I Have a Penglai Immortal Island

Back home, Zhao Zhao exported the day's live stream, edited the highlights, and uploaded them to her Panda account and Weibo. She was proficient at this and finished quickly. Just as she was about to head to bed, Yaoguang stopped her.

"Don't forget the promise," Yaoguang reminded.

Debts must be repaid. The shark pearl given to Da Linzi was in exchange for her promise to cultivate diligently...

Obediently, she entered the space and headed to the center of the spiritual herb field. Here lay a large golden grass cushion with the manual of Boundless Sea Technique on top.

As soon as she sat down, a round ball of fur pounced on her... She realized she had forgotten about the new family member tonight.

"Did I forget about you? Are you hungry?" Zhao Zhao tenderly picked up the dog, feeling its weight. "Yaoguang, has it grown bigger?"

Yaoguang tilted its head and examined Gun Gun. "The previous owner of this space never raised spirit pets. Since I woke up, this is the first time a mortal creature has entered. With the spiritual veins and divine tree here, even ordinary fruits can become low-tier spiritual fruits. Naturally, it will evolve."

This was great news, and Zhao Zhao hoped Gun Gun would stay with her for a long time.

After cuddling Gun Gun enough, she set it down, and it immediately ran off, looking back to make sure she was following. When she didn't, it returned and tugged at her pants leg, as if urging her to follow. Zhao Zhao was pleased by its intelligence and affection and followed along.

Gun Gun led her to a few tomato plants at the edge of the space. It stood on its hind legs, hugging a tomato stalk and shaking it vigorously until two ripe tomatoes fell. It then pawed them to Zhao Zhao's feet, looking up at her as if to say, "You eat."

The dog had learned to help itself in a day—what a clever and endearing pet! This move completely won over its owner. Zhao Zhao picked up the tomatoes and used her water manipulation technique to rinse them. She ate one and gave one to Gun Gun, enjoying the fruits together. She also picked some fruits that Gun Gun couldn't reach.

Yaoguang watched the two eaters and, annoyed by the distraction, flapped its wings and tossed Gun Gun away. "With it here, you'll never focus."

Zhao Zhao finally returned to the cushion, realizing she had eaten too much and struggled to get into the right mindset. She looked around the space, which was half land and half water. She hadn't explored the water area yet. This space was vast, beyond her current spiritual power's reach. Gazing at the distant body of water, she asked, "Are there creatures in that lake?"

"That's not a lake; it's a sea. The previous owner drew water from the Caspian Sea to create it."

"Really? It's a sea?" Zhao Zhao was surprised. "Are there creatures in it? Fish?"

"Maybe. You can go and check," Yaoguang replied indifferently, only caring about its divine tree.

Zhao Zhao quickly corrected herself, "No way! I catch fish during the day and at night. That's too miserable. I'd rather cultivate!"

See? Happiness is all about perspective.

As she diligently cultivated, the video she edited began to gain traction online. Many people noticed Yaoguang, who was larger than the average macaw.

Netizens debated fervently whether the parrot was a spirit or not. Some were amazed by their luck and significant haul, considering it a windfall.

A popular science blogger shared the video, praising them for leaving behind the small sea cucumbers they encountered. Given the high price of sea cucumbers, this restraint was commendable. Despite some negative comments, the video gained some popularity.

When Da Linzi came knocking early in the morning, the video had 120,000 likes and 320,000 views.

Da Linzi burst in, excitedly showing his phone. "We have over ten thousand followers on Panda! Are we famous now?" Zhao Zhao handed him a glass of apple juice, tempering his excitement. "Panda has a huge user base. You're not famous until you hit a million followers. These ten thousand might not all be active. Did you have breakfast yet?"

"No, I was kicked out by my mom."

"For what this time?" Zhao Zhao began slicing fruit, planning a breakfast of spiritual fruits from the space.

"She wanted me to give her the money to keep, but if I hand it over, I'll never see it again. This is my allowance from you, so I didn't give it to her. Then she got mad and didn't make breakfast."

Serves you right. She must be really angry.

Ten minutes later, breakfast was ready. Da Linzi and Gun Gun each had a colorful fruit salad, with the bowls being the only difference in size.

"Zhao Zhao, I'm not on a diet."

"No one on a diet eats this much high-sugar fruit. These are premium organic oranges, apples, jabuticaba, and kiwifruit. If I sold them, I'd price it at 500 bucks. Today, you're getting a bargain."

Gun Gun, who recognized quality, ate heartily. After tasting it, Da Linzi joined in, praising the meal.

"This is the best fruit salad I've ever had! The flavors are so rich, and the texture is amazing. Except for the apples, I rarely see these fruits on the island. I didn't notice anything unusual about them."

"These fruits are definitely expensive. They're so fragrant and delicious! I feel full just eating fruit. It would be great if we could have this for breakfast every day!" Da Linzi volunteered to wash the bowls afterward, impressed by the meal. A growing boy, he typically ate two buns for breakfast but found the fruit salad equally satisfying, though he wished for more.

"Come over anytime you want more. There's plenty. Once the orchard is planted, you'll have as much as you want."

She planned to plant some in the backyard. Not everyone was as easy to satisfy as Da Linzi.

The divine tree’s seeds were treasures. Though the outside world had no spiritual veins, burying them in the ground provided benefits similar to spiritual fields. According to Yaoguang, it was only slightly inferior to top-tier spiritual fields in ancient times.

She planned to bury a few in the yard, plant fruit trees, and build a greenhouse to keep suspicions at bay. On this remote island, having fresh southern fruits all the time was impractical otherwise.

The inn's location was excellent, on the east side of Jinshi Island, with high ground and few residents nearby. It offered a beautiful view of the sea.

Most island residents lived on the flatter western side, closer to the dock and Longshan Island. She planned to buy the empty land east of the inn and build her house there. Reopening the inn meant she couldn't live with the guests.

Leaving Da Linzi to do the dishes, Zhao Zhao headed out with Yaoguang, followed by Gun Gun.

The half-cloudy day, with the familiar light sea breeze, was refreshing.

This was the long-missed summer breeze after enduring three scorching summers in Kyoto.

A middle-aged woman in her forties approached, laughing heartily. "Oh my, Zhao Zhao, your style is quite grand. Walking a dog and a bird, like the old gentry families going out in style."

Zhao Zhao: ...

"Auntie Haiming, this parrot is a bit lazy and won't fly on its own. Where are you headed?" Before she could finish, the large parrot interrupted, "I can be lazier than you?" Yaoguang was astonished; it had never seen such an unmotivated cultivator. Who could be lazier than her?

Tired of this, might as well destroy everything.

Amid Auntie Haiming's loud laughter, Zhao Zhao continued, "Auntie Haiming, where are you going? If you’re busy, I’ll head to the village committee first."

Auntie Haiming replied, "I’m not busy. I was looking for you. I heard you came back and brought you some vegetables. Your garden has gone wild, what will you eat? When you finish these, come to my place and pick more. We have plenty, more than we can eat."

As Zhao Zhao was about to take them, Auntie Haiming laughed and said, "If you’re going to the village committee, I'll leave them at your door on my way to the store. Your Uncle Haiming has work every day, and if you need anything, just call him. We’re family, don’t be a stranger."

"Is Uncle Haiming still working on the Dragon King Temple boat?"

"Yes, but they prioritize their own people on those boats. If they have enough people, they don’t need folks from the island. Your Uncle Haiming and Da Peng often find themselves idle. I heard from your second aunt that you plan to stay for good. If you have work, just call out. That’s the benefit of being back; we’re all family. I’m rambling; you should head to the village committee!"

Bidding farewell to the cheerful woman, Zhao Zhao felt a pang of nostalgia for her grandfather. These were the connections he had cultivated.

Grandpa had served as village head for half his life. Generous and warm-hearted, he always thought of the villagers. She used to call him the island chief, saying he truly deserved the title.

Taking a long walk to calm her emotions, she finally entered the village committee office, where the village's old accountant, Xiong Guang'an, was alone.

"Third Uncle, what’s the situation? Will we get a dividend at the end of the year?"

"Dream on! Oh, it's you, girl. Heard you came back yesterday. What brings you here? If I had the authority, I'd give you an ice cream right now."

Then he noticed Gun Gun at her feet. "Nice dog, a guard dog from the Dragon King Temple, huh? Train it well; don’t carry it everywhere or you’ll spoil it," the old accountant advised.

Nowadays, young people treat dogs like children. His grandson carried his dog everywhere in the city, but it got scared when the village dogs barked at it.

While chatting, a sweaty middle-aged man walked in. It was Liu Zhi, the village party secretary, from the Liu family, another prominent family on the island.