When Li Yingling returned to the dilapidated temple from the dense wilderness, it was already noon.
Her pink flowery fairy dress was covered in mud, and there were even streaks of dirt on her face.
The wooden stick she was carrying had been replaced with a wild rabbit.
Her original target had indeed been wild chickens, but those chickens were perched on trees, making them rather difficult to catch.
So, she had settled for a poor little bunny, although she felt a pang of guilt.
Sure, bunnies were adorable, but her stomach was even more pitiful, wasn't it?
Pushing open the door of the decrepit temple, Li Yingling saw her so-called master boiling water.
Chu Xingchen looked at the dirty and disheveled Li Yingling and sighed, asking,
“I sent you out to hunt, why do you look like you got hunted instead?”
Upon hearing this, Li Yingling nearly lost her temper but managed to hold it back.
She wanted to argue loudly but then remembered how impressive the Water Heart Scripture truly was.
Maybe her master was actually a skilled expert?
Perhaps he was just training her?
She only weakly retorted, “It's not that easy to catch them.”
Chu Xingchen walked over, took the rabbit from Li Yingling's hand, and held it by the ears to inspect it.
“Too skinny. Next time, catch a fatter one. Fatter ones taste better when roasted.”
“Oh…”
Seeing the sulky expression on Li Yingling's face, Chu Xingchen confidently said,
“No need to look so glum. Wait until I show you my skills. Then, you'll have motivation to go hunting again.”
Li Yingling looked confused, and then she saw Chu Xingchen take out a dagger.
He demonstrated how to skillfully handle a cute little rabbit.
Then, he used a water element technique to summon a blob of water and wash the rabbit clean.
If there was any benefit to wandering around the Xuanwu Kingdom, it was that he had all the spices and seasonings he could ever need, all stored in a space ring.
Since the ring didn't allow for circulation, it also had excellent preservation properties.
He took out garlic and onions and decided to make her a spicy rabbit head first!
One side of the rabbit would be braised in soy sauce, and the other side would be flavored with garlic.
Soon, three dishes made from the rabbit were placed on the table.
They were a feast for the eyes and the nose!
Chu Xingchen pushed the plate with the rabbit head in front of Li Yingling,
“Since this was your first hunting trip, you get to enjoy the best part.”
Seeing the cute little bunny turn into such a delicious dish,
Li Yingling's unworthy drool started to flow from her mouth.
But when it came to the rabbit head, she still felt a natural resistance.
After all, as a young and compassionate maiden, eating the meat of a rabbit was already her limit.
How could she possibly eat its head?
However, this resistance quickly crumbled as soon as she tasted the rabbit meat.
The spicy and savory flavors were irresistible.
Before she knew it, the plate of ordinary rabbit meat was empty.
Then, Li Yingling deeply felt that her master was right!
This rabbit was too skinny and didn't last long in their meal.
Her gaze then fell on her final moral obstacle, the spicy rabbit head.
Li Yingling's struggling look did not escape Chu Xingchen's keen observation.
Chu Xingchen seized the moment and said casually, “Are you really not going to eat it? If you don't, I will.”
“I’ll eat it!”
Li Yingling felt ashamed of her lack of principles.
Eating the bunny was one thing, but gnawing on its head was another.
Darn it, it’s all the master’s fault!
It tastes amazing!
Ever since Li Yingling tasted Chu Xingchen's cooking, her enthusiasm and initiative for hunting had greatly increased.
The sense of progress from her cultivation also made her sleepless at night, and she became quite diligent in her training.
Chu Xingchen, as a master, thought about pushing her a bit more, but there was no opportunity since she was already devoted enough.
Everything seemed to be going well, and this disciple appeared to be quite a relief.
However, the living conditions in the shabby temple were unbearable for someone from a noble background like Li Yingling.
She carefully cleaned up the temple, clearing away the cobwebs on the ceiling and patching up the leaky, drafty door.
She even dismantled the last two planks from the altar to build a separate wooden bed for herself.
Chu Xingchen naturally had no objections, understanding as a lady's concerns.
But if they recruited any new disciples in the future, those newcomers might have to sleep on piles of straw.
Half a month later.
Beneath the night sky.
Li Yingling sat by the fire, happily munching on a roasted chicken leg, but her tone was still somewhat listless,
“Master, I’ve been stuck at the ninth level of Qi refining for a long time.”
Chu Xingchen was seasoning the roasted chicken and said casually, “Just keep practicing, and you’ll get there.”
Li Yingling coughed lightly, “Master, I’ve read in some storybooks that when people get stuck in their cultivation levels, they usually have some kind of spiritual pills or herbs to help them break through, right?”
“Since we’re the number one sect in the Xuanwu Kingdom, and you’re the number one cultivator in the Xuanwu Kingdom, you must have some good medicinal pills, right?”
Chu Xingchen glanced at Li Yingling, who was now staring at him with great expectation.
In short, her words essentially meant—"Old man, hurry up and hand over the medicinal pills."
Laughing to himself, he thought, where would he get pills from?
If it weren't for taking her on as a disciple, he would still be stuck in the Foundation Establishment stage.
How could a Foundation Establishment master have any good spiritual pills for her?
However, it wasn't like there was absolutely no solution.
Chu Xingchen looked up at the night sky. The Xuanwu Kingdom was located in a remote area, unlike the Central Continent with its abundance of Core Formation cultivators.
In this remote place, a Core Formation cultivator could already be called an ancestor.
Right now, he had managed to form an immaculate Core, and there were things he dared not do before, but now he might be able to do them.
Having made up his mind, Chu Xingchen said decisively,
“Finish eating first, then I’ll take you to our sect’s spirit herb fields to get some plants for you to eat.”
Li Yingling's eyes lit up with excitement, “Our sect has spirit herb fields? I’ve wandered around the wilderness for a whole circle and didn’t see any fields. Where are they?”
Chu Xingchen retorted impatiently, “This barren area doesn’t even have a spiritual vein. Do you think spirit herbs are like radishes that you can just dig a hole and bury?”
At this point, Li Yingling didn’t care about what he said about radishes anymore. She now knew that her sect wasn’t just a broken temple!
They also had spirit herb fields! This meant her sect wasn’t as poor as she thought!
Her mood improved greatly.
It seemed like her breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage was within reach!
Li Yingling felt that her roasted chicken leg had become even more delicious and ignored her usual noble manners, quickly finishing off the chicken leg in her hand.
“Master! I’m full. Let’s go now.”
Chu Xingchen couldn't help but find it amusing. This girl’s eagerness to get her master’s medicinal pills was as plain as day.
But leaving early would be better. Calculating the time in his mind, it would be more appropriate.
So, Chu Xingchen sighed and said, “Let’s go then.”
Under the dark sky with the wind howling, the two disciples of the broken temple headed southeast.
An hour later.
While climbing a treacherous mountain path, Li Yingling couldn't help but ask,
“Master, is the spirit herb field really that remote?”
“Spirit veins are usually located in remote areas. We’re almost there.”
Half an hour later.
Li Yingling finally saw the spirit herb field that Chu Xingchen had mentioned.
You could really say it was something.
The spirit herbs were truly extraordinary, sparkling under the moonlight, and the radiant light seemed to be in harmony with the moonlight.
The protection measures for this spirit herb field were also quite impressive.
A faint yellow barrier surrounded this not-so-large field.
Li Yingling’s fascinated gaze turned to Chu Xingchen, but when she saw what her master was doing, her excitement dimmed.
Chu Xingchen was cautiously using his spiritual energy to dissolve a large hole in the barrier.
After surveying the area, he handed a cloth bag to Li Yingling.
“I’ll keep watch. You go in and pick what you like! This is our own spirit herb field, so no need to be polite!”
Hearing this, Li Yingling felt dizzy and disoriented, almost unable to believe it.
Master! Are you really tricking your disciple?!