Chapter 3: He Li

The stove outside the house was stuffed with firewood, burning with a raging fire, and the water in the large iron pot on the stove was boiling and churning.

The big white goose lay under the stove, its feet bound, struggling and honking.

Liu Xiaolou pinched the neck of the big white goose with his left hand, holding a kitchen knife in his right, muttering an explanation: "Big White, this time you can't blame me. If there is a next life, you'll still be born into my home, and I'll raise you."

The spirit stone he had managed to get with great difficulty had been snatched and eaten by this beast. When the master is angry, blood should flow three feet!

Just as the kitchen knife was about to fall, teardrops fell from the big white goose's eyes, gazing affectionately at Liu Xiaolou.

At this look, the determination that had just been erected in Liu Xiaolou's heart instantly melted. The kitchen knife gestured on the goose's neck for a long time, but he couldn't bring himself to strike.

The big white goose's teardrops continued to roll down. Liu Xiaolou finally sat down dejectedly, the kitchen knife in his palm flashing with cold light falling to the ground with a "clang."

"Big White, do you know how much trouble I've shouldered for this spirit stone..."

"I haven't had a single bit of spiritual power income for three months, and the Dongyang Sect won't recruit me..."

"Spirit stones, it's not like you haven't eaten them before. What's the use of eating them? Useless..."

"Besides, this isn't for me to use; this is a congratulatory gift for Brother Wei! Do you know what a congratulatory gift is? I couldn't even bear to eat it myself..."

"I don't even know where the old man hatched you from. You can't do anything, and you can't cultivate into a spirit bird. After so many years, you're still like a fat pig..."

"Only good at stealing things..."

After complaining, he finally untied the rope binding the big white goose, letting it flap its wings and escape.

"Get lost, don't come back! I get angry just looking at you!" Liu Xiaolou roared behind the beast.

The big white goose glanced back and escaped even further, disappearing into the bamboo forest in the blink of an eye.

At high noon, Liu Xiaolou was tanned with a forehead full of fine beads of sweat, and cicadas in the bamboo forest were chirping, making people drowsy. He calmed his emotions, tried his best to cheer up, went into the forest to cut a piece of bamboo shoot, peeled off the bamboo sheath, and threw it directly into the boiling iron pot on the stove.

The spirit stone had been stolen and eaten; thinking more was useless. Life had to go on. His realm was low, only at Qi Refinement Stage 2; he didn't dare to hope for the profound method of fasting. He'd better fill his stomach first.

While the tender bamboo shoots were boiling in the water, the big white goose rushed back from the forest, holding a fat fish about a foot long, flapping its wings and jumping onto the stove, throwing the fat fish into the boiling water. The fat fish flipped a few times in the pot and stopped struggling, accepting its fate. The big white goose jumped off the stove satisfied, honking "honk honk" at Liu Xiaolou to claim credit.

Liu Xiaolou kicked it angrily: "A fish wants to replace my spirit stone? Why don't you go die?"

The big white goose flapped its wings and jumped away, rushing into the bamboo forest again and disappearing.

Raising this beast also had one benefit: it often brought back mountain specialties like fish, shrimp, rabbits, and rats, saving him the effort of hunting and keeping him from going hungry.

After filling his stomach with a pot of bamboo shoot and fish soup, he went into the house, moved the bed board, brushed off the dirt, and revealed the wooden box buried underneath.

Opening the box, inside was hidden an old ginseng. This was not ordinary mountain ginseng; it was a spirit ginseng passed down by the late old man, three hundred years old. Even if not used for elixirs, eating it raw could increase a large amount of true qi, worth at least three spirit stones!

Today was the dual cultivation ceremony of his sworn brother, Wei Hongqing. The original congratulatory gift was a spirit stone, but because Shopkeeper Su visited suddenly, he was careless and didn't watch it, and it was swallowed by Big White in the blink of an eye. Who could he reason with? The Three Mystical Sect left by the old man was clean like this. To send a gift, he only had this last remaining spirit ginseng.

After all, it was a sworn brother who had taken care of him in many ways. How could he go empty-handed on his wedding day?

Liu Xiaolou was very reluctant, holding the spirit ginseng and sighing, feeling that even holding it for one more moment was good. Dragging it out until dusk, the time for the agreed wedding banquet, he really couldn't drag it out anymore. Finally, he tied a red silk ribbon on the spirit ginseng, adding a bit of festive meaning, and carried it down the mountain.

Wei Hongqing cultivated at Ghost Dream Cliff, only a mountain path of less than half an hour from Gan Zhu Ling. When Liu Xiaolou arrived, the sun was setting, so he quickened his pace to climb the cliff. His own good brother's dual cultivation ceremony was late, and he couldn't help but feel very guilty.

On the cliff was a stone cave, which was Wei Hongqing's cave dwelling. The cultivation cave dwellings of Wulong Mountain rogue cultivators were always very simple, either thatched cottages or stone caves, and the cave dwellings only had simple furnishings, nothing valuable. No other reason, it was easy to escape when righteous sects came to clear them out.

Of course, today was special. Wei Hongqing's Ghost Dream Cliff had still been decorated. Bright red silk ribbons and lanterns hung all over the cliff wall in front of the cave, and three tables were set up outside, all filled with wine and food. There weren't many rogue cultivators close to Wei Hongqing; he heard he only invited six people in total. Counting the teachers and relatives from the dual cultivation partner's side, it was twelve seats.

He was the first to arrive.

Wei Hongqing was drinking small sips at the main table.

Liu Xiaolou smiled and went forward, sitting beside him. Wei Hongqing poured him a cup casually, and he also raised his cup and drank it, took out the spirit ginseng, placed it on the table, and pushed it over with a pained expression.

"The spirit ginseng my teacher picked from Shouyang Mountain, three hundred years old. You are dual cultivating today, consider it a little heart. Don't decline."

Wei Hongqing did not decline, took it, looked at it for a moment, and then took a bite.

"Not..." Liu Xiaolou was caught off guard, wanting to stop him, but realized that this spirit ginseng had already been sent out by himself as a congratulatory gift, so he had to endure the heartache and say: "That's not how you eat it... Isn't it better to soak it in wine? It's a waste... Besides, the sister-in-law hasn't come yet. What's the point of you eating it? The sister-in-law hasn't even seen this ginseng! Hey, stop eating..."

Wei Hongqing only ate a few bites, and his face was already a bright red color. His cultivation was at Qi Refinement Stage 5. Even if his tolerance for spiritual power was several times stronger than Liu Xiaolou's, eating half a spirit ginseng in one breath made him choke on the abundant true qi contained within.

After he eased up a bit, Liu Xiaolou looked at the remaining half of the spirit ginseng with heartache and said: "Stop eating, leave it for the sister-in-law as a witness, otherwise she'll think I'm here for a free meal..." Looking at the empty cave dwelling and the empty dining table, he asked again: "When will the wedding party arrive? Where are Valley Master Zuo and the others? Why haven't they arrived yet?"

He saw Wei Hongqing's eyes turn red, staring at Liu Xiaolou without speaking.

"What's wrong, Brother Wei? This is... speak... speak!"

"Ling'er isn't marrying..."

"What?"

"I have been rejected by the Xia family..."

Liu Xiaolou froze, then exploded: "Why? I'll go find them!"

Wei Hongqing said sadly: "She's marrying into the Zhanglong Sect, to be a concubine for Zang Qianli, an inner sect disciple of the Zhanglong Sect..."

Liu Xiaolou, who had just exploded, fell silent instantly.

What happened to the mutual affection?

The Zhanglong Sect was a famous sect in Western Hunan, occupying the blessed land of Zhanglong Mountain. Since Zang Qianli was an inner sect disciple of the Zhanglong Sect, his future was bound to be limitless. Even if Ling'er were a concubine, it would be much better than following Wei Hongqing, a rogue cultivator in Wulong Mountain. No wonder the Xia family changed the marriage.

Liu Xiaolou could only comfort him: "Brother Wei has suffered such humiliation, we brothers will naturally share the same hatred. This year, I will make an appointment with the fellow Daoists in the mountain. During the autumn harvest this year, we will never go to help out at their house again."

Wei Hongqing patted his hand to show his gratitude.

Liu Xiaolou asked again: "Where are Valley Master Zuo and the others? Are they not coming to attend... the banquet?"

Wei Hongqing gave a bitter smile: "There is no wedding ceremony, so where would the wedding banquet come from? Without a wedding banquet, why come?"

Not knowing how to comfort him, Liu Xiaolou could only accompany Wei Hongqing to drink bitter wine.

The so-called wine doesn't make people drunk, people make themselves drunk. After drinking for a long time, Liu Xiaolou was fine, but Wei Hongqing was already drunk. Before passing out, he finally cried loudly: "Xiaolou, go back, don't worry about me, just let me be alone for a while..."