Crazy-Gossiping-c7

Chapter 7

Ning Xu finally realized that the gossip system knew exactly how to keep someone on edge.

It wasn’t completely out of energy.

Whenever there was gossip, it would always come out with a few words, then disappear, clearly just fishing for reactions.

After saying, “I… go…! So… exciting!” earlier, it didn’t say anything more. Was it going to overheat the system’s CPU if it spoke more? Was it going to burn its mouth if it spoke more? Was it going to shut down completely if it spoke more?

As Ning Xu pointed at the gossip system, a beautifully arranged platter of spirit beast dishes suddenly appeared in front of her.

She looked up slightly and saw a shy young man’s face. His bright eyes and slightly pursed lips held an expression of eager anticipation.

“Daoist friend, this platter is made from various low-level spirit beast meats. Would you like to try it?”

Without thinking, Ning Xu immediately replied, “Sure.”

To be fair, the platter was beautifully arranged. She had only seen carrots carved into roses before, but this was the first time she saw cooked meats carved into various fruit shapes.

She casually picked up a “grape” and popped it into her mouth.

She was shocked at how good it was.

The “grape” had a fresh, tender texture, and when bitten into, it even had a juicy filling!

The juice inside carried a slight grape fragrance, but it wasn’t overpowering. It only enhanced the spirit beast meat, making it taste fresh and not greasy.

In her mind, Ning Xu gave this dish a huge thumbs up.

“This food made by the food cultivator actually contains rich spiritual energy!”

“After eating, my spiritual energy recovered quite a bit.”

“This must be a hidden gem, it must be, right?”

Although she had just arrived here and inherited some of the original host’s memories, she knew that generally speaking, food cultivators’ dishes do carry some spiritual energy, but not much.

Even if the highest quality ingredients were used, the spiritual energy left after cooking would be minimal.

Food cultivation was quite a fringe profession. They couldn’t compare to alchemy cultivators, but their dishes still had some use as a substitute for elixirs.

Some cultivators with limited spirit stones, unable to afford high-grade pills, might purchase auxiliary dishes cooked by food cultivators.

But the food made by this Daoist friend could be said to have preserved almost all the spiritual energy of the original ingredients with little to no loss.

The gossip system responded in a lackluster tone: [Descendant of the Great Food God, do you think he’s a hidden gem?]

As soon as the gossip system said this, everyone present was slightly stunned. However, Ning Xu was so absorbed in the food that she didn’t notice.

Great Food God?

Anyone who could be called a Great Food God must have at least reached the early stage of the Great Ascension realm, and anyone beyond that had already ascended.

After hearing this, even the young man himself was stunned.

It was the first time he had heard that one of his ancestors had been a Great Food God.

This was something even his ancestors probably didn’t know. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have kept it hidden so well. If they had known, they would have surely made it widely known.

[Although more than a thousand years have passed, the bloodline has become quite thin, but there’s still a bit left.]

[This person does have some talent.]

Ning Xu picked up another “orange” and ate it while slowly speaking to the gossip system in her mind, “You’re right, I should definitely build a relationship with food cultivators.”

My future enjoyment of food might just depend on them. Not to mention, one of them is a descendant of the Great Food God. Who knows? This Daoist might grow into another Great Food God.

[Hmph.]

Although Ning Xu was enjoying the food, she didn’t forget about the gossip.

“You haven’t told me yet, what gossip were you talking about earlier?”

Now that there was spiritual energy, the gossip system no longer kept anything hidden.

[There’s a peak master at the Qi Peak of the Wenxin Sect. He’s tall and handsome and has great talent in the way of weapon forging.]

Ning Xu, still under the young man’s hopeful gaze, picked up a “honeydew melon” to eat. This “honeydew melon” was likely made from spirit chicken, juicy and flavorful, with a slight fruity fragrance. It was simply irresistible.

While eating, she asked, “And then?”

The important part can’t just be that the peak master is handsome, right?

Cultivators are never ugly.

[One hundred years ago, he led several teams of disciples into a secret realm. Half a month later, on the way back to the sect, something happened and he left suddenly. That was a hundred years ago, and since then, he’s had no news. Some sect members guessed that he had accidentally entered another secret realm, others thought he might have been trapped somewhere, and some even speculated that he had received some great inheritance.]

But no one worried about his safety.

Because his life lamp hadn’t dimmed; in fact, it had become brighter and brighter.

Ning Xu pondered, “So the sect didn’t send anyone to find him?”

[They did, for a few years. But seeing his life lamp grow brighter, the sect leader guessed that he must have received some great opportunity, so they didn’t take it seriously. They thought that once the time came, if the peak master had received a great opportunity, he would naturally return.]

At that point, where else could the peak master go?

Besides, if he had received a great opportunity, it must not have been too dangerous.

But was it really that simple?

If it were that simple, the gossip system wouldn’t have brought it up.

Not to mention it just said there was a big gossip.

Is this really big gossip?

No, this doesn’t even qualify as the skin of a melon.

Ning Xu speculated, “He probably didn’t accidentally enter a secret realm or get trapped somewhere, but something else must have happened, right?”

[Yes, and no.]

Ning Xu was running out of patience, so she pretended to be angry and said, “Hurry up and tell me!”

The gossip system immediately responded, [He really was trapped somewhere, but unlike what most cultivators think, he wasn’t trapped in a secret realm or a dangerous place. Instead, he was trapped in a female cultivator’s cave in the Hehuan Sect.]

Ning Xu:!!!

The food cultivators:!!!

They couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath. Was this something they could hear?

Hearing this, Ning Xu instinctively looked at the food cultivators.

The food cultivators instantly began acting.

“Ah, it smells so good, I can’t wait to try it.”

“Today’s performance is exceptional.”

“It’s so satisfying.”

Seeing the food cultivators busy with their own things, Ning Xu quickly shifted her gaze and continued to listen to the gossip.

“So, the peak master was directly kidnapped back then?”

[You guessed it!]

[That year, while returning to the sect, he received a message about the Wuying flower, which is the material for making soul-repairing pills.]

[His soul was damaged and needed urgent repair.]

[Once he received the news, regardless of whether it was true or not, he naturally had to go investigate.]

[But he didn’t expect that it was a false message sent by a female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect.]

[The goal was to capture him on the way!]

Ning Xu: “The word ‘capture’ is very apt…”

[For the past hundred years, he’s been stuck in this female cultivator’s cave. Ahem… He hasn’t left for even a moment. It’s not that he didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t…]

Ning Xu: “What? You mean, he’s actually been…”

[Yes. Exactly what you’re thinking.]

“So he hasn’t received any great opportunities, and he hasn’t been diligently cultivating. He’s just…”

[Yes, exactly!]

His life lamp was getting brighter because his cultivation was indeed skyrocketing.

But this skyrocketing wasn’t due to any great opportunity, nor was it from hard meditation. It was because of the special technique of the Hehuan Sect.

[The Hehuan Sect’s technique is actually pretty decent. It boosts both parties’ cultivation with minimal side effects.]

[But even if you find someone in the future, I wouldn’t recommend you cultivate this technique. In the long run, it’s not a good idea.]

Ning Xu: …

“Thanks for the reminder.”

The gossip system casually mentioned the technique, but since it already had its own Heavenly Rank technique for Ning Xu to use, other things were just… not worth mentioning.

[Why do I say it’s thrilling? Because this technique is really something else.]

[You have no idea, once someone fully masters this technique, it’s…]

Forget it, I won’t say more. It’s a waste of spiritual energy.

Ning Xu: “Alright.”

You sure know how to tease someone’s appetite.

[This year, the Hehuan Sect is holding a millennium celebration in the second half of the year. This female cultivator is a high-ranking member of the sect, and she’s been frequently going out recently to discuss celebration-related matters. She’s been so busy lately that she left a gap, and the peak master seized the opportunity to slip out.]

Ning Xu dryly said, “I see…”

She had many questions, but wasn’t sure where to start.

After a hundred years of close interaction, what kind of feelings did the peak master have for this female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect?

Hatred, admiration, or maybe both?

These were probably things only the peak master himself knew.

[By the way, he’s about to return to the sect. He should be arriving in about a minute or two.]

Ning Xu: “Huh?”

Are you switching topics too quickly?

—

Wu Chichun, the peak master of Qi Peak, had just returned to the sect and ran into the sect leader and several elders at the sect gate.

He was a bit overwhelmed by the attention.

How did they know he would return today?

Wu Chichun stepped forward and greeted the high-ranking members of the Wenxin Sect, “Daoist friends, long time no see.”

“Long time no see.”

Although cultivators have long lifespans, a hundred years wasn’t short.

After greeting, the sect leader stepped forward and patted his shoulder. “Come, it’s been years since you returned. We almost replaced the peak master position.”

Wu Chichun smiled and replied, “Thank you, Sect Leader, for leaving the position for me.”

They walked inside together.

Wu Chichun wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like his fellow disciples were secretly observing him. Their gazes seemed to carry hidden meanings.

It seemed like pity, or maybe envy.

He could understand the envy.

After all, over the past hundred years, he had advanced from the early stage of the Soul Transformation realm to the mid stage, and he was just one step away from the late stage.

His cultivation changes must have been immediately noticed.

But what was this pity all about?

Wu Chichun didn’t understand.

At that moment, one of his closest disciples secretly transmitted a message to him, “Brother, your secrets have been completely exposed…”

Wu Chichun: ???

Before he could understand what that meant, his disciple sent another message.

“You don’t need to feel embarrassed.”

“After all, the Sect Leader raised his greatest rival’s illegitimate child for eight hundred years.”

“The Sect Leader didn’t say anything, so it’s not a big deal for you either.”

Wu Chichun: Huh?

What exactly are you talking about?

He didn’t know whether to be shocked by the fact that “the Sect Leader raised his rival’s illegitimate child for eight hundred years,” or confused by the statement “your secrets have been exposed.”

So, what exactly happened in the Wenxin Sect during the hundred years he was away?