After Huan Zong refused to travel with Zhaohan Sect disciples, Kong Hou tactfully declined Chang De’s invitation to travel together. Chang De’s gaze circled between her and Huan Zong, but he said nothing more.
Everyone wasn’t particularly familiar with each other, so forcing conversation would be rather awkward. Moreover, this table of dishes was truly delicious—most of those present focused their attention on the table full of delicacies. Even Huan Zong, who didn’t prioritize appetite, couldn’t help but pick up his chopsticks several more times after seeing Kong Hou’s good appetite.
“This tofu fish soup is really well-cooked. After drinking it, one can almost feel the fish swimming freely in the water, lifting one’s spirits.” Kong Hou drank a bowl of fish soup until it was spotlessly clean, praising with admiration. “Your sect’s disciples have excellent culinary skills.”
For culinary cultivators, the best compliment was having food eaten until spotlessly clean. Bai’an had encountered many people who praised him. The more status people had, the more they would use pleasant words to praise his or his disciples’ culinary skills, but without exception, these people would only taste a few bites reservedly, then leave more than half the food in their bowls, never touching it again even until the table was cleared.
Bai’an never considered such praise sincere. No matter how gorgeous the rhetoric they used to describe his culinary skills, he would never be moved by it. However, at this very moment, seeing the young woman’s empty bowl and her eyes lingering on Zhenren Huan Zong’s fish soup bowl, Bai’an felt genuine, sincere affection.
“If the xianzi likes it, that is this old one’s honor.” Bai’an stood up and smiled at Kong Hou. “Please wait a moment, Xianzi.”
Seeing Bai’an preparing to go out, Kong Hou hurriedly said, “Zhenren, where are you going?”
Zhenren Bai’an smiled kindly at Kong Hou. “To fetch something. I’ll be right back.”
Kong Hou nodded blankly, feeling something wasn’t quite right. Could it be that she had eaten too much and Zhenren Bai’an was sneaking to the kitchen to have disciples add more dishes?
Chang De set down his chopsticks and wiped the barely visible oil stain at the corner of his mouth. The guests were still dining, yet the host himself left first—Wuwei Manor’s hospitality was truly casual. Fortunately, he was an easygoing person who wouldn’t mind such small matters. Turning to look at Liuguang Sect’s Huan Zong and Yunhua Sect’s Kong Hou, he saw that though these two had also put down their chopsticks, they were still whispering privately.
The two didn’t specifically avoid Chang De, so he heard their conversation clearly.
“The senior brothers and sisters from the Dining Hall have been outdone.”
“Yongcheng’s delicacies are also unparalleled in the Lingyou Realm. Don’t belittle yourself.”
“We left too hastily last time. If we had already known each other back then, I should have taken you to try Yongcheng’s flavored snacks.”
“Going another time in the future is the same. I haven’t finished this bowl of fish soup yet—you can have it.”
“How can that be right…”
“I don’t like fish soup. In front of culinary cultivators, leaving too much isn’t good either.” Huan Zong pushed the bowl in front of Kong Hou and gently tugged on Kong Hou’s sleeve under the table, though his face remained perfectly square and stern. “Is that alright?”
“Alright, alright, alright.” Kong Hou lowered her head to glance at her slightly swaying sleeve. She had no resistance to this kind of “acting cute” from Huan Zong. She picked up the bowl and drank it down. Such a handsome man tugging on her sleeve asking for help—forget just drinking a bowl of fish soup, even if he asked her to go catch an evil cultivator, she probably couldn’t refuse.
Lin Hu looked at Huan Zong expressionlessly. How did he not know the Young Master disliked fish soup? In Yancheng, hadn’t he drunk it just fine? Could this picky eating habit develop later in life?
Chu Jixuan silently noted in his heart: Great-Great-Great Grand-Uncle doesn’t like fish soup.
Chang De: “…”
After watching this scene, he somewhat suspected Huan Zong was a fake Liuguang Sect sword cultivator.
Before long, Zhenren Bai’an came in carrying a tray, smiling as he invited everyone to continue using their chopsticks. Seeing him give this invitation, Kong Hou picked up her chopsticks. Zhenren Bai’an’s eyes looking at her had already become as gentle as looking at his own granddaughter. “Xianzi Kong Hou, try this.”
He placed the tray before Kong Hou.
On the tray sat a jade bowl covered with an emerald-green Spirit-Locking jade lid. Food held in this type of special dinnerware certainly had extraordinary qualities.
Of the six people at the table, only Xianzi Kong Hou alone had this food. Wasn’t Zhenren Bai’an’s differential treatment a bit too obvious? Chang De’s gaze fell on the tray, and he too developed some interest in this dish.
Kong Hou reached out to lift the lid. Inside lay a milky-white sphere the size of a woman’s fist, emitting a faint sweet fragrance. She looked at Zhenren Bai’an in confusion. What was this?
Zhenren Bai’an smiled without speaking and handed Kong Hou a small jade spoon, coaxing her like a child. “Gently tap it open.”
The jade spoon felt delicate and cool to the touch. Kong Hou’s gaze circled the white sphere once before she tapped it with the jade spoon.
Crack.
The sphere lightly split open. Jade dew flowed out, and a golden koi fish flew from within. Looking more carefully, this wasn’t a koi fish at all but golden spiritual energy. Five-colored radiance together—the jade dew and the sphere’s shell merged, transforming into a rich soup.
“Try it.”
When the soup entered her mouth, it transformed into rich spiritual energy that rushed into her limbs and bones. Kong Hou widened her eyes, unable to speak for a long time.
Seeing Kong Hou’s reaction, Zhenren Bai’an smiled with satisfaction. “I rarely make this dish. It’s most suitable for five spiritual root cultivators to consume. It has the effects of cleansing marrow, condensing qi, nourishing skin, and beautifying appearance. Of everyone at this table, you’re the most suitable.”
“What’s this dish called?” This dish tasted so good that Kong Hou was reluctant to eat it too quickly. She savored it spoonful by spoonful, enjoying the comfortable sensation of spiritual energy washing through her meridians.
“It has no name.” Zhenren Bai’an smiled. “The most important thing about a dish isn’t its name but its essence. No matter how beautiful or refined the name, it can’t enhance the taste.”
“Zhenren speaks truly. The most essential thing about food lies in its flavor.” Although eating very slowly, Kong Hou still finished this bowl of food. She set down the jade spoon, both happy and disappointed. “Being able to eat such delicious food is my good fortune, but thinking I’ll have difficulty eating this in the future makes me sad.”
“This is no difficulty. If the xianzi wants to eat it, just come to me.” Zhenren Bai’an said. “This old one doesn’t know much else, but in the culinary dao, I barely understand a point or two.”
“If Zhenren with such divine skills calls it just a point or two, others probably can’t even count as having entered the door.” Chang De didn’t understand the culinary dao, but he could also see this dish was extraordinary. Some thoughts stirred in his mind. “I wonder if Zhenren has ever considered making mutual progress with other sects?”
What mutual progress—wasn’t he just trying to get Wuwei Manor to join Zhaohan Sect?
Kong Hou turned to look at Chang De. She really hadn’t expected that Daoist Chang De, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, would actually try to compete with their Yunhua Sect for people! Thinking of the eager expectations of Yunhua Sect’s disciples above and below, Kong Hou immediately spoke. “Daoist Chang De speaks truly. Our sect’s master has repeatedly intended to raise this matter with the manor master, but the manor master hasn’t been moved. Because of this matter, our sect master has regretted it for many years.”
Chang De had indeed heard rumors that Sect Master Heng Yan intended to befriend Zhenren Bai’an. Later, for unknown reasons, their relationship remained ordinary. Now hearing Kong Hou mention it, he finally understood—so Yunhua Sect had conceived the idea of taking in Wuwei Manor.
Understanding this, Chang De said nothing more to avoid making Yunhua Sect think Zhaohan Sect was deliberately competing with them for people.
When Zhenren Bai’an heard Kong Hou say that Heng Yan had repeatedly intended to raise this matter, he thought his memory had problems. Hadn’t Heng Yan previously been showing off his disciples’ culinary skills and cultivation? Hadn’t he been nitpicking about their culinary cultivators everywhere?
Though his heart was full of doubts, with outsiders present, Zhenren Bai’an didn’t voice his questions. Compared to the somewhat annoying Sect Master Heng Yan, the Zhaohan Sect master who had never even glanced at him could only be considered an outsider among outsiders.
After finishing the meal, it could be said that both host and guests were satisfied. Chang De didn’t stay overnight at Wuwei Manor. After agreeing with Kong Hou and the others on where to meet in Kuicheng, he left Wuwei Manor.
Kong Hou was determined to persuade Zhenren Bai’an to join Yunhua Sect and followed behind Zhenren Bai’an without leaving.
“Xianzi Kong Hou, this must be a misunderstanding. Your sect’s master has never raised this matter with me.” Seeing Kong Hou’s persistence, Zhenren Bai’an said helplessly, “Wuwei Manor is just a small, minor sect. If your esteemed sect truly had such intentions, how could I not agree?” This young lady must have eaten food he made and thought their sect was very impressive. Combined with sect elders having mentioned him in front of her, she mistakenly believed the sect intended to take Wuwei Manor as an affiliated sect.
“Zhenren, I haven’t deceived you.” Kong Hou said. “I’ll send a message to the sect master right now. If what I say is true, please, Manor Master, you must seriously consider this matter.”
“Alright, if your esteemed sect truly has such intentions, I’ll definitely agree.” Zhenren Bai’an saw it was already late. Having the young lady stay in his courtyard wasn’t appropriate, so he could only coax her into agreeing first.
He never dared easily hope for good fortune. Forget Yunhua Sect, one of the ten major sects—even other relatively famous sects weren’t ones they could affiliate with just by wanting to. Sects that looked favorably upon them only wanted to strengthen their sects and didn’t truly value their expertise in the culinary dao.
In many people’s eyes, cooking wasn’t important. Cultivators could do it, and ordinary people could too. Culinary cultivators couldn’t refine pills or craft artifacts, weren’t skilled in attack spells, and only buried themselves in cooking. Compared to other cultivators, they had no advantages.
Accustomed to being looked down upon by other cultivators, Bai’an gradually gave up hope.
Even if despised, even if unable to have more cultivation opportunities, as long as he could persist in the dao in his heart, that too was cultivation.
“Zhenren agreed?” Kong Hou said happily. “Thank you, Zhenren. I’ll write a letter back to the sect right now to report this good news to the sect master.”
Seeing the young woman so happy, the wrinkles on Zhenren Bai’an’s forehead smoothed out. Accustomed to being ignored, discovering that someone actually sincerely liked them culinary cultivators was enough to make them happy for a long time.