Chapter 56: Cleverly Entering the Kitchen, Secretly Receiving Care

But he couldn't be bothered to argue over such a trivial matter; he merely flicked his sword with a leisurely expression, accompanying the performance with a bit of singing.

"Rest assured, Junior Sister. I won't accept this grand gift for nothing. If you run into trouble in the future, just come looking for me!"

Jiang Youling's eyes lit up, and she cupped her hands in a rather fawning salute. "Then many thanks to Senior Brother."

Xie Jingxing gave a light laugh and strode away from Baina Peak amidst gazes of endless envy and admiration.

Jiang Youling also felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted from her heart, and her entire being felt much more relaxed.

As a miscellaneous disciple, being bestowed with a precious treasure by the Pavilion Master was like a child clutching gold—while joyful, it was also quite troublesome.

Now that the hidden danger had been removed and she had a True Disciple Senior Brother to act as her "backer," she figured no more blind fools would come looking for trouble with her.

Just as she was about to head back, she suddenly heard someone calling her from behind: "Jiang Youling!"

She turned around to see a young man dressed in the attire of a Deacon Disciple. His expression was solemn, and he held a jade slip in his hand.

"Master Hong has issued an order. From this day forward, after finishing your work each day, you must go to Danyang Mountain to assist with the management of the Spirit Plant Garden."

The Deacon Disciple's tone was flat, yet it carried an air of unquestionable authority.

Jiang Youling froze. Before she could speak, the surrounding miscellaneous disciples began to whisper among themselves.

"Danyang Mountain? Isn't that Master Hong's territory?"

"I heard she offended the Master a while ago. We thought the matter was settled, but it seems it wasn't that simple."

"Tsk tsk, she just climbed onto the high branch of a True Disciple Senior Brother, only to be exiled to manual labor immediately after. Talk about the wheel of fortune turning..."

Some sounded gloating, while others showed sympathy.

Jiang Youling's expression remained unchanged; she merely nodded slightly. "This disciple obeys."

Seeing her submissive attitude, the Deacon Disciple's expression softened slightly. "In that case, follow me now."

Jiang Youling nodded and followed him out of Baina Peak, heading toward the direction of Danyang Mountain.

"We're here."

After an unknown amount of walking, the Deacon Disciple stopped in front of a bamboo cottage. "Wait here for your instructions."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of light footsteps came from within the cottage.

"Eh? Isn't this Junior Sister Jiang?"

Jiang Youling looked up to see a female cultivator in a light green silk skirt lifting the curtain to step out.

The woman was about twenty years old with smiling almond eyes; it was Wang Chujun, who had previously shown kindness to Jiang Youling.

"Senior Sister Wang."

Jiang Youling hurriedly saluted.

Wang Chujun took the jade slip from the Deacon Disciple, glanced at it, and smiled. "Auntie Hong certainly knows how to pick people. You've come at the perfect time, Junior Sister. The kitchen is short a helper. Are you willing to go?"

Seeing that Jiang Youling looked somewhat bewildered, she lowered her voice to explain.

"From the hour of Shen to the hour of Xu every day, you'll prepare spiritual meals for the White-Robed Disciples. The work isn't heavy, and not only will you receive an extra monthly allowance, but you can also..."

She winked. "...taste the scraps."

Jiang Youling felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

Spiritual meals were of great benefit to cultivation, something ordinary miscellaneous disciples could never touch.

It was clearly Master Hong who was secretly looking after her, securing such a lucrative position for her.

"Thank you for the guidance, Senior Sister." She bowed solemnly. "Youling will certainly do her utmost to prepare the spiritual meals well."

Wang Chujun smiled and led her toward the mountainside. "Actually, the work is simple. This is today's menu—"

She handed over a jade token. "You only need to process the spiritual ingredients according to the recipe; the heat and timing are controlled by the stove's formation."

The kitchen was more spacious than imagined, with two disciples already working inside.

Three bronze stoves were arranged according to the positions of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Dozens of jade boxes hung on the walls, labeled with names like "Cloud-Pattern Rice" and "Crimson Essence Jujube."

What surprised Jiang Youling most were the ice-jade cabinets in the corner. Through the translucent doors, she could see several silver-glowing fish still swimming inside.

"Those are reserved for the Immortal; we don't touch them."

Wang Chujun pointed to a small basket beside the stove. "These are your tasks."

Jiang Youling leaned in to look. The basket was piled with roots and old leaves of spirit plants; though not of the highest grade, they were still rich in spiritual energy.

Mixed among them were several charred segments of vines—clearly failed "Green Spirit Vines," which sold for three spirit stones per stalk in the Qiwu Pavilion.

As they were speaking, the kitchen curtain was lifted by a chubby hand.

A round-faced cultivator strolled in leisurely, wearing a faded apron stained with a few spots of grease around his waist.

"Old Zhou, perfect timing."

Wang Chujun waved with a smile. "This is the newcomer, Junior Sister Jiang. Auntie Hong specifically arranged for her to assist in the kitchen."

Zhou Youfu squinted his bean-like eyes to size Jiang Youling up, then nodded.

"Since you're here, get to work. Start by washing that basket of Cloud-Pattern Rice. Remember to rinse it three times with mountain spring water, and the water should just cover the rice by two fingers."

His tone was flat, neither particularly warm nor showing any sign of dislike, as if he were merely assigning a most ordinary task.

Wang Chujun gave Jiang Youling a meaningful look. "Then I'll leave you to it. I'm heading to the herb garden first."

With that, she turned and left.

Jiang Youling rolled up her sleeves and began washing the rice as instructed.

The work seemed simple, but the actual execution was quite meticulous.

The mountain spring water was bone-chillingly cold. While washing, her fingers had to constantly sense the state of the rice grains; too much force would damage the surface of the spiritual rice, but too little would fail to clean the impurities.

"You're too slow."

Zhou Youfu didn't even look up as he chopped spiritual vegetables. "You need to prepare thirty servings of spiritual meals before the hour of Xu. At this rate, you won't finish even by tomorrow."

Jiang Youling gritted her teeth and increased her speed.

Unconsciously, her movements became increasingly fluid, and she even managed to devote a sliver of her mind to observing Zhou Youfu's technique in handling the spiritual ingredients.

"Eh?"

Zhou Youfu suddenly stopped his work and gave her a second look. "You actually have some aptitude."

For the next few hours, the only sounds in the kitchen were the *thud-thud* of the knife on the cutting board and the crackling of the stove fire.

Jiang Youling was assigned to process various spiritual ingredients: when peeling lotus seeds, she had to preserve the intact lotus embryos; when slicing spiritual mushrooms, she had to pay attention to the grain direction; even the simplest task of washing vegetables required controlling the water temperature.

By the time the final spiritual dish was taken off the heat, Jiang Youling's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, but her eyes were brighter than when she had arrived.

She had a vague feeling that this afternoon of labor had actually been more taxing on her mind than sitting in meditation for cultivation.

"Eat."

Once the duties in the dining hall were finished, Zhou Youfu arranged for everyone to eat, adding a few extra slices of spiritual mushrooms to Jiang Youling's bowl. "You work quite briskly."

The simple supper, however, tasted exceptionally sweet to Jiang Youling.

The spiritual rice melted in her mouth, turning into a warm current that nourished her meridians, making her unable to resist taking another bite.

This was the kind of spiritual food a cultivator should eat!

After the meal, Zhou Youfu divided the remaining scraps into several portions based on the number of people.

He tucked the largest portion into his storage bag and pushed the smallest portion toward Jiang Youling.

"You've only helped for half a day and you're new, so you can only take the small portion. Those are the rules."

He paused, then added, "Come early tomorrow. I'll teach you how to process Ice-Scale Fish."

(End of Chapter)