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

After the scorching heat subsided, a torrential downpour of thunder and rain poured down in the middle of the night.

As dawn broke, the rain suddenly stopped, and the brilliant sunlight shone on the earth, bathing everything in the fields in a golden glow.

Today, the Cui family's courtyard was bustling with people, a truly lively scene.

Several square tables were set up in the middle, and an open-air earthen stove and a table for preparing food were set up outside the kitchen.

Before heading to Huichuan Prefecture, Cui Zhengming consulted with knowledgeable people about various matters related to the groundbreaking ceremony and set today as an auspicious day for all activities.

Before breaking ground, the Cui family, according to custom, would host a banquet for relatives and friends who came to help.

Zhu Chaoyun also brought her younger sister, Zhu Wanqiu, to the Cui family for dinner.

Upon seeing Cui Ying, he remarked with emotion, "Once your family finishes building your new house, I reckon it won't be long before you invite us to your wedding banquet, right?"

Cui Ying, who had been assigned by her mother to look after the fire control array, replied without looking up, "Greedy?!"

“∽No, that’s not it.”

Zhu Chaoyun choked, subconsciously scratching his head, a strange sense of loss in his eyes.

Cui Ying couldn't stop smiling. Hearing this, she looked up and, with a sudden realization, teased Zhu Chaoyun, who was half a head taller than her:

"Oh, so Brother Chaoyun also wants to get married. If that's the case, then don't rush. After I'm done with these few days, I'll take you into the Phoenix Mountain Range to earn spirit stones and get married."

"Sister Cui Ying, my brother has been cultivating very hard lately. He said last night that he's about to break through to the third level of Qi Refining. That way, he can be of help to you when you take him into the mountains."

Hearing this, Zhu Wanqiu, who was standing nearby, also smiled sweetly and said to Cui Ying and Zhu Chaoyun respectively:

“Brother, you will always be the best in my heart. I’m waiting for you to earn enough spirit stones to build a new house, just like Sister Cui Ying said. That way, we’ll have our own home!”

The Cui family has been very busy lately because of building their new house.

Strong and capable male cultivators skilled in earth magic helped lay the foundation, while eloquent and skilled female cultivators were responsible for preparing food, tea, and snacks.

In just two or three days, there was meat on the Cui family's table at every meal, and the rogue cultivators who helped out ate to their hearts' content. The spirit beast meat that Cui Ying brought home was quickly sold out.

To ensure that their new house wouldn't be sabotaged by anyone with ulterior motives, the Cui family not only supervised the construction every day but also distributed spirit stones to the rogue cultivators who helped, based on their job duties. Some received as much as ten spirit stones a day, while others received as little as four or five spirit stones a day.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it only costs a few or ten spirit stones a day. The new house that the Cui family is building covers a vast area and cannot be completed in just three or five days. It will take at least three or four months to build.

The Cui family is not in a hurry to demolish the small courtyard where they currently live. Instead, they have spent a large sum of spirit stones to buy a new plot of land.

Cui Ying set her sights on Fengxi Ridge, which was not far from the back of the house. Backed by pine-covered cliffs and surrounded by clear streams, it was a secluded and beautiful place.

It took a dozen or so cultivators skilled in building houses three full days to level the top of Fengxi Ridge and compact a platform that was twenty acres wide. It took them another two days to build a foundation that covered several acres.

Next, a large amount of granite slabs, molten iron, golden nanmu wood pillars and beams, and glazed tiles will be needed.

After staying at home for a few days, Cui Ying discovered that after purchasing these items, she had already spent most of the spirit stones she had prepared at home.

Later on, several fire control arrays, temperature control arrays, spirit gathering arrays, and other daily-needed arrays will need to be carved, and the cost will be unimaginable.

Fortunately, it's still early before she can inscribe various magic arrays, so she still has time.

The most pressing issue is that the various kinds of spirit beast meat stored at home have run out.

Seeing her mother holding the account book, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating, Cui Ying, while helping her brother and sister-in-law clear the dishes, said:

"Mother, I don't plan to help out at home tomorrow. I'm going to the Phoenix Mountain Range to bring back some spirit beast meat."

Upon hearing this, Wang Rong's face instantly showed a conflicted expression of relief and worry. She sighed deeply, "Third girl has made something of herself. The family is able to build a house and eat spirit beast meat all thanks to you."

"I can't bring myself to tell you not to go. I just hope you can always come back safely from the Phoenix Mountains. Although you are very capable, there are many powerful demons in the mountains. Nothing is more important than safety. Be careful in everything you do."

"I know, Mother."

Cui Ying stepped forward and hugged her mother, smiling as she said:

"I haven't reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet and I'm not married, so I certainly won't perish easily in Phoenix Mountain."

"Pah! Pah! Pah! Nonsense! Nonsense!"

Wang Rong was so angry that she covered Cui Ying's mouth, while muttering to herself:

"Bad things don't work, good things do; bad things don't work, good things do!"

"Hehe∽"

Seeing that Cui Ying was still in the mood to laugh, Wang Rong slapped her on the butt and said, "Go and rest early, and come back early tomorrow!"

"It hurts, Mother!"

-

The next morning, Cui Ying waited for Zhu Chaoyun at home.

She sent him a message last night, telling Zhu Chaoyun to bring a suitable weapon and come to her house on time to meet her.

Although Zhu Chaoyun wasn't particularly talented in combat and liked to contradict others, he was obedient.

Cui Ying's purpose in entering the Phoenix Mountain Range this time was to hunt some large monsters to eat, such as wild boar demons and silver-maned sheep, which are meaty monsters.

Each adult pig demon and spirit sheep weighs nearly a thousand pounds just from the meat alone.

If we are lucky enough to encounter any of them today, our family will not have to worry about not having spirit beast meat for at least three or four days.

However, these kinds of monsters were too large to fit in her storage bag, and she didn't want to carry them herself.

After much thought, Zhu Chaoyun was the only one suitable for this task.

Whether or not they can help, at least someone is lending a hand.

As the two flew up the clouds to the top of Pine Green Cliff, Cui Ying took out more than a hundred spirit stones and handed them to Zhu Chaoyun: "Here, don't say your master doesn't love you, keep them."

"This...this is too much! I've never seen so many spirit stones before!"

Zhu Chaoyun was overjoyed and almost lost control of the cloud he had just created. Fortunately, Cui Ying managed to create another cloud in time, preventing the two of them from falling from mid-air.

"Hehe, that scared me to death. Luckily, Master, you were quick-witted and agile. If we had fallen like that, we would have been crippled even if we hadn't died."

Zhu Chaoyun patted his chest, a hint of lingering fear on his face. Holding the bag of spirit stones, he said somewhat embarrassedly:

"Did you distribute Cong-ge's share of spirit stones? Isn't it inappropriate for me to take so many?"

“I’ve already done the math. What was due to my brother has already been given. This is your share. If you don’t want it, then pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Before he finished speaking, Zhu Chaoyun snatched the spirit stone and stuffed it into his pocket, grinning foolishly:

"I was just worried that you might not have enough spirit stones since your family recently built a new house and spent a lot of them. Also, I help out at your house every day, and my uncle even gives me spirit stones. I feel really bad about it."

As Cui Ying manipulated the cloud formation to descend from Songcui Cliff to Chiyang Valley, she chuckled softly, seemingly unconcerned, and said:

"If I don't have enough spirit stones, I'll find a way to earn more. What's yours is yours, so keep it. Also, don't you have any thoughts about our new house?"

"I not only have a lot of ideas, I'm also envious!"

Zhu Chaoyun jumped down from the cloud, landed steadily on the ground, and said with a beaming smile:

"When I build my new house in the future, I'll ask your family for help. I'll give you spirit stones then!"

"Haha, I'm waiting for that day."