Chương 29: Buzz, buzz!

Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz. A golden streak flew around the garden pavilion, buzzing around and zipping near Lin Yi and Zu Guo. From time to time it came to a halt before Lin Yi or the low table between them, waiting impatiently. On the table was placed a tray beneath a set of tea utensils. Fire was already lit beneath the brewing pot, three sets of tea cups with spoons prepared, and two jugs. One was filled with a thick golden liquid, and the other with small, pure white-looking crystals.

Both glimmered when the sun's light hit them. Lin Yi waved his hand exaggeratedly towards Xiao Jinse. He smiled wryly, already accustomed to her wily nature.

"Yes, yes. Calm down, you little queen. The tea is nearly finished." The golden streak stopped in front of him, revealing her true appearance. A bee the size of an adult's fist hovered in the air. Its color was pure gold with a few pitch-black stripes. Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz! He heard a laugh from the opposite side of the table. He looked over at the man with narrowed eyes and said.

"Senior Brother Zu, don't endorse her behavior. Jinse needs to learn humility and patience." Zu Guo shook his head, amused. Bzzzzzz, bzzzzz, bzzzz! Another buzzing sounded from the queen bee before he could answer, this time with more disapproval. Lin Yi looked at her with a stern expression.

"No, you don't yet have these virtues. You are a queen of your own colony. Behave like one, and not like a petulant princess waiting to be served after her wishes." Bzzz. Xiao Jinse flew down onto the table with a scolded buzz and landed before one of the three cup sets. Lin Yi sighed in exhaustion and turned back to his guest. He apologized.

"I'm sorry, senior brother. Normally, she is quite well behaved, as you know." His hand waved towards the queen bee, and she looked up towards him, still sulking.

"She recently broke through the third level of the Qi Condensation Realm, and is still a little too spirited from her success." Zu Guo smiled at his junior brother. He was not offended. The Charging Bull Sect had many disciples who tamed or bonded with spirit beasts. After all, the sect's orthodox inheritance belonged to that cultivation branch. He had already experienced many beast companions with their masters, some less well-behaved than others.

Except for those controlled by deeply bound immortal arts, Xiao Jinse was one of the better ones. He answered with a small laugh.

"Don't worry, junior brother. This is but a small price to pay for mooching off your excellent tea and honey, haha!" Lin Yi disagreed.

"You helped me much more. Chauffeuring me around the sect and helping me trade my spirit honey and other materials, this is the least thing I can do." Senior Brother Zu Guo waved his hand again." As I said before, I help you, and you help me. We are sect brothers, not business partners. There is no need for such formality. Besides..." He looked towards the teapot.

"This one should be finished, right?" Lin Yi extended his spirituality towards the pot. After a few moments, he nodded.

"Yes. However, I don't know if I timed it correctly. I'm still experimenting with the recipe." With another thought of his, the flame beneath the teapot lessened in intensity, and only faintly shimmered back and forth, keeping the tea warm. He picked up the pot and poured the tea into the three cups. Naturally, the guest first, then into Jinse's cup, and lastly into his own. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

He gestured to the two jugs on the tea tray.

"Serve yourself." Zu Guo didn't decline the offer and picked up the first jug. When he tilted it over his cup, the golden liquid glimmered in the sunlight as it dropped seamlessly into the tea. Only a small amount had been poured in before he put the jug back in its original place.

"Ah, the sweet smell of spirit honey. Only a few delicacies can compare to it." Lin Yi smiled wryly at his senior brother's flowery words.

"Don't praise it too much, senior brother. It is only unranked spirit honey, not worth much."

"Tutu, junior brother. You should enjoy all aspects of life. Furthermore, not many disciples can often enjoy spiritual food. Sect Points are too valuable for that." Zu Guo picked up the other jug and poured not a small amount of spirit sugar into his cup as well. After that, he stirred the liquid with his spoon. Lin Yi shook his head inwardly. His senior brother had a tooth for sweet things.

Not that he could complain; spirit sugar was not harmful to the body even in large and regular amounts, unlike its mortal counterpart. The worst thing that happened was the accumulation of Qi-imbued fat, which, to cultivators, was not harmful. It could even be used as a reserve. He didn't answer but picked up both jugs after another and poured Xiao Jinse and himself their favorite amount of honey and sugar into their cups. After everything was ready, the trio slowly sipped their tea. Well, the two humans did.

Lin Yi looked towards Xiao Jinse and, as he always was when he saw her drinking tea, he was amused. The queen bee stood on her hind legs, her upper body over the cup edge, and her head nearly completely submerged into the tea. Her wings fluttered with happiness, giving off buzzing sounds.

"Ahhh! That is a good tea. You have become quite good at brewing it over these years, junior brother." Zu Guo said with satisfaction, and Lin Yi only nodded, enjoying his tea as well.

"But it tastes a little different today? Did you do something to your Solitary Yang Bamboo?" His senior brother asked. Indeed, he made variations to his normal tea recipe to get some variety. Drinking only one flavor would bore anyone.

"Partially, nothing to the bamboo itself, but how I processed its leaves. Instead of quickly drying them at a high temperature, I dried them steadily in some spirit water at a low temperature. Thus, this time I got not a harsh and strong yang tea, but a gentle yang flavor."

"No wonder, no wonder." Zu Guo nodded wisely. After they enjoyed their tea in silence, he continued.

"Speaking of breakthroughs." He looked at Xiao Jinse briefly, who listened attentively, before returning his gaze to Lin Yi.

"You stayed at the first level for over four years already. When do you think you will take the next step? Or do you still cling to the perfect Golden Cauldron foundation?" Lin Yi looked out from the open pavilion towards the sky, where the sun was slowly sinking, and pondered for a moment.

"Soon... I think. It will not be long." Indeed, it will not be long. I feel it. Faintly and not yet there, but soon it will take form. He thought to himself. More than four years had passed since he entered the Charging Bull Sect, and he had grown not just a little in that time. The Locking Yang Nourishing Art reached Grand Completion. His Primordial Yang Elixir was complete, and the Longevity Yang Cauldron worked day and night, producing its special yang qi.

Due to the extraordinary immortal art altering his body's longevity and his natural growth, Lin Yi no longer looked like a young child. At the young age of eight, he looked half a decade older. Through a mortal eye, one wouldn't be able to notice any difference in his appearance from that of any other young teenager. And once he achieved the Grand Completion of the Golden Cauldron Stage, his appearance would soon reach his prime age.

Speaking of his cultivation base, if one did say he made great progress, then that would be true, but if one did say the opposite, that would also be true. Cultivating a perfect Golden Cauldron foundation was either nothing or everything. There wasn't much in between, only the Qi-flow-supporting tubes. Those he had already finished a few months after cultivating anew.

However, at the end of cultivating that perfect foundation, when one was finally near forming the Qi circulations, it was not uncommon to feel a spiritual impulse or urge. And that, Lin Yi did. The last few times he cultivated, he felt his spirituality trembling faintly, as if it were to welcome something. Senior Brother Zu's expression changed when he heard his words. He asked in a solemn tone.

"You mean, you will soon finish cultivating a perfect foundation?" Lin Yi only nodded at him.

"Haaahhh." Zu Guo let out a long sigh, and the way he looked at Lin Yi changed slightly.

"That is impressive, junior brother!" While Lin Yi didn't want to be arrogant, he still felt quite proud of his achievement, even if he wasn't there yet. The reason why most cultivators couldn't achieve a perfect foundation at the Golden Cauldron Stage was not that it was too difficult, but because they couldn't preserve themself. Lin Yi needed more than four years before nearly completing his foundation. In these four years, he saw others gradually advancing beyond him, step by step.

From the few times they met, he knew that his fellow town mates were far beyond him in their cultivation. Lang Mo reached the peak of the third level and only needed a small push for his next breakthrough. You Lei was even more impressive. She had already entered the mid stage of the Qi Condensation Realm and had even some achievements in water-based alchemy.

While his Essence, Qi, and Spirit still grew from the nourishment of his Qi Flame, Qi, and longevity art, it was nothing in comparison to what strength he would gain if he cultivated normally. This was where most disciples would falter and step again onto the average path of cultivation. But Lin Yi persevered, and he knew he could be proud of that. He answered his senior brother's praise with modesty.

"I am still not much compared to you, senior brother. You have already entered the fifth level of Qi Condensation. The late stage will soon be within reach for you." Zu Guo laughed in a self-humoring tone.

"You joke, Junior Brother Lin. You will catch up and even overtake me. It is only a matter of when, not if." He ended wistfully. Lin Yi looked Senior Brother Zu in the eyes and saw something that looked like defeat. In the end, he didn't answer and only sipped his tea.