Dim Sum Cart

The young girl's breathing was steady; she had fallen into a deep sleep.

Pale spiritual energy lingered at Lin Mo's fingertips. He gently tapped the center of her brow, and the Yellow Court Spirit-Nourishing Scripture began to circulate. Like a gentle spring rain, it silently nourished her nearly dried-up sea of consciousness.

It had to be said that Xie Yuling had indeed found a way to temper her own spirit.

It was just like running: pushing to the point of exhaustion meant she could endure a little longer the next time.

He could clearly sense a brand-new, far more resilient spiritual force taking root and sprouting within this small body.

It wouldn't be long before this girl's spiritual strength would likely leave those specialists from Yanhuang Awakening eating her dust.

After finishing all this, Lin Mo's figure faded from the spot.

At home.

The space warped slightly, and Lin Mo's figure appeared directly in the living room without alerting anyone.

The furnishings in the house were exactly the same as when he last returned, and a faint scent of sandalwood still lingered in the air.

He pushed open the door to his parents' room. A little girl was lying on the bed. Through Lin Mo's divine sense, she appeared to be enveloped in dense spiritual energy.

The girl was still digesting the massive energy within her body, having entered a peculiar state similar to suspended animation—neither eating nor drinking, free from impurities.

It could only be described as resembling an incubating egg.

Lin Mo checked the divine sense mark he had left behind. After confirming that everything was fine, he gently closed the door.

The moment she woke up, he would be the first to know.

Returning to his own room, he sat cross-legged once more to continue refining his cultivation.

As for the discussions in the group chat, he had no intention of paying attention to them. After all, everyone who needed to be notified had been notified.

The night passed in silence.

On Saturday morning, sunlight spilled through the gaps in the curtains.

Lin Mo opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a long breath of impure qi, which drew a faint white line in the air before dissipating.

Peak Foundation Establishment.

He had remained at this realm for some time. At this moment, the invisible barrier leading to the Golden Core Great Dao was clearly discernible, seemingly within arm's reach.

After the summer vacation, he just needed to find a place to break through.

Getting up and walking to the living room, Lin Mo took out three incense sticks from a cabinet. He lit them, bowed respectfully three times to the memorial tablets in front of him, and then placed them into the incense burner.

The curling green smoke carried a silent longing.

He knew his parents were long gone, but this sense of ritual was his only connection to the past.

Just as he finished tidying up and was about to go downstairs for a relaxing breakfast, his phone chimed with a notification.

It was a message from Liu Zheng.

"We're back in Yangcheng, and Xia Zhi has been transferred here too. Want to get together tonight?"

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, his fingers tapping rapidly on the screen.

"No can do, I'm busy tonight. Let's do tomorrow."

After hitting send, he pocketed his phone and prepared to head downstairs.

Meanwhile, inside a speeding off-road vehicle, Liu Zheng looked at his phone and sighed.

"Ah, he says he's busy tonight."

Old Bai, who was driving, glanced at the rearview mirror, turned the steering wheel, and said cheerfully, "If tonight doesn't work, let's do noon. At our speed, we'll definitely arrive before mealtime."

"Good point!" Liu Zheng's eyes lit up, and he immediately sent another message to Lin Mo.

Buzz.

Just as Lin Mo reached the top of the stairs, his phone vibrated again.

He picked it up, took a look, and smiled.

"Alright then, but I'm eating somewhere expensive."

"No problem, you pick the place!"

Liu Zheng replied almost instantly. He then put down his phone, actually feeling relieved upon seeing Lin Mo's demand for an expensive meal. He turned to Xia Zhi and Shouzhen in the back seat and said:

"Looks like he really is busy tonight, otherwise he wouldn't have agreed to lunch so readily."

In the back seat, Xia Zhi pursed her lips and said softly:

"I just wanted to personally thank Lin Mo and Perfected Beixuan. If it weren't for the Five Thunders Talisman, Tang Hao might have actually gotten away in the end."

Her words carried lingering fear and sincere gratitude.

Sitting on the other side, Shouzhen kept his head turned toward the window from beginning to end, watching the rapidly receding scenery without saying a word.

After all, he didn't get a share of the Five Thunders Talismans.

It was just extremely frustrating.

Liu Zheng could only shake his head helplessly and say to Xia Zhi, "I'll ask for you and see if the venerable Perfected Beixuan is free."

Saying this, Liu Zheng started typing on his phone again.

Before long, he received a reply from Lin Mo.

"Don't bother asking. The Master doesn't have time, but I do."

--System: I don't have time, I'm going to play cards--

The teahouse was bustling with noise. The crisp clinking of bowls and plates mingled with the chatter and laughter of the diners, as well as the loud hawking of the aunties, weaving together into a vibrant slice-of-life picture.

The air was filled with the mellow aroma of Pu'er tea and the steaming scent of food fresh from the bamboo steamers. Warm and humid, this was the earthly hustle and bustle most familiar to the old locals of Guangdong.

Unlike the modern made-to-order teahouses that were popping up everywhere, this time-honored establishment still retained the oldest tradition—dim sum carts.

Elderly aunties pushed small carts piled high with bamboo steamers, nimbly weaving through the narrow spaces between tables.

Lin Mo raised his hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together, and gently beckoned to a cart-pushing auntie nearby.

"Excuse me!"

The auntie understood immediately and briskly pushed her cart over. She pulled back a cloth cover, revealing a mountain of stacked bamboo steamers underneath.

"Handsome boy, what would you like to eat?"

"I'll take two baskets of chicken feet and shrimp dumplings."

Without waiting for the auntie to do it, he reached out and lifted the lid of the top steamer himself. A wave of heat carrying a rich, savory aroma rushed over his face.

The chicken feet were steamed until they were soft and fell off the bone, possessing a shiny, dark red glaze.

He pulled out a basket of shrimp dumplings from another stack. Through the translucent wrappers, the plump, pink shrimp inside were faintly visible.

Sweeping his gaze, Lin Mo sharply spotted a basket of steamed beef balls with tofu skin hidden in the corner, and he unceremoniously grabbed that as well.

He also grabbed a basket each of seaweed rolls and beef tripe.

Only then did he pull out a dim sum card from the table, printed with words like "Top," "Large," and "Special," and handed it over.

The cart auntie took the card, pulled out a stamp hanging at her waist, and with a few crisp clacking sounds, stamped several red marks on the corresponding grid squares of the card. She then pushed her cart away to wander around the area.

Lin Mo rubbed the thin card, a ripple of emotion rising in his heart.

This kind of ritualistic process was becoming increasingly rare in this day and age.

In another ten years or so, it would probably vanish entirely.

The convenient and quick made-to-order system was certainly efficient, but it also diluted the joy of treasure-hunting among the bamboo steamers.

He arranged his dim sum but didn't rush to pick up his chopsticks. Instead, he waved at a young waiter.

"Waiter, could I get a dish of Gip sauce, please?"

The waiter, who looked to be in his early twenties, paused upon hearing the name. "What sauce?"

This was clearly a waiter who didn't speak Cantonese.

Lin Mo opened his mouth, trying to recall how "Gip sauce" was pronounced in Mandarin.

He couldn't remember either, so he could only explain:

"It's that sweet and sour, slightly spicy black vinegar used for the beef balls," Lin Mo explained patiently.

"Oh, oh! Got it, coming right up!" The waiter suddenly understood.

The proper name for this stuff was Worcestershire sauce, which had been transliterated as "Gip sauce" after it was introduced to Hong Kong.

Any true gourmand knows that without it, steamed beef balls with bean curd skin would lose their very soul.