Chapter 30: Peace

Chen Ping did not answer.

Guided by the Grand Dao Source, his divine sense carefully probed Yue Qingshuang’s body.

The Taiyin Sacred Body, supremely yin and cold, was like the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique and the Grand Dao Divine Physique, all belonging to the legendary innate Dao physiques.

While it fell slightly short of those two, it was still an incredibly rare innate Dao physique.

However, because the girl’s physique had not fully awakened, her origin remained unstable, causing the frequent backlashes.

If she could find a Profound Yin Bead to harmonize her constitution and pair it with a suitable cultivation method, she might well reach the absolute summit in time.

After ten breaths, Chen Ping withdrew his hand.

Yue Qingshuang stared blankly at her palm.

The gentle force had vanished, but the turmoil within her body was indeed suppressed.

For at least a month, she would not have to worry about the backlash.

“Senior, this great kindness, I…”

“No need,” Chen Ping interrupted, his tone flat.

“You gave me resources, and I saved your life. We are even.”

Yue Qingshuang opened her mouth, but in the end, she only gave a deep bow.

“Regardless, I will keep Senior’s kindness engraved in my heart.”

She was about to turn and leave once more.

“Would you like to stay for a meal?”

Chen Ping’s voice drifted from behind her, his tone casual, as if inviting an ordinary friend.

Yue Qingshuang froze in her tracks.

She was stunned.

A meal?

She had long since fasted from mortal food. Aside from the occasional spirit fruit or medicinal pill, she had long stopped consuming the food of the mortal realm.

As the Saintess of Tianyue Palace, she had been taught since childhood that cultivation was a cultivator’s sole focus, and that earthly desires would only erode one’s Dao heart.

Yet now, hearing Chen Ping’s invitation…

She nodded, as if possessed by some inexplicable impulse.

“Thank you, Senior.”

The moment the words left her mouth, even she was slightly surprised.

Chen Ping merely smiled and called toward the kitchen,

“Xiaoyu, set an extra bowl and pair of chopsticks.”

“Yes, Master!”

Lin Xiaoyu’s voice rang out from the kitchen, carrying a cheerful lilt.

*

A gentle evening breeze blew, and the setting sun painted the entirety of Luoxia Peak in a warm, gentle orange.

Beneath the old locust tree in the courtyard, a stone table was set with three dishes and a soup.

Stir-fried fiddlehead ferns, wild chicken stewed with mushrooms, cold-tossed wild celery, and a pot of wild vegetable soup.

They were all simple mountain fare, yet they were prepared with appealing colors and aromas, piping hot.

Yue Qingshuang sat on a stone stool, staring at the coarse ceramic bowl and chopsticks before her, momentarily dazed.

She could no longer remember the last time she had sat down to eat a meal like this.

Ten years?

Or twenty?

As the Saintess of Tianyue Palace, her every meal and drink was managed by dedicated attendants.

She ate only spirit fruits and immortal pills, served on jade plates with rare delicacies.

Such simple food, such a rustic courtyard, and such… ordinary interactions between master and disciple.

She had never seen anything like it.

Lin Xiaoyu brought out the last bowl of rice and placed it before Yue Qingshuang.

“Sister, please help yourself.”

Yue Qingshuang looked at her, a trace of softness flickering in her eyes.

The girl’s eyes were clear and her smile was sincere, making it easy to feel close to her.

“Thank you.”

She picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of fiddlehead fern, and put it in her mouth.

It was very ordinary.

Even a bit bland.

Yet for some reason, she found it… delicious.

Perhaps it had been too long since she had eaten a real meal.

Or perhaps this meal carried a warmth she had never experienced before.

Chen Ping picked up a piece of chicken and placed it in Yue Qingshuang’s bowl.

“Eat some of this.”

Yue Qingshuang was startled.

“To replenish your blood.” Chen Ping pointed at her face.

“Look how pale your face is, just like paper.”

Yue Qingshuang: “…”

She looked down at the chicken in her bowl, an inexplicably complex emotion welling up in her heart.

Replenishing blood.

The reason was so simple it was almost laughable.

She was the Saintess of Tianyue Palace, possessor of the Taiyin Sacred Body, and she needed to replenish her blood?

Yet she could not bring herself to say anything to refute it.

Because in that instant, she suddenly remembered a time long, long ago when her mother had also placed food in her bowl like this, telling her to eat more because she was too thin.

Later, her mother passed away.

Later, she entered Tianyue Palace.

After that, no one ever placed food in her bowl again.

“Yes, Senior.”

She replied softly, lowering her head to put the piece of chicken into her mouth.

Seeing her obedient look, Chen Ping suddenly smiled.

“You should stop calling me Senior.”

Yue Qingshuang looked up. “What should I call you, then?”

“Chen Ping is fine, or Peak Master Chen.” Chen Ping picked up his teacup and took a sip.

“We are probably around the same age.”

Yue Qingshuang was stunned.

Around the same age?

She carefully studied the young man before her.

His face was youthful, and he indeed looked to be only in his early twenties.

But his strength… how could he possibly be around her age?

“Yes, Peak Master Chen,” she obediently corrected herself.

Lin Xiaoyu watched the two of them from the side, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

“Sister, eat more. My cooking is really good, Master praises me every day.”

“Is that so?” Yue Qingshuang looked at her, the corners of her lips unconsciously curving upward.

“Mm-hmm!” Lin Xiaoyu nodded vigorously.

“Master says my cooking is even better than the chefs at the restaurants down the mountain!”

Chen Ping cleared his throat lightly. “When did I ever say that?”

“You say it every time you eat.” Lin Xiaoyu blinked.

“You always say, ‘Xiaoyu, your cooking is really impressive.’ Isn’t that praise?”

Chen Ping: “…”

Yue Qingshuang covered her mouth and chuckled.

With that smile, a hint of color finally returned to her pale face, and her entire being seemed to come alive.

Lin Xiaoyu stared for a moment, dazed.

“Sister, you are so beautiful.”

Yue Qingshuang was startled, then shook her head with a soft laugh.

“You are very cute too.”

Lin Xiaoyu rubbed her head sheepishly and lowered her head to shovel rice into her mouth.

*

The meal lasted for nearly an hour.

Yue Qingshuang did not know how much she had eaten.

She only remembered that with every bite of food, a warmth spread through her.

That warmth was not spiritual energy or pill essence, but something simpler and warmer.

After the meal, Lin Xiaoyu briskly cleared the dishes.

Yue Qingshuang wanted to help, but she was nudged aside to sit down.

“Sister, just sit. You are our guest.”

Yue Qingshuang had no choice but to let it go.

Sitting on the stone stool, she watched the setting sun slowly sink behind the distant mountains, watching the evening clouds streak the sky in brilliant colors.

Luoxia Peak.

It truly lived up to its name.

Chen Ping still lay in his rocking chair, fishing rod in hand, eyes closed as if asleep.

Yue Qingshuang watched him and suddenly spoke,

“Peak Master Chen.”

“Hmm?”

“Why… do you live in such a remote place?”

Chen Ping opened his eyes and glanced at her.

“What, do you think my Luoxia Peak is too shabby?”

“No, no,” Yue Qingshuang hastily shook her head.

“I was just… a little curious.”

Chen Ping smiled and closed his eyes again.

“Shabby has its perks. It is quiet, and no one bothers you.”

He paused, then added,

“Besides, I am lazy. Too lazy to deal with people. Being alone suits me just fine.”

Inwardly, Chen Ping was also a bit speechless. If his talent had not been so terrible and his master had not died early, would he really have stayed in this rundown place all this time?

Yue Qingshuang was silent for a moment, then said softly,

“Senior… no, Peak Master Chen. You are different from every cultivator I have ever met.”

“Oh? How so?”

“They are all chasing after becoming stronger, higher, and faster,” Yue Qingshuang said slowly.

“Fighting for resources, for techniques, and for opportunities. They do not dare to rest for a single moment, terrified of falling behind.”

She looked at Chen Ping, a trace of confusion in her eyes.

“But you… it is as if you do not fight for anything at all.”

Chen Ping opened his eyes and looked at her.

In this girl’s eyes, there was something very familiar.

It was the exhaustion of being forced to move forward.

It was the loneliness hidden beneath the halo of a proud daughter of heaven.