Tier Eight Inquiry experts were incredibly rare. On the surface, the Holy Land didn’t even have a Tier Seven Daoist, let alone a Tier Eight Inquiry expert.
Other sects, at most, only had Tier Seven Daoists.
Tier Eight experts were already a rare sight, let alone those who had reached Inquiry.
So for a legendary master like Jian Shisan to do nothing of note and instead run off to cook... there was truly something wrong with him.
Soon, Jian Shisan arrived at Yue Xi’s residence.
Yue Xi saw Jian Shisan as he arrived.
When she saw Jian Shisan, Yue Xi was taken aback.
Jian Shisan looked perfectly ordinary, yet he felt anything but.
Clearly, his realm had advanced once again.
’What a monster,’ Yue Xi couldn’t help but think. ’How can he advance so quickly? Does he not even need a buffer period to level up?’
But when she saw the large bowl in Jian Shisan’s hands, Yue Xi felt a stir of anticipation.
Unlike last time, her senior brother had personally cooked this and even delivered it himself.
She had to try it, no matter what.
Yue Xi rose to her feet and smiled. "What brings you here, Senior Brother?"
"I... I..." Jian Shisan felt he couldn’t explain himself, so he simply held out the large bowl. "Something to eat."
Yue Xi pointed to herself. "For me?"
Jian Shisan nodded.
Yue Xi didn’t stand on ceremony. She reached out, took the large bowl, and smiled. "Thank you, Senior Brother."
"It’s, it’s nothing."
Then, Jian Shisan added, "W-well, I, I’ll be going."
Yue Xi walked over to the stone table and set the bowl down. "Aren’t you going to stay and try it, Senior Brother?"
Jian Shisan paused, stunned. "C-can I?"
Yue Xi nodded. "I’m not the Saintess anymore."
No longer being the Saintess meant she could not only interact with men but also marry.
But Jian Shisan just nodded. "Th-then I’ll... I’ll just stand here and, and watch you eat. That’s fine."
Yue Xi didn’t say anything this time. ’Him standing here is fine. It’s better than him secretly hiding somewhere to watch.’
Yue Xi then opened the large bowl, and her brow immediately furrowed.
She hadn’t opened the dish he brought last time, but she knew its presentation must have been excellent.
As for this dish, well... to be honest, it looked a bit burnt.
The colors were muddled, and it was a bit on the blackish side.
But she could vaguely make out that it was supposed to be sliced, boiled meat.
Jian Shisan said, rather awkwardly, "F-first... first time cooking. It’s a... a little off."
Yue Xi didn’t seem to mind much. She picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.
The moment it touched her tongue, Yue Xi felt like her entire being was about to self-destruct.
’It’s... so... disgusting!’
’If her senior brother hadn’t been the one to bring it, she’d suspect someone was trying to murder her.’
Still, Yue Xi managed to chew a few times and swallow it down.
Jian Shisan immediately asked, "S-so... how is it?"
Yue Xi forced a smile. "It’s... it’s alright."
"Th-then, should I... try some?" As he spoke, Jian Shisan moved to taste his own cooking.
Yue Xi immediately hugged the large bowl to herself and shook her head. "N-no, you can’t."
Jian Shisan was confused.
Yue Xi said, "Xiaoyue and Xiaojiu are about to depart. You should go see them. Don’t worry about the food."
Since Yue Xi had said so, Jian Shisan naturally didn’t press the issue.
’Anyway, as long as Yue Xi likes my cooking, that’s all that matters.’
’She probably won’t hate me now, and we even got to talk a bit more.’
’This is so much better than before.’
He felt that as he grew stronger, he would also grow closer to Yue Xi, until one day, he could make her his wife.
’Reaching the supreme realm wasn’t the goal. It was merely the means, the process. Marrying Yue Xi was the true objective.’
After Jian Shisan left, Yue Xi slumped wearily onto the table. She looked at the large bowl he had brought and sighed helplessly. ’Looks like this is destined to be a collector’s item. I’ll have him try it for himself someday.’
’I won’t crush his spirit right now.’
Meanwhile, Jingyue and her group were nearly ready. The six of them prepared to set out.
They had just enough time to check out the location recorded in the Holy Land’s annals.
Su Qi sat off to the side, staring into space.
Qing Lian asked curiously, "Senior Sister, are you thinking about Brother Jiang?"
Su Qi shook her head. "Not really. I mostly miss him a lot when I’m resting at night. The main thing is, something feels off today."
Jingyue said, "Hasn’t it only been a few days? You miss him that much already?"
Su Qi nodded immediately. "I do. A lot."
Jingyue said while studying her spear, "Don’t expect me to send you back now. I’ll definitely send you back after we’re finished here, or if your husband’s emotions go haywire."
"This should prevent you from turning into a true nagging wife."
Su Qi looked at Jingyue. "But, Senior Sister, my bad luck started this morning."
At these words, Jingyue froze. Qing Lian froze as well.
They had witnessed Su Qi’s bad luck before, and it was always ridiculously over-the-top.
Jingyue asked, "But isn’t it too early for that?"
Su Qi said, "Yeah, it’s definitely not supposed to happen for a while. But the bad luck is very minor this time, just like when the curse first took hold."
Jingyue nodded. "Then it shouldn’t be a major problem. We’ll just wait and see. We can also observe if it’s going to erupt like it did last time."
Seeing Su Qi’s woeful expression, Jingyue chuckled. "Don’t worry. With your big sister here, it won’t be a big problem."
"However, I probably shouldn’t live-stream for a while. If I get hit with bad luck on camera, I’ll lose followers easily."
Su Qi: "..."
Qing Lian: "..."
Just then, Xiaoxiao ran in. "Holy Sister! Senior Sister! Senior Uncle has arrived and is asking if we’re ready to depart."
Jingyue replied, "Yes, we’re leaving now."
Not long after, Jingyue and the others boarded Soft Cloud, which was once again serving as their mount.
Jian Shisan appeared before them. "I will imbue Soft Cloud with a strand of my Daoist Sword Qi. It will allow you to reach your destination quickly. I will arrive then as well."
"However, to avoid drawing too much attention from the Sword Cultivation Lineage, I will remain hidden."
"You can all rest assured."
Jingyue said respectfully, "Thank you, Senior Uncle."
Jian Shisan nodded. With a wave of his hand, a strand of Sword Qi enveloped Soft Cloud. It would not only increase Soft Cloud’s speed but also protect the entire group.
One had to admit, this senior, Jian Shisan, was very thoughtful.
After they departed, Jian Shisan set out as well. Of course, he wasn’t following them; he was going to meet up with Jiang Zuo.
He knew the general location.
He just didn’t know the exact spot. He just needed Jiang Zuo to pinpoint his location.
「Meanwhile」 Yue Xi was sitting in the Holy Beast Lake, kicking her feet against the water’s surface. "Fifth Brother," she said, "do you think I’m getting old?"
Xuanwu’s voice was surprisingly childlike. "Of course not. Old Qi is even younger than me."
Yue Xi laughed. "I just realized something."
Xuanwu asked, confused, "What?"
Yue Xi caressed the bracelet on her wrist. "I really like this bracelet."
Xuanwu was scornful. "It’s so obviously ugly. Humans have terrible taste. Old Qi, you’ve been led astray."
"Silly little miss," Yue Xi teased, "from now on, *I’ll* be the big sister."
In response, Xuanwu’s snake head lunged forward and tried to bite.
’I’m the big sister!’
But Yue Xi had anticipated Xuanwu would snap at her and dodged it easily.
"Fifth Brother, hurry up and call me Big Sister! Big Sister will protect you from now on and bring you snacks."
"Old Qi, stand still and let me bite you!"