"I am no senior expert."
Ye Qingyun said awkwardly.
Hearing this, master and disciple immediately remembered what the dog Demon King had just said.
"Almost forgot, the expert wants to experience the mortal world in the guise of an ordinary person. We mustn't disturb the expert's state of mind."
The white-haired elder Shen Tianhua said to himself, and gave Xiao Shi a look.
Xiao Shi understood immediately.
"It was this old man who was impudent, Young Guest must not blame me."
Shen Tianhua immediately changed his tune.
Xiao Shi also said, "Young Master Ye, my master saw the story you wrote and the painting you drew, and he is very interested in you, so I brought my master to pay you a visit."
This excuse was not bad at all.
Ye Qingyun believed it immediately.
"So that's how it is."
Ye Qingyun nodded.
"You two come in and sit down."
"Good, good, good."
Shen Tianhua nodded repeatedly.
The two stepped into the courtyard, walking carefully past various heavenly treasures.
Walking into the house.
Shen Tianhua was once again stunned.
Wherever he looked, every single item in the house faintly radiated a precious light.
"This whole room is actually filled with treasures!"
He was secretly shocked.
For a moment he looked at the writing brush, and the next moment he glanced at the broom leaning against the wall.
Tsk tsk!
Full of precious light!
Definitely not ordinary goods!
Shen Tianhua had collected some treasures himself.
But compared to the many treasures in this room, it was simply trivial, completely not worth mentioning.
This is what people call a treasure.
Take out any random piece, and all his junk put together probably wouldn't match it.
"Please sit."
Ye Qingyun motioned for the two to be seated.
Shen Tianhua sat down, but Xiao Shi didn't dare to sit.
After all, Shen Tianhua was her master.
As a disciple, how could she sit on equal footing with her master? Wouldn't that be rebellious?
"This old man has seen Young Master Ye's painting, and the brushwork is truly exquisite and admirable."
As soon as Shen Tianhua sat down, he used the painting to cozy up to Ye Qingyun.
Ye Qingyun felt a little embarrassed.
"I just drew it casually. It's very ordinary, not as good as the old gentleman says."
Drawn casually?
A casual drawing could still contain the Great Dao?
If you were to draw one seriously?
Wouldn't that allow people to achieve sudden enlightenment directly?
Chapter 25: Rising from the Mud Untainted
"This old man has always loved calligraphy and painting. I wonder if the young master has any other works that you would let this old man admire?"
Shen Tianhua asked cautiously.
He was afraid that his request would displease Ye Qingyun.
After all, he had come looking for him on his own initiative, and yet he still wanted to look at other people's calligraphy and paintings.
This was somewhat impolite.
Ye Qingyun didn't mind at all.
"Alright, I just drew one last night, I'll let the old gentleman have a look."
With that, Ye Qingyun walked over to the desk nearby and picked up a painting.
"Old gentleman, take a look."
Ye Qingyun unfolded the painting in his hand.
A painting of a pond of hundred flowers and lotuses suddenly appeared before the eyes of Shen Tianhua and Xiao Shi.
Shen Tianhua's expression was shocked.
Xiao Shi wore a look of astonishment.
This painting!!!
Too beautiful!
It was as if a pond of blooming lotus flowers was truly presented before their eyes.
The lotus leaves were jade-green.
The lotus flowers reflected red.
Truly breathtakingly beautiful!
A feast for the eyes!
Xiao Shi was fine; she could only tell that this painting was extremely beautiful, worthy of being top-tier brushwork in the world.
But Shen Tianhua was different.
From this painting, he vaguely sensed a unique charm.
Moreover, it seemed to be beneficial to Shen Tianhua's cultivation.
After just a few glances, Shen Tianhua's cultivation, which had been dormant and without the slightest sign of movement for many years, actually showed signs of breaking through.
This greatly shocked Shen Tianhua.
Could it be?
After spending most of his life, when his remaining lifespan was very little, could he still have the opportunity to break through again?
And this opportunity was right here in this painting before him!
"This painting is simply an unearthly masterpiece!"
Shen Tianhua couldn't think of any other words to describe it.
He could only use "unearthly masterpiece" to express the admiration in his heart.
"Is it really that exaggerated?"
Ye Qingyun was somewhat speechless.
He himself hadn't been able to tell how good the painting was; anyway, Ye Qingyun felt it was very ordinary.
"Master, there are also two lines of poetry here!"
At this moment, Xiao Shi pointed to the blank space in the corner of the scroll and said.
Shen Tianhua's attention had just been on the painting itself, ignoring the poem in the blank space.
Now, hearing Xiao Shi's reminder, he immediately looked over as well.
"Rising from the mud untainted?"
"Bathing in clear ripples without seduction?"
Seeing these two lines of poetry, Shen Tianhua froze completely.
He sat in the chair, his entire person in a daze, as if his soul had left his body.
In his mouth, he continuously repeated these two lines of poetry.
Xiao Shi, who was standing beside him, was somewhat worried, afraid that her master would suffer a cultivation deviation.
And Ye Qingyun also cast a peculiar look at Shen Tianhua.
"This old man wouldn't have senile dementia, would he?"
The next moment.
A flash of golden light suddenly emerged from between Shen Tianhua's eyebrows.
Following that, an abundant vitality diffused around his entire body.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz!!!
A sound that only Shen Tianhua could hear echoed within his body.
This was the sound of his Qi and blood rejuvenating with vitality and accelerating their flow.
This meant that Shen Tianhua had broken through!
Vitality renewed!
A long lifespan obtained once more!
"I've broken through!"
"I've broken through!"
Shen Tianhua trembled all over with excitement.
His appearance at this moment also looked much younger than before.
Shen Tianhua's heart was filled with incomparable excitement and boundless joy.
Having cultivated for hundreds of years, he had painstakingly climbed to the middle Heaven Reaching Realm, already considered a formidable expert who dominated his own region.
Looking across the Seven Nations of the Southern Wasteland, those who could match Shen Tianhua could be counted on one hand.
However, Shen Tianhua's cultivation had not improved for many years either.
Shen Tianhua himself knew that he was too old, and his cultivation had reached its limit.
To want to break through again, unless there was a colossal stroke of fortune.
Otherwise, it was simply unrealistic.
Never had he expected, however.
The breakthrough opportunity Shen Tianhua had pursued so bitterly was actually right here at this moment.
It happened naturally as conditions matured.
Without any premonition at all.
He just broke through so smoothly.
Surprise came so suddenly.
Shen Tianhua immediately stood up and bowed deeply toward Ye Qingyun.
His attitude was extremely solemn.
Moreover, it was filled with deep respect.
Much like a junior disciple seeking guidance from a senior.
This caught Ye Qingyun somewhat off guard.
"What is the old gentleman doing?"
He helped Shen Tianhua up.
Shen Tianhua was practically shedding tears of old age.
"Young Master Ye, this old man is simply unable to suppress the excitement in my heart upon seeing such an peerless painting, and couldn't help myself."
Ye Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's fine then. If the old gentleman really likes this painting, then I'll just give it to you."
Shen Tianhua trembled all over.
"Is the young master being serious?"
"Serious."
"Really willing to give this painting to this old man?"
"Willing."
Ye Qingyun blinked, without any hesitation whatsoever, nor any reluctance.
He had just drawn this casually.
Paintings like this, Ye Qingyun could churn out dozens a day.
He didn't feel any heartache at all.
Anyway, in his eyes, these paintings were completely worthless.
"Thank you, Young Master! Thank you, Young Master!"
Shen Tianhua, however, was trembling with his hands shaking wildly in excitement.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. If the old gentleman likes it, it doesn't matter if I give you a few more."
Ye Qingyun was very generous.
Yet it scared Shen Tianhua out of his wits.
He waved his hands repeatedly.
"One is enough, one is enough."
Just kidding!
This single painting alone was enough for Shen Tianhua to comprehend for a long time.
If there were a few more, he feared he would be too greedy to digest it all, and instead suffer harm to himself.
Shen Tianhua touched his storage bag.
He fished out a crystal stone from it.
"Young Master Ye, this is something this old man obtained several years ago. Although it cannot compare to the young master's painting in preciousness, it is also the most valuable thing on my person."
"Since the young master is giving this painting to this old man, naturally this old man must reward the young master in return. Please accept this item!"
Ye Qingyun curiously took the crystal stone.
This crystal stone was entirely bluish-green, slightly larger than a fist, and felt slightly warm to the touch.
Other than that, Ye Qingyun couldn't see anything special about this crystal stone.
Though it did look quite pretty.
"Hmm, this stone is nice."
Ye Qingyun nodded and placed it casually on the table.
Xiao Shi was somewhat dissatisfied.
That was something her master had given to the other party; it must be an extremely rare treasure.
Yet it was treated so casually.
Shen Tianhua, however, didn't mind at all.
Instead, he felt it was only natural.
"Although this Ancient Mysterious Stone is precious, in the eyes of such an expert, I'm afraid it can only be considered an ordinary object."
"It's my great bargain to exchange an Ancient Mysterious Stone for such a precious painting."
Shen Tianhua said to himself.
If other martial artists learned of this, their jaws would surely drop.
The Ancient Mysterious Stone.
That was the material rumored to be able to forge divine weapons.
Across the entire Seven Nations of the Southern Wasteland, they probably couldn't find a second Ancient Mysterious Stone.
Now, Shen Tianhua was actually using this single Ancient Mysterious Stone to trade for a painting.
And yet Shen Tianhua still felt that he had profited.
"Right, why don't we have a meal together?"
Ye Qingyun extended a warm invitation.
It was too boring for him to eat alone.
Having more people would also liven things up.
Shen Tianhua was naturally willing.
Although he had abstained from grain for many years, since an expert was inviting him, how could he refuse?
This was his honor.
Chapter 26: A Rice-Devourer Needs a Basin for Meals
"You two wait a moment, I'll go prepare."
Ye Qingyun immediately set off to prepare the meal.
Seeing that Ye Qingyun was going to cook personally, Shen Tianhua was dumbfounded.
How could an expert be allowed to do the labor himself?
He immediately looked at Xiao Shi.
"Disciple, go help Young Master Ye."
Xiao Shi was startled, feeling somewhat troubled.
It wasn't that she was unwilling.
Rather, she was also pampered and had never done such a thing in the Xiao Family.
Let alone cooking.
She couldn't even recognize the vegetables growing in the ground.
However, her master had given an order, and she didn't dare disobey, so she could only follow Ye Qingyun into the kitchen.
As a result, not long after.
Xiao Shi came out crestfallen.
"What's wrong?"
Shen Tianhua was somewhat displeased.
"I was chased out by Young Master Ye. He said I was clumsy and would just be a disturbance in the kitchen."
Xiao Shi wore a wronged expression.
She truly was wronged.
She was an eldest young lady of the Xiao Family after all, yet because she didn't know how to cook, she was being looked down upon like this.
Shen Tianhua was also speechless for a moment.
"Alright, just honestly sit aside."
"Yes."
Xiao Shi sat back down.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
"I'd like to see what kind of delicacies you can whip up!"
Not long after.
Waves of fragrance drifted out from the kitchen.
Upon smelling this fragrance, Xiao Shi's stomach immediately began to rumble.
And Shen Tianhua, who had abstained from grain for many years, felt his appetite stirring even more.
"So fragrant."
Shen Tianhua was somewhat surprised.
Even his old bones were actually looking forward to what delicious food Ye Qingyun would make.
After another moment.
A wave of stinky odor drifted out from the kitchen instead.
The master and disciple instantly turned dark in the face.
This stench was too much like *that* kind of thing.
Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Ye Qingyun had diarrhea in the kitchen.
"Master, shouldn't we just leave?"
Xiao Shi was somewhat afraid.
Shen Tianhua, however, was quite steady, still maintaining a light and breezy expression.
"No need to worry. An expert's actions are out of the ordinary; perhaps this is his test for us."
A test?
That was possible.
It's just that this smell was way too stinky.
Making Xiao Shi even want to vomit.
The fragrance mixed with the stench.
A bizarre smell permeated the entire house.
The master and disciple sat on pins and needles, their hearts filled with both anticipation and fear.
"Here it is, here it is. Sorry to keep you two waiting."
Ye Qingyun finally came out of the kitchen.
He was carrying a tray.
There were three dishes on the tray.
A plate of braised pork.
A plate of stinky tofu.
And a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Ye Qingyun placed the dishes on the table and said, "There is still a pot of soup simmering, let's eat first."
With that, Ye Qingyun ladled two large bowls overflowing with rice for the two of them.
Looking at the rice bowls piled as high as little mountains, the master and disciple both froze blankly.
"Uh... I can't eat this much."
Xiao Shi said in a difficult position.
Shen Tianhua immediately glared at her.
The latter quickly corrected herself: "With some effort, I can finish it."
Ye Qingyun grinned: "Then eat more, the dishes I make all taste pretty good."
Taste pretty good?
The two looked at the three kinds of dishes on the table that they had never seen before, especially that black tofu emitting a bizarre, stinky odor.
They strongly doubted in which aspect Ye Qingyun's "tastes pretty good" was supposed to be.
"Pick up your chopsticks, don't stand on ceremony. It tastes best while it's hot."
Ye Qingyun wasn't going to stand on ceremony with them.
He had already picked up his rice bowl and started devouring his meal.
As a pure rice-devourer, only at this moment was one the most pious.
The master and disciple had no choice but to start using their chopsticks.
Xiao Shi didn't even dare to look at the plate of stinky tofu, and the braised pork also looked a bit greasy to her.
Thus, she took a bite of the scrambled eggs with tomatoes first.
"Mhm? This taste..."
Just the first bite made Xiao Shi's eyes light up.
The eggs and tomatoes were cleverly blended together.
Opening one's appetite immensely.
Shen Tianhua, on the other hand, ate a piece of braised pork first.
He had stuffed it into his mouth with a frown.
As soon as it entered his mouth, however, his frown directly smoothed out.
"So tender!"
"So fragrant!"
"Delicious!"
Shen Tianhua chewed a few times and swallowed it straight down.
His appetite was also completely opened up.
Braised pork and scrambled eggs with tomatoes were the most common home-cooked dishes.
Yet in this world, such things simply did not exist.
The master and disciple seemed to have opened the door to a new world, immediately eating and unable to stop.
"You two try this stinky tofu!"
Seeing the two of them only eating the braised pork and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, Ye Qingyun urged them to try the stinky tofu.
The master and disciple instantly stiffened.
The disciple looked at the master.
The master looked back at the disciple.
In the end, Xiao Shi bit the bullet and, harboring a tragic and heroic state of mind, picked up a piece of stinky tofu, then difficultly placed it into her mouth.
Yet the next moment.
Xiao Shi's expression changed.
This stinky tofu smelled stinky, but once eaten in the mouth, there was a unique fragrance.
Paired further with the sauce concocted by Ye Qingyun, it was simply spicy, savory, and delicious.
Possessing a distinct flavor of its own!
"Master, it's delicious!"
Xiao Shi immediately said.
Shen Tianhua, however, wore a skeptical look.
This girl wouldn't be deliberately tricking her own master, would she?
Hugging an attitude of doubt.
Shen Tianhua also gave it a try.
As a result, it truly was a wonderfully exquisite taste.
And for some reason, Shen Tianhua instantly fell in love with the taste of this stinky tofu, even feeling that it was more delicious than the other two dishes.
And so.
The master and disciple quickly finished the rice in their bowls.
Yet the two of them hadn't eaten their fill yet, and looking at their empty rice bowls, they felt somewhat embarrassed.
"I'll help you two refill your rice."
Ye Qingyun was very enthusiastic and filled the bowls to the brim for the two of them.
The master and disciple continued to gorge themselves.
While eating, however, Xiao Shi suddenly froze.
"Master, I seem to have achieved enlightenment!"
Xiao Shi said in a daze.
Shen Tianhua was startled, and upon looking at his disciple's appearance.
Sure enough, it was just like sudden enlightenment.
A pair of eyes possessed a clarity never seen before.
Between her eyebrows, faint radiance was even emitting.
Enlightened!
This was enlightenment!
Compared to breaking through, this kind of sudden enlightenment was even rarer, concerning how far a person could walk on the path of cultivation in the future.
"Enlightened? You can even get enlightened from eating a meal?"
Ye Qingyun muttered to himself, not caring at all, and continued devouring his rice.
Xiao Shi looked at the rice in her bowl.
Could it be?
She achieved enlightenment because she ate more.
Xiao Shi began to eat even more vigorously.
Shortly after, Xiao Shi only felt the spiritual energy within her body surging.
She broke through!
Buzz!
Amidst the surging Qi and blood, Xiao Shi's realm stepped from the middle Origin Gathering Realm directly into the late Origin Gathering Realm.
"Master, I've broken through."
"What?"
Shen Tianhua's mind went blank.
Just in the time it took to eat a meal, his disciple had both achieved enlightenment and broken through.
It was simply terrifying.
"No way, as a master, how can I lose to my disciple?"
Shen Tianhua felt he couldn't afford to lose face.
He also guessed that his disciple's sudden enlightenment and breakthrough must be related to this meal.
This was the expert bestowing gifts in secret.
If he couldn't even see through this much, he would have lived these few hundred years of cultivation in vain.
And so.
"Do you have a large basin?"
Shen Tianhua asked.
Ye Qingyun was startled: "Uh, I do have one."
"I want to eat my meal from a large basin!"
Shen Tianhua said with brimming vigor.
Ye Qingyun almost choked.
Goodness gracious?
Is this old gentleman having an episode?
Wanting to eat from a large basin?
Is he really not afraid of eating himself to death?
"Old gentleman, perhaps you shouldn't force it."
Ye Qingyun advised.
It wasn't that he was stingy with the rice.
The key was that if this old man really ran into some problem, he would have to take responsibility too.
"No harm, this old man has always had a huge appetite, I always eat meals from a basin."
Shen Tianhua said with a serious expression.
Chapter 27: Eat More, Live Longer
"Alright then."
Ye Qingyun immediately brought out a basin for Shen Tianhua.
The basin was piled high with white rice.
When this basin of rice was placed in front of Shen Tianhua...