"Wow, that smells amazing!"

The door to the main room swung open, and Gu Caiyi, dressed in silk pajamas, let out a sigh of admiration.

Across from her, Luo Chen was seated at the doorway, clutching a porcelain bowl and shoveling spirit rice into his mouth.

A few bright red chunks of beef rested on one side of the bowl, trembling enticingly with each motion of the rice.

"Did you make this yourself?"

Seeing the woman stride over and fixate her gaze directly on the chunks of beef, Luo Chen tentatively offered.

"Want one?"

"Yes!"

Wow, you really don't hold back!

Watching the largest piece of beef get lifted by spirit power into that rosy mouth, Luo Chen was nearly in tears.

To reward himself for a hard day's work, he had gone out of his way to cut an extra portion of meat and now it had all ended up in her mouth.

With her being at the eighth stage of Qi-Refining, he had no grounds to argue.

I have to take the blame for offering!

"Mmm, so tender and flavorful, perfectly spicy, and the light herbal aroma not only seals in the juices but also carries a rich infusion of spirit energy."

Gu Caiyi closed her eyes, savoring the bite of beef as she swallowed.

"I never expected you to be so skilled at this. Your cooking puts the chefs at Tianxiang Tower to shame, it's almost on par with the spirit chefs from the Zhongding family."

After a few words of praise, she noticed Luo Chen hurriedly shoveling food into his mouth.

Amused and slightly annoyed, she tapped him on the head and said, "All this fuss over one piece of beef?"

Gulp!

"I was hungry, that's all, don't get the wrong idea, Sister Caiyi."

Gu Caiyi licked her lips, clearly still wanting more.

"I won't let your beef go unpaid for—I've looked into it. The Yin energy in Dahe Market only seeps through the array and doesn't cause harm. As long as you don't stay for too long, it's nearly harmless."

"What's considered too long?" Luo Chen quickly asked.

"At least a month, but only if you isolate yourself."

Luo Chen let out a deep sigh of relief.

Last night, as he slept wrapped in heavy blankets, there had been a lingering unease in his mind.

Cultivation was already challenging enough; if his foundation were compromised by Yin energy, it would be disastrous.

With his mind at ease, his eating pace naturally slowed down. His gaze wandered, following Gu Caiyi's graceful movements.

With her spirit power, she drew a bucket of water from the corner of the courtyard. She bent down and splashed the cool water onto her face. When she raised her head, the water droplets on her face reflected a rainbow of colors under the sunlight.

"Beautiful?"

"Absolutely!"

Giggle…

Forgive Luo Chen for lacking the words, he could only describe the crisp and charming laughter as the sound that hens make when they lay eggs.

Sitting on a swing under a tree in the western courtyard, Gu Caiyi sighed wistfully. "They all say I'm beautiful, but they also say I don't meet Hehuan Sect's admission criteria."

What kind of criteria does Hehuan Sect have for entry?

Don't sects usually only consider age and spirit roots?

Gu Caiyi didn't elaborate. Sitting on a swing clearly built for children, her waist and hips were pressed firmly against the seat, creating a peach-like silhouette.

As the swing swayed gently, her makeup-free face gazed up at the sky with a touch of melancholy.

Luo Chen realized that Gu Caiyi was different from Bai Meiling and Feng Xia. She resembled those he had seen who pursued Foundation Establishment with great determination.

Among rogue cultivators, such people were both common and rare at the same time.

Most would gradually succumb to their dire circumstances, becoming mundane and preoccupied with daily survival.

In their daily toil, they would forget their original aspiration to pursue the great path of Foundation Establishment.

Luo Chen considered himself ordinary as well, but he constantly reminded himself that earning spirit stones through alchemy wasn't for the sake of wealth—it was to acquire the resources needed to pursue longevity.

"When did you get back this morning? I didn't hear anything."

"I came back around tiger hour last night." [1]

The tiger hour was between three and five in the morning. Compared to her usual return at the rabbit hour, she was home two hours earlier. No wonder he hadn't heard a thing.

"That's how it's been for the past two months. For some reason, those beetles are unusually enthusiastic at the start of the month, all flocking to Tianxiang Tower."

Beetles? She must mean patrons right!

"After two or three days, I'm not sure if they run out of spirit stones or just energy, but they slink back home."

Wait, the start of the month?

Luo Chen seemed to realize something and instinctively averted his gaze from Gu Caiyi.

"Honestly, we performers have it easy. It's the sisters who trade their body for money who have it hard. They've been telling our matron that the start of the month is exhausting and want to adjust their days off."

A certain man forced an awkward smile and said nothing. He stared at the few remaining grains of rice in his bowl and picked them up one by one.

"Of course, those sisters are earning more too. Some are planning to save up for a while, move to another market town, and marry an honest rogue cultivator. They hope to have a child with spirit roots who can one day join a major sect and achieve Foundation Establishment or even form a core."

Luo Chen hung his head, tracing circles with his finger.

I truly thank them on behalf of all honest rogue cultivators.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Do you not like hearing about Tianxiang Tower?" Gu Caiyi suddenly turned to look at him.

"Not at all. It's just… I've never had that kind of experience, so I don't know what to say."

"Hey, you little rascal!" Gu Caiyi teased with a mischievous smile before offering some advice, "If you're serious about Foundation Establishment, you'd better not waste your vital essence beforehand."

Luo Chen nodded in acknowledgment.

He was fairly knowledgeable about this topic. Most cultivation techniques had measures in their Qi-Refining to preserve a disciple's vital essence. The Long Spring Art included similar warnings.

"By the way, I have a question," Luo Chen asked, feeling a bit awkward. "In the inner city, how do cultivators practice spells?"

Gu Caiyi gave him a puzzled look. "They just practice. What else would they do?"

"No, I mean spells that require repeated casting and practice, like Fireball or Giant Sword, those large-scale ones."

"With such limited space, wouldn't that disturb others?"

"The inner city strictly forbids fighting. Why are you learning those spells? Shouldn't you focus on keeping your spirit power full to advance your cultivation?" Gu Caiyi asked, feeling confused.

"But enchanting spells and artifacts are tools for the path. Shouldn't they be mastered?" Luo Chen countered. "Besides, the inner city isn't absolutely safe, is it?"

"Alright, fair enough. There's always one or two fools every year who challenge Jade Cauldron Sect's rules, so it's not entirely safe."

"From what I know, inner city cultivators either leave the city to practice in the wilderness or use the dueling platforms at the Jade Cauldron Pavilion."

"Dueling platforms?"

"Yes, but they charge a fee—one spirit stone per session at minimum. If you want a sparring partner, it's a hundred times that."

Luo Chen's eyelid twitched.

So Jade Cauldron Sect stoops this low to make money, huh?

Seeing Luo Chen's obvious financial strain, Gu Caiyi offered another solution.

"The courtyard is mostly empty during the day. You can practice in a corner, just make sure to replace the soil afterward so Senior Sun doesn't find out."

1. “寅” 时 refers to the period between 3:00 AM and 5:00 AM. It is associated with the tiger in the Chinese zodiac and is considered a time of growing yang energy, symbolizing vitality and awakening. ☜