"Since you're already here, why not stay for a meal before you leave?"

Chu Xingchen didn't say much more. He was grateful for the help, which was certainly better than wandering around aimlessly with spirit stones.

Those spirit stones took up space in the spatial ring.

"No need..." Yaoqin instinctively began to refuse but stopped abruptly, as the next words were unexpected.

"I'll cook today," Chu Xingchen continued, then paused and looked at Yaoqin, "No need for what?"

Yaoqin quickly changed her words, "No need to cook too much."

Although Yaoqin had long reached the Core Formation Stage and practiced breatharianism, only consuming the tea provided by the sect for a while, she couldn't help but be moved by the thought of Chu Xingchen cooking personally.

A man of such literary talent and gentlemanly demeanor cooking for you personally.

Not to mention, in Yaoqin's eyes, Chu Xingchen always had an added aura.

Chu Xingchen nodded in agreement, "Alright, but there's not much left in the kitchen. Yingling, take your junior brother and buy some things you like to eat."

"Got it, Master," Li Yingling agreed decisively. It had been a long time since she had her master's spicy rabbit dish.

This time, she was determined to buy two rabbits for her master to make the dish!

Buying groceries meant having the right to decide what the chef would cook, and Li Yingling naturally enjoyed this task.

After watching his two disciples head out to buy groceries, Chu Xingchen turned around and pointed to the tea Li Yingling had brewed.

"Would you like some tea while we wait?"

Yaoqin gladly agreed, "Sure."

Chu Xingchen picked up a new cup and poured Yaoqin some tea.

"How have you been lately? You seem a bit tired. Don't overwork yourself."

Yaoqin was taken aback by his words and quickly lowered her head. She hadn't been resting well lately, having been engrossed in studying the Blood Qi Spirit Stone.

Could it be that her face looked haggard?

Chu Xingchen seemed to read her thoughts and continued, "But you seem less cold now, more approachable. You used to feel distant."

"Remember the first time I went to Bamboo-Jade Courtyard to hear you play? I couldn't even catch a glimpse of you."

Yaoqin took a sip of tea. It wasn't particularly good, but it had a gentle taste.

"You thought Bamboo-Jade Courtyard was a brothel? Not many people can match the couplets at the entrance. Being able to listen to a piece in the hall is already quite something."

Chu Xingchen nodded in agreement, "Indeed... I spent half a month matching those couplets just to catch a glimpse of you through the window."

"Suddenly looking back, that person was there in the dim light," Yaoqin's expression remained unchanged, "I thought you were a talented scholar with ambitions, but after talking, I realized you were just a rogue."

Chu Xingchen asked curiously, "Then why did you meet me again?"

"I just happened not to dislike rogues," Yaoqin looked down at her teacup, watching a tea leaf slowly spin in the center.

She looked up again, her gaze meeting Chu Xingchen's as she asked, "I sense your spiritual energy is pure and strong, at least at the mid to late Core Formation Stage. A year ago, you were only at the peak of Foundation Establishment. You haven't turned to evil cultivation, so why have you progressed so quickly? Were you deceiving me before?"

Generally, cultivators wouldn't ask why someone else's cultivation level had advanced rapidly. It was considered a very intrusive question.

After all, it could be due to a great opportunity or the result of accumulated cultivation technique practice.

The former might attract unwanted attention, while the latter could expose one's weaknesses.

So, in the cultivation world, it was an unspoken rule not to inquire about others' rapid progress in cultivation.

Chu Xingchen sighed slightly, "Let's just say it was an opportunity... I don't know how to explain it. A year ago, I was indeed only at the peak of Foundation Establishment."

Yaoqin didn't press further, simply nodding gently.

The main question had been asked.

Chu Xingchen chatted casually with Yaoqin about various topics, discussing where he had been over the past year.

By the time Li Yingling returned with the groceries, quite some time had passed.

Chu Xingchen asked Li Yingling to entertain Yaoqin for a while as he took the groceries to the kitchen.

Li Yingling had bought quite a lot, including many of her favorite foods.

Chu Xingchen casually picked some ingredients and prepared a few dishes.

In this world, the pursuit of food wasn't particularly high.

After all, once reaching Foundation Establishment, one could practice breatharianism, and those in power were all cultivators.

Thus, the pursuit of food wasn't a priority.

This led to the culinary standards of this world being quite low.

Which made Chu Xingchen's cooking skills stand out.

In any case, it was enough to impress Yaoqin.

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Seeing Yaoqin's shocked expression after tasting a piece of sweet and sour pork, Chu Xingchen knew his culinary skills were enough to win her over.

Originally, Yaoqin's dining etiquette was quite refined, but after seeing Li Yingling's eagerness to clean the plate, she couldn't help but speed up her own pace.

Though her eating remained elegant, her chopstick movements noticeably quickened.

Yaoqin seemed to have a habit of chewing slowly, which sometimes made her cheeks puff up like a hamster, creating an adorable contrast to her cold demeanor.

Li Xingtian wasn't particular about food, being someone Li Yingling described as able to drink chicken bathwater without changing his expression.

So, he was just there for company, occasionally taking a bite or two for participation's sake.

Chu Xingchen would occasionally compete with his senior disciple for some food, watching Li Yingling's reluctant expression, but she would always give in to him in the end.

Overall, the meal was relaxed and pleasant.

Yaoqin's biggest concern didn't materialize. The handsome young man before her was just as she had first known him.

He hadn't been overwhelmed by the malice of the cultivation world, still shining with his unique light.

Everyone knew that being a rogue cultivator was the hardest path. When she first met him, he was quite down and out, yet he always maintained his principles, which was rare.

However, now he might not be considered a rogue cultivator anymore.

He was now a Sect Master, with a late Core Formation Stage cultivation level, enough to establish a sect in this small place.

And his sect was so small that, including the Sect Master, there were only three people.

A sect where the Sect Master would compete with his senior disciple for food, small but warm.

After the meal, Yaoqin didn't linger and bid farewell to Chu Xingchen.

After all, it was already dark, and staying longer would mean staying overnight...

——————

As soon as Yaoqin returned to her room, she heard her maid's slightly anxious voice:

"Miss, you're finally back."

Yaoqin removed her outer garment, "What could happen to me in a place like Yuzhou City?"

Little Ling pouted slightly, worried about what could happen?

Of course, worried that you'd be deceived by that young man!

But Little Ling naturally wouldn't say that out loud. Instead, she brought up another matter:

"Miss Zhao is here again, she's been waiting for you for almost two hours."