Chapter 38: Si Xiang City (10) “You like Miss Yu and want to get there first…
The more Ji Feibai thought about his misunderstanding of Zhou Mingran and his losing his temper with her, the more guilty he felt. He almost felt restless.
He always wanted to do something to make up for his mistakes and maintain his best friendship with Zhou Mingran. After all, they were "iron buddies" who grew up together in Shaoyang Sect.
"So, Senior Brother called us here so early in the morning to cook for Senior Sister?" Zhu Ciying glanced at the empty stove and asked hesitantly, "Where's the pot?"
Ji Feibai was confused. Yeah, where did the pot go? Don't the chefs here use pots to cook?
"Well, I just heard from the boss lady that the chef here ran away in a rage because he hadn't had a raise in five years." Qu Wanqing went on a bit of gossip, but still felt unsatisfied, so she added, "He took the pot with him."
Hearing this, Xu Shuguan took out the storybook and flipped through it for a while: "It is true." In her storybook, every person in Sixiang City was created by her with great effort. She clearly planned their life trajectories, from the turning points of fate and the final outcome to the minutiae and trivial matters.
Ji Feibai covered his face with one hand and sighed deeply. God is really going to kill me!
"Then... I'll send someone over to you?" Xu Shuguan was about to write with the spiritual pen when Yun Bujin stopped her and said with concern, "Your injuries haven't healed yet. If you rashly use your spiritual power again, the consequences will be even more serious. Not only will all the medicine you've taken these days be wasted."
"I happen to have an object that can act as a boiler, and the things cooked in it are much better than ordinary spiritual food." After he finished speaking, a white light flashed from the storage bag on his waist, and a huge black furnace appeared in front of everyone.
"Alchemy furnace?!" Ji Feibai gasped. "Are you sure this thing can be used for cooking?" He couldn't believe his eyes. Also, how did Yun Bujin get it?
Yun Bujin said calmly, "Yes. I tried it with several of my junior brothers and sisters last time in the Penglai Secret Realm."
Ji Fei's eyelids twitched, and he heard Qu Wanqing open his mouth and respond, "Thinking back now, it tasted great!"
Xu Feihuai has always been a man of few words, but because Qu Wanqing's words brought back memories, he nodded in agreement for the first time.
Ji Feibai looked at Zhu Ciying and others one by one, and began to feel uneasy. You are all a bunch of devils, right?
He still couldn't accept using the furnace to cook: "I just want to know who came up with the idea?"
Zhu Ciying thought for a moment: "It seems to be a friend of Senior Brother Yun."
Ji Feibai narrowed his eyes and looked at Yun Bujin. The latter shrugged and looked at the other person leisurely with a playful look in his eyes.
Xu Shuguan's heart was pounding under his gaze, and the heat on her cheeks only grew. She spoke softly, her voice small but her words clear enough for everyone present to hear clearly: "I'm the friend he's talking about. I came up with the idea when we were chatting a long time ago. I just said it casually at the time, and I didn't expect him to take it seriously..."
"Ah, I don't mean to discriminate against or look down on Dan cultivators..." The rest of the words became quieter and quieter.
Ji Feibai took a deep breath, feeling powerless. He turned around and numbly washed and cut vegetables and prepared the ingredients.
He now has a deeper understanding of the principle that "those who keep company with vermilion will become redder, and those who keep company with ink will become blacker."
With the help of Zhu Ciying and others, Ji Feibai only took half an hour to prepare a table of dishes.
"Everyone, please take a seat first. Junior Sister Yingying, please help me call your senior sister."
Zhu Ciying: "Okay."
She lowered her head to send a message using the jade slip, glancing at the dining table. Qu Wanqing sat down next to Xu Feihuai, praising the food repeatedly, "It smells so good and looks delicious." Yun Bujin was boiling the dishes for everyone. Nearby, Xu Shuguan's expression slowly returned to normal, and he focused on the food.
After a while, Zhou Mingran came.
Zhu Ciying asked her to sit on her right, and Ji Feibai sat on her left.
Ji Feibai: "Everyone is here, don't be polite, just eat."
Several people started eating.
Zhu Ciying's eyes darted around as she picked up a piece of spicy chicken and put it in her mouth. The moment she bit into it, the spicy flavor washed over her tongue, and the aroma filled her nostrils. She squinted her eyes in satisfaction.
After swallowing a big mouthful of rice and thinking of picking up other dishes, his chopsticks stopped when they passed over a small bowl of canned yellow peaches.
Canned yellow peaches, sweet. My senior brother loves them. Zhu Ciying's heart automatically analyzes them.
She looked up at the only empty seat at the front right of the table, which was reserved for Xie Rangchen. Unfortunately, she had sent her senior brother to the City Lord's Mansion early in the morning to protect Yao Taotao.
The yellow peaches were large and plump, and they looked even more lustrous and glossy when soaked in the sweet water. Xie Rangchen picked up a piece and took a bite. The peach was crispy, sweet, and extremely refreshing.
"The City Lord's Mansion is heavily guarded and protected by formations. Even powerful demons wouldn't dare to force their way in. Miss Yu may be worrying too much. As her senior brother, you should stay by her side."
Yao Taotao was really surprised that Xie Rangchen came to visit the City Lord's Mansion early in the morning. When she heard that it was Zhu Ciying's idea, she was even more moved.
"It's a rare occasion for my junior sister to ask me to help her. I have no reason to refuse." Xie Rangchen put down his bowl and chopsticks.
Yao Taotao covered her lips and chuckled a few times, looking at the handsome young man opposite her with amusement, and revealed a little secret that ordinary people would find difficult to discover: "You are always clinging to her. I thought you would at least disagree and ask her to find someone else."
Sticking to...Junior Sister? Xie Rangchen's calm eyes revealed a hint of surprise.
"Since the first time Miss Yu and I met, you have actually always been by her side."
Yao Taotao observed his expression. He looked calm and didn't reveal any flaws.
She continued, "I set up all the formations in the City Lord's Mansion. Once you step into the mansion, you can't escape my sight. And you, you clearly have many ways to avoid my eyes and ears, but you still followed Miss Yu in here."
"Isn't this clearly declaring to me that you have her backing and she is the one you need to protect."
"Why?" Yao Taotao smiled, "The one who is close to the water gets the moon first. You like Miss Yu and want to get there first?"
Xie Rangchen paused slightly with the knuckles of his fingers hanging in his sleeves.
The last time I heard the word "like" was in Qingwei Sect.
At the age of fifteen, on the eve of his choice of the Dao, his master asked him to talk on the top of a mountain.
"Have you decided which one to repair?"
Xie Rangchen replied: "The ruthless way."
Master's eyebrows twitched, but he said nothing.
Xie Rangchen was the first to speak, "The Way of Ruthlessness emphasizes treating all beings equally and loving them universally. It's not a path of ruthlessness or lovelessness. I'm always gentle with others, never showing favoritism, never harboring any romantic feelings towards any particular girl, and don't even have any deep-seated enemies. With my indifferent emotions and few ties to family, I think I'm suited to practicing the Way of Ruthlessness."
"Haha." The master laughed dryly twice and looked up at Xie Rangchen. He was the first disciple he accepted and the one who gave him the least trouble.
He has a gentle temperament and is polite and moderate in his dealings with others. He broke through the fusion stage at the age of fourteen and has unlimited potential, far surpassing him.
Now, at the age of fifteen, he is in the prime of his life and full of youthful vigor.
The young man wore a moon-white round-necked robe, a white dragon jade belt around his waist, and a red jade belt. His hair was tied up high with a red string. His eyes were narrow and deep, without arrogance or pride. Beneath his long lashes, they were filled with warm and calm autumn water.
"If you choose the ruthless path, you will regret it in the future." The master stood with his hands behind his back, and the breeze lifted his sleeves and swayed gracefully in the air.
"Why?"
The master spread his hands and answered confidently, "Because I don't have a wife."
Xie Rangchen: “?”
He doesn't understand.
The master coughed lightly, restrained his frivolous expression, and then looked into the boundless sky in the distance, where the sun rose and the moon set over and over again.
His tone suddenly became heavy and solemn: "Rangchen, do you believe in fate? Do you believe that there is someone in this world who is destined to be with you?"
Xie Rangchen: "Master, I believe that all encounters, acquaintances, and interactions between people are fate. As for the person destined for me, I have never experienced love and do not understand it. Therefore, I cannot have any feelings for the person destined for me."
The Master laughed heartily, his eyes deep, "The so-called destined person is a marriage bestowed by heaven's grace. It may arise from love at first sight, or it may develop over time, like honey that seduces and becomes addictive, like poison that penetrates the bone marrow. All that she likes, all that she loves, all that she worries about, all that she resents, all that she suffers, I share her feelings. I am willing and receptive to it."
"Once you cultivate the path of ruthlessness, you can no longer give your beloved one-of-a-kind love. Loving her as you love all living things may not betray all living beings, but it hurts her and yourself."
"I don't want you to experience this state of despair, and I don't want to see your cultivation destroyed. Rangchen, the three thousand great ways lead to the immortal realm. For my selfish reasons, please choose another path."
Xie Rangchen nodded and remained silent for a long time.
As the first rays of morning sunlight shone on the mountaintop and the cries of magpies echoed through the forest, he said, "Master, I have made up my mind. I must live up to all living beings, to my teachers, friends, and fellow disciples, and to all those I love and who love me."
"Disciples must cultivate the Way of Inquiring into the Heart."
Have a clear conscience.
The road down the mountain was long and winding, but Xie Rangchen's heart was as light as a feather and his steps were firm.
At the foot of the mountain, the fifth and sixth junior brothers were waiting for him.
The two are twins with identical appearances and cannot be distinguished from each other at first glance.
"Fifth Junior Brother, Sixth Junior Brother." Xie Rangchen nodded to them as a greeting.
"Hey, Senior Brother, how did you recognize us so quickly? It's really boring to play tricks on smart people." The Sixth Junior Brother hooked his arm around the Fifth Junior Brother's shoulder, a look of deep sorrow on his face. The Fifth Junior Brother's face was so cold that he couldn't see any emotion at all.
Xie Rangchen automatically ignored the second half of his sentence: "Fifth Junior Brother is a steady and reserved person, while Sixth Junior Brother is passionate, lively and active, so he's easy to recognize."
"Sweet talk." Sixth Junior Brother threw an object at him, crossing his arms in frustration. "I was so bored the other day that I made a little gadget for you."
Xie Rangchen grabbed it quickly and took a closer look. It turned out to be a pair of small silver bells.
"Brother, you always act like I'm nice to everyone. It's really boring." Sixth Junior Brother loves to play tricks on people. A shrewd glint flashed in his cunning fox eyes. "This doesn't have any effect on the silver bell, but it can see into people's hearts and accurately grasp their emotional ups and downs. I named it 'Calming Bell'."
"If one day, Senior Brother hears the bell ringing, it means that someone has appeared beside you—someone who is enough to disturb your state of mind."
"Your feelings for her must be different from ours, and different from everyone you interact with daily. As for what kind of feelings they are, the Calming Bell cannot tell. You need to explore it yourself."
The Sixth Junior Brother smacked his lips and said, "I really want to see you in the midst of love, hate, and passion. It must be very exciting."
Xie Rangchen accepted the silver bell silently.
Over the next few years, when he was twenty-one, many things happened to him: he ascended to become an immortal, his Qingwei clan was wiped out, he traveled through time and space, and met Zhu Ciying in the back mountains...
The calming bell never rang.
Now, they are quietly tied to Zhu Ciying's arm together with the red cotton rope.
Xie Rangchen withdrew his thoughts, a hint of the sweetness of yellow peach still lingering in his mouth. He calmed his mind and opened his mouth to answer Yao Taotao's question: "Junior sister has a strong character. I respect her and regard her as the bright moon in the sky. I dare not blaspheme her lightly."
Across from her, Yao Taotao suddenly opened her eyes wide.
What an unexpected answer.
She even made a mistake one day.
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The author has something to say: Countdown to Xie Tiantian’s slap in the face…
Xie Tiantian - a person who looks honest but is actually a giant dog [狗头]
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