“Chang Sheng, time to eat!”
Accompanying the crisp and pleasant voice, Yao Xian, dressed in plain clothes, placed the dishes on the stone table in the courtyard.
“Coming!”
Beside the courtyard was a small pond. Gu Changsheng, in green robes, set down his fishing gear and quickly walked back to the courtyard.
“What are we having today?” Gu Changsheng asked.
“The fish you caught yesterday. I braised it in soy sauce today, and there's tomato fish soup and braised eggplant in oil. All your favorites,” Yao Xian said.
“I love everything my wife makes,” Gu Changsheng said with a smile.
“Only you know how to talk,” Yao Xian said with a touch of pride. They had been living in seclusion here for almost ten years. They ate, lived, and slept together. Except for the final step, they had done everything a couple would do. By mortal standards, they were already an old married couple.
But Yao Xian never tired of hearing Gu Changsheng's sweet talk.
The two sat down face to face and began to eat. Actually, Yao Xian's cooking skills weren't very good at first, but Gu Changsheng was a culinary god. Under his guidance, Yao Xian's cooking skills improved rapidly, and now she was also a master chef.
Her dishes were full of color, aroma, and flavor, which was a great enjoyment for Gu Changsheng, who had a craving for good food, no less than the feeling Yun Wuyue's brewed Demonic Spirit Wine gave him.
Soon, the dishes on the table were empty, most of which had gone into Gu Changsheng's stomach. Yao Xian watched her beloved eat all the food she had made, and the love in her eyes was undisguised.
“I'll make more next time,” Yao Xian said.
“No need, this is enough. Wife, you can't tire yourself out,” Gu Changsheng shook his head.
“Look at what you're saying. Although I'm just a small Great Saint cultivator, not as strong as you, how could making a meal tire me out?” Yao Xian glared at him.
“Hehe!”
Gu Changsheng just smiled. He understood what Yao Xian meant, just as Yao Xian understood what he meant.
“I have something to give you,” Gu Changsheng said.
“What?” Yao Xian was stunned, not understanding why Gu Changsheng suddenly wanted to give her something. Although he had given her many things over the years, like flowers, he had always given them silently and wouldn't specifically tell her that he had something to give her.
“You silly girl, have you forgotten what day it is today?” Gu Changsheng didn't say what it was, but looked at her with a smile.
“Ah?” Yao Xian was stunned again.
“Today is your one-hundredth birthday, also your birthday. You've forgotten such an important thing?” Gu Changsheng reached out and gently flicked her forehead.
Yao Xian didn't dodge, but wrinkled her nose and said, “A cultivator's life is so long, it's normal to not remember!”
Yao Xian's words made sense. Mortals only live for a hundred years, so they value every year's birthday. But cultivators are different, often living for thousands, tens of thousands, or even tens of millions of years. The meaning of a birthday to a cultivator is no longer so extraordinary.
If birthdays were taken so seriously, then her Yao family's ancestors would have to celebrate their birthdays every year, hold banquets, and invite many Immortal Kings. Would they still have time to cultivate in seclusion?
“I don't care about others, but I always remember your birthday,” Gu Changsheng said.
“Then do you remember Sister Hou Tu and Sister Wuyue's birthdays?” Yao Xian asked, a hint of cunning flashing in her eyes.
“I don't know!” Gu Changsheng said.
“Uh…”
Yao Xian thought Gu Changsheng would say of course he knew, but she didn't expect him to say he didn't know, which blocked the words she wanted to say.
“You don't play by the rules,” Yao Xian glanced at him reproachfully.
“When they were born, there was no concept of year, month, or day. I can't just make one up, can I? That's not good for you or them,” Gu Changsheng explained softly.
“Okay!”
Yao Xian nodded, then asked curiously, “You said you had a gift for me, what is it?”
“Look!”
Gu Changsheng took out a rectangular brocade box, opened it, and inside was a jade statue.
The jade was translucent and flawless, just like the person it was carved into, the most beautiful woman in the world.
“When did you carve this?” Yao Xian asked in surprise, her eyes full of joy.
“Do you like it?” Gu Changsheng asked.
“I like it!” Yao Xian held her jade statue in her arms, as if she could still feel the aura Gu Changsheng had left on it.
Gu Changsheng looked at the joyful beauty in front of him, his face full of doting. He had spent nearly eight years carving this jade statue. With his cultivation, he could naturally have completed it in an instant, but this was a gift for Yao Xian's one-hundredth birthday, so it was most sincere to complete it personally, stroke by stroke.
He didn't give any immortal artifacts or treasures, those things were too vulgar, how could they compare to a jade statue he carved himself?
“Chirp chirp!”
At this moment, a loud sound suddenly came from the sky. The clouds in the sky suddenly turned into auspicious red, and a phoenix emitting flames appeared in the sky.
“It's Xiao Huang is back!”
Yao Xian looked at the sky with joy. That phoenix divine bird was Xiao Huang, who had formed a contract with her on the day of her coming-of-age ceremony.
Born supreme, as long as it grew older, it could become an Immortal King without even needing to cultivate.
“Chirp chirp!”
Xiao Huang called out twice, but strangely, its voice carried a trace of pain.
“Xiao Huang is injured.” Gu Changsheng frowned. He saw that Xiao Huang had lost several divine feathers on its right wing, and bright red blood flowed from it.
Phoenixes are not ordinary birds. Phoenixes do not molt or lose feathers. The divine feathers on their bodies are innate fire attribute treasures. Obtaining just one is a heaven-defying opportunity for ordinary cultivators.
But at this time, Xiao Huang had lost several divine feathers on its body, and there were also wounds. There was only one possibility for this situation: Xiao Huang had been targeted.
Xiao Huang turned into the size of a sparrow and landed on her shoulder, chirping and chirping, seeming to be telling its owner about its grievances.
Yao Xian's face changed. The joy on her face was now replaced by a bit of gloom.
“Xiao Huang said she was bullied by several Supreme Realm cultivators. Those people not only wanted the feathers on her body, but also wanted her phoenix blood,” Yao Xian said in a low voice.
Gu Changsheng's face darkened. He said, “Daring to bully our Xiao Huang, I'll go over and destroy them.”
Gu Changsheng was angry that Xiao Huang was bullied, but not like this. But his wife was unhappy, and on this happy day, whoever caused his wife to be unhappy deserved to die!
“Chirp chirp!”
At this time, Xiao Huang opened its mouth again, its tone very urgent. It sensed the aura of those people.
Gu Changsheng naturally sensed it too. His eyes narrowed.
“Coming to die on their own, that saves me the trouble!”
…
