Zhou Fuying’s eyes were pitch black as he stared silently at Xu Lingguang, which was a bit frightening.
The smile on Xu Lingguang’s face faded slightly, and he instinctively took a step back, tentatively calling out, “Zhou Fuying?”
Noticing his retreat, Zhou Fuying scoffed inwardly, then casually sheathed his sword and swept his gaze over him. “Where did you go, Master? Why are you only returning now?”
Seeing him return to normal, Xu Lingguang relaxed, thinking to himself that this little disciple carried an unusually heavy aura of killing intent while practicing swordsmanship—he’d have to keep his distance in the future. But he couldn’t help but say excitedly, “I went to the neighboring mountain. There were so many wild fruits and vegetables there, and I even caught two rabbits.”
He patted the bag containing the lively rabbits, his face beaming with joy. “We can have roasted rabbit tonight.”
Zhou Fuying: “…”
He let out an indifferent “oh,” pondering how Xu Lingguang had managed to walk out of Ailao Mountain alive. After all, both Xielingzi and Nine Swords Zhenren, who had entered the mountain, were dead, yet here he was, alive and well—even catching two rabbits!
Zhou Fuying gritted his teeth, then walked back to Qingyu Sect with his sword in hand, casually probing Xu Lingguang along the way. “That neighboring mountain is called Ailao Mountain. It’s said to be inhabited by the reclusive Chenghuang clan. Chenghuang are fierce and cruel, feeding on humans. Those who trespass into their forbidden lands rarely survive. Master, you really shouldn’t go there again. What if you encounter a Chenghuang…”
Xu Lingguang hadn’t expected an ordinary mountain to have such a significant background. He was stunned for a moment before asking, “Do Chenghuang really exist?”
He had read the Classic of Mountains and Seas and naturally knew about Chenghuang, but even in a world of cultivation, shouldn’t such creatures be fictional?
After all, the Classic of Mountains and Seas also claimed that riding a Chenghuang could grant immortality.
If Chenghuang truly existed, wouldn’t everyone want to ride one?
Zhou Fuying gave a half-smile. “That’s just what people say. I’ve never seen one myself. But generally, no one is willing to approach Ailao Mountain.”
Xu Lingguang recalled the enemies who had been chasing him earlier. They had pursued him all the way but suddenly stopped. Could it be because of the legends surrounding Ailao Mountain?
However, two of them had eventually caught up, which showed that while the legends were intimidating, they weren’t entirely convincing.
Xu Lingguang said, “It’s just a legend, right? It might not be true.”
Zhou Fuying glanced at him but didn’t elaborate further. Instead, he turned his gaze to Song Nanchu and Yu Jun, who had arrived upon hearing the news, and said with a faint smile, “Master caught two wild rabbits and says he wants to roast them.”
Song Nanchu and Yu Jun’s expressions immediately turned complicated.
Finally, Yu Jun spoke up. “Master, did you encounter any danger during this trip?”
Xu Lingguang replied with lingering fear, “I ran into a few enemies who were trying to kill me, but I was lucky. I accidentally rolled down a slope and passed out for a while. When I woke up, they were gone—probably left.”
Yu Jun: “…”
Of course they were gone, but not because they left—they were dead.
Her gentle smile nearly faltered as she forced a stiff grin and said, “Next time you go out, Master, we should accompany you. Who knows when those enemies might come looking for you again?”
Xu Lingguang thought her suggestion made sense. As he headed toward the kitchen with familiarity, he agreed, “I’ll try to go out less often from now on.”
Entering the kitchen, he rummaged around and found oil, salt, spices, and even a string of dried chili peppers—enough to roast the rabbits. Excitedly, he turned to ask his three cheap disciples, “Can you handle spicy food?”
Zhou Fuying couldn’t stand his carefree, foolishly cheerful demeanor and decided to avoid the annoyance by leaving. Holding his sword, he walked out, saying, “I don’t eat.”
His mood was poor, and it showed in his tone. Xu Lingguang was taken aback, glancing at his cold, retreating figure before looking at Yu Jun with hesitation. “Before I lost my memory, was my relationship with him… not very harmonious?”
“Harmonious” was a rather euphemistic way to put it.
Even if he was slow to notice, Xu Lingguang had sensed Zhou Fuying’s subtle aversion toward him.
Yu Jun smiled faintly. “Master might not remember, but Junior Brother is like this with everyone.”
Xu Lingguang was half-convinced but didn’t press further. After all, he was an outsider and didn’t want to delve too deeply into the relationship between the original owner and his disciples.
He pulled the wild rabbits out of the bag and deftly began preparing them.
Song Nanchu stood nearby with his arms crossed, watching for a while before yawning listlessly. “I’m tired, I’m going to sleep.”
In the end, only Yu Jun remained, occasionally helping Xu Lingguang with small tasks.
Xu Lingguang had honed his cooking skills in his original world.
At first, it was because his grandmother was too old to cook, so he had to learn slowly. Later, after starting work, he began experimenting with different dishes to save money.
After years of practice, his culinary skills were quite impressive.
After cleaning the two rabbits, he marinated them first. The offal wasn’t wasted either—he sliced the edible parts and stir-fried them with wild vegetables, creating a unique flavor.
Once marinated, the rabbits were skewered on tree branches and slowly roasted over the fire until the fat rendered out, turning them golden brown and fragrant. Xu Lingguang couldn’t help but swallow his saliva as he roasted them.
Beside him, Yu Jun idly added firewood to the flames, his attention fixed on Xu Lingguang.
Before losing his memory, Xu Lingguang didn’t know how to cook.
In earlier years, when the Qingyu Sect was still prosperous, his father was the sect leader before the previous one, and his elder sister was the previous sect leader. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, surrounded by servants, and never had to cook for himself.
Moreover, Xu Lingguang was arrogant and aloof. In his early years, his talent was mediocre, and his cultivation stagnated. It wasn’t until he was thirty-four that he succeeded in drawing Qi and building the foundation. Because of this, he particularly despised the time he spent as a mortal and would never stoop to such mundane tasks.
But the person before him was extremely skilled, and judging by his expression, he held no resentment—instead, he seemed to enjoy it.
If this was all an act, it was too convincing.
But if it wasn’t an act… Yu Jun’s eyes grew thoughtful. Suddenly, he said, “Master never cooked before.”
Xu Lingguang stiffened, staring blankly for a moment before scratching his head and saying guiltily, “Well, life forces you to adapt. If someone else could cook, I wouldn’t have to do it myself…”
Yu Jun responded with an “Oh,” adding, “It’s a pity none of us know how to cook, so we have to trouble Master.”
Xu Lingguang felt uneasy but could only mumble, “It’s no trouble.”
Fortunately, the rabbits were soon roasted. Xu Lingguang sliced the golden, oily roasted rabbit and arranged it on a plate, inviting Yu Jun to share.
Yu Jun politely ate a few bites, while the rest mostly ended up in Xu Lingguang’s stomach.
After a day of life on the run, finally having eaten and drunk his fill, Xu Lingguang sighed contentedly, thinking that while catching rabbits, he had also seen pheasants. Next time, he could hunt a couple of pheasants to make soup.
In the world of cultivation, there wasn’t much entertainment at night. Xu Lingguang wandered around the courtyard a few times to digest his food. As the sky darkened, he returned to his room to sleep.
Exhausted from the day’s efforts, he fell into a deep sleep as soon as he touched the bed.
But as if someone were deliberately opposing him, just as Xu Lingguang dreamed of returning to his old world, hugging his pillow and weeping with joy, he was startled awake by a series of loud crashes, leaping out of bed.
Fearing a night attack by enemies, he hadn’t removed his outer robe while sleeping, which now made it convenient to rush outside.
Grabbing the small knife he had taken from the kitchen, Xu Lingguang dashed out of his room and saw Zhou Fuying and Yu Jun standing under the corridor, their expressions grave.
As he approached to ask, “What happened?” he suddenly saw a massive black snake tail crash down beside him.
The snake tail was as thick as his waist and landed just a step away from him. The flying debris struck Xu Lingguang, stinging painfully.
His mouth fell open in shock, and he stared blankly as the enormous black snake slithered past him with lightning speed, unable to utter a word.
Zhou Fuying and Yu Jun glanced at him but had no time to spare for him. With grave expressions, they quickly chased after the black snake and vanished from sight.