Chapter 4: I've Abstained from Grain
High above the Nine Heavens.
Inside a certain immortal mansion in the Heavenly Sea Realm.
The Immortal Ming Chen's true form had his eyes tightly closed and lips pale, a wisp of black energy swirling between his brows.
"How is he?" Shan Yin asked worriedly from the side.
"The same as always." Fang Jiuhe withdrew his hand and glanced at him, "You still haven't found Ming Chen's mortal incarnation?"
Shan Yin choked.
"I'm looking, but... I haven't found it."
. "Don't worry, it would be best if you could find it, but it's okay if you can't. It will naturally return when the incarnation dies."
Fang Jiuhe panted slightly and coughed lightly into his hand, his complexion was even worse than Ming Chen's in meditation, he looked extremely frail, as if he had been ill for a long time.
Shan Yin tugged at him: "There's a heart-protecting array here left by Ming Chen here, which strongly repels outsiders from getting close. Your health is poor, let's talk outside."
"I'm not made of paper," Fang Jiuhe chuckled, but still got up and left the room, going to the corridor.
“It’s strange,” Shan Yin muttered, “His avatar was ambushed when he passed through the Heavenly Gate. Logically, he should have been either dead or seriously injured, and even if he made it to the mortal realm, he wouldn’t have lived long… Why hasn’t he returned after four years?”
“Maybe he’s being kept by someone?” Fang Jiuhe leaned casually against the railing, guessing. “Don’t we have people here who like to keep useless immortals?”
“Keeped?” Shan Yin was horrified. “You mean…..someone actually dares to keep Ming Chen?”
Fang Jiuhe gave a non-committal hum and glanced sideways at him: “You said that, I didn’t say anything.”
Shan Yin: “…”
Shan Yin: “No, this won’t do. I have to go down to the mortal realm again to look for him.”
“Then you look. I’m tired.” Fang Jiuhe yawned, feeling utterly listless. “Don’t send me private messages unless it’s necessary, they’re too noisy.”
“Aren’t you worried about Ming Chen at all?”
"What's there to worried about? It's just an avatar descending to the mortal realm to undergo love tribulation, he won't die." Fang Jiuhe patted his shoulder. "Besides, I've been heartless for a long time, Ming Chen knows that. I am off."
"...Hmph, old man." Shan Yin muttered under his breath.
"Who are you talking about?" Fang Jiuhe turned back halfway, looking stern, "We're both immortals, only you're still just an Immortal Lord, show some respect for elders."
Shan Yin rolled his eyes and ignored him, he turned and went into the house to meditate. Forming a hand seal, he conjured an avatar that headed straight for the Heavenly Gate.
Fang Jiuhe's smile faded slightly, he chose a place to sit down at the door and began to stand guard for the people inside.
_____
Looking down at the mortal realm from the clouds, all that could be seen were continuous green mountain ranges and scattered towns, vast as an ocean. If someone were to fall down there, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
It was no secret that Venerable Rong lived on Cuiyu Mountain in the south.
The small courtyard on the mountain was very simple, and he had never put much effort into maintaining it. At most, it was a little sturdier than an ordinary tiled house, so it wouldn't leak wind and rain.
Having brought back a mortal to raise this time, Rong Zhao felt something was missing.
After a moment's thought, Rong Zhao went down the mountain and bought a thick, soft quilt and a few soft cushions, covering the mortal whom he viewed as delicate and fragile completely.
Meng Zhifan: "..."
He coughed weakly twice, trying to lift the quilt a little to let in some air.
Rong Zhao promptly tucked it back in.
"I'm not cold," Meng Zhifan said, lifting the quilt. "I'm not sick because of the cold, but because I'm hungry and tired. I'll be fine after a few days of rest."
"Hungry?" Rong Zhao asked in confusion. "How many meals do you eat a day?"
Although he had been busy fighting all day on the journey, ever since Meng Zhifan fainted from hunger, he would feed his frail mortal whenever he had a spare moment. There was no way he ended up sick from hunger.
"During the time I was imprisoned, there wasn't much to eat. I was sometimes hungry and sometimes full. If I were to say before..." Meng Zhifan thought for a moment, "I had a habit of eating late-night snacks, so I ate four meals a day."
Venerable Rong was momentarily dumbfounded.
Four meals? Not to mention the countless trips he had to make up the distance to bring food each day, mortals couldn't use storage bags, and this small courtyard couldn't hold much food. What if he had to go into seclusion one day? Wouldn't he emerge to find nothing but a corpse?
How could he then attain the Dao?
He couldn't help but feel deeply worried and began to consider finding another mortal to raise.
Just as he was pondering this, he saw the mortal pursed his pale lips, crawled out from under the layers of quilts, gently tug at his sleeve, and said, "I can cook for myself. I used to grow a small vegetable garden and raise chickens and ducks, so you don't need to trouble yourself, Venerable One."
Rong Zhao's expression relaxed slightly: "That's easily done, This entire mountain is mine; you can use it as you please."
Meng Zhifan nodded.
It turned out he hadn't misjudged him; this person was really considering whether to dump him simply out of worry that he ate too much and would be too expensive to support.
What an unreliable person.
He should find another way if he had the chance.
...
The two, each with their own thoughts, began living under the same roof.
___
One day,
Rong Zhao found a spot where Meng Zhifan couldn't see him, took out the Path of Rutlessness Manual from his sleeve, and read it twice more.
Each reading brought new insights.
Yet, he remained unclear on how exactly to cultivate someone who would "love him deeply."
Given Venerable Rong's shallow understanding of the concept of love, it was probably like raising someone until they were tamed and ready to be killed—no different from mortals raising chickens, ducks, or geese.
Or, according to his previous plan, he could exploit the mortal's worship and reverence for cultivators, occasionally offering small rewards, until the time was right, it would naturally transform into a desperate, self destructive devotion, like a moth rushing headlong into a flame.
It was much like the newly cultivated land next to the house, the sown seeds would naturally yield a harvest in autumn.
But now the problem was—
This mortal didn't seem to have any reverence or awe for him, often ordering him around, and recently even taking advantage of his kindness, ordering him to help build a chicken coop.
Rong Zhao closed the book and fell into deep thought.
Suddenly, a flurry of chirping erupted from the woods. Several tender yellow chicks rushed out first, with Meng Zhifan chasing after them in hot pursuit looking rather flustered.
Rong Zhao put down his book, glanced down at the chicks, and flicked his sleeve.
A gentle breeze swept up the ground, carrying the fluffy little creatures back to Meng Zhifan's arms.
"What are you doing here, Venerable One?" Meng Zhifan hugged the restless chicks, smiling apologetically at him. "The door to the chicken coop is broken, and I have to go fix it. Could you please look after these little ones?"
"..." Rong Zhao refused. "Can't you find a basket to put them in?"
"Venerable One is joking. You don't have a basket here, not even a dustpan." Meng Zhifan took two steps forward and, without further ado, shoved the wriggling chicks into Rong Zhao's hands. "I'll fix it soon."
Rong Zhao was still unaccustomed to this audacious mortal who didn't treat the Venerable One with the respect due to a Venerable One, and was caught off guard, flustered by the fluffy bunch.
After painstakingly managing to cast a simple array to enclose the chicks, he looked up, only to find Meng Zhifan nowhere to be seen.
Looking down, he saw a clump of chicken droppings on the cover of the Path of Rutlessness Manual.
Rong Zhao: "..."
By the time Venerable Rong cleaned up the droppings, returning with a simmering rage, carrying a flock of chicks wrapped in his robe, Meng Zhifan had already repaired the chicken coop door.
He stood up: "Venerable..."
Before he could finish, Rong Zhao stepped forward, grabbed his robe, and dumped the chicks over him, so angry he even forgot he could still use spiritual power.
After dumping the chicks, he flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.
Meng Zhifan couldn't help but chuckle, patiently gathering the chicks one by one, placing them into the coop, closing the door, and going to cook.
By the time he finished cooking, Rong Zhao had also returned.
Meng Zhifan, spatula in hand, turned around at the sound of his voice: "I stir-fried gourd today, do you want to try some... huh?"
He was grabbed by the back of his collar and dragged into the yard.
Rong Zhao's movements were a bit rough, and Meng Zhifan had to steady himself by holding onto the stone table.
"What's wrong?"
Then he watched in astonishment as Rong Zhao started emptying his storage bag, pulling out bamboo baskets, winnowing trays, dustpans, rice measures... all sorts of farm tools, which he magically piled up on the ground.
After taking out the items, Rong Zhao glanced up and asked, "Is there anything else you need?"
"...No, nothing else."
Rong Zhao nodded in satisfaction, put away the storage bag, took a few steps, then suddenly remembered something and turned back, saying, "The ingredients you wanted can't be kept for long, and I don't like going down the mountain so often..."
"It's alright." Meng Zhifan bent down to pick up a dustpan, showing no disappointment or annoyance, quite easygoing, "Pickled and dried things are also edible. Once the seedlings in the field grow, we'll have fresh ones to eat, and if we're lucky, we can even hunt some wild game in the mountains."
Rong Zhao paused.
This mortal's words and actions possessed a calm and composed stability.
Even though the things he had encountered these past few days were unimaginable for an ordinary person in their entire life, with several ups and downs, Meng Zhifan remained like a deep, calm lake, its bottom unfathomable, only the occasional ripples appearing and disappearing on the surface.
Venerable Rong was unaware that he was being involuntarily drawn to this stability.
"Don't interrupt me." He frowned, pulled out his storage bag again, and waved it in front of the mortal. "I bought a lot of fresh ingredients; they won't spoil in here. Just tell me what you want to eat."
After giving these instructions, Rong Zhao planned to go back to his room to change out of his chicken-smelling clothes when suddenly someone grabbed his wrist from behind.
Rong Zhao: "?"
He slowly turned his head, his gaze lingering on the hand that was holding him for a moment before moving upwards.
Rong Zhao hesitated between saying "How insolent" or simply "Let go."
"Thank you for your concern, Venerable One." Meng Zhifan looked at him, his eyes filled with a gentle smile, bright as if a shattered star had melted within them. "I accidentally cooked too much food today, but it tasted quite good. Would you like to try some, Venerable One?"
Rong Zhao's brow twitched, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and looking into those eyes, he found himself unable to react for a moment.
Then he suddenly came to his senses, coldly pulling his hand away, and said, "I have already abstained from grains."
He then went into his room and slammed the door shut.
Author's Note:
Rong Zhao: I really want to cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness.
Meng Zhifan: No, you don't want to.
