The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 456 - 266 Lake Heart Island_2

Who could be on Lake Heart Island in the dead of night?

Qi Zai exclaimed, "When I came here this afternoon, it was deserted."

Ning Xiaoxian patted its neck, "Let’s go, take a look. This is within Guangcheng Palace’s territory, so I suppose no demons or ghosts dare to cause trouble here, right?" Qi Zai rolled its eyes and thought, aren’t you stepping on a demon right now? What’s there to fear?

It landed steadily on a small stretch of beach. The sand here was fine and white, and even under the less bright moonlight tonight, it looked glowing-white, a sight probably even better in the daytime.

As expected, there was a small bonfire burning on the beach. The firewood crackled as it burned, and on the white sand lay a yellowish gourd. Qi Zai, being a winebibber, brightened at the scent of the winery residue on the mouth of the gourd, and praised, "What a fragrance, what a wine!" It stretched out its long beak to nab it but was swatted away by Ning Xiaoxian’s backhand slap:

"That’s no manners at all, you are a bird from my home! Taking without asking is called theft, understand?"

Qi Zai wondered, "What’s the big deal, just now you..." Were they not committing theft when they entered Jade Field to take the Nine-Grain Millet seeds just now?

Ning Xiaoxian pressed her hand against its sharp beaks, preventing it from continuing, "Hah, you dare to ridicule your owner?"

Before her words fell, someone laughed in the distance, "Taking without asking is called theft! Young maiden, well said."

The bonfire here naturally had an owner, and she wasn’t surprised. Turning her head, she saw someone walking leisurely over the lake surface. The person was dressed in wide robes with fluttering sleeves, his feet treading lightly on the water as if walking on flat ground, appearing utterly relaxed and at ease.

Only when he got closer could she see that the man was around seventy years old, with pure white hair and beard, yet his facial features were lean and spirited.

Do cultivators show such signs of aging? She wondered quietly but greeted with a smile, "It’s a long night with nowhere to go; hence, I came uninvited. Please forgive me, elder."

The old man was taken aback, and upon hearing her words, he sized her up. It was just a single glance, yet it was piercingly sharp as if nothing within her Divine Soul could hide. Then he laughed, "You too have no place to go? Very good, very good, please take a seat, take a seat!" His imposing manner retracted, and the divine light in his eyes flickered away, turning into a friendly neighborly old man.

You too have no place to go? Very good? If she didn’t know he possessed Divine Skills, Ning Xiaoxian would think the elder was driven out of his home by some unfilial progeny. She had just taken a seat following his words, when Changtian suddenly spoke, "Tribulation Crossing Stage Perfection."

That means he’s about to face the Heavenly Tribulation, and the elder’s realm is that high? She was shocked. Even in Guangcheng Palace, there weren’t many at the Tribulation Crossing Stage Perfection.

Ning Xiaoxian couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty. After all, just 15 minutes ago, she was stealing Spirit Rice seeds from someone’s field, and now she had run into the owner. Not feeling guilty would be odd, but to leave now would be too impolite.

Her downcast and compliant appearance in the eyes of the old man made him think she was tense and anxious from his glance, so he chuckled and said, "Don’t be afraid, I don’t bite. I’m just here in the dark to cook some delicacies for a taste." After saying that, he shook his arms, and she realized the old man was carrying several squids tied with straw ropes.

Earlier, she was overwhelmed by his presence and didn’t notice such an obvious sign, and she inwardly scolded herself. It seemed like reaching the realm of "Insightful," the next step after "microscopic," and to abide by the principle "not to be elated by external gains, not to be saddened by personal losses," was not easily attainable.

Perhaps it was because the old man’s aura was gentle, but Qi Zai wasn’t very afraid of him. It was staring at the wine gourd intensely, which made Ning Xiaoxian want to block its view to avoid any more embarrassment. The old man glanced at Qi Zai and wondered, "It’s rare to see a white Chongming Bird. Do you wish to try the Nine Heavens Liquor?"

Qi Zai eagerly nodded. The old man produced a Qing-colored Jade Bowl, as finely carved as if done in miniature, from his robe. Once placed on the ground, it enlarged as if blown by the wind into the size of a large sea bowl, clearly not an ordinary object. He uncorked the gourd and poured the transparent Jade Liquid into the large bowl, then passed it to Qi Zai. As he poured, Ning Xiaoxian could also catch the strong aroma of the wine, and suddenly thought to herself:

"With such good wine, if Tantai Yi, the big wine bug, was here, his craving expression wouldn’t be much better than Qi Zai’s, right?"

The old man then said, "Young lady, would you like to try as well? This is made from Nine-Grain Millet, aged three hundred years, not something easy to come by usually!"

She didn’t fancy alcohol and politely declined. Tasting wine brewed from century-old Nine-Grain Millet further confirmed the elder’s identity. Meanwhile, Qi Zai was drinking merrily. It seemed that the large green bowl was also a treasure, for despite its gulping, the wine remained brimming.

The following events turned out to be rather amusing. The old man set the gourd aside and started to prepare the squid. His technique was quite awkward; it seemed he hadn’t personally handled food for many years given his venerable status, especially on the shallow beach without any proper utensils to hand.

Ironically, cooking skills are one thing not even Immortal Law can be helpful with. Even with Changtian’s ability, he couldn’t produce the delicious food that Ning Xiaoxian could. A mishap occurred when the squid’s ink sac burst, spilling its contents embarrassingly.

She barely held back her laughter and offered, "Since you have treated my bird to such good wine, I’m truly at a loss as to how to repay the kindness. May I take charge of cooking the food?" If he kept up at this rate, the squid he might eat by dawn would probably be full of inkiness. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)