Ji Mo's first act upon returning home was to check on A'li.
The little girl was sleeping soundly on the bed, using the Xuan Ao as a pillow and hugging the Ginseng King.
Ji Mo was speechless. He took off the Dark Night Demon Sable fur from his back and carefully covered A'li with it.
The Ginseng King seized the opportunity to wriggle out of A'li's embrace, clinging to Ji Mo's leg with teary eyes.
During the days Ji Mo was gone, it had not had a single good day. Several times, A'li had almost gnawed on it like a radish.
It turned out that the most terrifying thing in the world was not devils, but a mischievous child, a gluttonous mischievous child!
It complained to Ji Mo about A'li's wicked deeds with great grievance.
Like countless parents, Ji Mo uttered an irrefutable sentence: "She's still a child, how can you hold a grudge against a baby?"
After saying that, he kicked the Ginseng King away.
The Ginseng King felt even more wronged, as if no one else was a baby. Although it had an old face, it was actually a ginseng baby at heart.
Could people not be so double-standard?
The Ginseng King, like sticky candy, rushed over again, clinging to Ji Mo's trouser leg and saying pitifully, "I need to replenish. My whiskers were all gnawed clean by that little girl, and my losses are huge."
"Very well, I did catch a great tonic this time. You can have a couple of bites."
Without a word, Ji Mo unfastened the Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad and threw it to the Ginseng King.
"Ah, this? Just a toad?"
The Ginseng King's face was full of disdain. But after a glance, its expression became solemn. After another glance, it was so startled that it plopped down on the ground, completely limp!
It could never have imagined that this toad was actually a Demon Emperor.
Moreover, it was a figure of considerable renown, the commander of the demon race that had invaded the Xuan Ling Realm back then, the Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad.
This Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad had once contended with the White Emperor and slaughtered countless human cultivators. Its ferocious reputation was enough to make children cry themselves to sleep.
Now, it was bound by Ji Mo, its white belly exposed, its tongue hanging out, a truly impactful scene.
"You want me to eat this?"
The Ginseng King swallowed hard, its branches and leaves trembling with fear.
Even a Demon Emperor was merely food in Mr. Ji's eyes?
Too terrifying!
Tian Peng, who had run over upon hearing the commotion, stared at the Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad with green eyes.
This was a Demon Emperor! If it could have a bite or two, it would surely be incredibly nourishing.
It couldn't let that foolish Ginseng King hog it all.
So, with the mentality that not taking advantage of a good deal was foolish, it charged forward and pecked fiercely at the Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad.
Tian Peng was also clever, knowing that the Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad was not easy to bite.
It directly pecked at the white belly, wanting to get a share of the spoils and taste a few pieces of Demon Emperor meat.
"Quack!"
The Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad let out an angry roar.
"Caw... caw..."
Tian Peng let out a scream.
Upon contact, it was contaminated with demonic energy, and the pain made it cry out repeatedly.
How could a Demon Emperor be so easy to bite? Just a touch had almost caused it to suffer greatly.
Xuan Ao, who had also intended to get a bite, could only abandon this inappropriate thought.
"Hmph, you bunch of ants, you want to eat me? You're simply delusional."
The Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad looked down upon its surroundings with arrogance.
A starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Even though it had fallen to this state, these oddities could not touch it.
Just then.
Ji Mo's voice came from outside, "Old monk, fill the iron cauldron with well water, start a fire, I'm going to cook the toad."
Hui Neng responded excitedly, "Mr. Ji, aren't you going to have hot pot? How about I first gut the toad and marinate it with ginger, garlic, and cooking wine?"
Tian Peng and Xuan Ao, upon hearing this, couldn't help but drool.
They had the good fortune to taste Ji Mo's hot pot before, and the flavor was truly irresistible.
And now, using the artifact embryo, the iron cauldron, as the pot, and the Demon Emperor Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad as the ingredient, the hot pot they would make was truly unimaginable.
The Ginseng King trembled, feeling very panicked, fearing it would become soup material.
Only when Tian Peng patted its chest and guaranteed that hot pot generally did not include ginseng did it feel relieved.
Then, without another word, it dragged the Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad and ran outside.
"I am impervious to water and fire. You want to boil me? Dream on!"
The Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad was not afraid at all. It was a demon from the Arid Ancient Era, and ordinary water and fire could not harm it in the slightest.
"You have such good fortune to be cooked by a divine artifact. I'm even jealous of you receiving such treatment."
The Ginseng King wiped the drool from the corner of its mouth. It had never imagined that its first taste of meat would be Demon Emperor meat. Thinking about it made it excited.
Divine artifact?
The Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad scoffed, completely disbelieving that the Xuan Ling Realm had divine artifacts.
But when it was dragged to the iron cauldron, it was so shocked that it couldn't speak.
The iron cauldron was simple and unadorned, yet it exuded an indescribable sense of weight. Its grade was indiscernible. When divine sense probed into it, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, all of it swallowed clean.
The Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad was certain that this was a divine object, and even if it wasn't a true divine artifact, it was not far from it.
Being stewed by a divine artifact, there was no hope of survival.
At this moment, the Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad was completely panicked.
Could it be that its dignified self, a Demon Emperor, would ultimately be reduced to food, to be divided and consumed by these ants?
Wouldn't that make it a laughingstock of the world, the most tragic Demon Emperor in history?
Thinking of this, it rolled its eyes and almost fainted on the spot.
Ji Mo said irritably, "You gluttons, all you think about is eating. Who said anything about hot pot? I'm making medicine for A'li."
After the water in the iron cauldron boiled, Ji Mo grabbed the Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad and pierced its golden spots with a silver needle. Instantly, streams of golden blood dripped continuously into the cauldron.
The Arid Ancient Soul Devouring Toad felt its body being hollowed out, but its heart was happy. Its gaze towards Ji Mo was no longer filled with resentment.
Although being used as a medicinal ingredient was also tragic, it was better than being boiled and eaten.
As the golden blood fell into the cauldron, golden mist immediately billowed up, and a rich aroma wafted out.
The golden scales of the Dragon Fish, the ginseng juice of the Ginseng King, the tender buds of the Bodhi tree, the branches of the willow tree, the blue leaves of the Shore Flower, were successively thrown into the iron cauldron.
Ji Mo had spared no expense, using the highest-grade materials to refine medicine for A'li.
Every material used here could drive cultivators into a frenzy.
The patterns inside the iron cauldron lit up one by one, and runes flickered continuously. It was no longer ordinary, flowing with a radiant divine glow, incredibly sacred.
The iron cauldron exuded a rich medicinal fragrance, and auspicious light shot into the sky. Dragon-like phantoms coiled, and ancient divine toads roared, creating an astonishing spectacle.
"It smells so good, Brother Ji, what delicious thing are you cooking?"
A'li, that little glutton, hearing the aroma, waddled over.
Her little hand was holding a spoon as big as her head, ready to rush over and start eating.
Bang!
Inside the iron cauldron, brilliant auspicious light erupted, and the dazzling radiance made it impossible to open one's eyes. The brilliant light shot straight into the sky.
The Ginseng King lay by the iron cauldron, breathing frantically, wishing it could inhale all the medicinal aroma into its belly.
Tian Peng and Xuan Ao did the same.
Hui Neng directly sat down cross-legged, a lotus seat appearing beneath him, Buddhist light shining behind him, and countless Buddhist principles flooding his mind.