The main event of the lantern festival was held on Zhaoxing Lake in the center of Weiri City.
Dozens of large flower boats and lantern boats swayed gently on the lake. The boats varied in size, from large houseboats to small fishing boats. What they had in common was that all were adorned with lanterns of various colors.
A few small boats docked at the lakeside, and when the curtains were lifted, they revealed girls dressed to impress, lively and alluring. They laughed and joked, occasionally twisting slightly to reveal half of their delicate chests, highlighted under the gauzy mist-like fabric, exuding an allure that was both enticing and graceful.
If anyone on the shore made a commotion, a flower attendant from within the cabin would come out, all silver-tongued and clever, inviting people to board the boat to converse with the owner inside.
If someone wished to board the boat, the maid would gift a fresh flower, thus bestowing the title of Flower-Biting Guest upon them.
The boat owners were not just pretty faces; most had a talent or two.
If they could play the piano, the boat was a Piano Boat; if they could paint, it was a Painting Boat; if they could compose poetry, then a Poetry Boat...
In this way, these acts of offering and picking flowers gained a glamorous title.
Of course, it wasn't ruled out that some might find true love on these flower boats. Just at those stalls selling indecent books, there were quite a few stories like that.
A flower boat stopped in front of Fan Wubing, and a flower attendant walked out, smiling at him,
"This young master, my sister invites you to the boat and wishes to perform a piece for you."
Perform?
The surrounding onlookers accurately caught this word, casting envious glances at Fan Wubing.
"Perform" meant the boat owner had taken a liking to you, inviting you to board free of charge. It was really just a gimmick, but many who couldn't afford the boarding fee came specifically for this, just to join in the fun.
Fan Wubing hadn't yet spoken when his sleeve was suddenly tugged by Luo Qingyao,
"What's wrong, Junior Sister Luo?"
Luo Qingyao was about to say something but then realized she had no right to demand anything of Fan Wubing. But she didn't want him to board the boat, so she just shook her head, pouting.
Fan Wubing originally hadn't planned to board. He remembered Wei Changkong's words well: for those seeking the Immortal Path, unless they've learned the dual cultivation technique, they should avoid mingling with others lightly, lest their foundation be ruined by distracting thoughts.
Given that he had no such intentions, he naturally refused. Otherwise, what was the point? Surely not just for a song?
After he gently declined, the maid seemed regretful, while Luo Qingyao smiled.
The others around were all substituting themselves in their minds, looking at him longingly as if to say, "If you won't go, let me!"
Ah, that flower attendant then indeed invited someone else.
The invited person was thrilled, nodding eagerly, and immediately boarded the boat, entering the Piano Boat impatiently. When the curtain was lifted, half of the boat owner's face was revealed, incredibly beautiful. Those around were even more envious and couldn't help but tease if Fan Wubing regretted his decision.
Fan Wubing remained unmoved, thinking, could she be half as beautiful as my senior sister?
...
Fan Wubing and Luo Qingyao strolled for a while longer and then returned to the sect together.
Spending today at the lantern festival with Senior Brother Fan, whom she has long admired, made the young girl extremely happy, her smile never fading along the way.
Back at Enlightenment Peak, Fan Wubing didn't forget to meditate in front of the Enlightenment Stele for half an hour. However, it's not for that 0.1 point life limit anymore, but more out of a habit developed over nearly ten years.
Like something you do every day, for a long time, suddenly stopping would make you feel unsettled.
That night, he slept soundly; for the first time in years, he slept until the sun was high in the sky.
As usual, he first examined his attributes panel,
[Fan Wubing]
[Age: 14]
[Life: 347/347]
[Cultivation: None]
[Attribute-less Cultivation Technique: "Swallow Stars, Chew Moon," Current Progress: 0.8/100, Reaching Perfection grants the innate passive 'Tongue of Desire']
[Physique: Heavenly Crippled Body...]
[Talent: Fate Undying. No limit on life value]
[Talent: Unwarranted Qi Creation Skill. Recovers 0.1% life value per second]
"347 points! The benefits of 'Swallow Stars, Chew Moon' are truly great; a single meal increases by 4.8 points, and that's just worldly food. If I could have that celestial cuisine."
Gulp.
Fan Wubing swallowed his saliva, quickly preparing ingredients to cook and satisfy his cravings.
He could feel that his body now, due to "Tongue of Desire," had an intense desire for nourishment.
But unlike Lady Li, who unconsciously showed this desire, he could control it through "Swallow Stars, Chew Moon."
The dishes enjoyed at Landlord Li's house last night had their recipes extracted by "Tongue of Desire."
Fan Wubing's culinary skills immediately matched that of a master chef. Moreover, he could find better substitutes for many ingredients on Immortal Peak. Even the wild vegetables on the mountain, nurtured by the essence of the sun and moon, are naturally superior to those grown with farm fertilizers.
After tidying up, using the same cooking methods produced dishes of higher quality.
During cooking, Fan Wubing found that taste seemed to also affect the absorption effect of "Tongue of Desire."
He first cooked a dish completely according to the chef's method, then modified one slightly to his taste, cooking the same dish again.
Then,
One dish: [+0.1 life limit]
One dish: [+0.12 life limit]
"So it is true!"
He pondered for a moment. "Tongue of Desire," simply put, is appetite; it's fundamentally about satisfying one's own needs and desires. Naturally, something that aligns more with personal taste better satisfies the "Tongue of Desire," hence better absorption is not surprising.
"Indeed, as they say, doing it yourself brings ample food and clothing."
After a bit of improvement, the recipes were adjusted to fit his taste better, maximizing the effect of "Tongue of Desire."
Overall, this meal was not as lavish as last night's, but the gain was almost the same, a total of [+4.5 life limit], and the cultivation progress of "Swallow Stars, Chew Moon" increased by 0.7%.
Seeing the blood bar rising rapidly, Fan Wubing just wanted to keep eating, but after all, it still had to be digested.
His limit wasn't the maximum, but the quantity he could consume.
After eating, he set off for Fulu Peak to the Delegation Hall to submit his commission.
He was quite a rare guest at this Delegation Hall, attracting a lot of attention right away.
Some disciples came over, intentionally or unintentionally, to see him fail.
"I heard Fan Wubing took that 'Heavy Gold Seeks Progeny' commission the other day, is it true?"
"It's true, I saw it with my own eyes."
"That commission hasn't been completed even by several Foundation Establishment stage disciples. They not only failed but also seemed to get injured quite badly. Hey, do you think he's here to submit the commission?"
"Pfft—no way, look at his cultivation level... He must not have even started it, just rushing to cancel it before the deadline to avoid losing too much contribution."
Hearing these remarks often, Fan Wubing sometimes thought it befitting that these main sect disciples even mocked courteously.
There's no aggression at all.
If they were to engage in a verbal spat with his past life's netizens, a few words, and they'd probably burst into tears.
Fan Wubing placed his Sect Token into the square-shaped celestial mirror at the front of the hall to submit the commission. This celestial mirror was truly a treasure, capable of tracking the expenditure and income of contribution points for everyone in the sect and comprehensively checking if commissions were completed sincerely and also judging the completion level.
A smart big data computing management system?
In this Cultivation Realm, there are indeed great prospects!
Soon, the celestial mirror completed its judgment, with a result of [Perfect].
At the same time, the celestial mirror emitted a soft golden light.
"Golden light! He actually completed the commission perfectly!"
"How's it possible, he must have hired help!"
"No, a perfect judgment means it was completed solo in the most harmless, minimal cost way, and it also requires substantial praise from the commissioner!"
"But... isn't he unable to cultivate, how did he do it?"
More and more people gathered around, some attempting to converse with Fan Wubing.
But Fan Wubing only cared about the rewards, responding half-heartedly.
On top of 100 contribution points, the celestial mirror added a perfect additional reward, totaling 120 contribution points, a sum many Qi Refining Stage disciples couldn't even accumulate.
There was also a special reward. A golden glowing, pearl-like pill fell into Fan Wubing's hand.
One disciple saw it and exclaimed,
"That's a Foundation Establishment Pill! It's a superb quality one too!"