Zhang Zongnian sat to the side, watching Lin Xue wolf down her food, and the worries weighing on his heart lightened considerably.
Good-looking people really have it good—even eating looks so pleasing.
He truly wished he could always stay by her side, cooking for her every day, and watching her eat.
What a wonderful life that would be.
Lin Xue held her bowl, sweeping up her meal like a storm clearing the clouds. Before long, she had finished off the big bowl of porridge.
She used her spoon to scrape up the last bit of soup, put it in her mouth, swallowed everything, and then, still unsatisfied, set down the bowl and spoon with a sigh of admiration, “Ah, that was delicious!”
This guy really knows his craft.
If he were back on Blue Star, he could totally take the chef certification exam.
Zhang Zongnian saw her polish off all the porridge he’d cooked for her and felt deeply satisfied inside.
He put the bowl into the food box and said, “Miss Lin, if you like it, come find me anytime. I can cook for you again.”
Lin Xue narrowed her eyes into little crescents, showing her pearly teeth as she smiled, “It’s a deal. Next time we meet, you have to feed me.”
Zhang Zongnian smiled, “No problem, I’ll make sure you’re full every time.”
He stood up and said, “Miss Lin, Senior Brother said there’s still some Corpse Poison left in your arm. We need a few medicinal herbs, but we don’t have them in the shop. He’s gone to the county’s medicine shop to buy them. When he gets back, he’ll finish treating your arm, and you’ll be completely cured. Just rest in your room until he returns.”
Lin Xue thought to herself: Honestly, I don’t even need your Senior Brother anymore. I can use the Wood Spirit Detoxification Technique myself to remove all the Corpse Poison.
But of course, she would never admit she secretly learned his Senior Brother’s technique.
She nodded with a smile, “Alright.”
Zhang Zongnian picked up the food box, slipped out the back door, and headed to the kitchen.
Lin Xue watched him leave, then sneaked over to the counter and flipped through each of the books, hoping to find another cultivation manual.
But they were all books about medicine and healing, not cultivation methods, and the system didn’t prompt her to collect anything.
She could only give up, restore the books to their original places, and returned to the room where she’d first woken up.
Sitting on the bed, Lin Xue thought, Now I finally have a moment to myself. I can take care of those Storage Pouches.
After fighting for her life all night, killing several people, she could finally see what spoils she’d earned.
Thinking back on last night’s experiences, Lin Xue felt a mix of emotions.
Back in the twenty-first century, she’d been a model young person—she couldn’t even bring herself to kill a chicken.
But here in this world, she’d been forced to kill five people.
Taking someone’s life didn’t feel all that special—more like swatting a mosquito or killing a fly.
After all, they were the ones who provoked her first, all trying to kill her. She only struck back in self-defense and killed them.
She had no psychological burden about killing them.
She took out Yu Changfeng’s Storage Pouch, the Demoness’s Daoist robe, Yang Yuxiang’s and the two black-clad guards’ Storage Pouches, and then summoned Zhanfeng from the Storage Pouch.
Lin Xue picked up Yu Changfeng’s Storage Pouch first.
Yu Changfeng had the highest cultivation—Qi Refining level nine—so she had the highest hopes for his Storage Pouch.
Maybe there would be a powerful technique inside, something to quickly boost her strength.
She tossed Yu Changfeng’s Storage Pouch high into the air. A flash of white light, a slash of the blade—
“Rip!” With the sound of tearing cloth, Yu Changfeng’s Storage Pouch split open.
A mess of items tumbled out from the gash and scattered all over the floor.
There were clothes, shoes and socks, cushions, bedding, food and rations, all sorts of daily necessities, and other things she couldn’t identify.
But there were no books.
Lin Xue couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
There wasn’t the cultivation manual she’d wanted most.
Still, she didn’t lose heart.
There were four Storage Pouches left—maybe one of them held a cultivation manual.
Lin Xue sorted through the contents from Yu Changfeng’s Storage Pouch, picking out anything that might be useful and setting them in front of her to study one by one.
The most noteworthy things were a pile of green stones rich with spiritual energy, some gold and silver, a tiny Spirit Paper Crane, a long strip-shaped Jade Slip, some medicine bottles, a stack of Black Talisman Paper, and a round blackish-grey little orb.
She’d seen those green stones in Zhang Zongnian’s Storage Pouch, and also in the Storage Pouch she’d snatched from Yang Yuhai.
Lin Xue guessed these must be the currency cultivators usually used—Spirit Stones.
And since it was currency, the more the merrier.
She gathered the Spirit Stones and the gold and silver, putting them all into her own Storage Pouch.
The medicine bottles had no labels, so she had no idea what they contained. Not daring to use them, she tossed them all into the miscellaneous pile.
As for the rest—the Black Talisman Paper looked finely made, with intricate rune patterns, the Paper Crane brimmed with spiritual power, and the black-grey little orb seemed to contain tremendous energy, ready to explode at any moment.
These things all looked useful, but she had no idea what they actually did.
Lin Xue set them aside, planning to ask Zhang Zongnian about them later to see if he recognized any.
For someone at Qi Refining level nine, Yu Changfeng’s Storage Pouch was a bit too plain.
Lin Xue felt a little disappointed.
She picked up the long strip-shaped Jade Slip, wanting to see what it was.
As soon as she held it, her system panel lit up and a line of text appeared: “New cultivation manual detected: Beast Refinement Codex. Please browse to record it into the system. Once recorded, you can use Experience Points to learn it.”
Lin Xue froze, then lit up with joy.
Who would have thought this Jade Slip was actually a cultivation manual!
Just a moment ago, she’d been complaining about the lack of manuals—now one had shown up.
Back in the ancestral hall, Yu Changfeng had said this Beast Refinement Codex was something he’d taken from a core disciple of the Beast Taming Sect.
It could help one’s spirit pet devour and refine other Demons’ Serpent Cores, transforming the Demonic power within into the spirit pet’s cultivation.
She herself had become a serpent demon because the Demoness used the Beast Refinement Codex to help her absorb a Serpent Core, giving her cultivation.
She just didn’t know how to read such a manual.
Lin Xue tried channeling Demonic power into the Jade Slip.
Instantly, a dense array of text appeared before her eyes.
Meanwhile, her system panel showed that the Beast Refinement Codex had been successfully recorded. Under the ‘techniques’ section, a new line appeared:
Beast Refinement Codex (Not practiced) +
Without hesitation, Lin Xue spent her Experience Points on the Beast Refinement Codex.
Being able to devour other monsters’ Serpent Cores and raise her own cultivation—who wouldn’t want a technique like that?
After putting in 50 Experience Points, the Beast Refinement Codex status changed to (Perfected).
Lin Xue let out a long breath.
Now, if she swallowed another Serpent Core, she wouldn’t need someone else to help her refine it. She could absorb it herself.
She still felt a bit of regret.
As good as this technique was, it was a pity it wasn’t offensive.
She still lacked ways to attack.
Lin Xue picked up Yang Yuxiang’s Storage Pouch, ready to slice open this wealthy dog’s pouch.
As a scion of the Yang family, Yang Yuxiang’s pouch surely held some treasures.
Maybe there’d be an attack-type technique.
She also remembered his Substitute Paper Figurine, and those vines that had entangled her and kept her from moving—both left a deep impression.
She hoped his pouch wouldn’t let her down.
Lin Xue tossed Yang Yuxiang’s Storage Pouch high into the air, raised Zhanfeng, and was just about to chop down when she suddenly heard a shout: “Wait!”
Startled by the sudden yell, Lin Xue’s hand jerked and she didn’t bring the blade down.
She turned and saw Zhang Zongnian standing at the door, his eyes fixed nervously on the Storage Pouch.
He strode quickly over to her.
Lin Xue was unsettled by his anxious look, growing tense herself and unsure if she’d done something wrong.