I'm quitting!

Chapter 7 Me, the little mouse, love eating sweet potatoes the most!

squeak--!

Stardust Mouse, carrying half a sweet potato in its mouth, nimbly twisted its body and squeezed it through Lin Xiaofan's fingers.

"Trying to run away?"

Lin Xiaofan reacted quickly, grabbing a tattered fishing net and slamming it over Lin Xiaofan's head.

Squeak!

The little guy struggled to peek out, his big, innocent black eyes peeking out, his round ears perked up, his short tail wagging, and a snow-white band around his waist.

"This...isn't this the white-rumped hamster that came with free shipping for 9.9 yuan?!" Lin Xiaofan couldn't help but twitch his lips when he saw its true appearance for the first time.

He activated his True Eyes and carefully examined the "petty thief":

"Stardust Rat; Talent: Finding and Identifying Authentic Herbs; Four hundred years later, it will become the 'Spirit Herb Rat King,' ruling over the Ten Thousand Rat Herb Garden."

"Huh?!" Lin Xiaofan's hand trembled, and the fishing net came loose. "You're still a demon king in his infancy?! This is garbage script, why did they assign me a 'useless' role..."

Stardust Rat seized the opportunity to slip out, but instead of fleeing, it stood upright, holding half a sweet potato in its two front paws, its bright little eyes staring at Lin Xiaofan, squeaking incessantly.

The Eye of Truth automatically translates the text bubble that appears above its head:

"This sweet potato... tastes like mom's!"

"Your roasted sweet potatoes... smell better than a thousand-year-old elixir!"

"I'm hungry... I haven't had anything good to eat for three days."

"The taste of mom?" Lin Xiaofan paused for a moment, "Is your mom the Kitchen God or Laozi?"

Stardust Mouse stamped his feet in frustration, and word bubbles kept popping up: "No, no! It's... it's the true meaning of life! Your intention when you roasted the sweet potatoes was very pure, and you were particular about the selection of ingredients and the temperature, so... so it produced extraordinary medicinal effects."

"Oh..." Lin Xiaofan stroked his chin, recalling the scene of refining the "elixir" before: What ingredients did I add back then?

"So you're not here to raid their place, but to freeload?"

Stardust Mouse nodded frantically, its chubby cheeks trembling wildly.

"Then take two slaps from me first!"

Lin Xiaofan pinned it to the ground and unleashed a flurry of slaps on its chubby rear end: "You dared to wreck my house! Did you do something wrong?"

Squeak! "I was wrong! I'm sorry!"

"Okay... fine, this won't happen again."

Lin Xiaofan patted the fur on his hands, while the Stardust Rat stretched out its short front paws to try to rub its bottom, but it couldn't reach it no matter what.

"I don't keep idle mice here... understand?"

Squeak? Squeak squeak squeak! "You want me to steal the elixir? This...this is against the code of conduct for a rat!"

"Hey! So you think it's okay to steal my sweet potatoes and demolish my house?"

Lin Xiaofan tugged at the Stardust Rat's whiskers.

"Don't worry, we don't steal or rob; we only take what nature provides."

"Just think about it, wouldn't the improved, aerated potatoes taste even better?"

Stardust Mouse's eyes lit up immediately: "Deal! But every day... at least three meals of sweet potatoes, plus an afternoon nap!"

"This little thing is quite the negotiator." Lin Xiaofan smiled and bit her fingertip, letting a drop of blood fall onto its brow. "From now on, you'll be my chief medicine hunter. Your name... shall be 'Maqiu'."

As soon as he finished speaking, his essence and blood merged, and the marker above Maqiu's head was updated:

"Spirit Pet - Maqiu; Late Stage of Spinning Illumination; Talent: Herb Finding and Identifying Truth"

[A chain reaction of collapse is achieved (The Demon King will never be a slave, unless he is provided with food and lodging)]

[Rebelliousness Value +50]

Maqiu happily hopped onto Lin Xiaofan's shoulder, its little paws pointing towards the depths of the back mountain: "There's antidiarrheal grass to the east, and calming flowers to the west! And... to the north are my favorite sweet potatoes!"

"Alright, alright, let's find the medicinal herbs first." Lin Xiaofan carried the hemp ball and headed towards the medicinal herb garden.

As the moon rose above the willow branches and its silvery light spread across the land, the area around the medicinal herb garden behind Qingyun Gate was completely silent.

Maqiu perched on Lin Xiaofan's shoulder, scratching its ears and cheeks excitedly, its little paws pointing at several inconspicuous "weeds":

"The antidiarrheal herb, the third one from the east."

"The calming flower grows in the crack in the rock on the west side."

"Wow, you're pretty skilled." Lin Xiaofan patted its little head with his fingertip, his gaze sweeping over the wooden sign by the field:

"Harvesting of cultivated varieties from Lingtian is strictly prohibited without permission."

"Oh... alright then, I'm the most honest one~" He smirked, "Damn it, I only look for those outside the fields."

"Received!" Ma Qiuzi scurried down to the ground, sniffing around along the edge of the field. "This antidiarrheal herb is rooted in a rock crevice, naturally grown by nature, not cultivated in a spiritual field!"

"Ah, sensible."

Just as Lin Xiaofan was crouching down and pulling out the "weed," a sudden burst of light shone brightly all around.

"How dare you!"

Several fellow disciples, holding torches, surrounded him. The leader shouted sternly, "Lin Xiaofan! Do you think Steward Zhao is just a figurehead? How dare you steal spiritual herbs from the herb garden in the dead of night!"

Lin Xiaofan squinted to adjust to the light, and when he saw who it was, he feigned surprise: "Deacon Zhao? Oh—then you must be…"

"That's right, I am Wang Wu." The man said arrogantly, his torch almost touching Lin Xiaofan's mouth. "If you know what's good for you, come with me to see the elder in charge and apologize!"

"Wang Wu; Mission: Collect evidence of Lin Xiaofan's violations."

"Heh, so you're Zhao Xiao's... lackey... huh." Lin Xiaofan raised an eyebrow and sneered, holding up the diarrhea-stopping herb he had just picked. "Look carefully, this is a wild herb, growing outside the field ridges, under the jurisdiction of nature, not under the jurisdiction of the herb garden."

In the firelight, rock fragments still clung to the roots of the herb, indicating it had indeed been pulled from a crack in the rock.

Wang Wu was momentarily speechless, but then stiffened his neck and argued forcefully, "Nonsense! Steward Zhao has ordered that every blade of grass and every tree on the back mountain belongs to the Qingyun Sect!"

Lin Xiaofan frowned slightly: He's bringing up Old Man Zhao again... I'm not afraid of him, but I haven't figured out if the "Script Management Bureau" is secretly involved, so it's not advisable to reveal my hand too early... But I've definitely made an enemy of Zhao Xiao.

Just as the stalemate was at hand, a gray shadow emerged from beside Wang Wu's feet!

It was Maqiu, its front paws pointing directly at Wang Wu's satchel: "He's got something on his waist! He stole three dragon whisker grasses! He hid them in the second pocket!"

Lin Xiaofan's eyes lit up, and he leaned close to Wang Wu's ear and whispered, "Little brother, Dragon Beard Grass is reserved for the sect leader's exclusive use. According to the sect rules, anyone who hoards it will have their cultivation crippled and be expelled from the sect... Should I shout 'Stop thief!' now?"

Wang Wu's face turned deathly pale, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his left hand instinctively protected his bag: "You...you're making false accusations!"

"Don't believe me?" Lin Xiaofan cleared his throat, making a gesture as if to shout, "Help! Someone come here!"

"No!" Wang Wu hurriedly grabbed him, his voice trembling, "I...I'll go!"

After saying that, he scrambled away, running a long way before turning back to threaten, "Senior Brother Zhao won't let you get away with this!"

"Goodbye and don't come back to me. Remember to tell him that when he comes to find me, he's not allowed to step across the threshold with his left foot first!"

Lin Xiaofan watched Wang Wu's disheveled figure, then Ma Qiu patted him on the shoulder: "Over there! There's treasure!"

Following the direction indicated by the hemp ball, Lin Xiaofan discovered an inconspicuous green plant. He squatted down, gently brushed away the loose soil, and his fingertips touched something round.

Pull hard—

Amidst the earthy fragrance, the golden tubers emerge.

"Potatoes?!" Lin Xiaofan was overjoyed. "These things actually exist in the cultivation world?"

Maqiu excitedly bounced on the potato: "Potatoes? These are great! They smell delicious!"

"Hehe, I suddenly had a brilliant idea... I'll give you an extra meal tonight."

At midnight, there was a gentle knock on the back door of the alchemy room.

Dan Xuanzi pulled open the door latch and saw Lin Xiaofan carrying a spirit rat on his shoulder, a bamboo basket slung over his elbow, and a large pottery jar in his arms, smiling brightly: "Master Dan, I've come to visit you so late at night, bringing with me some apologies and sincerity."

"Hmph!" Dan Xuanzi said coldly, but still stepped aside half a body. "Come in."

"Dan Xuanzi; Attitude towards Lin Xiaofan: 70% resentment, 30% curiosity; Awakening level: 40%"

Lin Xiaofan didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the alchemy furnace to start working.

He first sliced ​​the sweet potato, mixed it with antidiarrheal herb powder, coated it with calming honey, and then took out the potato and cut it into strips.

"Master, I'll be using two alchemy furnaces this time. Is that alright?"

"Ugh...!" Dan Xuanzi gritted his teeth, "If I don't allow it, will you stop?"

"Hehe, look at what you're saying, I'm not that bad."

Lin Xiaofan picked up the large ceramic jar and poured it into the alchemy furnace.

"Oil?"

Looking at the golden, translucent liquid, Dan Xuanzi frowned, feeling both heartbroken that his precious Xuan Yang Cauldron had been defiled by such a mundane object and curious about what this kid was up to.

"Phew... Alright, start feeding!"

Lin Xiaofan's fingertips moved nimbly, precisely controlling the heat, placing the sweet potato chips and potato strips into two separate pots (stoves).

"What are you doing? Deep-frying? Ridiculous! Wouldn't high-temperature oil ruin the medicinal properties!"

Lin Xiaofan smiled mysteriously: "Master Dan, please don't rush, try this."

He used long chopsticks to pick up the 2.0 version of the ventilated potato and handed it to Dan Xuanzi. Dan Xuanzi took a bite with some skepticism, then his old eyes widened suddenly: "This...this medicine is mild, and...and has no side effects!"

"The important part is yet to come." Lin Xiaofan adjusted the other alchemy furnace to a low flame. "Mahjong, keep an eye on the heat. I'm going to scoop out the sweet potato slices."

The little sesame ball leaped onto the stove, its tiny paws fiddling with the air vents. In the process, it grabbed a handful of powder and sprinkled it in. The potato strips rolled in the hot oil, gradually turning into a caramel-golden color.

"It smells so good!" Dan Xuanzi's nostrils flared. "What is this?"

"Hehe, I call it... Forget-Worry Gold Bar!" Lin Xiaofan scooped out the fried fries, which were golden and crispy, and smelled delicious.

Dan Xuanzi tested it with a silver needle, and the tip of the needle made a pleasant, crisp sound as soon as it touched the skin. Without further hesitation, he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.

Instantly, Dan Xuanzi burst into tears: "This taste...it's so similar! It's like my mother by the stove when I was a child..."

"Huh?" Lin Xiaofan was taken aback. "You miss your mom too?"

Before he finished speaking, Dan Xuanzi began to sing and dance, sometimes laughing loudly and sometimes covering his face and weeping bitterly.

"What the hell?! Eating fries can cause an epileptic seizure?" Lin Xiaofan scratched his head, then suddenly looked at Ma Qiu, "Did you secretly add something to it?!"

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak—"Just...just a tiny bit of Yunnan mushroom powder...it really enhances the aroma..."

"Hiss... Isn't that a top-tier hallucinogenic mushroom? Oh no, oh no, Grandpa Dan's favorability is going to plummet..."

This commotion lasted until dawn.

"Huff...huff..."

Dan Xuanzi finally stopped dancing, panting heavily, and collapsed to the ground, his limbs twitching intermittently.

"Master Dan... Master Dan? You..."

Lin Xiaofan was about to offer tea as an apology when the other party raised his hand to stop him.

"Um--!"

A deep, muffled roar came from Dan Xuanzi's throat. His eyes shone brightly as he sat cross-legged on the spot, his relaxed muscles tightening again, and his clothes billowing without wind.

"Wow... such a powerful pressure! Is he about to break through to the Nascent Soul stage?!"

Lin Xiaofan was so shocked that his blood and qi surged, and he had to hold onto a pillar in the hall to barely stand.