Chapter 31: A Senior Brother Who Can't Cook Is Not a Good Cultivator

Shen Xian'er, as the legendary possessor of a Grade Seven Spiritual Root.

Among the younger generation of the Falling Immortal Sect, she was undoubtedly in the spotlight.

Coupled with her cute appearance and innocent nature, she possessed a massive following of fans.

Therefore, for Zheng Tuo, investigating Shen Xian'er's information was a simple task.

Name: Shen Xian'er. Age: Nine years old. Cultivation: Fifth Stage of the Qi Refining Stage. Hobby: Eating. Personality: Innocent, clever, and cute...

Shen Xian'er took eating as seriously as Zheng Tuo took caution.

"Eating, huh?"

Zheng Tuo smiled knowingly.

He couldn't claim to be good at everything, but when it came to making delicious food, he was quite skilled.

He did not go to the market to buy ingredients.

The ingredients in the market had unknown origins; eating them might lead to an upset stomach.

What if someone had added poison?

If he ate it, he feared his cultivation might even be destroyed.

Furthermore, the food he was making was for his junior sister.

Logically speaking, they were a family without a blood relation.

Since he was cooking for his own family, he certainly wouldn't be careless.

Instead, he would put in one hundred percent of his effort to prepare this gourmet feast.

Thus, it was better to obtain any ingredients with his own hands to ensure they were clean.

He did not enter the Mirror Realm.

Instead, he took a fishing rod, boarded a small boat, and headed to the center of Falling Immortal Lake.

There was a type of fish in Falling Immortal Lake called the Black Carp.

The Black Carp was a very precious species, known for being both cunning and delicious.

Consequently, they were extremely difficult to catch.

Fortunately, Zheng Tuo had a unique fishing method.

He had learned this method from an old fisherman.

In exchange, he had taught the old fisherman various fish-cooking techniques.

Before long, a fresh Black Carp weighing five pounds was on the hook.

That should be enough to eat.

Zheng Tuo rowed his small boat back to Falling Immortal Mountain.

He entered the Mirror Realm and went to the vegetable garden.

He personally picked some fresh green onions, green peppers, cilantro... and other ingredients for the fish.

Standing in the garden, various familiar scents wafted into his nose and mouth.

Zheng Tuo felt as if he had returned to a certain period of his previous life.

He was a nostalgic person.

He knew he did not belong to this world.

He wanted to find some proof that he had once lived in another world.

After much thought, he realized it was the taste of home.

The dishes his mother made by hand, the wine his father loved most.

He never tried to forget these memories.

On the contrary, he wanted to keep them in his heart forever.

Leaving the garden, he went to the kitchen.

First, he descaled the Black Carp, removed the entrails, and washed it clean.

Then, he began cooking.

Ordinary braised Black Carp was one of his most proficient fish dishes.

It was also one of his favorite dishes when he was a child.

He believed Shen Xian'er would definitely love it.

The cooking was second nature to him.

Before long, the aroma filled the entire two-story building.

"Not bad," Zheng Tuo nodded.

At the same time, the rice he had steamed in a large pot was also cooked through.

He took out a preservation formation.

He placed the braised Black Carp and the rice inside.

Within three months, he could guarantee one hundred percent that not a shred of their deliciousness would be lost.

With everything prepared, Zheng Tuo turned to start making roast duck.

He thought, what if Shen Xian'er doesn't like fish?

He had to prepare a few backups.

Since he had the preservation formation, nothing would go to waste.

Over the course of the next day, he prepared a total of eighteen dishes.

Once the eighteen dishes were ready, Zheng Tuo looked at the array of flavorful and fragrant dishes on the table and nodded with satisfaction.

No matter how picky Shen Xian'er's palate was, she couldn't possibly reject these eighteen dishes.

With everything ready, Zheng Tuo left Falling Immortal Mountain.

Following a secluded path known only to him, he arrived at Shen Xian'er's residence, Three Immortals Mountain.

Because Shen Xian'er was so young, she lived with another senior sister, Lan Caicai.

It was now dinner time, so he assumed they were both home.

Zheng Tuo planned to use the excuse of promoting communication among fellow disciples to test Shen Xian'er's attitude toward gourmet food.

He wanted to see if she could serve as a tester for his formations.

He arrived at Three Immortals Mountain smoothly.

Compared to his own Falling Immortal Mountain, the scenery was somewhat inferior.

*Knock, knock, knock...*

After knocking, Zheng Tuo waited quietly for a response.

Before long, the door slowly creaked open a crack.

Then, a round little head poked out from inside.

"Big brother, who are you looking for!"

Shen Xian'er blinked her large eyes, looking Zheng Tuo up and down with curiosity.

"Hello! My name is Zheng Tuo, a disciple of the Lord of Wudao Peak under Wudao Peak. Technically speaking, you should call me Senior Brother."

Zheng Tuo introduced himself.

"Ah..."

Shen Xian'er let out a cry and immediately pushed the door wide open.

"Hello Senior Brother, hello Senior Brother! I've heard about you from Master. Many times I wanted to go find you to play, but Master said I wasn't allowed to disturb your cultivation, so I didn't go. Master also said I must cultivate well and not be naughty. I'm not being naughty! How could I be naughty? I'm so cute..."

As Zheng Tuo watched Shen Xian'er babbling to herself while leading him into the house, two words suddenly popped into his mind: *Chatterbox!*

It must be fake!

How could such a cute little girl be a chatterbox!

"Ahem..."

Zheng Tuo intentionally coughed to regain control of the conversation.

"It's alright, Junior Sister Xian'er, I've come to see you."

"Mhm, mhm, mhm... Senior Brother, you're right. You're so good, Senior Brother. But your cultivation is so low, how is it only the first stage of Qi Refining? It's not even as high as mine, how strange..."

Zheng Tuo felt his blood pressure rising slightly.

Perhaps coming to find Shen Xian'er was a very wrong decision.

However, this junior sister was indeed as the investigation suggested: innocent, romantic, and completely devoid of caution.

She believed whatever he said.

Was she not afraid that he might be an assassin disguised as a member of the Demon Race, sent to kill the most prominent genius of the Falling Immortal Sect?

After all, during the spiritual root testing that day, thousands of people had witnessed Shen Xian'er's Grade Seven Spiritual Root.

Now, basically the entire Eastern Region knew of the genius Shen Xian'er.

Her momentum was subtly overshadowing Lyu Danchen, representing the entire Falling Immortal Sect.

With such a resounding reputation, it was one thing not to be constantly on guard against others' schemes, but how could she so casually invite a stranger into her house?

She was far too careless.

Zheng Tuo used Shen Xian'er as a negative example in his mind, warning himself to remain low-profile.

A Grade Seven Spiritual Root had already caused a massive tremor in the Eastern Region.

If people found out he possessed an Extreme-grade Spiritual Root, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Following Shen Xian'er into the house, he found the interior extremely simple.

It was even simpler than his own safe house.

It was understandable; for cultivators, most worldly possessions were useless.

"Is Senior Sister Lan Caicai not here?"

Zheng Tuo did not detect any other spiritual energy fluctuations nearby.

"Mm, Senior Sister and Senior Brother have gone out. Sometimes they don't return all night, so they probably won't be back tonight either. I wonder what the two of them are doing. Every time Senior Sister comes back, she looks so exhausted, it breaks my heart..."

Shen Xian'er muttered to herself, speaking to the little white cat in her arms.

Good.

Very good.

It was best that Senior Sister Lan Caicai wasn't here.

With only Shen Xian'er around, she would be much easier to... manipulate.

*Pah.*

Easier to communicate with.

"Ahem... Junior Sister, have you eaten yet?"

Zheng Tuo went straight to the point.

"Mm, I was just about to eat. Why don't you eat with me, Senior Brother?"

Shen Xian'er trotted into the kitchen to prepare the food.

Before long, she came running back excitedly, carrying a huge basket.