Chapter 65: Hammered for a Long Time

“Senior sister, do you have a larger pot?” Ji Jiuxuan asked softly as she stood beside Meng Jiao, her mind involuntarily drifting to the alchemy furnace in her own storage space. Using that would certainly be perfect—the heat easily controlled—but with so many elders and her little uncle present, she didn’t dare, nor would it be fair to her little uncle, who had specially crafted it for her.

“How large do you need?” Meng Jiao asked.

There’s hope! Ji Jiuxuan’s eyes lit up as she gathered the meat she intended to stew. “Big enough to fit all of this, a bit larger.”

Meng Jiao nodded, her expression calm. “What material do you want? Stone or iron?”

Ji Jiuxuan hadn’t even considered there might be options. Iron pots were excellent for stewing goose, though she wondered how they’d fare with Dragon and Phoenix Soup. Stone pots, on the other hand, made for a rich, flavorful broth.

Seeing her junior sister’s indecision, Meng Jiao laughed and patted her on the shoulder. “No need to choose. We’ll have both.”

Before Ji Jiuxuan could react, Meng Jiao produced a large iron block and a massive stone from her storage. Then, wielding a huge sword, she let her spiritual power surge; metal and stone shavings flew everywhere.

With a gust of wind, Ji Jiuxuan watched her senior sister brandish the sword before a tornado-like vortex. Flashes of silver light cut through the whirlwind—one almost felt a giant beast might emerge from within.

With two resounding clangs, a massive stone pot and an equally enormous iron pot appeared on the ground, their surfaces shimmering with radiant gloss.

If cultivators’ blood pressure could rise, Meng Jiao’s display would surely have sent their master, Nie Xingyuan, into apoplexy.

“Junior sister, how about these? Will they do?” Meng Jiao, intentionally ignoring their master’s glare, turned to Ji Jiuxuan with excitement. “If you need anything else, just let me know.”

Ji Jiuxuan was a little dazed at the sight of the pots, crafted from true refining materials, but they were undeniably well-made. Thankfully, she’d only used ordinary materials.

“Should we build a stove?” she suggested.

“Let the puppets handle that,” Min Chengjun replied with a smile. He’d grown used to their cool and distant junior brother being flustered by Meng Jiao’s antics. “They’ll do a better job.”

“Alright,” Ji Jiuxuan agreed.

Crafting with puppets was a task for the second uncle. Ji Jiuxuan watched as he set to work—his movements were fluid and elegant, nothing like the usual stiffness of ordinary puppets.

Although their appearance was a bit unsightly, Ji Jiuxuan found herself increasingly fond of them. She almost wanted to pull out the gift her uncle had given her from her storage and study the puppets herself.

The two stoves were swiftly assembled, and the pots were washed to a bright sheen. Even the ingredients she’d prepared were cleaned and sorted for her.

With excitement, Ji Jiuxuan lit a fire in one of the earthen stoves. Now that her cultivation was sufficient, she controlled the objects with ease. She placed the ingredients into the pots one by one, only to realize partway through that she’d forgotten to ask her senior sister to make pot lids!

Glancing instinctively at her little uncle, she decided it was best not to push her senior sister further towards their master’s wrath.

She searched her storage, but found nothing suitable as a substitute!

In that moment, Ji Jiuxuan felt as if Meng Jiao had awakened a new hobby in her. In the future, she would definitely start keeping spare materials on hand, just like her senior sister. If anything was ever missing, she could always make it on the spot—truly perfect.

Left with no other choice, she sealed the pots with spiritual energy and controlled the fire below.

With nothing else to do but wait, Ji Jiuxuan fixed her gaze on the two simmering Dragon and Phoenix soups, her mind visualizing intricate patterns forming within the broths.

Despite all her careful preparation, impurities continued to rise from the ingredients. Instinctively, she began removing them.

In this process, her focus was so intense that she didn’t notice her spiritual awareness gradually expanding as she purified the soups.

“It seems Ah Jiu is almost ready to learn alchemy,” Qi Shuoyuan remarked. He hadn’t spent much time with her, but whenever he had a chance, he paid close attention. Watching her reach this stage, he was sincerely happy for her.

He remembered when he’d sent the little girl to the Academy for lectures—she’d told him her greatest wish was to learn alchemy: to master impurity removal and the art of delicious cooking. Now, seeing her progress, he said to Zhou Guangsheng, “She’s ready. Once she finishes reading the books in the library, let her try her hand at alchemy.”

Zhou Guangsheng nodded in agreement. During this period, he’d only taught her how to remove impurities from ingredients and identify various spiritual herbs. Now, her ability to control fire and purify simultaneously meant she already met the qualifications of an alchemist.

Ji Jiuxuan had been busy lately, leaving early and returning late to attend lectures at the Academy. Qi Shuoyuan knew Zhou Guangsheng had given her extra lessons after Instructor Yuan expelled her from class, but he hadn’t realized she had already begun reading the library’s books.

“How is she doing?” Qi Shuoyuan asked, even noticing his own tension.

He’d faced armies and landslides without blinking, but now he found himself inexplicably nervous.

Zhou Guangsheng originally intended to tease his old friend, but seeing him like this, he relented: “She just might succeed.”

Qi Shuoyuan’s excitement was so intense that it stirred the air around him. Fortunately, Zhou Guangsheng was there to contain it, otherwise, it would have affected Ji Jiuxuan and the others. Only Nie Xingyuan and Min Chengjun, who had to shield themselves with spiritual power, found it a bit exhausting.

“Is the library enough? If not, I’ll request access to the sect’s main archive.”

Zhou Guangsheng quickly stopped him. “If she can succeed with one library, she will. If not, even ten more archives won’t help. Just wait.”

His words, laced with spiritual power, calmed Qi Shuoyuan instantly.

Nie Xingyuan and Min Chengjun both breathed a silent sigh of relief. Their master hadn’t been this emotional since learning his eldest disciple wanted to be together with junior sister Yan Wei—then, he’d been torn between joy and sorrow.

“If you need anything, just ask me,” Qi Shuoyuan said. If little Ah Jiu could inherit Zhou Guangsheng’s mastery of the written arts, and with her innate sword body, he would be much more at ease about her safety in the future.

Meanwhile, Ji Jiuxuan continued purifying the broth. As the impurities faded, the rich aroma of the soup began to fill the air. When she judged it ready, she lowered the fire to let it simmer.

The puppet servants had, in the meantime, transformed the rest of the Celestial Python meat into a feast—nearly an entire banquet of python dishes.

Though every dish used the same ingredient, the variety was such that each looked and smelled delicious, with subtle differences in flavor.

Only then did Ji Jiuxuan notice that her senior sister was not seated, but standing beside the puppet, kneading dough.

Her hands worked the dough into long, slender strands, which she dropped into the bubbling soup.

Surrounded by such a loving family, Ji Jiuxuan felt her eyes grow moist, her heart warm and full.

In her past life, she had never experienced such feelings and had tasted every bitterness and coldness the world could offer. Now, her happiness seemed to overflow.

When Meng Jiao turned around holding a bowl of longevity noodles, she saw Ji Jiuxuan standing there and said happily, “Little sister, come and try this. I kneaded this dough for ages—it’s sure to be deliciously chewy.”