Chapter 98

Ning Qianxue lay on the stone bed in the cave, the more she thought, the more desolate she felt. Outside, the mountains were empty, birds chirped, and the pine waves and water flows made her feel even more alone, her heart aching even more. Since she started practicing the "Zuowang Zhenjing" at the age of three, she had never experienced the various emotions of the world. Even if there were occasional fluctuations, they were never as intense as today.

She knew that the "Zuowang Zhenjing" most忌dreaded such emotional fluctuations, which were signs of "heart demon invasion." She was well aware that her current state was very dangerous; a slight mistake could lead to all her efforts being in vain, and she might even go into a mental frenzy. She tried to calm down and restore her usual calm and composed state, but the more she tried to control herself, the more she indulged in random thoughts, self-pity, and self-reproach. She even felt increasingly resentful towards Song Li, a young man she had only known for a short time.

When Song Li entered the cave with his backpack, smiling, Ning Qianxue unexpectedly threw a tantrum. She pouted and turned her body away, giving him a beautiful back view.

"What's wrong? Who upset you?" Song Li put down his backpack and asked in surprise.

Although he had lived two lives, Song Li had little experience guessing girls' thoughts. Especially with someone like Ning Qianxue, who had a high and mighty fairy-like demeanor, he had no idea what she was thinking.

What intrigued Song Li was that when Ning Qianxue faced the Evil Emperor Li Kangtian, she dared to draw her sword even knowing she was no match, which was indeed a grand gesture that earned everyone's admiration. But at this moment, she seemed a bit like a spoiled little girl. Song Li touched his nose, thinking, "Is Fairy Ning throwing a tantrum at me? Oh my, if that's true, it would be a great honor."

Although Song Li couldn't understand Fairy Ning's thoughts, he had his own way of dealing with it.

Ning Qianxue ignored him, and he didn't go up to her to make things worse. After putting down his backpack, he went back into the waterfall, dove into the water, and swam to the bottom. Seeing a school of fish, he quickly targeted the largest one and caught it in a flash. These fish were very slippery and swift in the water, but with Song Li's peak fifth-level Qi Induction level, catching a few fish was a piece of cake. If anyone knew he was using the "Dragon Elephant Bodhi Palm" to catch fish, they would probably be speechless.

After catching a fish, Song Li surfaced and threw it into a basket by the water's edge. He dove back in a few times, and soon the basket was almost full.

Song Li carried the basket back into the cave, and Ning Qianxue was still facing away, not turning around. Song Li stood by the bed, carefully examining Ning Qianxue's beautiful and slender back, admiring how ethereal and captivating she looked, even from behind. He wiped a drool from his chin and turned to prepare the fish.

Ning Qianxue felt Song Li's intense gaze on her back. At first, she didn't notice anything, but the heat in his gaze seemed to spread, making her feel warm all over. Her heart raced, unsure of what this boy was up to. If he really intended to harm her, she was in no condition to resist. Her heart pounded like a deer, and she didn't know what to do.

If anyone saw the usually cold and aloof Fairy Ning, lying on the stone bed with a red face, full of a young girl's bashfulness, they might have been shocked to death!

Fortunately, Song Li soon withdrew his gaze and focused on his own tasks.

Song Li took out some bottles, jars, and tools like scrapers and knives from his backpack and began to clean the fat, large carp. He had once trained in wilderness survival skills during his university military training and even won third place in the new recruit wilderness survival skills competition. Cleaning a few fish was no problem for him.

He scraped off the scales, removed the innards, and sprinkled prepared seasonings inside the fish. He then picked a few lotus leaves and wrapped the fish in them.

After preparing the fish, he skewered them on sticks and lit the firewood with a fire starter. The firewood he brought from home was some leftover material, not suitable for alchemy but perfect for cooking. The fire starter was the Purple Heart Crystal Fire, and the firewood was a special material used for alchemy. Even with ordinary ingredients, this picnic would make most people drool. Damn, this was a blatant waste of money, and only a high-level alchemist like Song Li could afford to do this. If Ning Qianxue knew, she might have calmed down.

The Purple Heart Crystal Fire, derived from the imperial fire seed, was incredibly pure and powerful. In an instant, the fish were roasted to a crispy exterior and tender interior. The fragrance of the lotus leaves, the seasonings, and the ingredients themselves mingled and spread throughout the cave.

Cultivation is divided into ten stages: Body Refinement, Qi Induction, Foundation Establishment, Fetal Breath, Abstinence, Golden Core, Yuan Baby, Body Division, Great Perfection, and Tribulation Crossing. Cultivators who reach the Abstinence stage can live on the essence of heaven and earth without eating grains. Ning Qianxue was a Golden Core cultivator and had long since reached the Abstinence stage. Of course, the Abstinence stage is a realm where you don't need grains to sustain life, but many cultivators above this stage still enjoy human food, like Song Li's elder brother Li Jing, who was a peak Golden Core expert but still enjoyed drinking and eating meat. This had no impact on cultivation, and even if the grains contained impurities or slight toxins, these high-level cultivators could easily handle them.

However, Fairy Ning was different from many high-level cultivators. She truly abstained from human food and had long since bid farewell to grains. She absorbed wind and dew, and the essence of heaven and earth, which was why she looked so ethereal.

Despite her long abstinence, the aroma of the food was so enticing that her throat produced saliva, and she couldn't help but swallow.

Ning Qianxue was startled; everything that happened today was strange. First, she inexplicably developed a heart demon