Li Qingran had never seen anything like this.
For cultivators, building a residence was nothing difficult.
But transforming a crumbling straw hut into a full-fledged stone house in an instant?
That was far beyond ordinary.
Not to mention—summoning clothes and food out of thin air.
It was one thing to enhance something that already existed.
But this was creating from nothing—true materialization.
At first, she suspected a powerful cultivator was playing tricks on her, maybe using stealth to pull items from their storage ring.
But… there were no spatial fluctuations.
Everything had simply appeared.
To create matter from nothing, and replicate the color, aroma, and flavor of food to such perfection…
Even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator would struggle.
Perhaps someone in the Soul Formation stage?
Or… even Unity Realm?
Li Qingran couldn't be sure.
What she did know was—her master, Qingxuan Daoist, a formidable Soul Formation old monster—definitely couldn't do this.
He could transform ingredients into finished dishes, yes,
But conjuring a meal from void? Never.
Then again, he probably never bothered learning such a skill. After all, cultivators as early as Foundation Establishment could live without food.
Still… the aroma drifting from the table stirred something deep in her.
Her cultivation was gone. She could no longer fast.
Beast meat was often toxic and hard to tell apart.
For days, she'd survived on wild berries and bitter roots.
She couldn't hide under the bed forever.
Cautiously, Li Qingran poked her head out.
Taking a deep breath, she called out:
"Senior, may I ask who is bestowing this magic? I, Li Qingran, humbly request your presence!"
Silence.
Only the sound of rain pounding against the bamboo window answered her.
Li Qingran waited, then slowly crawled out.
Of course she was scared.
But if the mysterious senior had truly meant her harm, would she still be alive?
Just a moment ago, her bare foot had even been tapped. The hand was warm—teasing, almost—as if laughing at her failed attempt to hide.
That memory made her cheeks flush.
"Fine. If I'm to die… then so be it."
She stepped into the room.
No one was there.
Finally, her gaze landed—inevitably—on the table overflowing with dishes.
"Gulp—"
The sound of her swallowing echoed loudly, followed by the rumble of her stomach.
Biting her lip, she sat down shyly, eyes fixed on the food.
But she didn't pick up the chopsticks.
Instead, she clasped her hands and bowed deeply.
"If Senior is unwilling to show yourself, may I ask—am I permitted to eat this meal? If you do not respond… I will not touch your offerings, even if I starve."
Having spoken, Li Qingran sat cross-legged, shut her eyes, and entered meditation.
---
Meanwhile, Chen Huaian had just finished his scrambled eggs and tomatoes.
He returned, picked up his phone—and paused.
Li Qingran had come out from under the bed and was now sitting in front of the table… meditating.
Her body wobbled, sweat beading on her soft cheeks, her nostrils flaring as she desperately resisted the tantalizing aroma.
"What kind of posture is this?"
Chen snorted with laughter.
"Who sits and meditates in front of food? Is she training her willpower? Her chin is nearly touching the roast chicken!"
Then a prompt popped up:
[Li Qingran requests permission to eat the meal. Approve?]
"Wait, she needs my permission to eat too? This is getting strict."
Chuckling, Chen approved.
In-game, Li Qingran's eyes suddenly opened.
Joy filled her expression.
"Thank you, Senior!"
"…The hell? She talks?!"
A crisp, elegant voice rang out from the speaker—nearly making Chen drop his phone.
He'd kept the volume muted, thinking the game had no sound.
When he turned it up earlier, he'd only heard ambient effects—crackling firewood, heavy rain outside…
But he never expected Li Qingran to actually speak.
"This indie game's production is nuts…"
He watched as she began to eat.
At first, she took small bites—elegant, reserved.
But her pace quickly increased. Soon, she was devouring the food like a starving wolf.
Chen watched in stunned silence.
"No way… only in a game can someone eat like that…"
---
After cleaning the table, Li Qingran used a cloth napkin to wipe her mouth.
Blushing, she knelt and bowed deeply again.
"It has been so long since I tasted such delicious food. Senior's kindness… I, Li Qingran, shall never forget it."
Earlier, while she meditated, she had suddenly heard a single word: "Approved."
It rang through her soul—like the voice of the Great Dao itself.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a floating golden Chinese character hovering above the meal, formed entirely from spiritual energy—可 ("Approved").
Transmission spell.
Many cultivators could form words with spiritual energy.
But this wasn't gathered from the surrounding qi—it was created. Meaning the message and the energy had traveled together.
How far away had the senior sent that message from?
"Shhh..."
Li Qingran sucked in a cold breath.
The mysterious senior… was even more terrifying than she'd imagined.
Still, up to now—this person seemed to mean her no harm.
"Senior, allow me to clean up."
She picked up the plates and walked outside.
Rain still poured from the sky, thunder rumbling in the distance. Visibility was low—barely five meters.
The only sounds were the endless drumming of rain and the occasional roll of thunder.
"Heavier than before…"
Looking up, Li Qingran felt a rush of gratitude.
"If not for this shelter… my old hut would've collapsed by now."
There was a small covered porch.
She walked along the eaves and soon found the wooden bucket she'd left outside yesterday.
It had collected a full barrel of rainwater—perfect for washing dishes.
---
[Li Qingran is washing the dishes.]
[Favorability +5. Current: 10]
"Hah, she even does the dishes?"
"And there's a favorability system, too? Of course there is."
Chen Huaian laughed.
This game was incredible.
The character felt alive—and everything was interactive.
"How come I've never seen this game online before?"
He glanced at the status report—it still needed a few more minutes.
So, Chen started browsing the rest of the game.
He originally thought the gameplay was limited to the little house and its surroundings.
But then he found it—the map.
And it was huge.
When fully expanded, the area around Li Qingran's home was just a tiny circle.
A small green dot marked her position.
Everything else was covered in black fog—unexplored areas.
Only the immediate area around the house was visible.
Interestingly, another building stood clearly visible on the map:
A grand sect-style structure with three shining golden characters:
"Qingyun Sect."
"Oh? That's where she used to be."
Chen frowned.
"If she was a disciple of Qingyun Sect… why isn't she there now?"
"Why is she living in such miserable conditions?"
What puzzled him more was—Qingyun Sect wasn't far.
Just a short distance up the mountain.
To a cultivator, that should be only a few minutes away.
Clearly, there was more to her story…
He zoomed the map back in—
Then his face changed.
Five red dots had appeared.
Moving rapidly—directly toward Li Qingran's location!