Washing off the dirt on her body, Li Xing found herself much whiter.
During Divine Sense Internal Observation, her bones faintly emitted a jade-like glow, and the sensation of sluggish meridians disappeared. This surprise from her first cultivation gave Li Xing more confidence in her future.
Just like that, she slept during the day and cultivated at night, drinking nutrient solution and eating the hospital meals. Li Xing's recovery speed amazed the doctors, and within a week, she was bouncing out of the hospital.
Through this period of contact, Anna and Li Yi both grew fond of Li Xing. After some discussion, they decided to adopt her. So, after her discharge, Li Xing went home with her adoptive parents.
"Xiao Xing, this is your room, do you like it?"
Since deciding to adopt Li Xing, Anna had redecorated this best-positioned room on the second floor, striving to provide a comfortable and cozy living environment for her.
Seeing the pink furniture and lace-edged beddings throughout, Li Xing was amused yet touched. This couple, who knew her so little, with just an average family background, were willing to do everything possible to provide her with a safe haven. How could she bear to disappoint such people?
Li Xing picked up the pink doll plushie on the bed, showing two dimples to Anna, and said, "I love it so much!"
Receiving the affirmative answer, Anna heaved a sigh of relief and proudly said to Li Yi, who was standing at the door, "See, didn't I say girls can't resist pink!"
Li Yi smiled like a puppy at his beloved wife, giving her a thumbs-up but internally disagreed. Don't think he didn't notice how Li Xing's expression was briefly one of collapse.
Like it? Like my foot! Hmph, knowing how to disguise thoughts to please others at such a young age, she might become a little fox in the future, too.
Anna still remembered her previous promise and, without waiting for Li Xing to speak, proactively led her to the backyard to show her the vegetable garden she had meticulously tended.
The garden was large, with sections for crops, vegetables, and fruits. Various fruits, some familiar and some not, hung full and plump on the branches, dotted with water droplets, fresh and lovely.
Li Xing walked over piece by piece with Anna, feeling like she was dreaming.
She didn't know how other Alchemy Families planted Spirit Grass, but in the Li Family, every single Spirit Grass had its name. The hundred-odd square meters of black soil could only support a single precious sprout; planting too many would prevent them from germinating.
The Spring Breeze Rain Formation was responsible for watering, and the Warm Spring Sun Formation for illumination. The Spirit Gathering Array gathered Spiritual Energy, and Beast Blood had to be regularly poured to increase nutrients. The Medicine Slave greeted them three times a day, almost to the point of bowing down and calling them father.
Even with such careful tending, the Spirit Grass grew thin and small, and it took three to five years to recover after harvesting its leaves. Harvest too frequently, and it would simply die in protest.
But look at this place — the soil is the poorest yellow earth, compacted and cracked, far from fertile. No Spring Breeze Rain, no Warm Spring Sun, just an automatic sprinkler system connected to treated gray water.
The peerless Spirit Grass that Li Xing had never seen in her lifetime was crowdedly planted like vegetables in a greenhouse.
Not growing well? Are you kidding! These man-made optimized plants are useless in the wild and can only cling onto life in a human's vegetable garden.
With limited growth space, whoever grows fast can climb up the rack to enjoy more sunshine and rain. The slow growers can only creep on the ground, struggling to absorb light and nutrients from the gaps.
In summary, as long as you're alive, you have to compete. There's no most competitive, only more competitive, until it can't get any more competitive!
Li Xing marveled at the tenacity of the Spirit Grass here, making the spoiled little spirits of the Li Family seem so immature in comparison.
Two-thirds of the plants in the garden were unnameable to her, but judging by the faint Spiritual Energy mist surrounding them, their grade was certainly high.
Becoming a curious baby, Li Xing asked when she didn't understand, and Anna explained each one to her. One question and one answer, they spent the entire afternoon nestled in the vegetable garden.
For people in the Flower Cultivation Family, anything grown from the soil, whether Spirit Grass or crops, as long as they grew vigorously, could bring them physical and mental joy. Li Xing walked and watched (and ate) along the way, feeling utterly relieved of stress.
As the sun tilted west, Anna suddenly realized that dinner hadn't been made yet. "Xiao Xing, it's getting late. Let me tell you about the remaining few vegetables tomorrow. I have to make dinner now."
"Okay, Aunt Anna, let's continue tomorrow. Do you need my help with dinner?"
Anna stroked Li Xing's hair and smiled, "That would be great! Xiao Xing, could you help me dig some Flower Skin Taro and pick some Purple Berries and Curry Leaves? Do you remember what they look like?"
Li Xing nodded. Cloud Leopard Stalk, Ghost Lantern, and Nine-leaf Reishi, to be specific, are veteran class Spirit Plants — how could she not recognize them! Tonight, I'm in for a treat (¯﹃¯)
Handing Li Xing a small shovel like a children's toy, Anna instructed, "Dig as much as you can, but don't hurt yourself."
"Okay—!"
Watching the little girl hop into the vegetable garden, Anna chuckled as she went to the kitchen.
Li Xing soon completed the picking task. She casually took out a few premium Spirit Stones and laid down a Spirit Gathering Array around the vegetable garden.
The Spirit Grass here wasn't that delicate. Maybe the Spring Breeze Rain and the Warm Spring Sun Arrays weren't needed, but it would be best to have a Spirit Gathering Array. With abundant Spiritual Energy, or rather Elemental Power nourishing them, these Spirit Plants would grow more robust. Mostly, their taste would improve, heh heh.
Anna washed her hands and, just after taking the Fire Crown Chicken out of the fridge, dealt with it and placed it on the purification platform when Li Xing entered.
In fact, Anna didn't really want Li Xing to do any work but felt that with her busy making dinner, the child would be quite lonely with no one to accompany her, so she might as well let her play in the garden.
Kiddos, when it comes to digging for vegetables, often end up playing with the dirt. As for the Flower Skin Taro, it didn't matter if Li Xing dug them or not, and it wouldn't be a problem if she damaged them. Even if she didn't, Anna would still go dig them after dealing with the chicken.
However, what she never expected was that Li Xing quickly returned with a basket of vegetables. Seeing the Flower Skin Taro intact with not the slightest damage, Anna was genuinely astonished. Even she couldn't dig them up so perfectly.
"Xiao Xing, you're amazing!"
It was truly hard to believe that after just a rough explanation, Li Xing could do so well — what an intelligent child.
Li Xing stood in the kitchen, looking around. The kitchen appliances were similar to those on the Blue Star, with a refrigerator, extractor fan, stove, and oven, all filled with modern vibes, except for one thing she didn't know the function of.
This thing looked like a sturdy stone table, its material between marble and jade, about the height of an adult's waist, with a hexagonal top, one side snug against the wall.
Li Xing placed her hands on the tabletop, feeling fine grooves and a warm sensation flowing along the lines, confirming the presence of an Array on its surface.
Li Xing tiptoed, seeing what was placed on top — a featherless, skinned, headless, and gutless avian creature, about twice the size of a turkey.
"What is this?"
While washing the vegetables, Anna replied, "It's a young Fire Crown Chicken, very flavorful and great for roasting."
Li Xing was amazed; if the chicks were this big, would the adults be about the size of a calf?
She reached a small hand to pat the hexagonal top and asked:
"Aunt Anna, why do you put the Fire Crown Chicken on this stone pillar?"
"This is called a purification platform, essential for every home, used to further cleanse the residual Chaotic Power from the food."
Oh, I see.
Next, Li Xing quietly watched Anna make dinner. She saw Anna cut the Flower Skin Taro into chunks, stuffed them into the already purified Fire Crown Chicken's belly, adding a lot of seasoning, and coated the surface with a layer of acacia honey, then put it in the oven.
In no time, a rich aroma of meat wafted out. Li Xing wrinkled her nose, and there were suspicious water marks at the corners of her mouth.
When the chicken was thoroughly roasted, Anna sprinkled chopped Curry Leaves on top, poured Purple Berries sauce over, and the main course for dinner was ready.