Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 39 The New Talent [Sword Control] (Please read further with monthly votes and recommendations)

"chop!"

"chop!"

When the three returned home, Li Ru was chopping meat in the courtyard.

A large piece of ordinary horned beef, weighing several dozen kilograms.

The muscles and bones of the horned bull were exceptionally strong and resilient, and Li Ru was sweating profusely as he chopped them.

This work is usually done by Zhou Shan.

But Zhou Shan went out to invite friends and hasn't returned yet.

Li Ru was eager to chop the meat and marinate it so that it would absorb the flavor better.

"Mother, let me do it!"

Zhou Ling placed the basket on the threshold and spoke to Li Ru.

"Ling'er, what are you carrying on your back?" Li Ru asked curiously.

The brewing furnace was wrapped in linen, so Li Ru couldn't see it clearly.

"It's nothing, just tools brought over from the workshop for repairs!" Zhou Ling said with a smile.

He wanted to surprise his parents after the brewing furnace was finished.

So I don't want them to know for the time being.

"Hello, Aunt Ru!"

"Hello, Aunt Zhou!"

Wang Xin and Yuan Hu behind her also bowed to Li Ru and said politely.

"You've arrived! Please come in and have a seat!"

Li Ru wiped herself with a towel and greeted the two of them with a smile.

"Ling'er, you go and entertain them. I'll cut the meat!"

"Mother, they're all acquaintances, there's nothing to entertain them with!"

Zhou Ling took the meat cleaver from Li Ru.

Yuan Hu had already become familiar with Zhou Ling's family. After walking for a while, he was a little thirsty. After exchanging greetings with Li Ru, he went into the hall, poured himself a bowl of tea, and gulped it down.

"Aunt Ru, this time I came suddenly and didn't bring any gifts."

"These are Youth Preservation Pills and Qi Harmony Pills; consider them my gift!"

Wang Xin took out two exquisite pill bottles from her storage bag and handed them to Li Ru, a faint blush appearing on her face.

I hadn't been stuttering much before, but when I got a little nervous, I started stuttering again.

"This is too precious." Li Ru was taken aback and repeatedly declined.

Li Ru knew that even a low-grade first-level Qi-Harmony Pill would cost seven or eight low-grade spirit stones, and the Youth-Preserving Pill would be even more expensive!
She had seen Baiyaotang before when she went shopping with Zhou Shan, and out of curiosity, she asked about it.

One of them costs over thirty spirit stones.

Moreover, this kind of pill is not common on the market, and it is often snapped up as soon as it appears.

After all, the Youth-Preserving Pill can maintain a youthful appearance for a period of time.

Which woman wouldn't be tempted?

Even though Li Ru is a gentle, virtuous, and domestic type, she is not immune to the common fate.

"I made this myself, it's not expensive!"

Wang Xin blinked her clear, spring-like eyes and said softly.

"Mother, Xin'er is an alchemist, she has plenty of pills, you can just keep them!"

Zhou Ling took the pill bottle from Wang Xin and handed it to Li Ru.

"this!"

Looking at Wang Xin's flushed face, Li Ru knew that refusing her wouldn't be appropriate.

After washing his hands in the basin, he took the pill bottle and said with a smile, "Xin'er, thank you!"

"Have some tea in the lobby first! Auntie will entertain you after she's finished here!"

Li Ru put the elixir bottle into his bosom, then placed the chopped animal meat into a small wooden basin and sprinkled it with various spices.

Wang Xin said with a joyful expression, "Aunt Ru, I'll help!"

“Alright, then wash the cilantro and spirit rice!” Li Ru nodded.

Wang Xin was right next to Li Ru when she bent down and picked up some cilantro to wash it.

Zhou Ling placed the meat on the cutting board, arranged it neatly, picked up the meat cleaver, and chopped it down hard.

"chop!"

"chop!"······
Although the beast meat was tough, Zhou Ling was now close to the mid-stage of the first level of body refinement, so cutting a few pieces of beast meat was still a piece of cake for him.

With a flurry of chopping motions, Zhou Ling quickly chopped the meat into a pile of small pieces.

Then Li Ru put it in a wooden basin and sprinkled it with various spices to marinate it.

[Growth Talent, Sword Control: Able to control a magical sword and enhance its power. Requirement: Practice swordplay 100 times, including slashing, parrying, and hacking.]

At this point, a prompt appears on the panel.

"【Sword Control】Talent!"

Looking at the panel, Zhou Ling's eyes lit up.

He has been cultivating in the Taoist academy for several years, but he has not yet learned any offensive techniques.

Our only remaining fighting force is the Great Yang Fist.

This [Sword Control] talent, when paired with a sword technique, would be perfect.

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

Then, with a swift stroke of his knife, he chopped up the rest of the animal meat.

[You are chopping beast meat, Sword Control +1]

[You are chopping beast meat, Sword Control +1]

······
After chopping the meat, Zhou Ling washed his hands and carried a large basin of meat sprinkled with spices to the kitchen.

Afterwards, he went into the hall, drank a bowl of tea, and sat down in a chair.

He was thinking to himself that he could exchange magic techniques with the Taoist academy when he returned the day after tomorrow.

Normally, once you reach the second level of Qi Refining, you can begin to practice spells and techniques.

However, due to limited time, Zhou Ling basically filled his cultivation time with practicing the Spirit Flame Technique, weapon refining, and the Great Yang Fist every day.

His physical condition is already quite good; while he may not be considered extremely powerful, he has surpassed that of ordinary cultivators.

Therefore, I can squeeze out some time to learn other techniques.

After all, he will soon be ten years old and needs to learn some offensive and defensive techniques.

Soon, Zhou Shan arrived one after another with some friends from the medicine-finding team.

Zhou Ling also got up and poured tea for the guests.

Li Ru also stewed the beast meat in a large pot, and then stir-fried some green vegetables, tofu, spirit eggs, etc.

Three large tables were set up, filled to the brim.

The small hall was a bit crowded, and there wasn't enough room for three tables.

Only one table could be moved to the courtyard.

Then, when almost everyone had arrived, the meal began.

Most of the guests were friends of Zhou Shan's herb-seeking team, and Chu Xing presented Zhou Ling with several medicinal herbs on their behalf.

Congratulations on reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining, and thank you for repairing magical artifacts for the brothers.

Master Lu brought Liu An along and presented Zhou Ling with a first-grade, mid-level cloud-patterned spirit brush as a congratulatory gift.

As for the inscription, Zhou Ling would need to carve it himself.

Zhou Ling was also happy, because in his eyes, Master Lu was a real tightwad.

Despite being an inscription master in the workshop, he was always served inferior tea whenever he went there.

They couldn't even bear to part with a cup of spiritual tea.

This time they've really gone all out!
However, we still need to find a mid-grade first-tier Spirit Gathering Seal, so it seems we'll have to go to the Dao Academy to exchange for it.

This banquet, apart from the spirit wine and spirit rice, consisted of ordinary meat dishes, but it was still much better than usual.

Moreover, Li Ru's cooking skills are superb, and every dish is perfect in color, aroma and taste.

Everyone ate with great relish.

Zhou Shan drank heartily, frequently toasting with his friends.

The lunch lasted for nearly half an hour before the guests gradually took their leave.

Wang Xin and Yuan Hu stayed behind to help Li Ru clear the table, chairs, and dishes.

Zhou Shan, meanwhile, was leisurely sipping his spiritual tea.

The summer sun casts dappled shadows in the hall, and the dust motes dancing in the air are clearly visible.

The small courtyard is full of life, and time seems to pass slowly at this moment.

······.

(End of this chapter)