Chapter 172: 34: Back to the Surface of the Sea

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As everyone knows, within the Daoist system, terms like “Universe,” “Cosmos,” and “Creation” carry special connotations and a certain sense of grandeur.

The Universe implies the perfection of Yin and Yang, and it cannot be restrained by any of the Five Elements.

The Cosmos signifies the capability of space and time—in some sense, the Kunlun Mirror could also be called the “Cosmic Mirror,” without any error.

Creation indicates the divine skill of the one becoming two, the two becoming three, and the three generating all things.

Luo Yan recognized each of these words, but when put together, he did not know what they meant.

If these words were all true, then this “Heavenly Weaving God Shuttle” might very well have been buffed to the level of an Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Of course, not everyone follows naming conventions, for example, the Clarifying Cult is often strict and reserved, while the Intercepting Cult is more flamboyant and unrestrained… Since this shuttle originated from an ancient era before the formation of both Cults, Luo Yan was more inclined to think that the creator was someone with a flair for the dramatic.

Inside Gui Xu, it wasn’t a good place to study magical treasures, so Luo Yan and Shi Liuli decided to pack up first.

In the side hall, all sorts of ancient tomes, whether on formations or other subjects, were packed up without leaving behind a single one.

In the abandoned garden of the backyard, any pluckable spirit herbs and spiritual medicines were all uprooted, while common herbs and wild animals were left to continue thriving there, unbothered.

Back in the room, Shi Liuli looked at the bedding, the pots, pans, and utensils, and felt a bit troubled.

Logically, these were common items, not worth taking with them at all.

But for a girl, there is a concept called “sentimental value.”

So after a brief moment of contemplation, Shi Liuli emptied some less precious spiritual medicines from her storage bag and made room for these ordinary items.

Once everything was packed, Luo Yan activated the Heavenly Weaving God Shuttle with Shi Liuli, and in an instant, the two vanished within Gui Xu.

Above the sea, Linghu Chu sat blankly on the wreckage of a broken half-boat, gazing worriedly into the distance.

The junior brother and junior sister have sunk down, how am I going to face Master after leaving the secret realm?

True, it was because the boat had been hit by the aftershocks of a distant magical competition, but what of it? Would it change the fact that Master had lost his beloved daughter and disciple to sorrow?

Maybe I should run away… just pretend we all disappeared in the secret realm, giving Master a sliver of hope and longing…

Suddenly, a shadow flashed by, and Luo Yan and Shi Liuli broke through the water, landing on the broken half-boat with the momentum of their exit.

“Senior brother!” they called out in unison.

Linghu Chu stood in disbelief, and then couldn’t help but shed tears of joy.

After some time, Luo Yan explained what had happened—they had fallen into a relic site, and after Luo Yan had exhausted all efforts to break the formation, they were finally transported to the surface of the sea.

As for the likes of Lord Gui Xu, the Heavenly Weaving God Shuttle—none of that was mentioned.

Shi Liuli listened quietly on the side, thinking things through thoroughly.

After all, the Heavenly Weaving God Shuttle and the Gui Xu Grand Formation represented ranks that were terrifyingly high, and knowing about them might not be good for the senior brother who had not yet achieved Nascent Infant.

The secrets of this journey would at most be shared with their father; it was better to keep the other senior brothers and sisters in the dark.

Linghu Chu listened patiently and sighed with emotion several times.

He certainly sensed that the junior brother was avoiding specifics, but those were the juniors’ own adventures, and it didn’t concern him.

Just having the two return safely was reason enough for Linghu Chu to go thank the Three Pure Ones.

Using broken planks as paddles, the three of them began rowing towards the nearest island.

Shi Liuli, feeling sore from rowing, couldn’t help but send Luo Yan a meaningful look:

How long is this going to take? Shouldn’t we just use that shuttle of yours to speed up the journey?

Luo Yan responded with a look:

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Not yet, it’s not the right time.

The corner of Linghu Chu’s eye caught the subtle exchanges between the two, sparking a sense of loneliness typical of a single dog within him.

Then again, he thought, with junior sister’s pampered personality, having her as a junior sister isn’t too bad, but as a Daoist companion… that would be a real ordeal for junior brother. So, his mood brightened up.

After a whole day’s effort, the three finally paddled the small boat back to the island they had landed on before.

Shi Liuli jumped off the boat, hurriedly ran onto the beach and, throwing aside any pretence of ladylike grace, lay sprawled on the sand.

Luo Yan also jumped into the sea and pushed the remains of the treasured boat towards the beach while casually asking:

“Do you guys want to eat something? I remember there are some wild animals in the woods, I can go hunt some later.”

“I want barbeque!” Shi Liuli, lying on the beach, whined, “Luo Yan, you make it for me!”

“Alright, alright, what do you want to eat, eldest senior brother?” Luo Yan asked.

Linghu Chu: ………

We are cultivators who have mastered fasting, what’s so great about mundane meat?

“I’ll just have whatever you’re having, I’m easy,” Linghu Chu said reluctantly.

Luo Yan’s heart skipped a beat when he suddenly realized the eldest senior brother didn’t eat.

On second thought, aside from Miss Shi, the odd one out, which cultivator would hanker after culinary pleasures?

Still, he’d spoken too soon, and Luo Yan didn’t intend to rectify the situation. He knew that the more one tries to cover things up, the more slip-ups there are; it’s better just to go with the flow openly and avoid arousing further suspicion from the eldest senior brother.

Having settled his thoughts, he stood up and headed for the forest on the island, soon returning with a deer.

He set up the spit, bled the deer, then removed the entrails and applied marinade… Luo Yan did all this with practiced ease before going to the seashore to wash his hands, only to see eldest senior brother looking at him with a confounded expression.

That look clearly said, “Where did you get all these seasonings from!”

“Found them in the relics,” Luo Yan explained offhandedly.

Oh, found them. Linghu Chu didn’t question it and simply overlooked the matter.

After all, wondering why a sea relic would contain barbeque seasonings is a quite troublesome and meaningless endeavor.

While waiting for the marinade to set in, Luo Yan, with nothing else to do, sat on the beach and gazed into the distance listlessly.

No need to read or solve puzzles, or study formations; he felt completely relaxed.

“Is it done yet?” Shi Liuli began to clamour, “Have you started grilling yet?”

“Not yet,” Luo Yan responded without turning around, “It needs to marinate a bit longer.”

“What’s there to marinate!” Shi Liuli got up impatiently, “Just cut it, use lots of salt and oil, and marinate while you grill, right?”

She took out a small knife from her storage bag, deftly slashed the surface of the deer meat, stuffed in peppercorns and salt, then took out her fire control magical treasure to heat it from below, and started brushing oil on in layers with a small brush.

Meanwhile, Linghu Chu’s expression went from confounded to horrified.

Is… is she really my junior sister?

Linghu Chu never considered himself a culinary expert, but being fond of drinking, he often made his own snacks to accompany his liquor.

But that’s my junior sister! Raised and pampered by the entire Heavenly Craft Workshop from childhood, the junior sister who had never even seen raw meat!

Noticing her senior brother’s utterly baffled gaze, Shi Liuli explained nonchalantly:

“Learned it in the relic.”

So what is this undersea relic, a restaurant’s back kitchen or what?!

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