Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

She opened her tongue to fan the air, trying to get rid of the sweetness in her mouth, but it didn't work.

With no other option, she grabbed the water bottle and frantically gulped down water, gulping until she was half full, finally getting rid of the tooth-aching sweet taste.

Xiangling looked at Hu Tao and pouted angrily.

You lied to me again!

"I'm not lying to you! Look, he really likes it." Hu Tao innocently raised her hands, stubbornly denying it.

"You didn't know at all in the first place!" Xiangling didn't believe her nonsense and angrily grabbed her braid.

"Spare me, spare me, I was wrong, I was wrong..." With her braid being grabbed, Hu Tao shamelessly lowered her head and admitted her mistake.

She picked up her chopsticks and kept putting food on Xiangling's plate, saying, "Come on, chef, you've worked hard. Please eat more."

Seeing Hu Tao's expression, Jiang Bai laughed out loud in a wicked way, which earned him an angry glare from Hu Tao.

Jiang Bai, who had been glared at, lowered his head and silently drank his soup. He finished one bowl and, still not satisfied, filled another bowl.

Seeing how happy he was drinking, Guoba tilted its head, wondering if this dish really tasted the same as it remembered.

It stretched out its little hand, grabbed a petal from its soup bowl, and put it in its mouth.

The moment the sweet flower touches the tongue, an extremely sweet taste rushes to the tip of the tongue, as if one has eaten a lethal dose of sugar.

The bear lay flat on the ground, its little face scrunched up, almost suffocating from the savory smell.

"Guoba, are you alright, Guoba!" Xiangling quickly helped it up to check on it.

"Lulu~" Guoba's voice was weak and listless, his eyes filled with grievance.

This is so sweet... How can this human enjoy eating it so much...?

Seeing that the rice crust was only overwhelmed by the sweetness, Xiangling breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't eat random things anymore..."

Animals have a much more sensitive sense of taste than humans. Although we don't know what kind of creature rice crust is, we certainly couldn't stand this level of sweetness.

She pulled out a chili pepper. "Here, have a Jueyun chili pepper to calm your nerves."

Knowing that this was not his original world, Jiang Bai was no longer surprised by these strange creatures.

But seeing Xiong Xiong eating raw chili peppers, he still blinked in shock.

If you get overwhelmed by sweetness, will you not get overwhelmed by spiciness?

Although he was curious, he didn't ask any questions, since this was someone else's way of raising animals.

Moreover, he saw the Eye of God on Xiangling's waist, which meant that the little girl was also the owner of the Eye of God. This bear might be some kind of guardian spirit, just like the little ghost of the hall master.

"Guoba is so funny~" Hu Tao laughed heartily, and the little ghost on her shoulder also popped out, making a laughing gesture.

"Lulu..."

Guoba, who had recovered from eating chili peppers, had tears welling up in her eyes; she was feeling wronged.

Xiangling gave Hu Tao a hard tap on the head, put her hands on her hips, pouted, and pretended to be fierce, "Don't laugh at Guoba!"

Hu Tao pressed down on her hat, immediately begging for forgiveness, "Okay, okay, I won't laugh anymore..."

Watching the two little girls playfully bickering, Jiang Bai, who was enjoying his meal, was in an exceptionally pleasant mood.

'This kind of life is really great.'

"Xiangling, what kind of rumors have you heard about me?"

While eating and chatting, Jiang Bai curiously brought up this matter.

He was genuinely curious about how he was perceived in these rumors.

"Do you really want to hear this?" Xiangling was worried that Jiang Bai might not be able to accept it.

"Of course!"

“Everyone says something different. Some say you’re a zombie, some say you can’t talk, some say you’re mentally unstable, some say you have three legs, and some say you need to crawl… In short, they all say things that are incredibly absurd…”

Xiangling briefly summarized what she had heard, and it was as outrageous as could be.

"It's perfectly normal for rumors like that to exist~" Walnut picked up a piece of meat, put it in her mouth, and mumbled indistinctly as she chewed:

"None of them have ever seen you; they just heard about it from others. Everyone heard different things, and the stories kept getting more and more outrageous. That's how rumors and misinformation spread..."

Jiang Bai smacked his lips.

People always love stories that are bizarre and unheard of, and the more bizarre and unheard of a story is, the wider it spreads.

If he hadn't been resurrected, no one would have discussed this seemingly ordinary nobody who suddenly appeared.

"Do the people of Liyue Harbor have no entertainment life?" Otherwise, this rumor about him wouldn't have spawned so many versions.

"Yes. Listening to operas, listening to storytelling..." Hu Tao thought for a long time and could only come up with these two.

"No wonder..."

Because he had little entertainment, his resurrection became the talk of the town, enriching his dull and boring life.

But it doesn't matter, it's just something to talk about, it won't hurt me.

Chapter 24 Let's have a friendly spar.

"I'll tell them the truth next time I hear it!" Xiangling couldn't stand this kind of misinformation.

Jiang Bai waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's fine, let them spread rumors. Anyway, nobody outside knows me."

"But this isn't good for your reputation..."

"It's nothing. I'm just a nobody. What reputation do I have? People outside don't even know my name..."

Although Jiang Bai said that, Xiang Ling did not intend to stand idly by.

The next time he hears comments about Jiang Bai, he will definitely argue for Jiang Bai.

Jiang Bai understood Xiangling's good intentions.

But he felt he shouldn't have fallen to the point of being troubled by rumors.

As long as he doesn't say that he is the one who came back from the dead, who outsiders would know that it is him?

Just as Hu Tao said, his reputation should be spread, and that is the reputation of the soul-ferryman of the Hall of Rebirth!

Looking at the dishes on the table, Hu Tao, whose belly was mostly filled with water, let out a burp and reluctantly put down her chopsticks.

It's rare to have so many delicious dishes, and they're free, yet she insisted on drinking water until she was stuffed. How awful!

"Jiang Bai, you have to finish all these dishes, don't waste them!" She turned her gaze to Jiang Bai.

"No problem!" Jiang Bai, who was eating his food with his head down, gave an OK sign.

Of course we have to finish this delicious dish; we can't waste Xiangling's amazing cooking skills!

Having already eaten her fill, Xiangling rested her chin on her hand and watched Jiang Bai eat. She realized that Jiang Bai was a very suitable person to try out different dishes.

Since everyone can accept Sweet Flower Wine and Rainbow Flower, they should be able to accept Slime Mushroom Slime and the like too!

"Jiang Bai, next time you come, let me try your new dishes!"

"No problem!" Jiang Bai agreed without hesitation, completely unaware of how many strange and wonderful dishes he would be tasting in the future.

After finishing the meal, Jiang Bai asked them about the use of elemental power.

Both of them possess the Eye of God, so they are definitely more experienced than him, who has just come into contact with elemental power.

"This is very simple."

In the spacious training ground, Xiangling conjured a long spear in her hand. Flames blazed at the spearhead, yet they did not harm the spear in the slightest. The red tassel beneath the spearhead fluttered in the breeze, its vibrant red color dazzling.

"After possessing the Eye of God, you can control the corresponding elemental forces. At first, it will be very unfamiliar, but once you master it, it will be like a part of your body, like your own hands and feet, moving at will."

Xiangling performed a beautiful spear flourish, and as her words fell, the spear pierced the ground, bursting into flames and creating a large hole.

Scattered flames flew everywhere, and the rice crust opened its mouth and sucked all the flames into its belly.

"Crispy Rice, breathe fire!"

With Xiangling's command, Guoba became like a flamethrower, spewing out raging flames and filling the air with a scorching heat.

"Amazing!" Jiang Bai clapped his hands in amazement.

The girl was clearly just demonstrating for him; she held back a lot of her strength, otherwise this small training ground wouldn't have been able to withstand the damage.

"Even with the Eye of God, your martial arts skills cannot be neglected. The Eye of God is just a tool; it cannot make you reach the top in one step." Hu Tao patted his shoulder earnestly, speaking with the air of someone who had been through it all.

“Yes, that’s what my master said too!” Xiangling echoed earnestly.

"At first, I learned martial arts because my dad was afraid I would encounter danger outside. Later, as I went to more places and saw more things, I wanted to hunt more ingredients and make more dishes that I had never tried before. I searched for ingredients, cooked, and trained my martial arts at the same time. Before I knew it, no monster could hurt me anymore!"

"Lulu~"

Guoba opened its mouth and breathed out a small flame; it was quite powerful.

Jiang Bai nodded. Although Xiang Ling looked young, her strength was by no means inferior. Although she only showed a little bit of her skills, it was enough to know the whole picture from a glimpse. The monster she encountered must not be any better.

Given her passion for food, she probably ended up with almost anything edible in the pot.

How did you train to manipulate elements?

Jiang Bai discovered that she had an exceptionally refined control over fire elements. She could manipulate the flames to burn on the tip of the spear without burning the tassel, and even when the flames exploded, the tassel remained undamaged.

But he can only create things from elements, like chairs and stools that have a limited lifespan.

"It's simple, just cook!" Xiangling gave her unique answer.

"Each dish requires different cooking times. Some dishes need to be stir-fried over high heat to bring out their aroma, while others need to be simmered over low heat. How to maintain a certain temperature for a long time is a true test of a chef's control over the flame..."

With her divine eye, she could easily sense the temperature of the flames and understand what temperature she needed. Over time, her control over the fire element became unparalleled.

Xiangling's method is definitely not applicable to Jiang Bai, but it is still very valuable for reference. In short, it can be summarized in two words:

Exercise.

Only through diligent practice can one become proficient and handle tasks with ease.

"Master, why don't you demonstrate for me?" Jiang Bai looked at Hu Tao.

"Haven't you already seen what I've got?"

“That’s different…” Jiang Bai was speechless. Burning a Hilichurl to ashes on fire, does that count?

"Alright, alright!" Hu Tao shrugged, looking like the sect leader couldn't do anything about it.

“I’m different from Xiangling; I can only demonstrate in actual combat.” Hu Tao’s spear appeared in her hand, and she leaped to the center of the training ground, looking at Jiang Bai. “So, Jiang Bai, let’s spar a bit, and let this hall master test your skills!”

"Alright, Master, you'd better watch out..."

Jiang Bai pulled a long spear from the weapon rack in the training ground.

Long spears are weapons that cannot be used with swords or knives; the saying "an inch longer, an inch stronger" is no joke.

Imagine you're holding a knife, but before you can even touch anyone, an even longer spear is already poking your neck.

Jiang Bai didn't know which weapon he was used to, so he planned to try them one by one and switch to another if he didn't like one.

"Watch out!" Hu Tao bent down and slowly ran her four fingers along the shaft of the spear before suddenly tightening her grip. The seven-foot-seven-inch spear glowed faintly red in the sunlight, with a light layer of fire element clinging to it.

The fiery red spear tip swiftly thrust towards Jiang Bai, its speed creating an impenetrable net of spears.

Jiang Bai's expression hardened, and his fighting instincts surged within him once more. He kicked with his right foot, flipping his body 180 degrees backward in the air. In mid-air, he twisted his wrist, slamming his spear down. Hu Tao's swift spear was struck by the immense force, its tip crashing to the ground and creating large cracks.

Hu Tao's hand went numb, and she looked at Jiang Bai with shock, "Are you that strong?"

Just a moment ago, she felt as if her spear had been hit by a boulder, and she almost lost her grip.

Her expression turned serious; it would be too embarrassing to be defeated by her own underlings.

Chapter 25 The Person Closest to God

Using the force of the spear tip striking down, she flipped backward, the iron spear bending into a semi-circle before quickly straightening. With a twist of her stance, she swung the walnut spear towards Jiang Bai.

Jiang Bai immediately turned around, holding his spear horizontally in front of him to block the attack.

Gunshots flashed, and the two figures constantly shifted positions, causing cracks to appear on the ground.

Jiang Bai's strength completely exceeded Hu Tao's expectations. Every time she blocked, she felt like her hand was going to break. If it weren't for the good quality of her spear, it would have broken in two under this powerful attack.