They were newcomers after all. Even though Yizhiye had come from the Holy Spirit Continent before, it was a very long time ago. Now, they still needed to be extremely careful in all matters.
Other things could wait. The most pressing matter now was to quickly prepare lunch. Everyone must be hungry.
Zheng Wei was asked to watch Ruan Ruan and the other two children along with Yizhiye and Lu Taobao, while Shen Xiaoyan and Nǎmù Zhōng went into the kitchen together.
Taking ingredients from the space, without any delay, Shen Xiaoyan began to wash and chop the vegetables.
Since everyone was hungry, Shen Xiaoyan decided not to prepare anything too fancy. As long as everyone could eat well and be full, it would suffice.
Half an hour later, Shen Xiaoyan had prepared a table full of dishes.
Looking at the delicious and visually appealing food, Shen Xiaoyan smiled with satisfaction.
Even though she hadn't cooked in a long time, her culinary skills hadn't deteriorated.
Now that they were on the Holy Spirit Continent without the Qu family and others, Shen Xiaoyan would likely be cooking for a while until they earned money.
Shen Xiaoyan didn't mind this at all.
She herself was a person who loved good food, but she didn't want to stay in the kitchen all the time.
The group sat down to eat, and the three little ones also joined them at the table.
Shen Xiaoyan intended to feed them as she used to, but even the youngest, Ruan Ruan, staunchly refused this time.
"Mama, I'm grown up now. I can eat by myself."
Therefore?
Shen Xiaoyan raised an eyebrow and looked at Ruan Ruan.
"Therefore, Mama doesn't need to feed me anymore. Mama should eat well too."
After speaking, Ruan Ruan pulled her small bowl closer, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and truly began to eat.
Shen Xiaoyan watched her holding chopsticks that were quite large for her small hands, and she still felt a bit worried.
But when Ruan Ruan actually managed to pick up a grain of rice and put it into her mouth, Shen Xiaoyan felt an indescribable emotion.
In less than a month, Ruan Ruan, who previously needed to be fed, could now eat all by herself.
A feeling of "my daughter has grown up" filled her heart, and Shen Xiaoyan's emotions became complex.
It wasn't that she didn't want her children to grow up. It was just that when children grew up, they would have their own lives, and she would be able to participate less and less. This feeling instantly made her feel empty.
After eating a few mouthfuls of rice, Ruan Ruan looked up and noticed her mother was still looking at her. She asked curiously, "Mama, why are you looking at me like that? Did I get rice on my face?"
As she spoke, Ruan Ruan actually touched her face back and forth with her free left hand, as if checking if there were any grains of rice stuck to it.
After confirming her face was clean, Ruan Ruan became even more puzzled.
If there was nothing on her face, why was her mother looking at her like that?
Zheng Wei had been silently watching Shen Xiaoyan. He could understand Shen Xiaoyan's feelings, but he didn't fully empathize.
Perhaps this was the difference between a father and a mother.
Fathers always hoped their children would grow up.
But mothers always wished their children would still be as dependent on them as when they were newborns.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at Ruan Ruan's face and after a long while, smiled and said, "Mama was just watching you eat plain rice and was wondering if I should help you pick some dishes."
Ruan Ruan smiled happily upon hearing this. "Of course! My arm isn't long enough to reach the dishes."
Shen Xiaoyan smiled again and reached out to pick a dish for Ruan Ruan, receiving a sweet "thank you" from Ruan Ruan.
She's really grown up.
She's already learned to say thank you.
However, she was more curious about what method Kong Huangwei had used to make Ruan Ruan and the other two children grow so rapidly in such a short period.
After the meal, Shen Xiaoyan also asked the three little ones what method Kong Huangwei had used to make them suddenly grow so much.
But the result was that they didn't know anything.
Seeing the three children shaking their heads in unison, Shen Xiaoyan felt helpless.
It seemed unlikely to get any results from the children.
She would just have to wait. When she met Kong Huangwei again in the future, she would discuss this matter properly.
After coaxing the three little ones to sleep, Shen Xiaoyan walked out of the bedroom and went to the living room.
In the living room, Zheng Wei and the other three were sitting separately, not speaking.
Shen Xiaoyan glanced at their expressions and asked curiously, "What are you all doing?"
They all looked dejected, as if they had some deep-seated hatred.
Hearing Shen Xiaoyan's question, Zheng Wei smiled helplessly. "Thinking about how to earn money."
Shen Xiaoyan was slightly taken aback. This was indeed a problem.
Lu Taobao sighed and slumped into a wooden chair. "A penny makes a hero."
Shen Xiaoyan walked slowly to Zheng Wei and sat beside him, also beginning to ponder this issue.
Before that, she had other questions for Yizhiye.
"Where are we now on the Holy Spirit Continent? Yizhiye, what is the name of your sect, where is it located, and do we need to go there?"
These questions Shen Xiaoyan asked were all very important to them.
After all, they couldn't live by the city gates forever. Even if they didn't have to worry about food for the time being.
Yizhiye sighed and slowly began to explain.
"The Holy Spirit Continent is vast and boundless. Honestly, I don't know our current location. When we have Crystal Coins, we can buy a map and then we'll know."
"Oh, there's an even simpler way. Go out and ask a local cultivator in the city. Of course, you'll need someone with profound cultivation, otherwise, living in isolation, they wouldn't know much."
"The Holy Spirit Continent can be roughly divided into four regions."
"These four regions are referred to as East, West, South, and North, namely the East Immortal Land, the West Immortal Land, the South Immortal Land, and the North Immortal Land."
"Between the Immortal Lands, there are either the Endless Sea, the Endless Forest, the Boundless Marsh, or the Endless Glacier."
"My sect is located in the East Immortal Land."
"The powers in the East Immortal Land can be roughly divided into 1 Hall, 2 Palaces, 3 Sects, and 4 Clans."
"The 3 Sects are the Sun Hot Sect, the Tai Yin Cold Sect, and the Tai Kun Warm Sect."
"My sect is the Sun Hot Sect."
"My father is the second elder of the Sun Hot Sect. He holds a high position and possesses great authority, with a prominent status in the sect and extremely high cultivation."
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan finally understood.
No wonder Yizhiye, even after being banished to a small world, could still possess items like the Four Seas House.
Although Shen Xiaoyan still couldn't understand how parents could allow their son to be driven away, she still believed that parents, no matter where they were, would always care about their children.
Yizhiye paused for a moment. Clearly, talking about his sect reminded him of past events.
When Yizhiye regained his composure, his expression had become calm, as if the person who had been moved just now wasn't him.
"Although you have all succeeded in awakening your spiritual essence and have been cultivating for some time, your achievements should be considerable. However, I've never told you about the cultivation rank divisions on the Holy Spirit Continent. Now that we are on the Holy Spirit Continent, you all need to know these things."
"Most people on the Holy Spirit Continent have spiritual veins. Those without spiritual veins are very few."
"However, possessing spiritual veins is only the first step in cultivation. To continue on the path of cultivation, more than just spiritual veins are needed."
"From the matter of Crystal Coins, you should have understood. As long as one has Crystal Coins, anyone can cultivate."