Chapter 5: New Mission, Wealth of Cultivation

Looking at that handsome, unearthly face smiling gently at her in the sunlight, Mu Xiaoyu couldn't help but slow her breathing.

She realized that Li was actually a good person. It was because she hadn't dared to tell him she was tired earlier that he had made her keep practicing...

Right, he hadn't even punished her for sneaking food last night. Judging from that, he was clearly a great guy. She had completely misunderstood him.

Thinking about it carefully, he was the best-looking person she had seen in her entire life. How could someone this good-looking possibly be a bad person?

As these thoughts grew in her mind, Li Yinsheng seemed even more extraordinarily handsome in her eyes.

Li Yinsheng looked down at his little junior sister, who only reached his chest, with a warm, radiant smile on his face.

"Junior Sister, go rest for half a cup of tea's time. Drink some water, take a Nourishing Essence Pill, and come back to continue practicing."

Half! A! Cup! Of! Tea?!

Mu Xiaoyu's eyes went wide as she stared at Li Yinsheng—what an abominable, wicked senior disciple!

"Senior Disciple, can't I rest a little longer?" she attempted to struggle.

"Then let's make it one cup of tea's time," Li Yinsheng said.

"A little longer?" Mu Xiaoyu pushed her luck.

"Once you are well-rested, Junior Sister, you can practice for another two hours. After that, you can rest for another half a cup of tea's time," Li Yinsheng offered as a solution.

"Senior Disciple, what if I want to cry?" Mu Xiaoyu asked, sniffing.

"The clock on your rest time has already started," Li Yinsheng said calmly. "Crying counts as part of that time."

Half a cup of tea's time later.

Li Yinsheng sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, visualizing and cultivating. Mu Xiaoyu leaned in. "Senior Disciple, apart from steamed buns and pickled spring bamboo shoots, is there any other food in the dining hall?"

"There are two other side dishes and plenty of dry rations," Li Yinsheng replied.

"Aren't we Cultivators? Why is our food so shabby? We don't even have a standard meal of four dishes and a soup..."

Mu Xiaoyu outwardly showed a bit of grievance and disdain, but secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

There might not have been many dishes, but those pickled spring bamboo shoots were truly delicious. Whether in the Prince's Mansion or in the best restaurants of her home commandery, she had never eaten such fresh and flavorful shoots.

The other two side dishes shouldn't be too bad either, right?

"Once a Cultivator achieves success in their Cultivation, though not all can reach the point of dining on rosy clouds and drinking morning dew to abstain from food entirely, their need for mundane grains will gradually decrease as their Cultivation advances.

"It goes from one meal a day to one meal every two or three days, then to one every four or five days, and eventually even one meal a month. That is why the dining halls in every Daoist Temple are kept simple," Li Yinsheng explained.

Of course, in those Daoist Temples with numerous disciples, there would still be quite a few people in the dining hall every day. Some even had Cultivators specifically responsible for cooking.

"Then where does the food in the dining hall come from? Did you make it, Senior Disciple? Or was it made by other senior brothers and sisters?" Mu Xiaoyu asked curiously.

"Other senior brothers and sisters?" Li Yinsheng's mouth twitched. "Junior Sister, you've been here for two days now. Have you seen any other senior brothers or sisters?"

"No." Mu Xiaoyu shook her head, then puffed out her cheeks. "Whether it was yesterday or today, you've been dragging me along to practice. I haven't even had the time to stroll around the temple. How could I possibly meet any other senior brothers or sisters?"

"I did forget about that." Li Yinsheng patted his forehead without the slightest hint of apology.

"Junior Sister, at this moment, the only disciples in the temple are just the two of us. If we count our elders, there is also a Martial Uncle. However, she is currently recovering from her injuries. Once she is in better spirits, I will take you to pay your respects to her."

"What about the other senior brothers and sisters? Are they not in the temple right now?" Mu Xiaoyu tilted her head, slightly curious. But then she immediately swallowed her saliva and changed the subject.

"Let's not talk about that for now. Senior Disciple, since the food in our dining hall wasn't made by someone here, where on earth did it come from? Last night... that jar of pickled spring bamboo shoots last night was quite delicious. I ate it all. Are there any more?"

Li Yinsheng spread his hands. "They are gone. Our Martial Uncle is a Daoist... or rather, she used to be a Daoist, so she abstains from mortal grains. I also eat very little normally, so the temple's food reserves are extremely low.

"As for where it came from... Our Xuanzhen Temple belongs to the Zhengyang Dharma Vein. Under this Dharma Vein, there are dozens of other Daoist Temples, one of which is called the Baoguang Temple..."

"Baoguang Temple?" Mu Xiaoyu interrupted. "It sounds like a place that sells treasures?"

Li Yinsheng lightly rapped Mu Xiaoyu on the head with a soft BONK, signaling her not to interrupt. "They do sell treasures, but not just treasures.

"Under the Zhengyang Dharma Vein, many Daoist Temples have their own specialties. Some excel in Alchemy, some in forging Magical Artifacts, and others in Drawing Talismans, Talisman Making, taming Spirit Beasts, or cultivating Spirit Medicine. There are even those skilled in dual... ahem...

"In short, many Daoist Temples have specific areas of expertise. They can sell their goods to outsiders to earn talismanic coins...

"Oh, and these so-called talismanic coins are the currency distributed by the Taihao Immortal Sect for Cultivators to use. You can think of them as the mortal world's silver notes. The entire Zhengyang Dharma Vein, and even other Dharma Veins, use them."

"What does that have to do with the food in the dining hall? Was that food bought using talismanic coins?" Mu Xiaoyu's objective was extremely clear as she continued to press the issue.

"Exactly," Li Yinsheng nodded. "For those Daoist Temples that sell their specialties, the good stuff is naturally only sold within their own walls. People from other Daoist Temples have to personally visit to acquire them.

"For instance, if you want a good Magical Artifact, you must go to the Zulu Temple or the Bifeng Temple. If you want a good Elixir, you have to go to the Gengyan Temple or the Pianshui Temple. For a Yellow Talisman or a Treasure Talisman, you must seek out the Shouyi Temple...

"However, the various Daoist Temples under the Zhengyang Dharma Vein are scattered about. If you are seeking Superior treasures, making the trip is fine, but if you have to run to several different places just to buy everyday items, it's incredibly inconvenient.

"As it happens, the Baoguang Temple holds the most unique location among all the Daoist Temples under the Zhengyang Dharma Vein. It is right in the very center, making it relatively close to every other temple."