Tianpeng was amorous. After being beaten up by Lady Di Yong, he still did not change his nature. However, he also knew how formidable Lady Di Yong was and dared not ss around anymore. At the sa ti, he realized that both the Black Bear Spirit and Lady Di Yong were Sha Chen’s people, and he was an outsider.
The Black Bear Spirit glanced at Lady Di Yong and curled his lip, saying, "Skinny as you are, besides those two lamps, what have you to be so proud of?"
He snorted, "The Master values the most."
Lady Di Yong seed to feel the threat from the Black Bear Spirit as well, giving him a sidelong glance as if ready to make a move.
Sha Chen, however, said, "Don’t you dare start trouble. You should love each other; we’re all family here."
Then he added, "Since we have so many people here today, I’ll cook myself."
Today had brought a huge haul, so Sha Chen was very happy. Not only had he gotten the Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag, but the Black Bear Spirit’s long-lost bear son had also brought back a great amount of resources. This made him, already wealthy, even richer. Sha Chen also unusually rembered to provide a feast to welco them and treat them well.
He set out to cook.
Lady Di Yong hurried to follow, saying, "Master, let help you. Let’s cook together."
She had already imagined the happy life of them living together, tending the fields and weaving, man plowing and woman spinning.
Sha Chen laughed. "No need. You go out and chat with them; strengthen the fellowship among fellow disciples."
Lady Di Yong said, "I don’t wanna."
Sha Chen said, "Be good, I’ll cook noodles for you."
Lady Di Yong’s face turned red. "Okay then."
And then, she tried to ss around.
Sha Chen kicked her away. "Off you go."
The rare mont of tenderness instantly disappeared.
Sha Chen shook his head and entered the kitchen to start cooking, muttering, "You want to enter the kitchen too? Aren’t you just going to eat everything clean?"
Lady Di Yong ate too much; she was a real glutton. During their days at the Flowing Sand River, she nearly bankrupted Sha Chen. Sha Chen decided that he absolutely could not let her into the kitchen.
After being kicked out, Lady Di Yong stood up, dusting herself off, tears streaming down.
Moved, she said, "Master loves so much! He deliberately kicked out so my hands wouldn’t have to be roughened by chores."
Tianpeng, being mischievous nearby, said, "Fairy, Old Sha is so uncouth, treating you so rudely. My Yunzhan Cave is spacious and grand, and I am a civilized person; I would never lay hands on you."
Lady Di Yong angrily said, "Scram! What right do you, a pig spirit, have to speak ill of my Master?"
Tianpeng was stunned. "Old Sha actually kicked you! He has no appreciation for beauty or gentleness, yet you still defend him?"
Lady Di Yong spat. "Go away! Hitting is affection, and scolding is love. What would you, a dead pig spirit, understand?"
Tianpeng, infuriated to the point of vomiting blood, staggered back, almost falling over.
So that’s how it works!?
He imdiately pinched Lady Di Yong’s arm but was slapped away, spouting angrily, "Dead pig spirit, why did you strike ?"
Tianpeng cried, "Hitting is affection, and scolding is love! Did you feel my affection?"
"UGH!"
Lady Di Yong feigned retching and spat on Tianpeng’s face. "Dead pig spirit, look at yourself in the mirror! You’re not even worthy of drinking my foot-washing water, and you dare to talk to about love?"
Tianpeng imdiately felt hurt. He stood up and said, "I am a decent person. I haven’t wronged you, Fairy. Please don’t be so crude."
Lady Di Yong glanced at the kitchen, then sashayed to the palace.
Tianpeng said, "Fairy, where are you going?"
Lady Di Yong replied, "None of your business. I’m going to take a nice bath before the Master finishes cooking."
A bath?
Tianpeng’s mouth instantly began to water profusely. Sha Chen, thinking it was raining, peeked out and then continued cooking.
"Fairy, I too am weary. May I join you?"
He followed after her, but before he could get close, BAM! He was shut outside, hitting his nose and winding up with egg on his face.
HUM!
A Formation descended to prevent Tianpeng from peeping.
Tianpeng touched his nose and retreated cheerfully. Seeing the Black Bear Spirit’s mocking face, he felt a blow to his pride. He then pointed at the bathroom door, grumbling, "This is outrageous! Fairy, you actually lock the door for a bath? It’s one thing to guard against villains, but to guard against an upright gentleman like is just too much."
Afterwards, he patted the Black Bear Spirit. "Old Bear, don’t you think this is too much?"
The Black Bear Spirit ignored him, instead surveying the cave abode. He noticed that the abode had beco even more profound and spacious since his last departure, with a strong sense of the Dao all around. He also saw the Tai Chi Diagram on the sheer cliff, imdiately feeling it was unfathomably profound and extrely striking. And there was a lamp beside the Tai Chi Diagram; just the light from the lamp gave one the feeling of being bathed in spring breezes, a tranquility that urged one to empty their mind.
Tianpeng was equally bored and looked around, noticing so changes in the cave dwelling as well.
He exclaid in surprise, "Strange, that Tai Chi Diagram looks so familiar, and I find myself getting lost in it, unable to extricate myself."
Sha Chen had already finished preparing several dishes. As he served them, he said, "That’s the Tai Chi Diagram left by Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad from Tushita Palace. It contains infinite Taoist anings, and looking at it can enhance the power of the Primordial Spirit."
HISS!
Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad?
Tianpeng was startled. "Old Sha, that’s quite sothing! I didn’t expect that your shabby place could have been graced by Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad himself. Did he say anything? Did he ntion ?"
Sha Chen said, "Why would he ntion you?"
Tianpeng proudly said, "You wouldn’t understand. My Nine-Tooth Rake was forged by him. In fact, I once visited Tushita Palace, hoping to take him as my master, but he refused."
Sha Chen said, "Fortunately, he refused. With your behavior, he would have to clean up after you all the ti."
Tianpeng curled his lip.
The Black Bear Spirit was also incredibly shocked, having never imagined that a Saint had visited this place.
He couldn’t have followed a better Master back then.
The Black Bear Spirit then said, "Master, what treasure is that lamp? Under its light, I feel an urge to empty my mind."
Sha Chen spoke indifferently, "That’s the Taiqing Liuli Lamp from the Taiqing Palace. Under its light, it can enhance a person’s soul and Primordial Spirit, far more useful than the Tai Chi Diagram. When used together, its effects are wondrously powerful."
"And you two should not harbor any ulterior motives under its light, or else you will be burned by it, with nowhere to hide."
He laughed and added, "I’ve also discovered another use for this Magical Tool—it can shield us from prying eyes."
"Although my place is already concealed from others’ prying, it’s still difficult to shield against the hearing of so Quasi-Saints, even top-tier Daluo Golden Immortals, who can listen in on our conversation."
"But with the Taiqing Liuli Lamp, I’m afraid even ordinary Quasi-Saints can’t hear the conversations here, let alone Daluo Golden Immortals. Once they’re at Flowing Sand River, they might as well be blind and deaf."
Both the Black Bear Spirit and Tianpeng were delighted by the surprise.
Especially the Black Bear Spirit, who said, "Congratulations, Master, on obtaining this Magical Tool."
Sha Chen said, "It doesn’t matter. As long as you’re here, you can all practice under the lamp; it will help you too."
Then he continued with his preparations.
The two of them hurriedly tested it. After an hour, upon opening their eyes, they indeed found it more useful than practicing for a whole month on ordinary days. They exchanged glances, both thrilled with the find. They were almost forgetting to return ho.
By now, Sha Chen had finished all his chores and fetched more than a dozen jars of fine wine from the wine cellar. Then he glanced at the peach wine and the osmanthus wine, hesitated a mont before closing the door, not willing to bring them out. But after closing the door, he opened it again, and with a pained expression, took out a jar of osmanthus wine and a jar of peach wine, then locked it up again.
Lady Di Yong had finished her bath as well, soaking in a petal bath until she was fragrant all over, adding a touch of enchantnt. Sitting beside Sha Chen, when Tianpeng tried to squeeze over, she kicked him away, leaving a space clear beside her. Tianpeng and the Black Bear Spirit squeezed to the other side of Sha Chen, crowding together around a large table.
The table was filled with a total of one hundred and eight dishes: seventy-two main dishes and thirty-six side dishes. Tianpeng was drooling at the sight, and the Black Bear Spirit was dazzled. Lady Di Yong was also swallowing her saliva; she had been there for so long, and Sha Chen had never prepared so many delicious dishes before.
She couldn’t help but reproach him, "Master, why haven’t you ever made these delicacies for before?"
Sha Chen replied, "Are you the Master, or am I? If I have to do everything, what use do I have for you?"
With a snap, he placed a bowl of noodles in front of her. "Eat the noodles."
Having stayed at the Flowing Sand River for year after year, she had achieved nothing noteworthy nor brought back any resources, having consud them all. She had almost exhausted all of Sha Chen’s food ingredients, including stealthily drinking three hundred jars of his wine. If not for Sha Chen’s intervention, this woman would have even wanted to dig up vegetable roots to eat. And she still dread of enjoying an imperial feast? She could have her share if she did a set of military boxing.
Lady Di Yong felt wronged and acted coy and cute, and it took her behaving that way for Sha Chen to let her join the feast.
"You may eat, but we’ll have to establish three rules first. One, just eat, no mischief. Two, eating is fine, but do not climb onto the table; no rudeness allowed. Three, you can drink wine, but don’t get drunk and cause a ruckus."
Lady Di Yong quickly promised, "Absolutely, I’ll adhere to them."
Tianpeng laughed. "Old Sha, you’re too strict with the Fairy. It’s just dinner, and you want to set three rules. Besides, how could soone as cultured as the Fairy be unruly while eating, or rough? A beauty drunk is a delightful sight. Your restrictions show you don’t understand romance."
He laughed, took a sip of wine, and said, "Drinking a cup of osmanthus wine reminds of Fairy Chang E of Guanghan Palace. Since ancient tis, deep affections have led to endless sorrow, this sorrow boundless and eternal."
Having said this, he stole a glance at Lady Di Yong, only to find that she didn’t even look at him, preoccupied with eating instead. Moreover, she rolled up her sleeves and started grabbing food with her hands, taking big bites of at and hearty swigs of wine.
Tianpeng was stupefied.
The Black Bear Spirit, on the other hand, was impressed. "What a spirited young lady! What a pity you’re a woman; otherwise, I’d want to beco sworn siblings with you."
Lady Di Yong gave him a sidelong glance. "You’re so dark, if the lights were a little dimr, I wouldn’t be able to see you at all. Sworn siblings with you? Have I lost my mind?"
The Black Bear Spirit felt deeply hurt. "Master, this little lady is too aggravating! Her words are thorny; she even said I’m so dark I’m invisible."
Sha Chen smiled. "Go stand under the Taiqing Liuli Lamp."
The Black Bear Spirit’s eyes lit up. "Master, I understand! You’re saying that, like the Taiqing Liuli Lamp, I should embrace the light and not care about what others think?"
Sha Chen said, "Stop talking. It’s quite dark here. If you don’t go stand under the light, I can’t even see where you are."
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