Gou Zai Qingluo Cave Heaven Cultivation

This is a sacred food!

Chen looked slightly surprised.

Everyone in the village knows that Sister Lian has skillful hands and makes excellent Linggao (a type of rice cake).

It is made using spiritual lotus, supplemented with spiritual materials such as seasonal dew, spiritual honey, and spiritual herbs, and prepared using a secret method.

A single tray of spirit cakes, ten in total, took considerable time and effort, costing two or three spirit stones in cost alone, demonstrating the sincerity of the apology.

The Zhou family supplied all their spirit stones to Zhou Baoqing, and it had been a long time since they had bought a dish of properly prepared spirit food like this.

Chen's anger subsided slightly.

Sister Lian personally delivered the spirit cakes to their door, showing them both respect and courtesy.

Besides, the bay is long and short, and they'll run into each other all the time. If things really get out of hand, Gou'er and Bao'er will have to see each other every day at the clan school. If the adults hold grudges, it will be even harder for the children to get along.

Zhou Changgeng hadn't expected Sister Lian to be so generous.

The reason he let her into the house was because of her skill in making this spiritual meal. Although Sister Lian was a widow, she was thoughtful and well-connected, and was considered a prominent figure in the village.

Moreover, although he was heartbroken that his grandson was injured, he believed that boys should be tempered and refined in order to become successful, unlike the women in the family who spoiled and pampered them.

There was already an intention to reconcile, and the other side was so magnanimous. We also made mistakes, so if we keep harping on it, it would be like being unreasonable even when we are in the right.

Zhou Caigeng laughed and said, "This is too much trouble. It's just children playing around and getting hurt accidentally."

"Of course, of course."

Sister Lian responded twice, feeling relieved.

Although the Zhou family is a branch of the Immortal Clan that has been separated from the main lineage for ten generations, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and they are still related to the main lineage in some way.

Moreover, Zhou Changgeng was highly skilled at raising spirit fish, and everyone would consult him when they encountered any fish-raising problems. Therefore, he was well respected in Qinglin Bay.

If the two families really fight to the bitter end, she, a widow with a child, won't come out on top.

Only then did he take out some of the spiritual materials he had accumulated over the year and make them into spiritual cakes as an apology.

"Bao-ge'er's injury..."

"I got a talisman from Qingyuan Temple, and I'm much better now."

When Chen said this, there was already a hint of pride on her face.

"My son has a good foundation. The teacher always praises him, saying that he has the most complete spiritual roots in the Chengdao class and his fetal breathing is also stable. His external injury will be healed in a few more days."

Upon hearing this, Wang Gou'er burst out laughing, and was lightly patted on the back by Sister Lian.

Sister Lian turned her head and looked at Chen apologetically, but a thought secretly crossed her mind.

The Master praised him?

The Zhou family didn't even know that Bao-ge'er's grades were at the bottom of the clan school?

If they get a "bad" score in the next test, they will be expelled according to clan rules. This is a very new joke in Qinglin Bay.

Since the Zhou family is still in the dark... then she doesn't need to say anything more.

Zhou Baoqing had called Qingzhi a "bastard," which was a thorn in her side.

She would wait until next month's small exam, when she was kicked out of the clan school and saw the Zhou family make a fool of themselves. Only then would she be able to vent her anger.

Aunt Lian smiled and agreed, "That's right. Bao-ge'er has been smart since he was little, and he also has a mid-grade spiritual root. Who in the clan school doesn't know that there's a little immortal named Zhou in the Chengdao class?"

Upon hearing this, Chen's expression relaxed.

These words struck a chord with her.

She was indeed a fisherwoman from a water town, but her son possessed a mid-grade spiritual root, which was her greatest pride in her life.

As for Wang Gou'er's strange winking and smirking, he assumed it was just jealousy of Bao Ge'er's extraordinary talent and didn't bother to care.

He was beaming with joy, but he couldn't suppress the upturned corners of his mouth. So he said modestly, "Oh, no, no, I'm just a kid. How could I be an immortal? I have a long road ahead of me."

Sister Lian sipped her tea and smiled ingratiatingly.

The aroma of tea and the fragrance of lotus root rice cakes mingled together in the room, creating a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.

…………

Soon.

Sister Lian led Wang Gou'er away to say goodbye.

Once the gate was closed, only the clucking of the blue-water chickens remained.

Madam Chen tidied up the food box and softly asked Zhou Changgeng, who was sitting at the head of the table, "Father, this spirit cake..."

Zhou Changgeng waved his hand and sighed, "At my age, cultivation is hopeless, and eating too much would be a waste. I'll leave two of these twelve spirit cakes for Yuanqiu; since he's going to cultivate with Bao-ge'er, he should replenish his energy. The rest are all for Bao-ge'er."

He knew exactly what was going on.

It's not that they don't love their grandson, it's just that he's not a direct descendant of the Zhou family.

Given the current state of the family, it's already a struggle to support Zhou Baoqing, who has a mid-grade spiritual root. With limited spiritual resources, it's natural to have different levels of closeness and distance between relatives and friends.

Upon hearing this, Chen showed no outward expression, but inwardly harbored some resentment.

Why would Zhao Yuanqiu, with only a low-grade spiritual root, eat such exquisite spiritual food? It's a waste of two good things; they should have been given to my Bao-ge'er instead.

But they would only whisper a few words to each other in secret.

I was about to take the spirit cake into the house for my son, but then I remembered that Bao-ge had said he was taking a nap.

If I go to deliver it now, I'm afraid it will alert them.

Chen sealed the food box, put it in the top shelf of the cupboard, locked the door, and tied the key to her waist.

I'll give it to my son after he's asleep, so he can eat it while it's still warm and it will soothe his stomach.

…………

Zhishui Pavilion.

Zhou Baoqing had only made an excuse, but unexpectedly, once his head hit the pillow, accompanied by the chirping of insects, he actually slept soundly for a long afternoon nap.

When I woke up, the sun was already setting in the west.

"Wow."

He propped himself up on his arms and rubbed his face, which was bruised on one side.

I'm going to have a good night's sleep.

He sat up, stretched, and then, with a quick, almost comical gesture, pulled the celadon teacup from under the bed.

Reaching out, my fingertips touched it; it was cool and refreshing, crystal clear.

Zhou Baoqing thought for a moment, then put his finger in his mouth and took a tiny sip.

It has no taste at all.

The water in the grotto was originally sweet and refreshing, but now it was no different from ordinary well water, clearly having lost all its spiritual essence.

"From this perspective, they are not creatures of water, but rather beings nurtured by heaven and earth, creating this place."

He seemed to be deep in thought, "Once the spiritual water leaves the Azure Snail Cave, it's like a fish out of water; its spiritual energy dissipates, and it reverts to ordinary water."

I immediately felt a pang of regret.

All the arts of cultivating immortality, such as spiritual cuisine, alchemy, and ink for inscribing talismans, require a certain spiritual water, and the demand is very wide.

Now that the sacred water has turned into ordinary water, this business deal is like a rootless duckweed, without any foothold.

The whole family sold everything they owned to support his spiritual practice. Zhou Baoqing was no longer the ignorant and unruly child he once was. With the mindset of an adult, he naturally wanted to earn some extra money to ease the burden on his family.

It seems that if we want to make money, we have to start from somewhere else.

I was thinking about it.

"Bao-ge'er, are you awake yet?"

Outside the door, the mother's voice, mingled with the aroma of food, drifted in.

"woke up!"

Zhou Baoqing quickly responded.

Then Chen opened the door, placed the food on the table, and opened a food box with a smile, saying eagerly, "Try it quickly."

Zhou Baoqing looked down.

There were eight exceptionally beautiful lotus-shaped cakes, so lifelike and fragrant that they were indistinguishable from real lotus flowers.

With such exquisite craftsmanship, in a previous island nation, he would have been respectfully called the "Cake-Making Immortal".