After transmigrating, I made a name for myself through my culinary skills.

The day finally arrived: Jiang Ning's birthday. Everyone in the sect was busy preparing the banquet for him. This day also marked Jiang Ning's coming-of-age ceremony, so his father couldn't be careless.

Ye Lan guessed correctly. Indeed, many people gave Jiang Ning gifts. Besides those who knew Jiang Ning, there were others who, even if they weren't familiar with Jiang Ning, still had to give his father face.

After all, besides being the head of the Green Mountain Sect, his father was also the leader of the Southern Continent Alliance. Regardless of whether people secretly respected this leader, they still had to maintain appearances.

Therefore, early this morning, all the major sects sent people to deliver birthday gifts to Jiang, the leader of the alliance, including pills, magic weapons, and even cultivation techniques, one by one to the Green Mountain Sect.

Jiang Ning was also busy receiving guests with his father today. He was so busy all day that he didn't have time to rest until evening.

As it was getting dark, Jiang Ning saw that he had nothing to do, so he ran out. He was so fast that even his father, who wanted to show him the gift he had given him, couldn't stop him in time.

Jiang, the sect leader, shook his head as he watched his son slip away and said to his wife, "This kid has really grown up; he can't be kept in check anymore."

Madam Jiang said coquettishly, "I told you Ning'er doesn't like these kinds of occasions, but you still insisted on inviting so many people. How could he not run away? You should have let him invite all his friends from the sect to celebrate his birthday properly."

"Do you think I wanted to call them? They insisted on coming up here, and I can't just kick them out, sigh."

Sect Leader Jiang sighed. His son's coming-of-age ceremony would definitely have to be a grand affair. Once it was held, people from other sects would find out, and they would have to send gifts. And then they would have to remember it and return the favor next time. It wasn't just a matter of accepting gifts and being done with it.

"Alright, alright, now that you're done, go back and rest. We can wait for Ning'er to come back and let him open the gifts. If you keep frowning and sighing, you'll turn into a grumpy old man."

Seeing her Daoist partner frowning, Madam Jiang reached out and stroked his face, teasing him.

"Nonsense, I've always been handsome." Although Sect Leader Jiang said this, he still obediently relaxed his brows and held his wife's hand. "Even if I become an old man, I'll still be a handsome old man."

"Yes, yes, you are the most handsome in my heart."

Jiang An, who was passing by the door, couldn't bear to look and turned around to go find his younger brother.

When Jiang Ning arrived at the peach blossom forest, Ye Lan and two others were already waiting there. They sat around a stone table, with Xiao Bai lying on it, and a large food box next to it.

They had arranged to come to this peach grove yesterday.

The peach blossoms had already faded, and many small, unripe peaches had formed. He strode quickly to the stone table and said, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Why are you taking so long to arrive?" Jiang Nan was the most anxious. He wanted to see what was in the food box, but Ye Lan insisted that Jiang Ning arrive before opening it.

"There are too many people here. By the way, why didn't you come to my place today? Your mother went." Jiang Ning also met Jiang Nan's parents today. They are related by blood, so they would definitely come on this kind of day.

Jiang Nan said nonchalantly, "The chefs from the dining hall will be helping you with the banquet. The food from the Green Mountain Sect isn't anything special. What would I do there? Besides, we're only related by blood. It's enough that my parents are there. I even prepared a separate gift for you."

As he spoke, he handed over the storage bag containing the gift, telling Jiang Ning to open it when he got back. It was a magical artifact that he had bought at a high price at an auction house on his way out of a mission.

Jiang Ning thanked him and accepted the gift.

"Happy birthday." Seeing this, Ye Lan also took out the gift he had prepared, which was also placed in his storage bag.

His original gift was just a single Ice-Fire Double Yang Pill, packaged in a beautiful jade bottle. But who knew Elder Xia's Core Formation rate would be so high, resulting in two extra Wood God Dew Pills being made for Jiang Nan? So he simply took a small wooden box, put the extra Wood God Dew Pills in it, and placed them all in his storage bag before giving them to Jiang Ning.

Ye Lan also instructed Jiang Ning to open the package after returning home, otherwise he was afraid that Jiang Nan would find out that he had only given him one Wood God Dew Pill and would discover that he was being biased.

Su Bo also brought out two gifts, but he wasn't as particular as the other two, and he just casually took out his gifts.

He gave them a piece of ancient amber, which was placed in a box. As soon as the box was opened, all three people present felt a strong spiritual energy.

“I got this amber from my maternal grandparents’ home last month. It emits a very pure spiritual energy, and keeping it by your side is good for cultivation. I’m giving it to you.”

This amber is completely transparent, and you can clearly see the dragon blood contained within. If the amber is broken, the dragon blood inside can be used to refine pills. Dragons in this world seem to have disappeared without a trace, let alone obtaining dragon blood, which shows how precious this thing is.

“This thing is too valuable.”

Jiang Ning wanted to return the gift, but Su Bo stopped him, saying, "What's the big deal? We're such good brothers." He then took out another gift and gave it to Jiang Ning, saying, "This is a gift from Miss Nangong. She asked me to give it to you today. Quickly open it and see what's inside."

Su Bo was very curious about the gift.

Nangong Yue had given him the gift in the Cloud Cave before. At that time, she knew that Jiang Ning and Jiang Nan would not set off for Beizhou until after their birthdays, so she prepared this gift for Jiang Ning and asked him to give it to him. She said it was to thank Young Master Jiang for being willing to let the people of the Green Mountain Sect protect her safety along the way.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning opened the box, and inside was a Nine Yang Pill.

When Ye Lan saw the Nine Yang Pill, his breath caught in his throat. He had a premonition that the Dragon Yang Grass was picked for Jiang Ning. It seemed that the story he hadn't finished reading was still unfolding according to the plot.

Although Nangong Yue was different from what he had seen before, and had become a woman, she still searched for spiritual herbs that would benefit Jiangning in the Cloud Cave, made the Nine Yang Pill, and entrusted Su Bo to deliver it. Next, she would go to the Northern Continent with them.

Shen Feng also got to know Jiang Ning. Although he didn't know when they would meet again, all of this was happening.

Well, it was beyond our control anyway. Ye Lan felt as if she had suddenly swallowed a bitter pill, her heart filled with bitterness.

But he kept a straight face, and no one knew the bitterness in his heart.

Jiang Ning was telling Su Bo that he would thank Miss Nangong later, while Jiang Nan was urging them to open the food box, saying that he had wanted to see what delicious food Ye Lan had prepared for a long time.

Only Xiaobai was connected to his soul and sensed his changes. Xiaobai wagged its tail and scratched his hand. Ye Lan felt that Xiaobai was comforting him. He quickly composed himself and asked Jiang Ning to open the food box in front of him.

"what is this?"

Everyone was very curious about this thing they had never seen before. It looked really exquisite and beautiful, and it smelled wonderful.

Ye Lan gently took it out of the food box to prevent these people from ruining its shape.

"It's called a cake. Little White said that its mother once met a member of the gods. That member said that they eat this cake on birthdays and that the cake will bring good luck to the birthday person. So I made one according to its description."

Ye Lan started making things up. Anyway, Dongzhou was so far away, it wasn't surprising that there was such a food. Besides, even if these people went to Dongzhou, they might not encounter the gods. No one doubted his statement.

"Thank you for taking the time to make this gift for me, I'm very happy."

Jiang Ning's face lit up with joy, and he was genuinely happy. He had managed to do it based on Xiao Bai's description, and Ye Lan must have put in a lot of effort. This was the first time he had received such a special gift.

"How are we going to eat this? It's not like only Jiang Ning will get to eat it, is it?" Jiang Nan felt a pang of heartache. This cake looked so delicious, but it was a whole cake, and it looked like it was only meant for one person.

“It can be cut into pieces, and people celebrating their birthdays can share this good fortune with everyone.” Ye Lan said, opening the bottom layer of the food box, where a brand new dagger, plate, and wooden spoon were found.

When Jiang An arrived, he saw Jiang Ning cutting something with a dagger, while his cousin Jiang Nan stood there watching longingly with a drooling expression.

Beside them were two other people, both dressed as disciples of the Green Mountain Sect. One of them looked somewhat familiar, but Jiang An couldn't quite place where he had seen him before.

"elder brother."

Jiang Ning looked up at his brother, greeted him, and continued cutting the cake, afraid of breaking it.

Upon hearing him call him "brother," Jiang Nan realized that his other cousin had arrived. He quickly greeted him as well. He had been so engrossed in his work, and since Jiang An's cultivation was higher than his, he hadn't noticed anyone else's arrival.

Well, even though Jiang An was injured in the leg before, which caused him to waste some cultivation time and he was unable to go to the Cloud Cave to cultivate after his leg healed, he is still two years older than these people. In addition, before his injury, his cultivation level had reached the early stage of Nascent Soul. Now Jiang An has reached the peak of Nascent Soul and is about to break through to the Out-of-Body stage.

"Senior Brother Jiang." Ye Lan and Su Bo stood up together and bowed to Jiang An.

Su Bo had met Jiang An before, but Jiang An had no impression of him. Ye Lan, on the other hand, was meeting the male lead's brother for the first time. The two brothers didn't look very alike, but upon closer inspection, their eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar. In general, Jiang An looked more like the sect leader's wife, appearing more gentle and refined.

In the past, Jiang An would have been more in line with Ye Lan's aesthetic sense, but of course, that was all in the past.

"Ah."

Jiang An nodded in agreement and walked over to them, but as soon as he reached the stone table, his attention was instantly drawn to Xiao Bai.

Because Jiang Ning was about to cut the cake, Xiao Bai moved to sit on the stone bench, so Jiang An rushed over and squatted down next to it.

This spirit pet is so cute, and its eyes have a cold and aloof look that seems to have annihilated all living beings. It looks even more beautiful than the cat-beast he raised when he was a child, and its level also looks much higher.

"May I touch it?" Jiang An had already reached out his hand, but then felt it was impolite. So he looked around and realized that the owner of this spirit pet was his junior brother who looked somewhat familiar. He then asked Ye Lan.

"Huh?" Ye Lan was taken aback by the sudden question. Jiang An looked at him with shining eyes, making it hard to refuse. Ye Lan didn't know whether to answer yes or no. He quickly looked at Xiao Bai and asked it with his divine sense, "Is it okay?"

"It's alright, it's okay if you can't." As if knowing his predicament, Jiang An waved his hand, intending to just take a few more glances at the beautiful spirit pet.

But unexpectedly, Xiaobai flicked its tail to Jiang An's hand.

"Just this once, you can only touch its tail." Xiao Bai's voice came through Ye Lan's consciousness, as aloof as ever.

Jiang An looked at the tail in front of him with delight and asked Ye Lan, "Does this mean it's okay?"

"Yes, it allows you to touch its tail."

Overjoyed to receive a positive answer, Jiang An rubbed his hands on his clothes a couple of times before gently placing them on the fluffy tail and stroking it downwards.

The pet's fur was so soft and smooth that Jiang An had to struggle to control himself and refrain from hugging and rubbing it.

"Brother, calm down." Jiang Ning called out to his brother in his mind without stopping his hands.

Others might not be able to tell, but Jiang Ning knew that his brother was in a state of extreme excitement. If his brother had a tail, it would be wagging right now.

As a result, his brother didn't respond to him. He continued to play with the little white dog's tail, stroking its fur gently, his eyes starting to look somewhat infatuated.

When they were young, their father brought home a cat-like creature, which the two brothers loved. The older brother especially doted on the cat-like creature, taking it with him when he went to cultivate. One day, the older brother fell ill, and the cat-like creature went out to gather herbs for him, but fell off a cliff and died. The older brother was heartbroken for a long time.

Later, his father brought home another cat-like beast, but his brother released it. From that time on, his brother never kept a pet again, and neither of them has ever acquired a spirit pet.

But every time he sees these furry mythical beasts, his brother can't take his eyes off them; he really likes them.

"Here you go." Jiang Ning cut the cake and handed it to his brother first, to prevent his brother from doing anything embarrassing later and then feeling ashamed and regretting it.

"What is this?" Jiang An's attention was finally diverted by Jiang Ning. He let go of Xiao Bai's tail and took the sweet pastry in front of him.

"cake."

"I'll try it."

Jiang Ning divided the cake into eight portions. One portion was given to everyone present, including the mythical beast. He also planned to give two portions to his parents, as he wanted to share his good fortune with his friends and family.

Then, the scene from Elder Xia's courtyard played out again, with everyone captivated by the cake.

No one can resist a sweet and delicious cake, and the cultivation world is no exception. In addition, its spiritual fruit can replenish spiritual energy and increase cultivation, making it even more appealing.

Jiang Nan, who is about to have his birthday, also said that he wants Ye Lan to make two cakes on his birthday. He told Ye Lan, "You don't have to give me a birthday present, but there must be two cakes. I want to give one to my mother."

Jiang Nan secretly planned in his heart that after eating with Ye Lan and the others that day, he would give half of the other half to his mother and father, and then he could keep the other half for himself!

Su Bo said he wanted two birthday cakes too, since his birthday is in November, by which time they would probably be at his family home in the Northern Continent, and he wanted to share his good fortune with his family.

When the party ended, Jiang Nan and Su Bo left first, and Jiang An asked to pet Xiao Bai's tail a couple of times. After petting it twice, he was reluctant to leave, so Jiang Ning stuffed a food box into his hand and told him to take it back to his mother first.

Now, only Ye Lan and Jiang Ning are standing face to face.

When there were many people around, she didn't feel anything, but now that it was just the two of them, Ye Lan felt a little awkward in the air, afraid that her ulterior motives towards him would be exposed.

He looked down at his toes and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

After saying that, he picked up Little White and tried to walk away.

"Wait a minute." As they passed Jiang Ning, Jiang Ning grabbed his hand and made him stop.

Ye Lan turned to look at him: "What's wrong?"

Jiang Ning seemed to suddenly realize that holding his hand like that wasn't appropriate, so she let go and continued, "Well, I just wanted to say that I really like today's gift, thank you."

"nice! You love it."

"Then I'll head back now. Good night."

Good night.

The two people split up and walked in opposite directions, as if something was chasing them, without looking back.

Only after Jiang Ning was out of sight did Ye Lan stop and extend the hand that had just been held, which still seemed to retain the warmth of that person's body.

Oh well, if I like it, I like it.

As if making a decision, he picked up Little White and quickly flew back to the front of his house.