Being accompanied every single moment was certainly wonderful, but a companion who did not eat ordinary food meant that Tu Xiao couldn’t eat either.
He was so hungry.
As dusk approached, the sounds of sword qi in the snow bamboo forest gradually grew fainter, because the person wielding the sword was on the verge of starving to faint. Within three breaths, the forest grew so quiet that the sound of falling snow could be heard.
The fine, downy white snow was also nearing its end. Tu Xiao sat cross-legged in the snow, secretly opening one eye to peek at his Master, who was still meditating with closed eyes. His white robes were purer than snow, almost blending completely into the frozen landscape.
“I really don’t want to learn this inedia technique…”
Tu Xiao rubbed his stomach and muttered softly, but if he didn’t learn it, staying with Master meant he would starve to death.
It had been nearly a year since he entered the sect, and he still hadn’t mastered the art of inedia. Thus, every time mealtime arrived, he simply had to eat.
Seeing that his Master wasn’t going to finish meditating anytime soon, he simply leaned backward and sprawled out in the snow in a large “X” shape.
“Xiao Xiao.”
Tu Xiao scrambled up in a single motion, meeting his Master’s peach-blossom eyes, which carried an unangered majesty.
“M-Master! I was just… just comprehending the ways of heaven and earth!”
Tu Xiao stammered as he tried to find an excuse for his recent slacking off, though it turned out worse than saying nothing at all.
Who would believe that?
Bai Chen brushed the falling snow from his sleeves. “Comprehending it by lying on the ground?”
Clearly, no one believed it. Confessing honestly brings leniency; resisting brings strictness. At least a frank admission might yield a lighter punishment.
“I’m so hungry I’m dizzy and have no strength left, Master…”
Tu Xiao pouted, gazing longingly at his Master with puppy-dog eyes as he continued, “If I don’t eat something soon, I’m afraid I’ll become the only disciple in Immortal Realm Mountain to starve to death.”
“Though it wouldn’t be any great loss on my part, it would still bring shame to Master.”
As he spoke, Tu Xiao got deeply into character and felt like crying; his nose even tingled with sourness.
Bai Chen sighed lightly. “Since that is the case, today’s lessons end here. Go have your meal.”
Hearing his Master’s permission felt like receiving an imperial decree.
Tu Xiao took a step forward on his front foot, then pulled it back and asked cautiously, “Master, can you accompany me?”
“I’ll tell Master a secret, oh—the food made by Granny at the dining hall is the most delicious. Master must not have eaten it in a long time; don’t you want to taste it again? It’s truly fragrant and so, so good.”
“There is no need.”
“This deity has long since practiced inedia and does not consume grain.”
As Bai Chen turned to leave, he exposed Tu Xiao’s thoughts in a single sentence.
“If you are afraid the road is slippery in the dark, this deity can teach you the Sunlight Formula and the Lingbo Steps.”
Hearing that he had to study more, Tu Xiao was instantly displeased. There was obviously a much faster way!
No! Those who are thick-skinned succeed.
“But the dining hall’s plum blossom and red date soup…”
Tu Xiao trotted along to keep up. His Master walked so fast that his short legs almost failed to match the pace, so he boldly grabbed his Master’s sleeve and gently shook the wide fabric while breathing heavily.
Acting spoiled again.*
“It’s made from the spiritual plums of the back mountain. I heard it clears the heart, brightens the eyes, and relieves cold constitutions. Master, you’ve always been so icy cold; drinking some would be really great.”
Bai Chen paused his steps slightly, not shaking off the troublemaker.
“My constitution has been cold since birth; drinking anything won’t change that.”
Tu Xiao possessed a formidable inner drive. Even though he was constantly rejected, he still refused to give up.
If he couldn’t tempt him, he would just change tactics.
“Then… then Master can just act like you’re supervising my meal!” Tu Xiao’s eyes rolled as an idea struck him. “What if I get too greedy, eat too much, and suffer from indigestion tomorrow? Wouldn’t that delay my cultivation?”
“Master cannot just ignore me.”
“Master needs to keep me in check.”
Keep him in check?
He might as well starve and not eat at all.
Bai Chen finally turned around, looking at him with a half-smile. “Then how about Xiao Xiao doesn’t eat after all?”
Huh? Tu Xiao looked up at his Master, then immediately squatted down in the snow, hugging his stomach. His expression was full of grievance, looking utterly pitiful curled up in a tiny ball.
“There’s also the spiritual rice porridge… boiled with morning dew. Didn’t the books say, ‘Those who feed on Qi are divine and live long’?”
“If I drink more of this porridge, can’t I live many, many more years? That way, I can accompany Master for a long, long time…”
“Alright.”
Bai Chen raised a hand to interrupt him, though he couldn’t conceal a trace of helplessness at the corner of his lips. “Let’s go to the dining hall together.”
Tu Xiao let out a cheer, skipped forward a couple of steps, but seeing the pitch-black path, he hurriedly hurried back to support his Master’s arm.
“Master is so good! Long live Master! I like Master so, so much!”
“The snowy steps are slippery, Xiao Xiao will support you!”
Though he said he was supporting his Master, it was more like he was using his Master as a walking cane.
No one dared to be this presumptuous around Bai Chen, let alone chatter endlessly about liking him.
Since the boy was still young, he wouldn’t bicker with him. Thus, he said with mild detachment, “Impertinent and unruly.”
The moment the words fell, his Master snapped his fingers. Fine snow fluttered, bamboo leaves swayed, and two figures one tall and one short sped away like flying, swift as a red hare.
In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, they had arrived. Tu Xiao spat out a bamboo leaf from his mouth, his clothes and hair completely disheveled; anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he had rolled around in the snowy bamboo forest.
Looking at his Master, however, he remained poised and calm as ever, not a single leaf touching his person.
Though he looked slightly disheveled, he got to eat much earlier!
The evening dining hall was brilliantly lit, glowing as bright as day beneath several luminous night pearls.
“Am I seeing things?”
A female cultivator rubbed her eyes. “Is that… Hengchen Immortal Venerable?”
The male disciple beside her nearly choked on his soup, as if he had heard something utterly preposterous. “Impossible! When has the Immortal Venerable ever set foot in the dining hall?!”
Granny at the dining hall narrowed her eyes, her hand channeling spiritual energy pausing for a moment, the soup ladle suspended mid-air. It wasn’t until she spotted the small figure trailing behind the Immortal Venerable that she smiled knowingly. “Ah, so he brought someone along.”
Tu Xiao trotted over like a cheerful little bird to greet Granny: “Good evening, Granny! What meat dishes are there today?”
Granny’s smile remained as warm as ever: “You’re in for a treat today, little Xiao: braised pork belly, roasted beef… and there’s still some lotus root and pork rib soup left.”
He gazed out happily. It seemed tonight would be a sumptuous meal!
Hengchen Immortal Venerable was clad in immaculate white robes untainted by dust, looking utterly out of place in a mortal, bustling place like the dining hall.
With a blank expression, he allowed his disciple to pull him toward the serving counter, watching as his disciple completely bypassed the bowl-and-chopsticks section and picked up a large platter meant for serving soup.
“Xiao Xiao.”
The Immortal Venerable finally spoke, his restraining voice not loud at all.
Tu Xiao immediately turned around, his large eyes blinking and blinking.
“Xiao Xiao is still growing.”
“If I eat too little, I’ll get hungry during the long, long night, and the dining hall doesn’t serve midnight snacks. I’ll have to endure until morning and lose weight…”
Seeing his Master walk off to find a table, Tu Xiao knew his Master had tacitly agreed. He gave a reassuring promise to his Master’s retreating back.
“Don’t worry, Master, I definitely won’t get indigestion!”
The surrounding disciples gasped in unison.
That was Hengchen Immortal Venerable!
The legendary god of slaughter who had once slashed away ten thousand demonic cultivators with a single sword and frozen an entire demon palace with his water-manipulation arts and now he was actually standing in the dining hall watching a glutton eat?
He walked slowly to a square table in the furthest corner and sat down. His sleeve brushed across the stool’s surface, and a thin layer of frost instantly melted away.
“Master, I’m here!”
Tu Xiao ran over carrying the precariously shaking platter, and a splash of soup splattered onto Bai Chen’s cuff.
He felt as though he had half-died on the spot; he didn’t dare move again, nor did he dare to breathe.
The few other dining disciples collectively held their breath as well, each fearing that if the Immortal Venerable flew into a rage, everyone in the dining hall would suffer the consequences.
Bai Chen lightly flicked his sleeve, and the grease stain vanished instantly. He raised his eyes to look at his motionless disciple.
His expression remained natural, and his tone was flat.
“Rule number one of Immortal Realm Mountain: no running.”
“I was wrong.”
“Do not let it happen again.”
“Good Master, I definitely won’t dare again.”
Seeing that his Master let the matter rest just like that, he let out a soft breath of relief. He took a bite of the pork rib meat, puffed out his cheeks as he nodded, and said indistinctly, “Master, eat too!”
With that, he prepared to pick up the very last piece of pork rib in his bowl and transfer it over.
“There is no need.”
The Immortal Venerable blocked him with his chopsticks, instead transferring the spiritual mushrooms from his own bowl into his disciple’s.
A few female disciples in the back row excitedly pinched each other’s arms.
One daring girl whispered, “The Immortal Venerable is actually picking food for his disciple…”
“Such a doting feeling, I want to be the Immortal Venerable’s disciple too.”
“What a pity, born at the wrong time and our ages don’t match.”
Several female disciples discussed with a sense of regret.
Looking at the pristine, completely plain vegetarian dishes in his Master’s platter, it looked as though it wouldn’t fill anyone up, and yet his Master was still sharing it with him.
His Master must truly be the best Master in the entire world.
He said earnestly, “Master, you should eat more too. Protecting all living beings is such tiring work. I’ve already had enough, Master, you eat…”
Before he could finish his sentence, his mouth lost the ability to make sound, as if someone had pressed the mute button.
“Do not speak while eating, do not speak while sleeping.”
The Immortal Venerable didn’t even raise his head, blocking the food his disciple was trying to send over.
His voice wasn’t loud, yet it plunged the entire dining hall into instantaneous, dead silence, everyone fearing they too might be struck by a silencing curse.
Though Tu Xiao couldn’t make a sound, he didn’t get angry or try to argue; his eyes were fixed solely on the delicious food.
Anyway, I’m not a picky eater.
Eat faster, don’t keep Master waiting too long.
Bai Chen quietly watched his disciple devour the meal like a whirlwind, and then finish the remaining portion he had left behind.
As they were about to leave, Granny suddenly spoke up, “Will the Immortal Venerable come again tomorrow?”
Bai Chen did not pause his steps.
Tu Xiao had already snatched the answer: “Coming! Of course we’re coming! Granny, can you make crystal shrimp dumplings tomorrow, okay?”
The Immortal Venerable did not deny it; he merely lifted his disciple by the back collar: “It’s time to prepare for practice.”
At dawn the next day, Immortal Realm Mountain’s little grapevine was abuzz with messages, completely exploding with madness all night long:
Hengchen Immortal Venerable appeared in the dining hall to accompany his disciple for dinner.
Hengchen Immortal Venerable accompanies his gluttonous disciple for dinner every single night.
Hengchen Immortal Venerable was blackmailed by his disciple into accompanying him for meals, and the disciple even dared to eat the Immortal Venerable’s food.
Hengchen Immortal Venerable forces his disciple to practice every single night without sleeping.
The rumors grew more and more bizarre. The female and male cultivators who looked up to Hengchen Immortal Venerable as their role model flatly refused to believe that the lofty Immortal Venerable could be bossed around by a disciple. Eagerly, they formed groups vowing to see for themselves the next evening whether the rumors were true.
On the following night, the number of people in the dining hall was visibly several times greater than usual.
The ingredients aren’t enough, and nobody gave a warning either!
Granny felt her heart skip a beat, but she could only frantically cast spells and open warehouses, wishing she could grow a few more pairs of hands.