“I do not allow it!”
Xu Qing’s heavy voice echoed through the hall. For a moment, all the elders fell silent. They could detect a sliver of anger in her tone, yet they were baffled as to why. Their discussion was merely a standard inquiry into the matter.
Realizing the impropriety of her tone, Xu Qing remained silent for a moment before saying, “My apologies. That disciple’s injuries have not yet healed; she should not see anyone.”
An elder nodded in understanding. The Xueyu Sect was a prestigious and righteous sect; if they were to harm an innocent disciple in the pursuit of truth, it would surely tarnish the sect’s reputation. In the immortal realm, prestige was everything.
“Then, in Fellow Daoist Xu’s opinion, who is the mastermind behind this?” another elder asked cautiously.
Xu Qing’s fingertips lightly tapped the table. “A cultivator named Zhuang Youbai. When I saved the disciple, this person vanished without a trace.”
“Are you saying… this person orchestrated everything?”
“Perhaps.”
Xu Qing answered ambiguously. The truth had not yet come to light, and she did not dare make a hasty judgment. There were too many suspicious points.
The elders discussed the matter at length, and finally, the Head Elder summarized, “Regardless, there must be a reason why this disciple was targeted. As for the other cultivator named Zhuang Youbai, her identity is unclear. Why she approached this disciple and why she planned this remain unknown.”
He concluded, “Xu Qing, you must keep a strict watch over this disciple and determine whether it is the Demon Realm or the Immortal Realm acting in the shadows.”
Xu Qing lowered her eyes and complied. Even without the elder’s instructions, she had already resolved to investigate the matter thoroughly. Why was Bai Muyao targeted? Who exactly was Zhuang Youbai? And what secrets… were hidden within Bai Muyao? She wanted to know everything about her.
The discussion continued, shifting to the signs of restlessness in the Demon Realm. Some elders speculated that an immortal-demon war would surely break out within a hundred years. Xu Qing had no interest in these topics. She looked around and then quietly tapped her Master, who was sitting beside her.
Her Master asked curiously, “What is it?”
Xu Qing hesitated for a moment before saying, “I wish to consult Master on a certain matter.”
Her Master was surprised; Xu Qing’s cultivation had already surpassed her own, so what could she possibly need to consult her about? “Speak.”
Xu Qing hesitated again before whispering, “I wish to ask Master if she knows how to prepare any delicious foods.”
Upon hearing this, several question marks appeared over her Master’s head. She spent her years traveling and tasting delicacies from across the world, even teaching herself to create many dishes. But these were of little use to cultivators, as one no longer needed to eat after reaching a certain realm.
Her Master wondered why this disciple would suddenly ask such a thing. She remembered that Xu Qing was not greedy for food; in fact, when she had invited her to eat in the past, Xu Qing had ruthlessly rejected her.
“It is truly boring for a person on the path of immortality to still crave the desires of the mouth.”
Those cold words from Xu Qing back then had saddened her foodie Master for quite some time.
“Wait a moment!” Her Master fumbled through her storage ring and produced a small booklet, which she quietly pressed into Xu Qing’s hand. “This contains the delicacies I’ve gathered while traveling, along with detailed recipes.”
Xu Qing’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Thank you, Master.”
“It’s a small matter,” her Master leaned in, her eyes gleaming with gossip. “But… why the sudden interest?”
The image of Bai Muyao inside the barrier flashed through Xu Qing’s mind. Trapped in such a small space, with no one to see all day—how lonely must she be? If there were some delicious food to accompany her, perhaps it would ease her boredom…
That was why she…
Thinking of this, the tips of her ears grew slightly warm. She turned her face away and said, “Master need not ask.”
“Ah… alright.” Her Master tactfully dropped the subject.
She had assumed Xu Qing would simply put the recipe book away, especially since the atmosphere in the hall was so tense. The elders were arguing until they were red in the face about the movements in the Demon Realm, and the air was thick with a murderous chill. Yet, her prized disciple had hidden the booklet in her sleeve and was focusing on flipping through the pages one by one, using the desk as cover.
Her slightly furrowed brow would occasionally smooth out, and the corners of her lips even lifted in a nearly imperceptible curve…
Has this girl been possessed?! Her Master’s teacup nearly overturned. Xu Qing was usually as cold as frost; seeing her smile at a cookbook was more bizarre than seeing the sun rise from the west!
This scene happened to be caught by the elder sitting diagonally across from them. Seeing the pair from Qingfeng Pavilion exchanging something privately, and seeing the booklet being held by Xu Qing as if it were a precious treasure, the old man’s cloudy eyes sharpened. He concluded that the book must be something extraordinary—perhaps a profound secret manual that could cause a cultivator’s power to skyrocket!
The elder’s suspicion was confirmed when he saw Xu Qing’s rare smile. He felt a surge of envy and jealousy, wishing he could snatch it away to take a look. Finally, the meeting ended in a flurry of chaos. Xu Qing stood up impatiently, gave a slight nod to her Master, and hurried away.
On the other side, Bai Muyao began her second attempt at refinement after a brief rest. The result… was the same. By the time she had exhausted her last thread of spiritual energy and was so weak she could barely stand, she had only refined a negligible wisp of demonic aura. The black mist perched upon her consciousness remained as thick and hopeless as ever.
“Cough…” She collapsed bedraggled to the ground, and it took a long time before she could push herself up.
I’m too useless… at this speed, even a hundred years won’t be enough…
Let alone searching for opportunities, she couldn’t even leave this place now. If it weren’t for Xu Qing’s protection, she likely would have… Bai Muyao shook her head and called up the system interface.
[Mission: Defeat the Demon World General] [Completion: Calamity Survival Rate +9%] [Status: Incomplete]
The Demon General had vanished before her eyes; why was the mission still showing as incomplete? She couldn’t figure it out and decided to set the question aside for now. The urgent matter was still the demonic aura.
Dragging her exhausted body out of the cultivation grounds, Bai Muyao looked toward the horizon. When will Senior Sister Xu Qing return? Although Xu Qing said she would come back, it was unclear when. To a cultivator, especially at Xu Qing’s realm, ten or a hundred years were but a blink of an eye. That “I’ll be back” might mean waiting for over a decade…
Bai Muyao thought about it. Actually… it’s better if she doesn’t come back, right? Xu Qing had already helped her too much. If she were here, the refinement might be smoother, but Bai Muyao didn’t want to trouble her anymore. Being left alone to cultivate slowly—that was how things should be. She had already accepted too much kindness; she couldn’t keep relying on her.
Bai Muyao patted the dust off her robes and prepared to leave the area.
Gurgle—
A protest came from her stomach. After high-intensity cultivation, she urgently needed to replenish her strength. But looking around… food was hard to find in these desolate mountains. Although she had some dry rations in her storage ring, they tasted poor, but she had no choice. She planned to eat some rations, recover her spiritual energy through meditation, and then continue the next round of refinement.
Suddenly, she caught a scent of an enticing aroma. In the twilight, a flickering fire near the cabin was particularly striking. Bai Muyao walked over quickly and saw Xu Qing poking at a fire with a branch. A thick soup bubbling in a clay pot was releasing a wonderful fragrance.
She hadn’t expected Xu Qing to be back already, let alone preparing food. The scent grew stronger, making her stomach growl even louder. Xu Qing seemed to hear the noise and looked back at her. “Finished cultivating? Taste this soup and see if it’s to your liking.”
Bai Muyao turned a bit red and walked over slowly. Xu Qing used a branch to lift the lid of the clay pot, and the aroma of fresh fish soup filled the air. Green vegetable leaves floated on the milky white broth, and the fish meat was stewed until tender.
“I happened… to catch a few fish and thought I’d make some soup to drink.”
Xu Qing’s tone was flat. She didn’t dare say this “happening” was actually a rare treasure she had specifically sought out according to her Master’s culinary guide. Nor did she mention that to keep the fish fresh and alive, she had spent her spiritual energy protecting them with the wind all the way back, and even dug a new lake behind the mountain to keep them.
Gurgle—
Bai Muyao looked at the well-stewed fish soup in the pot, with its enticing color and fragrant aroma. Her eyes were round as she asked dazed, “Did Senior Sister prepare this for me?”
Xu Qing: “Naturally. Come and eat.”
Bai Muyao snapped out of it and hurried to thank her respectfully. “Thank you, Senior Sister…”
“Say no more, lest it… cools down.”
Cools down? Bai Muyao looked at the still-burning fire. But since Xu Qing had said so, she didn’t delay. She looked for a place to sit right next to the fire. But if she sat down, she would be sitting right beside Senior Sister Xu Qing.