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

After Cui Zhengming left, Cui Ying went outside and found Cui Lin and Cui Yue and brought them back.

"Third sister/third sister, are you alright?"

Cui Lin and Cui Yue were overjoyed to see Cui Ying looking so energetic. Cui Yue, in particular, looked up with delight when she saw Cui Ying come to find her.

"Ah."

Cui Ying nodded slightly, her face unusually stern: "It's been raining all day, and you didn't even think to go home and take shelter."

The Gongsun family's Qi Refining Academy has a three-day break, and since the Cui siblings weren't attending school, Cui Yue took the family's old spirit ox out for a walk. After what happened last night, Cui Lin was worried about her fourth sister going out alone, so she decided to come along too.

"Hehe~ I have successfully drawn Qi into my body, so this little rain won't bother me."

Knowing that her third sister was concerned about her, Cui Yue nimbly jumped off the old ox's back, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said with a sly smile, "Third sister, guess who we saw this morning?"

"Who?"

"Oh dear, Third Sister, really! Besides Brother Shi Yin, who else would be so eager to come see you?"

"Oh, when did he arrive?"

"Around noon."

"Did you say anything to him?"

“I told you that you were sick and unconscious. When Shi Yin heard that Mother was about to go buy you medicine, he rushed home and brought over the pills he usually used to treat headaches and fevers.”

"that's it?"

"Oh dear, Third Sister, why aren't you worried at all? Brother Shiyin said he'll come again tonight; he wants to see you."

"Oh, Third Sister, I understand. The rain is getting heavier, let's hurry back. Lady Gongsun from Songlin Market sent three spirit peaches, and Cui Yan is eating them right now. If you don't go back soon, they might be gone."

"what!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Yue was so anxious she almost jumped up from the ground, forgetting even the old spirit ox beside her:

"Third sister, you're so mean! Why didn't you tell me you had spirit peaches at home? Second sister, I'll leave the spirit ox to you. I'm going back to eat some spirit peaches now."

"Xiaoyue, slow down."

Looking at the startled Cui Yue, Cui Lin was also filled with helplessness.

"Let's go, second sister, let's hurry back."

After Cui Ying, arm in arm with her second sister, leisurely returned home, she saw her eldest brother, Cui Cong, bringing spirit deer meat to their aunt, Wang Xuan.

"Oh, it's Sanya who's back. I'm not just praising you, but you're getting more and more amazing. Just two days ago you brought back so much wolf meat, and this time you've brought back so much spirit deer meat."

“This morning I heard from the village monks that you killed a very fierce demon tiger. I didn’t believe it at first, but they said it in such detail that I was worried. So, after breakfast, I came over to see for myself. My third daughter really did kill a demon tiger. That’s amazing!”

As Wang Xuan put a piece of deer meat into the basket, she praised her with a smile.

Cui Ying forced a smile and asked, "When we delivered the things that night, Auntie didn't have this attitude. Or are you going to cause trouble again today?!"

Last time, she kindly advised her mother to bring gifts to visit the Wang family, but Wang Xuan ridiculed her. Today, she was returning the favor.

"Haha~"

Wang Xuan smiled awkwardly and waved her handkerchief somewhat embarrassedly: "I was just thinking that your family definitely wouldn't be able to finish all this monster meat in a short time, so I thought I'd come and help you share some of the burden."

"Third girl, I heard that the demon tiger is so big, there must be a lot of demon tiger meat! That thing is full of spiritual energy, it must be very nourishing to eat. I want to bring some back for your maternal grandparents to try, but I just walked around your house twice and didn't see a trace of demon tiger meat."

"Heh~"

Cui Ying's face darkened, and she snatched the spirit deer meat from Wang Xuan's basket, coldly issuing an order to leave:

"Out of respect for my maternal grandparents, I'll still call you 'Auntie.' But let me advise you, it's raining today and the roads are difficult to travel. I'll bring these things to you tonight when I have time."

"Hi~"

Seeing Cui Ying's unapproachable gaze, Wang Xuan didn't dare to reach out her hand again.

Only after she had walked quite a distance did she rub the goosebumps on her arms and mutter, "All I asked for was some monster meat, and she acted like she wanted to eat me alive. This little brat is getting more and more sinister."

When Cui Ying entered the kitchen, she saw her second sister fiddling with the spiritual herb she had brought back the night before.

"Third Sister, can I use a fire control array to dry these spiritual herbs for you?"

It's a pity I don't know how to draw talismans to seal the medicinal properties, otherwise my third sister wouldn't have to go through the trouble of preparing various spiritual herbs every time.

"Ah."

Perhaps sensing Cui Lin's thoughts, Cui Ying nodded and smiled:

"Second sister, there's no need to blame yourself. Although sealing the medicinal properties of herbs with talismans is convenient and saves time, processed herbs are easier to preserve and sell for a higher price."

Seeing Cui Lin's skepticism, Cui Ying simply smiled and asked:

"There are spirit peaches in the main room, Second Sister, you should go and have some too."

Cui Lin shook her head, seemingly preoccupied with something:

"Those spirit peaches have a lot of spiritual energy, but they're not of much help to me. Third Sister, I heard from Mother that you sold spirit herbs for a lot of spirit stones last time. Could you teach me how to identify spirit herbs?"

Although Cui Ying mentioned various medicinal herbs she learned about from a miscellaneous book, Cui Lin knew that was not the case.

"teach you?"

Cui Ying paused for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said seriously, "Second Sister, do you not want to learn talisman making anymore?"

Cui Lin's talent for talisman making was neither particularly good nor bad, but after studying for four or five years, she still couldn't gain the approval of her teacher, Gongsun Lan. Although her parents were silently supporting her, she still had the idea of ​​dropping out of school.

Having her secret exposed by her younger sister, Cui Lin felt a sense of relief, but then, remembering the past, her expression became downcast.

“I remember that the teacher in the school once said that you also had some expertise in alchemy, but your family was not wealthy and could not afford to support two people to study the five arts of cultivation. You knew that I wanted to learn talisman making, so you deliberately made a mistake during the test and gave me the opportunity.”

"Hahaha."

Cui Ying smiled nonchalantly:

"I didn't expect that even after four or five years, you still remember. But I really didn't mean it back then. You know that Elder Li, who teaches alchemy, is the most rigid. Every time I misremembered the medicinal properties and pharmacology of a spiritual herb, he would hit my palm with the ruler he carried with him. It still hurts when I think about it now."

"Fortunately, Elder Li's strictness has made it easier for me to enter the Phoenix Mountain Range to collect spiritual herbs."

Unlike Cui Ying's carefree attitude, Cui Lin couldn't manage a smile.

Her expression grew increasingly downcast, and she absentmindedly fiddled with the spirit-clearing herb in her hand.

"Third sister, you don't need to comfort me. It's because your second sister is useless. After studying for so many years, she has accomplished nothing. If it were you, you might have already completed your studies and returned to become a formal alchemist."

Cui Ying sighed, knowing her second sister was stuck in a rut, and simply asked directly:

"Second sister, if you don't learn talisman making, what do you plan to do at home?"

"Your parents take care of the spirit fields at home, so you can't get involved at all. Even if you want to come with me into the Phoenix Mountains to dig for spirit herbs, the mountains are too dangerous, and the spirit herbs on the outskirts of the Phoenix Mountains will be dug up sooner or later. What will we do then? Also, you are a talisman cultivator. Have you forgotten about the demonic tiger from last night?"

Upon hearing about the demonic tiger that appeared last night, Cui Lin swallowed hard, still feeling a lingering fear.

But she still persisted, saying:

"Third Sister, you know the Phoenix Mountains are dangerous, so why do you go there to hunt demons and gather herbs, and why do you often come back covered in blood, making us worry about you?!"