Translator: 549690339
Next, as Lin Jing awaited the upgrade of the System Space,
he had no heart for cultivation and nothing to do, so he could only head to the garden in the yard.
It was September, the early autumn season, and the sunlight was no longer as scorching as it had been in July and August.
The garden in Lin Jingâs courtyard was still lush and verdant, except for the old willow tree by the pavilion, whose leaves had started to yellow slightly.
Lin Jing was sitting in the courtyard resting when,
âThump thump thumpâ there was a knock on the door. Lin Jing got up and walked over.
Upon opening the courtyard door, he found that Huang Qingling was standing there.
Her shoulder perched the Black Kite, Little Sparrow, who, upon seeing him, looked away, apparently still angry about the morningâs events.
âQing Ling, how come youâre here?â Lin Jing asked, puzzled.
As soon as Huang Qingling saw Lin Jing, she started to complain:
âWhen did you get back? I thought youâd wait for me to return together. I only found out you were already back after asking Elder Yu.â
While speaking, she walked past Lin Jing into the courtyard as if returning to her own home.
âIâve been back for a while already. Werenât you going to see Elder Bai?â
âI thought you had some important business, so I came back first,â said Lin Jing as he closed the courtyard door.
Then he followed her inside.
Next, Huang Qingling took three peaches out of her Storage Bag and handed them to Lin Jing.
âHere⦠â
âThese are Immortal Peaches grown in the high-grade Spirit Fields, really tasty, and theyâre full of Spiritual Energy. Eating them can even increase your cultivation a bit. I specially swiped them from Old Man Bai.â
â Lin Jing was somewhat speechless as he looked at the Immortal Peaches.
He remembered that these peaches were usually reserved for entertaining important guests, and now Huang Qingling had swiped them so casually.
However, after giving it some thought, Lin Jing let it go.
Snatching anything under a Golden Core Cultivatorâs nose is nearly impossible.
It seemed likely that Old Man Bai knew about this and deliberately let Huang Qingling take them.
This showed how indulgent Elder Bai was towards his niece.
In that case, Lin Jing wasnât going to be polite.
He took the Immortal Peaches from Huang Qinglingâs hands.
But just as he did, a black shadow dashed out, grabbed an Immortal Peach and ran off.
The black shadow was none other than the Black Kite, Little Sparrow.
After stealing an Immortal Peach, Little Sparrow circled over Lin Jingâs head before flying to the top of the rockery and crowing once.
âScreamâ¦â
Lin Jing was helpless; Little Sparrowâs speed was comparable to that of a Golden Core Cultivator, and catching her was definitely impossible.
âIt seemsâ¦â
âI need to find time to give it a proper lesson,â Lin Jing thought to himself, watching Little Sparrowâs swagger.
âLittle Sparrowâ¦â
Huang Qingling suddenly roared, as the Immortal Peach she had just given away was snatched by her own pet.
This made her feel quite embarrassed.
Upon hearing the roar, Little Sparrow suddenly shivered and then obediently returned the Immortal Peach.
It appeared that Huang Qinglingâs anger still held a lot of sway over Little Sparrow.
At this moment, Lin Jing spoke up:
âQing Ling, I canât eat so much by myself. Since Little Sparrow wants to eat as well, letâs just split them. We can each have one now,â he said.
âWeâve already had some at Yuebaolou. These are to thank you for the feast you made for me. I specifically brought these for you,â Huang Qingling replied.
âMy cultivation is low; eating just one will take me a long time to absorb. You, being in the Foundation Establishment Stage, should eat more,â Lin Jing continued.
After speaking, regardless of Huang Qinglingâs objections, he pushed an Immortal Peach into her hand,
âCatch, Little Sparrow.â
Lin Jing then tossed the Immortal Peach that Little Sparrow had returned to her.
Little Sparrow caught the Immortal Peach and looked at Huang Qingling.
Huang Qingling said helplessly:
âSince Iâve already given it to you, go ahead and eat!â
âScreechâ¦â
Little Sparrow let out a sharp cry, picked up the Immortal Peach, and flew to the top of the rockery to start nibbling on it.
Meanwhile, Lin Jing and Huang Qingling sat in the pavilion of the small courtyard, also nibbling on Immortal Peaches, looking utterly content.
After finishing the Immortal Peach, Lin Jing suddenly spoke up, âBy the way,
Qing Ling, did you come to see me for some reason?â
Huang Qingling swallowed her last bite, casually tossed the peach pit aside, and then said,
âHmm, itâs like this, Old Man Bai and Elder Yu are coming over tonight, and I specifically came to tell you to prepare.â
Lin Jing turned his head, looking at Huang Qingling with confusion, âWhy would they come now? I met Elder Yu today, and he didnât mention this.â
âOhâ¦! It was me who called them.â
After saying this, Huang Qingling continued to speak,
âYouâve been busy with alchemy recently, and itâs been so long since Iâve had a meal cooked by you.â
âHehe⦠Iâve been thinking about it for days,â Huang Qingling chuckled. âJust so happens, Old Man Bai was free today, so I called them both over.â
Lin Jing immediately understood; Huang Qingling was craving his cooking.
âI havenât prepared any ingredients. Isnât it a bit late to go out and buy them now?â
âDid they mention when they would arrive?â Lin Jing asked.
âDonât worry, Iâve prepared the ingredients a long time ago.â
Huang Qingling said, opening her Storage Bag and taking out an array of Ingredients.
âThey probably wonât be here so quickly; weâve got enough time, and, I can help too.â
âOkayâ¦â Lin Jing nodded.
In her previous visits, driven by curiosity, Huang Qingling had also spent quite some time in the kitchen.
Although she hadnât really learned to cook, she was still able to lend a hand with the simpler tasks.
First handling the ingredients, the two then started bustling about in the kitchen.
In the midst of this, a system notification sounded in Lin Jingâs mind.
âDingâ
âThe upgrade of System Space is complete. System Space is now available for entry.â
However, given the inopportune timing, Lin Jing didnât pay it any mind and continued working.
Another half an hour passed and evening gradually fell.
With the cooking done and the dishes served, they were just waiting for Elder Yu and Old Man Bai to arrive.
Soon after, âknock knock knock,â the sound of knocking came from the door.
âTheyâre here.â
Huang Qingling called out and ran toward the door.
Opening the courtyard door, there stood Elder Bai and Elder Yu.
âOld Man Baiâ¦â
âElder Yuâ¦â
âYouâve finally arrived; weâve got everything ready and were just waiting for you two.â
âI wouldnât be surprised if Lin Xiaozhi is busying himself while youâre slacking off,â Elder Yu teased with a chuckle.
âI rather think so,â Elder Bai chimed in.
âYou two are underestimating me. I helped out quite a bit today,â Huang Qingling said with dissatisfaction. At this moment, Lin Jing also came over.
âElder Bai, Elder Yuâ¦â
âCome in, pleaseâ¦â
Lin Jing greeted them with a bow.
âHmm⦠â
âAlright⦠alrightâ¦â
The two nodded and then walked inside.
As they all took their seats, Old Man Bai spoke to Lin Jing.
âLin Xiaozhi, those Elixir Medicines you submitted today looked good to me, especially those few Supreme Elixirs.â
âI believe it wonât be long before you can become a Second-rank Pill Master..â