Xin Xiu had the best sleep since her transmigration. At first, in the pigsty-like broken room at the Xin family, she could barely sleep. If it weren't for her good sleeping habits, anyone with poorer sleep quality would have gotten panda-like dark circles under their eyes after living there for half a month.
As for the nearly year-long stay in the World in a Basin, every night's sleep was passive learning. That could hardly be called sleeping.
Now, finally, after getting out, just as she had guessed, there was no more automatic learning in her head! She could sleep soundly and normally.
It felt like the long-awaited first day of a happy summer vacation.
The air in the mountain forest was excellent, full of fresh grass, wood, and bamboo fragrances. The damp, cold mist couldn't enter the bamboo house, and the room temperature was just right. In such a good sleeping environment, Xin Xiu slept from afternoon until the next morning.
Hunger prevented her from continuing to laze in bed. Xin Xiu crawled out of bed, feeling that the only thing not so good was the bed itself - it was too hard. A softer mattress might be more comfortable.
As Xin Xiu got up to put on her shoes, she suddenly found a few strands of hair on the bed, some white and two black ones.
"What kind of hair is this?" Xin Xiu wondered silently. Could it be that her master kept some pets here? Keeping pets was nice; she used to have pets too.
Holding the hair strands up for a closer look, Xin Xiu could only be sure that it wasn't dog hair.
Opening the door and going out, she walked from the top floor to the bottom but didn't see her master. He might be rather reclusive, who knows where he went to be alone. Xin Xiu didn't bother looking for him. After all, her master said to make herself at home, so she'd just find something to eat on her own since she was hungry.
She had already unhesitatingly claimed this place as her own territory, so she felt very comfortable. She took out a large round plate from one of the rooms, intending to use it as a frying pan, and a small crucible that she thought could be used for stewing soup. After gathering all the substitute "kitchenware" she could find, she brought everything to the first floor and set up a stove in the courtyard to start a fire.
In the past year, her biggest improvement was in cooking, and one thing she was proud of was that she had figured out a skill - lighting fires.
She could produce a flame as big as a lighter just by snapping her fingers. Although she couldn't match Fifth Brother's innate talent, after memorizing those obscure lessons backwards and forwards, she could at least sense the golden-red fluorescence in the air and use it to light a fire.
After lighting the fire and putting water in the pot to boil, Xin Xiu went around looking for food.
Peaches, picked.
Bamboo shoots, dug up.
Bamboo rat, caught.
Catching a fat bamboo rat, Xin Xiu smiled as she pinched its chubby belly. She didn't expect to find bamboo rats here, and this one seemed to rarely encounter predators. It didn't even try to hide when she approached, allowing her to easily pin it down.
The bamboo rat finally realized it was in danger and started to struggle, but it was too late. Xin Xiu hummed a tune as she held it by the neck on her way back. She enjoyed petting it for a while before chopping it up and turning it into a pot of meat.
"This knife is really sharp," Xin Xiu remarked, tapping the blade of the long knife she had taken from the third floor.
The knife was indeed excellent. Chopping the bamboo rat was as easy as cutting tofu, and slicing bamboo shoots was even simpler. After using dull knives for a year, Xin Xiu couldn't stop herself now that she had such a sharp blade. In no time, she had cut up two large bamboo shoots.
Still not satisfied with cutting, she ran off to use this ordinary-looking long knife to chop bamboo. With just a casual forward slash, barely using any strength, a thick bamboo as wide as a bowl fell. Looking at the cut, it was smooth and clean.
Dragging the felled old bamboo back, Xin Xiu sat on the steps, legs crossed, munching on a peach while cutting and scraping with the knife. She cut the old bamboo into sections, split them open, and made bamboo bowls, chopsticks, and even bamboo tubes for drinking soup.
With the remaining fresh, crisp, and bright bamboo leaves, Xin Xiu casually made a bamboo leaf flower arrangement while waiting for the meat to cook, and placed it on the table. There was no table in the house, so she was using a rock in the courtyard as a table.
One side of the large rock had a concave curve that collected rainwater, while Xin Xiu sat on the other, flatter side.
When she smelled the fragrance of stewed meat and bamboo shoots, Xin Xiu suddenly realized she had no seasonings, not even salt. Food without seasoning has no soul; she might as well just eat peaches. But even after searching up and down the bamboo house, she couldn't find any seasonings.
The situation became clear - her master probably didn't eat at all. The other fellow disciples didn't seem to eat much either, only a few of them would occasionally come to her place for food when they craved it.
She couldn't help but think of the younger brothers and sisters who had been adopted. She wondered if their masters knew how to take care of children, hoping they wouldn't starve those kids.
When faced with problems she couldn't solve, she didn't dwell on them. Instead, she directly performed a summoning ritual - shouting for her master in the courtyard.
When in trouble, ask the master - this method came naturally to her, and she applied it flexibly.
"Master— Master—"
"What is it?" A deep voice suddenly came from behind. Xin Xiu abruptly turned her head to look at her master who had appeared out of nowhere. She wasn't startled by her master's ghostly appearance, but he seemed startled by her sudden head turn, his eyes widening slightly as he took a small step back.
Xin Xiu said, "Master, you'd better not suddenly appear behind me anymore. You might get scared."
Shentu Yu looked at his lively disciple. The little one was indeed energetic and loved to play. His gaze swept over the "pots" and "bowls" Xin Xiu was using to stew meat and stir-fry vegetables, as well as the knife she used for chopping vegetables and meat.
These were all spiritual tools he had forged. The knife was commissioned by someone years ago but never collected, and the others were casually made when he had nothing better to do. Since he had no use for them, they were just placed in the house.
Shentu Yu had no reaction to his disciple taking these things out to play. If the disciple wanted to play, let her play. They were just sitting there anyway.
As a long-adult panda spirit, Shentu Yu showed great tolerance towards this human disciple who was only in her teens. In his view, such a small cub was not much different from a newborn panda cub. Cubs this small know nothing and love to play around.
Xin Xiu also noticed his calm gaze at those items, which put her at ease. She said to him, "Master, I couldn't find salt or other seasonings, nor any rice."
Shentu Yu's expression was momentarily confused, then he seemed to remember something and said, "Oh, you actually want to eat these things."
Xin Xiu didn't expect this socially awkward immortal master to be well-rounded. She nodded and asked directly, "Master, is there any market nearby where I can buy things?"
In her mind, she recalled the online novels she had read before, with their bustling immortal markets where all sorts of cultivators gathered to buy and sell magical pills, weapons, talismans, and various spirit flowers and beasts. It was like a mortal flea market, where you could buy anything.
But her expectations were dashed when Shentu Yu said, "Mortal markets are too far from here."
Xin Xiu: "I mean markets for cultivators. Don't cultivators have markets?"
Shentu Yu looked puzzled: "Why would cultivators have markets?"
Xin Xiu: "Then how do you get new clothes, magical pills and medicines, talismans, and weapons?"
Shentu Yu: "Make them yourself."
Xin Xiu persisted: "What about when you want to eat? Surely you don't grow all the ingredients yourself when you want a meal?"
Shentu Yu still wore that slightly confused expression: "The land in Shuling Mountain is fertile and rich in spiritual energy, suitable for all plants to grow. Why can't we grow them?"
Xin Xiu: "..." Those online cultivation novels deceived me so badly!
It turned out that if you wanted to eat, you had to grow your own rice and vegetables, or travel far to mortal lands to buy them. No wonder these old immortals who had lived for many years didn't eat - it wasn't that they didn't want to eat, but that they were too lazy to bother! After not cooking for a long time, they just couldn't be bothered anymore.
She had made do with random things for a year in the World in a Basin, thinking she could eat even better things once she got out. But the reality was so disappointing.
Xin Xiu reluctantly continued to ask: "So there are no spirit stones either?"
Shentu Yu: "What spirit stones?"
The spirit stones that represent currency in many cultivation novels, used to buy things! Xin Xiu covered her face: "Okay, okay, there's nothing. I get it."
The disciple seemed very disappointed, just like a panda that couldn't eat bamboo shoots.
Shentu Yu: "I'll send a message to ask my junior disciples. They might have what you're looking for."
While they were waiting, Xin Xiu's bamboo shoot and bamboo rat stew was ready. Xin Xiu brought the whole pot to the stone table and asked her master, "Master, would you like some?"
She thought her master wouldn't eat, but he came over as soon as she called, and considerately only picked up bamboo shoots, leaving all the meat for her.
Xin Xiu sipped some soup. Although it had no salt, the fresh tenderness was truly delightful.
After a moment of silence, Xin Xiu couldn't help but speak, "Master, when I start cultivating immortality, will I also have to abstain from food, like you all do?"
Shentu Yu slowly swallowed the bamboo shoot in his mouth, looking down at his chopsticks as he said, "You've already started cultivating. It's not necessary; you can eat as you please." After saying this, he ate another mouthful of bamboo shoots.
That's good, quite free then. Xin Xiu thought to herself, if cultivating immortality meant this wasn't allowed and that wasn't permitted, she might as well go down the mountain. What would be the point of cultivating then?
"Someone's coming," Shentu Yu put down his chopsticks, "Under the azalea tree."
Xin Xiu understood immediately. Her master wanted her to go check, as he didn't want to go himself. Indeed, his antisocial and socially anxious persona remained intact.
She ran along the bamboo path to the purple azalea tree, where she found a familiar face waiting.
"Hey! Senior Brother Cai Xing!"
The squinty-eyed Senior Brother Cai Xing was holding a cloth bag. He smiled and said, "Master received a message from Uncle-Master Shentu and asked me to bring some things over. One of my senior brothers grows rice, and I got these from him. After delivering to you, I still need to check on the other Uncle-Masters who have taken new disciples. They might need some too."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Cai Xing." Xin Xiu took the bag, which indeed contained rice and a box of salt.
Cai Xing looked at her, then glanced at the empty bamboo path behind her. After hesitating for a moment, he pulled her aside to squat down and whispered, "I had originally planned to tell you this before you left the World in a Basin, but I didn't expect you to cause such a commotion, so I didn't get the chance to talk to you."
Xin Xiu: "Tell me what?"
Cai Xing lowered his voice, "We had guessed early on that you would be taken as a disciple by Uncle-Master Shentu. I don't know much about this Uncle-Master. I've been at Shuling Mountain for a hundred years but have only seen him a few times. However, I've heard some rumors about Uncle-Master Shentu. He's a famous master craftsman in weapon forging. In fact, in the art of forging, he's said to have even surpassed our Ancestral Master, the LingZhao Immortal."
Xin Xiu: "What? A master craftsman? That's incredible!"
Cai Xing: "Listen to me!"
His usually smiling face turned serious, "This Uncle-Master is said to have used human souls to forge weapons. He's a dangerous person. You need to be very careful as his disciple."
Xin Xiu wasn't frightened by these words. She just looked confused, "I thought you were all righteous cultivators. Isn't using souls to forge weapons something evil cultivators do?"
Cai Xing: "Cultivation doesn't distinguish between good and evil. All this talk of righteous path and evil path, you must have heard too many storytellers and seen too many plays in the mortal world. Those are all mortal fabrications, not to be taken seriously."
Xin Xiu: "Wait, Senior Brother, are you saying there's no such thing as a Demon Realm? You know, a place where evil cultivators who do bad things gather?"
Cai Xing: "There are no evil cultivators, and no Demon Realm... What are these things you're talking about?"
Xin Xiu: "..." Modern online cultivation novels have deceived me so badly!
Cai Xing raised his hand and tapped the child who had strayed so far from the topic, "Did you hear what I told you? Be obedient usually, and whatever you do, don't anger Uncle-Master Shentu. Aren't you afraid he might get angry and extract your soul to forge a weapon?"
Xin Xiu was unimpressed by his attempt to scare her. Although she hadn't known her master for long, she felt he wasn't a dangerous person. She trusted her first impression. What she found harder to accept was that the cultivation world apparently had no good versus evil dichotomy?!
Cai Xing gave a few more words of advice, then remembered something, "Oh right, also, your Secluded Bamboo Mountain borders the back mountain, which is a forbidden area. The Ancestral Master decreed that disciples are not to enter the back mountain without reason. Uncle-Master Shentu might not tell you these things, so you need to remember yourself not to enter the back mountain. It's very dangerous."
Xin Xiu: "Very dangerous? What's on the back mountain?"
Cai Xing saw her curious expression and felt she wouldn't stay put, so he tried to scare her: "The back mountain is home to many Iron-Eating Spirit Beasts. They are incredibly strong, fierce, and violent. They hate intruders. A child like you would be smashed into meat paste with just one swipe of their paw!"
Xin Xiu wasn't scared at all, but rather excited, "Iron-Eating Spirit Beasts!"
Isn't "Iron-Eating Beast" just another name for pandas? Does that mean there are lots of pandas on the back mountain?!
She couldn't wait to go see for herself. Picking up the bag, she turned and ran back to the bamboo path, waving goodbye to Cai Xing as she went, "I got it, Senior Brother Cai Xing. You can go back now. Bye!"
Cai Xing: "Hey! Wait! Did you hear what I said, child?" He spun around on the spot but didn't dare to chase after her.
"Fine, fine. You'll learn your lesson when you get hurt!" He grumbled as he descended from Secluded Bamboo Mountain.
