"You are the truly good person," Yu Yixiang said seriously.
"Me?"
"Yes. Someone who is willing to suffer losses themselves but is still good to others is the truly good person." Yu Yixiang turned and smiled softly at Qian Duoduo.
"Master Wang knows your strength and that you can advance to Four-Rank Refiner, which is why he stepped forward. His intervention also has his own reasons. The Refining Association, the Money House, and the market are inherently in competition. Seeing Gongzi Jiao suffer a setback is something both he and Han Shunwen are happy to see. Gongzi Jiao's setback, coupled with the Refining Association gaining a Four-Rank Refiner, is such a profitable matter that he would naturally pursue it. To take a step back, if a One-Rank Artifact Refiner had killed Gongzi Jiao, Master Wang definitely wouldn't have shown up."
Qian Duoduo grinned. He hadn't thought of these intricacies. Society was complex, and he hadn't been hit by enough hammers or had enough bumps on his head yet.
"No matter what, Master Wang was good to me." Qian Duoduo felt that while analyzing motives was important, the facts might be even more so.
"It's true that he's good to you. But he's an old fox; you need to be careful when dealing with him. I think he's a little too good to you, which means he has something he wants from you. Don't ever think he saved you out of justice. If he were truly overflowing with such a sense of justice, he would have long since made a move and slapped Gongzi Jiao to death."
"I know. Only with true ability will people be good to you. It's not because you are a good person, but because the ability you possess is good," Qian Duoduo replied, but he thought to himself, no matter what happens in the future, if someone is good to you now, you should at least be good to them in return. As for what their intentions are, that can be judged later.
Hearing Qian Duoduo's reply, Yu Yixiang nodded heavily in front...
As dusk fell, the Winged Vehicle slowly descended.
The Jinlun Mountains were an uncultivated wilderness, and Qian Duoduo and the others dared not venture deep into them.
At the edge of the mountain range, there was a seemingly calm hill. The hill was covered in lush vegetation and rich in Spiritual Qi, making it a good place to rest.
"Should we stop there?" Yu Yixiang pointed at the hill and turned to ask Qian Duoduo.
"Slow down, let's circle twice in the air first." Qian Duoduo's Spiritual Awareness extended from the Winged Vehicle to the hill, probing the situation below.
Suddenly, a buzzing sound came from a patch of Spiritual Plant on the side of the hill, and then a massive Spiritual Bee flew out. This Spiritual Bee was about two inches long, with a slender, sharp stinger on its tail!
"Run!" Qian Duoduo slapped Yu Yixiang's shoulder sharply. Spiritual Bees are an extremely domineering carnivorous Spirit Beast, with strong reproductive capabilities and formidable combat power. As long as the stinger on their tail remains, they fear no level of Spirit Beast.
The sharp points of Qian Duoduo's Yin Yang Spring Breeze Scissors were made from their stingers.
Spiritual Bee nests are built under rocks, with Spiritual Plant and Spiritual Plant providing cover outside the entrance. Because Spiritual Bees discard the bones of the Spirit Beasts they've eaten outside their nests, the Spiritual Plant and Spiritual Plant around the Spiritual Bee nests are exceptionally lush.
Yu Yixiang maximized her Spiritual Qi, and the Winged Vehicle let out a piercing whistle, fleeing forward.
Behind them, a hair-raising swarm of Spiritual Bees appeared, forming a line in the air, like a giant python flying across the sky, chasing their Winged Vehicle.
It was a good thing they fled decisively!
Fortunately, the Spiritual Bees gave up after chasing for about fifteen minutes, and the giant python disappeared.
Qian Duoduo and Yu Yixiang cautiously searched for a patch of forest, and after confirming it was safe, they landed the Winged Vehicle.
By then, the moon had risen, and its light shone into the forest, casting long shadows of the two of them. A strange atmosphere, unknowingly, emerged around them.
In the wilderness, alone, they were each other's world, and a sweet sense of reliance naturally arose in their hearts.
Qian Duoduo found a sheltered rock crevice, cleared the remaining snow from it, took out the tent, and placed it inside.
"I'm really hungry this time. Your Spirit Chicken legs can finally be put to use." After putting away the Winged Vehicle, Yu Yixiang sat inside the tent.
"Don't you want the feeling to be even more wonderful when you eat?" Qian Duoduo thought for a moment and asked Yu Yixiang.
His current tent was much improved compared to when he was in the Chifeng Mountain Range. A small amount of Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia caused hallucinations, allowing one to see whatever they imagined.
"What do you mean?" Yu Yixiang asked.
"You'll understand in a moment." Qian Duoduo took out a cauldron. This cauldron was specifically for grilling food; by Qian Duoduo's current definition, it was a type of utensil.
When food is grilled to perfection, isn't it also a kind of treasure?
He placed three Spirit Chicken legs into the cauldron, first kneading them with Spiritual Qi to increase the tenderness of the Spirit Chicken meat, then applying sauce and sprinkling some chili. Qian Duoduo pressed the cauldron lid, and a ball of red flame rose inside.
"May I ask, Great Master Artifact Refiner, what rank of Magic Treasure are you refining now?" Seeing Qian Duoduo's seriousness and the complex procedure, Yu Yixiang spoke to tease him.
"What I am refining this time are supreme-grade Spirit Chicken legs. Their rank is too high to be easily tested, so they can only be designated as the highest, Nine-Rank." Qian Duoduo turned the Spirit Chicken legs, allowing wisps of aroma to waft from the cauldron.
Qian Duoduo, having long managed the Gold Vault's kitchen, knew deeply the importance of aroma to food. With aroma, one could whet a person's appetite. With appetite, as long as the food wasn't too bad, people would love to eat it.
This was the Law of captivating aroma when cooking.
Yu Yixiang hugged her knees, smiling as she watched Qian Duoduo. She especially liked Qian Duoduo's unrestrained relaxation. In front of him, she too was most relaxed.
Those who allow you to shed all masks and be unrestrained and relaxed are the people you trust and are closest to.
Just as the skin of the Spirit Chicken legs turned crispy and a beautiful golden color, Qian Duoduo extinguished the furnace fire, took one out, and handed it to Yu Yixiang, "Try it."
Yu Yixiang took it, blew on it gently, and took a small bite.
Qian Duoduo knew that at this moment, beneath the crispy chicken skin, the inside was definitely fragrant, tender, and juicy Spirit Chicken meat.
"How is it?" Qian Duoduo looked at Yu Yixiang.
Yu Yixiang's lips moved slightly, "Wow, it's delicious! It really is Nine-Rank. I never thought a mere Spirit Chicken leg could be roasted like this by you. You truly live up to being a Four-Rank Refiner." Her exquisite face was filled with pleasant surprise, like spring flowers blooming.
"Eat slowly, and let's add some more wonderfulness." Qian Duoduo opened the switch on the tent, allowing the scent of Black Velvet Soft Purple Artemisia to drift out.
"How does it come?" Yu Yixiang looked expectantly at Qian Duoduo.
"Just imagine you're sitting in your favorite place, eating this Spirit Chicken leg."
"Alright." Yu Yixiang closed her eyes, and after a moment, opened them again.
In an instant, the scene inside the tent transformed into a sea of flowers. Qian Duoduo and Yu Yixiang were sitting amidst the flower sea, and she held a steaming, fragrant chicken leg in her hand.
This sea of flowers was replicated from the blooming of tens of thousands of spiritual plant in the manor, absolutely real, absolutely stunning.
"Wow, it can even do this!" Yu Yixiang was astonished. She closed her eyes again, took a deep breath, "Wow, even the scent of these flowers is real."
"Are you overflowing with happiness?" Qian Duoduo asked proudly.
"Nine-Rank chicken leg, supreme happiness." Soon, Yu Yixiang finished one Spirit Chicken leg.
Qian Duoduo opened the cauldron lid, took out another one, and handed it to her. The cauldron maintained a certain temperature, keeping the roasted Spirit Chicken legs from getting cold.
Yu Yixiang awkwardly took it, turning her head slightly. In a moment, her face was slightly flushed, filled with satisfaction, and in another moment, she had finished it.
Seeing her eyes turn to the cauldron, Qian Duoduo opened the cauldron lid, preparing to take out the last roasted Spirit Chicken leg for her. If she still wasn't full, Qian Duoduo would roast more; after all, he had hundreds stored in the Golden Toad.
Just then, Qian Duoduo heard a swallowing sound, and then a high-pitched voice said, "Can this one be left for me?"