Bai Qi had never eaten such a special dish before.
The tofu that entered his mouth actually carried an indescribable meaty aroma, so tender that it melted upon contact. The soup's seasoning was perfectly to his liking, its smooth and fragrant taste a perfect match for the tofu.
He was momentarily lost in thought, his hand trembling. The spoon clattered onto the plate, splashing a few drops of soup onto his sleeve.
Su Luo quickly wiped it away for him and asked, "How is it? Delicious?"
Looking at the girl's earnest expression, Bai Qi clearly felt her concern. For the first time, he smiled at Su Luo and replied, "Mm, it's very delicious."
This time, even Li Tianjue was moved.
For over ten years, his fifth junior brother had never shown such an expression. Even when he said something was delicious, Li Tianjue could tell he was just being perfunctory.
But this time, his fifth junior brother genuinely liked Su Luo's dish.
Su Luo saw the slight curve of Bai Qi's lips and the way he smiled, making her eyes light up. That ethereal youthful aura became even stronger, like a wisp of clear mountain breeze, making her extremely happy.
"I'm relieved you like it, fifth senior brother. You just sit there, I'll feed you." Su Luo assumed Bai Qi's lack of steadiness with the spoon was due to his prolonged illness, and without overthinking it, she scooped another spoonful of tofu and brought it to his lips.
Bai Qi felt a little shy, but Su Luo rather liked his blushing expression, as if a celestial youth untouched by worldly affairs was finally willing to descend to the mortal realm for her.
One feeding with a face full of smiles, the other eating with joy, both were engrossed, creating a beautiful and warm scene that one would hesitate to disturb.
Beside them, Li Tianjue's smile vanished, and strange thoughts began to bubble up in his mind.
This woman could actually make such exquisite food. So she had been faking it all along?!
The braised spare ribs he had just found delicious suddenly lost their appeal.
She even fed fifth junior brother. Why hadn't she been this attentive to him? She probably fancied fifth junior brother's good looks again... Heh, this fickle woman!
It wasn't until Su Luo bid farewell to Bai Qi and left Yongfu Residence with Li Tianjue that she noticed something was off with the latter.
"Senior brother, what's wrong? You don't look too well."
The person in question certainly wouldn't admit anything. He glanced at Su Luo and said indifferently, "It's nothing. I just want to tell you that curing fifth junior brother is the priority. You don't need to worry about trivial matters like cooking, lest you delay important business."
"I won't delay..."
"It doesn't matter if you don't delay."
Su Luo raised an eyebrow. "Senior brother, you seem unwilling for me to cook for fifth junior brother?"
Li Tianjue's heart skipped a beat, but he said with a stony face, "Forget it. If you want to cook, then cook. Just don't delay treating fifth junior brother." With that, he quickened his pace forward, leaving only a distant, cool silhouette for Su Luo.
Why did this man seem jealous?
Haha, how could that be!
The thought flashed and was dismissed. Su Luo didn't take it seriously and followed him, carrying the food basket.
The following days.
The spy was not killed for the time being, but his cultivation was crippled, shackles were placed on him, and he was put under surveillance. He was still kept at Yongfu Residence to clean the latrines. This way, when the Golden Eye Sparrow returned, they could timely ascertain the messages passed by the mastermind.
Su Luo was not concerned about these matters. Apart from feeling a slight pressure about treating fifth junior brother, everything else was going smoothly.
It was either cultivation or leisure. One day she went with Xiao Guo to pick lotus seeds, the next she took the young junior brother to catch fish, or she would banter with third senior brother, or chat with some elders, listening to them recount the history of Qingxu Heaven and gossip about other sects, often making them laugh heartily.
Compared to the first three months after her transmigration, her current life was better than being a celestial being.
In the blink of an eye, the next month arrived. It was autumn.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A resonant bell rang out.
It was the first time Su Luo had heard a bell ring from Qingxu Heaven.
Tang Xiao Guo, who was eating a bun, swallowed it in two bites and said, "Sister Su, this is the Tianlu Bell in the main hall. It rings on the first of every month, signaling the morning meeting. Although there are usually no major events, we should still go quickly."
Su Luo had been wondering when to ask Li Tianjue about her formally joining Qingxu Heaven. This presented an opportunity.
The two quickly finished breakfast and arrived at the main hall, where the six elders were already present.
In the vast hall, besides Li Tianjue and third senior brother Lu Jixing, there was a man in black whom Su Luo didn't recognize. He must be the fourth senior brother. However, he stood at the front without turning around, so Su Luo couldn't see his face, only feeling a slightly somber aura.
Little junior brother Jun Mubai was not present.
This little darling had probably gotten lost again and hadn't found the main hall yet.
"Hahahaha... Su girl is finally here."
As soon as the elders saw Su Luo, they smiled. Ever since she arrived at Qingxu Heaven, they seemed to have become decades younger.
It was as if they had gained a beloved granddaughter.
As this was her first time attending Qingxu Heaven's sect morning meeting, Su Luo behaved a little more seriously. Instead of running to the elders to act spoiled, she bowed politely and then stood behind Li Tianjue.
The Grand Elder, ignoring the adorably naive young boy, announced the start of the morning meeting and began with the sect's summary for the past month.
For example, how many Xiangyu Linggu and Lingcha the outer disciples had contributed, how many spiritual birds had hatched, how many spirit beasts had been sold, etc. Su Luo was not interested. She listened with her mind wandering, only thinking about how the spiritual bird eggs would taste when roasted and which spirit beast meat was the most delicious.
"Alright, the summaries from each peak are complete. I have nothing else to add. What about you, elders?"
After speaking, the Grand Elder looked at the other elders. None of them had anything to say.
At this moment, Su Luo finally seized the opportunity, took a step forward, and said, "Several grandfathers, I have something to say."
The elders' interest was immediately piqued, and they urged her to speak freely.
Su Luo glanced at Li Tianjue and put on a cautious expression. "You grandfathers should know that my opportunity to treat fifth junior brother stemmed from my initial desire to join Qingxu Heaven. However, because I missed the recruitment competition, I had to use this method. I wonder if now I..."
Seeing her hesitating, as if afraid of being rejected, the elders' hearts filled with pity.
They had already regarded Su Luo as a member of Qingxu Heaven.
The Sixth Elder had been wearing the socks Su Luo gave him, and later ate the pastries she made by hand. He doted on her extremely and immediately chuckled, "Su girl, hahahaha... we've long considered you one of Qingxu Heaven's own, only the formal initiation ceremony is missing."
The Second Elder also chuckled, "That's right. Putting aside everything else, just the fact that you, Su girl, could cure Qi'er is a great contribution. Never mind joining Qingxu Heaven, you can even be my second grandfather's god-granddaughter if you wish, hahahaha..."
"Go, go! Su girl is my god-granddaughter, why are you snatching her!"
"Whose is mine? She's mine!"
The elders immediately started bickering, each claiming Su Luo as their god-granddaughter, which gave Li Tianjue a headache.
As expected, wherever she was, there was no peace!
Qingxu Heaven used to be so peaceful.
Ever since Su Luo arrived, she had corrupted Xiao Guo and Xiao Bai. They spent all day not cultivating, but playing everywhere, and the birds and beasts on the mountain suffered. In another six months, they would probably have eaten every species.
When the Grand Elder symbolically asked for Li Tianjue's opinion, he glanced at Su Luo and said, "You promised me you could cure fifth junior brother, which is why I brought you back. Although there have been some effects, you haven't completely cured him yet."
"But senior brother..."
Before Su Luo could interrupt with eager eyes, Li Tianjue changed his tune and said, "However, given that you also uncovered a spy in Qingxu Heaven and made significant contributions to the sect, your contribution points are equivalent to nearly a hundred thousand."
Su Luo's eyes lit up, and she smiled, "Then senior brother, you agree?"