"Xun Er, may I come in?"
Xiao Ting stood hesitantly outside the courtyard gate filled with pink flowers.
"Brother Xiao Ting is here~ Come in quickly." Xun Er's voice was soft, yet it seemed to ring right beside his ear.
With curiosity hidden in his eyes, Xiao Ting pushed open the courtyard gate and walked straight in.
The outer part of Xun Er's courtyard had been specially designed. It began with a winding, secluded path. Passing through the trail surrounded by artificial mountains, one entered a small courtyard planted with all kinds of flowers. On one side was a small lake with a pavilion in the middle where one could feed fish, enjoy the cool air, or dine.
When Xiao Ting reached the front of the house, he found Xun Er sitting at the stone table inside the pavilion, reading a book, with Qing Lin standing behind her in a green dress.
"Brother Xiao Ting, come sit quickly." Xun Er's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled sweetly and beckoned to him. "Xun Er went all out this time. Come try it and see if there's any improvement."
Xiao Ting quickly walked into the pavilion. His gaze fell on the box of flower cakes on the stone table.
"Qing Lin greets Young Master." Qing Lin greeted him proactively.
"No need to be so formal." Xiao Ting sat beside Xun Er, picked up a flower cake, and smiled: "It must be quite relaxing following Xun Er, right?"
"Young Miss treats me very well and even lets me call her Sister, but Qing Lin feels a maid should act like a maid." Qing Lin nodded repeatedly, a heartfelt smile appearing on her face.
"Then listen to me. Call each other sisters in private. In front of outsiders, do as you like." Xun Er added, then urged Qing Lin to sit as well. "You haven't tried these flower cakes yet either. Let's try them together. I'm quite confident this time."
Xiao Ting took several close-up shots of the flower cakes and uploaded them to the Journal.
[Flower cakes personally made by Xun Er.]
[This treatment—there aren't many people across the entire continent who can enjoy it.]
…
Yun Yun, the Little Fairy Doctor, and Medusa, who had just left after eating the flower cakes: "..."
…
After devouring several pieces in one go and showering her with extravagant compliments, Xiao Ting got down to business with Xun Er.
More precisely, Xun Er asked about his alchemy success, and he immediately showed off the results of a day's refining.
"Congratulations, Brother Xiao Ting. You also have the talent to become an alchemist." Xun Er cupped her cheeks with both hands, her eyes full of admiration. "From now on, Brother Xiao Ting will be a respected Alchemist Lord."
"It's only rank 1 right now—nothing special." Xiao Ting didn't think it was that impressive. He said seriously: "To gain recognition from the family behind you, I still have a long way to go."
"Xun Er believes Brother Xiao Ting can definitely do it." Xun Er proactively picked up a flower cake and placed it in front of him. "Our future will definitely be as sweet as this flower cake… sweet, sweet, sweet…"
"Mm." Xiao Ting nodded heavily. Seeming unwilling to linger on the stressful topic, he changed the subject: "Xun Er, you stayed in your courtyard the whole day today without going out?"
"That's right. I was waiting for you to come find me." Xun Er rested her cheek on one hand, her large eyes staring straight at Xiao Ting. "If I went out and you came looking for me, you wouldn't be able to find anyone."
Xiao Ting reached out and held Xun Er's small hand, smiling: "Then you definitely don't know that a big shot came to the Xiao family today."
"A big shot? Who?" Xun Er was full of curiosity.
"Misty Cloud Sect's Sect Leader, Yun Yun." Xiao Ting recounted everything that had happened in the council hall. "She wanted to take me as a disciple. She's really daydreaming. Even if you sold the entire Misty Cloud Sect, you probably couldn't buy the cultivation methods and Dou Techniques you gave me."
Xun Er couldn't help but laugh: "She's just optimistic about Brother Xiao Ting's talent."
The two chatted about many things in bits and pieces. Only after Qing Lin had dinner delivered and they finished eating did Xiao Ting get up to say goodbye.
Not long after he left, Yun Yun, Medusa, and the others, who had received notifications from the Journal copy, immediately returned. They secretly plotted how to coordinate perfectly and make maximum use of the Journal copy.
"Sister Medusa, wait a few more days before showing up, so Brother Xiao Ting doesn't think you're too eager."
"Sister Little Fairy Doctor, just continue your poison cultivation step by step. Sister Yun Yun, you should return to Misty Cloud Sect first to investigate your teacher's situation."
"The top priority is to help Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils gain some legitimacy, so she can openly begin cultivating."
"Helping Qing Lin—I actually have an idea." Medusa recalled encountering a rank 4 Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent when she went to the lava world to obtain the Green Lotus Core Flame. "When I show up in a few days, I'll suggest bringing the Green Lotus Core Flame back to the Xiao family first to avoid other variables. Then we'll go together. Senior Ling Yue will handle retrieving the Green Lotus Core Flame. I'll be in charge of protecting you all from above. At the right moment, we'll lure the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent over. Qing Lin can pretend to be frightened. In her emotional agitation, she'll awaken her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and conveniently control the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent."
"This idea is good."
Medusa's suggestion received unanimous approval from the women.
A script was born through their united efforts.
…
Time flew like a white colt passing a gap. In the blink of an eye, five days passed.
With the assistance of the plane's blessing and daily visualization of the Purple Beast Flame, Xiao Ting's soul power, cultivation, and alchemy skills had all improved.
With Yao Lao's vision, he normally wouldn't show much emotional fluctuation even if he saw a young genius refine an 8th-tier pill, let alone Xiao Ting only refining 1st-tier pills. But the latter's alchemy improvement speed was simply too fast—possibly reaching 2nd-tier pills in another ten days to half a month. He couldn't stay calm.
So when Xiao Yan stumbled and finally succeeded in refining his first batch of 1st-tier healing medicine, Yao Lao didn't have a single good word, leaving the former somewhat self-isolated and unwilling to continue as an alchemist.
Clearly, judging by time and all aspects, Xiao Yan was at the top genius level. It could only be said that comparison was the thief of joy.
"Brother Xiao Ting, your brother is suffering inside. Hurry and comfort me."
"I'm so wronged, really too wronged. I just can't compare to you—I'm not some hopeless trash. Does Teacher really have to go this far?"
"This is abuse—mental abuse. You're also responsible. You must comfort me properly. Make me a whole table of dishes."
Xiao Ting rarely had free time to go hiking in the back mountain with Xun Er, the Little Fairy Doctor, and Qing Lin. Yet Xiao Yan somehow smelled the opportunity and came over, pouring out his grievances. But by the end, he revealed his true purpose: he was simply craving Xiao Ting's cooking.
Their outing mood affected, Xun Er subconsciously frowned: "When you encounter problems, think about your own issues first. Don't always look to others to solve them. Cousin Xiao Yan, you're not a three-year-old child anymore. You don't blame yourself for not working hard enough to satisfy Senior Yao Lao, but instead blame Brother Xiao Ting for having too much talent. That's unreasonable."
Xiao Yan was nearly driven into self-isolation again: "..."
He just wanted to eat a good meal and comfort his wounded heart with delicious food. Did he deserve such a scolding?
"Xun Er, don't be angry. Brother Yan is just craving food." Xiao Ting smiled and smoothed things over. "It's true I haven't cooked for a while. This time let Qing Lin assist me. She can learn properly too. If I'm not by your side in the future and you want to eat, Qing Lin can still make it for you."
Xiao Yan: Suddenly full. Really!
…