16: Chapter 16 The Second Elder's Granddaughter

Only when he saw Zhuge Yue's eyes unfocused, her whole body softening as if she had no bones, even her fingertips trembling slightly as she whispered pleas for mercy with a tearful voice, did Li Guidai stop, still feeling unsatisfied.

He silently recited in his heart: "Moderate cultivation is beneficial to the body and mind, while excessive cultivation harms the body and tires the spirit... Hmm, let's stop here for today."

Zhuge Yue was finally able to catch her breath. She suddenly pulled the quilt up to cover herself completely and said in a muffled, pitiful voice from under the covers: "Hus... Husband... It... It's dawn... I... I will go make breakfast for you..."

There was still a hint of imperceptible trembling in her voice.

Upon hearing this, Li Guidai thought, how could that be? Having just finished a high-intensity "physical cultivation" session, how could he let his wife cook?

He quickly reached out, hugging her along with the quilt, and gently comforted her: "Don't move, don't move; leave such things to your husband. You just lie there and rest obediently; today, let me treat you to my cooking!"

After saying that, he got out of bed, feeling refreshed, put on his clothes, and strode towards the kitchen with high spirits.

As he walked, he recalled his past life. He was a genuine native of Guangdong Province!

He remembered back in elementary school, his mother went to visit a close friend and came back feeling stimulated.

The reason was that her friend's son, who was only in elementary school, could actually cook two dishes properly. That friend bragged about it a lot in front of his mother and finally delivered a soul-crushing blow:

"If a boy doesn't have some cooking skills, I'm afraid he won't even be able to find a girlfriend when he grows up!"

Just because of that sentence, his mother resolutely dragged him, only ten years old at the time, into the kitchen and started "devil training."

His mother would stand by, holding a spatula, giving verbal instructions: "Heat control! Do you understand heat control?" "Light soy sauce for freshness, dark soy sauce for color!" "Blanch it! You must blanch it!"

After entering middle school, perhaps because he was gifted, his culinary skills had already reached a small level of success, and his mother completely liberated her hands, never entering the kitchen to cook again.

Later, when he went to Sichuan Province for university, he relied on that authentic Cantonese cooking skill to successfully win over his then-girlfriend.

"Hehe, I didn't expect that after transmigrating, this skill could still be put to great use, used to tie down... er, to take care of Yueer's stomach!" Li Guidai thought triumphantly.

Fortunately, the things he purchased yesterday were complete enough.

He rolled up his sleeves and began to show off his skills. Thanks to a cultivator's control over their body, his knife skills were even better than in his previous life. He saw his hands moving swiftly, and the ingredients were processed quickly and well.

He steamed a fresh fish, preserving the freshness and sweetness of the fish meat to the greatest extent; he stir-fried some green vegetables, controlling the heat perfectly so they were emerald green and dripping with freshness;

He stewed a chicken soup, using poultry that contained a faint spiritual energy, the soup was clear and fragrant; he also made scrambled eggs with shrimp, the egg was tender and smooth, and the shrimp was bouncy. Finally, he made a simple tofu soup.

Four dishes and one soup, although not comparable to the spiritual delicacies of the Zhuge Family's inner courtyard, in this simple cave dwelling, it could be called sumptuous, with complete color, aroma, and taste, especially the rich aroma of Cantonese home-cooked dishes, full of warm, worldly atmosphere.

When Li Guidai brought the last soup to the table, Zhuge Yue had already quietly gotten up, dressed neatly, and was holding onto the stone wall, walking somewhat unsteadily as she wanted to come out and take a look.

Then, she saw those dishes on the stone table that she had never seen before, emitting an alluring aroma and a warm luster.

She was stunned, her small mouth slightly open, her eyes wide and round.

Looking at the dishes, then looking at Li Guidai, who was wearing an apron improvised from a piece of cloth, with beads of sweat on his forehead and a beaming smile on his face, a huge surprise and sense of happiness surged into her heart like a volcanic eruption, almost overflowing from those bright, big eyes.

She not only didn't expect Li Guidai could cook, but even more didn't expect... he could cook so well! So fragrant! So... like a real, warm home.

"Hus... Husband... Are... Are these all made by you?" Her voice trembled with disbelief.

Li Guidai untied the "apron" and proudly raised his chin: "Of course! Hurry, taste it, your husband's exclusive craft, I guarantee you'll want more after eating it!"

Zhuge Yue sat down cautiously, picked up her chopsticks, picked up a piece of steamed fish, and put it into her mouth; the tender and smooth texture instantly conquered her.

She looked up, and in her eyes looking at Li Guidai, besides full reliance and shyness, there was even more deep admiration and happiness.

After comforting his lovely wife and watching her eat the breakfast he made with small bites and eyes full of happiness, Li Guidai felt so satisfied.

He hummed a little tune, walked out of the cave dwelling feeling refreshed, and prepared to breathe in the fresh morning air of Qingling Pass.

Just as he stretched, he saw that lecherous fat man, Ji Taida, at the entrance of the adjacent cave dwelling number 249, poking his head out, with a sneaky expression on his face, as if he were waiting for some big news.

As soon as he saw Li Guidai, his small eyes lit up instantly, and he scurried over like a rolling meatball, lowering his voice, his tone full of irrepressible gossip fire:

"Senior Brother Li! Senior Brother Li! You finally came out! Major news! About that Ye Fan!"

"Ye Fan?" Li Guidai was stunned, that "Ye Heavenly Emperor" with a Grade 5 Spiritual Root, at the 6th layer of Qi Refining, who vowed to sever all worldly ties?

"What happened to him?"

Li Guidai also became interested; after all, with that name, it was hard not to attract attention.

Ji Taida rubbed his hands excitedly, the fat on his chubby face trembling: "Whoa! You don't know! Yesterday, didn't we all get settled? That Ye Fan, I don't know what happened, wandered out of the Qingling Pass area, probably wanting to familiarize himself with the environment."

He described it vividly: "And guess what happened? The Second Elder of the Zhuge Family, that great expert at the 6th layer of the Golden Core stage! His precious granddaughter was practicing the Wind Controlling Technique nearby, and it seems something went wrong, and she fell from mid-air! In the blink of an eye, our genius Ye dashed forward, performed a hero saving the beauty, and caught her steadily!"

Li Guidai's mouth twitched; this plot... why does it sound so familiar?

Ji Taida continued: "The Second Elder took one look and thought, 'Oh, not bad, young man, agile and a Grade 5 Spiritual Root!' Then he looked at his own granddaughter, who was still shaken and a little shy, and was immediately overjoyed... ah no, the Elder was greatly pleased! He directly praised Ye Fan as a 'young hero, exceptionally gifted, steady in character, and a talent worth cultivating'!"

"And then?" Li Guidai asked, already vaguely guessing the subsequent plot in his heart!