Culinary Cultivator (Part 3)

Everyone was stunned.

Hadn’t Great Senior Brother Shi already entered fasting?

The Culinary Cultivators seemed to sense the heavy pressure radiating from Shi Yuzhen and dared not answer the question lightly.

For a moment, an eerie silence fell over the room.

Master Wang hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly broke the silence with a cough. “Little Shi, is what you said… really true? Then…”

Shi Yuzhen’s body remained turned toward the direction Xu Ya had run off to, clearly uninterested in Master Wang’s question.

Given Shi Yuzhen’s strength, he certainly had the right to throw his weight around among the Culinary Cultivators. Master Wang could only keep coughing to remind him.

“You’ve been running Junior Sister ragged,” Shi Yuzhen said flatly, “That’s why she’s always so late delivering food to me. As for the mole among your Culinary Cultivators, handle it yourselves. But stop blaming the innocent.”

With that, Shi Yuzhen turned to leave.

Zhang Xin couldn’t hold it in any longer and blurted out, “But—!”

Shi Yuzhen instantly turned his head.

Before Zhang Xin could finish, he suddenly felt a powerful gust of wind rush into his sleeve. In the blink of an eye, several hidden pouches he had concealed were shaken loose.

Everyone watched as equipment clattered to the ground from their Great Senior Brother’s robes.

Upon closer inspection, they realized it was the precious ingredients that had gone missing in recent days.

Zhang Xin froze in place, his face shifting from red to blue to green. The ingredients were falling too quickly—he had no way to recover them.

Master Wang stared in disbelief, mouth agape as he turned to look at his first disciple. But by then, Shi Yuzhen had already flown off on his sword.

Moments later, Master Wang erupted in fury. His face flushed a deep, greasy red as he roared like a collapsing mountain, “You wretched disciple! What do you have to say for yourself?!”

Zhang Xin’s expression shifted wildly, and his legs buckled beneath him as he dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.

He trembled uncontrollably, terrified. One misstep had cost him everything. He had planned to frame that useless Xu Ya for his own theft and black-market dealings while she was still in the sect. Who would’ve thought…

Tears streamed down his face as he crawled forward on his knees under the pressure of Master Wang’s spiritual energy, clutching his master’s leg and begging for mercy.

Master Wang’s head throbbed with rage. He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again, seething with hatred.

Xu Ya, meanwhile, had fled who knows where. The Culinary Cultivator sect was located close to the mortal world, and at this moment, she was desperate to escape Yunmeng Immortal Marsh.

Maybe I should just run away, Xu Ya thought.

Her petite frame had already climbed halfway up the outer railing. Thanks to the enhancement from the immortal fried chicken, her body was no longer so frail, and her stamina had greatly improved. But it had been a long time since she last climbed a wall, and she was a bit rusty.

Xu Ya had always been like a little mud monkey since childhood. With no parents to discipline her, she grew up in an orphanage, constantly getting into trouble. She quickly became the ringleader of the snot-nosed kids there, leading them in daily chaos that gave the director and teachers endless headaches.

Tears streamed down her face, but her hands gripped tighter around the creeping vines rooted in the rocky cliff. Before long, she had nearly reached the top, blending so well into the wall that no one would have guessed she was there.

The system kept issuing warnings in her mind, but Xu Ya ignored them and continued climbing.

Back at the scene, a handsome man in white robes stood lightly atop a pitch-black longsword, hands behind his back, watching Xu Ya struggle up the cliff.

High-level cultivators typically had excellent eyesight. The man could see the tear tracks still glistening on Xu Ya’s cheeks and hesitated, unsure whether to intervene.

Xu Ya’s stamina was nearly depleted, and the system’s constant chatter in her head was making it worse. She felt like she wouldn’t be able to reach the next handhold. Gritting her teeth, she reached for the thickest branch near the top.

What she didn’t expect was that the moment she grabbed the root, it gave way. Her body dropped half a meter along with it.

Branches and rock scraped her all over, drawing blood from her face, but she didn’t care. She immediately grabbed another branch nearby. A whole patch of vines couldn’t bear her weight and tore downward with a ripping sound.

Xu Ya panicked. A flash of cold light behind her—and then she was caught in a warm embrace. The next second, she was lifted to the summit above.

From here, she could descend and leave Yunmeng Immortal Marsh for good.

Shi Yuzhen had seen the girl about to fall and, without realizing it, had panicked. He sped forward on his sword and caught her just in time.

After bringing her to the summit, he sensed that she was about to break free and run down the mountain. Without thinking, he cast a spell to immobilize her.

Xu Ya couldn’t move, but tears still streamed down her cheeks.

Then she heard Shi Yuzhen speak behind her. “Tell me, Junior Sister. Why do you always bring me food? I’m really curious.”

Only her mouth could move, and she was filled with grievance. “I… I ▇▇▇▇…”

The words slipped out, and the system immediately issued a censorship warning. Xu Ya was sure the system was doing this on purpose.

What she didn’t know was that the system’s sneakiness went far beyond that.

From Shi Yuzhen’s perspective, he saw Xu Ya’s tear-streaked eyes and heard her say, back turned to him, “I… I like you…”

?

Shi Yuzhen froze.

As one of the most promising and capable cultivators in Yunmeng Immortal Marsh, he was no stranger to confessions. They came so frequently he’d lost count.

But hearing it from Xu Ya felt… off.

He had considered many reasons for her actions, but never this one. He understood now—this girl had a lot on her mind and still wasn’t telling him the truth.

His thoughts deepened, his gaze darkening.

Meanwhile, Xu Ya was locked in a mental battle with the system.

If the system had a physical form, it would be on its knees, sobbing and begging her to stop. Its mechanical voice was nearly shrieking:

【Host, please calm down ahhhhhh!!】

【Do not attempt to leave Yunmeng Immortal Marsh of your own accord!! It will cause story collapse!! The consequences are unimaginable!!】

Once Shi Yuzhen immobilized Xu Ya, the system seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and wholeheartedly approved of the male lead’s actions.

【Host, you really should think this through. What good will quitting now do? If you get too far from the male lead, you’ll never be able to go home. After all the bullying you’ve endured, are you really willing to give up now?】

“I was bullied because you malfunctioned and didn’t protect me like you were supposed to!”

【Okay okay, I admit it! I was wrong! I only pushed you so hard because you were falling behind on your mission progress. Let’s both take a step back, okay?】

Xu Ya trembled with rage.

“What step back have you taken?!”

The system vowed:

【I won’t force you to do missions anymore, I swear 555】

Shi Yuzhen had no idea what was going on. All he saw was Xu Ya trembling, her chubby cheeks squished to the side, looking like she was shy.

For some reason, he found himself once again reluctantly believing her words.

Realizing he hadn’t released her yet, he cast a spell to lift the immobilization.

Afraid she might try to run again, he reached out and grabbed the hem of her robe.

Xu Ya was free. She turned around and calmly brushed off his grip.

Her large, wet eyes blinked up at Shi Yuzhen. Her long lashes framed her pupils, revealing no extra emotion. And unlike others, she showed not a trace of shyness in front of him.

“Senior Brother Shi, I don’t mean anything else. I just wanted you to try the fried chicken I made myself,” Xu Ya explained seriously. “Let’s go.”

Shi Yuzhen paused slightly, then followed her steps.

Seeing that Shi Yuzhen didn’t say a word and simply followed her, Xu Ya’s cheeks puffed up again in quiet frustration.

In the end, it was all because she had ended up in this damn novel, forced to serve the male lead’s cultivation needs to help him level up. That’s why she’d been falsely accused of stealing from the Culinary Cultivator canteen. The more Xu Ya thought about it, the more wronged she felt, and her impression of Shi Yuzhen, the male lead, grew even worse.

The system wailed and fussed in her mind, finally calming Xu Ya down. It was right—at this stage, there was no other way. Only by helping the male lead ascend could she return home.

Xu Ya had lived in the cultivation world for decades, rarely interacting with men. Now, after being slandered by strangers in a foreign land, she felt even less of a connection to this place. Her steps quickened with a restless energy.

Shi Yuzhen followed steadily behind, watching her every move. The corners of his lips lifted slightly, and then, without warning, he pulled Xu Ya into his arms and soared into the sky on his sword.

Startled, Xu Ya nearly lost her footing on the pitch-black sword.

The Ink Sword shot through the night sky. Before long, Xu Ya realized where Shi Yuzhen was taking her.

The Culinary Cultivator sect was now lit up, but the atmosphere was tense and strange.

It looked much the same as when Xu Ya had left, but she could sense something was off.

In the main hall, a single chair had been placed neatly at the center. Sitting on it was Master Wang, his expression dark and stormy.

On the floor knelt a group of cultivators, their bodies bloodied and bruised from beatings with mundane tools.

At the front, Zhang Xin lay sprawled in disgrace. His hair was no longer neat, and the moment he saw Shi Yuzhen and Xu Ya arrive, his face twisted in panic and he averted his gaze.

Master Wang was furious. If it had truly been Xu Ya who committed such a disgraceful act, then expelling her would have sufficed, and he could have simply informed Master Xu.

But now, the scandal within the sect had been exposed thanks to an outsider—Shi Yuzhen. And Shi Yuzhen was no ordinary person.

By tomorrow, the entire Ze Region would likely know of this. If Master Wang didn’t deal with it harshly, people would start talking. The Culinary Cultivators were already barely holding on in the immortal realm.

If this wasn’t handled properly, the sect could be doomed.

Every time Master Wang thought of this, a chill ran down his spine. He lashed out even more harshly at Zhang Xin, scolding him for his foolishness.

Spiritual energy surged through the riding whip. As it cracked through the air, it raised a cloud of dust before landing viciously on Zhang Xin’s back.

Zhang Xin, a man of five feet tall, screamed and writhed under the blow.

Xu Ya froze at the sight, not daring to take another step forward. Instead, she shrank behind Shi Yuzhen.

After she’d fled in humiliation, she hadn’t known what happened next. Now that she was back, seeing Master Wang’s prized disciple kneeling and being punished—what on earth had happened?

Shi Yuzhen didn’t seem surprised at all. He said calmly, “I’ve brought Junior Sister back. Master Wang, if there’s something to say, let’s be open about it.”

Master Wang’s expression darkened further. The veins on his forehead bulged, his face half-hidden in the shadows of the night. He cleared his throat and beckoned Xu Ya over.

Shi Yuzhen stepped aside slightly, signaling her to go.

Xu Ya hesitated for a moment, but still followed the instruction and walked toward Master Wang.

Seeing her obedient response, Master Wang’s expression eased slightly. He forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“I’ve gotten to the bottom of the canteen theft case, thanks to the help of little disciple Shi. It turns out that the culprit was the treacherous Zhang Xin, who used slick words and flattery to frame you. I ask for your forgiveness, Little Disciple Xu.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Ya instinctively turned to glance at the tall figure standing not far behind her.