Crossing the Cultivation Realm: Two Souls Coexist

Hu Qing's mood was as bright as the afternoon sunshine, and his steps were brisk with a hint of urgency.

After bidding farewell to the emperor, he did not stay in the palace for long and went straight back home.

"Qingyin, we have to get ready quickly." There was a hint of excitement in Hu Qing's voice. He took Qingyin's hand, and the two of them walked quickly towards the vegetable market together.

On the way, Hu Qing briefly explained to Qingyin that a distinguished guest would be visiting tomorrow.

After hearing this, Qingyin's eyes flashed with nervousness. She knew that this would be an important family dinner.

Arriving at the vegetable market, Qingyin began to carefully select fresh vegetables. Her fingers gently slid across the various vegetables, picking out the freshest and tenderest ones.

Hu Qing selected some high-quality meats, and their shopping baskets were soon full.

"Sir, do we really not need to hire a chef?" Qingyin asked with some concern. She was worried that her cooking skills might not be good enough to entertain the distinguished guests.

Hu Qing shook his head slightly and said with a smile, "Qingyin, the home-cooked dishes you make are more heartwarming than those delicacies from land and sea."

After hearing Hu Qing's words, Qingyin's nervousness slowly dissipated. She agreed with Hu Qing's point of view and began to choose ingredients more confidently.

The two returned home with bags full of stuff. Hu Qing immediately started to make the final adjustments to the hot air balloon, while Qingyin began to prepare dinner and ingredients for the next day.

As night fell, Hu Qing and Qingyin were busy in the kitchen.

Qingyin's movements were skillful and quick. She washed and cut the ingredients and prepared several simple home-cooked dishes.

"Sir, let's eat first." Qingyin brought hot meals to Hu Qing.

The two of them hurriedly finished their meal and continued to work. They were busy together in the kitchen until late at night.

Hu Qing looked at the tiredness on Qingyin's face and said softly, "Qingyin, go and rest. I'll take care of the rest."

Qingyin shook her head and insisted on continuing to help, but Hu Qing firmly asked her to rest.

"You're tired, and you'll have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

Qingyin finally agreed. She knew Hu Qing was right and she needed to be in the best condition for tomorrow's family dinner.

Hu Qing sent Qingyin back to the room, then returned to the kitchen to continue with the remaining preparations.

In the darkness of the night, his figure seemed particularly lonely, but every movement revealed his skill.

When everything was ready, Hu Qing walked out of the kitchen, looked up at the starry night sky, and took a deep breath of the cool night air.

He decided to use the remaining time to practice and improve his condition in order to meet the important moment tomorrow.

Hu Qing returned to his room and began to practice, while Qingyin rested peacefully in the next room.

Both of them are making their own preparations for tomorrow's family dinner. Although their methods are different, their goal is the same - to ensure that the guests can enjoy an unforgettable experience.

The morning breeze carried the chill of late autumn. Hu Qing was awakened from his practice by the sound of sweeping in the yard.

He put on his coat, walked out of the room, and saw Qingyin already cleaning the yard.

Qingyin's figure looked particularly thin in the morning light. She was carefully sweeping up every fallen leaf and did not notice Hu Qing's arrival.

Hu Qing looked at Qingyin working in the cold wind, and a warm feeling surged in his heart.

"Qingyin, why did you get up so early?" Hu Qing walked to Qingyin and asked with concern.

Qingyin raised her head and smiled: "Sir, I want to clean the yard to welcome today's distinguished guests."

Hu Qing looked at Qingyin's red nose due to the frostbite and felt a little sorry for her. He took off his coat and put it on Qingyin's shoulders.

"Qingyin, you go in and rest first. I'll clean up here." Hu Qing gently pulled Qingyin back to the room.

After returning to the room, Hu Qing boiled some hot water, wet a towel, and carefully wiped Qingyin's face and hands, making her feel a little warm.

"You rest here, and I'll call you when there are guests again." Hu Qing instructed Qingyin, then turned and walked out of the room.

Hu Qing returned to the yard and began to clean up the mess he made when debugging the hot air balloon last night.

He carefully tidied up every corner to ensure the yard was neat and tidy.

Afterwards, Hu Qing sat in his study and began to design a price list for hot air balloons.

He knew that hot air balloon flights required fuel consumption and that the affordability of ordinary people had to be taken into consideration.

After some thought, Hu Qing finally decided on the price: each person would need one silver coin to ride in a hot air balloon, and a maximum of four people could ride at a time.

As for the price of purchasing the hot air balloon, it needs to be negotiated with Hu Qing separately.

Hu Qing also considered the importance of contracts and began to design contracts to ensure that the rights and interests of both parties were protected during the transaction.

"With this contract, even if problems arise, the losses can be reduced." Hu Qing thought as he wrote.

Hu Qing was busy for the whole morning and finally prepared the price list and contract.

He stood up and stretched, satisfied with his work.

Just then, there was a knock on the gate. Judging by the time, it must be the magistrate. After all, the emperor was coming too, and as a subordinate, he had to wait here first.

Qingyin stood in front of the door, her hand gently placed on the latch, feeling a little nervous.

She was wearing the brand new clothes that Hu Qing had prepared for her. This was her first time welcoming guests as a host.

When she opened the gate and saw the magistrate standing outside, her heart beat faster and she seemed a little embarrassed.

The magistrate was holding two jugs of wine and a black box. He looked at Qingyin with a kind smile on his face. "Miss Qingyin, are you used to living here?"

Qingyin was a little at a loss for a moment. She didn't expect that the first distinguished guest to visit would be the county magistrate.

She originally thought it would be some businessmen or wealthy people, after all, she had seen the flyers distributed by Hu Qing before.

At this time, Hu Qing came out of the study and saw the county magistrate. A warm smile appeared on his face: "Mr. Magistrate, you are here very early."

The magistrate smiled when he saw Hu Qing, "Master Gu, I heard you were planning something big today, so I brought two pots of the finest Lingli wine. Drinking this wine can improve your cultivation."

Hu Qing took the wine from the magistrate and opened the pot. Suddenly, a rich aroma of wine filled the air.

He was very grateful: "Mr. Magistrate, your gift is very valuable. Thank you for your kindness."

The magistrate weighed the black box in his hand and smiled mysteriously: "There are some small gadgets in here. I'll show them to you later."

Hu Qing invited the magistrate into his home and sat down, and the two of them exchanged greetings in the living room.

Hu Qing poured a cup of tea for the magistrate, and the two chatted while drinking.

"The emperor and his men haven't arrived yet, so there's no need to worry, sir," said Hu Qing.

The magistrate waved his hands repeatedly, indicating that he didn't mind waiting. "No hurry, no hurry. I feel very honored to be able to see the beauty of this hot air balloon first."

Qingyin was listening to the conversation between Hu Qing and the magistrate, and her nervousness gradually eased.

She began to adapt to the occasion, served some refreshments to the two of them, and then stood quietly to the side, ready to serve the guests at any time.