Chapter 757: Tea Shack Borrowing Stove

The information Lu Shanjun provided, naturally, came from Beimou. Ji Yuan believed it wasn't the complete picture, but it certainly offered a general idea.

"The Tianqi Alliance must also be aware of certain matters, though definitely not as comprehensively as the Heavenly Secret Pavilion."

Ji Yuan pondered, recalling the various sights he had recently witnessed in the Heavenly Secret Hall. The cultivators of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion were currently deducing their various meanings, and it was unlikely that the Tianqi Alliance knew more than what was presented within the Heavenly Secret Hall.

"Chirp chirp."

The little paper crane, seeing Ji Yuan's attention shift from Lu Shanjun's fur, chirped twice more, then gently pecked Ji Yuan's hand. Four warrior talismans floated down from beneath its wings and returned to Ji Yuan's palm.

Then, the little paper crane pecked at Lu Shanjun's fur, lifted its tail, and flapped it three times with one tiny wing.

"Chirp chirp chirp."

"Oh? Lu Shanjun has had another breakthrough? Has he cultivated three tails now?"

Ji Yuan's spirits lifted. A disciple's cultivation progressing was, of course, a cause for joy. Then, the little paper crane tapped one of the warrior talismans. Instantly, a golden light descended to the ground, transforming into a normal-sized golden-armored warrior, none other than Jin Jia.

"Your Excellency!"

Jin Jia meticulously bowed towards Ji Yuan before slowly straightening up. The little paper crane, seizing the opportunity, flew to Jin Jia's head, one claw clutching Lu Shanjun's fur. It then pecked at Jin Jia's golden helmet, its two tiny wings fluttering and flapping against each other.

"Did they have a fight?"

Ji Yuan looked up at Jin Jia.

"Jin Jia, did you have a fight with the owner of this fur earlier? Tell me the details."

Jin Jia's gaze moved upwards, and he reached out to catch a wisp of fur that the little paper crane dropped at that moment. Only then did he look at Ji Yuan and begin to speak.

"By your command, previously, a person used a spell to summon us for assistance…"

Although Jin Jia spoke slowly and sometimes paused oddly, he had no trouble clearly recounting the entire process, which allowed Ji Yuan to learn about a thrilling duel. While very dangerous, the outcome was quite favorable.

After listening to Jin Jia's description, Ji Yuan, still seated cross-legged, flipped his right hand resting on his knee, picked up a chess piece, and then performed some calculations with his left hand.

"It seems Lu Shanjun has indeed survived the tribulation and gained a tail this time. Excellent."

As he murmured this, a husky, low voice emerged from Ji Yuan's sleeve.

"Ji Yuan, so how about it? It's time to deal with that little demon, isn't it? Strictly speaking, he hasn't truly fulfilled his part of the agreement. At least, I see no problem in devouring him. Since I've been with you for so long, it's about time I did something to help you. I'll reluctantly expend a bit of my power to get rid of this little demon for you."

"Wait."

Ji Yuan directly stopped Xiezhi as soon as he finished speaking.

"Let's keep this Northern Demon for now. It's good that he's currently wary of this agreement, and Lu Shanjun now knows about the Northern Demon's situation. He might prove useful in the future."

"Huh? Let him go?"

Xiezhi's voice was filled with surprise and a hint of displeasure.

"It's not about letting him go, but simply leaving him alone for now. He's currently Lu Shanjun's partner, and he's also a true demon's external puppet. His position in the Tianqi Alliance isn't too bad, so keeping him temporarily is more suitable than directly eliminating him."

"Suitable for what? I don't see it as suitable. Devouring him is far more appropriate!"

As Xiezhi's voice emerged again, Ji Yuan felt his sleeve begin to warm, even grow hot, with wisps of smoky substance seeping from the seams of his garment.

Ji Yuan frowned, and with his left hand, he flicked his right sleeve. Immediately, a faint light flashed, and all changes abruptly ceased.

"Ji Yuan, what are you doing?"

"What are *you* doing? Why are you always thinking about eating?"

After Ji Yuan said this, Xiezhi remained silent, but he could still feel the inside of his sleeve burning hot.

After a moment of silence, Ji Yuan tentatively spoke.

"Last time, during the exploration of the Desolate Sea with the dragon race, there were some monstrous beast carcasses, perhaps deformed tiger-dragons. I kept two for study; the rest I'll give to you."

Xiezhi remained silent, but the burning sensation in Ji Yuan's sleeve noticeably lessened. So, Ji Yuan smiled and added.

"There are still two fish left from what Daoist Lian gave us that time. I'll cook them today; shall we eat together?"

"Hehehe, yes, yes, that would be wonderful!"

Upon hearing Ji Yuan's words, Xiezhi's tone was no longer low and deep; he spoke almost immediately after Ji Yuan finished. Even Jin Jia could sense the clear delight in his voice, not to mention Ji Yuan and the little paper crane.

"Alright then, I'll immediately…"

"Wait!"

Ji Yuan's brow furrowed.

"What is it now?"

Ji Yuan's sleeve was no longer hot, and he wasn't sure what Xiezhi was up to. The latter then asked in a somewhat peculiar tone.

"Ji Yuan, if you cook fish here, you're not going to invite those with the surnames Lian, Ju, and Jiang, and then the sect master and elders of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, are you?"

"Uh… I wouldn't invite too many, but if I'm cooking fish here, it wouldn't be proper to eat alone. I'd have to invite a few familiar fellow daoists. Whether they come or not is up to them, but I should observe some courtesy."

"Hmm, alright then, how about this: I'll eat those strange, deformed tiger-dragons first. As for this fish, you can cook it after we leave here, when you're traveling alone or at home."

Ji Yuan understood Xiezhi's meaning and felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. This ancient divine beast could sometimes be quite endearing.

"Alright, alright, fine, we'll do as you say, my lord Xiezhi?"

"Hehehe, between the two of us, there's no need for such formalities. The words 'my lord' sound quite awkward coming from your mouth, Ji Yuan. Just call me what you usually call me."

"Alright, so be it."

Ji Yuan chuckled softly, feeling that his relationship with Xiezhi had unconsciously grown much closer. It was undoubtedly a good thing. Sometimes, when he asked Xiezhi something, the latter might not answer or simply pretend not to hear. Perhaps things would improve in the future; after all, "he who takes gifts is soft-mouthed."

Since the events at the Heavenly Secret Hall, some high-ranking cultivators of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion frequently gathered to discuss important matters. The Long-Bearded Elder, in particular, often entered seclusion to unravel the mysteries contained within the Hall. Lian Baiping, Xuanjizi, and others would occasionally visit Ji Yuan's dwelling personally, but the frequency was decreasing. This was because Ji Yuan either didn't know certain things or was unable to disclose others, a point that the people of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion understood implicitly.

Thus, Ji Yuan gradually shifted from being a participant in comprehending heavenly secrets to a waiting observer, anticipating that these grand cultivators of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion would be able to fully explain the visions from the Heavenly Secret Hall.

Subsequently, a group of female cultivators from the Weimei Sect arrived and were also welcomed into the grotto-heaven by the Heavenly Secret Pavilion cultivators. Together, they began preparations for the transformation of the Sky-Swallowing Beast, Xiaosan, busying themselves with setting up formations and healing.

Ji Yuan and Ju Yuanzi, on the other hand, found themselves with some free time. They explored a large part of the Heavenly Secret Grotto-Heaven, and although it was vast, there was no sign of human habitation within. Thus, a month after the little paper crane brought back news of Lu Shanjun, Ji Yuan, urged by Xiezhi, prepared to temporarily leave the Heavenly Secret Grotto-Heaven. Ju Yuanzi actually wanted to accompany him, but under Xiezhi's secret yet strong insistence, Ji Yuan could only politely decline.

In the Luliang Kingdom, located in the southwestern part of the Central Southern Barren Continent, on an official road in a desolate mountain range near the secondary capital, Jiangkou City, a man dressed in a green robe, with his hair in a bun adorned with an ink jade hairpin and long strands flowing freely, was slowly walking south along the road.

Ji Yuan hadn't encountered much human activity on the official road. After walking for some time, a tea stall appeared in his line of sight.

*That's the place.*

With that thought, Ji Yuan quickened his pace slightly, though his speed remained unassuming. He soon arrived at the tea stall, only to find no customers or shopkeeper inside. A quick glance around the interior and exterior revealed overturned stools and a rather messy stove area.

Ji Yuan slowly walked into the tea stall. On some tables, there were still a few tea bowls and teapots. One teapot had its lid open, revealing some already moldy tea leaves inside. It appeared that passing travelers, seeing the tea stall unattended, had helped themselves to tea to quench their thirst, but had neither cleaned up nor left any payment when they departed.

"It seems they haven't returned yet."

Ji Yuan righted an overturned stool nearby, then straightened a table. Afterward, he gathered the teapots and cups from the surrounding tables, returned them to the stove area, and tidied the stove as well.

"Excellent, this place is just right. Ji Yuan, there's a stove here, and no one around. I think we should cook the fish right here."

"Hmm, that works well. These two stoves are connected. We can boil water for tea in one pot and cook the fish in the other."

As Ji Yuan responded, Xiezhi chuckled "hehehehe" from within his sleeve.

The water vat by the stove was almost dry, containing dust and fallen leaves. Ji Yuan didn't use this water but instead took out a emerald green bamboo tube. Since he wanted to further strengthen his relationship with Xiezhi, he knew he had to invest a little.

"Today, we'll use this to boil water and cook the fish."

"The mountain spirit spring water given by that mountain deity? Excellent, excellent! I'm already salivating. Ji Yuan, hurry up and get to it!"

Ji Yuan shook his head and smiled. With a flick of his sleeve, two rather unclean pots were instantly cleansed. He then uncorked the bamboo tube and continuously poured water into one of the pots.

"Today, we'll braise two fish bodies and stew the two fish heads for soup. How does that sound?"

"Hehe, no objections, no objections! You decide!"

Ji Yuan then disregarded Xiezhi and began to focus on the stove.

On the distant official road, the little paper crane flew back and forth among the mountains, occasionally catching insects to feed young birds in their nests, and sometimes darting around aimlessly. Then, it suddenly flew back to the official road, observing a procession of two carriages and several riders slowly approaching from afar.

At the head of the horse-drawn procession, a black-clad man on horseback, wearing a small crown and tight-fitting attire, gazed into the distance at the end of the road. Then, he turned and shouted.

"There's cooking smoke ahead. Perhaps we've reached a place with inhabitants."

The man rode his horse closer to the leading carriage and quietly relayed his discovery. The occupants inside seemed very excited upon hearing it.

"There are people?" "Wonderful! Are we almost at the secondary capital?"

"Is Jiangkou almost here?"

"Hurry, speed up! Let's go see. We should have beds to sleep in tonight!"

Someone inside the carriage gave an order. The man outside, still on horseback, bowed slightly and affirmed, "Yes!" He then relayed the command for the procession to advance quickly.