I Have An Infinite Cultivation Resource
Chapter 88: Food
Even though the mountain across from them might contain some great opportunity, Lu You had no intention of going to investigate it.
After sending Lu Xiao'e back to the bedroom she had dug out herself, Lu You carved another chamber next door for his own cultivation room.
After thinking for a moment, he also excavated a kitchen.
Outside, Golden Core elders were still watching them like hungry tigers. Lu You had no desire to leave the secret realm anytime soon.
Instead, he had already decided to drag things out here as long as possible—wait until the secret realm drained those Golden Core elders dry, then deal with them before finally leaving.
To stay safe, Lu You maintained his usual habits. While Lu Xiao'e remained inside her room, he took out Hard Metal Talismans and Soundproof Talismans and reinforced the entire cave once again.
This time, without any tracking marker, the Golden Core elders would have a much harder time finding them.
Once everything was settled, Lu You pushed open the door to Lu Xiao'e's bedroom.
He found her lying lazily across the stone bed in boredom.
The green clothes she had worn earlier had been tossed onto the floor, and she had already changed into another long dress of the same emerald shade.
When she saw Lu You enter, Lu Xiao'e stretched out one leg and hooked the discarded clothes off the ground with the tip of her shoe, swinging them back and forth mischievously.
"You came at just the right time. My Golden Core is damaged, so I need to conserve spiritual energy. I can't use spiritual energy to clean my clothes anymore."
She grinned wickedly.
"I don't want this outfit anymore. Want to keep it as a souvenir?"
"Think carefully before answering. It's completely authentic and untouched."
Lu You pointed toward the bath pool.
"We might end up staying here for quite a while. After we wear those Golden Core elders down to death, we can go see whether that mountain really is the formation core."
"If you're reluctant to waste spiritual energy, then wash your clothes in the bath pool instead. Otherwise, if we stay too long, what are you going to change into?"
"You know water-element techniques?"
Lu Xiao'e immediately looked hopeful.
"Of course not. Right now I only know the Five Elements Qi-Nourishing Technique."
When the topic turned to cultivation techniques, it immediately struck at Lu You's weak point.
Because his spiritual roots were so poor, just cultivating the Five Elements Qi-Nourishing Technique had already consumed all of his effort.
Besides, combat techniques had nothing to do with longevity. Since Lu You possessed infinite talismans anyway, he had simply devoted himself entirely to increasing his cultivation realm.
"I don't know any water techniques either. The bath pool doesn't even have water. Neither of us can use water-element arts, so what are we supposed to wash with?"
Lu Xiao'e understood Lu You's plan. After thinking for a moment, although there was still no way to wash the clothes yet, she obediently picked them up and folded them neatly.
Seeing her quietly comply, Lu You fell silent.
It was obvious what that action meant.
By putting away the clothes, Lu Xiao'e had essentially agreed to his plan of outlasting the Golden Core elders.
Yet her Golden Core was damaged. Her condition was actually worse than those elders'.
She hadn't even asked whether the two of them had enough resources to survive longer than their enemies.
Contained within that silent agreement was trust.
And beyond that, Lu Xiao'e had deliberately avoided mentioning the most serious issue so Lu You wouldn't worry.
Lu You silently walked over to the bath pool.
Inside his sleeve, he secretly summoned a Rain-Calling Talisman from the little cauldron and activated it within his palm.
Under the control of spiritual energy, a small rain cloud formed above the bath pool.
Soon, the pool filled completely with water.
"A Rain-Calling Talisman?"
Although she hadn't seen Lu You actually take out a talisman, the moment she saw water appearing from thin air, Lu Xiao'e easily recognized it.
"Now the bath pool has water."
Lu You explained casually:
"I didn't have your good fortune. You became an outer sect disciple the moment you joined the sect."
"I spent three years working as a spiritual farmer in the spirit fields. I used Rain-Calling Talismans for irrigation back then."
"I just happened to have a few left over."
Lu Xiao'e looked delighted.
She jumped off the stone bed and ran straight to the bath pool.
"So amazing! Did you draw this Rain-Calling Talisman yourself too?"
"As expected of a talisman master who reached Grandmaster State. The water is so clear."
She dipped a hand into the pool and stirred the water gently.
"Ordinary Rain-Calling Talismans only create rainfall. Because the talismans' materials and spiritual energy are crude and impure, the water they produce is usually murky and dirty."
"But your Rain-Calling Talismans… this water is cleaner than the water source the Verdant Cloud Sect itself uses."
"Hiss—!"
Suddenly, Lu Xiao'e jerked her hand back.
"The water's too pure, so it's freezing cold."
She scooped up a handful and cautiously licked it with her tongue.
"It's sweet!"
"These Rain-Calling Talismans are incredible."
"No, we absolutely can't waste this water. I'm going to carve a stone basin so we can draw water from there instead of contaminating the source."
Lu Xiao'e immediately drew her flexible sword and took out a massive stone from her storage ring.
With several swift cuts, she hollowed it out into the shape of a basin.
Then she tossed the clothes she had taken off into it and looked up at Lu You.
"You should conserve some spiritual energy too. Take your clothes off, I'll wash them for you."
"You don't need to be this frugal with your spiritual energy. I prepared plenty of pills and spirit stones, and I still have enough Rain-Calling Talismans."
Lu You sighed inwardly.
The kindness of this beautiful woman was truly the hardest thing to bear.
Although he had no intention of exposing the little cauldron's existence, he still felt he should at least make Lu Xiao'e a bit more comfortable while they stayed here.
Reaching into the bath pool, Lu You touched the water thoughtfully before taking out a Flame Talisman.
Unlike his ancient-map talismans, this one had been made specifically to complete Verdant Cloud Sect missions.
Rain-Calling Talismans varied in quality and water purity depending on rank, but Flame Talismans didn't matter much—Lu You didn't need especially powerful fire.
He activated the Flame Talisman above the pool.
A thin layer of fire briefly burned across the water's surface before fading away.
Soon, the previously icy water became pleasantly warm.
"There. Now the water isn't cold anymore. Get some proper rest."
Lu You also took several bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills from his storage ring and placed them beside the bath.
"Even if the pills aren't very effective, you still need to keep taking them. This secret realm is constantly draining spiritual energy. If you stop entirely, you won't last more than a few days."
He paused, then added flatly:
"And if you die inside this cave, how am I supposed to keep living in a place that has some dirty corpse?"
"Hmph. What would you know?"
Lu Xiao'e rolled her eyes at him.
"I'm a Golden Core cultivator. Even if I died, my body would stay clean and beautiful for a very long time."
Then she grinned again.
"If you don't believe me, why not bathe together with me? Then you can witness just how amazing Golden Core cultivators really are."
Lu You immediately straightened up proudly.
Spiritual energy flowed through his body, instantly sweeping away every trace of dust from his clothes.
Then he declared arrogantly:
"This exalted one possesses true immortal techniques already. Such mortal behavior can be enjoyed by yourself."
Leaving behind only a cool, dignified silhouette, Lu You turned and walked out of her room.
Back in his own cultivation chamber, Lu You shut the stone door and reinforced it once more with Hard Metal Talismans.
He spread spirit stones across the room and began cultivating.
At the same time, he asked Evil Eye:
"You've lived long enough. Think about it, how does one repair a damaged Golden Core?"
Evil Eye answered immediately:
"Lu Xiao'e wasn't wrong. Repairing a damaged Golden Core requires enormous amounts of spiritual energy for maintenance and recovery."
"Spirit stones go without saying, but cultivators can barely absorb the energy from low-grade stones efficiently. High-grade stones would be much better."
"As for pills, Lu Xiao'e is already in the Golden Core realm. Qi-Nourishing Pills aren't especially useful to her anymore."
"So either you obtain high-level medicinal pills… or you really do need heavenly treasures and rare spiritual materials."
Golden Core-level medicine…
Lu You calculated silently.
There was a good chance Huo Chuan and the other elders carried such pills with them.
But killing Golden Core cultivators to seize medicine was still too difficult for the current Lu You.
Fortunately, this was the secret realm.
As long as he waited long enough for the Golden Core cultivators to exhaust their spiritual energy, then he could act later.
But what exactly counted as a heavenly treasure?
Suddenly, inspiration struck Lu You.
He placed the serpent egg into the Cauldron of Cornucopia and then took it back out again.
"Evil Eye, heavenly treasures shouldn't only refer to medicinal herbs and spirit liquids, right?"
"These demon beasts are also creations of heaven and earth. So wouldn't demon beast eggs count as heavenly treasures too?"
"Boss…"
Evil Eye paused.
"If the serpent knew you were feeding Lu Xiao'e its eggs…"
After thinking for a moment, Evil Eye suddenly laughed.
"Actually, that makes sense. Boss, you can duplicate the eggs endlessly anyway, so it's not like you're really consuming the serpent's offspring. As long as you keep the original egg it gave you safe, there's no problem."
"Even if serpent eggs only count as low-grade heavenly treasures, because you have an infinite supply, they become far more useful than ordinary demon beast meat."
"They're easier to absorb too."
"I see, they are worth trying, then."
Lu You stood up and entered the kitchen.
He crafted a stone pot and stone utensils, then used Rain-Calling Talismans to create water and Flame Talismans to start a fire.
After boiling the serpent eggs thoroughly, Lu You ate one himself first.
After swallowing the serpent egg, Lu You immediately sensed a stream of pure energy forming in his stomach.
This energy was purer and stronger than the power contained within Qi-Nourishing Pills. It even carried additional nourishing properties that tempered Lu You's body itself.
He could actually feel his meridians rejoicing.
"Not bad. This serpent egg can improve physical constitution and nourish the meridians. The spiritual energy inside is also far greater than that of Qi-Nourishing Pills."
"Maybe Lu Xiao'e can use it too."
Lu You immediately lit another fire and boiled an entire pot full of serpent eggs.
But instead of bringing them to Lu Xiao'e right away, he began eating them himself while simultaneously circulating the Five Elements Qi-Nourishing Technique.
"As expected. Cultivating after eating serpent eggs actually increases the speed of the Five Elements Qi-Nourishing Technique."
Qi-Nourishing Pills and spirit stones replenished spiritual energy.
But serpent eggs contained far more than just spiritual energy, they also carried other nourishing substances.
To maximize his cultivation efficiency, Lu You buried himself within another pile of spirit stones and began consuming serpent eggs, Qi-Nourishing Pills, and fasting pills together.
After cultivating for merely the time it took an incense stick to burn, Lu You already felt more improvement than he normally achieved after an entire day of cultivation.
After tidying the cultivation chamber with spiritual energy, Lu You picked up a stone bowl containing a serpent egg and headed toward Lu Xiao'e's room.
Seeing her stone door open, Lu You first spread out his spiritual sense to check.
After confirming Lu Xiao'e was not inside the bath pool, he knocked against the stone wall to announce himself before entering.
Because of the Flame Talismans, the stone room had become warm and misty.
Apparently, Lu Xiao'e had used some sort of fragrant bath ingredient while bathing, because the entire room carried a faintly sweet scent.
Fresh from washing, Lu Xiao'e's beautiful black hair draped over her slender shoulders like a waterfall. Tiny droplets of water slid down her hair strands, while the damp warmth made her snow-white neck appear even smoother.
Her cheeks, faintly amber in color, carried a fresh rosy glow from the bath.
The moment she saw Lu You enter, Lu Xiao'e smiled brightly and hurried toward him.
"You came at the perfect time. There's no mirror in here, so help me pin this up."
She handed Lu You what appeared to be a stone hairpin.
Although, because the carving craftsmanship was terrible, it looked more like a small stone pillar.
A droplet of water slid from Lu Xiao'e's fingertip onto Lu You's palm.
Sensing the subtle change in Lu You's heartbeat and breathing rhythm, Lu Xiao'e deliberately pretended not to notice anything, though inwardly she was already laughing smugly.
Hmph. Take this, Lu You. Let's see if I can charm you into obediently following me back to the sect.
Lu You accepted the hairpin.
Lu Xiao'e immediately turned around and waited expectantly.
Fresh from her bath, mist still clung around her body. Her damp clothing pressed tightly against her figure, accentuating the elegant curves of her silhouette.
When Lu You still hadn't moved after quite a while, Lu Xiao'e secretly rejoiced.
Haha, completely captivated by me, aren't you?
But outwardly she maintained a perfectly serious expression.
"Lu You, what's wrong? Hurry up and put it in."
This time, the way Lu Xiao'e phrased things sounded far too deliberate.
Obviously suspicious.
Lu You couldn't help smiling.
He had almost genuinely been charmed by her for a moment.
Then he suddenly let out a heavy sigh and said quietly:
"How did you get yourself this wet?"
If you didn't dry yourself properly after bathing, it would be easy to catch a cold.
Instead of using the hairpin, Lu You suddenly took out a Wind Talisman and activated it.
A violent gust instantly exploded through the room, blowing Lu Xiao'e all over the place.
The flirtatious atmosphere shattered instantly.
Her hair was blown into complete chaos. The graceful beauty who had looked like an immortal maiden moments earlier now resembled a foolish girl who hadn't combed her hair in years.
Much better.
Looking at Lu Xiao'e's current appearance, Lu You pretended to feel embarrassed.
"Oops. I only wanted to help dry your hair. I didn't expect the Wind Talisman to be this strong."
"Bah! You absolutely did that on purpose!"
Lu Xiao'e fumed angrily.
"I don't need your help anymore, stupid Lu You! Give me back my hairpin!"
"You call this a hairpin?"
Lu You shook his head while looking at the crude stone rod.
He set down the bowl containing the egg onto the stone table, then drew his sword and began carving the stone properly for Lu Xiao'e.
Thanks to the knowledge from his previous life, Lu You had plenty of beautiful hairpin designs in mind.
Very quickly, he crafted a stone hairpin that blended modern and ancient styles together.
The pin itself was polished slender and elegant, with spiral-like decorative patterns winding along its body. At the crown of the pin, Lu You carved an iris flower, instantly giving the hairpin an air of noble elegance.
"It's yours."
Lu You smiled and handed it back to her.
"Waaah~~"
Lu Xiao'e cupped the hairpin in both hands and nearly gasped aloud in delight.
But almost immediately, she forced herself to put on a stern face again and huffed angrily:
"Don't think one little stone hairpin is enough to buy me off. I'm still holding a grudge over you bullying me earlier!"
As she spoke, she waved the hairpin around while complaining dramatically:
"Look at this thing you made—it's so thin! I wanted the previous kind! I want a thick one!"
Lu You's head instantly filled with black lines.
He hurriedly changed the subject.
"Take a look at this first."
Lifting the lid off the stone bowl, Lu You explained:
"Demon beast eggs should count as heavenly treasures too. Try eating this and see whether it can help repair your Golden Core."
"A demon beast egg?"
Lu Xiao'e froze briefly before looking into the bowl.
Then her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth.
"Isn't this a serpent egg?"
Suddenly, realization struck her.
"I understand now! Lu You, you must've taken the serpent's child, which is why that serpent listened to you!"
Then her expression changed drastically.
"Oh no! You cooked its child?! Won't it fight you to the death after this?"
But in the very next moment, Lu Xiao'e suddenly understood something else.
There was no way Lu You hadn't considered that possibility already.
Yet for the sake of healing her Golden Core, he had still been willing to cook the serpent egg for her even if it meant angering the serpent.
After a long silence, Lu Xiao'e quietly brushed her hair back and inserted the stone hairpin into it.
Then she picked up the stone bowl.
"That serpent was already near death while still possessing Golden Core realm cultivation. Naturally, its eggs count as heavenly treasures."
"But a single serpent egg is nowhere near enough to fully repair my Golden Core."
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"You should eat it yourself instead. Even just one egg can improve your meridians and increase your chances of reaching the Golden Core realm someday."
After a pause, she added softly:
"Once you've eaten it, Lu You… find another place to hide."
"Don't worry about me. I won't die. I can still detonate my Golden Core if necessary."
"With the serpent already in that condition, it won't be a match for me anyway."