cautiously looked up and her eyes met Jiang Peng's.

Lan Yingying blushed, while Jiang Peng's smile widened.

"How is Jiang's cooking?" Jiang Peng asked.

Lan Yingying quickly praised, "Delicious!"

After saying that, Lan Yingying felt that the praise was too perfunctory and weak. She thought for a while before saying, "I'm sorry to have made Brother Jiang laugh. I feel satisfied now and have no regrets in this life."

"It's not that bad," Jiang Peng said with a smile.

At the same time, Ah Huang, who was almost burrowing into the rice bowl, also raised his head.

Its smooth fur was covered in oily soup, and its originally slender body had changed. Its abdomen was noticeably swollen with a large bulge, as if it were pregnant.

It slowly got up, took a couple of steps, let out a human-like sigh, and then curled up on the table. After a few breaths, a soft cry rang out.

Seeing this, Jiang Peng ignored it and stood up, saying, "Miss Lan, please come with me to the backyard."

A tea table was set up in the backyard, and tea was poured in.

Lan Yingying had finished digesting her food and finally remembered the important reason she came to find Jiang Peng.

She took a jade slip and a few spiritual herbs from her storage bag and placed them in front of Jiang Peng.

"This is the formula for a mid-grade first-tier Dragon-Tiger Pill."

Seeing that Jiang Peng was confused, Lan Yingying explained, "This pill is an essential medicine for cultivating the Dragon Tiger Skill. The Dragon Tiger Skill is a miraculous skill that refines the physical body externally and enhances the spiritual consciousness internally."

"Because Brother Jiang was unwilling to be recruited, after discussing with the people behind me, we decided to try a different approach to bring Brother Jiang into our group."

"If Brother Jiang can refine this pill, then the pill formula and the 'Dragon Tiger Technique' will be our reward to Brother Jiang... This is a legacy that allows one to make a living, and even Foundation Establishment cultivators value it highly. Its value is no less than a Foundation Establishment Pill."

Upon hearing this, a slight change finally appeared on Jiang Peng's face.

However, he didn't rush to examine the contents of the jade slip, but instead asked, "What are the conditions?"

"For the next five years, you shall provide at least one batch of Dragon Tiger Pills every month. Of course, we will provide the materials... In addition, Brother Jiang must swear an oath to keep both the pill formula and the cultivation method a secret and never divulge them."

This condition is simple, at least much better than the previous condition where he demanded to take over all of his alchemy output.

Just recently, Jiang Peng was thinking about learning a few new spells.

This "Dragon and Tiger Kung Fu" sounds pretty good.

"If these are the only conditions, I have no reason to refuse." Jiang Peng placed one hand on the jade slip. "This is practically offering me a freebie, Miss Lan. Are you sure there are no other conditions?"

Lan Yingying simply made a gesture of invitation.

Since her trip to Cangshan Sect, Lan Yingying has also figured things out.

They wanted to recruit a promising alchemist, but they didn't have enough influence themselves.

Then the only option is to offer favors and build a relationship first.

"After you make the oath, you can view the jade slip."