Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

“If one day Er Ya doesn’t want to be with me anymore, then I won’t go to see Er Ya anymore,” the panda said.

Its steps were light and quick. Far from being bothered by the scene Zhuang Xing described, it raised its head and skipped along, its face seemingly saying, "You don't understand my nonchalance."

"You've thought things through quite clearly," Zhuang Xing smiled. "But aren't you afraid that you won't be able to focus on it later?"

"Why do you think about so many things, Your Majesty?"

"A lot?"

“Pandas never think that much.”

"What does that panda think about on a daily basis?"

"The panda only wants to play with Er Ya and wants to see Er Ya," the red panda said softly.

Red Panda is indeed simple-minded; whoever he likes, he likes without hesitation.

After arguing with it, Zhuang Xing realized that he was the one who had been hesitant and made mistakes at every turn.

Indeed, liking someone is liking someone; love isn't a simple scientific equation like one plus one equals.

Who can come to a conclusion about this? You might only realize it has happened when it actually occurs.

He shook his head, walked forward, and said no more.

After walking a few steps, he realized that the female knight-errant had not followed. He turned around and saw that Yan Huai'an was still gazing in the direction where the tabby cat had left.

She stood in the wind, her hair slightly disheveled.

Will that cat still be waiting for the red panda on this wall tomorrow?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Chapter 251 What is Liking?

What will be the final outcome of the love story between the red panda and the tabby cat? Only time will tell.

Zhuang Xing couldn't offer much help; matters of the heart are left to fate. But he told Shoumu that if it worked diligently in the future, he could give it some pocket money.

He has employed the pandas for two years, and they have worked diligently during these two years. As a conscientious boss, it is reasonable for him to give them a raise.

There's nothing wrong with giving them some pocket money to save or use to buy things they like. Even kindergarten kids get 50 cents or a dollar of pocket money every day.

Shoumu was overjoyed to hear Zhuang Xing's promise. It said it would use its pocket money to buy dried fish for Er Ya. As expected, the boy was in the throes of new love and couldn't stop thinking about that tabby cat.

However, considering that it jumped over the wall today and followed the king, the magistrate will not hold it against it.

He went straight to the tailor shop, where cotton quilts were now sold. Cotton cultivation was gradually improving, and with winters getting colder, there was a great need for heating items like cotton quilts and coal.

Although it was initially the emperor who ordered that people be forced to allocate a plot of land to grow cotton, and that they would be fined if they did not grow it well, once people realized how effective it was, everyone's enthusiasm was boosted, and they spontaneously used more land to grow cotton, taking good care of it and looking after it every day.

I'm looking forward to getting a cotton quilt made by the end of the year so I can comfortably cover myself and get through the winter.

The last decree issued by the old emperor before his abdication was about cotton, allowing people to offset taxes by growing cotton. The effect was seen in the first year of the new reign title. Although cotton quilts were still a relatively luxurious item for most people, many households could afford one.

Xuanqing Temple also purchased a lot of cotton. The Taoist priests like to cultivate and meditate in the snow, but they are not like rocks or iron blocks that are not afraid of the cold. Now that winter is approaching, a lot of the cotton they bought has been piled up and has not yet been processed. There are also cotton quilts that have already been carded.

Since they needed it tonight, Zhuang Xing naturally bought what was readily available. Yan Huai'an didn't say anything about these things, as long as they were usable. She said she would choose, but whenever Zhuang Xing asked if something was good, she would say yes. She never made any unreasonable demands.

If you take her shopping for clothes and shoes, it will be much easier. She will never go through a dozen dresses and outfits, asking you which one looks better. She will just pick one out, try it on, and if she thinks it fits, she will buy it. At most, she will ask about the price and choose the cheaper and more practical one.

Thinking about it this way, the female knight-errant is actually quite suitable for a life together?

After buying bedding at the tailor shop, he went to the canteen to buy rice and flour.

The chefs were very welcoming to him, or rather, very welcoming to the panda at his feet. It seemed the panda had often come to the chefs' kitchen to beg for snacks, and even the panda knew who was in charge of cooking at the temple.

Zhuang Xing bought forty catties of rice, ten catties of refined flour, plus some oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar. It was quite a lot of stuff, not heavy, but a bit bulky.

Fortunately, he met Uncle Wei, who was overjoyed to see him return. Zhuang Xing's return meant that his daughter had also returned. As soon as he saw Zhuang Xing, Uncle Wei asked him about Xiao An's whereabouts.

Zhuang Xing knew that Uncle Wei was a complete doting father to his daughter, so he invited him to his house for dinner that night. Uncle Wei was tall and strong, so he helped him carry the rice sacks and other odds and ends along the way.

I visited many places in the afternoon, and by the time I returned home, it was already dusk.

Yunling had arrived at his place even earlier than him. When he returned to the house, he saw Yunling talking to Xiao An, who was hiding in the shadows.

Zhuang Xing told the panda to go to the kitchen to light the fire, while he went to help the female warrior make the bed and then went to the kitchen to knead dough and bake cakes.

The mealtime was lively and bustling. Although there were plenty of pancakes, the pandas still liked to fight over them, as if the pancakes in their brothers' mouths were just more delicious.

After the meal, it took a little while to clean up the mess on the table.

It was getting late, but he hadn't forgotten that he still needed to visit the old Taoist priest. Knowing that he was going to see Master Qingxuzi, Yunling went back home. Uncle Wei talked to his daughter for a while, and then he said that the chickens in the coop hadn't been fed yet, so he left as well.

After the three left, only Yan Huai'an and Red Panda remained in the room.

Yan Huai'an found Shoumu, whom she had seen outside during the day. These five pandas were hard to distinguish, but Shoumu was quite special. It had scars on its body and one eye was closed, which left a deep impression on her.

She looked at Shoumu, and Shoumu looked at her too.

Two pairs of eyes, staring at each other.

Shoumu showed no fear of Yan Huai'an. After all, it was the eldest brother, and the eldest brother was always the bravest. It jumped onto the table, approached Yan Huai'an, and sniffed him.

The king said that this person would live with them from now on, and that it would remember this person's scent so that it wouldn't mistake them for someone else later.

Although it is a panda, it is not an ordinary panda.

It's a panda that has found a wife!

It knew more than its brothers; the meaning of a woman moving into a man's house was self-evident.

It's like that day when it said to Er Ya, "I like you. If you agree to be my wife, then eat this dried fish."

Er Ya responded with a meow, not only taking away its dried fish but also rubbing against its neck.

In its view, these two things are pretty much the same.

As the king's right-hand man, Shoumu felt it was necessary to cultivate good relationships with the king's women.

It picked up its satchel, took out its treasured dried fish with its little paws, and placed it in front of Yan Huai'an.

“It’s delicious,” Shoumu said.

Yan Huai'an looked at the dried fish and shook his head.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Shoumu asked.

"I won't eat it," Yan Huai'an said.

Yan Huai'an stroked Shoumu's fur and returned the dried fish to it.

If you don't want to eat it, then take it to Er Ya tomorrow.

Shoumu put the dried fish back into his bag, and just as he lowered his head, preparing to jump off the table, he suddenly heard a voice asking a question.

What is liking?

The voice came from behind him, and Shoumu turned around and looked around.

Apart from the second brother, who had finished eating and was asleep on the ground, the other three younger brothers were all a bit far from the table. It was unclear whether they were a bit far from the table or from Yan Huai'an.

So is this a question being asked of it?

Shoumu, unaware of the situation, turned around and asked, "Are you asking me?"

"Mm." Yan Huai'an nodded.

Shoumu thought for a moment and said, "Wanting to see Er Ya, wanting to be with Er Ya, that's what liking someone is!"

After it finished speaking, it stared at Yan Huai'an for a while.

Yan Huai'an didn't respond to what it said, as if it was thinking about something. It thought that people think too much, and thinking too much must be tiring. It didn't want to think so much. At this moment, it only had that clever tabby cat on its mind.

Chapter 252 A Deep Fate

Zhuang Xing arrived at the entrance of Qiluzhai. It was dark, so the dining hall was naturally empty. However, the door was not closed. The old Taoist had called him to come here after his evening prayers, so he had left the door open for him to come in.

With a creak, he pushed open the wooden door, climbed the wooden stairs to the second floor, and arrived at the small study.

There were no lights on inside, but the windows were wide open, letting in a refreshing mountain breeze and pale moonlight, so it wasn't impossible to see anything clearly inside.

The old Taoist priest sat there drinking tea. It seems that this is the only hobby that old people have: drinking tea or writing calligraphy.

This wasn't Zhuang Xing's first time here. Today, it was just the two of them, so he didn't stand on ceremony and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"Would you like some tea?" the old Taoist priest asked, putting down his pen and looking up.

"The tea Master brewed is bitter, let's forget about it," Zhuang Xing said.

"Then it must be that the flower tea brewed by Yunling is more to your liking," the old Taoist said with a smile.

"The tea she brews is very delicious," Zhuang Xing said.

The old Taoist priest smiled even more broadly, but he didn't continue the topic. Let the young people handle their own affairs; he was an old man with one foot in the grave, and these matters of love and affection had nothing to do with him.

Anyway, these two kids have known each other since they were little, and they're inseparable. If we wait a few more years, they'll probably get married. There's no need for this old man to worry about it.

The old Taoist priest turned and asked, "How is the matter with the stone?"

"It's all over now," Zhuang Xing replied. "Sister Yan took Xiao An and me to a fairyland. A senior helped me out of this predicament and taught me a method of feeding ghosts with locust wood. However, the senior also took the stone away."

"That's good then." The old Taoist stroked his beard. "Whether getting that stone is a blessing or a curse is hard to say. It's better to get rid of it as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications."

"Actually, besides the ghost-raising technique, I also obtained an internal energy cultivation method, which was also given to me by that senior."

Zhuang Xing took out the "Dragon Breath Technique" he had obtained from the snow mountain from his bosom. He didn't mind giving it to the old Taoist priest. He still felt a strong sense of belonging to Xuanqing Temple. If he had something good, he would naturally share it. He had already given him the book, so it wouldn't be bad to use this to supplement Xuanqing Temple's library.

"The senior said that the Yin-Yang Stone is a great treasure. He felt that I was being cheated by only giving me the method of raising ghosts, so he also taught me the Dragon Breath Technique, saying that after practicing it, one can make one's breath long-lasting and one's Qi Sea full."

"Dragon Breath Technique?" The old Taoist became interested, waved his hand to form a hand seal, and cast a spell to create a flame, which lit the oil lamp on his right side.

He took the old book and, by the light of the fire, looked at the large characters written on it.

"Longmen Temple internal energy cultivation?" the old Taoist priest asked疑惑地, "Why does this Longmen Temple sound familiar? I feel like I've heard of it somewhere before..."

“That Longmen Temple must be the Taoist temple that senior once opened,” Zhuang Xing said. “Master, to be honest, the people living in that immortal place are not human. As soon as I entered, I saw two immortal masters whose heads looked like they were about to grow dragon horns. The place was covered with snow even in the height of summer. I also took this opportunity to talk to that senior. That senior is probably the legendary Yinglong who can ride the clouds and summon wind and rain.”

“Yinglong…wait, I remember now!” the old Taoist said. “I read about Longmen Temple in an ancient book. It said that a real dragon was lurking there, and it was the number one temple in the world. You could take treasures there and exchange them with the real dragon. I thought it was just a made-up story. So, does this place really exist?”

“It’s true.” Zhuang Xing nodded. “However, that fairyland is surrounded by thick fog and is located deep in the mountains and forests. It has long been isolated from the world. Although Sister Yan took me there, there are only some ruins left around. It’s no exaggeration to say that it’s a ruin.”