Watching the Mountain

"Well..." Xu Ran fell silent at his words. He hadn’t expected Qin Yufeng to say something like that. ’So he’s long since considered the possibility of failure. Hearing how confident he was before, I thought he was so arrogant he believed success was a certainty.’

As Xu Ran was reflecting on this, Qin Yufeng continued, "To return to the issue you raised earlier, Fellow Daoist, as I’ve said before, although the Cultivation Realm has wronged me, I am still a member of the Human Race. I want to change this world simply because I want it to become the world I wish to see, not to take revenge on the Cultivation Realm for how it treated me in the past."

"I will not harm the Human Race, and I certainly wouldn’t drag them along to do something that has no guarantee of success and is doomed to lead to utter damnation upon failure."

"The best way, naturally, is to sever ties with the Human Race and then do my own thing."

After a long silence, Xu Ran said, "Senior, your current actions are already harming the Human Race. If this ’plague’ isn’t resolved, there may no longer be any cultivation in the Cultivation Realm."

"You’re wrong. The ’plague,’ you see, is not my doing. Didn’t I tell you before? It’s a disaster left behind by your sect’s very own Sword Dao Ye Shan. I merely knew about it in advance and took advantage of the situation to achieve my own goals."

Xu Ran couldn’t refute Qin Yufeng’s answer. He didn’t know anything about the matter, but since the man claimed it was a disaster left by Ye Shan, it seemed there was no reason for him to lie about it.

Qin Yufeng was unwilling to reveal too much information, but this exchange gave Xu Ran a completely new understanding of him.

He had originally thought the man was just a psychologically twisted individual, someone who wanted to destroy the world and remake it according to his own will simply because he had been shunned by others.

Now, it seemed that wasn’t the case. This guy appeared to be a man with genuine ideals and ambitions, though the methods he used to achieve them were so extreme that it was impossible to pass judgment.

Still, Xu Ran made up his mind. ’If he really does fail in the future, as someone who knows the truth, I absolutely must record his story.’

’It would be my way of repaying him for his willingness to share this with me.’

*

*

*

"Junior Brother, it’s time to eat."

Yue Qingyu filled a bowl with Spirit Rice and handed it to Xu Ran.

Xu Ran silently reached out and took it. Things had been like this for a while now, and he had long since grown used to it.

The aftereffects of the Huaque Array were far more severe than he had imagined.

He had originally thought it would just be a period of weakness. However, after he dispelled the Array, he discovered that this "weakness" meant being completely unable to move.

Fortunately, he still had the Life Creation Pill that Liu Yunge had left him. It had allowed him to recover a great deal, at least to the point where he could barely sit up and feed himself.

In his current state, he couldn’t cultivate at all. With his Cultivation Realm, he could have gone without food and water. However, doing so for a long period would hinder his recovery and could even damage his foundation. If he wanted to recover faster and more completely, it was best to eat some Spiritual Cuisine every day to maintain his body’s condition.

When Xu Ran first learned that Yue Qingyu was going to stay and take care of him, he had refused.

He certainly didn’t think he was distinguished enough to deserve being personally cared for by Senior Sister Yue.

But Senior Sister Yue had said that Little Xiyue was with him. Given his current condition, he definitely wouldn’t be able to take good care of Little Xiyue. Only by staying here herself could she be at ease.

"Besides, when I was Scattering and Rebuilding my cultivation, you cooked for me every day, Junior Brother. Now that you’re injured, isn’t it only natural for me to stay and cook for you for a while?"

"In any case, it won’t affect my Cultivation. It’s just a change of scenery for my training."

Hearing this, Xu Ran was stunned. He stared at Yue Qingyu incredulously and asked, "Senior Sister, what did you say? You’re going to cook for me?"

Yue Qingyu nodded lightly. "Junior Brother, in your current state, not eating or drinking would seriously affect your recovery. Since I said I’d stay and take care of you, I naturally have to make you something to eat."

Xu Ran’s eyes widened. ’Senior Sister Yue... cooking?’

He found it hard to imagine that a Fairy like Senior Sister Yue, who seemed so otherworldly and transcendent, would actually know how to cook.

After hearing her words, he truly couldn’t contain his curiosity. He wanted to taste what his Senior Sister’s cooking was like.

’No ulterior motives, just pure curiosity.’

So, he immediately took back the words of refusal he was about to say and quickly changed his tune.

"In that case, I’ll have to trouble you, Senior Sister."

Seeing his strong reaction, Yue Qingyu instantly sensed his thoughts and said with a light smile, "Are you surprised that I know how to cook, Junior Brother?"

His thoughts exposed, Xu Ran’s expression stiffened slightly before he nodded and replied, "I am quite curious, yes."

Seeing this, Yue Qingyu said with a calm expression, "There’s nothing strange about it. If a Cultivator doesn’t even possess basic life skills, how are they supposed to survive when they’re out in the world alone?"

"In the early days of my Cultivation, I often went out alone to carry out missions. I wasn’t yet able to practice Fasting back then, so I always had to build my own fires and cook for myself."

Xu Ran was slightly taken aback. ’On second thought, that makes sense. Senior Sister Yue also started out as a mortal, so it really isn’t strange that she knows how to cook.’

Still, the logic of it aside, he definitely wouldn’t believe anyone who claimed they didn’t want to try Senior Sister Yue’s cooking.