Medicinal Cuisine, Disciples and Followers

Waking up close to noon.

The aura of Qi Refining around him had grown denser—long hours of sleep truly benefited the Crouching Dragon cultivation technique.

He ate medicinal cuisine.

Over the past two years,

Cao Cheng had unlocked quite a few high-quality treasure chests, discovering numerous dietary recipes from the world of immortal cultivation.

Among them were many medicinal cuisine formulas.

Coupled with the chests containing various herbs, Cao Cheng had long since revamped his household’s meal plans, transforming all three daily meals.

The taste was quite good, too.

Additionally,

the household staff had also been replaced.

The previous aunties were all allowed to retire.

A proper retirement, at that—after all, they had worked for the Ren family for over a decade or two, with the shortest tenure being just over ten years.

They had been loyal through and through.

Social security only required fifteen to twenty years of contributions—it wasn’t like they could work until they dropped dead, right?

So,

with a wave of his hand, Cao Cheng dismissed them all… or rather, persuaded them to retire. No, that’s not quite right—he simply granted them retirement.

Their pensions continued to be paid.

Though the aunties were still in their prime, the youngest barely in her forties, they now lived leisurely retired lives.

Each received a monthly pension of over twenty thousand.

No one had any complaints.

The household was now staffed entirely by young women.

Of course,

this wasn’t because Young Master Cao was a lecher.

Absolutely not.

This was the result of Young Master Cao leveraging big data and even borrowing the official system from his father-in-law to scour the entire country for qualified candidates.

The first criterion was that their families had to lack something—whether it was parents, relatives, or close friends. In short, there had to be a deficiency in their fortune.

After all, if your loved ones had passed away, weren’t you practically a child of destiny?

Fortune worked in such a way that if you lacked in one aspect, it would inevitably compensate in another.

This was the way of heaven.

Most people, however, couldn’t find that point of compensation, only feeling increasingly miserable as their lives worsened.

This was the first step in Cao Cheng’s selection process.

Next, he sent people to investigate and monitor them, assessing their personalities.

Some who had suffered misfortune from a young age developed twisted minds.

Others, however, retained pure hearts.

Young Master Cao didn’t condemn those with warped psyches—after all, one shouldn’t preach kindness without having walked in their shoes.

But he also didn’t hire them.

This was the second layer of screening.

The numbers dwindled drastically—from millions to just a few hundred.

It went to show that not everyone possessed a sound temperament.

Next came further trials, including testing their "spiritual roots"—though it was more of a formality, since they were all guaranteed to be capable of cultivation anyway.

The real purpose was to further examine their character and temperament… or rather, to assess their bone structure, using AI to predict whether their figures and looks could be "improved."

Truth be told, these girls hadn’t lived easy lives, and their nutrition hadn’t been the best—many were thin and frail.

Some were genuinely young, their future appearances still uncertain.

But with AI and specialized equipment, their future looks could be projected more accurately.

The Carefree Sect only accepted handsome men and beautiful women.

Even an ageless loli like the Heavenly Mountain’s Eternal Child was still a loli, after all.

The outright ugly were definitely out.

In the end, half remained—still over a hundred.

Of course,

Young Master Cao wasn’t establishing a sect but a family, and a family needed managers at all levels.

These people would also rise together, achieving longevity and immortality.

This was all part of Cao Cheng’s nurturing.

So…

Over the years, the entire household had been replaced.

The aunties had retired.

Now, those cooking and working in the house were all disciples—the first generation of "house-born" servants, bound to the Cao family for life and death.

Loyalty was being cultivated bit by bit.

These girls spent their days working and cultivating.

They also partook in the medicinal cuisine, though of a slightly lower grade.

Even so, within a few years, all of them had broken through to the beginner stage.

Their demeanors had undergone earth-shaking transformations.

From ugly ducklings, they had become swans ready to take flight…

As for why Young Master Cao rarely showed himself,

aside from no longer needing to personally gather emotional energy,

it was also a matter of time.

He didn’t age.

Having been active in the public eye for over a decade, with countless interviews under his belt…

One could argue he just aged well, given his youth.

Some people were naturally ageless, like that celebrity Lin Zhiying from his dreams.

But while they claimed not to age,

comparing old photos and videos revealed they had, in fact, aged quite a bit!

Cao Cheng, however, showed almost no change between ten years ago and now.

That was a bit alarming.

People might accept no visible difference between twenty and thirty—after all, most felt they hadn’t changed either.

But…

Now in his early thirties, if Cao Cheng continued appearing in public, he’d hit forty in just a few years.

If people suddenly realized the forty-year-old Cao Cheng looked identical to his twenty-year-old self…

Things would get complicated.

This wasn’t something full-coverage miracle makeup could explain.

Or rather, if that were the case, most would assume Cao Cheng’s company had something even more incredible for eternal youth—something he simply wasn’t sharing.

Either way,

it spelled trouble.

So it was better to gradually retreat from the spotlight now, letting people grow accustomed to it.

The same went for his sisters—they had also begun cultivating and no longer aged.

Thus, in public matters, the girls no longer handled everything personally.

They didn’t need to anymore.

After the medicinal cuisine,

the day truly began.

Even though it was already noon.

Cao Cheng brewed some Enlightenment Tea—just a small cup sufficed.

Then he lounged.

Went fishing.

Not solely for the fishing, of course—the leisurely vibe was just conducive to cultivation. The so-called Crouching Dragon Carefree Technique was, at its core, a slacker’s manual.

So,

fishing wasn’t the main event. As he fished, he scrolled through his phone, browsing internal reports of regional news.

Cao Cheng skimmed through them casually.

He might not intervene in many matters, but that didn’t mean he was oblivious to the world.

He still reviewed major news daily—

internal reports, not the publicized versions.

These were far more accurate.

After that, he spent the afternoon in the eco-park, observing the training progress of his disciples.

Cao Cheng hadn’t taught them the "Phoenix Perching Serenity Art."

Instead, he had unlocked another cultivation manual as their foundational technique.

Returning home in the evening,

Cao Cheng began cultivating with his partners.

Now that his sisters had also started cultivating, dual cultivation was possible.

In the past, they had been more reserved…

But now, everything was understood.

Only the eldest sister remained the best at hiding it.