Su Ling'er was screaming internally, but she forced a look of admiration onto her face and said respectfully,
"I see. I've learned so much. Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."
'Senior Brother, please, on account of my terrible aptitude, don't use mortal food to put me down again. I really don't want to have to keep purging the turbid qi myself afterward... It's such a pain!'
But reality was often cruel.
Lin Qingfeng led her past the Spiritual Food Area, ignored the luxurious private rooms, and headed straight for the Mortal Food Area—the very place where someone had just "collapsed from poisoning"!
'Seriously? They're even targeting someone with aptitude as poor as mine? This demonic sect is too vicious!'
"Come on, Junior Sister. This area has the widest selection. Order whatever you like—it's my treat."
Su Ling'er understood. 'This is a show of force from the Senior Brother!'
'He's going to force me to eat this mortal food, full of impurities, in front of everyone! He's doing it to make me understand my place! He's clearly making an example of me for all the low-level disciples!'
A moment later, a glistening plate of braised pork was set before her. Though it looked incredibly appetizing, in Su Ling'er's eyes, it was no different from pig slop.
Her mouth watered, but she kept her lips pressed firmly together, remaining perfectly still.
Lin Qingfeng was a little confused by her reaction.
'Wait, if you want to eat, just eat. What's the hold up? Has joining an immortal sect made her so arrogant? Is she putting on airs and looking down on mortal cuisine now?'
'I guess that's normal, but there's no way I'm spending a fortune treating an NPC with such poor aptitude to Spiritual Food. What if she can't handle its medicinal power and her body just explodes?'
He thought for a moment, and to better guide her, he went over to the sample station in the Mortal Food Area and returned with two trays.
On the tray in his left hand was a small, white jade bowl filled with a translucent soup that emanated a celestial aura. It was called [White Jade Dew Soup].
On the tray in his right, there was a mass that was still squirming slightly, resembling the brain of some creature. Its name: [Abyssal Squirming Brain].
[White Jade Dew Soup]: Grants the buff Ice Heart Skill (Beginner) for 10 minutes. Effect: Increases mental focus. However, those with low Cultivation may experience certain side effects.
Su Ling'er understood instantly.
'This wasn't a treat. It was blatant coercion!'
'The [White Jade Dew Soup] is the reward for obedience, and that writhing, toxic thing is the warning for disobedience!'
She tentatively reached for the white jade bowl on the left, but then she caught a glimpse of Lin Qingfeng's brow furrowing slightly.
'He doesn't want me to eat this?'
A chill went down Su Ling'er's spine. She moved her hand toward the dish that looked like a truly evil, nightmarish creation.
This time, she saw... a satisfied smile actually appear on her Senior Brother's face!
'He smiled! He actually smiled?!'
'Is he going to force me to eat that venomous thing in front of everyone, just so he can watch me struggle in agony before I die?'
"Senior Brother... I... I'm not hungry. Can I... not eat?" Su Ling'er asked in a small voice.
Lin Qingfeng looked at the two free samples he had gone to all the trouble of getting and was instantly displeased.
'Are you serious, lady? I was nice enough to get you a free buff, and you won't even take it? I had to wait in line for ages to get these! Not eating them would be such a waste!'
His expression hardened.
"Junior Sister! How can a Cultivator be so picky about what they eat?! This in front of you is not food—it's an opportunity! A stroke of fortune! To not eat is to look down on me, your Senior Brother! Now, eat!"
In that instant, all her fear morphed into overwhelming grief and indignation.
'I am a cultivator of the righteous path, born between heaven and earth with a clear conscience! How can I suffer such humiliation? Even if I must die, I will die with dignity!'
'Besides, if I'm going to die, I should at least get to taste Spiritual Food first!'
'At the very least, that bowl of soup looks heavenly. Even if it's not real Spiritual Food, it has to be a top-tier mortal delicacy, and I've never had anything like it in my life!'
And so, under Lin Qingfeng's stunned gaze, she snatched the bowl of [White Jade Dew Soup], pulled it in front of her, and, with the tragic solemnity of a hero marching to their doom, scooped up a spoonful of the crystalline liquid and brought it to her lips.
The moment the soup entered her system, a piercing chill exploded from her Dantian! Su Ling'er's face instantly turned ashen.
She understood!
'They were both poison! One was a fast-acting killer, the other a slow-burning toxin! No matter which one she chose, there was no escaping his wicked grasp!'
"Junior Sister, why did you stop eating?"
Seeing that she had frozen after just one bite, Lin Qingfeng pushed the platter of [Abyssal Squirming Brain] closer to her.
"Its appearance is... hmm, a bit of a challenge, and it doesn't score any points for color, aroma, or flavor, but it's definitely good for you!"
Gazing at the horrifying, squirming object, Su Ling'er was deeply reluctant.
To prove that she only wanted to coast by and wait for death, that she would never pose a threat to them, she pointed to the original plate of braised pork and began to wolf it down!
"Mmph... sho good, Shenior Brother! Thank you, Shenior Brother!" she mumbled, her mouth full. "This is more than enough for me! I really... I can't live without this stuff!"
Lin Qingfeng was completely baffled by this maneuver, but on the principle of never letting a buff go to waste, he popped the squirming, dark object into his mouth as Su Ling'er watched.
Suddenly, a faint light flashed across his body and vanished. To Su Ling'er's senses, his aura instantly grew stronger by a significant margin!
'He ate that venomous thing, yet he was completely unharmed? His Cultivation even improved?!'
'Is this his way of telling me that in his eyes, I'm just an ant he can crush at will?'
Lin Qingfeng looked at the NPC, who seemed to have fallen into deep thought again, and felt utterly helpless.