My ancestors were spiritual plant growers, so it's not surprising that I hunt demons every day,

After Cui Ying saw Gu Shiyin off, she picked up the dejected little iron beast and walked back.

As she approached her house, a thought struck her, and she flew straight towards Fengxi Ridge behind the house.

When Cui Ying arrived at Fengxi Ridge, she saw the cultivators using all their skills and working enthusiastically.

"My dear girl, what brings you here?"

Cui Ying nodded to Cui Zhengming, who was busy and covered in dust, then took the stone slab from his hand with a smile and said, "Father, let me do it. You go and rest for a while."

Cui Zhengming was indeed a little tired, and upon hearing this, he smiled with relief and obediently stepped aside. But he only rested for a short while before getting back to work.

"Dinner's ready! Everyone come back and eat."

At noon, Wang Rong's booming voice, amplified by magical power, resounded throughout Fengxi Ridge.

A dozen or so cultivators laughed and put down their work, then went down Phoenix Creek Ridge together and sat around in the front yard of the Cui family, drinking and eating meat to their hearts' content.

During the meal, they praised Wang Rong and the others' culinary skills.

After the cultivators had finished their meal and were satisfied, Cui Ying noticed that her elder brother, Cui Ying, had already taken her sister-in-law, Yang, out to buy things at the nearby Songlin Market.

With so many things going on at home lately, Cui Ying hasn't been able to focus on her cultivation during the day. Not to mention, Ta Xue and Little Golden Scorpion have disappeared before dawn.

Suddenly, Cui Ying became the most idle person in the family.

Thinking about the promise she made last night, Cui Ying packed the divided demon bear meat into a basket. Just before leaving, she noticed the pile of golden frost fruits under the eaves, which she assumed Zhu Chaoyun had brought back that day. However, the quantity was somewhat beyond her expectations.

After thinking for a moment, she packed some golden frost fruit, still covered in soil, and rode a cloud out of her house.

Besides the village chief's house, Cui Ying also delivered a large piece of demon bear meat and a packet of golden frost fruit to the homes of more than a dozen other cultivators in the village.

Finally, Cui Ying arrived at a house located not far from the Xiushui River.

"Uncle Gu, are you home?"

As soon as Cui Ying called out, the vermilion gate in front of her immediately opened, and two servants quickly came out and respectfully welcomed her into the house.

After entering the Gu family gate, Cui Ying greeted Gu Qinghong and Gu Shiyao, whose cultivation was higher than hers, as usual. The group exchanged pleasantries. Seeing the obvious change in his father and elder sister's attitude towards Cui Ying, Gu Shiyin, who was sitting to the side drinking tea, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Even Gu's mother, who had always disliked Cui Ying, was unusually skeptical, though her smile seemed somewhat forced.

When she left the Gu family home and returned, she couldn't find her mother, Wang Rong, anywhere.

Finally, she found her mother secretly wiping away tears in the inner room.

"Mother, did Wang Xuan and the others bully you again?"

Wang Rong gently shook her head and wiped away the tears on her face. Then, she took out the storage bag and Crimson Whip that Zeng Tingjun had given her last time, and said wistfully:

"Ever since you brought these back for me last time, I've been feeling uneasy. This afternoon, I went to deliver some demon bear meat to your maternal grandparents as you suggested, but they just wouldn't take it back."

Upon learning that her mother was weeping over this matter, Cui Ying smiled, took her mother's hand, and comforted her:

“Mother, have you ever thought that it is precisely because your maternal grandparents feel indebted to you that they wanted to give you spirit stones and magic artifacts? If you return them, wouldn’t that mean you still don’t want to make peace with them?”

"This can't change the fact that we are blood relatives no matter what. So why talk about owing or owing anything?"

Wang Rong was slightly taken aback, then continued with a somewhat downcast expression, "If we really have to say who owes whom, then I, as their daughter, owe them both too much."

Seeing that her mother had stopped crying, Cui Ying asked as if she had remembered something, "How are Grandfather and the others doing?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Rong's eyes welled up with tears again, and she sighed, "..."

“Your maternal grandmother is still in good health and can usually take care of the family’s spiritual fields. But your maternal grandfather is not in good health. He fought too fiercely with other cultivators in his early years. Although his foundation was not damaged, his internal organs were damaged to varying degrees. Although he has been recuperating over the years and is not in serious condition, he is getting old. Not only has he become very sleepy, but he has also begun to show signs of the five signs of decay.”

Listening to her mother's account, Cui Ying, though unable to fully empathize, fell silent, feeling downcast.

The so-called "Five Signs of Decay" refer to the various unusual phenomena that appear when a cultivator's lifespan is about to end. If one has elixirs that can extend lifespan at this time, or if one can break through to the Foundation Establishment realm in time, there may still be a chance for a turnaround.

“Mother, Master has already begun to teach me the art of alchemy. In time, I will be able to refine an elixir to help my grandfather live a long life. Then you will have plenty of time to catch up.”

"Hehe, okay, Mother believes you."

Wang Rong had naturally heard that Cui Ying's master was going to teach her alchemy, but to refine elixirs that could prolong life, one would need spiritual herbs and medicines with the same effects.

These things, any one of them, were far too distant and unattainable for them.

But she also understood Cui Ying's good intentions. She first patted Cui Ying's small hand with satisfaction, and then looked at her a few times with some hesitation.

"What's wrong, Mother? Is something wrong with Grandpa and the others?"

"Hmm~"

Wang Rong hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "You know your aunt and uncle's personalities. They argue all the time about love and romance. Your grandparents were able to help them when they were young, but now that they're old and frail, they've started to look down on them. So I was thinking..."

It is said that no one knows a mother better than her, but the reverse is also true.

Cui Ying smiled gently and looked at her mother, saying, "Mother, do you want to bring my maternal grandparents to our home?"

"Ah."

Wang Rong nodded, then looked up at Cui Ying and said, "Once the new house on Fengxi Ridge is built, our little courtyard will be empty. I'm thinking of bringing your maternal grandparents here to live, so it will be closer and easier for me to take care of them."

“Mother, our little courtyard is so dilapidated. Even if we were to invite Grandfather and his family to live here, they would naturally live with us in the new house in Fengxi Ridge.”

As she spoke, Cui Ying gently put her arm around her mother's shoulder, gazing intently at the wrinkles at the corners of her mother's eyes, and continued, "Besides, after our new house is built, I will need to set up a spirit-gathering array and hire mortal servants. That place will be more suitable for my maternal grandparents to live out their old age. Let's leave this little courtyard empty for now."

Upon hearing this, Wang Rong almost burst into tears again, and asked with a choked voice, "Really? Third Sister? Are you really willing to let your maternal grandparents move to the new house and live with us?"

“My maternal grandparents are my mother’s closest relatives, and also my closest relatives, so of course I’m willing.”

"But I haven't discussed it with your father yet."

Upon receiving her daughter's approval, Wang Rong was as happy as a child. However, she quickly seemed to remember something, hesitated for a moment, then widened her eyes with determination and snorted, "Anyway, you paid for the new house with spirit stones. Since you've already agreed, I doubt he would dare to disagree."

Seeing that she had appeased her mother, Cui Ying chuckled twice and stood up, saying, "Then, Mother, you should rest first. I'll go find Brother Chaoyun to discuss our trip into the Phoenix Mountain Range tomorrow."

Wang Rong followed him out, somewhat surprised: "You just got back last night, why are you going again?"

"Since there's nothing to do at home anyway, I might as well go to Phoenix Mountain to hone my skills. Not only can I increase my cultivation level, but I can also earn spirit stones."

"But~"

"Don't worry, Mother, I know what I'm doing."