Food Therapy (Part 1)
Xu Ya's eyes lit up for a moment, then quickly dimmed again.
Xu Ya respectfully addressed Master Xu as "Master," which was actually an honorific. In reality, Xu Ya had only been nominally working under Master Xu's name for many years.
This is not her fault. Although Master Xu said he would keep her in the Immortal Swamp, he did not announce to the outside world that Xu Ya was his disciple. Even if he did, they never performed the apprenticeship ceremony. Xu Ya indirectly lived a life in the Immortal Swamp that was not recognized and was disliked by everyone.
Xu Ya was brainstorming when she hesitated for half a second before agreeing.
She awakened her memories, and even though she had lost her memories and stayed in the cultivation world for so long, she was still a little worried that her boundless fried chicken magic might be mistaken for a non-existent monster and captured for barbecue.
Her going to study food cultivation not only served to conceal her identity but also made it easier for her to feed the male lead.
Xu Ya said, "Thank you, Master Xu. I am willing!"
Master Xu gave a cryptic smile, his fingertips kneading Xu Ya's shoulder with a bit of force. After Xu Ya winced in pain, Master Xu nodded: "You're a promising student."
Xu Ya was unhappy. She sensed that Xu Shi was a bit strange. Since regaining her memories, Xu Shi had been touching her body, whether intentionally or unintentionally. She had been living a muddled life in the Immortal Marsh, but recently she had found a goal, which made people suspicious.
Xu Ya concluded irritably: Villains just have a lot of problems.
Master Xu quickly fulfilled his promise this time. Within three days, he sent someone to summon her down the mountain, saying that he wanted to take her to visit the elders of the Food Cultivation Sect.
Food cultivation is a sect that uses all things in heaven and earth to cook and improve one's cultivation level, yet it is the sect closest to the mortal world.
The same applies to the food cultivation sects of Yunmeng Immortal Marsh.
Xu Ya was quite familiar with the senior brothers and sisters in the Food Cultivation class. During every sect competition, Xu Ya was as busy as a spinning top, doing odd jobs. As the sole food provider for the competition, the Food Cultivation class was naturally the busiest at that time, and so was Xu Ya.
After the excitement of the day, Xu Ya couldn't help but feel scared, and even had the urge to run away when she followed Master Xu down the mountain.
The master of food cultivation was watering flowers in front of the door, dressed in white. Unlike Master Xu, whose sleeves were neatly arranged, the master had tied them behind his back with a plain cloth. His face was greasy but dignified, and he was full of worldly charm.
"Oh, what a rare guest." The Grandmaster of Food Cultivation didn't even glance at Master Xu. He put down the watering can, put his hands behind his back, and asked, "What brings you here?"
Master Xu bowed politely: "I have come here with a request. This girl is a young girl I kept back then. Recently, I have noticed that she suddenly has a talent for food cultivation. I wonder if Master Wang could give her some guidance? I would be extremely grateful."
Wang Shi lowered his eyes, his stern gaze sweeping over Xu Ya, and said, "Her? I'm afraid that won't work."
Xu Ya didn't look like a cultivator at all. Her temperament and physique were just like an ordinary person's. Even when she opened her palms, all she had were calluses.
Being rejected when she tried to kiss him on the cheek wouldn't have bothered Xu Ya in her usual cowardly manner, but now that she's completely changed, she's feeling quite upset.
Master Xu laughed heartily: "Xiao Ya is no longer the same as before. Here, take it out and let Master Wang take a look."
Xu Ya steeled herself and reached into her treasure pouch: "Yes..."
The spirit bag is full of spiritual power, and all the items put in it will be stored properly. Xu Ya took out an elegant food box, opened the lid, and a golden crispy chicken that looked like it had been fried to perfection was placed in front of her.
Having cultivated for many years, I am well-informed and can recognize how to make this kind of food at a glance. However, this kind of fried chicken requires high heat and oil that covers the chicken, which consumes a lot of ingredients and yields poor results. It can only be a snack at best. Using it as an ingredient to improve cultivation is too extravagant and wasteful.
Even beginners in culinary arts wouldn't use such ingredients.
Wang Shishi was not yet seventy years old but had been a grandmaster for decades. He felt that Xu Ya was just playing a trick on him, and even brought Xu Shishi along to play a trick on him. His expression changed slightly: "Are you playing a trick on me, Xu Shishi?"
With a smile, Master Xu tore off a piece of fried chicken from the food box with his bare hands. The aroma burst out as soon as the warm fried chicken was torn open. Master Wang raised an eyebrow, showing interest: he had no idea that this food smelled so irresistible.
"No, no, please."
Wang Shi didn't give Xu Ya face, but as a master of a sect on par with him, Wang Shi still had to consider his reputation, so he had no choice but to reach out and take the fried chicken from Xu Shi's hand.
The moment it entered his mouth, Wang Shi instinctively felt something was wrong with his dantian. His eyes flashed, and he silently tore off another small piece from the food box held by Xu Ya and tasted it.
It was indeed beyond his expectations.
Wang Shi seemed somewhat reluctant to leave, and relented: "Since she has such talent, we can't let her go to waste. Let her stay and continue her studies for now."
Master Xu continued, "Indeed, the sect competition will be held soon, and we will be troubling the cultivators with their work. It would be a good thing to have a future powerful general as a helper."
Xu Ya: "..."
How come she never noticed how hypocritical Master Xu was before? Every time there was a sect competition, she was always busy organizing everything. Even if she didn't make any great contributions, she still put in a lot of effort. She just couldn't believe that Master Xu had been so indifferent all along!
Xu Ya's entry into the profession was thus decided, but the formal apprenticeship ceremony was still not performed. Despite her efforts, she was still just a temporary worker.
...There's a sense of redemption, as if the system has set me up.
Xu Ya didn't have much luggage, and she moved it down from the small house on the mountain in one trip.
The news of her joining the sect had already spread within the food cultivation community. The senior brothers and sisters who were familiar with her could only associate her with Xu Ya's face but couldn't remember her name. No one wanted to live with a stranger who was considered useless, as if living with her would halve their cultivation level and lower their status.
Xu Ya was naturally assigned to a small house that was both remote and secluded.
Xu Ya silently unfolded the heavy package in the small single room and let out a long sigh.
The system, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up: "Why didn't you use a spirit bag to put these things?"
Xu Ya exploded: "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
The system innocently replied: [I thought you had other plans~ Hmm, the novel's plot has deviated by 15% due to the host joining a food cultivation sect. Please continue to pay attention to the male lead's achievement of becoming the number one person in the immortal realm.]
Xu Ya covered her ears, but still heard: "Okay, okay. I'll deliver the fried chicken tonight."
As Xu Ya approached the end of the mountain, she heard from the NPC cultivators who admired Shi Yuzhen that Shi Yuzhen had already descended Xingyun Peak and returned to her residence.
Xu Ya had long been puzzled by these cultivators, who had never even met Shi Yuzhen, yet they had their own interpretation of her and were infatuated with her, fawning over their imagined male lead until they regained their memories. They were truly NPCs.
As night fell, Xu Ya quietly slipped out of the small house again.
Shi Yuzhen's residence is depicted in the small, incomplete copy that Xu Ya obtained.
Yunmeng Immortal Marsh has always been based on strength. Standing atop the mountain peak is a ranking list that is refreshed by spiritual power. By injecting the spiritual power unique to the cultivator, an elite list can be generated. The higher the ranking, the more respected one is in the Immortal Marsh. Naturally, a genius like Shi Yuzhen, who is born with exceptional talent, always tops the list.
Therefore, his residence was arranged in the most important and most suitable location for facial contouring in the Immortal Marsh.
Xu Ya had no spiritual power whatsoever; she only knew the direction, yet she was lost in it.
The thick fog created a fairyland-like atmosphere.
Xu Yuan wandered around furtively for a while, but couldn't find the way.
Since the day Xu Ya was brought back by Master Xu, Shi Yuzhen's master soon came to the peak to meet him.
After confirming several times that the demonic energy around him had dissipated, Shi Yuzhen felt that his master seemed somewhat unwilling. Without thinking too much about it, he returned to his residence on his own.
Thinking back to that day when Uncle Xu clung to the little girl's shoulder, the little girl turned her head and lingered on him with a reluctant look for a moment.
Shi Yuzhen had seen that look in his eyes a thousand times, and he himself thought he hadn't taken it seriously.
But Shi Yuzhen couldn't calm down. Yes, he had heard her explanation for repeatedly going up the mountain to feed the animals. This excuse could probably only fool others who didn't know the truth.
That day, even though she was trapped in her inner demons, Shi Yuzhen genuinely threatened her.
She said it was out of gratitude, but Shi Yuzhen thought it was nonsense.
Then, let's talk about the food she brought: a vegetarian chicken with its head quickly removed from its neck. It was delicate and smooth to the taste, with crispy skin and fragrant meat. It was so delicious that you wanted to eat it again and again. Shi Yuzhen rarely got so addicted.
Since he began cultivating, he believed that he had long since shed his worldly vices. Thinking of this, Shi Yuzhen's hands, which were originally placed on the sides of her intertwined legs, suddenly clenched into fists.
This place is quiet and a treasure trove for cultivation, yet people just can't seem to cultivate properly here.
A bell suddenly rang inside the cave.
Someone entered the country.
Shi Yuzhen focused her mind and sensed the approaching person.
A blurry figure appeared in his consciousness; it was an ordinary person who didn't even have spiritual power.
Shi Yuzhen was unaware that she was observing her with great interest.
The little figure in the consciousness hunched over, its hands outstretched forward without regard for its image, trying to find its way forward.
But Shi Yuzhen could see that she was just frantically spinning around in one place.
Xu Ya didn't know how many times she had touched this round, lustrous pebble.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh—System, what do you say we do?!" Xu Ya roared inwardly, her face expressionless.
System: [Try again, host.]
"This is the twenty-seventh time I've touched this stone. I'm very sure, absolutely certain!"
System: [Try again, host.]
"A broken record?!" Xu Ya thought angrily.
Exhausted, Xu Ya didn't care where she was and plopped down, cross-legged, and leaned against the rock that she had almost worn bare.
His face was beaming with joy.
System: [Try again, host.]
"Stop, stop, stop, Master, stop chanting!" Xu Ya jumped up, covered her head, rubbed her eyes, and rubbed her temples.
Who would have thought that after rubbing her eyes, the surrounding smoke and clouds gradually dissipated, and Xu Ya's eyes became clear as if they had never been obscured.
In front of Xu Ya was a long staircase leading to a higher level of the building.
It turned out that Xu Ya had never found the right spot. Once she focused her gaze, the steps seemed to come alive and slowly came to rest at Xu Ya's feet.
Xu Ya's faint sixth sense told her that she had to go up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com