36: Chapter 36

The sound of footsteps was not heavy; instead, it carried a unique rhythm.

It was neither hurried nor slow.

Every step that landed felt as if it were treading upon one's very heartstrings.

Accompanying the footsteps was an aroma that could not be ignored.

It was not a simple scent of cosmetics, nor the common herbal fragrance of Purple Bamboo Peak, but an extremely overbearing, intensely rich aroma of meat, mingled with the unique, fragrant scent of high-grade Spirit Medicine.

For a cultivator, this scent was nothing short of a fatal temptation.

Jiang Nian twitched her small nose.

Her face, which had been pale from fright, now showed a look of astonishment.

"Th-this is..."

Although she was socially anxious and usually kept a low profile, her talent in Alchemy was extremely high, and she was most sensitive to the aura of medicinal herbs and Spirit Beasts.

"A fifth-rank Spirit Beast... a Five-Colored Golden Pheasant?"

"And... at least three-thousand-year-old blood ginseng?"

Jiang Nian's doe-like eyes instantly widened into perfect circles.

She stared at the tightly shut palace doors in disbelief, a storm raging in her heart.

Did Second Senior Sister... really go to the Spirit Beast Garden and stew those "ancestors"?

Those were the treasures that Elder Zhang of the Spirit Beast Peak wouldn't even let anyone pluck a single feather from!

It was said they were prepared to be offered to some sleeping Old Ancestor of the Holy Land in the future...

"It's over, it's over..."

Jiang Nian hunched her shoulders, the little voice inside her head screaming frantically.

"Second Senior Sister has gone mad..."

"If the Sect's Law Enforcement Hall finds out, it will definitely cause an uproar."

"No, I must leave quickly..."

"If Second Senior Sister discovers me peeking here, she will definitely stew me too to nourish Senior Brother..."

Thinking of the way Liu Ruyan usually looked at people with that half-smile—as if she were looking at a corpse—Jiang Nian shuddered, and the two decorative green leaves atop her head, which had been perky just a moment ago, instantly wilted.

She took one last lingering look in the direction of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The bottle of Rejuvenation Dew in her hand was gripped so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Senior Brother..."

"Nian Nian will come to see you another day..."

"You... you must be strong, make sure you aren't over-nourished by Second Senior Sister..."

Jiang Nian sniffled, suppressing the sourness and worry in her heart, and cast the "Concealment Technique" that all Disciples at the Qi Refinement Stage knew.

Hugging the wall, she slipped away quickly like a green ghost.

...

"Creak—"

Just as Jiang Nian's figure vanished around the corner, the heavy doors of the Hall of Mental Cultivation were pushed open from the outside.

Sunlight poured in through the opening, instantly illuminating the previously dim hall.

A red-clad figure bathed in the morning light walked in with graceful steps.

It was none other than Liu Ruyan, who had returned.

At this moment, she was carrying an exquisitely crafted white jade tray.

On the tray sat a purple clay stew pot that was still steaming.

The thick, almost inseparable aroma was wafting from this stew pot.

Liu Ruyan seemed to be in an excellent mood.

Her usually cold and aloof features now carried a faint smile, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, forming a breathtaking curve.

She did not rush to the bedside.

Instead, she first scanned the hall, her gaze lingering for a moment on the pillar where Jiang Nian had previously been hiding.

In that instant, a flicker of playful, icy light flashed in her eyes.

"You ran quite fast."

"Consider yourself sensible."

Liu Ruyan hummed softly, her tone carrying a touch of careless languor.

"If you had left even half a step later..."

"I might have had to add an extra ingredient called 'Ginger Grass' to this Five-Colored Golden Pheasant porridge."

Jiang Nian, who was fleeing rapidly, shuddered for no reason, stumbled, and nearly fell off her Flying Sword.

Liu Ruyan withdrew her gaze, no longer paying attention to that timid Third Junior Sister.

In her view, Jiang Nian was just a little girl who only knew how to plant herbs and practice Alchemy; she was not worth fearing at all.

As for that newcomer Ye Chuxia...

Liu Ruyan glanced at the empty cot in the corner of the hall that had originally belonged to the night-watch Disciple and sneered.

"Not up yet?"

"It seems this so-called 'Daughter of Destiny' is nothing more than this."

"That's fine."

"It saves me from having an eyesore here, disturbing the world of two that I share with Senior Brother."

She carried the tray, her lotus steps moving lightly as she walked to the Cold Jade Bed.

She placed the tray gently on the small table beside the bed.

"Clang—"

White jade struck sandalwood, producing a crisp sound.

Liu Ruyan lifted the lid of the stew pot.

"Whoosh—"

A visible plume of white Spiritual Qi rose up like a mushroom cloud, lingering in the air above the hall for a long time.

Inside the stew pot, the golden porridge was still bubbling away.

Every grain of rice was translucent, as if it had absorbed the essence of the heavens, earth, sun, and moon.

Within the golden porridge, one could faintly see strands of meat as red as blood, along with a few thinly sliced pieces of ginseng.

This was the product of the finest breast meat of the Five-Colored Golden Pheasant perfectly fused with three-thousand-year-old blood ginseng.

This bowl of porridge alone, if placed in an auction in the outside world, would likely be enough to make those old monsters at the Nascent Soul Stage fight tooth and nail to snatch it.

After all, this was not just delicious; it was a supreme treasure medicine capable of directly increasing cultivation and extending one's lifespan!

Yet, at this moment, it was merely Su Ye's breakfast.

Lying on the bed, Su Ye, though his eyes were closed, had sharp perception that allowed him to instantly judge the "gold content" of this bowl of porridge.

[Holy crap...]

[This spendthrift woman!]

[She actually stewed those Five-Colored Golden Pheasants?]

Su Ye's heart twitched.

He remembered clearly that in the original novel, that Elder Zhang of the Spirit Beast Peak regarded those chickens as closer than his own sons.

In daily life, to find bugs for the chickens to eat, he would even go so far as to personally venture into dangerous areas to catch demonic insects.

And now... it had become a pot of porridge?

[However...]

[It smells so good.]

Su Ye's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

The body is the most honest thing.

The hunger stemming from the depths of his cells erupted completely the moment he smelled this Spiritual Qi.

Liu Ruyan clearly noticed the movement of Su Ye's Adam's apple.

The smile in her eyes deepened.

"Senior Brother really is starving, isn't he?"

"Don't rush."

"Ru Yan will feed you now."

She picked up a crystal-clear jade spoon from the tray and gently scooped up a spoonful of the hot, golden porridge.

She did not feed it to Su Ye directly; instead, she brought it to her own lips and blew on it gently.

"Hoo—"

The action was so gentle, it was as if she were not handling a spoonful of porridge, but cherishing a rare treasure.

"It's a bit hot."

Liu Ruyan murmured softly, as if speaking to herself, or perhaps explaining to Su Ye.

"Senior Brother's body is weak right now and cannot handle heat."

"It must be blown until it is lukewarm before it can be consumed."

She patiently blew on it a few times, then extended the tip of her pink tongue to gently test the temperature on the edge of the spoon.

After confirming it was correct, she carefully brought the spoon to Su Ye's tightly closed lips.

"Senior Brother, open your mouth."

"Ah—"

Liu Ruyan said, as if coaxing a small child, her voice so gentle it could drip water.

However, Su Ye was currently in a vegetative state.

Although his consciousness was clear, every muscle in his body was beyond his control.

He could only keep his lips tightly closed; even if he wanted to eat, his mouth felt as if it had been welded shut, remaining completely motionless.

The jade spoon touched Su Ye's cold lips.

A little bit of the golden porridge seeped out from between his lips and slid down the corner of his mouth.

Liu Ruyan's hand paused slightly.

She watched the drop of porridge sliding down Su Ye's chin, her brows knitting slightly.

"Tsk."

"Senior Brother is really not being obedient."

"Why won't you even open your mouth?"

"If it's like this... Ru Yan will be very troubled."

She put down the spoon.

Extending her finger, she gently wiped away the drop of porridge from the corner of Su Ye's mouth.

Then, she took that finger, stained with the porridge and Su Ye's scent, into her own mouth, tasting it carefully.

"Mmm..."

Liu Ruyan's eyes narrowed slightly, a look of intoxication appearing on her face.

"The taste... is not bad."

"After being mixed with Senior Brother's scent, this mundane Five-Colored Golden Pheasant seems to have become even more delicious."

Her voice was slightly hoarse, carrying a hint of suppressed excitement.

"Since Senior Brother refuses to open your mouth..."

"Then Ru Yan will have to use another method."

Liu Ruyan picked up the stew pot again.

This time, she did not use the spoon.

Instead, she lifted the stew pot directly, tilted her slender neck, and took a large mouthful of the hot porridge.

She did not swallow it, but held it in her mouth.

She set down the stew pot, leaned forward, and braced her hands on either side of Su Ye's head.

Her waterfall-like black hair fell down, creating a private space that belonged only to the two of them.

She looked down at Su Ye.

The love and madness in her eyes reached their peak at this moment.

"Senior Brother..."

"I heard that using this method to feed medicine yields the best results."

"Because..."

"In this, there is not only the nourishment of the Spirit Medicine, but also Ru Yan's saliva, Ru Yan's love, and Ru Yan's everything..."

"You will like it, right?"

Before she finished speaking, she slowly leaned down.

Those two warm, soft red lips, carrying the aroma of the Five-Colored Golden Pheasant porridge, pressed accurately and without error onto Su Ye's cold lips.

"Mmm—"

Su Ye only felt a wave of warm breath rush over him instantly.

Following that, his tightly clenched teeth were easily pried open by Liu Ruyan's skilled and overbearing technique.

The warm porridge, mixed with the unique fragrance of the young girl's mouth, was slowly transferred into his own.

This porridge was boiled until it was extremely soft, almost dissolving the moment it entered the mouth.

There was no need to chew at all.

It slid down his throat into his stomach.

[Ding! Detected that the host has consumed the high-grade Spirit Food "Five-Colored Phoenix Blood Porridge".]

[Ding! Ancient Desolate Sacred Body automatically activates, beginning to absorb the medicinal power.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host, Blood Qi value +1000.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host, Meridians repair progress +1%.]

The System's notification sounds were frantically scrolling across his mind.

But Su Ye couldn't care to look at them at all.

Because at this moment, he was in an extremely wondrous and "dangerous" state.

Liu Ruyan did not pull away after transferring one mouthful of porridge.

Her lips remained tightly pressed against Su Ye's.

Her nimble tongue was not just delivering food, but seemed to be patrolling her own territory, sweeping through every corner of Su Ye's mouth.

It was overbearing.

And greedy.

As if she wanted to plunder the very last shred of air from Su Ye's mouth.

"Gulp—"

Su Ye was forced to swallow.

The searing hot current slid down his esophagus into his stomach, instantly turning into a warm flow that spread to his limbs and bones.

The severe pain caused by his shattered Meridians was miraculously alleviated significantly under the soothing effect of this warm flow.

This was the power of the Five-Colored Golden Pheasant and the thousand-year-old blood ginseng!

It was also the result of Liu Ruyan's "Pure Yang Fire Spiritual Root" assisting in the refinement!

I do not know how much time passed.

When that mouthful of porridge was completely swallowed by Su Ye, Liu Ruyan slowly raised her head.

Her cheeks were crimson, her eyes shimmering with ripples of light, and a strand of crystalline silver saliva still hung from the corner of her mouth, connecting her lips to Su Ye's.

In the morning light, that silver thread appeared exceptionally ambiguous, and exceptionally glaring.

"Hoo..."

Liu Ruyan panted slightly.

She looked at her Senior Brother lying beneath her, at her mercy, the satisfaction in her eyes almost overflowing.

"Senior Brother..."

"It's delicious."

"Ru Yan... wants more."

She extended the tip of her tongue and licked the lingering taste from the corner of her mouth.

Then, she picked up the stew pot again.

She took a second mouthful.

Leaned down.

Transferred it.

...

Inside the entire Hall of Mental Cultivation, apart from the occasional sound of swallowing, there remained only the faint rustling of clothing.

This was a silent feast.

It was also a carnival belonging solely to Liu Ruyan.

She was like an untiring predator, bit by bit, sending the entire full pot of Spirit porridge into Su Ye's stomach through this most primitive and intimate method.

Each mouthful was accompanied by a long and affectionate kiss.

Each mouthful felt as if she were performing some kind of sacred ritual.

Although Su Ye was the passive recipient, under this continuous "feeding," his body was undergoing astonishing changes.

His face, originally pale as paper, began to gradually show a healthy flush.

The Spiritual Qi in his body, which had been exhausted, was also recovering bit by bit.

Even his shattered Golden Core, under the nourishment of this massive medicinal power, began to emit a faint glow.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host, consumed the complete "Five-Colored Phoenix Blood Porridge".]

[Ding! Due to the special method of consumption (Yin and Yang harmonization), the absorption rate of the medicinal effect has increased to 200%.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host, current experience points are full, about to break through to the Eighth Heaven of Foundation Establishment Realm...]

The System's voice sounded again.

Su Ye felt speechless in his heart.

[The hell, this works too?]

[Can I level up just by eating breakfast?]

[This "soft rice"... is too hardcore, right?]

Finally.

The stew pot hit the bottom.

Liu Ruyan raised her head one last time, looking with lingering desire at Su Ye's lips, which had been kissed until they were slightly swollen.

She extended her thumb and gently stroked Su Ye's lips, as if savoring the touch from just a moment ago.

"Senior Brother..."

"Are you full?"

"But Ru Yan... is not full yet."

Her voice was low and hoarse, carrying a faint, lingering aura of danger.

Just when Su Ye thought this girl was going to pull some other stunt, Liu Ruyan suddenly chuckled and sat up from the bed.

She casually tossed the empty stew pot back onto the tray.

Then, she pulled a handkerchief embroidered with a purple bamboo pattern from her bosom and meticulously wiped the corners of Su Ye's mouth.

Her movements were incredibly gentle, as if that crazed Demoness who had been demanding kisses just moments ago was not her at all.

"Alright."

"You've eaten, and your body has been warmed."

"Next..."

Liu Ruyan's gaze slowly shifted toward the direction of the hall entrance.

Although separated by the heavy palace doors, it was as if she could see through the wood, seeing the figure that was wandering outside the hall.

"That newcomer who doesn't understand the rules should come in to 'fulfill her filial piety' now."

Liu Ruyan put away the handkerchief and straightened her slightly disheveled clothes, once again restoring that noble and cold appearance of a Senior Sister.

However, the moment she turned around, with her back to Su Ye, a cruel, cold smile curled at the corners of her mouth.

"Ye Chuxia..."

"Since Revered Master handed you over to me."

"Then as your Second Senior Sister, I have an obligation to teach you well..."

"What is called—the rules."