One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

By the time Jiang Shou rubbed his aching shoulders and limped back to Shouyi Temple, the sun was already setting.

This whole day, I not only experienced the mentally exhausting pretentious activities in Nanxi Lane, but I also just had a brutal "off-road parkour chase" with that fat cat in the back mountain.

He had eaten two fresh meat buns at the entrance of Nanxi Alley that morning. Jiang Shou was so hungry that his eyes were practically glowing green, and he felt as if his chest was practically touching his back.

"Don't all those cultivation novels say that as long as you cultivate true essence, you can 'abstain from grains' and be satiated just by drinking dew and breathing air?"

As Jiang Shou rubbed his stomach and walked towards the kitchen, he muttered irritably, "This is utter bullshit! I don't feel full at all; in fact, I feel like I could eat five servings of pre-made food! I wonder if I'll be able to save on food expenses when my cultivation level increases..."

Entering the kitchen, Jiang Shou skillfully scooped out rice, washed it, added water, put it into the old rice cooker, and pressed the cook button with a "pop".

Then, he took out the ingredients he had bought earlier from the refrigerator and started chopping and preparing them. He was determined to treat himself well tonight and make some hearty dishes.

Heat oil in a wok.

"Sizzle—"

As green bell pepper slices and squid rolls with decorative cuts were added to the pot, a rich, savory aroma mixed with the caramelized scent of garlic instantly filled the air.

Jiang Shouzheng was waving the spatula and stirring the food when, "thud," his keen ears caught a slight sound of something falling to the ground.

Jiang Shou paused in his stir-frying, then turned his head away irritably.

as predicted.

Fat Tiger had wandered back sometime earlier. He was now lying properly on the wooden threshold of the kitchen.

When Jiang Shou turned to look at him, Pang Hu did not show his signature disdainful look.

It blinked its big, amber eyes with an extremely innocent look, then tilted its round, chubby head at Jiang Shou in a cute manner.

"Meow~" It even made a soft, interjected sound.

Jiang Shou held the spatula, looking at the cat in front of him who was acting cute like crazy, and his mouth twitched violently.

"Holy crap!" Jiang Shou was practically in despair. "Are you some kind of demon? You fat cat, your skin is as thick as your age! When you attacked me in the back mountain earlier, you showed no mercy, sending me flying eight meters away! And now, at mealtime, you're coming over here all cute and innocent because of the delicious food?!"

Jiang Shou gritted his teeth, really wanting to pick up the spatula in his hand and hit its fluffy, fat head hard twice.

However, thinking of that transparent air wall that had easily deflected even his full-power burst of true energy, Jiang Shougang, who had just lifted the spatula half an inch, reluctantly put it down again.

"Forget it," Jiang Shou consoled himself, feeling frustrated. "A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. I'm a near-immortal abbot; I won't stoop to the level of a cat. The main problem is... I really can't beat it!"

Jiang Shou rolled his eyes, snorted, turned away and ignored it, continuing to wield the spatula in his hand, scooping the stir-fried squid with green peppers out of the pan.

……

The early autumn dusk always comes quickly.

The fiery clouds on the horizon gradually faded in color, turning into a deep dark blue.

The temperature on Cuiwei Mountain gradually dropped, and the surrounding pine forests and bamboo groves rustled softly in the breeze.

Unidentified autumn insects and cicadas in the grass began to chirp, one long and one short, rendering the atmosphere of the entire Shouyi Temple incredibly tranquil and peaceful.

In the pavilion in the backyard, an old chandelier hangs overhead, emitting a warm yellow light.

The shameless orange cat had already expertly jumped onto the square wooden table, obediently curling its tail and lying on the edge of the table, waiting for its meal.

Jiang Shou walked over carrying a large tray. There was stir-fried squid with green peppers, shredded pork with garlic sauce, cold cucumber salad, and three small yellow croakers that were pan-fried over low heat, exuding a fragrant aroma and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

After setting all the dishes on the table, Jiang Shou turned around and went to the kitchen to get himself a large bowl of steaming white rice.

Back at the table, I sat down and looked at Fat Tiger, who was staring longingly at the plate of small yellow croakers, his throat even making a soft "gurgling" sound as he swallowed.

"I'm in a good mood today, so I won't hold it against you," Jiang Shou announced with a grand gesture, "Dinner's ready!"

"Whoosh—" Before the words had even finished, Jiang Shou only felt a blurry orange afterimage flash before his eyes.

Upon closer inspection, one of the three neatly arranged small yellow croakers on the plate was missing. And that missing fish was currently being held in Fatty Tiger's mouth.

"..." Jiang Shou's eye twitched, and he decided not to bother with it.

He picked up a mouthful of white rice, then a crisp, refreshing piece of cucumber salad and stuffed it into his mouth. As he chewed, he tentatively opened his mouth to eat:

"Um... Fat Tiger, no, Fat Tiger-senpai." Jiang Shou put on a fawning smile, looking at the orange cat chewing on fish opposite him, "That move you used in the back mountain this afternoon, the one that 'bang' sent me flying, could you teach me?"

"Look, I've been cooking you different delicious meals every day. The food is much better than when the old man was alive, isn't it? And Grandpa also told me in his letter that I should ask you for help if I don't understand something. We're all family here, so could you give me a few pointers?"

Fat Tiger lowered its head and crunched on the crispy fish bones. It acted as if it hadn't heard Jiang Shou's humble attempt to get closer to it, not even raising its head, and continued to eat heartily.

"Fine, you're pretending to be deaf and dumb again, aren't you?" Jiang Shou rolled his eyes, thinking that a spirit beast that had lived for countless years would definitely not give up so easily.

"Forget it, haste makes waste. Let's take it slow. One day we'll be able to corrupt its soul with delicious food."

Jiang Shou shoveled down a couple of mouthfuls of rice, but the sight of Pang Hu eating had whetted his appetite. He reached out with his chopsticks and fiercely grabbed at the two small yellow croakers left on the plate, intending to treat himself to one first.

Just as the tip of his chopsticks touched the golden-brown, crispy fish, and he could even feel its crispiness...

"Whoosh—" A gentle breeze swept across the tabletop.

Jiang Shou didn't even see what happened; he only felt the tip of his chopsticks lighten. He looked closely and saw that the chopsticks were empty—not even a fish bone had been picked up!

Looking up again, Fat Tiger across the table remained in the same position with his head down, as if he hadn't moved at all. But now, a second small yellow croaker was prominently displayed in his mouth!

"What the hell!" Jiang Shou was truly furious now. "You're not only eating your own food, but you're also stealing food from under my chopsticks?!"

Jiang Shou flew into a rage, his gaze instantly locking onto the last item on the plate.

"The last one is mine!"

Jiang Shou reacted swiftly, his right hand flashing out like lightning as he reached out to grab the fried fish.

However, Gian was faster and more cunning than him!

The plump, orange creature nimbly lunged forward on the table and bit into the middle of the last piece of fried fish.

Immediately afterwards, Fat Tiger lightly leaped backward in mid-air.

With a "whoosh," it landed steadily on the bluestone well rim of the ancient well in the backyard.

"Crunch, crunch..." Fat Tiger squatted by the well, chewing on fried fish while looking at Jiang Shou provocatively.

"Ugh! You fat cat! Spit it out!"

Jiang Shou completely broke down. He slammed his hands on the wooden table, using the force to leap into the air. Like a large bird, he flew across half the courtyard and pounced on Fatty Tiger by the well.

"Meow!" Fat Tiger barked arrogantly, grabbed the half-eaten fish, and ran off.

Well, a new round of fierce "human-cat chase" has begun in this small backyard.

Jiang Shou jumped around behind, while Pang Hu dodged and weaved in front.

The stone benches, water tanks, and pillars in the courtyard all became natural obstacles for Fat Tiger to tease Jiang Shou.

After a while.

"Phew... I'm not chasing anymore..." Jiang Shou, who hadn't even touched a cat hair, walked back to the dining table in a huff and plopped down on the bench.

He stared at the empty plate of fish, angrily picked up a large mouthful of shredded pork with garlic sauce and stuffed it into his mouth, turning his grief and indignation into a strong appetite.

However, as Jiang Shou was eating, he suddenly stopped eating.

He touched his chest in surprise. Just now in the backyard, although he hadn't used his true energy, he had relied entirely on his physical strength to engage in a very intense chase, jumping and leaping around. In the past, he would have been panting like a dog after such a high level of exercise.

But now, he found that his breathing was surprisingly steady! Not only was there no shortness of breath or panting, but each breath was long and deep.

Although the true essence in his dantian was not mobilized, it seemed to have completely changed his physique invisibly, bringing his endurance and cardiopulmonary function to a terrifying level.

"The benefits of cultivating immortality are amazing. Even if I can't learn any magic, this body alone is enough for me to become a top-selling food delivery driver..." Jiang Shou thought to himself happily as he chewed on a piece of squid.

……

Late at night.

After washing up, Jiang Shou lay down on the wooden bed in the side room, which was covered with new bedding.

The room was dark, and the cool moonlight streamed in through the open window, casting dappled silhouettes of the bamboo grove and courtyard walls swaying outside onto the gray walls.

The mountain nights in early autumn are slightly cool, so there's no need for air conditioning; all you need is a thin summer blanket.

Listen to the chirping of cicadas outside the window and the rustling of the mountain wind through the pine forest.

Jiang Shou put his hands behind his head and said, "This is what life is all about..."

Two weeks ago, at this time of day, I would probably still be frantically running red lights and rushing up and down stairs to finish orders.

Now, although we have a small debt, the Taoist temple is a bit dilapidated, and there is even a fat, magical cat in the courtyard that is annoying and steals our fish.

But at this moment, Jiang Shou, lying on this bed, felt an extreme sense of peace.

"Actually... being a Taoist priest in the mountains seems pretty good."

A faint smile played on Jiang Shou's lips as he listened to the rhythmic chirping of cicadas outside his window in the tranquil mountain night, his consciousness slowly fading in the moonlight.