Chapter 56

Spirit cleansing, on paper, sounded simple enough—diluting spiritual energy to filter out what one didn’t need and retaining what was useful. Rinse and repeat. But the actual process was slow and required immense patience and precision.

"Xian’er, take it."
Han Luo handed Shen Xian’er a perfect-grade Spirit-Cleansing Pill.

Without hesitation, Shen Xian’er swallowed the pill. In her mind, there was no one more trustworthy than her senior brother—no exceptions.

Han Luo, however, looked more nervous than she was.
"Xian’er, how do you feel? Any chest tightness? Shortness of breath? Dizziness? Blurred vision? Anything at all, tell me immediately."

He already had his notebook out, ready to record.

Shen Xian’er rubbed her belly, tilted her head thoughtfully, and said, "I don’t feel anything really, just... a little hungry."

Pfft!
Han Luo almost coughed up blood.

“I raised a pig, didn’t I?! You just had ten steamed buns for breakfast! Were you a gluttonous beast in your past life?!”

Unable to contain his exasperation, he sighed. “Alright, finish your spirit cleansing first, and after that, I’ll give you something you’ve never eaten before—a legendary delicacy.”

That got her attention.

“Okay, okay!” Shen Xian’er’s eyes curved into happy crescents, like a child being promised candy for New Year’s.

“Now,” Han Luo continued, “focus. Tell me what you’re feeling.”

Shen Xian’er thought hard, poked her chubby cheek, and rubbed her belly again.
“It’s warm inside. Really comfy.”

“Good,” Han Luo nodded. That was a normal reaction and matched his expectations.

“Now circulate the Luoxian Technique to refine the pill’s energy. Once you've extracted its essence, you'll become stronger.”

Han Luo knew that no cultivator could resist the temptation of getting stronger. Mentioning the word alone would make anyone take things seriously.

“Really?” Her eyes sparkled. Getting stronger by just eating pills? Cultivation seemed so easy!

“Of course. When have I ever lied to you? Get started before the effects wear off.”

With a determined nod, Shen Xian’er sat cross-legged and began refining the pill using the Luoxian Technique.

Han Luo remained by her side the entire time, carefully recording her progress.

After two full hours, Shen Xian’er slowly opened her eyes. They sparkled like gemstones, filled with starlight.

“How do you feel?” Han Luo asked, hoping to confirm that she’d completed her first spirit cleansing.

Shen Xian’er blinked, clenched her tiny fists, and grinned.
“Brother, I feel so strong now! I could eat twenty steamed buns!”

...Han Luo was speechless.

So her motivation to become stronger... was still food.

“Brother, can I have another pill?”

Clearly feeling the benefits, Shen Xian’er was eager to continue. If she could keep getting stronger, she could eat good food forever!

“Not yet.”

Han Luo rejected her firmly.

“Please~”

She clung to his arm and began rubbing her face against it like a fluffy little dumpling.

“It won’t work.” Han Luo was unmoved. “Spirit-Cleansing Pills are a special kind of medicine. Even though your body handled the first one well, its effects are still running through you. Until you’ve fully digested it, no more pills. That means no going out, either. You stay on Luoxian Mountain and cultivate until it’s fully refined. Only then can you have the next one.”

He gave a stern warning.

Alchemy was no joke. Pills weren’t like arrays—if an array failed, the worst that could happen was an explosion. But pills? One mistake, and you could cripple your entire path of cultivation.

Han Luo had accepted the responsibility of helping his junior sister cleanse her spirit. He couldn't let anything go wrong.

After all, where else would he find such a perfectly obedient lab assistant?

Damn. I said the quiet part out loud again...

“Really?” Shen Xian’er narrowed her eyes, suspicious.

“When have I ever lied to you?” he countered.

“True. Brother’s always the best.” She beamed.

In her mind, anyone who could cook good food couldn't possibly be a bad person.

“Glad you know it. And remember—this whole spirit-cleansing business is our little secret, okay? Don’t tell anyone else. Pinky swear.”

Han Luo held out his little finger.

“Okay, okay!” Shen Xian’er happily hooked her pinky with his.

A pinky swear in this world carried the weight of an oath. Breaking it could lead to terrifying consequences.

“All done for today. Go meditate and refine the leftover effects. The sooner you finish, the sooner you’ll get your second pill.”

He was pleased with the pill’s initial results but wanted to observe more.

With the help of the Bronze Mirror, a powerful auxiliary treasure, he could monitor her condition in detail.

“Um… Brother, didn’t you say there’d be delicious food after the cleansing?” Shen Xian’er reminded him sweetly. “You promised. We pinky swore!”

Han Luo winced. How had he ended up as a full-time babysitter?

He wasn’t just overseeing her cultivation; now he had to manage her meals too.

Sigh… Well, he had used her as a test subject—it was only fair.

“Bring me your food utensils.”

At his command, Shen Xian’er placed her enchanted bowl and chopsticks on the table.

Han Luo took out a red packet from his bronze ring.

Yes. The so-called legendary delicacy was… instant noodles.

Simple to make, and one of the flavors he missed the most from his past life.

He opened a packet of braised beef-flavored noodles, placed the noodle block into the bowl, added the seasoning, and poured in hot water. Finally, he covered it with another bowl to let it steep.

“This is the legendary dish?” Shen Xian’er propped her chubby cheeks in her hands, staring wide-eyed at the bowl.

“It’s called instant noodles—a legendary delicacy. And only I know how to make it in this world.”

That much was true… unless there were other transmigrators.

“Wow!” Her eyes gleamed with greedy anticipation.

Just the thought of tasting something her brother called “legendary” made her tremble with excitement.

Gurgle.
She swallowed hard as the aroma began wafting through the bowl’s lid.

Two minutes later…

At Han Luo’s signal, she opened her food treasure. A puff of fragrant steam rose, and she was instantly enchanted.

In three bites, she polished off the noodles and even drank all the broth. If Han Luo hadn’t been there, she probably would’ve licked the bowl.

“Brother… I…”

“You can have more tomorrow. That’s it for today.”

Han Luo could see right through her.

Good things had to be savored slowly. If she had everything all at once, she’d lose interest—and probably run off the moment she got bored.

After all, in her world, food was love.

“Aww…”

Her disappointment lasted all of one second. Then she remembered she could have it again tomorrow and ran off in delight to meditate and refine the remaining pill effects.

Han Luo, meanwhile, activated the Bronze Mirror and began carefully monitoring her changes—intent on gathering as much data as possible.