Shen Qingchen remained silent for a full quarter of an hour.
It was as if a dream had turned into reality, and the reality before her felt utterly absurd. She had never imagined that “transmigration” was a real thing. If Jiang Qianxun wasn’t lying, did that mean the world she lived in was actually a storybook?
What about her own existence? Was it also fake?
Were her actions truly guided by her own will?
And more importantly, what about Jiang Qianxun?
Since she claimed to be a transmigrator, she must carry a heavy responsibility. Based on the implications of that storybook, it seemed these transmigrators usually had “system missions” either to woo their masters and senior sisters or to conquer Immortal Lords and Demon Sovereigns. Did Jiang Qianxun have a mission like that?
For now, it wasn’t obvious.
However, it couldn’t be entirely ruled out.
Shen Qingchen’s mind was a whirlwind of emotions, yet her face remained composed.
She suddenly recalled the coincidences her senior sister had mentioned. Aside from explaining them as the work of a spy from the Demon Realm, there was another, more logical explanation. Jiang Qianxun was here specifically to “pursue” her.
The thought sent a chill through her heart.
But there was no evidence for it yet.
Seeing the shifting expressions on her face, Jiang Qianxun assumed she didn’t understand the concept of transmigration and hurriedly gave a rough explanation. Shen Qingchen didn’t react much, she simply stared at her intently for a long time.
Jiang Qianxun’s expression was almost pure.
Clean, sincere, and transparent, like a small animal peering out.
Shen Qingchen couldn’t find a single flaw. She felt she might be overthinking it. After all, a book is just a book and doesn’t necessarily represent reality. Moreover, the disciple in the book was described as deep, calculating, and taciturn, a person of heavy thoughts who never revealed the shocking secret of being a transmigrator.
Yet, Jiang Qianxun had exposed her secret right from the start.
Under Shen Qingchen’s prolonged gaze, Jiang Qianxun began to feel uneasy, sitting as if on pins and needles. She felt that her master probably didn’t believe her.
Forget her master, even Jiang Qianxun herself thought such a thing was a fantasy bordering on science fiction before she actually transmigrated.
A one in a billion chance?
Regardless, she had somehow hit that “dog shit luck.” Even now, she hadn’t fully accepted the reality, let alone her Master, who was a character in a book who had never seen a novel or a television.
“Actually, it’s normal if you don’t believe me, but I can only say… I’m really not lying…” Jiang Qianxun felt her explanation was weak, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“I believe you,” Shen Qingchen said.
“Huh?” Jiang Qianxun didn’t react for a moment.
“No one would use something like this to deceive others. If one were to lie, it would be better to invent something easier to believe,” Shen Qingchen said slowly. “To tell me this, you must have made a very difficult decision. I am happy to be the one entrusted with your secret.”
Seeing that her Master truly believed her, Jiang Qianxun was astonished. To be honest, her Master was willing to believe something she herself struggled to believe. How gentle and considerate of her feelings must this woman be?
She immediately bowed and knelt, saying, “Master, thank you for believing me! Actually, I regretted saying it the moment it left my mouth because it’s so ridiculous, so ridiculous that even I felt it sounded fake…”
“Mhm.” Looking at the girl’s fluffy head, Shen Qingchen instinctively reached out to pat it, but she stopped halfway, feeling it was inappropriate, and secretly withdrew her hand.
Jiang Qianxun was unaware of the small gesture. She only knew she felt relieved. Speaking out had given her a sense of profound liberation.
Truthfully, she wouldn’t have felt this safe telling anyone else. It was likely because the person before her was a resolutely righteous figure and held the vested interest of a master-disciple relationship.
Now that she had said it, she felt much lighter. From now on, many complicated things would be much easier to handle.
Relaxing, she became a bit curious about what her Master’s secret was, though, of course, she had promised not to pry and wouldn’t go back on her word. She only thought about it privately.
“Alright, now that your secret has been told…”
Shen Qingchen steered the conversation back to the illness. “I’ve checked just now. There are twenty-one stagnant spiritual beads accumulated in your body. Most are near the dantian, with others in the torso and limbs. They are very scattered. I want to start by dissolving the ones on the periphery to give you time to adjust.”
As she spoke, she used spiritual energy as a pen to draw a human figure in the air. After a moment of thought, she marked twenty-one locations of varying sizes. Most were concentrated in the lower abdomen, twelve in total. The rest were, two on the left hand, one on the left leg, two on the right leg, three on the chest, and one on the right shoulder.
Jiang Qianxun was shocked. “So many?”
“Accumulating only this many in three years is already a miracle. If we coordinate well, half a month should be enough to dissolve them all. However, you will suffer some pain during this period, and your lessons will fall behind.” Shen Qingchen pondered for a moment and then said, “How about this. I will personally teach you your lessons. This will also deepen our understanding of one another, which is beneficial for your treatment.”
Jiang Qianxun naturally agreed. Although she didn’t enjoy those dry subjects, she was willing to listen if they were taught by her Master.
It was already evening; it was too late for lessons, and the treatment couldn’t begin today. Shen Qingchen thought for a moment and asked, “Are you hungry?”
Jiang Qianxun replied, “A little, I guess…”
In truth, she was starving.
But she hadn’t dared to say so. Firstly, too much had been happening, and secondly, her Master had surely reached the stage of Bigu (fasting from grains). She figured she could just grab a bite on her own once her Master went to rest.
Shen Qingchen said, “Then what would you like to eat? I will cook for you.”
“Huh?” Jiang Qianxun didn’t dare trouble her Master and hurriedly said, “That… Master, there’s no need for you to do that. Just tell me where the ingredients are, and I’ll make something myself.”
“It’s no trouble. Can you eat shrimp?”
“…Yes.”
Shen Qingchen nodded and walked toward the pond in the courtyard.
Jiang Qianxun followed her and had her eyes opened.
The small pond she had glimpsed earlier was, upon closer inspection, actually a teleportation array connected to the ocean. Shen Qingchen cast a net casually and pulled up a large haul of sea shrimp. There were all kinds, she couldn’t name them, but they looked plump, succulent, and translucent.
Jiang Qianxun looked amazed, but Shen Qingchen remained expressionless.
The Master entered the kitchen, and Jiang Qianxun followed. Just as she was about to ask if there was anything she could do to help, she heard Shen Qingchen say, “You don’t need to worry about this. Go wait outside.”
Jiang Qianxun opened her mouth, then silently walked out.
She had the feeling her Master wasn’t just being polite, but truly didn’t need her help. Of course, that was just her intuition. Her Master hadn’t said it outright, but since she had put it that way, it wasn’t appropriate to insist on staying.
However, she was curious to see her Master’s cooking style.
Jiang Qianxun stepped outside but didn’t go far. Instead, she peeked through the door.
To her surprise, her Master’s movements were incredibly swift.
It wasn’t the kind of speed born of rushing to finish a meal, but rather the composure of having everything planned out. From washing and peeling the shrimp to heating the oil, sautéing spices, simmering porridge, chopping vegetables, and plating, the entire process for three dishes and a soup was perfectly orchestrated. Her Master must have planned the sequence from the very beginning, with timing so precise that there was no room for a single redundant movement.
She was so mesmerized that she didn’t even notice when it ended.
When Shen Qingchen stepped out carrying the plates, Jiang Qianxun didn’t even have time to hide. She bumped right into her gaze. Before she could apologize, her Master suddenly seemed flustered, a faint blush creeping onto her face.
“…You saw everything?”
“I saw it. Master, you’re amazing! You made so many dishes in just half an hour. Every movement felt like it had been practiced countless times, it was as masterful as a symphony!”
Jiang Qianxun wasn’t exaggerating; she truly thought so. It was like a symphony where the instruments and the conductor were all one person.
She just didn’t understand why such incredible culinary skills were something her Master was unwilling to show her. Was she afraid her presence would disrupt her flow?
That didn’t seem to make sense.
So, she asked.
To her surprise, her Master said, “This… is my secret.”
Jiang Qianxun was puzzled. “What?”
“As cultivators, we should prioritize the common people of the world. Not many would put effort into food. As the saying goes, ‘a gentleman stays away from the kitchen.’ Although cultivators do not forbid taking life for food, it still involves karma… In short, this hobby is not something worth boasting about.”
Shen Qingchen’s expression was somewhat lonely. She truly loved cooking, but due to various reasons and prejudices, she couldn’t show this side of herself to others.
Even if she cooked, she could only eat it herself. But she didn’t have a large appetite; how much could she really eat?
“Master, you taught me a sentence before, no matter what others say, as long as you like it, it’s fine. Other people’s opinions are important, but if you are forever constrained by the outside world, you can’t truly live freely.”
Jiang Qianxun said, “Besides, I think people who can cook are very impressive. Extremely impressive. Many people couldn’t learn it even if they wanted to. This is a wonderful and rare talent!”
Her praise was sincere, and her eyes sparkled.
Being praised like this made Shen Qingchen’s face burn. She didn’t know where to look and avoided the girl’s burning gaze, whispering, “Alright, eat quickly before it gets cold.”
Jiang Qianxun had been hungry all day. Having received permission to eat, she immediately began to wolf down the food, throwing all her table manners to the wind.
Delicious!
The fried shrimp was delicious, the shrimp porridge was delicious, and the shredded lettuce was delicious!
She had never tasted such fresh ingredients in the real world, and after arriving here, she had only eaten at the cafeteria. She never knew the ingredients here could be so high-quality or taste this wonderful.
If she could eat like this every day, this transmigration trip wouldn’t be in vain. It was just a pity she couldn’t keep troubling her Master, so this meal might be her last.
At that thought, she slowed down. Since it might be her last meal, she had to savor every bite. If she couldn’t eat it again in the future, she wanted to keep as many memories of it as possible.
Seeing her suddenly slow down, Shen Qingchen asked, “Is something not to your taste? If there is something you don’t like, just leave it.”
“No, it’s too delicious. I’m just a bit reluctant to finish it,” Jiang Qianxun said sheepishly.
It was the first time Shen Qingchen had received such heartfelt praise. It made her happier than being complimented on her beauty, her high cultivation, or her noble character. After a moment of silence, she said.
“If you like it, I can cook for you every day.”