Chapter 100: Unwilling

“Then why didn’t you… put them in a storage bag and bring them back?” Did he really have to parade them through the streets like this? Bian Chunzhou couldn’t understand. Was this just how capricious the sixth rank on the Heaven’s Pride List could be?!

Zheng Jin wagged his index finger. “Where’s the fun in that? Besides, our Little Grand-Uncle Master suffered such a huge grievance. We only picked a few of their herbs. The Suitian Sword Sect isn’t as stingy as you think. Right, Senior Brother Lianshan?”

Zhi Lianshan coughed lightly. “It is fine. They are merely some spiritual plants used for cooking.”

Even the good-tempered Martial Uncle Lianshan thought so. Bian Chunzhou was quickly convinced, but added, “Then Martial Uncle Zheng, can you explain what is going on with all these extra people in the courtyard?”

If he remembered correctly, there weren’t this many mouths to feed in the courtyard just a moment ago! With so many people, it was a good thing he had brought plenty of hot pot soup base. Otherwise… he would have had to swing his spatula so fast it would spark.

Zheng Jin glanced at the people in the courtyard and coughed twice. “Hear me out, it’s like this…”

“Never mind. As long as you’re happy, Little Martial Uncle.”

Bian Chunzhou poked his head out to look. Good grief. Judging by the sleeve emblems, all of the Five Great Sects were gathered in this small courtyard. He even had a sense of déjà vu, as if he had opened a hot pot restaurant right inside the Suitian Sword Sect. It felt very much like… a Gongshang Bistro pop-up shop.

Wen Xu was in a very good mood today. After all, anyone would be happy to finally overcome a problem that had troubled them for so long. He helped Chunzhou prepare the hot pot ingredients. “If it’s too much trouble, I can go turn them away.”

Bian Chunzhou was ordering Chen Zui to chop vegetables while calling others over to clean up the spiritual vegetables on the ground. Hearing Wen Xuxu’s words, he immediately shook his head. “No need! The more the merrier. Besides, it’s good advertising for my Gongshang Bistro.”

Most importantly, he had brought plenty of hot pot soup base, so he didn’t need to fry it from scratch. Once the pots were set up, they could eat.

“Does this monk need to help?” Bushi was wearing simple Buddhist robes today, but they were still white, making him look as handsome as jade with an elegant aura. Having someone like him clean vegetables felt… like a slight pang to one’s conscience.

But before Bian Chunzhou could refuse, the man had already sidled up to sit next to Wen Xuxu. “To be able to clean them so well without being able to see… Benefactor Wen is truly amazing.”

…How to put it? His tone was no different from someone encouraging a child in kindergarten.

Wen Xu was also left speechless by this. He couldn’t help but look up slightly. “If you have nothing to say, you can keep your mouth shut.”

“That would be quite embarrassing. Let this monk help you. This vegetable… doesn’t look very presentable. May I throw it away?”

“…No.”

“What about this one? It’s so ugly. Who picked these vegetables?”

Zheng Jin had sharp ears. He poked his head over and admitted with a smile, “I picked them. Does this little martial nephew from the Kudu Temple have any guidance for me?”

As the saying goes, it takes a rogue to deal with a rogue. The two exchanged a look. Well, well, they had met their match.

“Amitabha. This monk has been impolite.”

“No matter, no matter. You’re Bushi, right? Where is your master, Siren? Why didn’t he come this time?” Zheng Jin was actually slightly younger than Siren. True Monarch Siren would be aging off the Heaven’s Pride List next year, whereas Zheng Jin could still stay on it for a long time. Furthermore, once Siren left the list, Zheng Jin would effortlessly rise into the top five of the Heaven’s Pride List without lifting a finger.

Any way he looked at it, he ought to thank the Kudu Temple for their selfless contribution.

Bushi choked at his words, thinking to himself that their Little Grand-Uncle Master was responsible for at least half of the reason his master hadn’t come. But could he say that out loud? Of course not. So he smiled faintly. “Amitabha. Master had originally planned to set out, but he had a sudden realization before departure, so he could only remain in the temple to meditate on the Buddhist teachings.”

“Really?”

Bushi smiled faintly, leaving the rest unsaid.

Oh well, there was no fun in making things difficult for a junior. Zheng Jin went back to mingle at the Nascent Soul table. With Zhi Lianshan there, no one would pick a fight with him anyway. Speaking of the Five Sects Conference, both he and Zhi Lianshan had come. In contrast, Kudu Temple’s fourth-ranked Siren and the Hehe Sect’s first-ranked Guan Xinglan were both absent. It was said that Guan Xinglan had wanted to apprentice under Divine Venerable Jun Zhaoying back then, but because she lacked a Wind Spiritual Root, she had to give up on the idea.

Still, though they lacked the formal title of master and disciple, they were both female cultivators, and Guan Xinglan had once followed Divine Venerable Jun Zhaoying to cultivate. A few years ago, she had bested all the male cultivators to claim the top spot on the Heaven’s Pride List.

He had thought Guan Xinglan would come to see what this Little Grand-Uncle Master Wen Xu looked like.

“Are you talking about Senior Sister Guan? She’s been in secluded cultivation for a long time now.”

“Is she going to break through again?” So she didn’t even know. No wonder.

“Junior Brother Zheng, don’t talk nonsense. Watch out, or Senior Sister Guan might come after you with her blade once she leaves seclusion.”

He wasn’t afraid. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been chased and slashed at before. In fact, Zheng Jin dared to say that there wasn’t a single person at this table who hadn’t been “cared for” by Guan Xinglan’s great blade. Even Zhi Lianshan had been chased and slashed at a couple of times.

The steaming hot pot was soon served. The Nascent Soul cultivators had one table, the Qi Refining disciples had another, and the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment competitors sat at a large table. Bushi, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator who wasn’t competing, squeezed his way onto the Qi Refining table with complete confidence.

“You won’t turn this monk away, right?”

Bushi was actually rather asking for a beating, but he was simply too good-looking for anyone to refuse his smiling face. He happily sat down to Wen Xu’s left, even considerately helping to cook the food in the pot.

“You can eat spiritual beast meat?”

Bushi looked puzzled. “Why not? There is a difference between practicing Buddhism and being in a Buddhist sect. Besides, Kudu Temple even takes lives. Are you going to say we’ve broken the precept against killing too?”

Wen Xu was noncommittal; he didn’t know much about Buddhist cultivators to begin with. “I see. Also, don’t put your overcooked, mushy vegetable leaves onto my plate.”

“…Did this monk really overcook them?”

“Are you blind too?”

Bushi hesitated for a moment. “Amitabha. To tell you the truth, this is the first time this monk has eaten such a novel dish.”

“Speak plainly.”

“I only ever consumed Fasting Pills in the past.”

Wen Xu was somewhat surprised. “Kudu Temple is a major sect, after all. Do you not even have spiritual food?”

Bushi sighed, his expression turning sorrowful. “Benefactor Wen, why do you think Kudu Temple is named Kudu, which means bitter crossing^[1]?”

Wen Xu raised a hand. “Sorry, I’m not particularly interested.”

“What are you two chatting about? Eat up! I went to a lot of trouble to snag these spiritual vermilion fruit meatballs. They’re incredibly delicious, worthy of being third-grade spiritual fruits! So fresh and tender, they’re definitely worth the price!” Bian Chunzhou used the serving spoon to sneak two of them over to his friend. “Don’t share any with him. Monks can’t eat meat!”

Bushi immediately rolled up his sleeves to fend for himself, and soon… a perfectly good hotpot meal was turned into a battlefield of spells. Chen Zui hadn’t originally thought eating hotpot would be particularly fun, but now he thought it was great.

It really did bring joy.

“Junior Brother Bian, can we eat hotpot like this every day from now on?”

Bian Chunzhou spat back a single word: “Pah!” Don’t even think about it! The pop-up shop is closing today!

Chen Zui: …If it’s a no, it’s a no. Why the attitude?

Because the hotpot battle was too intense, and a certain monk named Bushi was wearing white robes, the people sitting next to Wen Xu had already changed twice. Currently sitting beside him was a Qi Refining disciple of the Suitian Sword Sect.

Everyone in the Suitian Sword Sect practiced the sword, so naturally, their conversation started with swords.

Wen Xu had only intended to make casual small talk, but as they chatted, he began to feel that something was off. Why did this person keep steering the conversation toward his master?

“Of course my master is wonderful. Although Guochun Peak is a land of ice and snow, on my very first day, Master bestowed upon me a cave dwelling that is impervious to heat and cold. Not only that…” The next ten thousand words of praise were omitted.

The disciple felt incredibly sour listening to this. “That sounds rather different from the rumors.”

“Rumors are just things fabricated by the public, they can’t be taken seriously,” Wen Xu said sincerely. “My master has an excellent temperament and treats me wonderfully.”

The Suitian disciple’s teeth were practically set on edge, because he realized the other youth was being entirely sincere when he said this.

“I see, I see,” he muttered, his teeth grinding.

Wen Xu hadn’t been entirely sure before, but now he was certain. This person… must be an old acquaintance of his master. He couldn’t help but feel a little curious now. What kind of outrageous, infuriating things had his master done in the past to end up with “old friends” all over the world?

The change in a Qi Refining disciple’s aura naturally could not escape the eyes of a Divine Venerable. Divine Venerable Wushan had thought his disguise was flawless this time, but he hadn’t expected… to be seen through anyway. How was this kid so sharp? If he had known, he would have just gone straight into secluded cultivation.

He was already tired of the word jealousy.

“Did you do that on purpose? Kid, you’ve got a lot of nerve. Is this how Chengwei taught you?”

Wen Xu realized he could no longer hear the chatter of the people around him. “Replying to the Divine Venerable, every word I spoke came from the bottom of my heart. There was not a single lie.”

Divine Venerable Wushan’s expression instantly slipped. “You really think so?”

Wen Xu was indeed being sincere. Although his master’s temperament was a bit too easygoing, his guidance was truly heartfelt. That illusion array diagram of the Mortal Realm he had drawn wasn’t actually worth much, yet his master had carefully hung it in the most prominent spot of the Guochun Great Hall. Anyone who entered would see it the moment they looked up.

This only made Divine Venerable Wushan feel worse. “When you came to the Suitian Sword Sect, did your master say anything to you?”

Wen Xu fell silent for a moment. “Master said that if I can’t beat someone, I am permitted to speak ill of him.”

Divine Venerable Wushan: …Classic. That was exactly the kind of thing Chengwei would say! He really was leading his disciple astray! What a promising young talent, yet so blind.

Oh, right, he actually was blind. The anger in Divine Venerable Wushan’s heart instantly vanished. Why was he giving a kid a hard time? “Then say one bad thing about him, and this Venerable will give you a grand gift. How about it?”

Wen Xu was also very straightforward. “I decline.”

“So blunt? Aren’t you even going to hear what this Venerable’s grand gift is?”

Wen Xu shook his head. “It is my duty as a disciple.”

How very dutiful. Divine Venerable Wushan was so irritated that he vanished on the spot, but he still left behind the gift he had intended to give. After all, he and Chengwei were friends of a sort. When a friend’s disciple came to visit, a meeting gift^[2] was only proper. He wouldn’t have anyone calling him stingy.

Hmph, he wasn’t like that dragon Chengwei, who had absolutely no dignity or decorum as a senior powerhouse.