Chapter 162: Snow Listening Valley
The kitchen was larger than a house, equipped with all necessary tools, and bustling with activity, with flames roaring everywhere.
"Spicy Wolf Leg, ready!" Chen Xun wore a homemade chef's hat, quite tall, and held a large pot in his hand. "Old ox, take it away!"
The aroma was enticing, with various strange seasonings added to it.
"Moo moo~~!"
The big black ox, also wearing a chef's hat, stood beside him and took the large plate.
A few errand disciples stood around, smiling with respect in their eyes. This senior had only been in the kitchen for a few days, but his delicious dishes were highly praised by the female cultivators.
Moreover, he was very kind, never pulling rank in the kitchen. Everyone called him Brother Xun. The black ox spirit beast was also docile, and everyone often sat together chatting.
"Brother Xun, your seasoning is a bit different from ours." An errand disciple swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "It smells so good."
The others nodded vigorously, thinking that with such skills, they could earn more spirit stones each month.
Chen Xun laughed heartily while heating oil in the pot, "These are ancestral skills, boys."
"Brother Xun, you're not from here?"
"Of course not, we came from Anyun Nation, which is far away."
"Anyun Nation? That must be very far, I've never heard of it."
"It's very far. Guan Yuan, how did you end up here?" Chen Xun glanced at a skinny sixth-level Qi Refining disciple. "Did you all come from the city?"
"Moo?" The big black ox, having handed off the dish, returned, looking at them in confusion, and squatted nearby.
"Yes, Brother Xun, we all came from a village." Guan Yuan scratched his head and chuckled, "With five-element mixed spiritual roots, I could only come to do odd jobs."
"People who can live in the city wouldn't come to Nine Palaces Mountain to do chores." A chubby boy chimed in noisily, "Brother Xun, you overestimate us."
"Chubby, shut up." Chen Xun waved his spatula, smirking, "I was going to give you extra food tonight..."
"Brother Xun!!"
"Brother!!!"
"Moo~~!"
The group suddenly shouted, and the big black ox joined in, mooing, it wanted to eat too.
This demon beast meat was very nourishing for Qi Refining stage cultivators, even slightly accelerating their cultivation progress.
"Finish your work, and you'll have a treat tonight." Chen Xun, holding a large pot, kept adding his secret seasonings, making the errand disciples' eyes go wide.
At night, the errand disciples gathered outside Chen Xun's and the big black ox's hut.
He brought out several plates of meat, smiling, "Here, boys, some leftover meat, it's your lucky day."
"Thank you, Brother Xun." They looked at the plates eagerly, continuously expressing their gratitude.
The chubby boy shouted the loudest; they had never met a Foundation Establishment senior like him before.
"Moo moo~" The big black ox sat with them, eating slowly.
As soon as they ate, they started chatting.
They talked about how many spirit stones they earned each month, how many they sent home, and their plans to marry a fairy when they went down the mountain.
They talked about everything. Chen Xun listened with a smile, reminiscing about his days in the small village.
But his mindset had changed in ways he couldn't quite articulate.
The big black ox listened with great interest, mooing constantly, though the others didn't understand what it meant. They awkwardly looked at the Foundation Establishment spirit beast, cautiously guessing its riddles.
Life finally settled down. Chen Xun and the big black ox cooked and served meals daily in the kitchen, earning high praise from the female cultivators.
But at night, they would sneak out to investigate the different peaks. However, the numerous restrictions and formations made the big black ox quite frustrated, forcing them to research slowly.
They also dug a cave beneath their straw hut, using it to cultivate spiritual herbs. Additionally, they planned to excavate a deep tunnel leading beyond the protective mountain formation, aiming to avoid being suppressed by the formation if they needed to escape.
The spiritual energy at Nine Palaces Mountain far surpassed that of the Five Elements Sect. The sect even offered Foundation Establishment pills, but errand disciples had no chance to get them.
They learned an important piece of information: inside Nine Palaces Mountain, there was a secret realm called Snow Listening Valley, which had perpetual snowfall and strange weather. It was guarded by Nascent Soul elders, and the renowned "Five Qi Ink Spirit Flower" grew there.
However, no one knew how many Nascent Soul elders remained in the northern region. Even the various factions were unaware of each other's strength.
Days passed monotonously, but Chen Xun and the big black ox were in no hurry, enjoying their time. Experiencing a simple life was one of their pleasures.
Moreover, Chen Xun always loved cooking. If it weren't for his "Xun's Delicacies" affecting the lives of common people and eventually getting him arrested by a high official, he would have continued traveling and selling skewers with the big black ox.
"Old ox, the dish is ready!"
"Moo moo~~!"
"Brother Xun, Brother Ox, we'll take it from here!"
Every mealtime, loud shouts filled the bustling kitchen.
To outsiders, their daily routine was just the kitchen and the straw hut, living a peaceful, uneventful life.
Lonely, free, a thought away, time flew by, and a hundred years passed.
Chen Xun and the big black ox made many friends. In the kitchen, everyone, whether cook or errand disciple, called them 'brother'.
Who wouldn't appreciate such seniors and friends? There was no scheming in the kitchen; everyone just worked hard for their monthly wage.
Chen Xun always remembered Liu Yuan's last words, facing everything with genuine openness and optimism.
Sometimes, when errand disciples went down the mountain, Chen Xun and the big black ox would send them off, bringing local specialties as gifts.
When an errand disciple died of old age, they would perform rituals, play the suona, and ring bells. This made everyone in the kitchen quite happy, knowing their own affairs would be taken care of. Who wouldn't want friends like this?
Today, Chen Xun and the big black ox were lying outside their straw hut, basking in the sun on their day off.
"Old ox, my axe technique is quite handy for chopping vegetables too."
"Moo~"
The big black ox snorted, sipping herbal tea and admiring the distant scenery.
"Our journey has been thrilling, hasn't it? Hahaha..." Chen Xun blew on his steaming herbal tea, and a small booklet suddenly floated in front of him. "Let me take a look."
"Moo moo~"
The big black ox, half-closing its eyes in contentment, enjoyed recalling the past with its big brother.