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Lilith brought Liana into the ruined temple. Naturally, there were no monsters inside, but to their surprise, someone else was already there. An old Daoist in tattered robes lay sprawled atop a pile of straw, snoring away with loud wheezing breaths, sleeping unbelievably soundly.

Lilith glanced at him once and ignored him afterward. There was no way she was actually going to force him to hand over any cumin seasoning anyway.

She casually tore a few broken window panels off to use as firewood, then happily lit a fire and began roasting the rabbit. Liana sat atop the offering table before the worn Buddha statue nearby, swinging her little feet back and forth while softly humming a cheerful tune.

Before long, the rabbit was nearly done roasting. Even without any seasoning, the rich aroma still spread irresistibly through the air.

“Hm? Is it mealtime already?” The old Daoist seemed to catch the scent. With a swift carp flip, he sprang upright from the floor and followed the smell straight toward the roasted rabbit in Lilith’s hands.

“Hey, roasted rabbit’s my favorite. Give me a piece too.” The old Daoist acted as though he were family, shamelessly plopping himself beside Lilith while staring expectantly at the roasted meat in her hands.

“And who are you supposed to be?” Lilith shot him a cold glance.

“Ah, don’t be so distant now. When people travel the world, shouldn’t they help each other out a little?”

“And you think you deserve that?”

“Now that’s harsh. Meeting is fate, you know? Since you and I happened to meet me here, doesn’t that make us half family already? Between family members, why talk about whether someone deserves it or not?”

“You want a free meal? Keep dreaming.” Lilith mercilessly slapped away the old Daoist’s sneaky hand as it reached toward the rabbit.

“You little girl, if you won’t share then fine, but there’s no need to get physical about it.” The old Daoist awkwardly withdrew his hand before turning his head aside. “You say it as if I would starve to death without one bite.”

Lilith ignored him completely. She first tore off a large rabbit leg for herself and another for Liana, then happily began eating. The taste was surprisingly good. Perhaps because of the meat quality itself, Lilith even felt it tasted better than the pork chop they had eaten at noon.

“Gulp.” Smelling the tempting aroma, the old Daoist secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Once the craving in his stomach had been stirred awake, it became impossible to suppress.

Unfortunately, he had forgotten to bring money when leaving home again. He smacked his lips a few times, seemingly making up his mind, before pulling several tattered books from his robes.

“Little miss, how about this? I will trade these cultivation manuals for a piece of rabbit meat.”

“I’m not interested in those trashy books at all.” The moment she heard they were cultivation manuals, Lilith lost all interest in even glancing at them. If they had been ecchi books instead, she might actually have considered trading with him.

As for cultivation manuals? She wouldn’t even use them as toilet paper because they’d probably scratch her butt.

“Heh, little girl, you truly fail to recognize treasure when it’s right in front of you. These cultivation manuals of mine are priceless treasures countless people out there would kill for. Not even mountains of gold could buy them.

“After cultivating them, maybe you wouldn’t ascend to immortality on the spot, but splitting mountains, shattering rocks, flying through the skies, and traversing the earth would absolutely be possible.

“I took a tremendous risk bringing these out. If my junior sister found out, I’d probably end up locked in secluded confinement for another few years. If not for the unbearable craving tormenting me right now, I’d never commit such an act as trading gold mines for broken roof tiles.”

“Oh?” Lilith bit off a huge mouthful of rabbit meat and looked at him, speaking unclearly through the food. “Do your manuals have the Buddha’s Palm technique?”

“The Buddha’s Palm?” The old Daoist blinked blankly. “What’s that?”
“Then what about Toad Style?”
“…Never heard of it.”
“You’ve never even heard of that?” Lilith paused before frowning. “Then surely you at least have Lion’s Roar or Tai Chi Fist, right?”
“…No.”

“You don’t have this, you don’t have that, and you still dare imitate those swindlers who use fake manuals to scam children?” Lilith sneered disdainfully. “Old grandpa, you should probably do some market research before entering this line of work.”

“You little girl…!” The old Daoist was so furious his beard trembled and his eyes nearly bulged out.

In the past, ordinary mortals would willingly offer up entire family fortunes just for the chance to hear him preach the Dao, yet he had never cared for such things. And now, he had kindly taken out his treasured martial arts manuals merely to exchange them for a piece of roasted meat, only for this little girl to remain completely unmoved?

Did she not realize that these manuals were vastly superior to those weak-sounding techniques she kept mentioning? If even a single one leaked into the outside world, it would surely spark bloody battles and endless slaughter.

“Forget it, forget it. I won’t lower myself to argue with some country bumpkin girl. If word got out, it would only tarnish my reputation.” The old Daoist clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his head toward the sky with a sigh full of worldly sorrow.

“In the end, it’s merely a difference in knowledge. How could a frog at the bottom of a well ever comprehend the boundless vastness of the heavens?”

“Heh.” Lilith let out a disdainful sneer. The heavens were vast? What was so impressive about something that could be pierced through with a single poke?

“Grandpa, you can have mine instead.” Beside them, Liana seemed unable to bear seeing the old Daoist looking so pitiful, so she handed over her rabbit leg to him.

The old Daoist’s eyes lit up instantly as he accepted it without the slightest bit of courtesy.

“Haha, this little girl understands manners. At least she knows how to pity the elderly.” He gnawed on the meat while talking, and after speaking, he deliberately cast a glance toward Lilith. “Unlike certain people who clearly lacked proper upbringing. Not even understanding the traditional virtues of respecting the elderly and caring for the young.”

Lilith’s brows shot upward. “You sure talk a lot for someone begging for food. Sounds like you don’t actually want to eat anymore?”

“No, no, let’s talk this out properly.” The old Daoist immediately caved. “I was only joking. Why’d you get so worked up?”

“If you’re eating, then eat. Less nonsense.” Lilith could not be bothered arguing with the old Daoist. She continued nibbling at the rabbit meat in small bites while poking at the firewood with a tiny stick.

Liana, however, seemed extremely interested in the old Daoist. She scooted beside him and secretly peeked at the manuals in his hands, her large eyes blinking curiously. “Grandpa, if someone learns these manuals, will they really become powerful?”

“Of course.” The moment someone showed interest in his manuals, the old Daoist immediately became smug again, swaying his head proudly like an unrivaled master. “These manuals of mine were all discovered in ancient immortal caves back when I was young. Although I never cultivated them myself, I could tell with one glance that they were extraordinary, no weaker than the secret arts hidden away by major sects and great clans.”

“Wow…” Liana opened her mouth slightly, sounding impressed despite only vaguely understanding what he meant. “They sound really amazing.” But soon after, her gaze drifted aside. She fidgeted awkwardly before softly asking in a timid voice: “Th-then… do you think I could cultivate them too?”

“You?” The old Daoist’s arrogant expression froze on the spot. He lowered his head to look at the hopeful girl before scratching his head awkwardly and speaking hesitantly. “Well… cultivation depends on talent. I won’t lie to you. Those manuals really are powerful, but the requirements for one’s physique are extremely harsh. Otherwise, I wouldn’t still be holding onto them even now.”

“Talent?” Liana’s eyes brightened immediately. “I can try! My talent’s really good.”

“Uh…” The old Daoist frowned while looking at the girl, whose body lacked even the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy, and suddenly felt a headache coming on.

‘Another one dreaming of becoming an immortal, huh?’ Over the years, he had seen far too many people like this. Most of them eventually had their dreams smashed apart by cruel reality until they were left bruised and bloodied.

Still, considering she had shared her meal with him…

“Fine then. I will take a look for you.”