Chapter 95 Leftover Steamed Buns as Elixir! Is Mortal Abode Going to Hold a Housewarming Banquet?
The morning sunlight spilled onto the imposing front gate of the "Mortal Dwelling."
Demon Venerable Wanhua walked out of the kitchen, carrying two large bamboo baskets that were taller than a person.
The baskets were filled to the brim with white, coarse-grain mantou. They had been steamed yesterday morning to go with the millet porridge, and after sitting for a day and a night, they had hardened a bit.
"Come, come, everyone line up!"
Demon Venerable Wanhua set the bamboo baskets down on the bluestone slab with a dull thud. "Dry rations bestowed by the Young Master. Two for each person, take them to eat on the road. Once you've finished eating, disperse quickly. Don't block the front gate here."
Cangqiongzi, Ancient Ancestor Yuanmo, and the others had just recovered from the shock of the four large characters for "Mortal Dwelling."
Upon hearing that there was a reward, the eyes of the tens of thousands of Cultivators lit up once again.
They formed a long, orderly line and respectfully accepted two cold, hard, coarse-grain mantou from the hands of Demon Venerable Wanhua.
Lin Yuan stood on the steps, watching the group of laborers holding the mantou as if they were priceless treasures, and couldn't help but shake his head.
"These mantou have been sitting out for a night, so they're a bit hard. If you can't bite through them, soak them in hot water when you get back before eating. Don't break your teeth," Lin Yuan kindly reminded them.
"Many thanks for your concern, my Lord! Our teeth are perfectly fine!"
Cangqiongzi was trembling with excitement.
Hard? Could this even be called hard?!
In the eyes of Cangqiongzi, a True Immortal of Great Perfection, this was no ordinary coarse-grain mantou! This was clearly a [Nine-Turn Chaos Golden Core] kneaded from divine wheat stained with Primordial Mother Qi and mixed with the power of Heaven and Earth's creation!
That hardened skin was clearly a pill coating condensed from the Laws of the Dao!
"Gulp."
Ancient Ancestor Yuanmo couldn't wait and took a bite.
"Crunch!"
A crisp sound rang out. As that layer of "pill coating" was bitten through, a pure and vast Spiritual Qi of creation surged down his throat, rushing straight into his limbs and bones.
The Demon God body that had just been reshaped after drinking the chicken soup last night became instantly stable under the nourishment of this bite of mantou, and all hidden dangers and feelings of instability were swept away.
"This is... a supreme divine medicine for stabilizing the Dao foundation!"
Ancient Ancestor Yuanmo's eyes welled up with tears as he stuffed the rest of the mantou into his mouth, greedily swallowing it even as he choked and rolled his eyes, unwilling to spit out even a single crumb.
The two Bodhisattvas, Jianglong and Fuhu, pressed their hands together in prayer, recited Buddhist scriptures to the mantou in their hands for a long time, and then carefully broke off a small piece to put into their mouths.
"Amitabha, the Dao contained within this object is even purer than the Bodhi fruit of Mount Sumeru. We could die ten thousand times and still not be able to repay the Lord's kindness!"
Tens of thousands of people held their cold mantou, gnawing on them with tears in their eyes in front of the gate of the Mortal Dwelling; the scene was truly spectacular.
Lin Yuan watched them wolfing down the food and sighed inwardly. The low-level Cultivators in this cultivation world lived such miserable lives that they could eat two leftover mantou with such relish.
"Alright, head back once you've finished eating."
Lin Yuan brushed the dust off his hands and turned to look at the brand-new, renovated mansion.
"Old Wan," Lin Yuan called out.
"This old servant is here!" Demon Venerable Wanhua immediately put down the bamboo basket in his hands and hurried over.
Lin Yuan stroked his chin and mused, "Since our courtyard has been expanded into a large mansion, it counts as moving into a new home. According to the customs back home, when moving into a new house, one must host a housewarming banquet to dispel the cold, lonely atmosphere and add some liveliness."
"Go into the city and buy some large red paper to write a few invitations."
Lin Yuan instructed, "We've lived in Qingyun City for a while now, so we can consider ourselves half-locals. Send one to the City Lord's mansion, and send a few to the neighbors where we usually buy vegetables and meat. Let's set up a few tables in the courtyard tomorrow night and liven things up."
As soon as these words were spoken.
The Cultivators outside who were gnawing on their mantou collectively froze in their movements.
A housewarming banquet?! A celebration for moving into a new home?!
This supreme existence, who could manipulate the Heavenly Dao at will, was going to hold a banquet at the Mortal Dwelling and invite people from all directions?!
The half-eaten mantou in Cangqiongzi's mouth fell straight to the ground.
"A heaven-sent Opportunity! This is the greatest Opportunity in the history of the Heavens and Myriad Worlds!"
Cangqiongzi roared wildly in his heart, "The Lord is hosting a banquet; even if I only go to serve dishes and pour water, just being able to smell the Immortal Qi at the banquet would be enough to allow one to ascend on the spot!"
But immediately after, the faces of all the great powers turned deathly pale.
One couldn't possibly attend the Lord's housewarming banquet empty-handed, could they?!
One must prepare a peerless gift worthy of the Lord's status!
But... the Lord usually eats Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix, chops down the Primordial World Tree, and drinks the netherworld yellow spring water.
This group of old bones from the Lower Realm, even if they dug up their entire Sect treasure vaults, couldn't even afford a single floor tile in the Lord's courtyard!
"It's over... A gift! I must prepare a gift immediately!"
Ancient Ancestor Yuanmo was sweating profusely with anxiety and grabbed Cangqiongzi by the collar, "Cangqiongzi, let's hurry back and dig up the ancestral graves! Let's dig out that Innate Spirit Treasure buried with our ancestors of the Yuanmo clan from hundreds of thousands of years ago and see if it's qualified to be a side gift!"
Cangqiongzi's eyes were bloodshot, and he nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes! I will return to the Zixiao Holy Land right now, dismantle the Sect-protecting formation, and take the Immortal Spirit Pearl from the formation eye to use as a light bulb for the Lord!"
The tens of thousands of Cultivators instantly scattered like birds and beasts, turning into streaks of light across the sky, rushing madly toward their respective Sects.
They had to exhaust everything they had, sell everything of value, and scrape together a decent gift before tomorrow night!
Lin Yuan looked at the laborers who had vanished in an instant and felt quite puzzled.
"Why are they running so fast? I didn't say I was going to charge them for the meal."
He shook his head and turned to walk into the courtyard, "Old Wan, buy more vegetables tomorrow, and by the way, buy two pigs to roast. These people worked hard; if they come to join the fun tomorrow, let them eat to their heart's content."
...
Meanwhile, inside the City Lord of Qingyun's mansion.
The City Lord of Qingyun, who had just been scared half to death by the "Nine Dragons Pulling a Carriage" incident, was slumped in a grand armchair drinking calming tea.
Suddenly, a guard scrambled in, holding a red invitation high above his head.
"City... City Lord! That... that Lord in the northern suburbs has sent someone to deliver an invitation for a housewarming banquet!"
"Pfft—"
The City Lord of Qingyun sprayed a mouthful of hot tea all over the guard's face, sprang up from his chair like a spring, blacked out, and fainted dead away.