Chapter 33
A cassock fell onto Ding Liuyi's body.
This robe was made of different fabrics pieced together, making it look extremely mismatched. The colorful fabrics on one garment were almost unbearable to look at. But it was this very robe, which could be described as ugly, that forced Ding Liuyi's scattered primordial spirit back.
"A patchwork robe?" Shi Yunzhou looked at the cassock covering Ding Liuyi and finally felt relieved.
The group of puppets they had been helpless against had their malevolent aura burned away by the fire, and their resentment was slowly dissipating. Zhou Xuanzhi felt he could no longer hold on and finally collapsed.
...
When Shi Yunzhou first came up the mountain, he was often hungry. Children are at a crucial stage of growth, and having previously suffered from hunger and cold so often, Shi Wanqing couldn't bear to see her little apprentice suffer any more, so she began to research food.
She set up a small kitchen and looked at recipes she had somehow found.
One day, when Zhou Xuanzhi was teaching Yunzhou to read, he suddenly heard a loud "bang." The objects on the table in the room shook.
Shi Yunzhou had heard about the demon race since he was a child, and now that he was in Tianyu Mountain, he naturally associated the matter with the demon race. He looked at Zhou Xuanzhi and asked in a trembling voice, "Is it the demon race that attacked?"
Just then, a burnt smell wafted over, and Zhou Xuanzhi vaguely guessed what was going on. He shook his head and said, "No, don't worry, I'll go out and take a look."
So he ran to the small kitchen and saw that the pot on the stove had been burned. He also saw his master running out with a face covered in soot. When she saw him, she didn't forget to pull him out as well.
In the open space outdoors, Shi Wanqing, choked by the smoke, kept coughing.
Seeing his master like this, Zhou Xuanzhi didn't know what to say. He poured his master a glass of water and asked, "Master, what are you doing?"
Shi Wanqing took the water, drank it all in one gulp, cleared her throat, and said in a hoarse voice, "Cooking? I see you're always hungry. The canteen at Tianyu Mountain is open on a fixed schedule, but we can't let you go hungry like this."
Recalling the exploded pot, Zhou Xuanzhi asked, "Master, what dish were you making that could cause the pot to explode!"
"Braised pork," Shi Wanqing said, looking at the still-smoking kitchen with a heavy heart, "such good meat is such a waste."
Following his master's gaze to the kitchen still billowing black smoke, Zhou Xuanzhi asked again, "Master, what kind of fire did you use to cook the braised pork?"
Shi Wanqing looked at her little apprentice, swallowed hard, and said slowly, "It seems to be Samadhi True Fire." Her voice grew softer and softer.
But Zhou Xuanzhi heard it, and seeing the still-smoking kitchen, he said, "Master, next time, leave these kinds of rough jobs to me!"
...
Actually, besides not knowing how to cook, her master has some other unreliable skills. For example, Tianyu Mountain is a dual cultivation system of swordsmanship and music. Whether you are a sword cultivator, a magic cultivator, a medicine cultivator, or even a weapon refiner, you must know how to play a musical instrument.
This regulation earned the disciples of Tianyu Mountain the title of "hypocritical and sanctimonious" among the cultivators. This title, along with the Qingxu Sect's "Monk Temple, miserable" and the Exorcism Division in the capital city's "eyes on the top of the head" title, are known as the three great scourges of the cultivator world!
Before Zhou Xuanzhi and Shi Yunzhou knew the term "Three Great Evils," their master, adhering to the educational philosophy of Tianyu Mountain, placed three zithers in the hall.
Shi Wanqing sat in front of a piano and said in an affectionate tone, "We Tianyu Mountain people must learn a musical instrument. I don't know what you all like, but that's okay, we have plenty of time. Try them one by one, and you'll find one you like."
Looking at the guqin before him, Zhou Xuanzhi nodded. He knew how to play the guqin; he had learned it in the mortal realm, and his teacher had even praised his talent in it.
He confidently and slowly said to his junior brother, "It's okay, I know how to play the guqin, I can teach you."
Looking at her eldest disciple, Shi Wanqing was genuinely happy. He learned quickly and could teach his junior brother, so she wouldn't have to worry about anything else; as long as her eldest disciple knew how, that would be enough.
She smiled and said, "Let me demonstrate." With that, she began to strum the strings.
Upon hearing his master's music, Zhou Xuanzhi's smile froze on his face. He stared in disbelief at his master, who was completely immersed in his own music. Shi Yunzhou, standing beside him, was also shocked. Although he couldn't play the zither, it didn't mean he couldn't distinguish between good and bad music.
They had heard the music of the musicians from Tianyu Mountain before; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that a single note could linger for three days, its sound unending. But their master's music was like a vicious hook, a wailing of ghosts and demons…
In such a music hall, one feels uncomfortable for even a short while, or all day long, as if insects are crawling all over one's body, but one's hands and feet are tied, and one can only shake off the insects by twisting one's body.
Zhou Xuanzhi pursed his lips, unsure of what to say. Shi Yunzhou, watching his master's engrossed expression, whispered, "Are you sure you want to learn? This kind of zither skill will be laughed at to death if you go out like this!"
Because the music was so bewitching, even the sect leader had come to the back mountain. Seeing the two juniors whose ears were being pierced by the demonic sound, he immediately stopped Shi Wanqing from playing. Seeing her senior brother arrive, Shi Wanqing happily asked, "Senior brother, do you think my playing has improved?"
...Seeing his junior sister waiting for praise, he immediately turned to the two younger students and said, "If you want to learn musical instruments, go to Nanyu Peak next door! Shi Wanqing has no talent in this area, so don't hold you back."
After the argument between the senior and junior disciples, Shi Wanqing, whose zither skills were poor, was suppressed by the sect leader and sat there sullenly. The sect leader, who was leaving, muttered, "Where does she get her confidence? Don't corrupt the disciples of Tianyu Mountain."
...
The sunlight was warm, making one feel pleasantly comfortable. Zhou Xuanzhi was awakened by the heat; he tried to open his eyes several times, but the sunlight stung them shut. Finally, he lay on the bed, using all his strength to raise his hand and shield his eyes.
The sounds of birds chirping drifted in from outside, and even the fragrance of flowers wafted into the room on the breeze. It was wonderful to still be able to experience these things.
Having mustered some strength, he sat up and looked around at his room. It was familiar; it was the courtyard he had rented before.
What happened before he fainted? It seemed that Fei Xiang stopped that madman from self-destructing his primordial spirit. And then? It seemed that he fainted afterward. Zhou Xuanzhi smiled helplessly. He rolled out of bed, and apart from his legs being very weak and he having no strength to walk, he seemed to be fine.
He leaned against the wall to reach the door, opened it, and heard a cacophony of voices outside. He saw a large crowd; there were many more people than when he arrived. How long had he been unconscious?
"Master Zhou, you're awake? How are you feeling?" Fei Xiang's voice came from beside him.
Seeing that Fei Xiang was carrying a tray with three bowls of medicine on it, he assumed that this master had been taking care of him during his coma. So he quickly thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your care, Master. I feel alright."
He reached out to take the tray, but Fei Xiang stopped him, saying, "Cultivator Zhou, you should take your medicine! These other two bowls are for Cultivator Xiao and Cultivator Shi."
Zhou Xuanzhi took his bowl of medicine as instructed by Fei Xiang and drank it all in one gulp. Seeing the medicine on the tray, he asked, "How is my junior brother now?"
When he mentioned these two people, Fei Xiang's smile seemed uncontrollable. He said, "Cultivator Zhou can go and see for himself."
Zhou Xuanzhi saw his junior brothers through the window. If it weren't for the thick bandages covering their bodies, he wouldn't have believed that the two of them had been seriously injured not long ago.
The two of them must be cooking. But when they were on Tianyu Mountain, which of them cooked? He didn't know Xiao Mu, but he also came from a family of cultivators. As for Shi Yunzhou, he hadn't stepped into the kitchen since he came up the mountain.
Even when they were training in the mortal realm, they could only get a hot meal thanks to their senior brothers and sisters. How could they dare to start a fire when they couldn't even recognize all the grains?
Watching the two men busy for quite some time, Zhou Xuanzhi shook his head. He could smell the burning odor from a great distance, but the two men acted as if nothing had happened.
"Stop fooling around, look at the pot." When they were on the mountain, they had to worry about what their master and junior brothers were eating, and now that they were down the mountain, they still had to worry about what their junior brothers were eating.
Seeing Zhou Xuanzhi standing by the window, Xiao Mu excitedly asked, "Senior Brother, you're awake? How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." Zhou Xuanzhi pointed to the stove. "Your pots are the problem."
Zhou Xuanzhi's words seemed to awaken Shi Yunzhou. He quickly walked over and lifted the pot lid. The smell of burning food assaulted his senses; the pot was completely charred, and it was impossible to tell what had been cooked inside.
Xiao Mu looked at the contents of the pot and sighed.
Fei Xiang arrived at this moment. The smell of burning food in the air made him shake his head. Based on the principle of not wasting food, he advised, "You two, if there is anything you want to cook in the future, you can ask me. I can do it for you. You should stay away from the kitchen stove!"
What a waste! What a sin!
Shi Yunzhou felt very uncomfortable looking at Fei Xiang's face full of heartache and Zhou Xuanzhi's expression of "what should I do with my junior brother?" He waved his hand and said, "There won't be a next time."
"You three get along very well," Fei Xiang said sincerely, watching the interaction between the three.
Xiao Mu thought to himself, "That's because you haven't seen Lin Jichen and Master Yunzhou. If you call the mutual understanding between them harmony, then your Buddhist understanding of harmony is quite broad." He smiled and said, "We're alright! How about you, Master?"
Xiao Mu's words piqued the interest of the other two people; this was no ordinary person!
Fei Xiang denied it, saying, "There is a big age gap between me and my senior brother. When I entered the sect, my senior brothers were already at the age where they were going to go down the mountain to gain experience."
This is the trouble of geniuses!
"How is the Gou family doing?" Zhou Xuanzhi felt a lingering fear when he thought about what happened that day.
Xiao Mu, being the healthiest among them, handled the affairs of Jianye Town after the two fell into a coma: "The Gou family's matter has been resolved. Those who should be buried have been buried, and those who should return have returned. As for those two, the people at the stronghold have taken them away. We should be able to see them when we reach the capital."
Fei Xiang added, "There are still some unresolved issues in Jianye Town. After we have rested for a while, we will take care of the remaining matters."
There are indeed some things that need to be resolved, such as that murderous monster.
Xiao Mu and Shi Yunzhou have recently become obsessed with "blowing up the kitchen." Fei Xiang's face has grown increasingly dark ever since the kitchen became blackened day after day. Fei Xiang had previously been advising against wasting food, yet plates of charred, unrecognizable dishes were now placed on the table.
Adhering to the belief that nothing should be wasted, Fei Xiang mustered up the courage to take a bite of the dish. He didn't know how much salt had been added, and it even had a burnt taste. After a long pause, he asked, "Have you tried it yourself?"
Shi Yunzhou nodded and said, "I've tried it, it's very hard to eat."
Fei Xiang couldn't say anything either.
Seeing that Fei Lian's expression wasn't very good, Xiao Mu quickly explained, "We have made progress; at least it's edible today."
Is this food even edible? How awful must the previous dishes have been? Now we know why this cultivator is so indifferent to food. Fei Xiang stood up and turned to leave, but Xiao Mu blocked his way. "Master, where are you going?"
Fei Xiang remained silent for a while before saying, "This humble monk will go and see the troublesome demons." As a monk, he did not lie; he truly intended to find the demons' whereabouts.
"I know it tastes awful." Xiao Mu was a little embarrassed. How could she expect others to eat something she herself wouldn't even want to swallow? With that, she stepped aside.
Seeing that the person's expression was not very natural, Fei Xiang asked, "Why does Cultivator Xiao want to cook?"
"Actually, it's okay not to eat, but I'm injured, so I always want to eat something."
Zhou Xuanzhi, who had arrived at some point, was puzzled upon hearing this. "You can buy it with money."
“It’s different.” Xiao Mu waved his hand and said, “It feels great to eat the food you cook yourself; it’s a sense of accomplishment.”
What sense of accomplishment can you get from cooking? Zhou Xuanzhi recalled how he had cooked for so long in the back mountain, but he hadn't felt any sense of accomplishment.
"Wasn't our frustration in Jianye Town enough?" The rampaging demons were manageable, but dealing with someone like this, who had gone mad, was incredibly difficult. Not only had they lost most of their lives, but after so long recuperating, they still hadn't fully recovered, and the situation wasn't even truly resolved.
He then looked at his junior brother, and then heard Shi Yunzhou say, "I just wanted to see what's so difficult about cooking." He had never understood why his master was always blowing up the kitchen, but after these few attempts, he finally understood.
Recalling the days in the back mountain, Zhou Xuanzhi also felt nostalgic. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you hungry? My cooking is pretty good."
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