The two sat at an open-air terrace of Wangshu Inn, the view vast and the breeze gentle.
Yi Chen waved his hand grandly and ordered a table full of signature dishes. The aroma instantly filled the air.
"Come on, Senior Sister! Don't be shy—eat as much as you like! This meal's on your junior brother!"
He thumped his chest proudly, then immediately popped a golden shrimp ball into his mouth, eyes squinting in bliss.
Shenhe looked at the exquisite spread, her expression unchanged. She picked up her chopsticks and sampled each dish politely, tasting carefully.
Then she put the chopsticks down.
Under Yi Chen's stunned gaze, she calmly pulled out another stalk of Qingxin from her pouch, about to eat it like a snack.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Yi Chen hurriedly swallowed and stared at her.
"Senior Sister, what are you doing?! There's all this good food and you go back to eating grass after one bite?!"
Shenhe explained calmly, "Mortal food carries heavy worldly qi. A light taste is sufficient to understand it. Eating too much breeds distracting thoughts, disrupting cultivation and offering no benefit in suppressing baleful aura."
Yi Chen: "???"
That was a thing?!
Looking at her earnest, matter-of-fact expression—and then at the pile of bones in front of himself—Yi Chen felt a headache coming on.
In the weird department, this Senior Sister might actually outclass him.
A stunning beauty sitting before a feast, expressionlessly chewing bitter Qingxin?
Absolutely unacceptable!
An insult to food!
And to his hospitality!
So—just before Shenhe could bring the Qingxin to her mouth—Yi Chen casually flicked his hand.
A playful gust of wind swept by like invisible fingers—
The Qingxin slipped from her grasp, spinning through the air in a graceful arc before disappearing.
Shenhe froze mid-motion, rare confusion flashing in her eyes as she looked at Yi Chen, clearly unsure why he'd done that.
Yi Chen immediately clasped his hands together, putting on an imploring, pitifully sincere expression.
"Senior Sister! Please! Do it for me, okay? You're sitting there eating grass while I'm stuffing my face—how can I eat in peace?! If my heart's unsettled, my cultivation might go astray—who knows, I might even develop a heart demon!"
He began spouting nonsense with a straight face, forcibly linking eating together with cultivation safety.
"So for your dear junior brother's mental health and immortal future, please—just this once—eat a proper meal with me, alright? I promise it won't disturb your mindset!"
His eyes sparkled with sincerity and pleading, making it hard to refuse.
Shenhe looked at his exaggerated expression, then at the steaming dishes he'd carefully ordered. After a moment of silence, she let out a nearly imperceptible sigh.
"…Alright."
She picked up a piece of almond tofu and tasted it slowly.
Hm… it did taste much better than Qingxin.
After eating their fill—and packing several signature dishes to go—the two rode the wind back to Mt. Aocang.
They arrived at the platform outside Cloud Retainer's cave abode.
Sure enough, Cloud Retainer was buried in a thick ancient tome, one wing holding a brush while the other dipped ink, muttering calculations under her breath. She hadn't noticed their return at all.
Yi Chen tiptoed over with the still-warm food box, peeked at the pages filled with wind-element diagrams and arcane runes, and instantly felt overwhelmed.
He quickly backed off and raised his voice cheerfully.
"Master! Take a break! Lunch is here!"
Startled, Cloud Retainer's wing jerked, leaving a crooked ink streak across the page.
She glared at the ruined manuscript, then looked up, ready to scold—only to see Yi Chen grinning and presenting a box radiating delicious aromas.
That rich, lively scent of mortal food—so different from her usual dew and immortal fruits—invaded her senses, making her swallow reflexively.
Then she noticed Shenhe beside him—still expressionless, but her aura noticeably gentler…
And was that a faint trace of oil at the corner of her lips?
Cloud Retainer's scolding died instantly. She scrutinized them suspiciously.
"Lunch? Where did this come from? Since when does Mt. Aocang have such kitchen fire qi?"
"Hehe, Senior Sister and I ate at Wangshu Inn! You've been busy preparing lessons, Master, so we brought some back for you!"
Yi Chen opened the box, revealing beautifully arranged almond tofu and mushroom meat rolls, steaming and fragrant.
Cloud Retainer instinctively straightened her face, putting on her stern masterly air.
"Cultivators must not indulge in worldly cravings—especially greasy mortal food. It brings no benefit to cultivation…"
Yet her eyes kept drifting to the food, especially the wobbly, tender almond tofu that looked very tempting.
Yi Chen ignored the lecture entirely, placing chopsticks into her ink-free wing.
"Master, hurry and try it! It's Wangshu Inn's specialty! Eat while it's hot! You need energy to prepare lessons!"
Cloud Retainer stared at the chopsticks in her wing, then at Yi Chen's earnest smile, then at Shenhe—who showed no objection and seemed… calmer than usual.
She stiffened for several seconds.
Finally, clearing her throat, she found a perfect excuse.
"…Ahem. Very well. Since this is your heartfelt offering, refusing would seem ungracious. I shall take this opportunity to evaluate how mortal cuisine affects your cultivation."
With that, she calmly picked up a piece of almond tofu—
And placed it into her mouth.
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