36: New Year's Eve Dinner

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior." Lin Yan cupped his hands in thanks.

He took the Jade Slip, withdrew fifty Spirit Stones, and handed them over.

After the transaction was complete, Lin Yan hugged the jar of spirit wine and left the marketplace, feeling satisfied.

The Small Valley was usually quite desolate with only Lin Yan and Xu Shuangyuan, so he decided to liven things up for the holiday.

Lin Yan also invited Lu Zhengfeng, Hua Chenan, and a few others to celebrate the holiday together.

After Lin Yan accepted the task of cultivating the Sword Grass, they had all been thoroughly convinced and naturally agreed.

On New Year's Eve, steam was already rising early in Lin Yan's small wooden cabin.

The Little Fatty was the head chef, busy at the stove while wearing an indigo apron.

Lin Yan helped out by preparing the ingredients.

"Knock, knock, knock..." A knock came at the door.

Opening the door, he saw Sun Xiaochuan cradling a bulging cloth bag, with Li Dan following behind, carrying a skinned rabbit.

"Greetings, Senior Brother!" Sun Xiaochuan's loud voice made the eaves tremble. "We've come to mooch off your Spirit Rice!"

Xu Shuangyuan's round head squeezed out from the kitchen, his face dusted with flour.

"You two Senior Brothers finally arrived! I've got mushroom soup simmering on the stove, just waiting for this rabbit meat to go in!"

He took the rabbit meat from Li Dan and immediately cut it up to put into the pot.

Sun Xiaochuan opened the cloth bag he was holding, which contained a roasted rabbit.

The rabbit meat was golden and glistening, emitting a rich aroma that made one's mouth water.

Soon, Lu Zhengfeng arrived with his concubine, Yang Yuting, carrying a brocade box in his hand.

"Just a piece of worthless Mountain Ginseng, Senior Brother, please don't mind the poor quality." Lu Zhengfeng handed the brocade box to Lin Yan.

"Junior Brother Lu is too polite." Lin Yan took the gift box and smiled.

Hua Chenan and the others arrived one after another.

They were all very thoughtful and didn't come empty-handed.

The small cabin suddenly became lively.

Everyone didn't come alone, and with over ten people gathered together, the small wooden cabin seemed a bit crowded.

"Everyone, sit closer, dinner will be served soon." Lin Yan greeted everyone to take their seats and said with a smile:

"Next spring, I must tear down this small wooden cabin and build a larger courtyard."

Soon, steaming dishes were served on the table.

There were no separate tables; everyone gathered around together, both men and women.

Lin Yan took out the spirit wine he had just bought at the marketplace yesterday.

A cup of fragrant spirit wine went down, followed by a bite of savory rabbit meat, and everyone's mood instantly lifted.

The atmosphere immediately became lively.

"This spirit wine has quite a kick!"

"Good wine! In my life, I have never drunk such mellow wine!"

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it heavenly nectar."

"Senior Brother, this wine of yours must not have been cheap."

Everyone heaped praise upon the spirit wine.

"Everyone, drink slowly. Two cups each, don't overindulge." Lin Yan reminded them with a smile.

He only had one jar of spirit wine, ten catties in total; it wouldn't be enough for so many people to drink as much as they wanted.

"This rabbit meat is also extraordinary. It's Spirit Rabbit meat!"

"Wow, Senior Brother Sun, where did you get this rabbit meat?" Xu Shuangyuan couldn't help but ask.

He still had three Spirit Rabbits at home, which he had originally bought from Sun Xiaochuan.

Sun Xiaochuan rubbed his frozen red hands and smiled as he spoke: "Old Li and I haven't been squatting in the Spirit Rice fields for the past six months! Guess where we went?"

"Where did you two Junior Brothers go to make a fortune?" Lu Zhengfeng asked curiously.

Utility Disciples of the Sword Pavilion could choose to perform chores in the Sect, but it was not a mandatory requirement.

They were free to come and go; the Sect just offered it as an option.

Like Xu Shuangyuan, who did not farm for the Sect.

"The two of us went to the Snowy Plateau on the west side of the Jian Ge Mountain Range!" Sun Xiaochuan said with a wink:

"Our main peak in the Jian Ge Mountain Range is tall enough, right? It's known as 'one man guards the pass, ten thousand cannot open it'!"

"But you haven't seen those snow-capped mountains in the west. They are magnificent, truly majestic!"

"Wow, you two Junior Brothers are quite free and easy." Lu Zhengfeng and the others were all interested and spoke up one after another.

"It makes us Outer Sect Disciples envious!"

"Pity me, the furthest place I've been in the last six months was Ten Thousand Willow Peak at the Spirit Herb Hall. I wandered on the mountain for a whole day and didn't even find a single hundred-year-old willow leaf..."

"Who isn't the same? The furthest I've been is Qingzhu Peak at the Spirit Herb Hall."

"Cultivating immortality is just about wanting to roam freely between heaven and earth."

Sun Xiaochuan counted on his chubby fingers: "The snow there is knee-deep, but who would have thought that there are so many Spirit Beasts!"

"snow rabbits, snow sheep, snow leopards..."

"Unfortunately, our cultivation is too low, so we can only use Spirit Potato vines to set traps to catch some snow rabbits to trade for Spirit Stones."

"However, the harvest is not bad, better than farming in the Spirit Herb Hall!"

"You Senior Brothers shouldn't be busy in the fields now, right? After the New Year, you can come with us to give it a try and earn some extra money. It's better than being idle..."

Lu Zhengfeng, Hua Chenan, and the others' eyes lit up when they heard this.

They immediately expressed that after the New Year, they would go with Sun Xiaochuan and his companion to see for themselves.

Among the people at the table, there was no barrier between the Outer Sect Disciples and the Utility Disciples.

This was probably related to the fact that Lin Yan and the others had also been Utility Disciples.

Although they had been promoted to Outer Sect Disciples, their talent hadn't changed; it was just that their future path had become smoother.

The cultivation of Sun Xiaochuan, Li Dan, and Xu Shuangyuan, who were present, was not lower than that of Lu Zhengfeng and the other Outer Sect Disciples.

From this point, it could also be seen that Sun Xiaochuan and his companion were not bragging.

"Have you heard about next year's Sword Testing Tournament?" Lu Zhengfeng brought up a topic.

"What Sword Testing Tournament?" Someone asked, confused.

Lu Zhengfeng quickly explained in detail: "This Sword Testing Tournament happens once every ten years. Disciples under the age of thirty, whether Outer Sect or Utility, can participate!"

"It is said that if one performs exceptionally well, one can be promoted by exception—Utility Disciples can enter the Outer Sect, and Outer Sect Disciples can enter the Inner Sect. Anything is possible!"

"No wonder I was wondering why there were so many unfamiliar Senior Brothers in the marketplace recently. I thought they were just back for the New Year, but it turns out it was for this Sword Testing Tournament."

Hua Chenan gave Lu Zhengfeng a thumbs up and said: "Senior Brother Lu is still the most well-informed!"

"Hehe, you flatter me, you flatter me!" Lu Zhengfeng said with a smile, cupping his hands.

"These Senior Brothers are probably here for the position of Department Head in the Lingxu Pavilion." Lu Zhengfeng continued:

"You know that the Lingxu Pavilion is about to have a change of leadership, right?"

"I know, I heard Senior Brother Cheng mention it before." Lin Yan was quite interested: "Is there anything else to say about this?"

"Of course, if you want to participate in the election for Department Head, you must first rank in the top one hundred in the Sword Testing Tournament." Lu Zhengfeng said.

"I see." Lin Yan nodded.

For him, entering the Lingxu Pavilion was very important.

That was the best channel for him to monetize the Mutated Rice in his hands.

"So, we must pay close attention to these Senior Brothers who are going to participate in the Sword Testing Tournament." Lu Zhengfeng said seriously:

"The next person in charge of the Lingxu Pavilion will be chosen from among them!"

"That makes sense."

"Then we will go join in the fun when the time comes!"

"Definitely! Maybe we will be spotted by an Elder and promoted to Inner Sect Disciples!"

"Hahaha..."

The New Year's dinner was a success, with both host and guests enjoying themselves to the fullest.