Chapter 99: Wang Changxue's Little Thoughts

The beast tide in Xianyuan City erupted because Liu Yuerong and two others had killed the Skyfire Tiger's mate and cubs. Liu Yuerong and Nangong Chen narrowly escaped, but Wu Tianhu tragically died in the Skyfire Tiger's jaws.

The Skyfire Tiger's lair contained a small spirit stone vein, which was considered an atonement for the incident. Outsiders were unaware of this. Nangong Chen, for his unauthorized entry into the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range, was severely reprimanded by his elders and placed in confinement.

As soon as he regained his freedom, he immediately went to look for Liu Yuerong. However, she wasn't in her cave dwelling. He inquired among his fellow disciples and learned that Liu Yuerong was in the Guest Hall.

Without further thought, he headed directly to the Guest Hall.

Seeing Wang Changsheng, an unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivator, Nangong Chen frowned. His eyes lit up when he saw Zhao Ningxiang.

Nangong Chen forced a smile and said somewhat ingratiatingly, "Junior Sister Liu, who is this fellow Daoist? I've never seen him before. And who is this junior niece...?"

Liu Yuerong calmly replied, "This Fellow Daoist Wang is Junior Niece Zhao's cousin. Fellow Daoist Wang came specifically to visit Junior Niece Zhao. Why are you out so soon? Didn't your father intend to confine you for ten years?"

Because of Wu Tianhu's death, Liu Hongguang had confined Liu Yuerong. However, as she was his only daughter, she was released after only five years.

"My mother pleaded with my father, and that's why he let me out. I've been confined for eight years; it's high time I was released. Fellow Daoist Wang came to visit Junior Niece Zhao, but why are you here, Junior Sister Liu? I heard from Junior Sister Guan that you frequently visit the Guest Hall. It couldn't be because of Fellow Daoist Wang, could it?"

By the end of his sentence, a hint of hostility appeared in Nangong Chen's gaze towards Wang Changsheng.

Liu Yuerong's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she explained, "Fellow Daoist Wang is a new friend I've made. Please don't misunderstand."

"Fellow Daoist Nangong has misunderstood. I merely possess a slight understanding of puppet arts and was offering some guidance to Immortal Liu."

Wang Changsheng chimed in, agreeing. Nangong Chen had reached Foundation Establishment at such a young age, indicating either an extraordinary background or exceptional talent. He didn't want to offend Nangong Chen, as it would be troublesome if Nangong Chen became a high-ranking official in Medicine King Valley in the future.

Zhao Ningxiang smiled sweetly and echoed, "That's right! Cousin Changsheng was just guiding Uncle Liu in refining puppet beasts. Uncle Nangong, please don't misunderstand."

Wang Changsheng clasped his fists at Liu Yuerong and said, "Immortal Liu, Fellow Daoist Nangong, I have urgent matters to attend to, so I shall not impose any longer. Farewell."

"Cousin Ningxiang, I'm leaving now. Take good care of yourself. I'll come visit you again when I have time."

"Fellow Daoist Wang, I'll see you off."

Liu Yuerong personally escorted Wang Changsheng out of the Guest Hall and watched him ride away on his Azure-Scaled Horse.

Nangong Chen looked at Liu Yuerong, smiling, and said, "Junior Sister Liu, I'm hosting a banquet at my residence tonight to celebrate my regained freedom. Junior Sister Guan and the others will be there. You should come too! The more people, the merrier."

Liu Yuerong shook her head and replied, "No, thank you. I'm feeling a bit unwell, so I won't go. Have a good time yourselves. Come on, Junior Niece Zhao, let's head back to the sect!"

She patted the spirit beast pouch at her waist, and a streak of red light flew out. The red light was, in fact, a giant crane, entirely red. The red crane crouched down.

Liu Yuerong was the first to leap onto its back, followed closely by Zhao Ningxiang.

Nangong Chen's eyes darted, and his lips moved slightly.

Zhao Ningxiang turned her head and nodded shyly.

The red giant crane let out a clear cry, flapped its wings, and carried Liu Yuerong and Zhao Ningxiang high into the sky, disappearing into the depths of the Medicine King Mountain Range shortly after.

---

Wei State, White Dragon Valley.

Early morning, just as dawn broke, there were still few pedestrians on the streets.

Hundred Spirits Pavilion, kitchen.

Over a dozen cultivators were busy, some chopping vegetables, others stoking fires, each performing their assigned duties.

"Zhao Yi, Liu Hao, quickly steam the buns. Lin Ming, check if the spiritual date porridge is ready. Chen Feng, are the stews done? We'll be opening for business soon, so don't dawdle. Be quick about it."

Wang Changxue slowly walked past the others, directing them in their tasks.

She had been working at the Hundred Spirits Pavilion for almost eight years, and her monthly salary had increased from three spirit stones to thirty.

She started as a pastry apprentice, but she was very diligent, not afraid of hardship or fatigue, and always eager to take on any dirty or tiring work.

During festivals and holidays, she would prepare gifts and visit the two pastry chefs and several spiritual chefs in the kitchen. Even though the gifts were small, the sentiment was profound.

Over five years, she impressed the pastry chefs and spiritual chefs. The pastry chefs taught her how to make pastries, and the spiritual chefs taught her how to stir-fry dishes.

Of course, the pastry chefs and spiritual chefs only taught her basic skills and did not impart all their knowledge.

Back at her residence, she would buy ingredients herself to cook or make pastries, and if she encountered anything she didn't understand, she would consult the pastry chefs and spiritual chefs.

After three years of study, Wang Changxue's culinary skills greatly improved. She used her own spirit stones to develop new dishes and pastries, becoming the Hundred Spirits Pavilion's only female spiritual chef.

With her proficiency in cooking and pastry making, combined with her pleasant features, many cultivators sought to pursue Wang Changxue.

Wang Changxue rejected them all. She clearly understood that these individuals valued her abilities, and many restaurants offered high salaries to hire her, but she declined them all.

With her culinary skills, opening a small shop herself would be no problem, but her main consideration was reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

In the first few years, Wang Mingzhi visited her several times. Seeing that she could support herself, Wang Mingzhi was greatly relieved.

Although Lin Yuting was married, after the Lin family gained the backing of a Core Formation True Monarch, another clan member reached Foundation Establishment. They also expanded their network, formed many marital alliances, and absorbed numerous rogue cultivators, steadily increasing their strength.

Under these circumstances, her return to the family seemed increasingly distant.

With her abilities, supporting herself was certainly not an issue, but to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage, joining a cultivation sect was the best choice.

She had already inquired and learned that every ten years, the Five Sects of Wei State would widely open their gates for recruitment. Among them, the Hundred Spirits Sect had different admission criteria: cultivators skilled in cooking or pastry making could join the sect if they passed the assessment.

The Hundred Spirits Sect was famous in Wei State for its cultivation techniques related to planting. Its disciples excelled in cooking and making pastries, with over eighty percent of Wei State's spiritual chefs and pastry chefs originating from the Hundred Spirits Sect.

The Hundred Spirits Sect was one of the Five Sects of Wei State. Its disciples rarely consumed elixirs; instead, they advanced their cultivation by eating meals and pastries made from spiritual ingredients. It was rumored that the sect's foundational cultivation method, the Hundred Spirits Grand Technique, involved cultivating through food, enhancing one's cultivation by consuming various spiritual dishes and items. Although most of its disciples specialized in cooking and making pastries, no one dared to underestimate the disciples of the Hundred Spirits Sect.

Its sect master, Guangdong Ren, was a formidable figure who had personally slain a third-tier flood dragon. It was rumored in the cultivation world that there was nothing Guangdong Ren wouldn't dare to eat.

Liu Hong, the manager of the Hundred Spirits Pavilion, was a disciple of the Hundred Spirits Sect. Wang Changxue stayed at the Hundred Spirits Pavilion, naturally hoping to use Liu Hong's connections to join the Hundred Spirits Sect.

Fifteen minutes later, the Hundred Spirits Pavilion opened for business, and a large number of diners entered to eat.

Wang Changxue was so busy that she didn't even have time for a sip of water, cooking over a dozen dishes consecutively.

At Shenshi (3-5 PM), another spiritual chef came to relieve Wang Changxue, and she could return to rest.

After leaving the Hundred Spirits Pavilion, Wang Changxue went to a tea shop and bought a can of second-tier tea. She then arrived at the entrance of a secluded small courtyard and threw a sound transmission talisman.

Not long after, the courtyard gate opened, and a stout, middle-aged woman emerged.

"Oh, Changxue, it's you! Come in!" The middle-aged woman was not surprised to see Wang Changxue. She invited her into the courtyard, where they sat down in a stone pavilion.

"Manager, thank you for your care over the years. This is some freshly roasted Phoenix Cry Red Robe tea from this year. It's a small token of my appreciation; I hope you don't mind."

Wang Changxue took out an exquisite red tea caddy and handed it to Liu Hong.

Liu Hong was slightly surprised. She took the tea caddy, placed it on the stone table, and said, "Phoenix Cry Red Robe is a second-tier spiritual tea. Its tea trees can only be harvested after a hundred years, and one tree yields only five or six jin of processed tea. This caddy must be worth at least three hundred spirit stones! I cannot accept this gift without reason. Please tell me what's on your mind."

"Actually, it's nothing major. I heard that the Five Sects of Wei State are about to recruit disciples. I've always loved cooking, and I've heard that the Hundred Spirits Sect has many spiritual chefs. Changxue wishes to join the Hundred Spirits Sect. I wonder if you, Manager, could provide a recommendation? If I succeed, Changxue will surely offer a generous reward."

As she spoke, Wang Changxue stood up and bowed to Liu Hong.

Liu Hong pondered for a moment before saying, "Your culinary skills are decent, and you're capable of enduring hardship. However, to join our sect, your aptitude cannot be too poor, and your background must be clean. By the way, where are you from? If your background is clear, I can indeed recommend you, but whether you can join our sect will depend on your luck."

Wang Changxue had no intention of concealing anything. Any sect would inquire about a disciple's background, and she had heard they even used secret arts or magical artifacts for lie detection.

"I am from the Wang family of Qinglian Mountain in Ningzhou, Song State. Due to certain special circumstances, I had to leave Song State and make a living in White Dragon Valley. I..."

"What? Song State? You're from Song State?"

Liu Hong's expression changed slightly, and she exclaimed in surprise.

She had assumed Wang Changxue was from Wei State, as it was unlikely for a Qi Refining cultivator to travel from Song State to Wei State just to make a living.

"Yes, Manager. Is something amiss?"

Seeing Liu Hong's reaction, Wang Changxue felt a little uneasy.

Liu Hong's expression softened, and a friendly smile appeared on her face as she said, "No, nothing. I just didn't expect a cultivator from Song State to travel all this way to Wei State to make a living. The one responsible for recruiting disciples in our sect is Martial Uncle Su. I can recommend you, but before that, you must explain in detail why you came to Wei State to seek a living. Don't think about trying to deceive your way through. When it comes to entry knowledge, Martial Uncle Su will use secret arts for lie detection. If you lie, you might be treated as a spy from another sect."

Upon hearing this, Wang Changxue's heart tightened. After a moment of hesitation, she began, "I was originally..."

After listening to Wang Changxue's account, Liu Hong nodded with satisfaction and said, "Alright, it seems your background is fine. When Martial Uncle Su arrives in a few days, I will introduce you. You may return to rest now."

Wang Changxue assented and left, feeling a mix of apprehension and hope.

She still felt somewhat uneasy. Liu Hong seemed pleased to learn that she was from a cultivation family in Song State.

She thought carefully, the Wang family was just a small family, with nothing that the Hundred Spirits Sect would covet.

Seeing Liu Hong's reaction, Wang Changxue felt a faint unease. She had initially thought of leaving White Dragon Valley, but then she reconsidered: leaving now would only suggest she had something to hide.

She decided to stay. As long as she acted uprightly, the Hundred Spirits Sect would not harm a weak woman like her.

With this realization, Wang Changxue felt much more at ease and walked towards her residence.