In the evening, clouds and mist swirled in the mountains.
When Chu Xianning returned to the courtyard, the sunset was still brilliantly burning, and smoke curled from within. She paused for a moment, then walked into the kitchen and saw Jiang Huai, wearing a homemade apron, diligently cooking beef stew with tomatoes.
“Master, you’re back? Dinner will be ready soon.”
Jiang Huai turned around and smiled at her.
Chu Xianning, in her white dress, simply stood there. The sunset light fell on the hem of her skirt, making her appear like a blooming white flower, serene and ethereal. No matter how many times Jiang Huai looked back, he would always be momentarily stunned.
Chu Xianning had ridden her sword to visit Granny Jiuy. Granny Jiuy gave her an annoyed look and told her that she only needed to see a doctor once. She could ensure Jiang Huai’s mind was alright. Perhaps it was just the shock of his cultivation level being crippled, causing some delusion. He would come to his senses after a short while. Granny Jiuy, uncharacteristically, added a reminder for Chu Xianning to spend more time with her disciple, lest he couldn’t accept such a drastic change and took his own life.
But Chu Xianning saw Jiang Huai’s smiling face, how could he possibly seem like someone who would take his own life?
The tomatoes were grown by Jiang Huai in his own spirit field; he had found the seeds in some secret realm. The beef was bought from the sect market. The sect raised a herd of spirit oxen, which grew up daily on spirit grass and drank spirit spring water, resulting in tender and nourishing meat.
Cultivators could naturally go without food for days. However, the Tian Xuan Sect emphasized natural desires over detachment. Therefore, many cultivators still retained the habit of occasionally indulging their appetites.
But for most, it was just occasional.
When Jiang Huai was ten years old, he volunteered to stand by the stove and cook for his dear mother. He also somehow procured a pile of strange seasonings. Chu Xianning was initially dismissive, only reminding him not to neglect his cultivation. She hadn’t had any cravings for years. But this fellow seemed to have a more terrifying talent for cooking delicious food than for sword techniques. The first bite Chu Xianning tasted melted her usually cold and aloof expression.
From then on, Jiang Huai would prepare two delicious meals for Chu Xianning every day. He explored every edible thing the sect had to offer, whether it flew in the sky, ran on the ground, or swam in the water. Whenever he went down the mountain to explore a secret realm, Jiang Huai would always bring back some game to stew. Not to mention the countless fruits and vegetables he grew in his own spirit field, and the small desserts he would occasionally send to his Master’s room. It was truly… too much!
Eating someone’s food made one feel indebted. From that point on, Chu Xianning’s coldness towards Jiang Huai melted away considerably.
Jiang Huai received his first beating when he was fifteen. It was because he made Yangzhi Manluo for Chu Xianning, calling it medicinal cuisine. When asked what kind of medicinal cuisine it was, he said it was to nourish a woman’s body. Chu Xianning checked the medicinal materials in an old scroll. Good heavens, it was for nourishing a woman’s body and slightly plumping her chest. That evening, Chu Xianning hung Jiang Huai up and spanked his butt with a wooden sword.
The beef stew in the pot was soft and tender, its fragrant aroma filling the entire courtyard. Jiang Huai picked up a porcelain bowl and served rice for Chu Xianning. The master and disciple sat at the stone table in the courtyard. Jiang Huai picked up his bowl and ate heartily.
“Why are you eating so quickly?”
“I used to drink the porridge Master made every day, now I feel nauseous at the thought of porridge. Finally, I can eat something good.” Jiang Huai mumbled unclearly.
Chu Xianning raised her eyebrows, “You dislike the porridge I cook?”
“Not at all. Master’s porridge is definitely sweet, and she fed it to me herself. How could it be bad? It’s just that drinking too much can get tiring.”
As soon as Jiang Huai finished speaking, his foot under the table was stepped on.
But when he looked up, Chu Xianning’s expression was still impassive. Jiang Huai could only cast a wistful glance at her. As expected, older women were always unpredictable; one could offend them without even realizing it.
Fortunately, Chu Xianning only lightly stepped on his foot before letting go. Compared to Jiang Huai’s ravenous eating, Chu Xianning’s was much more elegant. She looked at Jiang Huai calmly, “Does it still hurt?”
“It still hurts a little, but it’s not a problem.”
“Tomorrow… Luo Yueguan will be coming to Tian Xuan Sect.”
“How does Master know?”
“Her spirit boat departed yesterday. Counting the time, it will arrive precisely tomorrow morning,” Chu Xianning replied indifferently.
Luo Yueguan was an old friend of Master. And Jiang Huai was originally supposed to marry Luo Yueguan’s daughter, Luo Qingyu. However, from Jiang Huai’s perspective over the years, Master and Luo Yueguan seemed to have a rather superficial friendship; their relationship wasn’t particularly close. But Luo Yueguan was the only old friend Master had. Given Master’s cold personality and her penchant for sharp remarks, Jiang Huai thought it was already quite good that she had any friends at all.
“Why isn’t she riding her sword to come?” Jiang Huai blurted out. Given Luo Yueguan’s cultivation level, riding her sword would definitely be much faster than taking a spirit boat.
“The day you and Luo Qingyu were betrothed, the news was announced to the world, known by everyone in the Eastern Region. Now that your cultivation has been crippled, her family’s intention to break off the engagement will naturally be announced to the world as well, with great fanfare, to make it easier for her daughter to marry someone else later on.”
“That makes sense,” Jiang Huai nodded, taking a large bite of beef.
Chu Xianning earnestly stared into his eyes, trying to discern even a sliver of disappointment. But the fellow seemed to only have eyes for the beef, completely disregarding her words.
“Aren’t you the least bit disappointed?” Chu Xianning couldn’t help but ask.
“Why would I be disappointed?” Jiang Huai asked innocently.
“Can you bear to part with her?”
“How can I not bear to part with her?”
“I seem to recall that the lewd drawings you kept before Master confiscated them all depicted women with figures like Luo Qingyu. You were overjoyed when I arranged this marriage for you. You even sent her gifts and taught her sword techniques. Now that the engagement is being broken, can you bear to part with her?”
Jiang Huai waved his hand, “There is a little regret, but if she breaks off the engagement with me, she’s actually the one who loses more.”
“You are now disabled,” Chu Xianning usually spoke without thinking when she was being sharp-tongued.
Jiang Huai instantly put on a wronged expression, “Master, I’ll cry for you to see.”
Chu Xianning was speechless. She turned her face away and said softly, “Tomorrow, Luo Yueguan will come to break off the engagement. That woman was somewhat reluctant when she agreed to this marriage. Now that the engagement is being dissolved, her expression will inevitably be unpleasant tomorrow.”
“It’s okay, I have thick skin.”
Chu Xianning glanced at him sideways, “You really don’t care?”
“Truly don’t care,” Jiang Huai smiled helplessly.
Having been with Chu Xianning for so many years, he could naturally guess what Chu Xianning was thinking in her heart. Chu Xianning was probably worried that he would feel sad, after all, it was an arranged marriage, and a duck almost cooked had flown away. She was afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle such a psychological blow and would be utterly devastated.
If he were a few years younger, Jiang Huai could have looked at Chu Xianning with a wronged expression and said he was also sad and needed a hug. Chu Xianning might have grudgingly hugged him to comfort him. But now that he was older, Chu Xianning had seen through his tricks, and this tactic wouldn’t work.
If he were to say, “Master, hug me and comfort me,” now, there was a chance he would be strung up on the crooked neck tree in the courtyard and beaten.
Jiang Huai didn’t want Chu Xianning to worry, so he said softly, “Actually, Master is right. I am a cripple now. If my cultivation cannot be recovered, I only have a few decades left to live. The path of cultivation is long, spanning thousands of years. Even if Luo Qingyu were willing to stay by my side, I wouldn’t be able to accompany her further. Not to mention the vast difference between us in the future. Keeping the engagement would only bring her trouble. I am self-aware enough to understand this.”
Chu Xianning suddenly fell silent.
Jiang Huai was startled. Looking at his Master’s slightly lowered eyelashes, he suddenly realized he might have said something wrong.
Chu Xianning’s face was naturally beautiful. Now, with her lowered eyelashes and her bright eyes dimmed, she was even more pitiable. She held her chopsticks, stirring the rice in her bowl, and said softly, “Even if you can’t cultivate, there are many pills that can extend your life… Master will make you live for a very, very long time.”
Jiang Huai’s heartbeat seemed to suddenly slow by half a beat.
The sunset in the sky was magnificent. The pink glow fell on her face. Although her eyes showed a hint of sadness, she was still incomparably radiant.
“If I can’t cultivate, what’s the point of living so long?” Jiang Huai murmured softly.
Chu Xianning raised her eyes and looked at Jiang Huai. Although his eyes were still gentle, Chu Xianning suddenly recalled what Granny Jiuy had told her as she was leaving: to spend more time with her disciple, lest he couldn’t accept the psychological blow and take his own life.
She suddenly felt a tightness in her chest and her throat felt constricted. She didn’t know how to answer Jiang Huai’s words, but the next moment, his voice echoed in her ears again.
“But when I think that I can still be by Master’s side every day in the future, doing laundry and cooking for Master, watching Master practice sword and spacing out, it seems like the days still hold promise.”
A smile appeared on Jiang Huai’s face.
Chu Xianning hastily avoided his gaze, her voice a little rushed, “You’re a grown man, don’t you have any greater ambitions? Just doing laundry and cooking for Master all day, what kind of promise is that…”
“But I was picked up by Master. I’m just a puppy raised by Master. Wherever Master tells me to go, I’ll go. Whatever Master tells me to do, I’ll do. If Master is unhappy, I’ll wag my tail to make Master happy. If Master is unhappy, I’ll be unhappy too. So, Master cannot be unhappy.”
“What kind of person calls themselves a dog? Shameless.”
“Master called me that last time when you were hanging me up and beating me.”
Chu Xianning froze, “What did I say?”
“Master said I was a ‘little dirty dog’,” Jiang Huai answered innocently.
Chu Xianning tried hard to recall and remembered. Her eyes immediately showed a hint of playful anger, “That was your own fault!”
“Master, that was truly a beautiful misunderstanding. Those pair of jade silk white socks really were accidentally picked up by me when doing laundry and ended up by my bedside.”
Chu Xianning snorted coldly and remained silent.
“Never mind, I’ve already been beaten anyway. I’ll just admit it.” Jiang Huai lowered his head helplessly and sighed. However, after a moment, he raised his head again, looked at Chu Xianning in front of him, and said softly, “However, Master, you really don’t need to worry about me. In six months, I will take first place on the Eastern Region rankings again.”
“You, on what grounds?”
Jiang Huai winked at Chu Xianning, “When have I ever lied to Master?”
