Kitchen Conflict

Chunyang Palace looked calm on the surface, but its waters ran deep. The disciples' scheming and infighting had little to do with White Snake, though. She was only a gatekeeping snake. Jianghu was humanity's Jianghu; as long as she ate well and slept well, that was enough.

In truth, White Snake's hopes were lovely but unrealistic. How could a snake living among people remain detached from humanity's Jianghu? Many things were beyond one's control. Even if White Snake wished to stay uninvolved, humans would still drag her into the whirlpool...

Mealtime.

White Snake swayed her way straight to the dining hall. The cooks had probably already prepared meat for her. The quality was average, but there was enough to fill her belly, and that pleased the snake.

Upon reaching the dining hall, she familiarly slipped into the back and enjoyed a basin of meat by herself.

In the front hall, the disciples who had just been chatting and laughing suddenly fell silent. At the entrance, Lian Tianxing walked into the dining hall with an ugly expression. No one dared so much as breathe loudly, afraid of offending the foul-faced Lian Tianxing.

The reason for his bad mood was that he had once again lost to Eldest Senior Brother Chu Zhe in yesterday's sect competition. Nearly everyone in Chunyang Palace knew that the second senior brother and eldest senior brother were at odds. They had always competed over who was more outstanding, and evidently, Second Senior Brother Lian Tianxing had always come up short. In fact, the ordinary disciples preferred the gentle and refined Chu Zhe over the cold and heartless Lian Tianxing.

"Why are you standing around? Eat!"

Lian Tianxing roared. The disciples hurriedly lowered their heads and ate. For a time, the only sound in the dining hall was that of people eating.

Lian Tianxing, in a foul mood, had not come to eat but to vent his frustration. Seeing that the disciples in the dining hall were all well-behaved and giving him no fault to pick at, he simply headed for the back kitchen, intending to find some fault there and vent his anger. The fat head cook's face immediately turned bitter when he saw Lian Tianxing approaching. The cooks and servants were merely novice Qi Refinement cultivators with low cultivation and no future prospects. Lian Tianxing's cultivation was exceedingly high. On the mountain, seniority did not matter—only cultivation did. Those with higher cultivation were the masters, and the cooks could not afford to provoke him.

Lian Tianxing was a steward of the Law Enforcement Hall, known by the nickname King of Hell Star.

The fat head cook led the cooks and servants as they stood on tenterhooks, scarcely daring to breathe for fear of angering this master. Then Lian Tianxing suddenly raised his eyes and looked toward the rear courtyard...

White Snake, who had just swallowed a chunk of fatty meat, raised her head toward the dining hall. That scent was far too familiar. Wasn't it Lian Tianxing, the man who wore a jinxed-star face all day long? Looking at that posture, he might as well have had the words "I'm here to make trouble" written across his face.

What rotten luck. She barely got five or six meals a month, yet she had still run into this bastard coming to the dining hall to pick a fight.

Before she could flee, that icy King of Hell face appeared before her...

"Steward Zhang! How could you let a beast into the kitchen?!" Lian Tianxing roared.

"Ah... well... I..." The fat middle-aged cook's face was drenched in sweat. Steward sounded impressive, but he was really only a servant. If he angered a high-ranking disciple and got killed, it would simply be his bad luck.

White Snake reared upright and hissed a warning. She could not just stand by and watch. She could not let the fat head cook suffer because of her. She refused to believe that this coffin-faced man truly dared kill her.

Hiss!

"Beast, you're courting death!"

Lian Tianxing was a lunatic. White Snake had not believed it before, but when she saw him swing his palm at her, she realized that Lian Tianxing was truly very unlikable. She somewhat regretted provoking him just now...

With one palm strike, White Snake, merely a low-level snake demon, was sent flying.

Boom!

The over-nine-meter-long White Snake smashed through the kitchen doors and windows and crashed straight into the dining hall where the disciples were eating. She knocked over three tables in succession and crushed several disciples before finally coming to a stop!

She shook her head. Her head felt dizzy, and there was a bloody taste in her mouth. That bastard had given her internal injuries!

After attacking White Snake, Lian Tianxing also knew that he had gone a little too far and was having trouble saving face. After all, she was Martial Uncle Yu's pet snake. Martial Uncle Yu was gentle and indifferent, the most admired and respected person in the sect. She often guided his cultivation and treated him even better than his master did. Yet today, he had beaten her pet snake. He had truly gone too far.

Fuck! Unable to speak human words, White Snake cursed fiercely in her heart. Without caring that so many disciples were present, she rolled over and charged wildly at Lian Tianxing in the kitchen. It did not matter if she could not beat him, but she had to let him know she was the kind who would risk her life. At the very least, he would not dare truly strike to kill here.

The over-nine-meter-long serpent rampaged through the dining hall packed with tables, throwing everything into utter chaos.

Lian Tianxing, whose anger had somewhat subsided, instantly flew into a rage again when he saw White Snake turn the dining hall upside down. Blood rushed to his head as he drew his treasured sword and charged at White Snake.

Seeing Lian Tianxing draw his sword, White Snake cursed herself for being so stupid. Why had she provoked this lunatic? Wouldn't it have been better to run earlier? Without another word, she turned and burrowed into the clustered disciples, using them as shields.

"Wretched beast! Get out here! I'll flay you alive!"

Only an idiot would go out. White Snake deliberately burrowed wherever there were the most people. The dining hall's entrance was not large. Ordinarily, the disciples were polite and yielded to one another, so it did not become crowded. Now, however, it was a complete mess. They could neither run out nor hide, and they began cursing at the tops of their lungs. The whole dining hall had become like a marketplace.

Food flew everywhere while disciples jumped about in panic. The fat head cook and the others stared dumbfounded.

Lian Tianxing was squeezed by the many disciples and could not run quickly. He also did not dare wield his sword, for fear of injuring someone. Yet that hateful snake slithered close to the ground, weaving between table legs and human legs like a loach.

Just as the dining hall was in irreconcilable chaos, a silver-haired young man in Taiji Plaza not far away looked toward it.

His brows furrowed, and his figure vanished from where he stood in an instant. When he reappeared, he was already above the dining hall.

Looking down, he saw people constantly scrambling and crawling out through the small dining hall entrance. Disciples leaped out as doors and windows continually shattered. Inside, tables and chairs broke apart with crashing sounds, and bowls flew everywhere...

It could be said that since Chunyang Palace had been founded, it had never seen such a chaotic scene.

The newcomer was none other than Qi Yun of Purple Void Palace, one of the Chunyang Five.

Qi Yun valued laws and etiquette above all else. He was usually responsible for rectifying discipline and maintaining Chunyang Palace's defenses, and he could not tolerate even the slightest mistake. Seeing the scene before him, he was immediately so furious that flames seemed to burst from his head.

"Enough! Stop this at once!"

A furious shout echoed above Chunyang Palace as an awe-inspiring pressure descended. White Snake, who had been darting about with great enthusiasm, suddenly slammed flat onto the ground. The other disciples likewise sprawled gracelessly on the floor. Even Lian Tianxing could not escape it. Xu Ling, who had just run to the entrance intending to break up the fight, landed face-down on the ground with remarkable decisiveness.

Everyone fell silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to move.

Qi Yun's cultivation was profound. With a single glance, he roughly understood what had happened. He swept his eyes over White Snake, and that single look sent chills down her back. Fortunately, his gaze soon shifted to Lian Tianxing.

"Tianxing!"

"Martial Uncle Qi, listen to me... I just—" Before Lian Tianxing could finish.

"Silence!"

Qi Yun's furious roar cut him off. His face was dark as he glared angrily.

"As the second disciple of the Chunyang Palace master, you actually stooped to fighting with a beast! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Fool!"

Lian Tianxing knelt on the ground, not daring to say a word. White Snake, meanwhile, was still in the mood to lift her head and look at Qi Yun floating in midair. Someone had somehow made a huge hole in the dining hall roof, so she could see him clearly.

"Lian Tianxing, for causing trouble and disturbing the mountain gate's peace, I sentence you to face the wall in reflection at Repentance Cliff for three months. Do you accept?"

"This disciple obeys..."

Lian Tianxing kowtowed twice, took his leave, rose, and flew toward Repentance Cliff.

After dealing with Lian Tianxing, Qi Yun turned to White Snake. His brows twitched, frightening White Snake so badly that she did not even dare flick out her tongue. Who knew whether this man famed for his strictness might suddenly decide to stew snake soup?

"Xu Ling!"

Qi Yun turned toward Xu Ling, who was still lying on the ground.

"Ah? Oh, this disciple is here."

"White Snake, guardian of Qingxu Palace, knows no etiquette. I order you to take her back and discipline her strictly! White Snake is forbidden from coming to the dining hall to eat for three months!"

"Yes..."

Xu Ling could hardly believe that Martial Uncle Qi had actually spared White Snake. Since when had Martial Uncle Wei become so easy to talk to? Then again, as one of the Chunyang Five, he could not exactly lower himself to contend with a little snake demon.

"Disperse. Have the craftsmen repair the dining hall as quickly as possible." With a sweep of his sleeve, Qi Yun vanished from the air in an instant. White Snake was greatly envious of that Teleport.

In the distance, Lian Tianxing, who was flying toward Repentance Cliff, heard Qi Yun's punishment for White Snake. His face darkened, and he gritted his teeth before speeding away.

Xu Ling took out a Healing Pill and stuffed it into White Snake's mouth. After swallowing the pill, White Snake felt much better all over. It truly was one of those Spirit Pills and Elixirs. Without listening to Xu Ling's nagging at all, she swayed and slithered toward Qingxu Palace...

Then White Snake received Yu Rong's punishment.

Xu Ling laughed so hard she clutched her stomach, and even Yang Mu's icy face could not stop the corners of his mouth from twitching. Before the statue, White Snake held her head high and still, balancing a red candle atop it as Yu Rong punished her by making her a candlestick...