Chapter 55: Emerald Bamboo Rice, Metaphysics!_1

Translator: 549690339

In the middle of the dining hall, a large revolving round table was set up to seat the entire family.

Of course, the children were still young and did not sit at the table. When they grew older, or should there be more wives and concubines, there would not be enough room.

“Husband, this Emerald Bamboo Spirit Rice was cooked for three hours with Spiritual Fire by Xiaoqing. Try it and see how it tastes,” said Miaoyun as she carried a small wooden barrel crafted from emerald bamboo spirit wood to serve Changsheng a bowl of rice.

As Changsheng sat down at the head of the table, Lu Miaoyun scooped a bowl of rice for him from a small jade-green bamboo barrel.

Each grain of rice in the bowl was vividly green and crystal clear, resembling beads of agate or jade, emitting a refreshing bamboo fragrance that tantalized the appetite.

Changsheng took a bite and immediately savored the lingering taste in his mouth. After two more bites, he commented, “This is indeed First Grade Spirit Rice; the flavor is truly good.”

“You all should try it too,” Changsheng said to his wives and concubines.

This Emerald Bamboo Spirit Rice had just been delivered by the Lu Family the day before.

It was one of the benefits given to him for his promotion to Middle Grade Talisman Master.

After becoming a Middle Grade Talisman Master, his basic benefits did not change much.

In addition to the standard monthly allowance of ten Spirit Stones, thirty catties of Spirit Rice, and a bottle of Yellow Dragon Elixir, he now received an extra twenty catties of Emerald Bamboo Spirit Rice, a special product of the Lu Family.

The Emerald Bamboo Spirit Rice, with every grain resembling jade, not only contains rich Spiritual Energy and tastes sweet but also has the effect of nurturing the body, cleansing impurities, and purifying flesh and blood over long-term consumption.

Ordinary grains and vegetables inevitably leave impurities settled within the body.

That is why Cultivators usually consume Spirit Rice.

Emerald Bamboo Spirit Rice is a step above ordinary Spirit Rice and is considered First Grade Spirit Rice.

Even for the Lu Family, the annual yield is limited.

Only certain members like the family elders and Guest Elders receive a set portion each month.

This time, due to Changsheng’s advancement to Middle Grade Talisman Master and his marriage to Lu Miaoyun, the Lu Family granted him an allowance of twenty catties per month.

Beyond the reward of Emerald Bamboo Spirit Rice, the other change was that by completing the monthly Talisman Making tasks assigned by the Lu Family, he could now earn an additional Spirit Stone bonus.

Unlike before, where there were no rewards for completing the assigned tasks.

The bonus wasn’t much, but it wasn’t insignificant either – currently amounting to ten Spirit Stones.

Moreover, for any extra Talismans made beyond the quota, the Lu Family agreed to purchase them at market price.

This arrangement could be considered an indirect improvement in benefits, adding an incentive to perform better.

Naturally, Changsheng had no objections to this and felt it was satisfactory.

After all, if one were to account for it, the Lu Family marrying off Lu Miaoyun to him, along with a young maidservant as part of the dowry, could also be seen as a reward.

Having spent the past few days together, Changsheng grew quite fond of his young wife Miaoyun.

Though she showed a bit of youthful temperament, she was very well-behaved and sensible.

Far from acting like a spoiled lady, she quickly became close with his other wives and concubines in the backyard, leading to a very harmonious relationship and displaying a degree of mature elegance.

This pleased Changsheng greatly.

Indeed, beauty does not surpass a resplendent heart; a virtuous wife supports my ambitions to soar high.

For Changsheng, in terms of taking a wife or concubines, looks or physical appearance were not his primary concern.

Being above-average in appearance was sufficient; Spiritual Root aptitude and moral character were much more important.

“Thank you, Husband.”

“Thank you, Husband.”

“Thank you, Husband.”

On hearing Changsheng’s words, the wives and concubines began to eat.

However, there wasn’t much of the Emerald Bamboo Spirit Rice, just a small barrel’s worth, and after Changsheng took a generous serving for himself, the rest only took a small portion to taste.

At that moment, Xiaoqing also brought out the remaining dishes on a tray.

As Miaoyun’s maidservant, her skills were in Spirit Plant cultivation and cooking.

Although she wasn’t a Spirit Chef, her cooking skills were excellent and would be considered top-notch in the mundane world.

Hence, upon coming with Miaoyun, she took on the role of a junior cook.

“There is a spot available, Xiaoqing, come sit and eat,” Changsheng said.

“We don’t have that many rules here,” he added, glancing at Xiaoqing.

“I’m not hungry,”

the clear, large eyes of Xiaoqing looked up at Lu Changsheng, and her face showed a well-behaved smile as she chirped.

“Xiaoqing, if your husband tells you to sit down, then sit down,”

said Lu Miaoyun, who also knew that her own husband wasn’t one for many formalities or complex rituals.

She rose to her feet, pulling on Xiaoqing’s arm, and had her sit down beside them.

“Thank you, master,”

said Xiaoqing in her crisp voice, after which she also filled a bowl with rice and began to eat a little at a time.

That night,

afterwards.

“Husband…”

Lu Miaoyun, bedewed with fragrant sweat, lay weakly in Lu Changsheng’s arms and said with shyness and timidity, “Your concubine can’t go on, let Xiaoqing come in to serve my lord~”

Upon hearing this, Lu Changsheng felt a warmth in his heart.

His little charming wife was indeed considerate and well-behaved.

“It’s alright, let your husband cherish Yun’er first,”

Lu Changsheng pinched his wife’s cheek and then climbed on top again.

Time flew quickly, and in the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed.

Through the daily nutrition and nourishment of spirit rice and spiritual wine, Lu Changsheng could clearly feel his physical condition had improved a level from before.

However, regarding the Hundred Refinements Treasure Body Art, there was still no progress.

There was no helping it, Orthodox-Level body refining techniques were just like that.

Powerful as they may be, the threshold for cultivation was really high; it was very difficult to get started, requiring an extremely strong physical foundation.

Lu Changsheng’s body, not being drained by sensual pleasures, was already quite good, but it was not nearly enough to talk about a strong physical foundation.

Thus, if he wanted to cultivate the Hundred Refinements Treasure Body Art, he could only rely on slowly nurturing his body and enduring with time.

He estimated that, at the current pace, it would take at least two or three years to get started.

Unless, as he had thought before, he could take a shortcut through the system’s lucky draw and obtain a magical treasure, using the condensation method in the Hundred Refinements Treasure Body Art to integrate the treasure into his body and use it to nurture himself.

But that was still a bit far off.

His twenty-first child had just been born not long ago.

To enter the draw, he would need at least nine more children.

Moreover, even after having thirty children, it was not certain whether the system would give out “Child Money.”

But regardless of whether the system complemented or not, Lu Changsheng always remembered that having children was the most important.

With the efforts of this past month, Lu Miaoyun had also successfully conceived.

Although it was said that when a female cultivator becomes pregnant, it damages the vital essence and greatly hinders cultivation,

the higher-ups in the Lu Family were all delighted to hear it.

Because in the eyes of the Lu Family’s upper echelons, the more children the two had, the more stable the marriage would be, and the more firmly Lu Changsheng would be tied to the Lu Family.

Lu Changsheng was also very happy.

With Lu Miaoyun possessing a Seventh Grade Spiritual Root, there was a great chance that their children would have Spiritual Roots.

Especially with the example set by Qu Zhenzhen, he had high expectations for the child in Lu Miaoyun’s womb.

After Lu Miaoyun became pregnant, the Family Head Lu Yuanding and the Fourth Elder both sent over nutritional supplements.

In the Cultivation World, there was a rather mystical belief.

If a mother’s environment during pregnancy was good, with ample nutrition and sufficient spiritual energy to nourish the fetus, then the probability of the child having a Spiritual Root, and the quality of that root, would be higher.

Whether this was true or not was difficult to verify.

But now that he had the means, Lu Changsheng was willing to believe in this mysticism.

He took out some of his spirit stones, enabling his wives and children to eat spirit rice and spirit vegetables every day.

In the past, the thirty catties of spirit rice provided by the Lu Family every month were simply not enough for his entire household.

He was the priority receiver; his wives and children could only occasionally eat spirit rice and vegetables.

But now, there had been a small improvement in the perks and benefits provided by the Lu Family. Coupled with the stable income from talisman sales through Hong Yi and the profits from Bullhead Mountain, Lu Changsheng could finally afford to improve the dietary conditions for his wives and children.