Chapter 17: Malleable Talent

"Zhou Yun'e, the dishes we've ordered are enough; let's not order any more, okay?"

Hu Youquan, watching that Zhou Yun'e had already ordered five dishes and still wasn't planning to stop, wanted to keep ordering, couldn't help but speak up and interrupt.

The point is, the four dishes she ordered aren't appetizers; they're rather substantial.

He calculated the price; the five dishes together cost nine Low‑grade Spirit Stones, already exceeding his budget.

"But these 'Dragon and Phoenix Auspicious' and 'Wind and Thunder Golden Fruit' are also signature dishes of Lai Feng Lou; it's hard to come here even once, I want to try them all," Zhou Yun'e said resolutely.

They have been together for a month.

In this month, Zhou Yun'e's life has indeed undergone a dramatic change.

No longer living in the Peng Hu Qu, she moved into a real cave dwelling, albeit the lowest Ding‑level Cave Dwelling among the four major grades.

But the cave dwelling's location is good, the ambient Qi is rich, and crucially the dwelling is Hu Youquan's private property, bought by his parents, so he can stay without paying rent.

What she's wearing now is finally the magical robe she's long desired.

The formations on the robe are few, only two divine effects: dust avoidance and immunity to cold and heat; it lacks any defensive or wind‑control abilities, making it rather showy but impractical.

But its design is very attractive; it's an authentic product from the Hundred Talisman Building and is quite popular.

Of course the price isn't low either; even the basic model requires 58 Low‑grade Spirit Stones.

She can eat Spirit Rice every day, and this month she also took two Pills.

She has a premonition that her cultivation will soon break through to the third layer of Qi training.

In just a month, it's equivalent to more than a decade and a half of arduous cultivation.

However, the only thing that slightly displeases her is that she has said many times that Hu Youquan finally took her to Lai Feng Lou today to broaden her horizons.

"These two dishes are too expensive—one costs three Low‑grade Spirit Stones, the other four Low‑grade Spirit Stones… Moreover, these dishes focus more on taste and experience, offering little benefit to cultivation; they're not worth it."

Hu Youquan, his face turning pale with a pained expression, tried to persuade her.

Adding these two dishes, today's meal would cost 16 Low‑grade Spirit Stones.

Although he can afford it, he's not some top‑tier rich second‑generation! His monthly rent income is only twenty Low‑grade Spirit Stones; he can't endure Zhou Yun'e's such extravagant waste.

In just a month, plus today's meal cost, Zhou Yun'e will have spent over a hundred Spirit Stones of his.

If this continues, not only will he fail to save Spirit Stones each month, but also to amass wealth to buy another shopfront; his savings will eventually be drained! So after a month of tolerating it, Hu Youquan felt he could no longer continue and needed to impose some restraint.

"The two dishes together are seven Spirit Stones, which isn't much… Fine, they're a bit pricey, but we don't eat out every day; it's a rare occasion, can we really say we can't afford it?"

"We can afford to eat, but it's unnecessary, you know!" Hu Youquan lowered his voice, speaking calmly, "If we save a bit, we can buy a third shopfront sooner! No need for such lavish waste."

Zhou Yun'e heard this and was no longer happy, "Don't use the third shopfront to pressure me. I only know that before we got together, you promised me that as long as it's within your capability, you'd fulfill any request I have. I ask you, does my current request exceed your capacity? Not at all, right? If being with you still means living in constant tightness, then how is that any different from when I was with Xiao Zhangqing?"

Hu Youquan could no longer hold back, his expression turning cold: "Calculate carefully—how many Spirit Stones have you spent this month! It's still within my capacity. If you keep this up, can I afford it? Not only would saving Spirit Stones to buy a third shopfront be impossible, even my two existing shopfronts would be drained! Zhou Yun'e, I've tried to tolerate you as much as possible; I hope you understand!"

After speaking, Hu Youquan's face hardened, and he shouted angrily, "If you think the current days are no different from when you were with that useless Xiao Zhangqing, then go back to him!"

Zhou Yun'e's pretty face turned moodily under the scolding, and obvious anger flashed in her eyes.

But.

When Hu Youquan delivered that final blow, saying that if she couldn't accept it she should go back, it instantly shattered her defenses.

Quarrels are fine, but they shouldn't go too far.

Zhou Yun'e doesn't dare to gamble on whether Hu Youquan truly feels that way.

If the two really break up, the one who will regret it will be her. After all, Hu Youquan has a house and shopfronts; even if she leaves, he can still live comfortably, and finding another beautiful female cultivator isn't difficult.

But she, that would be trouble.

So the anger in Zhou Yun'e's eyes faded at a visible speed; she lowered her head and sobbed, "If I don't eat it, I won't. Why are you being so fierce? I'm just curious, not demanding to eat it; can't you just speak nicely?"

It must be said, a woman's crying is a lethal move for many men.

When Zhou Yun'e dropped a small pearl, Hu Youquan's anger quickly extinguished, and he began to gently embrace and whisper comforting words.

However, this Hu cultivator still holds strong principles.

Comfort aside, he still didn't order those two pricey dishes for Zhou Yun'e, leaving her wish unfulfilled.

Zhou Yun'e was also considerate and made no further requests.

…

…

The two tables were not that close to each other.

But as cultivators, their hearing is naturally far sharper than that of ordinary people.

Jiang Jiyue and Mu Chunfeng heard most of the couple's quarrel clearly; originally they treated it as entertainment, not thinking much about it.

After all, in the Cultivation World, things can be more realistic and cruel than in the mundane world; such Dao Partner disputes are not unusual in this tiny Nanshan Fang.

Mu Chunfeng's main concern remained worrying about Lu Qiu's sudden departure, contemplating how to report the mission to his father.

Jiang Jiyue, upon hearing them mention Xiao Zhangqing and Hu Youquan address the female cultivator by name Zhou Yun'e, instantly had a strange look in her eyes.

Moreover, having heard this gossip before, she was already certain of the identity of this Dao Partner pair.

What a coincidence…

Suddenly, her eyes flicked as if recalling something, and she looked at her confidante mysteriously, asking, "Chunfeng, aren't you looking into who the most promising Symbol Master in our Lingfu Pavilion is right now?"

Mu Chunfeng rested both hands under his chin, speaking weakly, "You already said it, you'll definitely return to your sect in the future, so there's no need to waste more time on you."

Jiang Jiyue let out a chuckle.

Earlier, Mu Chunfeng asked her which of the remaining Symbol Masters in Lingfu Pavilion, aside from Lu Qiu, had more talent and the best chance to be promoted to Second‑rank Talisman Master in the future; Jiang Jiyue answered without hesitation that it was herself.

"Besides me, there's actually another talent with great potential, who even received praise from my uncle and a gifted pen from senior brother Lu Qiu! Before Lu Qiu left, he had a double‑winged tiger brush he'd used for over a decade, didn't want to sell it, wanted to give it to a Symbol Master with potential and need… In the end, he gave it to this person," Jiang Jiyue said, a hint of resentment in her voice.

Actually, she also wanted Lu brother's brush, but her uncle said her Zhibi was of excellent quality, not inferior to Lu Qiu's, and she didn't need it, so he didn't give it to her.

(End of Chapter)