Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

Zhuang Xing imagined himself holding a panda in his left arm and another in his right arm, and thought...it doesn't seem so bad, it's definitely good for physical and mental health.

"Well... then I'll do as Master says." Zhuang Xing nodded.

Qingxuzi patted Zhuang Xing on the shoulder: "I will ask the other disciples and elders in the temple to keep an eye on that Fellow Daoist Shuofeng. You can go back now."

"Then Master, this disciple will take his leave for now," Zhuang Xing said.

“Go.” Qingxuzi nodded.

Zhuang Xing bowed one last time and left Qiluzhai.

He couldn't ignore his master's words, so he decided to take a few days off. He hadn't supervised the pandas' exercise for two months and wondered how much weight they had gained.

They're plump and feel nice to squeeze, but he's not a professional pig farmer, so he can't let them be lazy and indulge in eating.

He mentally devised a training plan for the pandas: they would run a hundred laps around the bamboo wheel in the morning, then go up the mountain to fetch firewood; in the afternoon, they could fetch water to practice their skills; and in the evening, they would clean the roof beams...

He planned to take a short break, but when he opened the door, he never expected to find a wild goose spirit lying on the large stone table in the main room, its rear end facing up and its head down, bound hand and foot like a fish to be slaughtered.

In the next life, I'd rather be a human than a chicken.

Zhuang Xing was startled. This tightly bound goose spirit was clearly the "Senior Shuofeng" who had just delivered the message.

How did it end up here?

Who tied it up?

Zhuang Xing was full of questions. He didn't know the cause and effect of the matter, but his master was currently searching everywhere for this "Fellow Daoist Shuofeng". Its appearance in front of him should not be a bad thing.

However, this senior didn't look to be in good shape. It was lying on the table with its rear end sticking up, completely motionless. It lay there in this humiliating position, but it didn't react at all. Its eyes weren't open, and it was still breathing, but very weakly.

There were its fallen feathers on the table, as if it had struggled.

Zhuang Xing thought to himself that this was, after all, a messenger who had delivered a letter back for his senior brother. Others would travel thousands of miles just to deliver a letter, but not only did they not get any good food and drink, they also ended up like this. In any case, as a representative of the Taoist temple, he should first help untie it, check its injuries, regulate its internal energy, and find out what happened.

There must be some misunderstanding here.

Zhuang Xing stepped forward, about to reach out and untie the rope, when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Brother Zhuang, you've come back just in time!"

Zhuang Xing turned his head and saw Mr. Bai crossing the threshold. He was carrying a straw rope with two lively river fish tied to it, and he had a happy expression on his face.

Five red pandas followed behind Mr. Bai, standing on tiptoe with their short legs on both feet, each carrying a piece of garlic, wild mushrooms, sweet potatoes, green onions, and bamboo shoots they had dug up.

It seems Mr. Bai took the panda to the mountains and vegetable garden to dig for wild vegetables. There are mountains and fields behind this house. It's only early spring, and everything is coming back to life. Wild vegetables are at their best in season.

"I've missed you dearly these past few days. I long to share another drink with you, Brother Zhuang," Mr. Bai said with a smile. "I just happened to catch a bird today and would like to give it to you as a gift. Why don't we use it to whet our appetites?"

"This bird...was caught by Mr. Bai?" Zhuang Xing pointed to the unconscious "Senior Shuofeng" on the table.

Mr. Bai patted his chest and said, “I saw it bullying some of your little demons, so I took action and subdued it. Such a wicked demon is useless to keep. Bring me your iron pot and stew it all in one pot to cleanse it of its sins.”

"Stewed?" Zhuang Xing's heart skipped a beat, and he shouted, "Absolutely not, Mr. Bai!"

Senior Shuofeng is my senior brother's friend, and he even sent a letter. He deserves credit for his efforts, even if he didn't do anything special. It's not like we should just pluck its feathers and stew it.

This is not just a lack of hospitality, it's downright heartless.

It was a bird demon that had cultivated intelligence, after all. Zhuang Xing had no grudge against it, so he shouldn't have stewed it just to satisfy his appetite.

“Oh, why not?” Mr. Bai persuaded. “If you can’t bring yourself to do it, let me do it. Can a cooked duck be let fly away? I was just thinking that I would leave it alive so that Brother Zhuang could come back and eat it fresh. The time is just right. I will stop its breathing and boil a pot of hot water to scald its feathers.”

"At worst, I can just chant some sutras for it after it's finished eating. I learned that when our ancestors opened the Taoist temple four hundred years ago."

The boy in front of the door cleared his throat and solemnly recited: "The day is auspicious and the time is right. It is the opening of heaven and earth. Killing a chicken today is very auspicious. You are a dish in the mortal world. Go early this year and come early next year. Be a human in your next life, not a chicken."

The boy smiled and threw the two fish in his hand into the large water vat next to the side door, then reached out to grab the goose spirit by the neck.

The hand was white and looked like a child's hand, but Zhuang Xing knew that if that hand grabbed Senior Shuofeng's neck, it would probably snap and the senior would die instantly.

At this moment, only Zhuang Xing himself could save his senior. He quickly stood in front of the stone table and shouted, "Mr. Bai, you really can't do this!"

"Don't be afraid. If any of this bird's offspring come looking for us, just give them to me and we'll treat them to a good meal."

Mr. Bai continued his actions without stopping. If he insisted on cooking this "duck," Zhuang Xing really couldn't stop him.

He must be craving something sweet. Zhuang Xing had a sudden inspiration and said, "Mr. Bai, I learned a new recipe when I went home this time. You must be tired of the braised goose in an iron pot. How about I make you a pot of fish tonight?"

Upon hearing this, the boy paused, showing hesitation.

Zhuang Xing continued to persuade, "Mr. Bai, as far as I know, this bird came from overseas. This world is vast, and there are many things that we don't have here. For example, I read in a miscellaneous book that there is something overseas called 'chili pepper.' At first, it hurts the tip of the tongue, but after getting used to it, it becomes a good seasoning. If we can spare its life, we will never have to worry about not having fresh dishes in the future."

“This…” The boy withdrew his hand. “Very well, then let’s try Brother Zhuang’s new dish.”

Zhuang Xing breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally managed to persuade them to stop.

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Bai. I will definitely cook some good dishes tonight. By the way, Mr. Bai, you didn't use too much of anything, did you?"

"I've absorbed about 70-80% of the bird spirit's magic power. It'll probably be unconscious for a while, but it won't be a major problem."

Zhuang Xing thought that since he intended to keep it as food, the key to food is freshness and original flavor. Mr. Bai shouldn't be able to smash its bones with a single punch. This was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

Seeing that Zhuang Xing was determined to protect the bird, Mr. Bai seemed to lose interest. He put away the rope, and without asking what Zhuang Xing had to do with the bird, he transformed into a small white cat in the smoke, climbed out of the window, and went outside to chase the butterflies in the vegetable garden.

Seeing the cat having so much fun, Zhuang Xing looked over at the panda standing there dumbfounded.

"Your Majesty, you've returned."

"What are you still standing there for?" Zhuang Xing waved his hand. "Put down these vegetables you dug up."

He didn't mean to blame them. Although these five little guys were lazy and a bit clumsy, they weren't bad at heart. They probably just had some kind of conflict with Senior Shuofeng by some twist of fate.

Zhuang Xing squatted down, patted the panda's head, picked one up, and asked them what had happened.

The pandas exchanged a few glances and, with perfect understanding, used their magic to reenact the scene in front of Zhuang Xing.

It's quite lifelike, and the sound reproduction is very accurate.

Zhuang Xing, however, felt puzzled and asked, "Shoumu, did it really say, 'I've met you again, you panda spirit'?"

"That's exactly what they said." Shoumu nodded.

“We all heard it!” the other four pandas chimed in. “We thought it was Big Brother’s friend, but it turns out it bullied us.”

"I'll cook you something delicious tonight. You haven't done anything wrong, so don't complain," Zhuang Xing said.

"Your Majesty, I want to eat a cake!"

Upon hearing this, the panda rubbed against Zhuang Xing's ankle and acted affectionately.

Zhuang Xing pinched the little guy's belly, thinking to himself that this "senior" was really strange in every way. Could it be that it had seen him and Shoumu before, which was why it had such unusual reactions?

I really wanted to ask it myself, but it had fainted again, so I could only wait until it woke up.

剑意

Yunling wrapped the goose in front of her with a wool blanket, moving gently to make sure that its fragile neck was padded with soft cloth before placing it in the basket that was originally used to hold eggs.

The basket was just the right size to hold a goose. The goose's messy feathers had been neatly arranged, and its entire body, except for its head, was curled up in the wool blanket. At first glance, it looked like a hungry baby, lying inside as if peacefully asleep.

“I’ll take it to Master right now,” Yunling said. “Let Master take a look at it.”

"Please go and explain what happened to Elder Yuanyan and Master Qingxuzi," Zhuang Xing said.

Zhuang Xing originally wanted to report to his master in person, but he also had to cook and come up with some new dishes so as not to fail to satisfy the palate of a certain immortal. So he could only ask the panda to deliver a message and ask Yunling to take care of this senior Shuofeng on his behalf.

Yunling nodded and took out a gauze-wrapped tea bag and a small celadon jar from her bosom.

"This is a refreshing tea, it will taste a bit bitter. If you don't like it, you can add some dried red dates to brew it together. This jar is a calming pill. Take one before going to bed, and then meditate and regulate your breathing for three quarters of an hour. You should be able to sleep better. Try it today. I will bring a few more doses of the prepared decoction tomorrow. You must make sure to get some rest."

"I understand." Zhuang Xing carefully put away the tea bag and calming pill, which still retained the warmth of the young girl.

He looked at the beads of sweat on Yunling's forehead and his heart softened.

It was a pleasant spring day, and I imagine she was tending the stove to boil medicine when she heard I needed to speak with her, so she rushed over without even having time to prepare herself.

"I'll bring you food later." Zhuang Xing took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Yunling's forehead, feeling a little sorry for her. "Don't overwork yourself."

"Okay, I'll be going now." Yunling smiled faintly, tiptoed and gave Zhuang Xing a light peck on the cheek.

See you tonight.

See you tonight.

Yunling picked up the basket and left with light steps.

Zhuang Xing touched his cheek, and the vexation in his heart seemed to vanish. He then called the panda to go to the woodshed to start a fire.

As the sun set, he had already cooked a table full of dishes, including baked flatbread, a favorite of pandas.

These little guys have a special fondness for flatbread; they don't like meat or fish, and all they talk about is flatbread. I've never seen them get tired of it.

As soon as he makes pancakes, they all flock up to him and rub against him. If Zhuang Xing wanted to use the pancakes to make a trap for catching pandas, he would definitely catch them every time.

While enjoying the crowd he had grown accustomed to, he packed a lunchbox for Yunling, with a variety of dishes, including fish that she loved, which Zhuang Xing carefully removed the bones from one by one.

The aroma of oil wafted out, and two women walked in from the doorway.

One was tall and the other short; the shorter one looked like a child, while the taller one had a steady gait.

Yan Huai'an and Qing held bamboo fishing rods in their hands and carried fish buckets, as if they had gone fishing somewhere in the mountains.

A white cat jumped onto the table, pulled out half a fish tail and devoured it. Seemingly not satisfied with the cat's appearance, the cat transformed into a child in the smoke.

Zhuang Xing greeted the two men and offered brief words of greeting, explaining that he had already prepared the meal, but had other things to do and would not be eating inside.

The cleaning work inside the house was always done by Mao Xiong. In the past, Uncle Wei would cook for them, but today Zhuang Xing had already cooked, so Uncle Wei didn't have to bother and went to the study to talk to his daughter.

After making sure everything was in order inside, Zhuang Xing picked up the bamboo lunchbox filled with rice and went to find Yunling.

"This kid knows how to handle things."

Qing put down his fishing rod and jumped onto the chair.

Bai and Qing discussed when they would go back to visit their ancestors. The outside world had changed a lot, and there were many interesting things. As servants under their ancestors, they felt that there were some things that their ancestors would be interested in.

The five panda brothers were huddled in the corner of the table eating pancakes. They were fighting over a single pancake. There were actually many pancakes, but the one in the brother's mouth seemed to be the crispiest and had the most meat inside. They liked to fight over them, which was probably one of their ways of playing.

Yan Huai'an looked back at the door, sat down at the dining table, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and silently picked up some food.

The food was perfectly seasoned, with excellent color, aroma, and taste.

She ate very well. When she traveled alone in the world before, she never cared about food. She could eat roasted rabbit meat, roasted corn cakes, and sour hawthorn fruits, but she rarely had a meal like this.