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Chapter 31 Before Becoming an Apprentice

Nanmo waited in the kitchen for a while, during which he chatted with Fang Yuancheng for a bit.

Nanmoqu told Fangyuancheng what had happened in the sect that day, and then, just as the sun was setting, he carried a basket of sesame cakes down the mountain.

As soon as Nanmoqu stepped out of the sect's gate, he heard a little boy shout from not far away: "We're here!" Then he saw two little boys scrambling to climb up.

Nanmo District sensed that they were two little boys with top-grade fire and wood spiritual roots, respectively.

Just as Nanmoqu was about to say something, he saw the child with the top-grade fire spirit root see the basket in his hand, his eyes light up, and he pounced on it, grabbing a sesame seed cake and stuffing it into his mouth.

Nanmo was startled. He quickly moved the basket containing the sesame cakes away to prevent the child with the excellent fire spirit root from taking out another sesame cake from the basket, leaving the other children without any to eat.

Nanmoqu had just taken another sesame seed cake out of the basket and was about to hand it to the child with the top-grade wood spirit root when the child with the top-grade wood spirit root trembled and almost knelt down before him.

Nan Moqu was startled twice. He first helped the child with the top-grade wood spirit root to his feet, then helped the child sit down on the steps in front of the sect and stuffed a sesame seed cake into the child's hand.

"You two sit here at the sect's main gate. There's a formation at the gate; I'll have someone come and take you in," Nan Moqu said, sending a message to Chong Xiang.

Just after sending the message talisman, Nanmoqu, who was standing at the sect's main gate waiting for Chongxiang to come and pick up the child, saw another little girl walking up. After sensing her, he realized she was a girl with a top-grade golden spiritual root.

The girl with the top-grade gold spiritual root also seemed to be running out of energy. Her whole body was swaying precariously, as if she would collapse onto the steps and never get up again.

Nan Moqu hurriedly went over and picked up the little girl with the top-grade golden spiritual root, placing her on the steps at the sect entrance.

At this moment, Chongxiang arrived.

Looking at the two children at the sect entrance who were almost collapsing from exhaustion and another child who was frantically stuffing sesame cakes into his mouth, Chongxiang said, "Nolan, Wen Meiying, and Wang Li have arrived at the sect entrance and passed the initiation disciple trial."

Then, Chongxiang waved his hand, and the three children floated in the air, following Chongxiang into the sect.

Nanmoqu then went down the mountain to deliver food to the other children.

After walking a few steps, Nanmoqu saw a little girl with a white snake wrapped around her neck sitting by the roadside resting.

Based on what his junior brothers and sisters had said, Nanmo deduced that this must be the little girl who had subdued the spiritual creature of heaven and earth.

This little girl was different from the previous three children: apart from her, all the other children had been selected by the school; and although the clothes worn by the first three children were dirty, one could still see the original luxurious fabric and intricate patterns. This little girl, on the other hand, wore a cotton and linen outfit with no patterns, only some cute little tacks.

I heard that this child, who possesses the aura of a rare and precious creature, was originally a maid in the Prince's mansion. If it weren't for the fact that my second junior brother accidentally sensed the aura of this creature, this child would probably have been buried in obscurity. Nan Moqu thought to himself, feeling a pang of pity.

Nanmoqu walked up to the child who possessed the spiritual treasures of heaven and earth. As soon as the child saw Nanmoqu, he stood up and bowed, saying, "Caihua greets the immortal."

Nanmoqu told Caihua not to stand on ceremony, took a sesame seed cake from the basket and handed it to her, then asked Caihua, "How many people are behind you?"

Ayaka shook her head and said, "I don't know, I only know that most people are still in the back."

Nanmoqu nodded to indicate that he understood. He looked at the spiritual object around Caihua's neck and asked, "May I take a look at this spiritual object?"

Ayaka patted Shiro's head. Shiro closed its eyes and enjoyed the moment for a while before finally opening its eyes and moving closer to Nanmo.

Nanmo bent down to examine the celestial spirit on Caihua's neck closely: the celestial spirit had a lotus fragrance, so it should be a lotus spirit, with amber eyes and snow-white scales, and was very beautiful.

As Nanmoqu approached this spiritual treasure, he felt the spiritual energy around him become more active.

I remember Chongxiang also said that this child was originally a mortal. After picking up a spiritual treasure, he was able to absorb spiritual energy and develop dual spiritual roots of water and wood. Dual spiritual roots are mutually reinforcing. Apart from consuming more spiritual energy when absorbing them, if he cultivates properly, his strength should be no less than that of a child with a single spiritual root. Nanmoqu thought to himself as he watched Caihua sharing food with the spiritual treasure.

Then, Nanmo District continued down the mountain.

After finishing the sesame seed cake, Caihua sat down to rest for a while before continuing to climb the mountain.

As the first star appeared in the sky, Caihua climbed to the main gate of the sect.

Chongxiang's disciple Xinhe was already standing at the door, helping Caihua open the barrier at the sect's entrance and let her in.

"It's you," Xinhe said, leading Caihua towards the cafeteria. "Thank you for finding the money pouch earlier. Welcome to Huaiyu Sect. Let's go eat first; the other children are already eating in the cafeteria. Of all the children, you're the one in the best spirits right now."

"Okay, thank you." Ayaka said, quickening her pace to catch up with Shin.

Xinhe led Caihua into the cafeteria and called out, "Little Aunt, another one has arrived. Cook some food for her."

"Good, good, good, okay, okay, okay. These kids are pretty good, four of them came up on the second day." Fang Yuancheng exclaimed, his spatula almost smoking from shoveling food into the pot.

Caihua finished the sesame seed cake and was almost full, so she didn't need to eat anything else.

Caihua sat in a corner of the dining table, watching the remaining three wolf down their food without any manners. Whether it was Wang Li, a lady from a wealthy family, or Wen Meiying, a young nobleman, they were all stuffing food into their mouths with their mouths wide open. Caihua was genuinely afraid that they would ruin their stomachs.

She was fine herself. Caihua had just put down her package and walked over to Fang Yuancheng. She saw that the fire in the stove had gone down and looked at what Fang Yuancheng was cooking in the pot. Caihua had just picked up a piece of firewood from the pile of firewood and put it into the stove when she was hit on the head by a piece of wood.

Fang Yuancheng felt it was about time to add firewood, so he took a handful of firewood and was about to put it into the stove when he bumped into something.

Fang Yuancheng looked down and saw that it was the little girl who possessed the spiritual treasures of heaven and earth.

The little girl had probably just added firewood to the stove, because she was still standing outside with one hand holding firewood.

Caihua cried out "Ouch!" and stood up, clutching her head. Fang Yuancheng quickly stopped what he was doing and went to check on Caihua.

Fang Yuancheng looked at Caihua's forehead and then touched the back of her head. Finding no bumps or bleeding, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Fang Yuancheng looked at the girl in front of him and softened his voice: "Are you hungry? The food will be ready in a little while."

"No, Ayaka is full, Ayaka isn't hungry," Ayaka replied, rubbing the spot on her head where she had been hit. "Ayaka just wanted to help the immortal with some work."

"Work? Why would you want to work voluntarily?" Fang Yuancheng became somewhat wary. Back then, Mei Chong had been doing the same thing, always eagerly following behind her and helping her with chores, saying he wanted to become a skilled alchemist and chef just like her.

Ayaka remained silent for a moment, then asked Lu Renkui whether she should tell the immortal the real reason.

Lu Renkui asked, "What are your true thoughts?"

Ayaka replied, "I'm used to working at the manor, and I'm not used to watching others work while I do nothing myself."

"Then answer like that. Oh, right, Ayaka, didn't you say you wanted to be an alchemist? There's an alchemist right in front of you. Try to make a good impression on her, good luck!" Lu Renkui encouraged Ayaka and continued to organize the original plot.

"Because Caihua is used to working at the manor, she's not used to watching others work here," Caihua answered truthfully after hearing Lu Renkui's words.

Fang Yuancheng didn't hear the answer she expected, and for some reason, she breathed a sigh of relief—perhaps she herself was afraid of losing her composure if she heard a similar answer.

"My meal is almost ready. If you really have nothing to do right now, go over there and get two pieces of firewood and go draw by the door." Fang Yuancheng pointed to the woodpile and told Caihua to take two pieces of firewood and go play by herself.

Caihua knew that Fang Yuancheng didn't want her to stay in the kitchen to work, and even if she stayed, she might still annoy him. So Caihua obediently picked up two small wooden sticks about the thickness of a thumb, squatted at the kitchen door, and started drawing on the mud floor.

Caihua first made a few random strokes, then, wanting to draw something, she started drawing on the ground with a stick, following the image of the little white thing around her neck.

"What are you doing squatting here all by yourself?" came an old man's voice from above, sounding very kind.

Caihua looked up and saw an old man with a sage-like appearance. He had a long white beard, and his hair was as white as a crane's feathers. He was wearing a dark blue Taoist robe with ruyi patterns embroidered on it.

At that moment, the venerable old man, with a sage-like air, asked Ayaka with a smile, "Why are you playing here all by yourself?"

"Reporting to the immortal, Caihua isn't hungry. The immortal in the kitchen let Caihua come out to play," Caihua stood up and answered honestly.

The old man, with his sage-like demeanor, first asked Ayaka to sit down, then asked, "What's that on your neck?"

Ayaka glanced at the little white creature around her neck. The creature showed no signs of aggression; instead, it lazily draped itself over Ayaka's shoulder. Ayaka replied, "It's a rare and precious object that I obtained by chance."

"Hmm, a rare and precious creature of heaven and earth, could you please let it raise its head so I can see it?" the old man with the air of a hermit asked again.

Ayaka glanced at Shiro and poked him.

Xiao Bai was awakened by Caihua's poking, and simply clung to the hand that had poked her.

Ayaka held up her hand, hovering it within range of the old man's hand that Xiaobai couldn't draw.

After finishing today's article, Xing'er came to the kitchen to see the new disciples who had just entered the sect.

First, he saw the three children who had arrived earlier eating voraciously, while his youngest apprentice was wielding a spatula, the food tumbling in the pot so fast it was almost a blur.

Then, Xinhe came in with a child whose neck was wrapped in a white snake. Xing'er guessed that this was the child who had subdued the spirit of heaven and earth.

So Xing'er stood by the kitchen window and continued watching. She saw the child with the amulet around his neck sit at the table for a while, then go to help Fang Yuancheng add firewood to the stove. Fang Yuancheng, who was holding the firewood, accidentally hit him on the head.

Xing'er almost laughed, but she held it in.

A short while later, Xing'er overheard Fang Yuancheng and Caihua's conversation. He quickly gathered his spiritual power, worried that Fang Yuancheng might lose his composure because of the scene that so closely resembled the past.

However, the child did not give a similar or identical answer to Mei Chong's. This relieved Xing Er.

Then Fang Yuancheng sent the child to play at the door.

Xing'er wanted to find out what kind of person this child was. If possible, she might try to get him to be Fang Yuancheng's apprentice—if the child wanted to become an alchemist or a chef.

So Xing'er went to the kitchen doorway, squatted down, and chatted with Caihua.

First, Xing'er wanted to see the magical spirits that Caihua possessed. When she saw that Caihua could make the magical spirits on her body obedient, Xing'er became more satisfied with this child.

After examining the wondrous creatures of heaven and earth, Xing'er asked Caihua, "Now that you've come to our Huaiyu Sect, who would you like to become our disciple?"

"Reporting to the Immortal, Caihua wishes to become an apprentice of the Alchemist." Judging from the clothes and age of the person in front of her, Caihua guessed that he might be a relatively important figure in the sect.

"Hmm, you want to be an alchemist, good child, good child." Upon hearing this, Xing'er became even more determined to give the child to Fang Yuancheng.

This young girl seems reliable; she shouldn't be like that heartless Mei Chong. Xing'er thought to herself, then asked, "Why do you want to be an alchemist?"

"Because I want to refine some pills so I can share them with my mother and best friends," Ayaka replied, still stroking Little White.

"I want to share it with my family and friends." Xing Er stroked his beard, increasingly convinced that this child would never be like that heartless little Mei Chong, much less like that heartless Ma Wuyi.

“Look, do you see that person cooking in the kitchen?” Xing’er made Caihua stand up and led her to the door, looking through the door frame at Fang Yuancheng inside: “If you become her apprentice, you will become the disciple of the most powerful alchemist in the entire spirit world.”

"Really?" Ayaka asked, looking at Fang Yuancheng who was busy in the kitchen.

Xing'er smiled and strongly recommended Fang Yuancheng to Caihua: "Let me tell you, although she is an alchemist and a chef, she is a very reliable person. She makes all the meals for the disciples in our sect who are not fasting, and she also takes care of the herbs on the mountain. See how responsible she is?"

"She is the most skilled alchemist in the entire spirit realm. She has a strong sense of medicinal herbs, learns quickly, and refines pills quickly. Moreover, she has succeeded in refining pills many times. Almost everyone at the foot of the mountain is vying for the pills she refines."

Within Ayaka's consciousness space, Lu Renkui looked at the system WQBYRZM and asked, "Is that so? It seems like in the original story, Fang Yuancheng was always at the Nascent Soul stage. Could it be that Fang Yuancheng is suppressing his cultivation?"

"It seems so. She probably suffered some kind of trauma, or maybe she just doesn't want to be struck by lightning." System WQBYRZM was still flipping through the plot points, though it was almost finished. "But it's true that she's the most powerful alchemist in the entire Spirit Realm. The original text mentions, 'Upon seeing that auspicious pill, Jing'an knew it was definitely Fang Yuancheng's doing. She's the only one in the entire Spirit Realm who can refine this pill. That strange and arrogant woman is actually very good at doing things that shock the entire Spirit Realm.'"

"She's a real talent, so why has she been holding back her abilities all this time?"

"Didn't I say? They've been traumatized, they're afraid of being struck by lightning, or they want to hide their strength."

"Can the middle one really be considered a reason?"

"Maybe that middle reason really is the case?"