Chapter 427: Expressing One

Wei Yuning ignored her and poured tea directly into the cup; the cup, made of transparent white crystal, let one see everything inside clearly.

The teal‑black tea leaf turned out to be a seed, which slowly grew in the hot water until it filled the entire cup.

"Lord Wei, how is this supposed to be drunk?" Ye Ying couldn't help asking.

"Wait, it's not time yet," Wei Yuning hurriedly objected.

After a few breaths, the whole green plant dissolved and vanished, turning the tea into an alluring light‑green liquid.

The transformation was not over yet.

A hazy white mist rose from the cup, halted at the rim, gathered there, and then turned sky‑blue.

Azure sea, blue sky, and the lingering white mist seemed like stray clouds.

"What a rich wood‑type spiritual aura; this is the most beautiful cup of tea I've ever seen!" Qiu Hu first lifted the cup, examined it closely, then took a gentle sip, "Delicious, you should try it too!"

"What a marvelous plant—no residue at all. Is this Senior Uncle Hongle a member of Lord Wei's sect? When will he break through the tribulation and become an immortal? When I return to the Immortal Realm, I want to ask him for some spiritual tea!" Zhi Hua also took a sip and couldn't help praising.

No one answered her, and finally Qiu Hu explained, "Ordinary cultivators aren't aiming to break through the tribulation; achieving a Golden Core is already good enough."

Zhi Hua only asked casually, and seeing the unfriendly looks, she backed off, "Fine, fine, I was wrong. The Heavenly Realm has many immortal fruits—peach, ginseng fruit, etc., which we can't get, but wild fruits are decent. I'll ask the elders to find a way to get some for this senior uncle; at least it could add three to five hundred years of lifespan!"

Such a trivial matter couldn't possibly get Wei Yuning angry, but hearing Zhi Hua's words he replied bluntly, "I'll remember that; don't break your promise. I thank you on behalf of Senior Uncle Hongle!"

Afterwards, the remaining few also sampled the spiritual tea.

Qiu Hu finished her tea first, glanced at the smiling Wei Yuning standing nearby, and softly said, "Junior Brother Yuning, let's go upstairs to talk."

Wei Yuning had been waiting for a moment alone with her, and upon hearing that immediately nodded, "Alright, let's go up and talk!"

Seeing his anxious demeanor, the few female cultivators nearby lowered their heads and giggled lightly.

Qiu Hu led, Wei Yuning followed, and the two went up to the second floor.

On one side of the Gem Lake before them was a grand reception hall; on the other side were two bedrooms.

In the window‑side of the reception hall, the two sat opposite each other across a round tea table, momentarily speechless.

At that moment, Wei Yuning noticed that Qiu Hu was also wearing a half‑sleeve moon‑white top with gold trim, revealing a jade arm that could defy frost and snow; her slender fingertips bore a hint of rosy pink—she was wearing nail polish.

He felt an itchy urge and suddenly grasped Qiu Hu's bright wrist.

Qiu Hu's face flushed; she tried to slip away, found she couldn't, and let him hold her, but she said, "Haven't seen each other for years, your nerve has grown a lot—did you learn that from another female cultivator?"

Wei Yuning felt uneasy inside but laughed, "I never saw you wear this before; how come you've learned to apply makeup now?"

Qiu Hu slapped Wei Yuning's arm with her other hand, pulling it back, and snorted, "It's none of your business!"

"You're my Dao companion, witnessed by the elders—how can you say I shouldn't interfere?" Wei Yuning said playfully.

"You haven't met the real elders yet!" Qiu Hu replied.

"Then when will I get to meet them?" Wei Yuning laughed.

Qiu Hu tilted her head, a smile at the corner of her eyes, and said nothing.

Wei Yuning shrugged, pursed his lips, spread his hands, and said, "Alright, alright, no more jokes. How have you been these past few years?" He returned to a serious demeanor.

Qiu Hu turned her face outward, looked through the water curtain at the distant Gem Lake, and sighed, "Not great! I've been busy all day with no results; I'm not even as good as you, the newcomer to the Immortal City. Houses in Green Forest Wei City aren't cheap, yet you can already buy a small home inside the Immortal City. I'm really puzzled—why is your luck always so good? When I first met you you were just a pre‑Foundation mortal; I'm still a Spirit Immortal, but you've become an Earth Immortal, a physical‑body Nascent Soul, a half‑step True Immortal! According to my elders, becoming Dao companions would already be overreaching, and the more I think about it, the less daring I feel about being with you!"

Wei Yuning was stunned; he never expected Qiu Hu to be thinking about that—it was so abnormal.

"Why think that way? I'm so powerful; shouldn't you be proud of your taste?" Wei Yuning giggled.

"I don't know, maybe I'm a bit petty; I always feel… sorry for you, and now you're better, yet I feel sad inside!" Qiu Hu said calmly.

Wei Yuning suddenly understood and laughed, "I see now. You're feeling ashamed of yourself, which is understandable. Someone as outstanding as me has hardly any matches; you're a bit below the standard, but you still manage to scrape by!"

"What do you mean 'scrape by'? I'm a light‑type spiritual root Spirit Immortal, also uniquely beautiful; countless people want to become Dao companions with me! Most of them are far stronger than you. If I simply obey the elders' arrangement, how could I end up wandering outside the Immortal City?" Qiu Hu said with a grievance.

"Yes, yes, it's definitely a scrape, not a half‑hearted one! Senior Sister Qiu Hu, I'm not bragging; even if I'm not short of money, and even if I were to duel your so‑called opponents with real weapons, even as a True Immortal I wouldn't care!" Wei Yuning boasted shamelessly.

Qiu Hu glared at him and said irritably, "That's why I'm angry! I only wanted to be friends, but you just wouldn't leave, so I can only… give you one more chance!"

Hearing Qiu Hu's gentle confession, Wei Yuning felt elated, but after hesitating for a moment, he said nothing.

Qiu Hu thought he was just being silly and ignored it, then continued, "I already saw it just now—the light seed on you has sprouted; now even the elders would have to agree!"

Wei Yuning finally snapped out of his anxious overthinking; his earlier suspicion was correct—Qiu Hu had indeed placed a light seed inside him.

"I heard the light seed can increase the chance of breaking through the tribulation; is that true?" he asked.

Qiu Hu nodded, "That's right, but nurturing a light seed to success isn't easy; since you managed it, it's your destiny. Many people want to become Dao companions with me, coveting only the offspring of my light‑type body and the light seed itself. Especially the light seed—if they knew I had sent the seeds out early, I wonder how many are truly sincere, hm!"

Cultivation begins with menial tasks /book/84054/