◎The two glanced at each other, both thinking the other was blind.◎
Of course, it was also possible that nothing had happened last night.
Nangong Yu was a little curious about the noise Ruo Zhu had mentioned, but not overly so. What she was more eager to know was where the Lin Family's treasure vault was located.
If she asked Ruo Zhu, would he tell her?
"Brother Ruo Zhu," Nangong Yu skipped out of the room, looking at the young man tidying up the sundries in the yard and showing a pair of shallow dimples.
The young man was dressed more plainly than the day before, or rather, his clothes were a bit shabbier. His plain cotton robe was washed so white that there were thick patches on both shoulders.
He picked up two baskets from the ground and glanced back slightly. "Are you awake? Have something to eat and come with me to work."
On the small table in the yard, there was a white porcelain plate with two steamed buns on it.
This was the breakfast for ordinary servants.
Nangong Yu didn't mind. She picked up a bun and gobbled it up in a few mouthfuls.
"Brother Ruo Zhu, what kind of work are we going to do?" She also slung a basket on her back and picked up a small shovel. "Are we going to pick mushrooms?"
When she made food for the spiritual beasts yesterday, she learned that there was a kind of spiritual rabbit that really liked dried mushrooms.
A faint smile appeared on the young man's lips. "No."
"Then what is it?" Nangong Yu quickened her steps to catch up with him.
The young man replied, "Shoveling shit."
"..."
What?
Nangong Yu could hardly believe her ears.
These were spiritual beasts! Hadn't they evolved to fully digest and absorb their food?
This was such an unnecessary part of the plot design.
"Brother Ruo Zhu, if spiritual beasts poop, do cultivators poop too?" She extrapolated and asked the person beside her.
Ruo Zhu twitched the corner of his mouth. "No."
"Cultivators can use their cultivation techniques to expel impurities from their bodies." He gave her a warning look. "Don't talk about such things anymore."
Talking about pooping...
It was disrespectful to those high - ranking celestial masters.
"Will it make me seem ignorant?" Nangong Yu asked. "Or are cultivators so petty that they'll get angry because of this?"
Ruo Zhu gave her a sidelong glance, his expression clearly saying, What do you think?
When they fought, countless mortals died, and they regarded mortal lives as nothing.
What would happen if they were slandered by these "worthless mortals" as pooping?
"Is the mainstream Heavenly Way actually a petty one?" Nangong Yu murmured softly.
After spending three days in the teahouse, listening to all kinds of gossips, Nangong Yu actually suspected that the world she was in was the Demon Realm.
It was the human race that had been sealed for ten thousand years.
"Stay away from me," Ruo Zhu said, carrying his bamboo basket and keeping a distance from her. "I'm afraid I'll be implicated by you."
Nangong Yu smiled. "Don't you want me to help you with the work anymore?"
The figure that had already walked far away paused for a moment, then slowed down and waited for her to catch up.
Their first stop was the habitat of the spiritual rabbits.
This was an area full of spiritual herbs. Pocket - sized rabbits hopped around, looking like little clouds made into fluffy balls.
Ordinary rabbits didn't care where they pooped, but spiritual rabbits had a specific area for excretion. All they had to do was sweep the excrement into the bamboo baskets and carry it out.
"I haven't asked you yet. Where did you come from?" Ruo Zhu asked.
"From a very, very far place," Nangong Yu replied. "I've been wandering here."
Ruo Zhu was surprised and glanced at her. "You don't look like someone who has suffered."
Since she had been wandering, she must have had a hard time. But her hands were fair and clean, her feet weren't lame, and she spoke without restraint. She looked like someone who had been spoiled since childhood.
"What about you, Brother Ruo Zhu? Why did you come to work for the Lin Family?" Nangong Yu asked in return.
A hint of self - mockery appeared on Ruo Zhu's lips. "I've been wandering here too."
"Ah?" Nangong Yu was surprised and sized him up. "But you don't look like someone who has suffered either."
Although the young man was wearing a plain robe that was washed white, his appearance was handsome. His long black hair was tied up with a green bamboo branch, and it was obvious that his hair was thick and shiny.
His eyebrows weren't sharp, but they were long and smooth. His eyes weren't big, but the ends of his eyes were slightly upturned. If you looked at him a few more times, you'd find a bit of alluring charm.
This didn't look like someone who had suffered at all. When he walked, his back was straight, just like a young master from a good family.
The two glanced at each other, both thinking the other was blind.
"You're quite efficient at work," Ruo Zhu said, watching her shoveling the spiritual rabbits' excrement forcefully and quickly without being fussy at all. "I kind of believe that you've suffered now."
Nangong Yu said, "I also believe that you've suffered. I also believe that you're still suffering and will continue to suffer for a long time."
There was always endless shit to shovel and endless food to cook every day.
Wasn't this suffering?
Ruo Zhu was speechless. He looked at his quick - moving partner squatting on the ground, moved his lips, then turned around and focused on his work.
Nangong Yu peeked at his back and quietly shoveled a pile of spiritual rabbit poop into the system space.
This was spiritual beast poop!
If she gave a cultivator a poisoned pill, they might not yield. But if she fed them a handful of poop, they would definitely lose their composure.
Wasn't this a high - quality item?
Moreover, considering that spiritual beasts couldn't fully digest and absorb their food, there must be some spiritual energy in this poop. Wasn't it a kind of spiritual pill?
Collecting supplies wasn't something to be ashamed of.
Spiritual rabbits were docile spiritual beasts. They didn't mind humans intruding into their territory. They would even hop over Nangong Yu's feet, and they wouldn't get angry even if Nangong Yu petted them a few times.
But the next stop, the Thousand - Eyed Bees, was different.
Although called bees, they were actually bigger than the spiritual rabbits. There were so many of them, and the buzzing sound of their wings was deafening.
Nangong Yu didn't even want to be bumped into by them, let alone stung.
"You're wearing the sachet I gave you. They won't attack you," Ruo Zhu said when he saw that she didn't complain and just went to work after a moment of hesitation. He couldn't help but explain.
In the past, those who came to do this work either complained or slacked off. Ruo Zhu had an unexpectedly good impression of Nangong Yu.
"Okay," Nangong Yu nodded.
The Thousand - Eyed Bees were small, but they pooped a lot. Nangong Yu could steal a few shovels without being noticed.
"Is the honey they make really that delicious?" Nangong Yu looked up at the beehive high in the tree. The faint, sweet aroma of honey was carried by the wind, making her mouth water.
Ruo Zhu didn't mind teaching her. "The honey of the Thousand - Eyed Bees has the effect of calming the nerves. Many cultivators like to use it to make tea or refine pills."
Nangong Yu smacked her lips. "They really know how to eat."
Ruo Zhu found it funny. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "I still have a little left. I'll give you some to taste when we get back."
"Brother Ruo Zhu, you're so kind!" Nangong Yu's eyes lit up immediately. This NPC was so friendly!
Ruo Zhu pursed his lips, turned his head away, and said, "Get back to work."
After cleaning the poop of the Thousand - Eyed Bees, they went to shovel the poop of the spiritual cranes and the Golden - Armored Spiritual Rhinoceroses.
"Spiritual cranes are second - order spiritual beasts. They have gentle temperaments and are good at flying. They're often used as messengers," Ruo Zhu introduced the names and habits of the spiritual beasts to Nangong Yu.
"The Golden - Armored Spiritual Rhinoceros is a third - order monster. It has a hard skin and strong defense capabilities. With its high endurance, it's used as a mount."
Nangong Yu asked, "Brother Ruo Zhu, how many ranks are there for spiritual beasts?"
"Common spiritual beasts are classified into the first, second, and third ranks, corresponding to the Qi - Refining, Foundation - Establishment, and Golden Core realms of cultivators respectively."
"Spiritual beasts of the fourth and fifth ranks are extremely rare. Most of them have opened their spiritual wisdom and are unwilling to be driven by cultivators. Occasionally, some form a bond with cultivators and are willing to become the guardian spiritual beasts of sects and noble families."
Nangong Yu waited for a while and then asked, "Is there no higher rank?"
Ruo Zhu pursed his lips and didn't say a word.
After a long while, he said, "Spiritual beasts only go up to the fifth rank. However, there are higher - level ranks in the demon race."
"The demon race?" Nangong Yu was surprised. "What's the relationship between spiritual beasts and the demon race?"
"They have the same origin."
Spiritual beasts are a subset of the demon race, just like pets are a subset of animals.
However, due to the long - standing rift over countless years, spiritual beasts have lost their inheritance.
"There are also demon kings and demon emperors in the demon race." Ruo Zhu didn't say much more. This wasn't something they should concern themselves with, and they would probably only hear about it from teahouses and storytellers in their lifetime.
"What's the highest - rank spiritual beast in the spiritual beast garden?" Nangong Yu continued to ask.
"The third rank."
A third - rank spiritual beast is equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator. What rank is the Head of the Lin Family? He doesn't deserve a fourth - rank spiritual beast.
Ruo Zhu took Nangong Yu to clean the spiritual beast garden thoroughly.
"My back hurts," Nangong Yu said, pounding her back and looking dejected after coming out of the enclosure.
Shoveling shit for a whole morning was so tiring.
"Do I have to do this every day?" Nangong Yu was kind of thinking about running away. "Didn't you go crazy doing this alone before?"
Half a day for shoveling shit and half a day for cooking. Except for eating and sleeping, she was working the whole day!
Nangong Yu had never been this tired even when she was in the infinite - stream games.
The infinite - stream games were just scary, but she could eat, sleep, read novels, fight monsters, and pick up trash without anyone interfering.
"Do you think I'm crazy?" Ruo Zhu gave her a calm glance.
Nangong Yu shook her head and said seriously, "Brother Ruo Zhu, you're so amazing."
He not only had a stable mood but also took care of new - comers.
Nangong Yu admired him deeply. Pounding her back, she said, "Brother Ruo Zhu, you rest. I'll go and get the food."
She was very tired, but he had done no less work than her.
Seeing her so obedient, Ruo Zhu said, "Wait a minute."
He went into the bamboo hut and took out a small handful of spiritual stones. At a rough glance, there were about a dozen of them.
"Buy something you like."
Nangong Yu was surprised and pushed his hand back. "Brother Ruo Zhu, there's no need. Have you forgotten where I came from?"
The kitchen was like her hometown!
She skipped away briskly. Ruo Zhu's outstretched hand to call her back still hung in the air.
"Didn't you just come to the Lin Mansion yesterday?"
In the kitchen.
The aromas of different ingredients were wafting in the air. Fresh, salty, cold, hot, delicate, and strong scents were intertwined, making people drool.
A servant had just finished cooking a dish and was about to arrange it on a plate when he saw a spoon reach into the pot and scoop up the most beautiful piece of spiritual - beast meat. "What are you doing?!"
The servant quickly tried to stop her, but when he turned his head, he was greatly shocked. "It's you!"
"Little Yu!"
"Why are you back?"
The other busy people in the kitchen heard the name and reacted strongly. They quickly protected the food they were in charge of.
Then they turned to look and asked, "Why are you here again?"
Wasn't she transferred away?
She was fined half a year's salary, and everyone resented her deeply. But she was a cultivator and had been transferred away, so they let it go.
But why did she come back?
"I was just transferred away. I still need to eat," Nangong Yu said. She casually opened a still - simmering soup pot and sniffed it. "Give me a bowl."
The servant in charge of the soup pot didn't expect her to uncover the lid with her bare hands and quickly rushed over. "This is for the Second Young Master to drink!"
"I just want one bowl," Nangong Yu said. "If you keep procrastinating, I'll carry the whole pot away."
