Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

"That woman... is she alive?"

"Xiao An, what do you mean?" Zhuang Xing paused, frowning. "You can't just say things like that."

"I...I'm not talking nonsense, but...but, oh dear, I don't know how to say it, but she's really so strange..." Xiao An whispered, "She's so cold...I've never seen a living person so cold..."

"The heroine is so powerful, she must have some special skills. Let's not worry about it," Zhuang Xing said.

“But…but…she has no life in her at all…” Xiao An said, “Looking at her…it’s like…like those dead people I’ve seen with the corpse-drivers before…”

Zhuang Xing paused abruptly upon hearing Xiao An's words.

Could it be that something really happened to the heroine?

However, when I talked with the female knight this afternoon, I didn't see anything unusual about her.

Eat and drink as you please.

If there's anything strange about it compared to before, it's that the female warrior seems a bit colder.

Speaking of which, there was a time when the female warrior was also freezing cold.

That was when he was captured by the tiger spirit. In the snowy night, after Yan Huai'an cut off the tiger's head, he collapsed in the snow, exhausted.

That day, after he woke the female warrior with his body heat, she hugged him and walked in the snow, using her sleeve as a cushion.

Judging from this action, she knew she was cold, so she did this on purpose to prevent the baby in her arms from getting cold.

That's why, when he met Yan Huai'an today, he didn't think much of it and assumed that it must be some kind of secret technique that Yan Huai'an had cultivated.

But Xiao An is a ghost, and ghosts are very sensitive to the perception of the living and the dead.

Because she is not alive, she is better able to distinguish between life and death.

But Zhuang Xing absolutely refused to believe Xiao An's claim that Yan Huai'an was no different from a dead man. The heroine was clearly alive and well, so how could she be no different from a dead man?

Something must have gone wrong. He wondered if the heroine was in some kind of trouble, but if she was, what could he really do?

Even if he knew the heroine was in trouble, could he really help her?

Even so, he still wanted to share some of Yan Huai'an's worries.

He might not be able to help, but there's Master Qingxuzi and other teachers in the Taoist temple who might be able to assist her.

However, the female knight is not good with words, so we need to ask her carefully to find out if she really encountered a problem.

"Xiao An, do you really think that woman is strange?" Zhuang Xing asked in a low voice.

"Hmm." Xiao An nodded, "But maybe I was mistaken... After all... after all, both my brother and the Valley Master said my sister is very capable... Maybe I'm just too stupid, and I don't know enough..."

"How about this," Zhuang Xing said, "You come out with me later and take a good look at Sister Yan, but don't say anything nonsense. Sister Yan is here as a guest, so we can talk about these things privately between the two of us. I'll go and ask her about it later."

"Okay, I understand." Xiao An nodded. "Brother, take out the stone too. I'll look at it closer and maybe I can see it more clearly."

"Okay," Zhuang Xing said.

Xiao An watched Zhuang Xing cook; she enjoyed watching the cooking process.

She always liked to watch Zhuang Xing cook.

"Brother Zhuangxing, what does pepper taste like?" Xiao An asked.

"Hmm...it's hard to say," Zhuang Xing said. "Eating pepper alone is a bit pungent, but sprinkling a little on it is just right as a seasoning."

"It sounds like a magical flavor, I really want to try it."

“There will definitely be opportunities in the future,” Zhuang Xing said. “I recently thought of a new method, and I will discuss it with your sister Yunling when the time comes.”

"Really? What method is it?" Xiao An asked excitedly.

"Let's see if we can create a body for you using plants," Zhuang Xing said.

This inspiration came from a child who rode on Wind Fire Wheels and wore a Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon). He thought that since Nezha could use lotus roots to reshape his physical body, why couldn't he help Xiao An try?

However, this idea is still only at the inspiration stage. It sounds simple, but it is very difficult to actually do it.

Creating a new way of doing things from scratch is by no means an easy task.

The Daoist arts are mysterious, but after studying them in depth, Zhuang Xing discovered that, well, they are indeed very mysterious.

Compared to the mathematical principle that one plus one equals two, in Taoist practice, "one plus one" often does not necessarily equal two.

Even when the same Taoist technique is performed by the same person, there will be subtle differences. Basic Taoist techniques are fine, but so-called "immortal techniques" require some things that are difficult to explain or clarify.

Zhuang Xing only dared to tell Xiao An to give it a try, but whether it would work out depended on the right timing, location, and people.

Xiao An smiled when she heard Zhuang Xing's new idea; she still hadn't given up her obsession with "coming back to life."

Zhuang Xing had known her for so long that he had long regarded her as his own younger sister, so naturally he was willing to help her.

After chatting for a while, the food was ready.

He tasted it and thought it was just right.

The light outside was very dim; if it wasn't bright outside, it would be even darker inside. He pulled the light cord and turned on the nightlight hanging from the roof beam.

The demon core placed inside the nightlight serves as a good "power source".

The main room was illuminated by soft white fluorescent light, and the red sun slowly sank below the horizon at the edge of the sky.

Even at night, the cicadas continue to sing. These are the calls of male cicadas courting their mates. Female cicadas cannot make a sound. They listen silently to the cicadas' chirping, waiting to choose a male cicada with a loud and powerful voice as their mate.

Cicadas have a very short lifespan. They emerge from their eggs with great difficulty in order to extend their lives during this short summer.

But Zhuang Xing didn't care about any of that. He simply put the food on the table and his attention was drawn to Yan Huai'an, who was sitting there quietly.

Chapter 226 Returning the Jade Slip

"Stop playing, it's time to eat," Zhuang Xing said.

He placed the flatbread on a plate on the table, and the playful panda immediately climbed onto the table.

Each panda has its own plate, with their names engraved on the wooden plates. The pandas line up holding their bowls, and Zhuang Xing uses chopsticks to pick up the flatbreads one by one and put them on the plates. He also serves them cucumbers and soup.

Then, Zhuang Xing took the Yin-Yang Stone out of the inner room, and the translucent Xiao An emerged from the bone and followed beside him.

"Sister, this is Xiao An." Zhuang Xing placed the stone on the table.

"Greetings, Sister Yan." Xiao An floated somewhat awkwardly beside Zhuang Xing.

Yan Huai'an glanced at the little female ghost in front of him, nodded, and that was his agreement.

A steaming hot meal was laid out on the table.

Zhuang Xing sat down, and the pandas waited for him to sit down before they began to eat.

“The road down the mountain at night is difficult to walk. Why don’t you rest in this room for the night, sister?” Zhuang Xing said.

After much pleading and cajoling, Yan Huai'an finally agreed.

The dinner table was bustling with activity. Panda said, "Your Majesty, the pancakes you made are really delicious." Zhuang Xing replied, "If they're so good, eat more. Don't forget to wash the dishes later."

The fifth one, who finished eating the biscuit first, ran to Zhuang Xing's lap and lay down. Zhuang Xing could tell that it was still afraid of the cold and intimidating "stranger" opposite it.

As the youngest of the five brothers, it is really timid. Sometimes, if the door closes even slightly loudly, it will jump up in fright.

Zhuang Xing touched the little guy's ears and stroked its back.

The little guy curled its tail into a ball and snuggled closer to him.

The food was eaten completely, with not a single bite left.

When we finished eating, it was already dark outside, but there was still light inside the house.

Zhuang Xing looked at Yan Huai'an across from him and felt as if time had stood still for her. Even though the years had passed and time had flown by, Yan Huai'an was still the same as he remembered.

Her appearance, her attire, her ponytail, and the sword she carried with her wherever she went—all remained unchanged.

How far did she travel, and how many lonely nights did she endure?

What has she been working so hard for all these years?

Twelve years later, Zhuang Xing found that he still knew nothing about these things.

...

After eating, the five panda brothers went to the woodshed to wash the pots and dishes, a task they were very skilled at.

Zhuang Xing went to tidy up the guest room. There wasn't much to tidy up, except that there were a lot of lint on the bed, so he simply changed the sheets.

Afterwards, Zhuang Xing chatted with Yan Huai'an for a while longer.

Having finished recounting his own story, he began to inquire about the female knight-errant.

"Has Sister Yan rid herself of many harmful demons in the past two years?"

During that time, Yan Huai'an stayed in Yidu and quietly eliminated some powerful demons.

Before the great demon caused trouble, she had already killed it, and part of its demon core ended up in Zhuang Xing's hands.

He couldn't help but wonder if the female knight-errant had gone elsewhere to exorcise demons after seeing that everything was settled.

But Yan Huai'an shook her head. She stared blankly for a while, as if she suddenly remembered something. She took out a box from her bosom, put the pendant hanging around her neck on it, and placed it on the table.

This is the box containing the jade slips, and the key to the jade slips, engraved with lotus flowers and seeds, is tied to the red rope.

"Here, take this back," Yan Huai'an said.

"Is my sister no longer needed?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"We don't need it anymore," Yan Huai'an said.

"Then I'll keep it here. If my sister needs it in the future, she can come back for it anytime." Upon hearing this, Zhuang Xing took back the jade slip and the key.

He doesn't really need this jade slip anymore, but it's still a treasure. Even disregarding the knowledge recorded inside, just looking at the material, jade is very valuable. If he doesn't need it, it's best to carefully store it away.

"What has my sister been doing these past two years?"

"Looking for something."

"Has it been found?"

"One more thing is missing."

"Sister, you can tell me about that thing. Who knows, I might come across it someday."

"I don't know what that thing is."