Li Meirong found her life in the sect rather convenient. Despite the hurdles of added errands, the occasional remarks regarding her body"s attributes, and unforeseen animosity from the leading forces in her division, namely the elusive grandmaster and his p.r.i.c.kly succeeding disciple.
Still, she found stability in her life. Not unlike how she used to live. In the beginning, the struggle for survival left a heavy toll on her soul, but her steady lifestyle and the simplicity of her schedule kept her content.
The young woman wrapped her dough in a bundle of damp cloth.
She waited patiently until the dough had risen and doubled its size, unwrapped the cloth and divided the dough into cup sized b.a.l.l.s.
There wasn"t much for Chou to entertain himself with lately, except for helping master with cooking or pa.s.sing her the complaints of the plants in the garden when they were thirsty or ill. The carnivorous plant jumped on the tray where the dough had been placed and formed his own little dough b.a.l.l.s, using his miniature leaves.
Li Meirong grew excited at the prospect of finding another companion such as Chou, the corners of her lips faintly lifted upwards as she saw her pet"s foolish antics. Maybe she could acquire a female plant for him to hang out with? Or a formidable beast that would make others shudder with fear upon seeing it.
In a way, it would be like expanding her family. She might not be able to have regular animals such as cats and dogs, but it doesn"t mean she can"t keep pets.
Her fantasies went on.
Chou glanced at his master stupidly grinning while preparing human food. What could possibly make her so happy about cooking?
His master sure was strange…
Li Meirong left Chou to attend the house as she a.s.sembled the unbaked bread into a small package. She delivered the package to the central kitchen place. The main chefs who were in charge of the heavy course meals greeted her amicably. She was in good relations with her fellow outer sect disciples, specifically those who dealt with the meals preparation.
The main kitchens were filled with attending servants. Large bamboo steamers were positioned in the centre counter of the kitchens, stone slabs attached to the walls placed as counters. Each chef busied himself in front of a designated slab as they handled the preparations.
Servants were either peeling, chopping or stewing vegetables. It was a rarity to find meat in the kitchens. Cultivators preferred vegetarian dishes, they were lighter and less harmful to their inner energy.
A pleasant mixture of scents could be smelled from the ingredients used. The herbs and spices Li Meirong regularly contributed to the kitchens added a boost of aroma.
A short plump woman wearing an ap.r.o.n went to greet the new arrival. As she saw the raven-haired girl carrying a bundle filled with dough, the girl"s smiling eyes and warm expression made the chubby woman grin unconsciously. She patted her hands on her smock, removing the leftover flour stuck on her palms.
"Good to see you in such a cheerful mood! You arrived late with the dough, but we can still make it on time before we shut the stoves off for the day. Hurry and follow me!" The woman dressed in an ap.r.o.n scolded Li Meirong with a light note to her voice. She didn"t come off as intimidating at all.
The chubby chef was young, yet she carried the tone of an authoritative figure. Her name was Bao Li. She was informally known as Li Meirong"s boss.
"Yes, Miss Li."
Li Meirong"s voice was clear as a bell. It unconsciously caused the chefs in the residence to tilt their heads and view the beauty. Her gentle countenance and soft feminine features were pleasing to the eyes and made it difficult to look away.
"Stop ogling the girl and get back to work!" Bao Li"s command was sharp. Several youths quickly got embarra.s.sed about getting caught and focused their eyes on the vegetables.
The head chef led the self-conscious girl towards the inner stone room. A narrow row of stoves was situated and ready for use.
Li Meirong arranged her bread for baking without delay.
As she busied herself, Bao Li lingered to keep her junior company. The head chef leaned against the stone wall with her hands folded, her eyebrow lifted high in a provocative manner.
"Well, aren"t you going to tell me what made you so happy? It"s rare for you to appear as cheerful as you do today." Bao Li was not only an expert at cooking and managing kitchens, but she was also highly observant.
"It"s nothing important, really." Was Li Meirong"s meek response.
Li Meirong handled the care of feeding the spirit beasts, while Bao Li handled the dishes and desserts of the division"s disciples. Bao Li was under the a.s.sumption that she probably encountered Li Meirong more than anybody else did in the division, the girl avoided going to disciples group gatherings and festivities. She kept to herself with those beasts handled under her care.
Her first impression of the la.s.s was not of an innocent naïve girl. No. She definitely had a calculating mind, Bao Li quickly noticed the girl measured each of her words and actions.
She put effort into her plain and subservient demeanour, but if one looks closely, they could tell it"s an act.
Honestly, Bao Li considered Li Meirong an intangible existence. She was also aware of Li Meirong"s reputation as most others in the sect did. Being a furnace could have made the girl"s life very easy in the Forgotten Waters faction. There were not many like her to go around, with the majority of the disciples being men, she could have simply found herself a powerful cultivator to pair with in order to raise her own strength and prestige at lightning speed.
Unexpectedly, the la.s.s asked for a patch of land on a deserted corner of the island, away from prying eyes. She built a shoddy roof over her head and took over the practice of menial ch.o.r.es.
Bao Li was well aware the girl had no clue about her charm, she seemed almost oblivious to her surroundings at times, at other times she came up with the strangest ideas, making her an even more peculiar ent.i.ty. Like that thing she was calling a toilet seat the other day. The head chef thought this system she spoke of was too complicated to function, but who knows? It sounded better than the chamber pot.
All in all, she couldn"t make much sense of this girl, the impression she provided outwardly didn"t match her actions.
With Bao Li"s knowledge and her friendly ties with said girl, she didn"t hesitate to prod further.
"Just tell me and I"ll forgive your late arrival." Bao Li smirked, causing her puffy cheeks to rise cutely as she bargained.
Li Meirong glanced at her boss who looked younger than herself. She appeared like a cute girl resembling a squirrel with their face stuffed with walnuts.
Bao Li may look young but she was by far her senior, having lived for over seven centuries. The head chef who remained an outer sect disciple all these years, due to her contributions in the sect was given a low-level cultivation method. Unable to make herself grow more powerful with the method, she could at least control her youth and live on for centuries thanks to it.
Li Meirong consented to Bao Li"s pestering. She knew that if she won"t answer, her senior won"t let her off.
"I found a way to join the upcoming quest at the Thousand Beasts forest. Soon I may come back to the division with my very own spirit beast!" She couldn"t retain her excitement and spilled the beans.
Bao Li"s eyebrows furrowed, her happy expression turned sour.
"Crazy child, without a decent amount of cultivation, there is no way you would be able to pair up with a spirit beast. The higher in rank the spirit beast is, the loftier your cultivation must be to match. If that"s not enough, it"s one thing to pa.s.s swiftly through the Thousands Beasts forest in a hurry to reach the sect, but to actually lurk there until you make a pact with one of those mangy monsters is a whole different story. So many disciples died in their attempts! You"ve gone mad!"
The head chef disapproved her foolish idea. She was this close to bonking her head silly, to knock some sense into her.
Li Meirong considered her words as she waited for the bread to bake in the oven.
How did she make a pact with her spirit plant if she didn"t ever practice cultivation?
The only conclusion she could come to terms with is the probability of the previous owner of this body practising cultivation! It didn"t add up that she was just a maid in the royal harem, maybe she cultivated in secrecy? This could explain the aura or powers mentioned.
The good news was this meant she definitely did have enough cultivation to form a pact with a Spirit Beast, if only she will have an opportunity to find one.
If she finds a really strong beast, she may even be promoted to an inner sect disciple!
"Please don"t worry for my sake! I"m joining two other disciples, we will protect each other in the forest. My comrades are the outer sect disciples who are known for their martial arts skills, the married couple in our division residing in the southern region of the island. Besides, I never told you, but I practised a little bit of cultivation myself." She came up with a white lie, a.s.suring Bao Li that she"ll be alright.
Bao Li"s brows wrinkled further, clearly, she didn"t buy her story.
But if the girl insists so much, what could I possibly do? The despondent head chef thought.
"I am acquainted with your comrades myself. They do have a reputation in combat, despite being outer sect disciples, but something doesn"t feel right with them. I would be wary if I were you." Bao Li still worried about her foolish junior.
"It will be fine! I promise I"ll see you soon!"
The ladies made their goodbyes. Li Meirong went back home after she finished baking.
Days pa.s.sed by uneventfully. In a flash, the appointed moment for the spirit beast"s quest began.