In the small courtyard, Grandma, dressed in grey, sat beneath a tree.
Her hands were busy with needle and thread, mending something.
Hearing a sound, her ears twitched, "Is it Xiao Linglong who's back?"
Qiao Linglong smoothed her emotions at the doorway before walking in.
"Grandma, it's me. I'm back."
In this vast underworld, her only remaining relative was Grandma.
In their era, many families favored sons over daughters.
But Grandma had always been good to her, and they depended on each other.
The reason she became a ghost messenger was the good benefits and higher pay.
Also, Grandma wished for her to have a stable job.
So,
Despite being fearful and timid, she persevered and made it through.
She was promoted to a formal ghost messenger.
Without the ghost messenger benefits, Grandma's frail soul likely wouldn't have lasted much longer.
Grandma beckoned, "Come quickly and see the clothes I made for you. Do they fit?"
"What Grandma makes always fits perfectly."
Qiao Linglong said, walking forward to try on the clothes.
"My height hasn't changed all these years."
"What if you've gained weight?" Grandma chuckled.
"Grandma...!"
"Alright, alright, not fat, not fat. How is it, does it fit?"
Qiao Linglong looked at the small white dress on her and nodded, "It fits."
"Come here, let me feel it."
Grandma looked ahead, her eyes entirely white.
She... couldn't see at all.
Qiao Linglong obediently walked forward.
Grandma felt her up and down, finally stopping at the waist.
"Take it off, I'll take in the waist a bit."
"Okay."
Qiao Linglong knew she couldn't argue with Grandma, so she obediently took off the dress.
She sat beside Grandma, hugging her knees.
Watching Grandma diligently alter the clothes—though she couldn't see anything, every stitch was sewn with extreme care.
Qiao Linglong said dejectedly, "Grandma, how are you so amazing..."
"What's wrong, Xiao Linglong?" Grandma sensed her low spirits and asked,
"Did someone bully you?"
Qiao Linglong shook her head, "No... I just feel like I can't do anything well."
She recounted the events of the past few days, bit by bit.
In the small courtyard,
An old woman and a young girl, one speaking, the other listening quietly.
The scene was peaceful.
Seeing this, in the Eighteenth Hall.
Jiang Lin, while monitoring the situation in the kitchen space, recalled the paper effigies he had sent out.
He still needed to pay attention to his team members' psychological state.
...
"So that's how it is..."
In the courtyard.
Grandma said gently, "Since it's just daily training, Xiao Linglong can take her time."
As she spoke, she took out new thread and needle, "Shall I embroider some flowers on Xiao Linglong's new dress? Come help Grandma thread the needle."
"Okay, Grandma."
Qiao Linglong took the thread and needle, quickly threading it.
Grandma took it back and soon handed the needle back.
"Thread a yellow one."
"Okay."
"A red one."
"Okay."
"A green one."
...
Over those few hours, Grandma embroidered many small flowers on Qiao Linglong's new dress.
Red, white, yellow, green...
Each flower was only slightly larger than a fingernail.
At first glance, it looked like a small patch of flowers.
Adorning the white dress, it was truly beautiful.
Despite minor imperfections, it was still better sewn than what most people could do.
Throughout the process, Qiao Linglong also threaded the needle again and again.
From beginning to end, there was not a hint of impatience.
Finally, Grandma asked her to put on the dress to see.
She smiled and said, "Xiao Linglong is so good, helping Grandma thread the needle so many times."
Qiao Linglong shook her head, "Grandma is the amazing one, these little flowers are so beautiful."
"Grandma believes that whatever Xiao Linglong wants to do well, she will surely achieve."
Grandma looked at her kindly, "If you can't do it the first time, do it the second. If you can't do it the second time, do it the third."
"Just like when Xiao Linglong was training secretly to take the ghost messenger exam, you were determined to pass."
"Grandma, you knew..." Qiao Linglong was stunned.
At that time, she thought Grandma hadn't noticed her secretly going out.
"Of course, I know what my little granddaughter is busy with," Grandma smiled.
"Grandma..."
Qiao Linglong's nose stung, and then she clenched her small fists.
"I will, Grandma! I can definitely train well!"
"I'll go back and practice right away!"
Grandma nodded, "Just think of the dishes as being made for Grandma to eat."
"Grandma believes Xiao Linglong can definitely do it."
Qiao Linglong: "Mhm!"
...
...
The Eighteenth Team's "Daily Meal" training gradually got on track.
During this time, three more ghost messengers broke through their cultivation realms.
Among them was Qin Mu.
The remaining two both had a foundation in cooking.
Besides them, a few others felt their cultivation improving.
Their progress was like a shot of adrenaline for those ghost messengers who had started to waver.
—They initially joined this training due to the captain's mandatory requirement and that bowl of chicken soup.
Later, it was because they wanted to surpass Tudou.
But as time passed, and they failed again and again without any progress in their cultivation,
This made them begin to doubt... whether the captain's method was effective.
Were they wasting their time?
But now, seeing one teammate after another making progress,
This proved that the captain's suggestion was correct!
It was effective!
It made sense, after all, the captain was such a powerful ghost messenger.
Why would he waste their time with useless things?
He wasn't idle.
Thus, the members of the Eighteenth Team became enthusiastic again, running to the Eighteenth Hall even more diligently every day.
...
Where there are ghosts, there is wind.
News from the Eighteenth Team soon spread.
In an instant, it caused a stir in the underworld.
It even sparked a trend of learning to cook.
"Cooking can increase cultivation? And even lead to breakthroughs?"
"Don't disbelieve it, many ghosts in the Eighteenth Team have succeeded! My friend's friend's aunt's sister saw it with her own eyes!"
"Yeah, they say they broke through while cooking! It's amazing!"
"Damn it! I'm going to try it too!"
Whether it works or not, let's try it first!
The captains who had been skeptical before fell silent.
"Can cooking really improve cultivation? What's the logic behind that?"
They pondered and were confused.
Finally, they decided to try it themselves at home!
It's just cooking, right?
Their wives/boyfriends cook it every day at home, what's so difficult?
Even if they hadn't done it, they had seen it.
However...
The face-slapping came so quickly.
The first attempts mostly ended in failure.
Even if successful, the dishes were uneven in size, barely presentable.
Thinking back, even Jiang Lin.
It took him some practice before he succeeded.
And those without a talent for cooking, after repeated failures, gradually became irritable.
"Ahhh! What the hell is going on, this dish is too weak?!"
Some even made culinary abominations.
Looking at the dark lump in front of them, they frowned.
"Can this thing be eaten?"
It seems a bit different from what's sold in restaurants?
—
Outside the kitchen.
Their wives/boyfriends/other family members...
Hearing the clanging sounds from inside, they couldn't help but peek in.
BOOM—
A huge flame erupted from the kitchen, illuminating their faces.
"Pfft~"
What should we do if we want to laugh?
...