Chapter 43 – The Food of Gratitude

Not wanting them to start a fight, Zhou Feibai quickly said, “Senior Sister Xiaozhou, should we go in and have a look? We’ve already arrived at the market entrance.”

“Let’s go see. The Junior Brothers and Sisters from the mountain have all come down in the past few days, and many low-level demonic cultivators have died at their hands. The mortal cultivators following them should have picked up some benefits. Maybe there are some good things in this market.” Qing Xiaozhou said, walking into the market first.

Zhou Feibai looked at his Senior Brother beside him with a questioning look. “Senior Brother, are you coming?”

His Senior Brother snorted and followed them in.

As soon as the three of them entered the market, the first thing they saw was a long line at the talisman counter. QingXiaozhou felt a little strange. Even if there were a lot of people buying talismans, the line shouldn’t be so long that it didn’t move. From the moment she walked in until now, she hadn’t seen it move at all.

So she randomly chose a mortal cultivator who was closest to her and asked, “Brother, why is this line not moving? No one is causing a scene.”

“They’re out of talismans, and they haven’t been restocked yet. I don’t know when they’ll get more,” the man complained. “I’ve been in line for an hour now, and it’s not even my turn yet.”

“Oh, then they’re really slow. They don’t even know how to make money.”

As soon as Qing Xiaozhou finished speaking, the man who had just been complaining looked at her unhappily. “Don’t talk nonsense. There are only about twenty talisman masters in the Talisman Academy. They’ve been drawing talismans day and night these past few days. When have we ever passed by the Talisman Academy and not seen lights on all night long? It’s normal that they can’t keep up since there are so few of them. It’s not a big deal to spend a little more time waiting. It doesn’t interfere with cultivation, anyway.”

Qing Xiaozhou: “…”

Qing Xiaozhou wasn’t angry about being rebutted. She stood on the side and watched for a while. Finally, someone came from outside with a new batch of talismans. The crowd immediately became agitated, craning their necks to look inside.

She found the scene very interesting and very humane.

Thinking about how the mortal cultivator had just said there were only about twenty people in the Talisman Academy, she couldn’t help but feel a little curious and wanted to go check it out.

Just then, her two Junior Brothers had finished looking around and came back. She said to them, “I’m going to look around. Do you want to come with me?”

She knew they wouldn’t follow her, so she was just subtly telling them to leave first.

As expected, the Junior Brother she had just mocked bowed slightly with a sullen look. “I want to go back and cultivate early, so I won’t be accompanying Senior Sister.” After saying that, he turned and left.

Qing Xiaozhou looked at the other one, who smiled gently and said, “Sure, Senior Sister. I might even be able to show you around.”

Zhou Feibai wasn’t really interested in staying to keep her company. The Senior Sister in front of him was one of the few remaining disciples of the Talisman Peak. He had gone on a mission with her today just so he could build a good relationship with her.

Accompanying her on a tour of the mortal district was a great opportunity, and he naturally wouldn’t miss it.

When she heard his agreement, Qing Xiaozhou mentally sighed. She actually wanted to be alone, but since she had already said it, she might as well go with him. “Let’s go. We’re going to check out the Talisman Academy here.”

She might not have been interested in anything else, but talismans were her specialty. Even though she knew the Talisman Academy here was probably just child’s play, she couldn’t help but want to see if there were any good prospects.

Zhou Feibai didn’t know where the Talisman Academy was, but someone gave them directions when they asked, and the two of them quickly arrived in front of a large building that was different from ordinary residential houses.

The gate, which had the words “Talisman Academy” written on it, was closed, but a woman was sitting at the entrance. The woman was holding a large basin covered with a bamboo mat. An ordinary person might not be able to smell it, but Qing Xiaozhou could smell a tempting scent of food.

“Auntie, are you sitting here to sell food?” Qing Xiaozhou asked out of curiosity. It was best for her to continue eating Fasting Pills at her current cultivation.

When the woman sitting at the entrance saw them, she quickly stood up with her large wooden basin and explained nervously, “No, no. I wanted to bring some food to the Talisman Masters inside, but I don’t know when they’re going to rest, so I’m just waiting here.”

“Oh.” Qing Xiaozhou nodded and walked up to knock on the door.

She knocked with a bit of special spiritual energy. Someone quickly came and opened the door, poking their head out. “Who is it? What do you want?”

The person who opened the door was covered in dirt, so Qing Xiaozhou knew they had just taken a break from their busy schedule to open the door. She quickly said, “I heard the Talisman Academy is very short on people right now. I’m a talisman master, too, so I wanted to see if I could help.”

“A talisman master?” When the person heard this, their eyes immediately lit up. “Please, come in, come in.” He quickly opened the door and made way. “Our entire Talisman Academy is running around like headless chickens right now. We’re in desperate need of talisman masters like you. Please follow me. I’ll take you to see our president right now.”

The person who opened the door led the way. Qing Xiaozhou looked at the woman outside and gestured for her to follow.

The four of them walked all the way to the talisman room. Through the window, Qing Xiaozhou saw the mortal cultivators busy inside.

The room had a tranquility that was out of place in the outside world. Although some people inside were snoring and some were dozing off with their heads in their hands, the focus on the faces of the others made her involuntarily hold her breath, as if she was afraid of disturbing them.

Zhou Feibai looked around and finally saw Lynn Naya, who was drawing talismans at a table. He was a little surprised and couldn’t understand why she was here.

The people inside quickly knew that someone had come from the outside, especially when they heard that a talisman master had come to help. Several talisman masters who were exhausted woke up and wanted to see who the new talisman master was.

Anyone who would come to help at this time was a lifesaver.

Lynn Naya also sensed Zhou Feibai’s arrival. She didn’t want to pay him any mind, but when she heard the woman who came with Zhou Feibai say she was also a talisman master and was here to help, a flicker of surprise appeared in her eyes. She couldn’t help but follow the crowd and go out to see what was going on.

“I’m a talisman master,” Qing Xiaozhou said, greeting everyone peacefully. “You can verify my skill later.” She then gestured toward the woman with the large basin. “When I came in, I saw this woman said she wanted to give you some food. Do any of you know her?”

Most of the talisman masters didn’t know her, but the woman recognized Lynn Naya, who was standing at the back of the crowd. She watched as Lynn Naya walked up and lifted the bamboo mat from the wooden basin, revealing a bunch of large rice balls wrapped in wide leaves.

The rice balls were large, about the size of an adult’s fist. They were filled with all kinds of diced vegetables, and the surface had a fine sheen. They looked delicious.

“My… my man came back safely. I just wanted to come and thank you Talisman Masters,” the woman said, still feeling a bit nervous. “I don’t care what other people say. All I know is that people should be grateful. You let my man live, you let my child’s father live, so I should thank you. This is all new rice from this year. It’s very delicious. If it’s not enough, I have more and can make more.”

This was the first time the talisman masters who had been working hard for days had received such gratitude. They were surprised and a little touched.

The people who were usually so good at bragging couldn’t say a single word. They could only pick up a large rice ball in front of the woman and take a big bite.

After a few chews, the person who had taken the first bite pointed at the rice ball in their hand and said to the others, “Wow, this rice ball is good. It’s so delicious. You guys have to try it.”

“I’ll try.”

“I’ll try too.”

One by one, everyone soon replaced the tense atmosphere with the simple joy of eating good food. “This rice ball is so good. I think I can eat two more.”

“What did you put in this rice ball? It’s not greasy at all, and the rice is so fragrant.”

“Big Sister, your cooking is really good. I have to have another one.”

The woman’s face turned red from all the compliments. She wanted to say something, but as an honest person, she could only say, “I’m glad you like it. I have more and can make more.”

In the end, everyone ate one or two rice balls and went back inside. The woman looked at the empty basin with joy and was about to leave.

“Please wait a moment,” Lynn Naya said, as she was the last one to go in. She was still holding a rice ball and eating it. Seeing the woman about to leave, she quickly called out to her. “What is your name, ma’am?”

The woman turned around and saw that it was her. She quickly said, “My surname is Feng. I live next to the Talisman Academy. Everyone calls me Feng Sanniang.”

“Ma’am, you look older than me, so I’ll call you Auntie Feng from now on. We all really like your cooking, Auntie Feng, so I would like to hire you to be our cook during this time. What do you think?”

This wasn’t a spontaneous idea from Lynn Naya. The Talisman Academy didn’t even have a gatekeeper, let alone a kitchen.

The food they had been eating during this time was from Scarface Qing’s big kitchen, and to be honest, the taste could easily make them lose the will to live.

Everyone had been too busy before to care about this, but the woman’s actions today made Lynn Naya feel very comforted. Who didn’t like a person who knew how to repay kindness? Besides, the woman’s clothes showed that she wasn’t wealthy. This basin of new rice was probably the most expensive thing she could offer.

After eating such a good meal, Lynn Naya wanted to pay for it and have the woman cook for them, which would be a win-win situation.

“Of course, I’m willing. It’s just…” Feng Sanniang couldn’t help but rub the wooden basin with her hand. “I’m afraid my cooking won’t be to your liking.”

“You’re a clever person. As long as your cooking tastes similar to these rice balls, it’ll be fine,” Lynn Naya said, then added, “It’s okay if it’s a little worse.” At least it would be better than the market’s food. “If you’re willing, I’ll have someone talk to you about this later.”

They had more than twenty people, so Feng Sanniang alone would definitely be too busy. They would have to find someone else to help her.

“I’m willing. I’m willing,” Feng Sanniang said quickly.

“Alright, then it’s settled.” Lynn Naya said, taking a bite of the rice ball and personally seeing her out of the Talisman Academy.

Zhou Feibai watched this scene from inside the talisman room. Seeing Lynn Naya with her gentle, lowered eyes talking to the woman, he couldn’t help but think of the time he and his sister were selling straw mattress.

It was already getting cold, and he and his sister were squatting by the side of the road. Everyone who passed by ignored them. Then, Healer Lynn came and walked past them. He was disappointed again and lowered his head, but he suddenly heard someone ask how much the straw mattress were. He quickly looked up and saw that Healer Lynn, who had just walked past, had returned.

She was always a good person.

After she had left coldly that day, he felt that they would never cross paths again. Even though he had some regrets, he never took the initiative to go and apologize to her. Now that he saw her again and saw that she had also started on the path of cultivation, he felt a mix of emotions.

If I had known… Forget it, there was no if he had known.