Chapter 1152: Pluck Anything in the Medicine Garden, Learn Any Spell or Divine Ability

Lu Ding didn't refuse, because this was the old man's heartfelt gesture.

He accepted it and tucked it away: "Thank you, Master."

Crooked-Mouth Old Man: "Hehehe......"

Waving his hand: "Don't call me that, it doesn't sound right, doesn't flow well, doesn't feel natural. Having the formal title is enough. From now on, just keep calling me Old Man, it sounds warmer."

Lu Ding: "Alright, Old Man."

Crooked-Mouth Old Man was delighted, reaching out a hand: "Come here, child, give me a hand. My legs have gone a bit numb."

Numb his ass. With his cultivation level, how could his legs possibly be numb?

He just wanted Lu Ding to support him.

But unexpectedly, the moment Lu Ding reached out,

The Ancestral Master's Wife, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up: "Xiao Lu, wait a moment. He hasn't finished the process yet. He can't get up now, otherwise his realm might become unstable, causing a regression and dispersed cultivation."

The moment he heard "regression and dispersed cultivation," Crooked-Mouth Old Man quickly pulled his hand back: "Never mind, never mind then."

He looked at the Ancestral Master's Wife: "Ancestral Master's Wife, did we prepare everything for the child?"

The Ancestral Master's Wife said: "It's all prepared, don't worry about that. Just cultivate well."

Crooked-Mouth Old Man: "Good, good."

Patting the back of Lu Ding's hand: "You cultivate well, and I'll cultivate well too. Once I come out of seclusion, we'll reunite, the two of us. By then, I'll be at Deification Ninth Level!!!"

"Go on, go on. I need to make the most of my time, so we can meet again sooner."

At this moment, Crooked-Mouth Old Man didn't want to waste a single second.

Lu Ding rose to his feet: "Then I'll be going now, Old Man."

Crooked-Mouth Old Man: "Go on, go on. Remember to come visit me when you have time."

Lu Ding: "Got it, Old Man."

Saying goodbye to Crooked-Mouth Old Man.

The three of them exited the secluded cultivation chamber.

The Ancestral Master's Wife said to Lu Ding with affection: "Now that you've seen your Old Man, shall we go pick out some rare natural treasures?"

Lu Ding bowed: "I'll trouble you, Ancestral Master's Wife."

The Ancestral Master's Wife took Wang Qingge's hand: "No trouble at all. We're family, why speak like strangers."

"Don't you think so, little Qingge?"

Wang Qingge raised her wooden sign:

[Nn nn, we're family]

During those three days Lu Ding spent listening to the Ancestral Master ramble, the Ancestral Master's Wife had been looking after Wang Qingge, treating her incredibly well, incredibly gently, like a mother.

It had Wang Qingge completely enchanted, head over heels.

The Ancestral Master's Wife patted her head and said to Lu Ding: "I really like little Qingge. On our Lü Mountain, aside from me, there are no other female cultivators. Heaven intended it that way, but she evaded Heaven's will and escaped karma."

"Although she can't join Lü Mountain and become a disciple of the sect, I can still guide her in cultivation. She won't walk the path of Lü Mountain, but cultivate according to my own methods. Is that alright?"

She was asking for Lu Ding's opinion. Earlier, she had also asked Wang Qingge, but Wang Qingge said she could only agree if Lu Ding approved.

As if Lu Ding were her guardian.

Lu Ding was delighted for Wang Qingge. This girl had charmed Senior Gongyang earlier, and now she'd charmed the Ancestral Master's Wife. She was more popular than he was.

He immediately nodded: "Of course, that's fine. Then I'll trouble you, Ancestral Master's Wife."

Ancestral Master's Wife: "There you go again."

Leading the two of them toward the Medicinal Garden, she said to Lu Ding: "I can see that you've already found your own path. In terms of techniques, Lü Mountain can't offer you much help anymore. Your comprehension is extraordinary."

"And you're blessed by Heaven and Earth. I heard that before you came, Heaven and Earth even reshaped your body."

"Under such circumstances, while Lü Mountain temporarily possesses techniques that surpass your current cultivation method, they're not the most suitable for you. Given time, your own technique will surpass all of Lü Mountain's existing methods."

"Both in power and in versatility."

"So regarding techniques, I don't recommend you switch. As for other spells and divine abilities, you can take a look. If you like something, learn it. There are no restrictions. That's the special permission your Ancestral Master granted."

"As for rare natural treasures, if you want to eat them, you can pluck them yourself. I'll take you there this time to show you the way, but before you pluck anything, remember to go to Wuqing Palace to register and check first."

"Because some special rare natural treasures are cultivated in the garden by other disciples. Don't pluck someone else's, or something that someone else has already reserved."

"Aside from those two rules, in the garden, any ripened rare natural treasure that hasn't been reserved is yours to pluck and consume freely. I'm not afraid you'll eat too much, I'm afraid you won't eat at all."

"During your time on Lü Mountain, except for the forbidden grounds—don't go there. There's no treasure inside, only danger. Everywhere else, you're free to go, but remember to knock first."

"Lü Mountain has many traditions. I'll give you a token later, all the details are on it. But for you, the rules here aren't many, just a few to keep in mind."

"It's not that you're forbidden, it's that I'm worried you might run into danger."

This treatment sounded like nothing special. There were no specific numbers or anything—no fixed quotas, no set amounts.

The main principle was simply: as long as Lu Ding was happy, anything goes.

Eat whenever you want, take whatever you want, just don't waste it.

They really had given him maximum authority.

He could practically live in the Medicine Garden if he wanted.

But then again, if there had been any restrictions—or if he needed to exchange contribution points like in the Great Han—Lu Ding would have enjoyed it with a clear conscience.

But now, there were no restrictions at all. Everything was free. He didn't have to lift a finger, and he could eat anything he wanted. They treated him like a little kid.

Eat, sleep. The adults go off to work, and when they come back, he eats again, then plays.

It made Lu Ding feel more than a little embarrassed.

All he could say was, the novels really played it safe.

In many novels, the protagonist is described as some unprecedented genius, and the sect fights tooth and nail to recruit him—only for him to arrive at the sect and be handed chores first.

It's not that exchanging labor for rewards is a bad thing.

But dammit, after all that buildup, if he still ends up doing chores with zero special treatment, then why did the sect go through so much trouble to recruit him in the first place?!

Lu Ding spoke up: "Ancestral Master's Wife, is there any work I can help with?"

"Anything at all, I can do anything. Eating and taking for free without giving back makes me uneasy."

This question stumped the Ancestral Master's Wife: "Work........"

"There doesn't seem to be anything........ The last Centennial Demon-Feeding was only ninety-two years ago. There are still eight years until the next one........"

"Everything else is just minor tasks and trivial matters that the disciples can handle on their own. Or they're so tedious that you wouldn't be suited for them anyway......."

Lu Ding added: "Ancestral Master's Wife, you can't just let me enjoy all this without doing anything."

He had working arms and legs. Letting him freeload with a clear conscience was never his style. Since they were treating him so well, he had to give something back.

More importantly, now that he was on the Demon Continent, he had to put his Golden Finger to use.

The Ancestral Master's Wife suddenly had a thought: "In that case, if you really can't sit still, you can go to Qianxuan Palace and check the tasks posted for disciples, as well as the exchange standards from past Centennial Demon-Feeding events."

"Then take this, and this too."