Time for Dinner

After saying those two words, Xie Lingyu's gaze returned to what lay ahead.

Hearing her speak, Chu Xingchen turned to look at her.

He saw that her eyes were already fixed forward, her expression calm, as if the words she had just spoken were utterly ordinary.

But the Xie Lingyu of the past would never have said something so teasing.

Yet now was not the time for banter.

Chu Xingchen suppressed the urge to make a witty remark.

After all, Xie Lingyu was thin-skinned—if provoked, she really would strike, and he had no desire to end up like that tactless flood dragon, kicked halfway across the room.

Still, having grown accustomed to teasing his disciples, holding back his words now felt unnatural.

He lifted his gaze forward, pressing his lips together lightly.

Xie Lingyu watched the bustling crowd undeterred by the rain.

Life offered no respite, not even in the face of storms and calamity.

After walking for a while without hearing a word from Chu Xingchen beside her, she glanced at him again.

His expression was slightly solemn as he looked ahead, as if he hadn’t even heard her earlier remark.

In the past, he would have seized the opportunity to tease her with some infuriating comment.

Unable to resist, Xie Lingyu broke the silence. "What do you plan to do?"

Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Be a troublemaker."

"A troublemaker?!" Xie Lingyu shot him a dubious look.

Was there some hidden meaning to the term? Self-deprecation?

Chu Xingchen explained, "Achieving something is hard, but ruining it is as easy as drinking water."

"To put it simply, whatever our enemies want to accomplish, we just have to make sure they don’t."

"We’ll keep causing them problems—they’ll have to keep fixing them. Sooner or later, they’ll slip up."

"And since we have nothing to lose if we fail, while their failure could cost them everything, they’re the ones who should be worried."

Xie Lingyu frowned slightly, considering his words before realization dawned.

"You mean to start with the rebels in Xuanwu Kingdom?"

Chu Xingchen nodded. "More or less. No way we’re letting them have an easy time of it."

"I’ll split our forces—some will stay here to keep watch, so we don’t miss our chance if they try to flee. Meanwhile, I’ll lead a team to test their mettle."

Xie Lingyu quickly interjected, "You’re not thinking of intervening directly, are you? You know karma isn’t just an empty saying."

There was precedent—Bai Xuanling had once killed without hesitation, his bloodlust so overwhelming that now he spent more time suppressing his inner demons than cultivating.

Bai Xuanling’s will was unquestionably strong, yet even a cultivator of his caliber had succumbed to the consequences of excessive slaughter.

And despite the chaos in the heavens, the Tianyan Sect’s leader had divined Bai Xuanling’s tribulation with unwavering clarity: death and annihilation.

True, Bai Xuanling had killed many, some deserving, others casualties of sect conflicts.

The Tianyan Sect’s famed divination arts were, in essence, the study of cause and effect—karma was their foundation.

Yet knowing this didn’t stop them from defying fate when necessary. After all, what true cultivator would resign themselves to destiny?

Chu Xingchen shook his head lightly.

"I’m no demon. And how many of those rebels are just starving folk fighting for survival?"

"I’m only going to put my wits to work."

Xie Lingyu hesitated, suddenly unsure—compared to scheming, maybe direct action would be better.

Chu Xingchen glanced at her. "Good, since you agree, I’ll make arrangements. Before you arrived, we were short-handed—if I left, Li Xingtian and the others might not handle things well. But now it’s different."

"Qinghe’s a flood dragon at the Nascent Soul stage, and water veins are her domain. She’s perfect for guarding against sneak attacks."

"Though she doesn’t seem the brightest, and she’s a bit lazy."

"So I’ll have Li Xingtian stay too. He’s got a knack for ambushes and rarely makes mistakes—a good backup."

"I’ll take Li Yingling with me to Xuanwu Kingdom and look into the Xuanwu affair."

"As for you—stay in Cangzhou, or come with me?"

Over the great river, Li Yingling efficiently inspected the water veins while Li Xingtian meticulously mapped the terrain.

As for a certain flood dragon, she had long since vanished without a trace—likely napping somewhere in the depths.

Before disappearing, Qinghe had spouted nonsense so absurd it made Li Yingling want to laugh.

Excuses like "inspecting rare water veins" or "occasional underground currents," as if Li Yingling were too dim to see through the obvious lie.

Then she sank into the river and hadn’t resurfaced since.

But it didn’t matter. Li Yingling hadn’t expected Qinghe to actually help.

Two streaks of light approached swiftly from the distance.

Li Yingling and Li Xingtian glanced up before returning to their tasks.

It was Chu Xingchen and Xie Lingyu.

Chu Xingchen hovered above the river, scanning for a certain slacking flood dragon.

"Seen Qinghe?" he asked.

Li Yingling nodded. "She was here earlier. Probably deep underwater now."

Xie Lingyu’s expression remained unperturbed—if Qinghe had been working, that would’ve been the real surprise.

"Yingling, pack up. You’re coming with me," Chu Xingchen instructed before turning to Li Xingtian.

"Your ambush tactics are solid. Stay here with Qinghe—keep watch and finish the water vein maps."

"Master…" Li Xingtian sighed. "That flood dragon…"

He didn’t finish, but the meaning was clear—Qinghe was too unreliable.

He wasn’t skilled in water vein detection, and some ambush techniques required Nascent Soul-level power.

Chu Xingchen patted Xie Lingyu’s shoulder.

"I’ll leave Xie Lingyu’s token with you. That’ll make sure the flood dragon obeys—east, west, or even rolling in place if you order it."

Xie Lingyu responded with a sharp elbow to his ribs.

"Xie Lingyu’s token"? Really?

Li Xingtian watched as his master clutched his chest in exaggerated pain.

If only he’d mastered the art of dodging…

But with Xie Lingyu staying, he bowed.

"Please guide me, Senior Xie."

"Just mutual support," Xie Lingyu replied evenly before preparing to summon Qinghe.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Xie Lingyu retrieved a jade flute from her spatial ring and began to play a soft, melodious tune. The notes, amplified by spiritual energy, pierced effortlessly through the water's surface.

Within moments, Qinghe surged up from the riverbed and appeared before the group.

Just as Li Yingling and Li Xingtian were marveling at the flute's summoning power, Qinghe turned to Xie Lingyu with eager eyes and asked,

"Is it feeding time?"

Li Yingling gave a firm nod at Qinghe's words—now that was an impressive technique!