Wan Yan found that each dish had its special magical effect.

Bean sprouts enhanced aptitude; vegetables strengthened six senses, and fruits can consolidate meridians.

When she came back to herself, realizing the messy table and sensing the strange gaze from Zhang Jian, she was dying to find a crack in the ground to crawl in and hide.

"What a shame!"

Zhang Jian yet sympathized with her instead.

"Take your time... I can cook you more if that's not enough."

Wang Yan was shocked at his kindness. He was not joking about it.

"No... Senior."

Wang Yan thought she was wrong about his true identity.

She thought he and her master were intimate friends. But there was nothing in her master's treasury that could compare to the dish she just ate.

The man in front of her was a real reclusive expert!

She brushed her hair and asked, "I am here to inquire about my master's whereabouts. I cannot take on the great responsibility without him.

She took it for granted that Zhang Jian knew her relationship with her master and who she was.

Zhang Jian's face remained calm, but he wondered, "Didn't Old Man Xiao go straight home after saying goodbye that day?"

There was a knock on the door just as he was thinking.

Zhang Jian was relieved to hear the familiar rhythm of the knocking. "Go out and you will see who you want to see."

At the same time, a hearty laugh broke out.

"Ha ha... How are you doing, my peer Zhang?"

He seemed familiar with the house and yard by walking by the ordinary-looking doghouse and came to the main hall at a quick pace.

Wang Yan was excited at the all too familiar voice.

"Master!"

It was Old Man Xiao.

Old Man Xiao petted the head of Wan Yan and complimented, "Well done. I have been to Purple Sect before coming here to express my gratitude to my peer Zhang,"

Zhang Jian was sure that Old Man Xiao had made a full recovery judging by his ruddy face.

The poor medical conditions in ancient times meant less survival rate for old, weak people. He felt happy for Old Man Xiao. Laughing, Zhang Jian went back to the kitchen to cook some more dishes, intending to drink a toast for his recovery.

Just while Zhang Jian was bustling in the kitchen, Wang Yan felt a lump come into his throat then broke into tears at the sight of her master.

"Why did you leave in such a hurry, master? If it had not been for this senior, I would not have known that you are dying."

A cultivator could calculate his or her death date vaguely, and the more influential the perception ability was, the more accurate it would be.

Old Man Xiao sighed.

In Purple Sect, he had to intrigue against the other elders, worry for the rank of the sect, and had only two trustworthy disciples.

In his heart, Long Yi and Wang Yan were his children.

Old man Xiao shook his head and told her through sonic wave transmission, "Yan, it is not because I am dying."

Hearing this, Wang Yan stopped her tears.

"Master, do you mean..."

Old Man Xiao nodded heavily. "There was another reason for my disappearance. Part of the Purple Sect has been assimilated by demons. So are the other great sects."

Wan Yan smelled a conspiracy.

Zhang Jian was humming a tune in the kitchen as the two communicated through sonic wave transmission.

He was delighted that Old Man Xiao was still alive. Every time he came and went in such a hurry that he did not even have time for a cup of tea.

Speaking of which, he remembered the spirit he had made from the rice.

Soon, the aroma of the food hit Old Man Xiao's head.

Zhang Jian took out the spirit jar, getting ready to have a nice drink with Old Man Xiao.

Wang Yan dared not be impolite and hurried forwards to help him take out the dishes from the kitchen. Speaking of the rank here, she was the lowest among the three, and it was not proper for the other two to serve for her.

For a cultivator as advanced as Old Man Xiao was, he tried to turn down Zhang Jian's kind gesture, but when he saw the dishes, his eyes lit up.

"This... this is like the panacea from Celestial World!"

What a fool he was to think that someone like Zhang Jian would treat him with mortals' ordinary food!

Wait a minute! Judging from how the food looked like, it was freshly made!

My Gosh! Not to mention that he himself could not refine such a great panacea in such a short time, he wondered whether there were another single one other than Lord Laozi could produce this.

His hand holding the chopsticks shook slightly.

Zhang Jian noticed this detail. It was not a sign of Alzheimer's disease, was it?

He felt somewhat awkward and asked, "Are you all right?"

Cold sweat broke out on Old Man Xiao's forehead, "I am fine. His voice trembled. How would he return such a big favor? He can not just say no as well, can he?

Noticing the slight change of his expression, Zhang Jian held his hands and asked seriously, "You are acting weird." Most older men would experience some sequelae of trauma. He was worried that was precisely what Old Man Xiao was experiencing.

Looking back into Zhang Jian's solemn eyes, Old Man Xiao sighed in his heart that he was too stupid to realize the fact that Zhang Jian could easily see through his problem.

Wan Yan, who was sitting next to them, was so fascinated by the incredible aroma of the spirit. After pouring them two cups of spirit, she started drinking hers, neglecting them completely.

Old Man Xiao sighed, "My peer Zhang, have you ever seen Equinox Flower that was said to blossom fervently in the hell yet hard to meet?"

Zhang Jian smiled, "Equinox Flower, the kindness and softness of the demons. It cast itself into the hell but was rejected entry by the demons. That was why it was still wandering aimless on the path to hell. The demons sympathized it so they allowed it to take root on the path while guiding the souls that left the mortal world to enter the hell."

Zhang Jian drank the spirit and told them the stories he heard from the past life.

Old Man Xiao gulped down one cup of spirit after another to conceal his shock.

This secret news was unknown even to most immortals in Celestial World, but Zhang Jian talked about it with great familiarity.

"Have you ever seen it?"

"Of course."

The digital effects on the videos depicting Equinox Flower in the past life were excellent and vivid.