Get Lost, Rebellious Disciple (16)

It took Little Wei a good while to realize that her disciple had returned.

She quickly stood up, brushing the dust off her skirt.

"Where did you go?" Little Wei asked, looking at her.

Duan Lingyun gave her a strange glance.

"Didn’t you tell us to go buy clothes?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Little Wei noticed the other disciples returning to the inn one after another. She took an awkward step back.

Hmm…

"Master, we’re back," Cheng Yuguang strode forward, cupping his hands in greeting to Little Wei.

"Alright, go rest for now. And remember to change your clothes."

Before Duan Lingyun and Cheng Yuguang could react, they saw the figure in the blue robe dart back into her own room.

Why run away?

Cheng Yuguang was puzzled.

But then he turned to Duan Lingyun with a smirk.

"Miss Duan, we owe it to you that we have a place to stay. I just saw some spirit beast meat at the shop across the street. How about we buy some and make barbecue?"

Duan Lingyun met his gaze, her expression unreadable.

"No need," she replied flatly.

Cheng Yuguang’s intentions were crystal clear to Duan Lingyun.

For some reason, both Cheng Yuguang and Ye Mingtian seemed particularly fond of talking to her.

Duan Lingyun wasn’t entirely sure what they were thinking, but she wasn’t one for socializing.

Still, the idea of spirit beast meat did make her mouth water.

The Qingdao Sect was nice, but their meat dishes were limited to fish. After years of the same thing, she wouldn’t mind trying something different.

Seeing Duan Lingyun lost in thought, Cheng Yuguang was about to say more, but she simply walked straight back to her room without any intention of continuing the conversation.

Cheng Yuguang pressed his lips together, wondering what kind of man someone like Duan Lingyun would ever take a liking to.

Unaware of Cheng Yuguang’s thoughts, Duan Lingyun was busy changing.

Her master had been very generous to her over the years, but the clothes she wore were far too expensive. If they got dirty or damaged, she’d be heartbroken.

So earlier, she had bought two simpler outfits.

After washing and hanging her original clothes to dry, Duan Lingyun rushed out of her room and stopped at her master’s door.

She knocked lightly.

"Master."

A moment later, the door opened, revealing a small, delicate face with an impatient tone.

"What is it?"

Hmph, go spend time with those annoying men instead.

The sudden sharpness in her master’s voice caught Duan Lingyun off guard.

But she didn’t take offense, instead lowering her gaze to look at the adorable young woman before her.

"Master, there’s spirit beast meat across from the inn."

Little Wei blinked, taking a moment to process the words.

"You mean… barbecue?" She suddenly swung the door open, perking up instantly.

Barbecue sounds amazing!

It had been ages since she’d had proper meat. The spirit beast meat in the cultivation world was delicious—she’d tried it before—and now that she had the chance, she wasn’t about to pass it up.

"I also brought some barbecue seasoning from the kitchen before we left."

It was all prepared by Song Huanqing. The Qingdao Sect rarely had spirit beasts, so the seasoning was usually used for fish, but it worked just as well for meat.

"Good." Just like that, Little Wei’s melancholy vanished as she hurried out.

But it was almost dark—was it really appropriate to go out now?

Lost in thought, Little Wei stepped out of the inn.

To her surprise, even as night fell, the outskirts of the Sunset Forest were bustling with activity.

The red lanterns outside the inn cast a warm glow over the street, and the shop across the way had just butchered a few spirit beasts caught from the forest’s edge.

They looked pitiful, to be honest.

Ugh, my heart aches for them.

"Buy an extra couple of pounds," Little Wei nudged Duan Lingyun beside her.

Sure, they were pitiful, but even uncooked, she could already imagine how delicious the meat would be.

"Alright." Duan Lingyun watched as her master poked the meat curiously.

The way she looked—like an eager little glutton—somehow struck a chord in Duan Lingyun.

What if her master wasn’t her master?

A strange thought flickered through Duan Lingyun’s mind.

No.

She quickly frowned. If her master wasn’t her master, then what would she want her to be?

She didn’t want to be separated from her.

"Miss, are you buying or not? This meat’s just been prepared—it’s top quality," the shopkeeper called out, unbothered by Duan Lingyun’s momentary distraction.

"Wrap all of this up." Duan Lingyun hastily pulled out some spirit stones from her waist pouch and pointed to the meat on the counter.

Before they left, her master had given her plenty of spirit stones. But after this trip, disciples could start taking on tasks assigned by fellow sect members or elders to earn their own.

Simple tasks included gathering herbs, buying spirit rice, or selling basic sect-produced pills in exchange for a cut of the profits. The harder ones involved hunting spirit beasts.

This system had only been introduced five hundred years ago—partly to motivate disciples and partly to make things easier for the sect.

"Little disciple, isn’t this a bit too much?" Little Wei eyed the pile of meat in Duan Lingyun’s arms, her expression twitching.

Are we feeding a whole herd?

"It’s not much—just enough for three or four people," Duan Lingyun patted the meat lightly.

She really did like spirit beast meat. Not only was it tender and flavorful, but the spiritual energy in it also aided her cultivation.

"So how do we cook it?" Little Wei scratched her head, staring at the meat.

"Let’s find a quiet spot." Duan Lingyun suggested.

Immediately, Little Wei’s gaze shifted.

No way. Those words—Ji Cheng had said the same thing to her once.

And then he’d dragged her into a dark alley, kissing her until she was breathless and her eyes were glazed with tears. Only then had he been satisfied.

What a scoundrel.

"What are you planning?" Little Wei asked warily.

Seriously, they were in a forest. If Duan Lingyun pulled her in there, she’d be helpless.

And the leaves would scratch her skin—she refused to do that in such a harsh environment.

Ugh, what if she caught a cold?

And if someone saw them…

How embarrassing.

"To barbecue, of course. If we do it here, people will stare. That’d be weird," Duan Lingyun replied, puzzled by her master’s sudden shyness.

What was going on?

"Oh, right." Little Wei nodded in understanding.

Duan Lingyun: ???

What else would it be?

Why couldn’t she ever keep up with her master’s train of thought?

Was she missing something?

"Did you have something else in mind, Master?" Duan Lingyun asked.

Little Wei waved her hands dismissively.

"No, no, I’m just hungry."

Duan Lingyun didn’t press further, quickly leading Little Wei to a secluded spot. She gathered firewood, set up a makeshift grill, and skewered the marinated meat with the same sticks Song Huanqing used for fish.

She handed a few skewers to her master and kept some for herself. The warm glow of the fire flickered across their faces, painting a peaceful scene.

Duan Lingyun suddenly realized—if things could stay like this forever, it wouldn’t be so bad.

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