Chapter 448: Protagonist, Worried About Roasted Chicken
Clouds rolling and unfurling, sun and moon alternation.
Inside the Central Peak Academy of the Xuan Xing Sect, the peach and pear trees planted there were adorned with pink and white petals after the spring aspect swept over them in early spring.
“Immortal peach ripens, gathered as food, all transformations come to a joyful heaven and earth; spiritual roots await the birth of yang, then enter the Great Cycle to contemplate the principle.”
The sound of reading aloud echoed, lingering without cease.
Mr. Qi, holding a book in one hand, walked back and forth among the disciples in the pavilion. His eyes, beneath his eyebrows, swept over them, and a killing intent suddenly flashed in his gaze. Then, he raised his hand and slapped the back of a snow-white head.
Slap—!
“Ouch!”
Feng Yu Die flinched, touched the back of her head, and looked back, then gave a foolish smile:
“Heh heh… Mr. Qi~~”
“Hmph—” Mr. Qi sighed earnestly, “Feng girl, are you even here? If you’re not listening in class, you might as well not come! Don’t think you can show off in front of me just because your cultivation is progressing quickly! Cultivation doesn’t equal state of mind; cultivating the spirit also requires cultivating the heart. You’re almost at Nascent Soul Formation! I’ve personally seen countless Heavenly Spiritual Roots fall during the Heavenly Tribulation of Nascent Soul Formation, more than I can count on both hands.”
“But Mr. Qi, my master has already taught me everything in your class before.”
Mr. Qi narrowed his eyes slightly and retorted:
“Did your master wash my feet? Have you?”
“Uh…” Feng Yu Die glanced at the exposed ankles of Mr. Qi’s trousers and noticed a few leg hairs. She quickly lowered her head, clasped her fists, and bowed, “Mr. Qi, this disciple knows her mistake!”
“She’s exactly like Grand Void True Person…”
Mr. Qi shook his head, pondered for a moment, and said:
“You’re close to Xiao girl and Pei girl. Why can’t you learn from them? What kind of thoughts are you having with such a flippant attitude!”
Feng Yu Die looked around and whispered:
“Senior Sister Xiao and Junior Sister Pei aren’t in class today…”
“If they are here, they will listen attentively. If you don’t listen, then get out, you’re annoying to look at!”
This is simply being idle…
Junior Sister Pei needs to beat Liang Acting, Senior Sister Xiao needs to practice spells, and Xiao Tian is following Young Master Ye to deal with Gu’s hands…
Young Master Ye seems to be preparing for Nascent Soul Formation recently, spending all day in his room doodling and forgetting to bake roasted chicken for her.
The day before yesterday, she went to find Young Master Ye to play, and he directly twisted her and kicked her out…
Feng Yu Die felt that everyone was busy with something, and she was being isolated. She felt dejected, so she came to the academy to listen to Mr. Qi lecture. However, what Mr. Qi taught were things her master had already explained to the Foundation Establishment Stage disciples of the Xuan Xing Sect. Grand Void True Person had already taught her all of this before.
After Mr. Qi walked away, Feng Yu Die pouted and stuck out her tongue:
“Pfft—”
As soon as her tongue stuck out, Mr. Qi suddenly turned around and pinched her tongue:
“Sticking out your tongue, huh? Your little tricks are just like your master’s!”
“Aiyaaah—”
He gave Feng Yu Die’s tongue a slight tug. Seeing her grasp his hand and beg for mercy, Mr. Qi felt her image overlap with that of Grand Void True Person. Suddenly, a hint of pity appeared in his eyes, and he sighed heavily:
“Alas… It’s really exactly the same.”
“Hmm?”
“Speaking of you and your master.”
Mr. Qi pondered for a while. After that, Grand Void True Person met Yun Tianchong and then his immortal path was broken and went awry. However, Feng Yu Die had Young Master Ye of the Hundred Lotus Sect by her side.
That Ye Anping is much more serious than Yun Tianchong.
With Feng Yu Die by his side, she doesn’t have to worry about repeating her master’s fate.
Mr. Qi was silent for a moment, then looked up at the blooming peach and pear blossoms in the courtyard.
In early spring, the branches and flowers were in full bloom, and everything was peaceful and serene.
But this was like the calm before a storm, or the final flicker of light before sunset.
The matter of the “Summoning Immortal Decree” had, after several days of fermentation, become the most discussed topic among the Immortal Families. A trip to a restaurant in the marketplace, regardless of cultivation level or whether one was a rogue cultivator or a sect disciple, almost everyone was discussing Ye Anping’s “Spring Aspect Spiritual Energy.”
Half a month ago, the Sect Master had already made arrangements with each of the elders of the Xuan Xing Sect and issued a sect order: Xuan Xing Sect disciples were forbidden to discuss this matter, nor were they to go to Tianyun Peak to harass Ye Anping.
Therefore, the Xuan Xing Sect was now as peaceful as a pure land.
However, this sect rule alone could only suppress things for a while, and certainly not for a month.
Ancient books described the “Spring Aspect Spirit” as incredibly miraculous, claiming it could heal all things, command the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, or cause a waste cultivator with a five-spiritual root to ascend on the spot…
But was it truly as powerful as recorded in ancient texts?
Mr. Qi remained skeptical.
After all, cultivators possessing the Spring Aspect Spirit had never appeared before.
It might indeed be a great divine ability, but it was certainly not as miraculous as the legends claimed.
The fact that Sun Juehu’s disappearance in the Four Domains had not caused a significant stir would absolutely not lead to the matter being settled like this.
Mr. Qi took out a handkerchief with a look of disgust and wiped the saliva from Feng Yu Die’s fingers. He admonished her and then, with his book, continued to search for those disciples whose minds were wandering in the three realms:
“Either read, or leave. Don’t just sit here spacing out.”
Feng Yu Die watched Mr. Qi leave and suddenly seemed to remember something, asking:
“Mr. Qi…”
“What?”
“Can I ask about Nascent Soul Formation? Heh heh…” Feng Yu Die smiled shyly and asked, “You just mentioned cultivating the heart for Nascent Soul Formation, what do I need to prepare for Nascent Soul Formation?”
Mr. Qi stopped and retorted:
“The quality of the Golden Core differs, so the process of Nascent Soul Formation naturally differs.”
“For example, what does Young Master Ye need for his Nascent Soul Formation?”
Upon hearing this, Mr. Qi couldn’t help but frown slightly, feeling a hint of surprise. He retorted,
“He’s preparing for Nascent Soul Formation? Why didn’t he come to ask himself? He sent you to ask?”
“He didn’t ask me to ask, I just wanted to ask myself…” Feng Yu Die was stunned for a moment and grinned, “Mr. Qi, you are knowledgeable, I’ll ask for him, and I’ll tell him later.”
Mr. Qi’s tone gradually became serious:
“I thought he was preparing to sever his spiritual roots and keep his cultivation at late Golden Core Stage. Did he tell you he wants to form Nascent Soul?”
Hearing the wrong tone in his words, Feng Yu Die’s smile gradually faded, and she asked,
“Yes, he did. What’s wrong?”
“Ye Anping has the aptitude of dual spiritual roots, but he has formed a Heavenly Dao Golden Core. The great tribulation during Nascent Soul Formation will also be a Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Tribulation. To be frank with you, he will die if he attempts Nascent Soul Formation.”
“… Ah?” Feng Yu Die flinched and laughed, “No way, Mr. Qi, don’t scare me~”
Mr. Qi raised his finger and pointed at his solemn old face, asking:
“Do you think I’m joking?”
“… …”
“Heh, go back and tell him, don’t think about Nascent Soul Formation. The Heavenly Dao Golden Core is already the end of the immortal path he can reach. If he had formed a second or third-grade Golden Core back then, forming a small Nascent Soul might still have some possibility. But with the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Tribulation, he cannot survive it.”
Feng Yu Die was stunned for a moment and quickly retorted:
“Mr. Qi, you can’t say it’s impossible just because you haven’t seen it! Young Master Ye is very powerful!”
“I’ve seen many powerful people in my two thousand years here, but I’ve also carved quite a few tombstones.”
Facing Mr. Qi’s stern teacher aura, Feng Yu Die clearly felt her confidence waver. She immediately retorted:
“Mr. Qi, you…”
But she was interrupted by Mr. Qi again:
“If you have time to argue with me, you’d be better off persuading him not to think about Nascent Soul Formation.”
Mr. Qi’s eyebrows trembled slightly. He stared into Feng Yu Die’s eyes and calmly added:
“If he succeeds in forming Nascent Soul, I will wash his feet with my own hands.”
“… …”
Feng Yu Die bit her lower lip, looking at Mr. Qi’s extremely serious face. She inexplicably felt a pain in her chest, and a sense of worry arose.
Although she firmly believed in her heart that Ye Anping would be fine, just like before, he always had everything under control. However, what Mr. Qi had just said was important.
Mr. Qi was her master’s master.
Her master had told her before that if she went to the Xuan Xing Sect in the future, she must not disregard Mr. Qi’s words…
Feng Yu Die hesitated for a moment, then clasped her fists and bowed, turned around, and ran towards the classroom door, flying towards Tianyun Peak on her flying sword.
After watching her leave, Mr. Qi let out a faint sigh, glared at the disciples who had gathered around, and then walked back to the lecture platform and sat down, stroking his beard as he looked out the window:
If there were a junior worthy of him washing their feet, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing…
“Heh heh… Today’s lesson: everyone copy it a hundred times and hand it in by noon tomorrow!”
“Ah?”
“Two hundred times.”
“Oh…”
…
————
Inside the Three-Bay House on the mountainside of Tianyun Peak—
Pale pink peach petals, carried by the spring breeze, floated from the branches and landed slowly on the youth’s shoulder like tiny boats.
Accompanied by the chirping of spring birds, Ye Anping sat calmly under the shade of a peach tree, cultivating Qi and taming spirits.
Because the matter of Nascent Soul Formation did not allow for even the slightest error, he had been staying in the Three-Bay House for the past few days, reviewing and filling in the gaps in his plans.
In the game, Feng Yu Die had revealed her Spring Aspect Spiritual Energy during the Donghuang incident. Then, in Zu Yuan’s “Summoning Immortal Decree,” Sun Juehu casually mentioned, implying the use of Zu Yuan’s hand to eliminate Si Xuanji’s Heavenly Pivot chess piece.
Actually, at first, Ye Anping also thought that things would develop as they did in the game. But because of the lessons learned from previous experiences, the current situation was completely different from the game.
After the Donghuan incident, Sun Juehu wanted to kill with a borrowed knife.
The knife was Zu Yuan, and the person to be killed was Si Xuanji’s most important “chess piece.”
In the game, the person playing the chess piece was Feng Yu Die, but Ye Anping felt that now it was most likely him…
Therefore, he had prepared two sets of plans.
The first set of plans was as in the game, where Sun Juehu revealed Feng Yu Die’s Spring Aspect to Zu Yuan.
The second set of plans was where Sun Juehu revealed to Zu Yuan that he was the one who possessed the Spring Aspect.
And now, it seemed his second set of plans had hit the mark.
Now, with everything ready, it was just waiting for the opportune moment.
He had written a letter to the Hundred Lotus Sect a few days ago, inviting Brother Liang over for a chat.
However, almost a week had passed, and Brother Liang still hadn’t arrived…
Could it be that the painting from Acting Ating last time really angered him, and he’s having a tantrum and not coming?
No way…
Brother Liang shouldn’t be that petty…
Thinking of this, Ye Anping wore a slight expression of helplessness. He thought that if Liang Zhu didn’t come soon, he would have to return to the Hundred Lotus Sect himself.
“Alas…”
But speaking of which, Yunluo had been much more subdued these past few days.
Since she came back wrapped in a blanket that day, she hadn’t voluntarily crawled into his covers at night. It was only the day before yesterday, when he proactively asked, that Xiao Yunluo hesitantly nodded and pulled him into her bedroom.
Has she learned self-restraint?
Or is she understanding his situation, seeing as he’s been so stressed about forming his Golden Core these days?
Ye Anping was silent for a moment, then looked back at Gu, whose hand was hanging on the eaves as a “weather doll,” and Xiao Tian, who was hovering in mid-air, practicing boxing and footwork with Gu’s hand as a sandbag. He fell into deep thought again.
Now that Junior Sister and Yunluo were both in the late Golden Core Stage, and Feng Yu Die was just a little bit away, it was likely just a matter of days. It was time to make a move.
As his thoughts wandered, suddenly, there was a rapid knocking at the door of the room:
Bang bang bang—!
Ye Anping’s face lit up with surprise, thinking it must be Liang Zhu. He quickly got up, tidied his clothes, walked over, and opened the door:
“Young Master Ye…”
Then, he closed it.
“… …”
Bang bang bang—! Bang bang bang!!
Because of the restriction, the Three-Bay House was very soundproof, but the knocking could still be heard.
Ye Anping raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. A vein suddenly bulged on his forehead. He pulled the door open again, furrowed his brow, and glared at Feng Yu Die outside, asking:
“What is it? I’m busy these days and don’t have time to make roasted chicken for you.”
“Ah…” Feng Yu Die was stunned for a moment and replied softly, “It’s not about roasted chicken.”
“… Then what is it?”
Feng Yu Die lowered her chin, looking at him timidly:
“It’s about Nascent Soul Formation. I want to ask you about it.”
“You’re still a long way from Nascent Soul Formation. Besides, you have the Saint Emperor bloodline, the Spring Aspect Spiritual Energy, and you’re a Heavenly Spiritual Root. What is there to ask? You formed your Golden Core the way you did, and you’ll form your Nascent Soul the same way. After returning to the Xuan Xing Sect, if you have nothing to do, you come running to me for roasted chicken and sword practice. Haven’t you seen how frantic I’ve been with this ‘Summoning Immortal Decree’ business?”
Seeing Ye Anping scolding her fiercely, Feng Yu Die felt like she was stuttering. After a long, drawn-out effort, she managed to say:
“Ah, no… it’s not… it’s not me! It’s about *your* Nascent Soul Formation!!”
“… …”
This time, it was Ye Anping’s turn to be speechless. His gaze met Feng Yu Die’s through the doorframe.
After a long while, he finally asked:
“… What happened to my Nascent Soul Formation?”
“Mr. Qi said you can’t form it, and that you will surely die…”
“Mr. Qi?” Ye Anping furrowed his brow. “How did he know I was preparing for Nascent Soul Formation?”
“I asked him.”
“… …”
“I just asked casually, I didn’t think much of it. But Mr. Qi said you couldn’t possibly form Nascent Soul, and even bet me with the condition of washing your feet.”
?
“Ah?”
“Yes, my master also said that once Mr. Qi speaks, you must not disregard his words. So… so so so so so…”
“… So?”
“… I’m a little worried.”
“… …”
They looked at each other’s faces. After the word “worried,” there was silence.
Suddenly, a spring breeze swept past Ye Anping’s ears, also coloring his cheeks with a blush of spring peach.
Feng Yu Die pursed her lips and added with a foolish grin:
“I’m worried I won’t be able to eat your roasted chicken anymore, heh heh.”
“… …”
Xiao Tian’s voice came from the direction of Agu’s right hand. Looking at the two people at the door, he seemed like he had polio and joined in with Feng Yu Die’s foolish laughter:
“Heh heh…”
… …
