If the flavor of these dishes had been merely average, Shen Qingchen would never have asked such a question. She also knew she should maintain her distance from the other woman. However, upon learning that it was her very first time cooking, she truly could not hold herself back.
Geniuses did exist in this world.
Not only in cultivation, but also in rhythm and melody, literature, eloquence, and various other fields, some people were simply born with such latent potential. They did not even require systematic teaching to become a hundred times stronger than anyone else.
If Jiang Qianxun possessed such a talent, then she could not sit idly by and ignore it. Although cultivators did not hold the culinary arts in high esteem, she herself harbored no such prejudice. On the contrary, because she excelled in this particular craft, she cherished exceptional talent all the more as if it were her very life. A master’s role, after all, included the discovery of innate talent.
Jiang Qianxun looked entirely dazed. “Ah?”
She wanted to formally acknowledge her as a master, but she didn’t want to learn how to cook.
Yet on second thought, wasn’t this precisely the perfect opportunity to break the ice with her master? As long as she could make her master happy, she would do whatever it took.
Seeing that she genuinely seemed willing, Shen Qingchen said, “Then after your healing session this afternoon, we will add a culinary lesson. What do you think?”
Jiang Qianxun naturally nodded in agreement.
She figured that since her master was willing to add a class for her, it meant her master’s anger must have subsided, and her attitude would return to normal.
Who could have known that her master’s demeanor would remain entirely unchanged?
Her face was still taut and rigid. She asked no questions, nor did she accept the tea offered to her. Even when Jiang Qianxun deliberately made small movements below, the other woman simply acted as though she were blind to them, completely leaving her to her own devices.
Why?!
Jiang Qianxun fell into an absolute, internal meltdown. She could not comprehend where things had gone wrong. Hadn’t her master already stopped being angry? Why had her face suddenly flipped again? Could she have committed some other blunder? But that made no sense either, she hadn’t uttered a single extra word from morning until now. It couldn’t possibly be because her master was angry that she stepped through the door with her left foot first, right?
Yet she could not very well question her, so she could only swallow her grievance and feel suffocated in silence.
At the same time, You Caiwei’s theory began to make even more sense, aside from wanting to test her, there was truly no other explanation. Thinking this way, her sense of grievance dissolved completely into nothingness.
Since it was a test, she had to perform exceptionally well.
Be clear, resolute, and rise to the challenge. She must not slacken in the slightest, allowing her master to see her unyielding fortitude and her absolute refusal to give up!
That was her perspective.
But seen through Shen Qingchen’s eyes, it was a completely different story.
Although Shen Qingchen deliberately kept her face taut and remained silent, she had been constantly paying attention to the other woman’s reactions, hoping her own attitude would convey the message. At first, the other woman looked incredibly aggrieved, but later, as if she had suddenly figured something out, her gaze unexpectedly grew scorching and bright.
That direct, burning gaze fell squarely and unblinkingly upon her face, leaving her with nowhere to dodge and nowhere to hide. Because they were in the middle of a lecture, she couldn’t very well stand up and walk away, so she could only cough lightly and say, “Qianxun, are you not taking notes?”
Jiang Qianxun shook her head. “I don’t have the habit of taking notes. I’ve already memorized everything in my head.”
Shen Qingchen did not know whether she was telling the truth or lying, but being stared at so directly was truly hard to withstand. She merely said, “It is still better to write things down.”
Since she put it that way, Jiang Qianxun nodded.
But once she picked up the brush, she had no idea what to write. Instead, she became distracted because of it. Her brush tip scribbled randomly a few times, producing nothing but a mess of meaningless, chaotic doodles.
Not knowing what to write and having lost her train of thought, she could only secretly stare at her master in a daze. Her master’s brow and eyes were exquisitely beautiful. When she focused intently on the textbook, she possessed a sort of unconscious absorption in her own beauty. Her nose was elegantly straight, her lips retained a hint of youthful innocence, and her skin was extraordinarily flawless, revealing a texture akin to jade under the soft morning light.
So beautiful.
Jiang Qianxun had always known her master was beautiful, but this was the first time she had observed her so intently. The books recorded that her master was over five hundred years old, but the face before her showed absolutely no traces left by time. She felt like a contemporary of her own age, except there was a gentle warmth within her gaze, lacking the sharp, piercing edge of youth.
With a sudden stir in her heart, she began to sketch casually on the paper.
Of course, she had never learned traditional Chinese painting, nor did she know how to paint with an ink brush. She had only self-taught herself sketching for a few days during her spare time, so she held the wolf hair brush higher up, mimicking the posture of holding a pencil as she delicately traced the contours.
Before long, a simple sketch took shape.
The person on the paper vaguely resembled her master, but because it lacked fine details, it wasn’t glaringly obvious. She admired it for a moment, feeling that the more she looked at it, the less it resembled her. So, she folded it up, tucked it inside her book, pulled out a fresh piece of paper, and began to take notes seriously.
After a while, it was time for lunch.
Though it was called lunch, it was actually just rice balls squeezed from yesterday’s leftover spiritual rice. People of this era did not seem to place much importance on the midday meal, getting by with whatever was convenient. Eating alone, Jiang Qianxun was even more casual, she soaked the rice balls in the morning’s leftover tea, threw in a few candied fruits to make tea soaked rice, which was simple yet filling.
Once full, a person naturally feels drowsy.
She had woken up very early today and studied for the entire morning, so her drowsiness was particularly pronounced. Fortunately, there was a two hours rest period, so she stuffed the items on the table straight underneath, and went back to her room to rest.
Shen Qingchen watched as she finished her lunch like a whirlwind. She hadn’t even tidied her textbooks properly, shaken by the draft from the closed door, half of a book slipped out. Shen Qingchen walked over, intending to help her put it away properly.
At a single glance, her eyes caught the notes she had taken.
After reading them for a moment, Shen Qingchen’s heart stirred. Jiang Qianxun hadn’t lied; she truly had no need to take notes. Judging by what she wrote, her understanding of the textbook was already thoroughly sufficient. The content she had succinctly extracted was entirely concise and highly efficient.
Shen Qingchen nodded with gratification and gathered the textbooks into one place. Right at that moment, a piece of folded paper suddenly fell out.
She opened it to look, and froze instantly.
It was a portrait of herself.
The brushstrokes were clean and sharp, the use of ink precise. It was not a conventional painting style, yet it was incredibly vivid and remarkably skilled. If it were a beginner, they could never have produced a drawing of this caliber.
No, that was not the main point.
The main point was that the other woman had slacked off during class and secretly used her as a subject. The profound affection contained between these brush lines was both bashful and alarming. The moment she thought about how the other woman had looked at her with that kind of scrutinizing gaze, a tremor could not help but rise from the depths of Shen Qingchen’s heart.
Should she call it anger, or shame?
She was usually the most intelligent person, but right now, she felt somewhat at a loss.
If it were any other elder, they would certainly point it out directly and demand an apology from the disciple. But she could not do that. In the event that the other woman decided to break the pot and smash it completely by confessing her feelings, the situation would inevitably become unmanageable.
She did not wish to see such an outcome.
She knew Jiang Qianxun was an excellent prospect, excellent in cultivation, excellent in cooking, and even her drawings possessed a touch of spiritual brilliance. Currently, she was still suffering from an illness. If they fell out, it would inevitably disrupt her treatment. Should it leave a psychological shadow, it might even affect her subsequent cultivation.
The state of mind is the most crucial pure land for a cultivator.
Even if it was solely to avoid affecting the other woman’s state of mind, she had to bury this humiliation deep within her heart. As for this drawing… she could only keep it in her custody on her behalf.
This could be considered a form of invisible resistance.
She hoped the other woman could understand her painstaking efforts and focus more of her mind on her lessons. For instance, those notes were done very well and worth maintaining.
Shen Qingchen placed the drawing inside her spatial ring and let out a soft sigh. She did not know whether what she was doing was right, but she absolutely could not watch her disciple become entangled in romance and waste all of her innate talent.
She stared blankly at the polished bookcase opposite her, which faintly reflected her own appearance. Truthfully speaking, it did bear some resemblance to the drawing. From childhood to adulthood, she had heard many compliments from others regarding her looks, but she herself did not think much of it, viewing it as merely an ordinary appearance.
…Did Jiang Qianxun like her looks?
A faint flush rose at the corners of her eyes, and her eyelids gradually drooped. She believed that cultivators should hold strength in the highest regard, physical shells were all cut from the same cloth and truly held nothing worthy of praise.
Although her strength ranked among the top tiers of the immortal realm, she always felt that liking her strength was somehow more elevated than liking her appearance. This pointless thought swirled in her mind for a long while before she suddenly snapped awake, what was she thinking? What did it matter what she liked about her?