"Huh?!"
"Are they holding an old folks' reunion in my social circle?"
As she saw the increasing red dots in her circle, Liu Lingyu tapped into it and immediately noticed the senior Daoist from the Mountain Viewing Pavilion next door, Senior Daoist Yang from Medicine King Mountain, along with some somewhat unfamiliar names, organizing some team-building in her social circle.
[How dare you disrespect the immortal master!]
[Sister Lingyu, is the Fox Immortal Master nice to touch?]
[Blessings from the Fox Immortal Master!]
[May the Fox Immortal Master bless us with prosperity, and when incense offerings abound at our Immortal Ascension Platform, may donors sometimes slip an extra zero when donating to this humble Taoist.]
A dozen well-known hermit Daoists from the Qinling Mountain Range were wishing in Liu Lingyu's social circle, and the count of united Daoists kept increasing, rapidly updating her circle.
"How old are they, believing in this feudal superstition." Liu Lingyu had an exasperated look, even the chat interface had new messages quickly updating.
The Fox Immortal has a bit of reputation here in the Qinling area.
The tale of the foxes in Daze Village remains widely spread online and offline to this day, and although the Fox Immortal Temple is not mainstream, it does solidly exist.
Liu Lingyu looked helpless, temporarily shutting off Weixin message notifications and vibrations, not bothered to deal with those old chaps.
Isn't it just a fox?
Qinling has them too, who knows where these shady folks came from, buying Arctic foxes for release; Liu Lingyu didn't know if they earned any virtue.
However, the wolves, leopards, and black bears of Qinling indeed were well-fed, and they've been breeding vigorously.
Liu Lingyu mentally grumbled, putting her phone back in her pocket, then looked towards the kitchen scene, showing a relaxed smile.
The little fox clung to the frying pan, Ah Qing pulling.
As a result, the little fox was desperately clinging to the nearly two-hundred-pound iron pan.
"Though I haven't received any apprentices, seeing such a warm and loving scene makes me feel a bit relieved, giving me energy for the paper I need to write later..." Liu Lingyu smiled lightly, stepping forward to interrupt the squabbling fox spirit.
"If the little fox actually likes it, you guys can take it with you later! It's not something expensive anyway."
"It's just for inner disciples' training..."
The use of the fast frying pan is for stir-frying, and speaking of stir-frying dishes involves flipping the pan.
Holding a two-hundred-pound pan with one hand and a fifty-pound spatula in the other hand to stir-fry on the stove is part of the daily cultivation lessons at Worry-Free View.
But not every disciple at Worry-Free View can use these special-grade cookware skillfully.
It's only Wang Yang who can actually cook something with special-grade cookware, so the disciples of Worry-Free View often go unfed, going down the mountain to order takeout is a regular occurrence.
If the little fox likes the frying pan, just take it!
Honestly, Liu Lingyu doesn't like that iron pan either.
Using special-grade cookware, cooking one meal, opening her fitness band to find out, just wow, the calorie intake from three meals doesn't match the burn from cooking once.
By midnight, she'd be starved like a dog and had to sneakily crouch in the mountain foothill's parking lot to order takeout.
"No need, no need, I can just shop online later." Ah Qing held the fast frying pan's handle, turned it over, and held the little fox's butt with the other hand, shaking it vigorously.
After a moment, the little fox fell from the pan, with a pouty face.
"You can buy new pots anywhere, I just liked its oldness, with its own layer of shiny, slick smoothness," Ansheng grumbled.
...…
The challenge event at Worry-Free View concluded with Liu Lingyu inviting everyone to a meal.
Even though Liu Lingyu didn't receive an apprentice, she gained a "hundred thousand whys," with Ah Qing curiously asking her about the essence of heaven and earth.
Liu Lingyu answered one by one, while professors also sat at the table listening, occasionally asking about practitioners' views on [Spiritual Particles], or answering some things Liu Lingyu didn't understand.
"Mm..."
Ah Qing glanced at Liu Lingyu before turning her gaze to the little fox, showing a strange expression.
[Essences of Heaven and Earth, Flowers of the Sun and Moon], besides refining the physique and prolonging life, according to Liu Lingyu's explanation, can make animals smarter too.
Or rather... awaken their intelligence.
Speaking of awakening intelligence, Ah Qing couldn't help but think that Xiaolan is already so cunning, if really enlightened, wouldn't he be in a suit, carrying a briefcase, heading to town with a fox head as a salesperson?
With that talkative nature of his, he might have a knack for swindling people too.
"Why are you looking at me? I won't change a bit." Noticing Ah Qing's slightly subtle gaze, Ansheng who was moving things stopped in his tracks, turning back with a whimper.
"Oh..." Ah Qing had a disappointed look, turning her gaze to Liu Lingyu whose mouth twitched, saying:
"...We've bothered you enough today; it's getting late. We should head back to school. How about I treat you to a meal on the weekend?"
Though Liu Lingyu is a sect leader, she is also a student, attending Chang'an University of Architecture and Technology.
The university known for its name "Chang'an" is expertise in tunnels, rock engineering, and structural mechanics.
The school she attends is only forty or fifty kilometers away from the Xinxing Agricultural Science College, about an hour's drive. Ah Qing and Liu Lingyu agreed to visit Sister Wang Ya's newly opened Fox Café for milk tea and shopping next week.
"No problem, but for the next two days, I need to be in seclusion..."
Liu Lingyu watched as Ah Qing and the old professors drove away, keeping a smile on her face, she closed the door of Worry-Free View, quickly walking towards the backyard, closing the heavy metal door.
"Damn it!"
"I'm such a fool, pretending. I told you not to act smart; now you're so proud, refusing even the money sent to your doorstep..."
With no one around, Liu Lingyu, face full of sorrow, leaned over the metal pavilion, clenching her fists, pounding her chest as if her heart was bleeding.
After chatting with Ah Qing all afternoon, Liu Lingyu learned something from the people at the Xinxing Agricultural Science College.
That is... Mo Yiqing's family is very wealthy, with their chemical factory's paint products leading the industry in Lingnan.
Yet.
She had asserted earlier that the elderly of Momo's family were not suitable for coming to the mountain for cultivation.
"Wuwuwu—"
"I don't want to revise papers, analyze mechanical models, rich woman sis, I don't want to suffer the hardships of everyday life..."
Liu Lingyu, like a fish out of water, flopped and struggled in the pavilion, feeling heartbroken to the point of breathlessness.
She wanted to take back her words, but she felt she had to maintain dignity, and after all, her conclusions weren't wrong.
Could she really disregard her conduct just for money?
But she hadn't even been tossing around for long when the intercom at the door of Worry-Free View rang.
Liu Lingyu froze, quickly tidying up, going to the back door of the main hall to answer the phone.
The screen of the intercom lit up, with everyone from the next mountain, Gao Qiaoyu and her grandfather Gao Ren, along with a large group of strangers, all crowded at the intercom's door, urging her to open the door.
"What are you guys... doing?" Liu Lingyu, full of confusion, looked at Gao Qiaoyu, wondering what was going on today; first thing in the morning, a group of seniors blocked her door, and in the afternoon, another group of Daoists came to block her door.
"No time to explain, let us in first, the Fox Immortal Master just left, and your backyard is now seemingly like an earthly paradise; let us take a breath of immortal air inside your house, before discussing other matters..."
The ones outside were all practitioners; the walls of Worry-Free View couldn't possibly stop them.
However, they were considerate, giving the homeowner a heads-up before forcing their way in.
"Ah!?"
Liu Lingyu widened her eyes, watching the Daoists outside fly towards her backyard with their light-footed skills, a head full of question marks.