Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 11 Song Yu Blows Tea

In the early morning, Lin Jingchu opened the door and stretched his limbs as he walked into the courtyard.

On the second day after the crisis at the Sword Tempering Cave, while receiving the Foundation Establishment Pill, he told the steward that he would take a break for a while.

Although the deacon was puzzled, he granted him a month's leave and settled his monthly salary.

In the Luoyun Sect, disciples with ordinary talent like Lin Jingchu are all classified as "external affairs disciples," who are required to perform various duties in the sect in exchange for a monthly stipend.

Those disciples with outstanding cultivation aptitude are different. They are "elite disciples" and receive special training. The sect will not forcibly assign them administrative duties, and they will still receive a monthly salary so that they can concentrate on their cultivation.

Foreign affairs staff on leave naturally do not receive their monthly salary, but it is already quite difficult to obtain leave so easily.

If you were in the Tianxing Sect, and you mentioned the word "vacation," the manager would probably just sneer and say, "If you don't want to do it, there are plenty of independent cultivators outside who do."

"Junior Brother Lin, you're up so early even on your day off?" Zhou Qinghe walked into the courtyard, his clothes still damp with dew.

Zhou Qinghe was also a disciple in charge of external affairs, specializing in alchemy for the sect.

The main peak has an alchemy pavilion connected to the Earth Fire Pool, which is used by the sect's alchemy staff and is also where Zhou Qinghe is on duty.

In addition, Tianquan Peak also has an alchemy pavilion. Unlike the main peak, disciples can rent and use the alchemy rooms in this pavilion.

Renting a pill-making room is quite expensive, and the furnaces in the Pill Pavilion on the main peak are all high-grade magic artifacts.

Therefore, alchemists at the lower levels, like Zhou Qinghe, often use their remaining time to refine extra pills after completing the sect's quota.

As long as no mistakes are made, the sect has always turned a blind eye to this kind of misuse of public resources.

Besides his monthly salary, Zhou Qinghe earned all his extra income from refining and selling pills.

Because Luoyun Sect is a sect specializing in alchemy, it has a complete process for training alchemists, resulting in a large number of alchemists and severe price suppression of pills.

To save costs, Zhou Qinghe would go into the mountains to collect herbs in his spare time, which made things relatively easy with the sniffing rats around.

Lin Jingchu chuckled self-deprecatingly: "I'm used to getting up early and being busy, so I naturally wake up on time."

"If that's the case, why did you ask for leave? That's a full twenty spirit stones of your monthly salary! Twenty!"

When he got excited, Zhou Qinghe, who was squatting by the wall sorting herbs, stood up and waved two fingers in front of Lin Jingchu.

"Do you know how much I envy you array masters?"

"Envious? Then you should learn formations too. Here, I'll lend you a book."

"No thanks, no thanks," Zhou Qinghe said politely, "Let alone mastering them, I felt dizzy and sleepy as soon as I opened your array manuals."

Lin Jingchu laughed when he heard this.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a formation technique that leads to certain death upon entry; ordinary people wouldn't even bother to glance at it.

"Purple Frost Fruit, here you go." Zhou Qinghe tossed a cloth bag over.

Thanks.

Lin Jingchu took the package and put it away, then looked at Zhou Qinghe, who was still busy, and hesitated for a moment.

Should we remind him that there is an impending crisis within the sect and that he should be extra careful in his daily life?

But the thought quickly vanished. He couldn't explain the source of the information, nor did he know when or in what form this storm would erupt, or whether it would affect them, the lower-ranking disciples.

Well, Zhou Qinghe, being a rogue cultivator, should have some means of self-protection and be vigilant.

The two chatted for a while in the courtyard, and Zhou Qinghe, after packing up the herbs, hurriedly headed to the main peak.

Lin Jingchu returned to his meditation room, took a Qingyun Pill, and began cultivating. After a while, he opened his eyes, the sharp light in them slightly diminished.

After estimating the time, he figured Song Yu should have finished his morning cultivation by now. So he mounted the Cloud-Piercing Leaf and flew towards White Phoenix Peak.

After delivering the Purple Frost Fruit, today I also need to hand over a set of refined array flags and array plates to a senior uncle.

Beside the same waterfall, the same bamboo pavilion, the same moonlit roses.

Lin Jingchu summoned a communication talisman, which transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the restriction of Bai Feng Peak.

Speaking of which, among the six peaks of the Luoyun Sect, besides Tianquan Peak, Baifeng Peak is also skilled in the art of formations.

In the original storyline, Song Yu was also proficient in formations.

I can use this opportunity to communicate more, and maybe I can quickly build up my friendship with her and then share her Heavenly Spiritual Root with her.

Just as Lin Jingchu was lost in thought, two graceful figures landed in the pavilion.

"Senior Sister Song, Senior Sister Meng...?"

Lin Jingchu couldn't help but feel a bit of a toothache.

Meng Yao gave a haughty nod, which was considered a greeting.

Song Yu was the kindest, taking the initiative to greet him: "Junior Brother Lin, I've heard about your impressive performance the other day."

???

Song Yu did not answer, but moved gracefully to the stone table in the pavilion and sat down. With a flick of her jade hand, a set of elegant celadon tea set appeared on the table.

"I overheard my junior brother mention the other day that he had some knowledge of tea ceremony. Today is a perfect day, so please try some of my treasured spiritual tea."

As she spoke, she began to warm the cups and saucers, her movements flowing smoothly and gracefully, exuding a serene beauty.

Lin Jingchu sat down opposite Song Yu, full of doubts.

Now, the question turned to Meng Yao's face.

She looked at the two men. Weren't they just ordinary junior brothers delivering fruit? They're definitely not simple! She muttered to herself as she sat down at the stone table.

The three of them then began a tea party amidst the babbling water and the faint fragrance of flowers.

"I heard a rumor yesterday." Song Yu poured boiling water into the gaiwan, and steam rose up.

"The Hidden Sword Peak's Earth Fire Pool was damaged. In this critical moment, four Qi Refining stage disciples resolutely followed Peak Master Wei into the pool to repair the great formation. During the repair, the earth's veins erupted a second time, and the pool's fire was completely destroyed..."

"But the four disciples chatted and laughed as if nothing had happened after they escaped. Peak Master Wei praised them highly, saying that they had extraordinary character and great potential in the future, and even bestowed Foundation Establishment Pills upon them on the spot."

Meng Yao, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed at Lin Jingchu.

She thought Lin Jingchu was just an ordinary disciple who had gotten lucky enough to capture a spirit fox, but she didn't expect him to be a formation master who was involved in such an important matter.

The Luoyun Sect had enjoyed peace for a long time, and this was arguably the biggest upheaval in her memory.

Lin Jingchu was speechless.

Talking and laughing as if nothing was wrong? Those three must have turned pale at that moment!

After his vacation, he took on a side job crafting array flags and array plates and devoted himself to seclusion. Unexpectedly, in just two or three days, the rumors had become so outrageous.

"Junior brother, please." A pair of slender, jade-like hands pushed a cup of spiritual tea in front of Lin Jingchu.

Lin Jingchu smiled wryly as he picked up the fragrant spiritual tea: "This rumor is truly outrageous. We were terrified at the time. The only reason we dared to jump into that fire pool was because Peak Master Wei had promised us Foundation Establishment Pills beforehand."

After saying that, he lowered his head and gently inhaled the aroma of the tea, which was refreshing and invigorating.

Taking a small sip, the tea soup is sweet on the palate, and the warm spiritual energy slides down the throat, spreading throughout the body and mind, instantly refreshing the spirit.

Fine tea! Amazing tea!

"Regardless of the cause, my junior brother's courage and sense of responsibility in stepping forward in such a dangerous situation is admirable."

Song Yu also picked up her own cup of tea, puffed out her delicate cheeks, and gently blew on the rising steam.

She waited until the tea reached her preferred temperature before taking small sips. But as she put down the teacup, she noticed Lin Jingchu staring at her, lost in thought.

Song Yu felt a little uncomfortable and raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear that wasn't disheveled. "Junior Brother Lin? Is there something wrong with Senior Sister's face?"

"Ah, no, no." Lin Jingchu suddenly came back to her senses and quickly explained, "I just suddenly remembered something else and got distracted. Please don't be offended, Senior Sister."

However, after explaining this sentence, he was momentarily at a loss for words, and the atmosphere suddenly fell silent.

A strange feeling suddenly arose in Song Yu's heart, a subtle feeling that was indescribable and unprecedented.

Outside the bamboo pavilion, orange-red maple leaves drifted slowly down with the autumn wind.