Chen Ye squatted by the stove, scraping snake skin.
Snake blood soaked the coarse cloth apron,
No wonder it's demon beast meat; even the kitchen knife couldn't cut through, he had to use the Jade Saber.
As for using the Jade Saber, which was meant for cutting healing Spirit Grass, to slice meat, hygiene was not within Chen Ye's consideration.
Seeing the oil pot smoking, Chen Ye hurriedly slid the marinated snake meat into the pot, with a sizzling noise, a faint fishy smell mixed with ginger and garlic churned in the iron pot.
A rich fragrance spread out.
Making Chen Ye swallow hard.
Not to mention Qing Jun, who was secretly watching.
The little girl stood on tiptoes and looked, "Master, what are you doing?"
Chen Ye gave a sideways glance at his apprentice sucking her finger, "What do you think? Why did you just go out looking for Master?"
Qing Jun lowered her head embarrassedly, "I just saw that Master was gone... and wanted to see where Master went."
When she woke up and didn't see Chen Ye, the little girl's heart skipped a beat.
She thought that Master wanted to abandon them, hence the good food and drinks before leaving.
This cold winter month, if they lost Master, would they not just wait to die?
Fortunately, Master didn't leave...
If he were to go, at least let them grow up a bit more!
"Qing Jun, do you miss home?" Chen Ye suddenly asked.
Qing Jun was not an orphan; she was born into a large family—the Xu Family of Moon Rhinoceros Lake.
He only remembered this trivial background setting from the game's storyline when he heard from Hee Qi about the Moon Rhinoceros Lake District.
The little girl froze, sucking her finger as she timidly asked:
"Home, isn't this Qing Jun's home?"
Chen Ye suddenly felt something was amiss, testing, "You don't remember Moon Rhinoceros Lake?"
The little girl shook her head, looking bewildered.
Alright, it's good to forget.
That memory for Qing Jun was nothing but a nightmare soaked with bitterness.
At her birth, the innate frost-like silver hair was regarded as auspicious, within the clan people mistaking her for a kind of Spirit Body.
After testing her aptitude, it turned out she didn't even have a Spiritual Root.
As the saying goes, the higher you are praised, the harder you fall.
It just so happened that Xu Qingjun's father, Xu Buhui, was preparing to break through the Foundation Establishment Stage.
With some people instigating in the dark,
Some claimed that Xu Qingjun was an omen of misfortune, while others claimed she was a bastard child.
This caused discord in Xu Buhui and his wife's hearts—after all, both parents had black hair, so how could they have a silver-haired child?
Moreover, some clan elders believed Qing Jun was just a mundane body.
Might as well kill her to save the Xu Family's reputation from being affected.
In the end,
Qing Jun's mother fled to the Three Thousand Great Mountains with Qing Jun, but was still found by the Xu Family.
In a rush, she entrusted Qing Jun to Chen Ye.
The memory of that time was exceptionally clear to his predecessor.
The man was carefreely washing in the forest stream, squinting to nap.
Suddenly, a female cultivator akin to a Moon Palace Fairy descended from the sky.
Moonlight sculpted Cold Jade's cold gleam on her brow bones, her blood-stained plain gauze concealed a breathtaking beauty.
Even the shameless predecessor felt shame upon seeing this beauty, instinctively covering himself.
"Take care of her for a year, and there will surely be great rewards!"
The female cultivator's voice trembled, pushing the swaddled infant into his predecessor's arms, her fingers brushing over her daughter's baby hair, then ruthlessly took off on her sword without looking back.
In a flash, seven years passed, and the female cultivator never appeared before his predecessor's eyes.
Either she was forced to stay away.
Or after initially wanting to protect her child, she gradually realized that it was just a mundane body, and it would be reincarnated if it died...
Chen Ye believed the latter possibility more.
He picked up a piece of snake meat, gently blew it cool, and stuffed it into the little white furball's small mouth.
"Qing Jun just came to see what Master was doing, didn't want to eat..."
Though the little girl said so, her mouth sincerely took it all in one bite.
Her eyes lit up, "Delicious!"
Chen Ye smiled slightly, feeling a bit emotional.
The milk ball that once sobbed in the bedding and clung desperately to her mother's fingers with tiny hands.
But now, she couldn't even remember her mother's existence.
"There's Master."
Under Qing Jun's curious gaze, Chen Ye suddenly patted her head.
The little girl puffed her cheeks.
Just for the snake meat's sake, she'll forgive Master for patting her head this time!
Chen Ye gleefully watched the little girl; she was too young to hide her emotions.
Her current puffed-up look was just like a pufferfish.
Chen Ye gave her another piece.
"Mmph!" Even though her mouth was not yet empty, the little girl opened her mouth wide willingly.
Seeing this, Chen Ye took the opportunity to reach out again, ruffling the little girl's fluffy head.
...
The demon snake meat had an excellent texture, tender and smooth when eaten.
Even Zhiwei, who had a small appetite, managed to eat a big bowl.
Looks like under his culinary skills, he can eventually raise the two skinny girls to be plump and fair!
Besides, Chen Ye was pleasantly surprised.
This demon beast meat can actually increase the proficiency of cultivation techniques!
[Heavy Body Technique Minor Achievement: 40/100]
[Evergreen Technique Great Success: 50/200]
A meal increased it by a whole dozen points.
Indeed, cultivation still requires dietary supplements!
Chen Ye estimated that with the cultivation speed of the Evergreen Technique at Great Success, he would need at least five more years to break through to the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.
Let alone Foundation Establishment.
In the Cultivation Realm, for other cultivators, if they can't break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage by the age of sixty, they almost certainly won't be able to establish a foundation thereafter.
Chen Ye doesn't know if he, with his proficiency panel, will be the same.
Since he has a golden finger, he naturally won't be satisfied with the current situation, and he also harbors a dream of immortal cultivation.
"It's best to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage before sixty, which requires rapidly enhancing the realm of the Evergreen Technique. At least breaking through to Limit Break!"
Chen Ye pondered over his future development, as he was already forty, leaving only twenty years, necessitating careful planning.
The realm after Perfection is called Limit Break.
On the panel, even if a skill reaches Perfection, the effects it can demonstrate remain within its expected domain.
The core wondrous aspect of the panel lies in the qualitative change after breaking through Perfection!
"Still need to make money; with Spirit Stones, everything is easier said than done, enabling the use of Qi Recovery Pills to enhance skills..."
As Chen Ye was contemplating this, a knock came at the door:
"Bang bang! Taoist Friend Chen, are you there?"
The visitor was a not-so-familiar Loose Cultivator, carrying a bamboo basket, face anxious.
The scene instantly reminded Chen Ye of the first day he crossed over.
The Dark Old Man had this anxious expression, asking him to help heal spirit grass.
In the past, he relied on these regular customers to get by.
This was the second deal Chen Ye received in so many days.
"Taoist Friend Chen, my Bright Flower got cold yesterday and is languishing today. Please help me check it."
The Loose Cultivator hurriedly removed the bamboo basket.
Inside the basket, the fiery red Spirit Flower drooped like frost, and ice-blue patterns formed on the leaf edges.
The moment Chen Ye's fingertips touched the Bright Flower's leaf, he felt the chill piercing to the bone: "This is cold poison penetrating the bone marrow. Did you store the Spirit Flower in a fire cellar? Could there be something wrong with the fire cellar?"
The Loose Cultivator rubbed his hands anxiously, replied sheepishly upon hearing this:
"The day before yesterday at the Market, fire stones' prices soared. I was greedy and bought a batch of old stock... Taoist Friend Chen is indeed the Spirit Plant Master of our shantytown, you've figured it out."
Chen Ye's expression was calm, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
For a spirit flower with cold poison in its marrow, the Disease Removal Saber Technique isn't very effective.
More nourishment from the Cloud Rain Technique is needed.
Recently, he had already reached Minor Achievement, easily handling the eradication of cold poison.
Chen Ye picked up the Jade Saber, which still had traces of snake blood on it.
The Loose Cultivator hurriedly asked: "Taoist Friend Chen, shouldn't you clean the saber?"
"No need."
Before Chen Ye's words fell, the Jade Saber emitted a cyan glow, and the tip wove its way along the leaf veins with the sound of ice shattering.
The Disease Removal Saber Technique Perfection realm was on full display at this moment, showcasing exquisite control.
[Disease Removal Saber Technique proficiency +3]
Chen Ye frowned slightly; currently, in severe cold and snowy weather, cold poison continuously grew with the surrounding environment, and new ice patterns formed where it had been removed.
"Bring the fire stone!"
He snapped, and the Loose Cultivator quickly pulled out a piece of fire stone.
Chen Ye's Jade Saber scraped against the fire stone, and a cyan flame instantly surged from the saber's edge, sweeping along the leaf stem.
The Loose Cultivator was both shocked and angry, not expecting Chen Ye to use the fire stone to ignite the saber, and couldn't help but want to snatch the Bright Flower back.
Fortunately, at this moment, the neighbor Hee Qi heard the commotion and came forward to press down on the Loose Cultivator's shoulder:
"Don't you know the rules! When a Spirit Plant Master is treating a Spirit Plant, don't meddle!"
Hee Qi was frail, but his grip was strong enough to hold the Loose Cultivator immobile.
The Loose Cultivator's eyes turned red:
"What kind of Spirit Plant Master is he! Although the Bright Flower is a fire-attribute Spirit Flower, it can't be touched by fire!"
Hee Qi was momentarily stunned,
but with strong resolve, he understood that Chen Ye, as a Spirit Plant Master, had his considerations.
Moreover, even if Chen Ye ruined it, it wasn't his responsibility,
thinking this, Hee Qi said sternly: "Why are you anxious? Let him finish the treatment before talking!"
"If he ruins it, he won't have the Spirit Stones to compensate!"
The Loose Cultivator, seeing Chen Ye already scraping the Bright Flower, realized there was no room for turning back, and was grief-stricken.
By the door, two apprentices were tensely peeking around the door frame, a black and white head next to each other, watching outside.
Chen Ye, with a calm demeanor, maintained inner peace, entirely ignoring the two's dispute.
The wisp of cyan flame seemed to sweep past the Bright Flower, but under the Perfection level Disease Removal Saber, it was controlled with extreme precision, the trembling flame merely skimmed the frost layer.
"Crack—"
The cyan flame swept past, and the sound of ice breaking continued.
Hee Qi noticed the workings, his eyes focusing: "A miraculous skill! Taoist Friend Chen's Living Fire Forging Ice technique might not even be achievable by the Spirit Plant Masters of Moon Rhinoceros Lake!"
The Loose Cultivator's hand trembled, rubbing his eyes as if he had seen a ghost.
He clearly saw the cyan flame scrape along the leaf veins, yet the Bright Flower showed no signs of wilting, instead becoming more vibrant.
Chen Ye's left hand pinched the Cloud Rain Technique, conjuring a thin mist to protect and nurture the flower's pistil, replenishing its primordial Qi.
The right hand wielded the Flame Saber, fluttering like a butterfly, as ice-blue poison patterns turned into wispy white smoke in the cyan fire.
When the last trace of cold poison vanished, the Bright Flower suddenly spread its leaves, and the bud burst open with a wave of warmth.
The crimson petals blossomed layer upon layer, with an ice bead condensed at the heart now turning into scalding Spirit Dew, dripping to burn small holes in the snow.
With a twist of the Jade Saber, Chen Ye looked at the Loose Cultivator with a gentle smile: "How is it?"