The sky was just beginning to lighten.
The innkeeper’s face immediately broke into a smile.
“Good morning, guests. Did you sleep well last night?”
The middle-aged innkeeper was already up, standing behind the counter and wiping his abacus.
Li Ji Nv nodded, took out a small piece of silver from his sleeve, and placed it on the counter.
“For the room, as well as last night’s tea and hot water.”
The innkeeper waved his hands repeatedly.
“Sir, that’s too much. You don’t need to pay that much—”
“Keep the rest as a tip.”
After saying that, Li Ji Nv walked to a table in the corner and sat down.
The innkeeper’s face beamed with joy.
He put the silver away and turned to shout toward the kitchen.
“Hua Pozi, make two bowls of noodles!”
From the kitchen came a woman’s reply, accompanied by the clatter of pots and pans.
Su Wan’er came downstairs and sat down across from Li Ji Nv.
The two of them sat in silence.
Li Ji Nv watched the growing number of pedestrians outside the window.
Su Wan’er kept her head down, her fingers drawing absentminded circles on the table.
“Noodles are here!”
The innkeeper’s wife came out with a tray, carrying two steaming bowls of Yangchun noodles.
The noodles were fine and white, the broth clear and bright.
A few chopped green onions and a bit of lard floated on the surface, the aroma wafting into their noses.
“Enjoy your meal, guests. Let me know if you need more.”
The innkeeper’s wife set the bowls in front of them and retreated with a smile.
Li Ji Nv picked up his chopsticks and buried himself in eating.
Su Wan’er stared at the steaming bowl of Yangchun noodles in front of her and fell into deep confusion.
The noodles were as fine and white as silver threads.
The broth was so clear she could see the bottom.
A few green onion pieces floated on the oil, the fragrance drilling straight into her nose.
It really did smell good.
But she couldn’t eat it.
After reaching Foundation Establishment, one could abstain from grains—that was basic common sense for cultivators.
Occasional consumption of grain wasn’t harmful, but it wasn’t good either.
Eating too much would cause spiritual qi to be tainted by turbid qi, affecting cultivation progress.
More importantly, indulging in mortal pleasures was a major taboo in cultivation.
The cravings of the mouth, the pleasures of the ears and eyes—these were stumbling blocks on the path of cultivation.
A true cultivator should purify their desires, feeding on the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and drinking the essence of the sun and moon.
The elders in her sect hardly even drank water, let alone ate noodles.
But Senior…
Su Wan’er stole a glance at the person across from her.
Li Ji Nv was still eating, his head bowed.
He used his chopsticks to twirl up a bunch of noodles and slurped them noisily, with no regard for appearances.
He ate as if no one else existed.
He even lifted the bowl to take a sip of broth, letting out a loud “slurp.”
A Golden Core True Person… doing this…
Her mind suddenly conjured a rebellious thought—‘Does Senior not even know about grain avoidance?’
But as soon as the thought arose, she ruthlessly crushed it.
‘Impossible.’
‘A Golden Core True Person, someone who could turn the world upside down—how could they not know such basic, entry-level cultivation common sense?’
‘Then why is Senior eating?’
Su Wan’er pursed her lips.
Her gaze fell on Li Ji Nv as she observed him carefully.
Suddenly, a thought struck her.
‘Perhaps Senior has spent a hundred years training in the Mortal World.’
‘That long of a time would be enough to polish one’s character to perfect clarity. Maybe Senior has already passed the stage of “deliberate cultivation” and reached the realm of “following one’s heart without overstepping the bounds.”’
‘Eat when you want to eat. Sleep when you want to sleep.’
‘It’s not about indulging in the mortal world, but seeing through it and still being able to enjoy it with peace of mind.’
‘That is true transcendence.’
‘Not looking down on the mortal world from high above the clouds, but being in the mortal world while keeping your heart outside of it.’
Su Wan’er felt her heart pound.
She had gained another layer of understanding.
But…
Even though she understood the principle, she still didn’t dare eat.
Su Wan’er picked up her chopsticks, then put them down again.
She just couldn’t be as carefree as Senior.
Over ten years of cultivation, from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, she had long gotten used to not eating mortal food.
Now, to pick up a bowl and eat noodles—it just felt wrong.
Like breaking the rules.
Li Ji Nv finished his bowl of noodles and looked up.
He saw that Su Wan’er’s bowl was still full, and the noodles were nearly clumping together.
He raised an eyebrow.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
Su Wan’er kept her head down and spoke softly.
“Senior, I… have already reached grain avoidance.”
Li Ji Nv was taken aback.
Grain avoidance?
‘Oh, right. Cultivators had that concept—once you reach a certain realm, you don’t need to eat anymore.’
‘Then me eating so heartily just now… doesn’t that make me look unprofessional?’
No.
Li Ji Nv reconsidered.
‘What’s wrong with eating noodles? Does eating noodles make me not look like a great master?’
‘He was a Golden Core True Person. Whatever a Golden Core True Person did was right.’
‘There were plenty of lofty cultivators who stayed above mortal life and didn’t eat. He decided to be different.’
‘What’s wrong with eating noodles? Does eating noodles make me not look like a great master?’
‘A down-to-earth great master is still a great master.’
‘Besides, he really did enjoy eating just now.’
With that thought, Li Ji Nv’s expression remained completely unchanged.
His tone even became more inscrutable.
“I know.”
Su Wan’er looked up at him, confused.
‘He knows?’
‘Then why is he still telling her to eat?’
Li Ji Nv saw the confusion in her eyes and quickly racked his brain for a way to bluff his way through.
He picked up his broth bowl, took a slow sip, and let his mind race.
Got it.
“Grain avoidance or no grain avoidance—that’s just a formality.”
Li Ji Nv set down the bowl and spoke casually.
“Do you think that by not eating, you’re cultivating?”
Su Wan’er was taken aback.
“Cultivation is about training the heart, not training the mouth.”
Li Ji Nv leaned back against his chair and looked at her calmly.
“You’ve practiced grain avoidance for over ten years. You’ve reached Foundation Establishment. But is your heart really more tranquil than a mortal’s?”
Su Wan’er opened her mouth but couldn’t find words.
“In a bowl of noodles, there’s the fragrance of wheat, the savoriness of the broth, and the warmth of a simple meal.”
As he spoke, Li Ji Nv pointed at her bowl of noodles, which had already started to clump.
“These are not obstacles to cultivation—they are the very foundation of it.”
“If you never eat the food of the mortal world, how can you know what it tastes like?”
“If you don’t know the taste of the mortal world, how can you talk about transcending it?”
After saying all that, Li Ji Nv silently gave himself a thumbs-up in his mind.
‘Even I almost believed that speech.’
Su Wan’er stared at Li Ji Nv, her eyes glistening slightly.
‘Senior is right.’
‘She had always thought that cultivation was about constant subtraction—cutting out the desire to eat, cutting out the desire to sleep, cutting out the seven emotions and six desires, until all that remained was a pure, flawless Dao Heart.’
‘But Senior told her that wasn’t the case.’
‘Cultivation isn’t about subtraction—it’s about transcendence.’
‘It’s not about never eating; it’s about eating without becoming attached.’
‘It’s not about never sleeping; it’s about sleeping without becoming greedy.’
‘The way Senior ate the noodles was so natural, so carefree, without a hint of inner conflict—because he truly didn’t care.’
‘She didn’t eat the noodles not because she had transcended, but precisely because she cared.’
‘She cared about the rule that “cultivators shouldn’t eat noodles,” so she didn’t dare.’
‘She was the one bound by the rules.’
‘And Senior had long since broken free of these constraints.’
“Junior… has learned from your teaching.”
Su Wan’er’s voice trembled slightly.
She picked up her chopsticks, took a bunch of noodles, brought them to her lips, hesitated for a moment, then closed her eyes as if making a firm decision, and put the noodles into her mouth.
The noodles had already clumped a bit, so the texture wasn’t great.
But the broth’s flavor remained, and the fragrance of wheat was still there.
Su Wan’er chewed slowly.
Her eyes suddenly stung.
She put down her bowl, raised her head.
Her eyes were a little red, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips.
“Senior, it really is delicious.”
Li Ji Nv looked at her and suddenly felt a bit guilty.
‘That speech he just gave…’
‘He only said it so she would eat the noodles and not waste food.’
‘As for “the essence of cultivation” and “transcending mortal flavors,” that was all improvised on the spot.’
‘But seeing how deeply moved Su Wan’er looked, it seemed his improvisation had worked pretty well.’
Li Ji Nv averted his gaze and let out a nonchalant “Mm.”
“Let’s go. Time to hit the road.”
Su Wan’er stood up and respectfully bowed.
“Yes, Senior.”
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