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Xu Ya was not like the other NPCs who found Shi Yuzhen’s smile soothing or enchanting.

And that wasn’t just sarcasm—the author literally wrote it that way.

In the novel, the male lead’s only hardship was in cultivation. When it came to emotional matters, he was treated with such favor it could make anyone’s jaw drop.

But Xu Ya suspected this male lead was the type who looked gentle on the outside but was dark inside. Otherwise, how could he ask such a question in front of everyone? Did he not understand that in Yunmeng Immortal Marsh, strength reigned supreme and the weak were nothing but prey? In a place with such a rigid hierarchy, there was no room for useless people to speak freely.

So, stumbling over her words, Xu Ya began to explain to Shi Yuzhen, “This is a type of fried chicken I developed using immortal techniques. For those without cultivation, it fills the belly and strengthens the body. For low-level cultivators, it aids in channeling qi and improving cultivation. For high-level cultivators, it clears blockages and enhances internal flow.”

Xu Ya knew how absurd that sounded. Who would believe that an ordinary piece of fried chicken could have such miraculous effects?

To make matters worse, the system in her mind instantly turned into a sycophant the moment it encountered Shi Yuzhen, urging her nonstop to respond.

Left with no choice, Xu Ya could only dryly introduce her golden finger.

Sure enough, someone raised a challenge. A female cultivator dressed in plain robes similar to Shi Yuzhen’s stepped forward. Xu Ya recognized her as Rong Aoqing, a fellow sword cultivator and Shi Yuzhen’s senior. With arched snow-white brows and a red mark between her brows, she usually gave off a gentle aura, but now she was the first to question Xu Ya’s claim. “Culinary Cultivators are known to have high standards for themselves. As the saying goes, ‘You can’t forge iron without strong hands.’ The higher the quality of the ingredients, the more demanding it is on the cultivator’s own abilities. As far as I know, Junior Sister Xu, you don’t have any cultivation at all, do you?”

Xu Ya silently gave her a thumbs-up in her heart. She really hit the nail on the head.

Who would believe something so outrageous? How was she supposed to explain this now?

Another female cultivator standing behind Rong Aoqing chimed in, “Exactly. You have no cultivation. All that talk about improving one’s cultivation sounds like empty boasting. Who knows if your so-called fried chicken even works? Who would believe it?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

At that moment, it was intermission, and since Shi Yuzhen was present, more and more people began to gather.

To be honest, Xu Ya had no idea how to respond.

Just as she was at a complete loss, Master Xu descended from the tall seat at the center of Yuxian Platform and landed precisely in front of Xu Ya’s stall.

“Not so,” Master Xu said with a gentle smile. He was about to walk over to Xu Ya when Shi Yuzhen subtly stepped in to block his path. Master Xu didn’t press forward and instead turned his back to the crowd. “Xiao Ya’s fried chicken does indeed have these effects. Perhaps it was the will of the heavens that she was saved by my little disciple. The creature that attacked her that day was about this size. As the ancients say, ‘The workings of fate must not be revealed.’ Perhaps the fried chicken she cooked gained these effects by the hand of destiny.”

With two tall figures shielding her and the question being effortlessly resolved by Master Xu, Xu Ya let out a silent sigh of relief.

The system had already generated a set of explanations in her mind, all dripping with subjective admiration for the male lead. Xu Ya had rejected them at least eight hundred times. She had never seen such cringe-worthy lines and chose to keep her mouth shut. Master Xu’s intervention was a massive help.

Xu Ya had never been good at hiding her emotions—otherwise, she wouldn’t have exposed herself during her “heartfelt” confession to Shi Yuzhen without even realizing it.

Now, thanks to Master Xu’s actions, her eyes lit up involuntarily.

From Shi Yuzhen’s perspective, the girl’s eyes sparkled like clear skies and drifting white clouds. A faint, unfamiliar emotion stirred in his heart.

Master Wang also rose from his seat, took a few steps through the air, and landed beside Master Xu.

The recent scandal involving the Culinary Cultivator sect was closely tied to Xu Ya. Seeing Master Xu join the discussion, Master Wang couldn’t sit still any longer.

He exchanged a few polite words with Master Xu, then began showering Xu Ya’s fried chicken with praise. His enthusiasm was so over-the-top it was as if he were praising himself for raising such a talented disciple.

This only made the crowd exchange bewildered glances.

Three high-ranking figures were now speaking up for the girl everyone in the marsh considered a useless waste. Rong Aoqing remained expressionless, but the female cultivator who had echoed her earlier looked visibly embarrassed. Still, with three powerful figures outranking her, she couldn’t voice any more doubts unless someone else took the lead.

Frustrated, the female cultivator shot a glare at the box of fried chicken on the table, then stormed off in a huff.

Rong Aoqing, on the other hand, remained composed and said graciously, “If that’s the case, then this must truly be Junior Sister Xu’s unique opportunity. May I try a portion?”

Xu Ya agreed.

Rong Aoqing picked up a food box with one hand, then reached out with a slender, jade-like hand hidden in her sleeve and tore off a piece of chicken, slowly feeding it into her mouth.

She had long since entered a fasting state and no longer needed to eat, but the moment the food touched her throat, a warm current spread from her throat to her dantian.

Rong Aoqing froze. The food really was as effective as Master Xu and the others had claimed.

Under everyone’s gaze, she formed a hand seal and began regulating her breathing and channeling her qi.

A moment later, a sharp gust of wind burst outward from her body.

The crowd’s expressions shifted.

This was clearly a sign of cultivation advancement, and the effect had kicked in almost instantly. Could it be that Xu Ya’s fried chicken really had such power?

Rong Aoqing wasn’t the type to put on a show for the sake of a so-called “waste.”

Several cultivators standing close to the table reached out, and with a flick of their fingers, half-pieces of fried chicken flew into their hands. They followed Rong Aoqing’s example, eating and then channeling their qi. Sure enough, their reactions mirrored hers—there were clear signs of cultivation improvement.

In no time, all the food boxes on the table had been snatched up.

Only now did everyone truly believe that Xu Ya’s fried chicken could indeed enhance cultivation, just as she claimed.

But the cultivators who arrived later, having only heard of the miraculous effects, were filled with regret for hesitating earlier and missing out.

“Junior Sister, do you have any more of that fried chicken?” one cultivator asked, summoning his courage.

Xu Ya did have some left in her storage pouch, but the system had strictly ordered her to reserve those for Shi Yuzhen.

Once one person asked, more and more cultivators began inquiring if she had any left. Xu Ya was at a loss.

Just as she was hesitating—

A thick, dark green smoke rose in the distance. It was the emergency distress signal used by cultivators of Yunmeng Immortal Marsh when out training in the wilderness.

The frenzy over fried chicken eased slightly as the sect masters quickly gathered to discuss countermeasures.

Every time a group of cultivators left the marsh for training, they were given life-saving talismans and emergency smoke signals to protect them in case of danger.

There were several types of distress signals used in Yunmeng Immortal Marsh. In emergencies, a colorless, odorless smoke would automatically be released, and within moments it would shift into a color visible only to cultivators of the marsh.

The color of the smoke indicated the type of danger. Blue signified a sudden beast attack or an overwhelming siege by demons. Green meant they had fallen into a formation they couldn’t escape. Red indicated life-threatening danger or casualties.

Each color represented a different level of urgency.

Even so, in the past, when such incidents occurred, the marsh would dispatch elite volunteers to provide aid. But it was rare for such emergencies to happen during the sect’s grand competition. Who would be willing to volunteer now?

After all, the sect competition was the once-a-year event that updated the rankings. Missing it meant no changes to one’s standing.

The sect masters all looked troubled.

At that moment, Shi Yuzhen withdrew his gaze from the distant sky and bowed slightly. “I am willing to go.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, before anyone could respond, the system in Xu Ya’s mind started up again: 【Host, host, hurry up and go with them—】

“Why should I go? It looks really dangerous. A green-level alert is no joke.”

【Host, how else are you going to complete the mission if you don’t go?】

Xu Ya was on the verge of a breakdown. “It’s not like I’m that desperate for some fried chicken… Do I really have to feed him every single day? If I die, that’ll be a real mid-quest collapse!”

The system started acting like a spoiled child again.

Xu Ya was both frustrated and exasperated. “Are you my personal system or the male lead’s? Why are you always thinking about what’s best for him?”

She tried her best to shrink her presence, mentally wrestling with the system.

Shi Yuzhen’s voice was as gentle as jade, and he suddenly called out to her, “Junior Sister Xu, come with me.”

???

Xu Ya felt like a storm had swept through her mind. Wait a second, male lead, do we even know each other like that?

Even Master Xu was momentarily stunned, clearly unsure of Shi Yuzhen’s intentions. He gave Shi Yuzhen a meaningful glance, then shifted his gaze to Xu Ya.

At that moment, Xu Ya wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground and disappear.

She could feel dozens of burning gazes instantly lock onto her.

Shi Yuzhen added, “My body is still recovering from internal injuries, but thanks to Junior Sister’s divine fried chicken, my condition has improved. I hope Master Wang will allow her to join us and lend her aid on this mission.”

Master Wang didn’t say yes or no. He simply turned to Xu Ya and asked for her opinion.

Xu Ya said, “I don’t wa▇▇▇▇!”

From Master Wang’s perspective: Xu Ya blinked her big eyes, looked at her Great Senior Brother, and said firmly, “I’ll follow your orders.”

Since Xu Ya was willing to go along, Master Wang didn’t press further. He simply said, “Very well. Shi Yuzhen, you must protect Xiao Ya properly. Do not let her get hurt.”

“Yes, Master.”

Xu Ya had been bracing herself to refuse, steeling her nerves to say no. But before she could even get the words out, Master Wang had already decided she would go with Shi Yuzhen. The two of them had just talked it over and settled her fate.

???

Why is no one following the script??

At that moment, Rong Aoqing, who had been silent all this time, also spoke up. “I’m willing to go as well.”

With two powerful cultivators from the Immortal Marsh joining the rescue mission, many others who had assumed the rankings wouldn’t change were now motivated to go too.

In the end, including Xu Ya, an eighteen-person team was formed to provide support.

The main group would rest for the night and set out the next day.

Shi Yuzhen didn’t need to turn around to feel the resentful gaze of a certain little girl.

But he knew that the moment he turned to look, Xu Ya’s expression would immediately shift to something obedient and timid.

So Shi Yuzhen let himself act a little out of character, quietly observing Xu Ya day by day.

Sure enough, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the little girl’s lips pouting high in protest.

— Translator’s Notes —

– You can’t forge iron without strong hands: A Chinese proverb meaning one must possess the necessary skills or strength to accomplish a difficult task.

– The workings of fate must not be revealed: A reference to the Chinese philosophical concept that the mechanisms of destiny should remain mysterious and unexplained.