Crazy-Gossiping-C27

Chapter 27

Ning Xu said, “It probably won’t be easy to find hidden treasures.”

The Melon-Eating System agreed, 【It won’t be easy. Most of the items sold in the Wenxin Sect’s black market are junk. Either there are no treasures at all, or just one or two decent items—definitely not many. Anyway, we’ll go check it out when the time comes, but there’s a high chance we’ll come back empty-handed.】

Ning Xu: “…”

There was something she had wanted to say for a long time, and now she finally voiced it.

“Fortunately, no one but me can hear what you’re saying.”

“Otherwise, you’d easily get beaten up.”

—The eavesdropping crowd: …

While it was true that most resources sold in the Wenxin Sect’s black market were ordinary, calling them “junk” was a bit much. At least for low-level cultivators, those resources were still quite useful.

Hearing Ning Xu’s comment, the Melon-Eating System narcissistically replied, 【Who would bear to hit me? They’d treat me like a treasure instead!】

Ning Xu: “…”

Besides being sharp-tongued and short-tempered, Ning Xu discovered another trait of the Melon-Eating System—it was vain.

While chatting with the Melon-Eating System, Ning Xu returned to her wooden hut. In the corner of the hut lay Brother Pig.

These past few days, Brother Pig had eaten and rested well, and its body had visibly plumped up. Ning Xu leaned down to touch its round body, only to find that it was all solid muscle.

No matter how she looked at it, Brother Pig didn’t have the demeanor of a ninth-tier spirit beast. It just seemed like a lazy, gluttonous pig. Even when Ning Xu, its owner, touched it, it couldn’t be bothered to move.

But since it was already her life-bound spirit beast, what else could Ning Xu do? She could only take good care of it.

Feeling the firm meat on Brother Pig, Ning Xu suddenly craved some dishes. “I feel like eating braised pork, Dongpo pork, and corn rib soup…”

The Melon-Eating System chimed in, 【Let the Innocent Cultivator arrange it for you!】

Ning Xu glanced at the sky—it was already dark. She said, “It’s too late today. Maybe next time.”

The Melon-Eating System didn’t seem to care, 【He’s probably not meditating or cultivating right now anyway. If you go find him, he’ll be thrilled.】

Ignoring its comment, Ning Xu began drawing talismans.

She still had plenty of materials exchanged from the Chores Hall, enough to draw a good number of talismans.

The black market would open in three days. Before that, she needed to prepare more Exploding Talismans to earn as many spirit stones as possible.

The Next Morning

Early the next day, Ning Xu hadn’t been at the plaza for long before receiving a meal from the Innocent Cultivator.

Whether by coincidence or not, today’s meal included a bowl of lean pork porridge and a bowl of corn rib soup—exactly what she had been craving the night before.

The Melon-Eating System clicked its tongue in response.

Ning Xu didn’t overthink it. Sometimes things just worked out like that. She enjoyed her breakfast contentedly.

Not long after finishing, her foodie friends from the culinary cultivation path enthusiastically surrounded her.

They chattered excitedly, “Fellow Daoist, our Senior Brother from Wangen Peak has returned from his training. We’re planning to hold a welcoming banquet for him later. You should come too!”

Wangen Peak was where the culinary cultivators gathered. Since their numbers were relatively small, most of her foodie friends had already successfully joined a master.

Most of them had become disciples under the same teacher—the Innocent Cultivator’s master, who accepted any willing disciple. As a result, most culinary cultivators present were now the Innocent Cultivator’s junior brothers and sisters.

No matter which peak it was, the senior brother or sister was always a special figure.

The return of Wangen Peak’s senior brother was clearly a celebratory event, explaining why the culinary cultivators were so eager to hold a banquet.

The invitations continued enthusiastically.

“Fellow Daoist, our Senior Brother will showcase his skills, and we’ll each prepare a signature dish!”

“Tonight’s feast will be amazing!”

“Whether you like sweet, sour, or spicy food, you’ll find it all at the banquet!”

At that moment, the Innocent Cultivator spoke up. “We’ll be expecting you tonight.”

Faced with such enthusiasm, Ning Xu happily agreed, “Sure!”

Although she didn’t know Wangen Peak’s senior brother, she wasn’t about to turn down an invitation from her foodie friends. Of course, she’d join the banquet!

After inviting her, Elder Wu Chichun arrived, and the culinary cultivators quickly returned to their spots as morning lessons began.

Meanwhile

While Ning Xu attended morning lessons, the Sect Leader was holding an important meeting with his trusted aides.

The topic? Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System.

The Sect Leader wore a stern expression as he slowly shared his thoughts.

“I believe all sect disciples must swear a Heart Demon Oath to ensure they don’t reveal Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System’s existence.”

Everyone present immediately supported the idea.

If news about Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System spread outside, it would bring disaster upon the Wenxin Sect. Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System were a single entity—priceless treasures that others would covet.

Until they were strong enough to protect these treasures, they had to keep them hidden.

With time, if they could safeguard Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System, the sect would eventually rise to prominence.

One elder added, “We can manage the disciples easily enough, but what about excursions and secret realm trials?”

“Exactly.”

The Sect Leader looked troubled. “The Tianya Secret Realm will be opening soon.”

“It only opens once every 50 years, and even Qi Refining disciples often gain something valuable there.”

“We can’t just prevent Ning Xu from participating, can we?”

“It might be okay to stop her once, but we can’t keep doing it forever.”

If they restricted her too often, Ning Xu was bound to notice something was wrong.

The elders fell silent, all looking equally worried.

Just then, the Sect Leader hesitated before saying, “I have an item that can block divine sense within a two-meter radius. Within this area, all divine sense will be cut off.”

“But whether it can block Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System’s mental connection still needs to be tested.”

Hearing this, the elders’ tense expressions eased, and one quickly urged, “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s test it right away!”

The Sect Leader agreed to the proposal. After agreeing, he raised another question.

“We definitely can’t directly hand this divine artifact to Ning Xu herself.”

“Then who would be the most suitable person to give it to?”

Who would be suitable?

Upon hearing this question, the elders present all had the same name come to mind—

Innocent Cultivator.

So far, he was the most familiar with Ning Xu. Given this, the arduous task was handed to him!

As for the timing of the test, tonight’s welcoming banquet seemed perfect!

At the end of the Shen hour(3pm-5pm), Ning Xu left her small grass hut and headed to the Wan Geng Peak for the banquet on time.

Upon arriving at Wan Geng Peak, she noticed that quite a few disciples had come to the banquet, including many outer peak disciples like her.

Ning Xu remarked to the Melon-Eating System, “It looks like tonight will be lively.”

The Melon-Eating System replied disinterestedly, 【Is that so.】

Is that so?

Ning Xu was about to ask if the Melon-Eating System wasn’t interested in the banquet, but just then, some of her friends from the food cultivation group spotted her arrival and came forward to greet her.

“Daoist friend, you’re here! Welcome to our Wan Geng Peak!”

“Come quickly! The banquet will start in just over half an hour!”

“Daoist friend, have you met our senior brother yet? We’ll take you to see him!”

Ning Xu responded, “Alright!”

Soon, Ning Xu met the so-called senior brother.

This senior brother’s appearance wasn’t particularly outstanding, but he looked reliable and steady. He seemed to be in his early twenties, though his actual age was surely much older.

The senior brother greeted her warmly, “A junior sister from the South-North Peak?”

Ning Xu replied politely, “That’s me.”

“I’ve heard the junior brothers and sisters mention you often. It’s good to finally meet you in person.”

Ning Xu smiled confidently and cupped her hands in greeting. “Hello, Senior Brother.”

The senior brother returned the greeting with a gentle manner. “Hello, Junior Sister.”

At that moment, one of the food cultivation disciples introduced him enthusiastically, “Our senior brother is incredibly diligent in cultivation. He goes down the mountain for training every few days.”

Hearing this, another disciple quickly added, “Yes! Senior Brother is a role model for us all. As disciples of Wan Geng Peak, we should follow his example.”

The senior brother maintained a humble smile.

Amidst the compliments, an indifferent electronic voice suddenly interrupted—

【Follow his example? Example of what?】

【Example of wasting time and indulging in pleasures?】

【Example of slacking off for over six months without proper cultivation?】

【Example of being so physically weak that even nourishing soups don’t work on him?】

As the sarcastic comments poured in, the disciples’ smiles froze.

What?

Was the Melon-Eating System talking about their senior brother?

How was this completely different from what they saw?

Fortunately, after many similar incidents, they had toughened up and quickly regained their composure.

However, the senior brother at the center of this turmoil momentarily lost control of his expression.

For a brief second, his face revealed shock and disbelief. But having spent years in the cultivation world, he quickly smoothed over his expression with practiced composure.

He secretly tried to locate the source of the voice, but to no avail.

What had happened in the sect during his three-month absence?

The voice seemed to know him extremely well, yet the surrounding disciples appeared unfazed.

Could it be that he was the only one who heard this voice?

Ning Xu remained oblivious to the subtle changes in the disciples and the senior brother. She also didn’t realize the senior brother’s mind was in turmoil.

She was solely focused on the Melon-Eating System’s latest revelations.

Her eyes lit up as she asked, “What do you mean? So this supposedly diligent senior brother is actually a pervert and a slacker?”

The Melon-Eating System grumbled, 【Exactly. It’s such a pity for him to be in the Wenxin Sect.】

【With his personality, he could easily stand out even among the Hehuan Sect disciples.】

The crowd: !!!

What did they just hear?!

Their senior brother was worse than Hehuan Sect disciples?!

The Melon-Eating System continued, 【Seriously, I sincerely recommend he switch sects.】

【In the Wenxin Sect, he can’t fully utilize his talents and has to keep making excuses about going down the mountain to train. Who trains that often?】

【If he joined the Hehuan Sect, he wouldn’t have to worry about this at all. Everyone’s the same there—no one would judge him! Don’t you agree?】

Ning Xu nodded seriously, “Who would’ve thought that someone with such an honest appearance plays so wild in private?”

After saying this, she pretended to casually study the senior brother’s face.

Previously, she had only thought he looked reliable, but upon closer inspection, she noticed his pale complexion and slightly dark circles under his eyes—signs of someone who lived a rather exhausting life.

The Melon-Eating System added, 【Every time he comes back, he hints to the juniors to prepare a welcoming banquet for him.】

【The banquet is just a cover—he’s really here to replenish himself.】

【After all, some premium ingredients can’t be obtained with his own skills. He can only use the banquet as an excuse to get them from the kitchen hall.】

【But he’s already so weak that even supplements are wasted on him.】

Senior Brother: !!!

The crowd: !!!