Wait a minute, where is my master?

The Taoist saw the other party, and his gaze subconsciously swept around the reception hall.

But he did not see the two elders who were "beaten" by the Ancestor of the Immortal Palace.

"Jin Taoist, Yu Taoist."

Mr. Chi stood up and greeted the two who had just entered.

He noticed Jin Xu's gaze searching for something, and realizing what it was, he stroked his beard with a smile and began to explain.

"Those two old fellows said they wanted to 'stay' in my mountain and river map for a while; they 'agreed' with me that they would come out once they send the earnings from the sold meat to Kunlun as a living fee."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a protest came from the scroll laid on the desk by the Ancestor of the Immortal Palace.

"Elder Chi, you're being unreasonable..."

Mr. Chi flicked his fingers with his hands behind his back, and a burst of spiritual power instantly flew to the scroll, enveloping it.

The protest dissipated, and he continued to stroke his white beard, a satisfied expression on his face.

"Let's not talk about them anymore, ominous."

"Speaking of which, Jin Taoist, have you accomplished the purpose of your visit? Yu Taoist's mastery in Alchemy Dao is unparalleled in the Nine Provinces. Presumably, he must have analyzed each and every effect of your seven pills, right?"

On the way here, the Ancestor of the Immortal Palace had inquired about the Taoist's purpose for this trip and had also learned about the spectacular fiery spectacle outside Shangjing City, all because of these seven pills.

"...They have been analyzed."

Jin Xu really wanted to tell him.

Talking about the pills was even more ominous!

But before he could ponder the right words, he heard the Ancestor of the Immortal Palace continue.

"The pills that triggered the Heavenly Tribulation must have extraordinary effects; Jin Taoist, could you perhaps shed some light on them to enlighten me?"

"No."

This time, the Taoist did not need to ponder his words and decisively chose to refuse, stepping past him.

Upon hearing these two words, the Ancestor of the Immortal Palace's hand stroking his beard suddenly stiffened.

He looked somewhat puzzled toward Grandma Yu beside him and secretly sent her a message.

"Yu Taoist, did I say something wrong?"

The Shui Clan Elder did not respond but shook her head mysteriously and sighed deeply.

She then also walked away from him.

Mr. Chi stood there, his eyes full of incomprehension.

...

...

An hour later.

Sounds of dry heaving came from the Shui Clan's dining hall.

Outside the hall, the Clam Elf and the Pipi Shrimp Elf exchanged glances, both seeing a trace of concern named 'big trouble' in each other's eyes.

"It's over, the brothers might have to return to that life where they occasionally sell out their mouths and stomachs for cultivation resources."

The Pipi Shrimp Elf said uneasily.

"Not necessarily, didn't the Great Elder state that Miss Yaoer's cooking skills have improved?"

The Clam Elf quietly countered, its uncompletely faded shell opening and closing as it spoke.

"Are you brainless? Didn't you hear everyone in the dining hall dry heaving?"

"I did hear it, but didn't you notice that when Miss Yaoer brought in the soup earlier, it actually smelled quite fragrant?

"Even now, a fragrant aroma wafts from the dining hall, making one want to have a taste."

As the Clam Elf spoke, it took a deep breath, its face filled with an intoxicated expression.

When the Pipi Shrimp Elf heard the other party say this, a puzzled look appeared vividly on its face.

He casually waved his multiple pairs of arms, puzzled in his heart.

"The scent is indeed fragrant, but the retching sounds from the hall just now were unmistakably real."

Inside the dining hall at that moment.

Grandma Yu's face looked utterly displeased, and in front of her, the fiery red soup bowl seemed still full.

If it weren't for some soup stains on the outer wall of the bowl, it would have looked untouched.

The soup bowls in front of Senior Chi and Jin Xu were the same, only the Ancestor of the Immortal Palace was currently leaning over the table, facing the ground.

It seemed that the retching sounds had indeed come from him.

Meanwhile, the Taoist's expression remained normal, and he even had the time to pat the Ancestor of the Immortal Palace on the shoulder, clearly having not touched the soup in front of him.

"Yaoer... the last time you gave me that roasted egg in the Mountain and Sea Realm, did you cook it?"

A small sip of soup made Grandma Yu immediately comprehend the taste, suppressing the urge to retch, she asked Yaoer intermittently.

"Ah, Grandma, are you talking about that egg? Little White roasted it."

Little Fish Demon said, pointing at the Husky beside her who had already finished a whole bowl of soup.

Upon hearing this, the Shui Clan Elder's face first showed a hint of deep distress, followed by shock at Little White's cleanly emptied soup bowl.

"I had Elder Chi predict long ago that Yaoer would have 'five disadvantages and three lacks' in her lifetime, destined to have no fate with the culinary arts. How could I have been so blind as to believe she would be good at cooking!

"However, this youngster from the Snow Wolf Clan is truly impressive..."

Grandma Yu mused, pulling out a pill from her storage magic treasure that could temporarily numb the taste buds, slipping it into her mouth as she pretended to wipe her lips. She had secretly developed this medicine after Yaoer began to immerse herself in the culinary arts.

Occasionally, when encountering really unbearable dishes and soups, the Great Elder would secretly consume one before tasting.

Actually, the soup Little Fish Demon had prepared today was only considered low-grade among the dishes she made. However, because a Spirit Stone containing the exotic fragrance of the Age Chicken was added during the cooking process,

this led to a conflict between the enticing aroma and the indescribable taste upon entering the mouth, making it even harder to accept than usual.

"Senior Chi, this girl is the one you helped me predict back then, the golden koi, isn't she? I told you she would..."

"Mr. Chi, be careful with your words."

The Ancestor of the Immortal Palace was interrupted by Grandma Yu before he could finish speaking.

Jin Xu, who was pondering what name to give to the "fragrant smelling, taste... unknown" soup, suddenly heard Mr. Chi mention Yaoer's past. Curiosity diverted his attention.

However, the Ancestor of the Immortal Palace, after being stopped by Grandma Yu, did not say much more, only glanced at Little Fish Demon, then looked down.

"Ugh~"

As Mr. Chi bowed his head and saw the soup before him, the indescribable taste seemed to have been activated again.

He then leaned over again and began to retch.

...

...

After the dining hall incident.

Jin Xu and his companions, amid the farewell of various sea creatures from the Shui Clan's territory,

embarked on their journey back to Shangjing City.

The journey was uneventful, with no sudden incidents occurring.

When they were about to reach the outskirts of Shangjing City, they found that the morning rain had stopped and even the clouds in the sky had cleared quite a bit.

After entering the city.

Yaoer and Little White hand in hand, went to their old house to play with Fu Ling.

Meanwhile, the Taoist and Mr. Chi returned to their pavilion.

However, this time upon returning to the pavilion, Jin Xu did not avoid Mr. Chi as usual but invited him into a seldom-used study.

"Senior Chi, could you please elaborate on that prediction you made for Little Yu when we were in the Shui Clan?"