The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 52: The Child Who Sought a Reward

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: The Child Who Sought a Reward

Ning Xiaoxian suffered injuries on two occasions over the span of two days, with eyewitnesses to both events. Old Huang instructed the kitchen to prepare a special meal just for her.

Thus, the next morning she was greeted with a steaming bowl of spinach and pork liver porridge waiting for her.

It is said that at that time, pork was considered the food of the common people, and it would be deemed disgraceful if brought out to entertain guests in a rich and noble family, especially since Huang Mansion was the residence of the local rich man. However, after her injury and excessive blood loss, the blood-nourishing and Qi-refilling properties of pork liver were widely recognized by the folk. Therefore, after much deliberation, the head chef decided to use it in the dish.

The pork liver and lean meat must first be marinated in dry flour and rice wine for a period to remove any gamey taste and add a moist and smooth texture. At that point, rice would be added to a small pot to make porridge, brought to a boil over high heat until the bottom of the porridge was sufficiently cooked. Then the marinated pork liver, lean pork, and shredded ginger were quickly stirred in, with spinach and flavor pepper added last.

The challenge of this dish lies in the cooking time of the pork liver: if it’s overcooked, it becomes tough and chewy like dry wood. Furthermore, the base of the porridge continues to cook and thicken slowly, making it crucial to control the heat perfectly. Additionally, the spinach must be blanched before being cooked with the liver, or else it significantly reduces both the blood-nourishing and Qi-refilling effects and turns the taste of the porridge sour and astringent. As Ning Xiaoxian would say, spinach contains oxalic acid, which seriously affects the taste and absorption of nutrients.

The Huang Mansion’s head chef handled all the details to perfection, and the spinach and pork liver porridge resembled the "fresh-poached" method from another world. It was smooth and pleasant to the taste, regulated the body’s Qi, and was indeed very suitable for patients.

That afternoon, a maid came to report that a child was at the gate seeking an audience. "He says you still owe him two maces of silver," she said.

Ah, how could she have forgotten that? Before catching Afu, she had stopped a child on the road and asked him to deliver a message to Quan Shifang, promising to pay him two maces of silver afterwards. But after capturing Afu, Yu Yao and Quan Shifang used their Divine Skills to return to Huang Mansion without anybody noticing, not alerting any passerby. Following her return, that silver, of course, remained unpaid to the child.

Had it not been for his timely search for Quan Shifang, Ning Xiaoxian would’ve fallen prey to Afu by now. Thus, he too had saved her life, and it was certainly wrong for her to owe money without repaying it. With all the events occurring these past few days, and her having been stabbed and severely wounded by Shi Jishan, she had completely forgotten about the matter. Realizing this made her feel immensely guilty.

"Please let him in," she said.

The maid giggled behind her hand, "The child is shy; he says our Huang Mansion’s walls are too tall and the adults look too fierce, he’s afraid to come in. He’d like you to meet him outside the mansion gate. If you’d prefer not to see him, this maid can go and settle the payment for you."

She could not send the maid to pay off the debt without even seeing him when the other party had done her a favor. Ning Xiaoxian could not bring herself to do that. But she also wondered, with no relatives in Siping County, how could this child know she was staying at Huang Mansion?

The child was indeed waiting for her outside Huang Mansion.

When Ning Xiaoxian came out, he was flipping over stones on the ground, using grass to provoke grasshoppers in the crevices. The aggravated grasshoppers jumped with their powerful hind legs, soaring far away both lightly and quickly.

Yet, the child’s movements were even faster. Just as the grasshopper leapt into the air, his tiny palm was already there waiting, and the unfortunate little creature seemed to bump directly into his hand, trapped under his "Five-Finger Mountain."

"This little fellow is quite dexterous," Ning Xiaoxian marveled to herself, surprised that such a young boy of five or six years old could have such fast reflexes.

The child also saw Ning Xiaoxian, blinked his eyes, and ran over dropping the grasshopper, saying, "Sister, I’ve come for my reward. You’re not going to withhold it, are you?"

It was indeed the child from that day. Now that she had the chance to look at him closely, she saw he was wearing plain, coarse clothes—clearly a commoner’s child, with a broad forehead and high cheekbones, his skin slightly yellow, suggesting a diet lacking in nutrients. Speaking, he opened his mouth and revealed several sharp baby teeth, indicating his permanent teeth had yet to fully grow in.

Ning Xiaoxian, orphaned and pity-worthy, was well-loved by her uncle, but after all, he was not her biological parent. Seeing this child now, her heart couldn’t help but be filled with compassion, so she took out one tael of silver and said:

"You did very well that day, you’ve really helped sister out. But sister hasn’t looked for you these past few days, and I truly owe you an apology. This one tael of silver, consider it compensation for your emotional distress, what do you say?"

The child accepted gleefully. Though he didn’t know what "emotional distress compensation" was, who would be unhappy to receive more silver? Showing his tiger teeth, he said: "Sister Ning is truly a kindhearted person; with this one tael of silver, mother will be overjoyed."

Today the breeze was gentle, the scenery clear, and the sunlight exceptionally brilliant. The croaking of frogs came continuously from a nearby pond, and the blooms of the Phoenix Fairy flowers by the pond were intoxicating. If one could ignore the scorching heat killing people, it would be such a beautiful day.

However, Ning Xiaoxian’s smile gradually faded. She stepped back slowly and looked at the child as she suddenly asked: "Who are you really?"

She had never told this child her surname was Ning!

Changtian urgently whispered in her ear: "This kid is strange. Hurry back to Huang Mansion, don’t just stand here! Not good, someone is behind you!"

"Sister Ning has such a meticulous heart. No wonder you were able to catch Afu." Another childlike voice sounded behind her, while at the same time, a small hand grasped her wrist and wouldn’t stop shaking it. To outsiders, this appeared to be a child acting spoiled towards a young girl, but her heart was pounding wildly. Could it be...

Another small figure emerged from behind her, donned in the same plain light blue coarse garments, with the same broad forehead and high cheekbones, and a skin tone slightly yellowish. His brows, eyes, facial features, expressions, and smile were absolutely identical to the child standing in front of her.

They were twins!

The child she had randomly found on the street actually had a brother who looked exactly like him? Moreover, if she wasn’t mistaken, these two children must be the ones that Chaoyun Sect had been searching for, for several days.

Her wrist was being held, so she rolled her eyes and opened her mouth intending to call out. The gatekeeper of Huang Mansion was only fifteen meters away; as long as she called out, he would come to check.

The child on the left suddenly said: "Sister’s heartbeat is so fast, are you scared? Are you thinking of calling for help?"

The child on the right then said: "The moment you make a sound, we will kill everyone who rushes over."

The child on the left giggled: "Kill one if one comes, kill two if two come, and if the whole mansion comes—"

The child on the right also giggled: "Then we will kill everyone in the whole mansion."

The voices of these two children were exactly the same. Their minds seemed to be in sync, and they spoke without any hesitation. If one closed their eyes to listen, these sentences would seem like one person talking to themselves.

In the midst of their conversation, the child on the left lifted Ning Xiaoxian’s finger slightly, as she watched the nails on their fingers elongate and sharpen, gleaming with a sinister black gloss.

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