Please at least pretend to be normal.

Family Love Peak.

Nightfall, bright moon.

One by one, dishes that weren't particularly refined but were generous in portion were brought up by Qian Qing in bowls.

Steaming hot, the aroma still pleasantly strong.

All of this was handled by Qian Qing herself—no techniques used, not even fire from any magical source, but ordinary firewood, and from time to time a wisp of black smoke floated past overhead.

Bai Xuanling watched with interest as Qian Qing cooked personally, with Sandong assisting on the side.

The last item brought to the table wasn't a dish, but a wooden bucket of rice that Qian Qing carried over.

Familiar with the routine, she scooped rice into bowls and handed them to everyone.

Bai Xuanling was slightly surprised but took the bowl of rice anyway. Truth be told, she couldn't recall how long it had been since she last ate real rice—most of her noodles were pastries or noodle dishes.

"As a martial warrior, I have a heavy palate, so all my dishes are meant to go with rice," Qian Qing said, handing another bowl to Chu Xingchen. "Without some rice, it might be a bit too salty. Hope you don't mind."

Holding the warm rice bowl, Chu Xingchen chuckled softly:

"This is exactly the touch of everyday life I wanted."

Bai Xuanling, already quite at ease, dug in directly. The rich, oily, and salty dishes paired perfectly with the rice, and she nodded with satisfaction:

"Not bad at all. Yuan Kong has good taste."

"This big shot rarely compliments anyone," Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow slightly. "Don't sell yourself short."

Qian Qing let out a sigh of relief: "I'm glad you all like it."

"Sandong really likes it!" Sandong held up her own small bowl, enthusiastically raising her hand.

On the stone table of Family Love Peak, it felt like a family banquet.

Few words were spoken, no further questions were asked, and they finished the meal in a quiet, comfortable manner.

Qian Qing quickly began cleaning up, and Sandong naturally helped out attentively.

Perhaps the meal suited Bai Xuanling's palate; her expression softened considerably, and her tone followed suit:

"Having the Black Crow Archbishop make the plans—doesn't that mean giving up some initiative?"

"Cautious people only trust their own plans," Chu Xingchen took a light sip of post-meal tea. "No matter how perfect our plans are, they won't be as effective as plans with a few flaws from them. Let them take the lead, and occasionally have a disagreement. After all, no matter how they arrange things, they'll eventually have to come clean with us. They're in the open, we're in the shadows—the advantage is ultimately ours."

Bai Xuanling nodded in agreement after hearing this:

"Mainly, this lets you take it easy too. But will doing this really make those Heart Devils feel the sting? They crave blood essence, sure, but they probably don't actually expect the Evil Spirit Cult to deliver."

"Obstacles, big or small, are always annoying," Chu Xingchen sighed lightly. "At least half of the Evil Spirit Cult is manipulated by the Demon Clan. Clearing them out a bit should make Bolo uncomfortable."

"There have been obvious signs of Heavenly Demon unrest recently; they're likely preparing for a big move, probably while the immortal sects are still not fully united and terms haven't been settled."

"This unrest in the Evil Spirit Cult won't escape Bolo's detection either. If Bolo thinks this could waste our time, he'll probably fan the flames."

"If we find a thread, we have a chance to take down Bolo along with it."

Bai Xuanling let out a light laugh: "Nice dream, but a bit too optimistic."

"Well, a person needs some beautiful hopes," Chu Xingchen said with a longing expression. "It would be even better if Bolo chopped off his own head and sent it to me."

“You can say that kind of talk when you’re asleep,” Bai Xuanling said with a smile as she stood up. “But I doubt you’ll have time to sleep. I’m heading back to Zhuji Peak now. Lv Xuan has a mountain of things to discuss with you in the latter half of the night. He’s been replying to a ton of messages on your behalf—you’ll need to catch up on those too.”

Hearing this, Chu Xingchen slumped onto the table with an air of self-defeat.

“No, no, no… I ate too much and it’s sitting heavy. I need to rest a bit more before I can move.”

Bai Xuanling raised an eyebrow, then a thought struck her, and she smirked.

“Qing He uses the same excuse when she’s slacking off. I wonder who learned it from whom. But since it’s such a dim-witted excuse, it must be you who picked it up from Qing He. Still, I don’t mind if the savior of the world rests a little longer when he’s tired.”

“I don’t often compliment people, but you’ve done pretty well.”

Chu Xingchen tilted his head slightly, lifting his gaze to Bai Xuanling, whose lips curled with a hint of a smile in the moonlight. He spoke cautiously.

“Was that supposed to be a compliment? But even if you’re praising me, I don’t have any good news for you.”

Bai Xuanling raised an eyebrow again, then walked gracefully toward the door, her calm voice trailing behind.

“That everyone’s still alive is good news to me. It’s fine if you rest a bit more. Even if you don’t go, Lv Xuan will curse you under his breath and get things done properly anyway. I’ve been through that before.”

With those words, Bai Xuanling’s figure vanished from the All-in-One Happy Family Peak.

Under the moonlight, the expression on Chu Xingchen’s face remained serene.

The moon was beautiful, but sadly Ling Yu wasn’t here.

They couldn’t rely solely on Yuan Kong at the Great Thunderclap Monastery. Without knowing the full picture, Yuan Kong wasn’t enough to handle things on his own—he’d likely end up counting the money if the Buddhist sect sold him out.

Right now, only Ling Yu had both the status and the ability to stabilize the situation at the Great Thunderclap Monastery.

Qian Qing was waiting for Yuan Kong to return.

Chu Xingchen was also waiting for Ling Yu to come back.

After a brief moment of laziness, Chu Xingchen stood up and headed toward Tianyan Peak.

San Dong keenly noticed this movement. Without a word, she simply smiled and waved at Chu Xingchen’s departing back.

Qian Qing glanced sideways, feeling a touch of awe. Even in farewell, San Dong was so silent.

But the next moment, Qian Qing’s expression froze.

Without turning around, Chu Xingchen raised his hand and waved back in response to San Dong’s goodbye.

Only then did San Dong speak up.

“Boss, next time come back early!”

“Got it, San Dong. Wait for my good news—I’ll have Cui Hao tell you his story then.”

“All right, Boss!”

Boluo lay in the nearly dried-up lotus pond, his monk’s robe stained with muddy water.

He stared straight up at the sky, where thick clouds blocked out even a trace of moonlight.

The chirping of insects sounded around him from time to time.

“I thought you were just a Buddhist monk who’d been dormant for too long and got influenced by them, your mind clouded. I figured I’d cut you some slack and give you time to recover.”

“But seeing you lying in the mud like an idiot, I’m really starting to worry. It’s not that you’ve been influenced—it’s that there’s something wrong with your head.”

“And seriously, even if your brain is broken, could you at least act normal in front of me?”

“Believing in someone with a brain like yours… I really can’t convince myself.”

Boluo propped himself up, his gaze fixed on the handsome young man standing about three feet away.

Zhong Su’s expression could barely conceal his disdain as he tossed a jade token, striking Boluo square on the forehead.

“The anomaly among the evil spirit sect—you decide if it’s Chu Xingchen’s handiwork.”

“The message is right there on your forehead. Read it yourself.”