By the time Li Guanqi returned to Jade Bottle Peak with the little girl, Ye Feng and the others were waiting for him with grim expressions, clearly aware of the whole story.

Seeing Zhong Lin holding a pill furnace and Li Guanqi leaping down from his sword, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, you actually managed to get the pill furnace?”

Zhong Lin, with a darkened face, retorted, “It was you who insisted on having that rotisserie barbecue.”

Ye Feng cursed loudly, “I’ve been so broke lately, these two chickens were stolen by me!”

At that moment, Lin Dong eyed the green spirit fish in their hands, sensing something amiss.

His voice hoarse, he asked, “You guys didn’t… steal the spirit fish from Elder Xu’s pond, did you?”

Yu Sui’an, holding a spirit fish almost as tall as herself, said, “What are you staring at? Help me hold this~”

The group exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

They then began to prepare the food, and watching Li Guanqi skillfully slaughter fish and chickens, they were all somewhat surprised.

Ye Feng clicked his tongue in admiration, “Who would’ve thought, Li, you’re quite deft with your hands.”

Li Guanqi simply smiled without saying much. After cleaning up, he threw the beef, mutton, and spirit poultry into the pill furnace all at once.

He found some dry wood and started a fire.

As dusk fell, Li Shengan pulled out more than a dozen jars of strong liquor from his storage bag.

Li Guanqi smacked his lips and said, “Did you empty out your entire stash?”

Before he could reply, Zhong Lin’s lips curled into a smile as he whispered, “You probably don’t know, Li Shengan is famously diligent in the Outer Sect.”

“His realm has improved quickly, and his personality has changed a lot since he first joined.”

At this, Li Shengan lifted a bowl of liquor and softly said, “Speaking of which, I have Guanqi to thank.”

“I used to be timid, always looking out for myself first.”

“But after that incident, I realized that respect is earned.”

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement with the sentiment.

As the crackling of the firewood filled the air, the pill furnace emitted a delicious aroma, and the sizzling of the fat being roasted by the flames could be heard.

The group sat around the pill furnace, with Yu Sui’an squatting on the ground, swallowing saliva.

Li Guanqi hadn’t expected the pill furnace to be so effective for roasting meat; he had just thought to try it out, having used a similar cylinder before.

Besides, the pill furnace had air holes at the bottom, which were just perfect.

They had been busy from day to night and were starving, their stomachs sticking to their backs.

Clang!

Lifting the lid of the furnace, the concentrated aroma instantly wafted out.

Li Guanqi grabbed the seasoning and poured it in, instantly enhancing the savory taste of the meat.

He took out a portion of the skewered meat to eat and left the rest to warm over a low flame.

The group couldn’t care less if the skewers were hot, grabbing and stuffing them into their mouths.

Li Guanqi handed a large skewer of beef to Yu Sui’an, cautioning her, “Slow down, be careful, it’s hot.”

“Sssha~ Sss~ Hot, hot, hot.”

“Sss… Hot! But delicious!”

“Sss… Hah, sss…”

They all hopped around like monkeys, including Yu Sui’an.

But after taking a bite, even Li Guanqi was captivated by the tender taste.

Looking at the pill furnace, Li Guanqi stroked his chin and murmured to himself, “Maybe… I should specialize in this at the Sect’s dining hall?”

But he quickly dismissed the idea, knowing his master would give him a beating if he found out.

After eating, the group began to drink.

These young men rarely drank, but now each pretended to be a connoisseur of spirits, their faces flushed without a care.

Li Guanqi, drinking, looked up at the full moon in the sky and murmured softly.

“Time flies so fast, it’s been almost a year since I came to the Sect.”

The others, who had been noisy, quieted down, their eyes filled with a touch of melancholy.

“Yeah, a year has passed in the blink of an eye,” Ye Feng sighed, then turned to the others.

“Hey, they say those powerful cultivators at the Golden Elixir stage and Elemental Infant Realm can meditate for three to five years at a time.”

“If their realm is even higher, wouldn’t a single meditation last at least a century?”

As he spoke, Ye Feng’s face showed a trace of wistfulness.

“A century… No wonder everyone is desperately cultivating, seeking immortality.”

Li Guanqi nodded and said softly, “Yes, seeking immortality, longing for immortality.”

“Immortality, to live as long as the heavens and the earth.”

“Such temptation, who can resist?”

“Ordinary people consider a hundred years a long life, but we can now live to two hundred without worries.”

“And reaching the Golden Elixir stage extends life to five hundred years!”

Even the usually taciturn Lin Dong nodded excitedly, “Centuries of life… there’s so much one could do.”

However, Zhong Lin, sipping his drink, said softly, “Endless years only have meaning if our companions are still with us.”

“To cultivate to immortality, to climb to the pinnacle of the great Dao.”

“But if those we care about quietly fade away with time, what’s the point of our immortality?”

“Looking around, finding no one to reminisce with, wouldn’t the remaining years be just a lonely, torturous prison?”

At these words, everyone fell into a deeper silence.

Li Guanqi sighed softly, “Indeed, we are just novices on the path of immortality.”

“If it’s as Zhong Lin said, it does feel quite desolate.”

Ye Feng raised his cup and said firmly, “That’s why we must cultivate diligently, to keep up with Li’s pace.”

“We aim to reach the pinnacle of the great Dao together, and then we’ll reminisce about these times of drinking and feasting!”

After downing a cup, Lin Dong suddenly asked, “What are your dreams?”

Zhong Lin spoke softly, “My dream is to become the top alchemist in the Great Xia Domain!”

Ye Feng, with a smirk, said, “Turns out I only recently found out you’re the young master of the alchemy family, Yu Yang Mountain.”

Zhong Lin grinned and teased the blond-haired Ye Feng, “You’re the young master of Qiongtai Villa, and you didn’t say either.”

“What’s your dream?”

Ye Feng lay on the ground, looking up at the starry sky with a spirited wave of his hand, “I want to become a legendary great sword immortal! Travel throughout the entire Great Xia Domain, even to other domains!”

After Ye Feng finished, he nudged Lin Dong and laughed, “What about you, Dong?”

The honest young man scratched his head and said, “I don’t have much of a dream. I joined the Sect hoping my parents could have a better life.”

“When I went home recently, I found my wish had come true. They live in a new house and don’t have to toil in the fields anymore.”

“I can even fly in the sky like the immortals in my dreams, I’m quite content.”