Chapter 46

It wasn’t that Su Ling didn’t think to ask Yi Heng if he wanted to eat.
It was just that the combination of fresh lettuce and roasted pork belly was so incredibly delicious. She had originally planned to cook everything and serve it on a plate for them to share.
But she couldn’t resist taking a bite in the middle of cooking, wrapping a piece of meat in lettuce with a mix of homemade vinegar, garlic sauce, and other seasonings. The taste left her utterly amazed!
It was the first time she realized that meat she roasted herself could be so flavorful, fragrant, crispy, savory, yet not greasy at all.
What impressed her most was that while slicing the pork belly, she found her strength had increased noticeably. Handling the knife felt more effortless, and with just a slight pressure, the sharp blade could slice through the meat into paper-thin, translucent pieces.
Placed on a cleaned tile, such thin slices would cook through on both sides in just a few seconds. A little longer, and they turned golden brown. Sprinkled with cumin and other spices, the aroma burst forth, making it an irresistible delicacy.
Su Ling felt a twinge of regret, she had bought too little meat.
If she had known it would taste this good without being heavy, she should have bought more.
Lost in the enjoyment of eating, Su Ling nearly forgot everything else. It wasn’t until the enticing aroma drove the two dogs to anxiously rub against her legs that she snapped back to reality, realizing she had been carried away by the feast.
Su Ling quickly grilled a few more slices, added neatly folded lettuce leaves, and brought them into the room. She glanced at Yi Heng, who was already leaning against the headboard at some point, and said, "I made some grilled meat. Would you like to try it? It’s really delicious."
"Mm." Yi Heng nodded reservedly, his lips slightly curved. Worried that his reaction might seem too indifferent, he added, "It smells wonderful. Thank you."
Pleased that someone enjoyed her cooking and that the ingredients were cheap and convenient, Su Ling replied cheerfully, "You eat first. I’ll bring more in a bit."
After setting the food down and stepping out, Yi Heng turned his head to "look" at the green plate, where the vegetables and meat slices were neatly separated, along with a pair of chopsticks. After a moment’s thought, he used the little spiritual power he had left to cast a cleansing spell on his hands. Then, imitating what he had observed Su Ling doing with his spiritual sense, he picked up a lettuce leaf, used the chopsticks to take a slice of meat, dipped it into the small bowl of sauce, wrapped it in the lettuce, and finally placed it in his mouth.
While Su Ling’s movements had been somewhat rough and straightforward, Yi Heng’s actions, even when using his hands, flowed with an effortless grace, as if he were savoring a rare delicacy.
Unaware of this, Yi Heng focused on the taste of the food. The pork belly, much like the cured meat from the day before, contained the impurities common in mortal food, which would require him to expend spiritual energy to cleanse later. Yet, after being prepared by Su Ling and paired with the crisp, sweet lettuce, it was unexpectedly delicious, even more surprising than the meal from the previous day.
He continued eating, one bite after another, unable to stop himself until the few slices of meat were gone.
Fortunately, Su Ling soon returned with more grilled meat. Smiling brightly, she said, "There’s plenty more. Take your time."
"Mm." Yi Heng nodded, his expression softening as he "gazed" at the smile on her face. He spoke gently, "After the meal, I’ll teach you how to cultivate."
Su Ling paused at the doorway, puzzled. "Today?"
Yi Heng nodded. "You’ve already noticed your exceptional talent, haven’t you? With such aptitude, if you lack strength, others may covet it. Since you saved me, I… how about I become your master?"
He had initially intended to say he would teach her, but the words shifted mid-sentence, turning into "master." Then, he watched her with a hint of nervousness.
There was a bit of selfishness behind this decision, though he kept the reason to himself.
Su Ling blinked. "Alright!" she agreed without hesitation, her smile sweet and radiant. "Then, Master, I’ll prepare a formal ceremony to honor you!"
Yi Heng smiled faintly in response.

After lunch, Su Ling patted her full, round belly and went to clean up the remnants.
As she stepped out of the kitchen, she noticed the tougher, white stems of the lettuce, the parts she had discarded earlier as less palatable, intending to feed them to the chicks later. To her surprise, two plump little rabbits were now munching on them with great relish, completely oblivious to any potential danger.
Recalling how the leftover bits of cauliflower from the day before had been a hit with the chicks, she guessed that anything infused with spiritual energy would naturally attract animals. But she hadn’t expected it to lure back two silly, chubby rabbits!
Su Ling’s eyes lit up, and she immediately lunged forward to catch them.
However, the rabbits were wild and incredibly fast. Even though they hadn’t sensed any threat, their instincts kicked in the moment Su Ling moved, and they dashed away in a flash.
But even while running, they didn't forget to carry a leaf in their mouths, moving swiftly.
Su Ling pounced but missed. Just as she was about to feel dejected, she saw the two rabbits that had been dashing away suddenly collide with something. With a silent thud, they fell backward, eyes wide open and rolled back, their front legs tucked against their chests, hind legs still kicking, as if stunned.
Naturally, it was Yi Heng who had intervened.
This was the second time, and Su Ling remained quite composed.
This time, she didn’t hesitate. She quickly picked up the two rabbits, tied them together with a rope, and her mind filled with thoughts of spicy rabbit meat, spicy rabbit heads, and roasted whole rabbits
Su Ling loved eating rabbit meat, and rabbits reproduced quickly with plenty of meat. The only trouble was she didn’t know how to kill a rabbit.
Yi Heng was in his room, his dark eyes glancing at his jade-white hands, clean and flawless. Even when he had fallen into such dire straits that he was being hunted by the entire sect, he had never done such things.
Since childhood, he had consumed fasting pills, and later, he formally began fasting, having long abandoned grains and ordinary foods. Naturally, he had never had the chance to cook.
In the brief moment Yi Heng was lost in thought, Su Ling had already come up with a solution.
She couldn’t do it herself, but the nearby farmers could. The rabbits were intact, and their fur could be sold for money, which could serve as payment.
Su Ling dashed quickly to Yi Heng’s room and called out, "Master!"
The girl’s crisp voice interrupted Yi Heng’s hesitation. He was about to say that he might be able to give it a try, after all, killing a rabbit couldn’t be that different from killing a person, right?
But before he could speak, Su Ling eagerly asked, "Master, is there a way that can let me quickly get to a place?"
Yi Heng immediately replied, "There is, but it might be a bit difficult."
For someone who had no cultivation techniques and had only stumbled onto the path of immortality by chance, attempting to learn the art of shrinking the ground to an inch from the very beginning was truly challenging. Even regular disciples in a sect would need several days to barely grasp it.
"It’s fine, there’s still plenty of time. Let’s give it a try," Su Ling said, waving her hand enthusiastically, showing no concern about the difficulty.
Yi Heng paused for a moment. Well, children are always curious about new things. Su Ling might appear steady, but her bone age was only sixteen. To someone like him, who had lived for centuries, she was just a child. He nodded gently and said softly, "Alright, close your eyes, hold your breath, and focus your mind."
Su Ling did as instructed, and then a secret incantation echoed in her consciousness: "What I’m about to teach you is the art of shrinking the ground to an inch"
She kept her eyes tightly shut, carefully sensing the spiritual energy within her body, circulating it through her meridians, and combining it with the technique. The spiritual energy attached to her legs.
However, circulating spiritual energy was no easy task.
Su Ling stood in place for quite some time before she finally felt a slight sense of lightness in her legs. But that wasn’t enough. She repeated the process five more times before her entire body felt a little lighter.
She shifted her leg, but as soon as she lifted it, she instantly moved from her current location to another place, as if teleporting. As the one experiencing it, Su Ling felt as though she had only blinked, without exerting any effort at all.
Just moments ago, Yi Heng had thought Su Ling would never succeed, but this sudden change startled him. Instinctively, he opened his eyes and met Su Ling’s curious gaze as she stared at her own feet.
Flustered, he closed his eyes again, only to hear her exclaim cheerfully, "Master, open your eyes! Look, I did it! With just one move, I came all the way over, such a long distance!"
From the doorway to his bedside was several steps away.
Yi Heng’s heart softened, his eyelashes fluttering slightly. Unconsciously, his hand beneath the blanket tightened its grip on the covers, but he still didn’t open his eyes. A faint smile touched his lips as he nodded approvingly. "Indeed, your talent is remarkable."
Su Ling felt a little disappointed, but since he wasn’t willing, she didn’t press further. Tilting her head, she said softly, "Alright, I’ll go practice the Shrinking Earth into Inches technique some more."
With this technique, Su Ling moved as if flying, her speed astonishingly fast. However, she couldn’t maintain it continuously. Without a proper cultivation method, the spiritual energy in her body could only be stored in her meridians and was quickly depleted.
But for short distances, resting briefly allowed her to accumulate enough spiritual energy to get by.
A journey that usually took Su Ling half an hour now only took her the time to drink two cups of tea.
When she arrived at the nearest village and asked for help butchering the rabbits, several capable women immediately volunteered.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Su Ling emerged with the prepared rabbit meat. Once she was out of sight, she circulated her spiritual energy again, using the Shrinking Earth into Inches technique to return home.
Although Yi Heng had casually accepted her as his disciple, Su Ling, as the one being accepted, couldn’t take it lightly. Besides, she also wanted to satisfy her own cravings, so she decided to prepare an extravagant apprenticeship feast!
First up was spicy diced rabbit, tender rabbit meat cut into centimeter-sized cubes, briefly blanched in hot water and cooled, then stir-fried in hot oil with Sichuan peppercorns and other spicy seasonings until fragrant. Her movements were fluid and seamless.
Next came spicy rabbit heads and a whole roasted rabbit.
Throughout the afternoon, Su Ling busied herself preparing the dishes according to her plan. As dinnertime approached, she closed her eyes, gathered a wisp of spiritual energy, and used it to grow two heads of lettuce as a side dish.
By the time the sun was about to set, the apprenticeship feast was finally complete.
Su Ling let out a long sigh of relief, freshened up, and emerged feeling refreshed. "Master," she said, "once I bring the warmed dishes to your room, we can start eating."
"No need, I’ll come out."
As soon as the words were spoken, the room door opened, revealing a man dressed in pristine white robes.
Su Ling turned her head and froze at the sight, her smile faltering and her eyes widening slightly in astonishment.
Although Yi Heng had worn white inner robes before, his severe illness had overshadowed his appearance.
Now, fully dressed, half of his ink-black hair was tied up and secured with an exquisite jade-white hairpin, while the rest cascaded loosely down his back.
The moonlight-white cross-collared robe, tied at the waist with a silver belt, wide sleeves and long boots, accentuated a handsome face that seemed to radiate brilliance. Though his eyes were still closed, a hint of color had returned to his complexion. His brows and eyes remained gentle, while his cool, pale lips curved slightly, revealing a trace of a smile.
This was far from the image of a Demon Lord that Su Ling had imagined.
At first glance, he not only didn’t seem like a villain but even carried the refined aura of a noble gentleman, the very type Su Ling had always been drawn to: the elegant yet depraved kind!
Ahem, ahem… A light cough interrupted Su Ling’s thoughts.
She smiled sheepishly, then asked with concern, “Master, are you alright?”
“It’s nothing.” Yi Heng lowered the hand he had used to cover his mouth while coughing, avoiding his new disciple’s clear, wide eyes. As he turned his head slightly, the tips of his ears flushed red. Noticing this, he quickly used a bit of spiritual energy to cool them down. However, this small expenditure further drained his already depleted reserves, and his face visibly paled.
Su Ling didn’t notice. Taking him at his word, she pulled out a stool and gestured for Yi Heng to take the seat of honor, while she sat below. Gazing at the sumptuous dinner on the table, she smiled contentedly, then stood up to serve him some dishes. “Master, these are all my favorite dishes. Please have more.”
“Alright.” Yi Heng’s lips curved slightly. “Your master is currently severely injured, and my cultivation has declined. I cannot access my Qiankun Bag for now. Once I recover, I will make up for the greeting gift.”
It wasn’t that he had nothing else on him, but the items he carried were of little value, and he felt too embarrassed to present them to his new disciple.
They weren’t worthy.
Su Ling nodded indifferently. Once she had settled Yi Heng, she picked up some food to taste for herself. But before the dish reached her mouth, a woman’s sharp cry echoed from outside the courtyard: “Master, it’s right here! Can you see the overwhelming ghostly aura in this house?! I was so frightened the other day, I was kicked out without even seeing anyone! Oh, Master, you must uphold justice!!!”