If You Stay Any Longer, You'll Have to Stay Overnight

"Since you're here, why not stay for a meal before you go?"

Chu Xingchen didn't say much more. After all, he should be grateful that someone was willing to help. It was better than wandering around aimlessly with his spirit stones.

Those spirit stones were taking up quite a bit of space in his storage ring.

"No need…" Yaoqin instinctively began to refuse but quickly stopped herself, as the next words went beyond her expectations.

"I'll cook today," Chu Xingchen continued, then paused and looked at Yaoqin. "No need for what?"

Yaoqin quickly changed her response: "No need to cook too much."

Although Yaoqin had already reached the Golden Core stage and had long since transcended the need for food, aside from the tea provided by her sect, she hadn't consumed anything else for some time.

But when it came to Chu Xingchen personally cooking for her…

It was hard not to be moved.

A man of literary talent and gentlemanly demeanor personally preparing a meal for you.

Regardless of anything else, Chu Xingchen still had a certain aura in Yaoqin's eyes.

Chu Xingchen nodded in agreement: "Alright, but there's not much left in the kitchen. Yingling, take your junior brother and buy some ingredients for what you'd like to eat."

"Got it, Master," Li Yingling replied promptly. It had been a long time since he last ate his master's rabbit dish.

This time, he'd definitely buy two rabbits and have his master make a spicy rabbit stew!

Buying ingredients meant having the right to decide what the cook would make, and Li Yingling naturally enjoyed this task.

After watching his two "worn-out jackets" head out to buy groceries, Chu Xingchen turned around and gestured to the tea Li Yingling had brewed:

"How about some tea first?"

Yaoqin agreed readily: "Sure."

Chu Xingchen picked up a new cup and poured Yaoqin a fresh serving of tea:

"How have you been lately? You seem a bit tired. Don't overwork yourself."

Yaoqin was taken aback by his words and quickly lowered her head. Indeed, she hadn't been resting much recently, as she had been busy researching the Blood Qi Spirit Stones.

Could it be that her face looked somewhat haggard now?

Chu Xingchen seemed to read her thoughts and continued:

"Though you do seem a bit less icy now, more approachable. Before, I always felt like you kept people at arm's length."

"I still remember the first time I went to the Bamboo Jade Pavilion to listen to you play the qin. I didn't even catch a glimpse of your figure."

Yaoqin took a gentle sip of the tea. It wasn't particularly high-quality, but it felt exceptionally smooth on her palate:

"Did you think the Bamboo Jade Pavilion was some kind of entertainment house? The couplet at the entrance wasn't something just anyone could solve. Being able to enter and listen to a piece in the main hall was already quite an achievement."

Chu Xingchen nodded in agreement: "That's true… It took me half a month to solve the couplet before I could catch a glimpse of your shadow through the gauze window."

"Suddenly looking back, that person was there in the dim light of the lanterns," Yaoqin said, her expression unchanged. "I originally thought you were an ambitious and talented scholar, but after that meeting, I realized you were just an uneducated ruffian."

Chu Xingchen, curious, asked: "Then why did you agree to see me again?"

"I just happened to not dislike ruffians all that much," Yaoqin replied, lowering her gaze to the teacup in her hands. A single tea leaf was slowly spinning in the center of the cup.

Yaoqin looked up again, her eyes meeting Chu Xingchen's as she asked:

"I sense that the spiritual energy within you is pure and abundant. You must be at least at the mid-to-late Golden Core stage. A year ago, you were only at the peak of Foundation Establishment. Since you haven't turned to demonic cultivation, how have you progressed so quickly? Were you deceiving me before?"

It was generally considered impolite for cultivators to ask about others' sudden leaps in cultivation.

This was a rather intrusive question.

After all, it could be due to a great opportunity or the result of accumulated efforts in one's cultivation technique.

The former might invite envy, while the latter could expose one's weaknesses.

Thus, in the cultivation world, it was an unwritten rule not to inquire about others' rapid advancements in cultivation.

Chu Xingchen sighed softly: "Let's just say it was fate… I don't know how to explain it, but a year ago when I met you, I truly was only at the peak of Foundation Establishment."

Yaoqin didn't press further and simply nodded lightly.

The most important question had been asked, and that was enough.

Chu Xingchen then chatted casually with Yaoqin about various topics, sharing stories of his adventures and misadventures over the past year.

By the time Li Yingling returned with the groceries, a fair amount of time had passed.

Chu Xingchen asked Li Yingling to keep Yaoqin company for a while, while he took the groceries to the kitchen.

Li Yingling had bought quite a lot of ingredients, many of which were his personal favorites.

Chu Xingchen picked out a few and began preparing the meal.

In this world, the pursuit of culinary excellence wasn't particularly high.

After all, once one reached the Foundation Establishment stage, they could transcend the need for food, and those in positions of power were all cultivators.

Thus, the demand for exquisite cuisine wasn't particularly strong.

This also meant that the overall culinary standards in this world were rather low.

As a result, Chu Xingchen's cooking skills stood out like a shining beacon.

In any case, it was more than enough to impress Yaoqin.

From the look of astonishment on Yaoqin's face after she took a bite of the sweet and sour pork, Chu Xingchen knew his cooking had won her over.

Yaoqin, who usually ate with refined manners, couldn't help but pick up the pace after seeing Li Yingling devour his food as if he wanted to lick the plate clean.

Li Yingling had always been casual in front of his master, and he could sense that Yaoqin seemed… somewhat interested in his master.

In the end, Yaoqin couldn't resist. Though she still ate elegantly, her chopsticks moved noticeably faster.

Combined with her habit of chewing slowly, this led to her cheeks puffing up like a hamster's as she chewed.

It was a stark contrast to her usual cold demeanor, creating an unexpectedly endearing image.

Li Xingtian didn't have high demands when it came to food. After all, he was the kind of person Li Yingling described as someone who could drink chicken bathwater without batting an eye.

Thus, he only ate a few bites during the meal, mostly to maintain a sense of participation.

Chu Xingchen, on the other hand, occasionally competed with his eldest disciple for dishes, enjoying the look of reluctance on Li Yingling's face before the latter ultimately gave in.

All in all, the meal was relaxed and enjoyable.

Yaoqin's greatest worry didn't come to pass. The handsome young man before her remained just as she had first known him.

He hadn't been swallowed by the overwhelming malice of the cultivation world and still shone with his own unique light in his own way.

Everyone knew that rogue cultivators had it the hardest. When she first met him, he had been in a rather sorry state, but he had always maintained his principles, which was truly remarkable.

Though now, perhaps he couldn't really be called a rogue cultivator anymore.

Now he was a sect leader, with a late Golden Core cultivation level, which was enough to establish a small sect in this region.

And his sect was indeed small—so small that including the sect leader, there were only three members.

It was a sect where the leader would compete with his eldest disciple for food. Though small, it was undeniably warm and cozy.

After the meal, Yaoqin didn't linger long and soon bid Chu Xingchen farewell.

After all, it was already dark, and staying any longer would mean spending the night…

As soon as Yaoqin returned to her room, she heard her maid, Little Ling, speaking in a slightly anxious tone:

"Miss, you're finally back."

Yaoqin removed her outer robe: "What could possibly happen to me in a place like Yuzhou City?"

Little Ling pouted unconsciously. What could happen to you?

Of course, I was worried you might be fooled by that guy!

But Little Ling naturally didn't voice these thoughts and instead brought up another matter:

"Miss Zhao is here again. She's been waiting downstairs for almost two hours."