Oh Did Master Wrong You

Though Cui Hao had been taken away by his master, the gathering continued.

The authority of the senior sister still commanded respect throughout the venue.

Ning Qianqian had already finished grilling the fish—a large one, divided into several portions and served on plates atop the stone table by the pond.

Then she turned to prepare more skewers of meat.

“No need to keep busy. Come and eat first!” Li Yingling quickly called out to stop Ning Qianqian from continuing her work.

By now, the stone table was nearly overflowing with food.

Li Yingling and Chen Baiqing had long since transcended the need for sustenance, partaking only for the taste and the lively atmosphere.

At the moment, the only ones truly eating were Ning Qianqian and Lin Luoyu.

Preparing too much food was unnecessary—Li Yingling simply wanted to foster a convivial mood.

Li Yingling actually held a very favorable impression of Ning Qianqian.

Since joining the sect, she had always been cautious and diligent, handling every task assigned to her with meticulous care.

During the disciple recruitment ceremony, when Li Yingling was short on hands, she had entrusted Ning Qianqian with many responsibilities, and Ning Qianqian had flawlessly filled every gap.

Thus, in Li Yingling’s eyes, Ning Qianqian was not some mere outsider—she was a true member of their sect.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been invited to this small gathering.

Ning Qianqian hesitated slightly but still declined politely, “There’s still a little bit of ingredients left, not much, so perhaps I should…”

Li Yingling stood up abruptly, grabbed Ning Qianqian’s arm, cut her off, and unceremoniously pushed her into an empty stone chair.

She picked up a skewer from the table and shoved it into Ning Qianqian’s hand.

“You’re good at everything—except for being too distant,” Li Yingling said with a dissatisfied expression.

“Back in the ruined temple, you could still joke around, but now that we’ve changed locations, it’s like you don’t even know me anymore.”

“To me, you’re still that scruffy little girl.”

Ning Qianqian looked at the skewer in her hand and listened to Li Yingling’s teasing complaints, warmth rising in her heart.

She recalled how, back in the ruined temple, Li Yingling had scrubbed her so hard she nearly peeled her skin off, complaining about how dirty she was.

And that one piece of clothing—the most expensive she had ever worn—was still treasured at the bottom of her chest.

Not because she couldn’t bear to wear it, but because the meaning behind it was too profound.

A faint smile appeared on her face, and her tone relaxed considerably.

“Then… thank you, Sister Yingling.”

Li Yingling nodded in satisfaction—but before she could finish, a large hand pressed down on her head.

Chu Xingchen ruffled her hair roughly and asked, “Hmm? No portion for your master?”

Li Yingling tried her best to maintain her dignity as the senior sister in front of her junior disciples.

She raised her head and looked at her master, replying calmly, “Weren’t you teaching the fifth junior his cultivation method?”

As the senior sister, Li Yingling had provided guidance to all except Li Xingtian, so she had her own assessment of each disciple’s intellectual capacity.

The second junior brother might seem a bit foolish, but in reality, he was quite clever—steadily advancing to the Golden Core stage with a broad knowledge base, even surpassing her in some areas.

There were times when Li Yingling wondered—was there anything her second junior brother didn’t know?

Back then, she had secretly thought—he must have traded his romantic prospects for all that knowledge.

After all, the second junior brother treated women as if they were walking skeletons.

The third junior sister, Chen Baiqing, now appeared to be the most intelligent.

As for the other two—Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao—they had brains, but not much.

Cui Hao was slightly smarter than Lin Luoyu, but only by a hair.

Given that the fifth junior needed walnuts to supplement his intellect, Li Yingling had assumed the lesson would last until dawn.

So she had Lin Luoyu clear away the extra utensils.

Had Cui Hao’s stupidity driven their master to despair?

If that was the case… it made some sense.

Chen Baiqing stood up with a smile and said, “There is, Master. Come sit with Baiqing.”

Ning Qianqian, who had been about to fetch another set of utensils, froze, cautiously glancing at Chu Xingchen.

Chu Xingchen took one look and said without hesitation, “Baiqing is old enough to eat by herself. Don’t expect your master to feed you.”

At that, Ning Qianqian quickly stood up again to retrieve the utensils.

Chen Baiqing showed little reaction—she had never been fed by her master before—and obediently sat back down.

After scanning the group, Chu Xingchen understood that his senior disciple sometimes cared about appearances, so he didn’t press further.

He simply found an empty seat and sat down.

Li Yingling smoothed her disheveled hair and asked, “Master, was the fifth junior too stupid?”

Lin Luoyu, who had been quietly eating her food, felt as if an arrow had struck her heart.

Because the senior sister had once said that she and Cui Hao were “equally brilliant”…

So “brilliant” was meant to be taken sarcastically?

Back then, she had been quite pleased with the compliment…

“Stupid? Not at all. That kid’s mind is quite sharp,” Chu Xingchen said, accepting the utensils Ning Qianqian handed him.

“When Cui Hao is cultivating, don’t disturb him. His cultivation method is somewhat… unique.”

Li Yingling’s gaze turned suspicious, tinged with a hint of pity.

Back when the second junior brother practiced his unorthodox method, their master had said it was fine.

But now, he described Cui Hao’s as “unique”…

This suggested…

Chu Xingchen ignored his senior disciple’s expression. Whatever they thought, as long as they didn’t interfere with Cui Hao’s training, it was fine.

He reached for a skewer on the table.

After tasting it, he nodded in approval.

This was at least ninety percent as good as his own work.

After all, the difficulty of grilling lay in controlling the heat—the seasonings were all pre-prepared.

It wasn’t exactly a challenge.

“Master, what do you think? Does little Qianqian have seventy percent of your skill?”

Li Yingling wore a proud expression, as if she herself had grilled the meat.

Chu Xingchen eyed his senior disciple warily.

Why was she suddenly flattering him out of nowhere?

He sighed and said, “If you’re about to cause trouble, just say so. Your master will still cover for you.”

Li Yingling was taken aback, then quickly realized her master’s train of thought.

She had meant it sincerely and replied with slight indignation, “As if I’m some troublemaker! I genuinely think so.”

“Oh?” Chu Xingchen chuckled. “So your master wronged you?”

“Exactly!”

Martial Training Hall.

Cui Hao slowly opened his eyes, having completed his cultivation session.

Then he let out a deep sigh.

As expected of the master!

This… this technique is incredible!

Just the rate of spiritual energy absorption alone far surpassed the Qi Refinement and Spirit Nourishing Art by tenfold!

With every cycle of energy circulation, his dual spiritual roots were fully activated.

The metal spiritual root’s energy infused his bone marrow, while the fire spiritual root coursed through his meridians.

Finally, the two opposing energies perfectly harmonized in his dantian.

Truly a top-tier immortal cultivation method.

If the master could refine it further…

Cui Hao shook his head in bliss.

Unthinkable. Unthinkable.

For now, he needed to find the master and ask for further adjustments.

Then he could truly experience the sensation of soaring heights.

Shangri-La truly feels close to heaven—every morning when I open my eyes, it's as if I can see it.

I've been giving my all with each daily update.

However! Today marks the end of this stretch. My flight home arrives at 1 AM on the 6th.

Tomorrow, I guarantee at least two updates, and I'll strive to write more—maybe even three or... four?

In any case, I sincerely apologize to all you esteemed readers who've been following along during this time.

I admit my shortcomings and will do my best to make it up to you.