Chapter 182: Cutting Expenses

The next moment, the two of them silently nodded at each other, their earlier expressions of wanting to punch someone instantly vanishing. Both turned to look seriously at Ying Lun, their faces suddenly solemn.

This man… might actually be useful.

Yun Jiao immediately picked up a garlic bulb and said with utter seriousness, “Mm, you’re right! Now that I look closely, your garlic really is quite good.”

“Right, right?!” Ying Lun’s eyes lit up at once, his face brimming with the excitement of being recognized, about to launch into another round of rainbow-level praise for his garlic.

But Yun Jiao continued, “However… here in Qingyang, we have high standards for our ingredients. After all, our taste isn’t the same as ordinary people’s. For something as common as garlic, we always source it from trusted vegetable farmers. We personally inspect their fields, verify their growing methods, and ensure everything is natural, pollution-free, and healthy before it’s used in our dishes. The old man here knows that best. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” The old man nodded immediately. “It’s quite complicated! Every single clove of garlic in our kitchen is selected after I compared hundreds of farms—carefully, painstakingly chosen.”

(Meaning, he picked the cheapest one.)

“Not a single one is random!”

“So, we appreciate your kindness,” Yun Jiao sighed. “But we can’t accept it.”

“My garlic’s the same! Every bulb was planted by my own hand!” Ying Lun panicked—if they didn’t accept his garlic, he couldn’t learn how to grow scallions and coriander! “Look at it now, there’s not even a trace of yin energy left! It’s perfectly fine. Should I eat some to prove it? Please, believe me, it’s really—”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Yun Jiao cut him off. “Words aren’t enough! You brought this from the underworld, didn’t you? Even if it has no yin energy, what if something else happened during cultivation—some side effect or contamination? Why don’t you show us instead—how exactly do you grow your garlic?”

“Sure thing!” he agreed instantly. “That’s easy!”

As he spoke, he picked up a garlic bulb from the table, and a faint light flashed through his hands. The next instant, the white bulb seemed to wake up—from each clove sprouted bright green shoots, growing taller and taller at a speed visible to the naked eye. Within moments, more than a dozen long garlic stalks, as tall as their arms, swayed proudly on the desk.

Yun Jiao and the old man looked at each other: confirmed. It was indeed life force!

“Now do you believe me?” Ying Lun asked.

“Of course, of course! Hahaha…” The old man immediately grinned from ear to ear, stepping forward to clap Ying Lun heartily on the shoulder like an old buddy. “Brother Ying truly deserves to be called a master of—uh—garlic cultivation. I admire you deeply! Growing scallions and coriander? No problem! Come, come, I’ll teach you!”

“Really?!” Ying Lun’s eyes shone. “Then I’ll trouble you, fellow Daoist! Are those two difficult to grow? Anything I should pay attention to? How many years before they bloom? If I want to plant them along the entire bank of the River of Souls, how long will it take? Fellow Daoist…”

“No rush, no rush!” The old man slung an arm around his shoulder and started leading him out. “Come on, I’ll take you to the back mountain garden—we’ll plant as we talk. Oh, and besides scallions and coriander, would you like to learn about other crops too?”

“Oh? Are there others with unique scents, that look good and are useful? I have high standards for what I grow—I don’t care for ordinary things! You must—”

“Don’t worry, there’s plenty to choose from! Since you rarely visit the mortal realm, you can experiment freely—grow and pick what you like. There’s Chinese cabbage, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, water spinach… plenty, plenty more! Why not try them all?”

“Eh? Are those suitable for the underworld? These names sound familiar, but can they compare to garlic? My precious—”

“That I’m not sure of,” the old man said, “but you can try growing them here on the mountain first. If you like them, take some back. We at Qingyang are generous.”

“Then I’m relieved! So, where do we start—coriander or—”

“No hurry, no hurry. Let’s check the field first, then head to the market to buy seeds.”

As they spoke, the two men were already heading out toward the back mountain.

Yun Jiao turned around and pulled a ledger from the bookshelf behind her. Opening it to the sect’s budget page, she quietly made a small change under the food expenses section.

Excellent! From now on, Qingyang would have its own vegetable farmer!

Her mood improved instantly. After updating the ledger, she set it back in place, then bent down to pick up the sack Ying Lun had left. After all, it was a local specialty brought by the King of the Underworld—waste not!

Just as she was about to gather the garlic scattered on the desk, a flash of white light suddenly appeared before her. A white-robed figure materialized right in front of her, looking distinctly displeased.

“Grandmaster?” Yun Jiao blinked in surprise. “Why are you here?” She glanced at the sky—wasn’t it still before mealtime?

Night Abyss’s brows furrowed, his gaze fixed straight on her. “That idiot from the Underworld was here.”

Idiot? Yun Jiao froze. In a way, her grandmaster and the old man were oddly alike.

“Grandmaster means the King of the Underworld? He came to learn farming!” Yun Jiao pointed to the pile of garlic and garlic sprouts on the table.

“You let him stay?” His expression darkened, irritation flashing across his face.

“Yes,” Yun Jiao nodded. “I figured the back mountain was lying unused anyway, and the old man had planted some vegetables recently—it’d be good to have someone watch over them, so I thought…” She glanced at Night Abyss and suddenly sensed something off. “Grandmaster, do you… have a grudge with him?”

“No,” Night Abyss denied flatly. But his brows only furrowed tighter. His gaze swept over his little disciple, irritation bubbling stronger with every passing second—and he didn’t even know why. Just thinking of how polite she’d been to that man made his mood inexplicably sour.

Yun Jiao, recalling how the King of the Underworld had kept calling “Night Abyss” so familiarly, couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t you already know him from before? Did something happen between you two?”

Night Abyss’s face darkened further. He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Huh?” Yun Jiao was startled.

“I’ve forgotten,” he said quietly, his eyes lowering slightly. “I’ve been asleep too long. I don’t remember much from before my last slumber.”

“So… Grandmaster really doesn’t recognize him!” Yun Jiao was stunned. She had thought he was just annoyed by the chatterbox and pretending not to know him—but he truly had forgotten!

“Mm.” Night Abyss responded softly, then suddenly stepped forward, forming a hand seal and sweeping it toward her.

A breeze seemed to pass over Yun Jiao. In an instant, she felt completely refreshed. Her blue Daoist robe, which had smudges of ink and dirt on the sleeves, now looked spotless—like it had just been washed clean.

“It’s getting late. Time to cook,” Grandmaster said suddenly.

“Huh?” Yun Jiao blinked, still processing why he’d just cast a cleansing spell on her. “But it’s not lunchtime yet—”

“Cook now!” he ordered without listening, grabbing her hand and leading her out straight toward the kitchen. “Stir-fried greens, vermicelli garlic shrimp, spicy chicken, garlic ribs—”

“Grandmaster…”

“No garlic!”

Yun Jiao: “…”

Here, take the wok! You cook!

(╰_╯)#

(End of Chapter)