When the kitchen was filled with fragrance, and a cry of surprise came from outside the door, Ye Ju was lying leisurely on a lounge chair, eating spiritual fruits.
Ye Ju didn't mind; no one could resist delicious food.
"Little Fairy, what are you cooking in your kitchen? It smells so good!" An old man with an ethereal demeanor floated over the courtyard wall, sniffing the air.
"What business is it of yours? It's not very polite to come uninvited, sir," Ye Ju retorted unceremoniously.
"Little Fairy, that's not right. Meeting is fate. I've traveled far and wide and never smelled such an alluring aroma. I'm willing to pay spiritual stones to taste your food." The old man's stomach grumbled with desire upon smelling the fragrance.
Ye Ju chuckled inwardly. As expected, the law of true fragrance was unavoidable; Chinese cuisine was truly captivating. Since the old man was willing to pay spiritual stones, why not sell it?
"Alright, five top-grade spiritual stones!" Ye Ju didn't overcharge. The ingredients from her spatial dimension contained spiritual energy, which was incomparable to anything outside.
"Wow, that's so expensive! Little Fairy, you're ripping off an old man," the old man wailed.
"Hey, what are you talking about? I deal fairly with everyone, and it's free trade. If you think it's worth it, pay the spiritual stones. If you think it's too expensive, the door is right behind you. Have a good day!" Ye Ju said irritably, directly asking him to leave.
Steward Zhu, who was in a side room, had heard the entire exchange. He felt that his master, the young girl, was displaying her temperaments perfectly, and a smile flickered across his lips.
"Hahaha, esteemed senior, my Fairy hasn't overcharged you. You'll know once you taste it," Steward Zhu said loudly as he stepped out of the side room. He bowed to the old man and invited him to sit down. Then, he called out:
"Ayou, stir-fry a few more dishes. Little Wangyou, serve the tea!" As soon as he finished speaking, Little Wangyou came out with the tea. She had already prepared to serve tea to Ye Ju but was interrupted by the old man's intrusion. Ayou readily agreed.
His own people had large appetites, so he had prepared plenty.
"Mm, Little Fairy, your subordinate is indeed sensible." Saying this, he sat down, picked up the teacup, and took a sip. His eyes widened immediately. Such dense spiritual energy, such fine tea! He promptly and happily paid the spiritual stones. If even the tea was like this, one could only imagine the food. He truly looked forward to this meal.
Ye Ju glanced at him, collected the spiritual stones, and ignored the old man. The sun was just right, so she squinted and enjoyed a sunbath.
The more Ye Ju acted this way, the more interested the old man became. He had long noticed that although this little fairy was young, her cultivation was extremely high, having reached the Void Transcension realm, just one step away from ascension. Ordinary cultivators couldn't see through her disguise, but they couldn't escape his divine eye abilities. His cultivation technique resided entirely in his eyes, the 'Re-seeing Eyes' that could see through all illusions in the world.
"May I ask your senior's name? This junior is Zhu Ye." Steward Zhu, seeing the old man's extraordinary nature, decided to try and form a connection. Since his fairy disliked such mundane matters, he would handle it himself.
"Zhu Ye? You are Zhu Ye? The former Discipline Hall Elder of the Chaotian Immortal Sect?" the old man exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't expected to encounter this person. It was said that he had left the sect two hundred years ago and disappeared without a trace.
"Indeed, that is me. And you, senior?"
"I am the Re-seeing Old Man!" the old man said, stroking his beard, awaiting the little fairy's surprised gaze.
Ye Ju... had never heard of him! She continued to squint and sunbathe.
The old man glanced sideways at the young lady opposite him, who remained unmoved even after hearing his name. He couldn't help but wonder if his reputation had become outdated. After all, people flocked to his immortal sect, eager to be his disciples, like fish swimming against the current!
In contrast, Steward Zhu, upon hearing the name, immediately stood up and bowed respectfully. This was the renowned Re-seeing Old Man, and he hadn't expected him to appear here. It was rumored that he had never taken a disciple and had already ascended to the upper realms.
The old man calmly accepted Steward Zhu's bow, thinking that this was the proper reaction. The young lady was probably too young to have heard of his name...
Before long, all the dishes were ready. They were moved to a large stone table from the spatial dimension, and some were left for Xiao Bai and the others within the dimension, and then they began to eat.
Throughout the meal, the old man occasionally exclaimed with delight, his speed of picking up dishes becoming faster and faster, showing a gluttonous demeanor, completely devoid of his previous ethereal air. Even Steward Zhu's image of the Re-seeing Old Man was shattered. This ravenous appearance was no different from that of Master Xiao Bai.
As soon as the Re-seeing Old Man tasted the food, he knew the ingredients were extraordinary. After the meal, the bottleneck in his cultivation had subtly loosened. He inwardly exclaimed that the spiritual stones were well spent, and the price was indeed reasonable. His admiration for the little fairy grew even greater.
During a break in eating, he kept looking intently at Ayou, knowing that it was this little fellow who had been busy in the kitchen. He began to ponder the possibility of luring this little chef away.
Ayou felt a chill down his spine from the old man's gaze, inwardly thinking if this old man was up to no good, staring at him like that.
"Little Fairy, does your little chef have a master? Does he need to take a disciple?" the old man asked after observing, having discovered that the little chef possessed a wood element spiritual root and had already reached the Golden Core cultivation level. A genius among geniuses! A promising talent! And he could cook!
"You mean Ayou? He hasn't taken a master!" Ye Ju saw through the old man's intentions and pretended to be oblivious.
"Then does he lack a master? A genius with the supreme wood spiritual root, with proper guidance, has an immeasurable future!" the old man hinted.
"Oh? Then he really needs to find one. Although the master leads the way, cultivation depends on the individual, the master's guidance is crucial," Ye Ju said seriously.
The old man became slightly impatient. He had hinted so obviously, why hadn't she understood?
"Indeed, master and disciple are bound by fate. Aren't we right here?"
Ye Ju chuckled inwardly. She hadn't heard of this Re-seeing Old Man, but judging by Steward Zhu's attitude, she knew this old man was not simple.
"Right here? Senior, you're not referring to yourself, are you? That's not appropriate, not appropriate!" Ye Ju waved her hand.
"Why is it not appropriate?" the old man asked anxiously. He wanted to take her back so he could eat delicious food every day.
"Ayou needs to cook for me, and I can't do without his excellent cooking!" Ye Ju said, half-truthfully. She feared this old man was only interested in Ayou's culinary skills.
"Fairy Master, I don't want to take a master. I won't leave Fairy," Ayou, who had been listening, exclaimed anxiously. He definitely didn't want to leave with this strange old man and become his disciple!
"Hey, you brat, you don't know what's good for you! So many people want to become my disciple, the Re-seeing Old Man!" the old man said indignantly. He had finally considered taking a disciple, only to be refused? What a foolish boy who didn't know what was good for him.
"Hmph, I won't go to your sect. Only if you join our Penglai Sect will I consider becoming your disciple," Ayou retorted angrily. Our Fairy Master is much stronger than you. He had long vowed to follow his Fairy Master his entire life and never betray her.
"Senior Re-seeing, although Ayou's words are spoken in anger, I also think they have merit. It is said that you are the only one left in Senior Re-seeing's sect; all others have ascended or died of old age. It would be better for you to join our sect. Ayou's culinary skills are unmatched in the world. Then, you can enjoy this delicious food every day," Steward Zhu persuaded him gradually. Ayou becoming his disciple would undoubtedly be his good fortune!
"This..." The old man hesitated...