Chicken Leg

You Su's room was sparsely furnished: a bed, a table, and a cabinet, with nothing else besides.

The youth turned the Evil Warding Token over in his hands as he sat blankly at the table. Before him sat not only a bowl of medicinal broth, but also a flower basket full of petals. The rich fragrance of chrysanthemums filled the empty room. So Junior Sister had still swept the floor for him.

"Those people you know so well may no longer be who they once were."

True Man Ling's warning still rang in his ears.

All I had to do was inject a little Mystic Qi to learn the answer. So why did I put it down?

The world he had known for eighteen years had been turned upside down in an instant. Anyone would have been at a loss, let alone a blind man.

If he could not figure something out, he would simply stop thinking about it. You Su had already made his own decision the moment he accepted the jade pendant.

You Su put away the jade pendant, pursed his lips, and drank the medicinal broth. He still had a day's lessons to attend to.

Though they were called lessons, they actually included a great deal of simple yet tedious housework.

The old well in the Sect Residence had long since dried up. Every morning, the first thing he did was fetch two buckets of water from the new well outside the sect and leave them in the kitchen. Then he would stay there and chop firewood for a while.

When he accidentally touched a soup bowl that was not in its usual place, You Su felt around it and found, to his surprise, that it was clean. He felt greatly comforted.

Junior Sister liked to stay up late and would usually sleep until the afternoon, so she did not eat lunch. When hunger struck in the middle of the night, she would often cook herself some noodles, then leave behind a dirty bowl for You Su to wash. His attempts to persuade her had come to nothing, and worried that the girl was not getting enough nutrition, he could only make more dishes for dinner so she could have them as a late-night snack.

Mistress, on the other hand, had not eaten a single meal he cooked in eight years. To achieve Grain Avoidance—what realm did one need to reach for that? But had Mistress not always said that she possessed no cultivation?

After chopping the firewood, You Su went to the stream to wash clothes. Summers were hot and stifling, so clothes had to be changed often. As he scrubbed them, You Su thought, When will I finally stop fearing heat and cold? Looking at it this way, the Spirit Platform Realm, supposedly the true entry into the immortal path, is really nothing at all.

There were only a few garments, and You Su finished washing them quickly. He would have been happy to wash Junior Sister's clothes together with his own, but every time, she would viciously tell him to get lost.

"Please trust Senior Brother's character. I would never use Junior Sister's clothes for anything improper," You Su would say with utmost seriousness every time.

"Trust my ass!" Junior Sister would stomp her feet in fury every time.

Teasing Junior Sister always brought him joy in both body and soul, but now that he thought back on it, the morning's dream was like a gloomy cloud hanging over his heart and refusing to disperse. No matter what, You Su could not bring himself to smile.

After hanging the clothes out to dry, You Su returned to his room and began meditating as he silently recited the cultivation method.

The Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang Union Cultivation Method.

Setting aside its suggestive name, this truly was a profound and vast cultivation method.

The method was divided into three scrolls: Heaven, Earth, and Human. The Heaven Scroll concerned quiet cultivation, centered on sitting in stillness to nurture qi. It divided the human body into heaven, earth, yin, yang, and the five elements, guiding the Mystic Qi of heaven and earth to nourish oneself. It accumulated through circulation along the spiritual veins, ultimately cleansing the marrow and transforming the meridians.

The Earth Scroll recorded many heavenly treasures rich in Mystic Qi, as well as the corresponding ways to consume or use them, allowing one to shed one's mortal form and exchange one's bones.

The Human Scroll was thicker than the other two combined. It recorded things such as "Chamber Arts," treating men and women as individual embodiments of yin and yang. Through the union of man and woman, it aided the circulation of Mystic Qi, ultimately reaching a state where all things flowed in harmony.

You Su could not read, so from a young age, he had committed all three scrolls of the cultivation method to memory. Junior Sister naturally possessed the same method, though hers was a censored version narrated by You Su.

After concentrating on breathing exercises for two hours, You Su went to the kitchen and simply prepared himself lunch. The afternoon sun was blazing, so he took a nap.

Once the temperature had dropped somewhat, You Su practiced swordsmanship beneath the loquat tree in the courtyard, wielding a Wooden Sword. Thrust and retract, block and slash—when he swung his sword, he could focus completely, with no stray thoughts in his mind. This was the time of day You Su enjoyed most.

It was as if he had forgotten the bizarre dream, forgotten Junior Sister and Mistress, forgotten the evil entities and True Man Ling. He simply focused on honing his strongest sword technique again and again. He had a feeling it would soon come in handy.

Before he knew it, evening had arrived. Too lazy to cook, You Su went out and bought three dishes from the little restaurant he often visited. In truth, he was quite wealthy.

His main source of income was selling stories from that other world in his memories. He would tell them to Junior Sister, who would write them down and sell them to the bookstore owner, after which they split the earnings fifty-fifty. The owner said his books sold very well and had already been distributed to other towns, though there was always an amused undertone in his voice. You Su felt a little ashamed, but making money was nothing to be embarrassed about.

When he returned, Junior Sister was still asleep. When he called for her, she merely told him to eat first. It seemed picking flowers yesterday had exhausted her. After dinner, You Su practiced his sword for a while longer, then washed up.

Bathing usually left one refreshed, but he felt somewhat oppressed at the moment. It was like in his previous life, when an important exam awaited the next day: no matter how much you tried to calm your mind today, that faint sense of impending danger would still linger at the tip of your heart, leaving you unable to truly relax.

Listening to the unceasing cicadas outside his window, he sat on his bed in quiet thought. He sighed at how quickly the day had passed. If only every day could remain this plain and peaceful—but that was no longer possible.

He could feel it. This tiny sword sect had already fallen into an invisible vortex, like a world slowly eroded away by the soundless night outside.

"You Su, I'm coming in!" A girl's clear, lively voice suddenly came from outside.

Before You Su could grant permission, the girl had already pushed open the door with a food box in hand. She sat down at the table on her own and laid out the dishes.

"Why are you eating in my room?"

"What's wrong with that? It's not like I haven't come here before." Ji Lingruo looked perfectly justified. As she picked up some food, she said, "Didn't I tell you this morning? The thirty silver for forging your sword was an advance I got from the bookstore owner. If you don't hurry up and tell me about that Lady White of yours, how am I supposed to settle accounts?"

"It can wait until tomorrow night, can't it?" You Su only wanted some peace and quiet.

"Hehe, this iron rooster bought my favorite chestnut chicken today. Of course it tastes best when I eat it while listening to a story." Ji Lingruo's eyes and brows shone brightly as she giggled and picked up a chestnut. When she smiled, the corners of her mouth curved like a tranquil crescent moon.

You Su softened.

No matter how stern he was when teaching her swordsmanship, he doted on this Junior Sister deeply. After he returned the jade tomorrow, would he still have another chance to tell her stories?

Then he would finish telling her Lady White...

You Su began to narrate in a smooth, unhurried voice. When he reached the part where Fahai failed to secretly accuse Xu Xian and instead detained him, Ji Lingruo became so furious that flames seemed to burst from her head. Later, when Fahai lured Lady White into coming to rescue him, then imprisoned Lady White beneath Leifeng Pagoda, she nearly slammed down her chopsticks. Only when she heard that Xiao Qing ultimately succeeded in cultivation, defeated Fahai, and reunited Xu Xian's family did Ji Lingruo's face finally light up with joy.

The girl was immersed in the story, savoring it endlessly. Only when she came back to herself did she realize they had barely touched the dishes. What was more, despite there already being plenty of food, two chicken legs still remained on the platter. She knew that foolish Senior Brother had deliberately saved them for her again. Her heart warmed, and she picked up one of them before walking over to You Su.

"Here, a chicken leg. It's your reward." Ji Lingruo was a little bashful as she brought the chopsticks to You Su's lips. "Don't save them for me in the future. What, do I lack a chicken leg?"

"But..."

"No buts! You Su! Are you looking down on the thing I'm rewarding you with?" The girl was thin-skinned. Now that she had made up her mind to show him kindness, how could she allow him to refuse?

But those are chopsticks you've already used, my foolish Junior Sister...

You Su sighed inwardly, yet obediently prepared to open his mouth.

Wait!

I feel like I've heard that sentence somewhere before!

A sudden feeling struck You Su. He lifted his head, and his pupils instantly dilated!

This was no chicken leg! It was clearly that disgusting lump of rotten flesh from his dream!