Crimson Flame

Ye Yun, unwilling to give up, searched the woods for a long time. Unfortunately, apart from a few birds startled out of their nests, there wasn't even a feather, let alone a Beggars' Chicken. In the end, Ye Yun could only walk dejectedly towards the dining hall, as the sun was setting and it was almost time for dinner.

Before he even reached the dining hall, Ye Yun smelled a refreshing aroma that instantly lifted his spirits.

"Xiaofan's cooking is getting better and better. But why does this smell feel so familiar?" With a head full of doubts, Ye Yun quickened his pace into the dining hall. The moment he stepped inside, his gaze was completely captivated by the few grayish lumps on the dining table.

"My Beggars' Chicken!" Disregarding Tian Buyi and Su Ru who were right there, Ye Yun rushed to the table and examined the mud-covered lumps. He finally confirmed that these were indeed the Beggars' Chickens that had been stolen from him.

"Master, where did these Beggars' Chickens come from?" Ye Yun clenched his fists, his face full of indignation as he asked Tian Buyi.

Tian Buyi was taken aback and said, "Daren brought them back from outside. So these are called Beggars' Chickens. Did you make them, Little Eight?"

Ye Yun gritted his teeth and shot Song Daren a glare before turning back to Tian Buyi and replying, "Master, these are indeed mine. I spent nearly an hour making them, and I didn't expect Senior Brother to steal them. Senior Brother, you chicken thief, you owe me my Beggars' Chicken."

Su Ru looked at Song Daren and asked, "Daren, is this true?"

"Reporting to Mistress, these Beggars' Chickens were indeed made by Junior Brother. However, Mistress, I am definitely not a chicken thief. I only saw that the chickens were cooked, and Junior Brother wasn't around. Fearing they would be overcooked, I brought them back. Besides, Junior Brother, aren't you making these for everyone to share? Don't be angry. Senior Brother apologizes to you here. Senior Brother shouldn't have taken the chickens without telling you first." Song Daren's words were very sincere, leaving Ye Yun with no room to argue. In the end, he could only let it go.

"Junior Brother, I didn't expect you could make this! Hurry and teach me how to eat it. Xiaofan is so clueless; Senior Brother brought these back a long time ago, and he still hasn't figured out how to eat them. I'm drooling just smelling them." Seeing that Ye Yun was finally no longer angry, Tian Ling'er squeezed next to him, urging him to teach them how to eat the dish.

"It's very simple. Although the mud crust is already cracked from the heat, there's still a layer of lotus leaves inside. Just break off the outer layer of mud and take out the wild chicken inside." As Ye Yun spoke, he reached out and flicked his finger at the Beggars' Chicken in front of him. The hard mud crust cracked and fell off with a crunching sound, quickly revealing the Beggars' Chicken wrapped in lotus leaves. Seeing this, the others followed suit, quickly peeling off the outer mud crust and cleaning it away. The dining hall was soon filled with a rich aroma.

Out of the six Beggars' Chickens, Tian Buyi enjoyed one all to himself. The rest were shared by two people per chicken. Tian Ling'er shared one with her mother, Su Ru. The remaining eight people were arranged in order from oldest to youngest. However, what angered Ye Yun the most was that after Tian Ling'er finished her portion, she actually traded a bitten chicken wing for his chicken leg. But everyone present knew that his anger was just an act, as his slightly upturned lips had already betrayed his true feelings.

The next morning, Ye Yun woke up early and ran a lap along the path to the bamboo forest in the back mountains before returning to the dining hall. Since he didn't have any body-refining techniques, he could only use this method to train his body a little.

After breakfast, Tian Ling'er mysteriously asked Ye Yun to wait at the place where they practiced yesterday and then ran off, leaving Ye Yun full of questions. However, since Tian Ling'er didn't say anything, there must have been a reason for her silence. After taking the bowl of mung bean porridge, which he had asked Zhang Xiaofan to help make yesterday, back to his room and putting it in the refrigerator, Ye Yun slowly walked towards the back mountains. It's worth mentioning that Zhang Xiaofan, spurred on by Ye Yun over the years, had been cultivating diligently except during meal times, and the results were remarkable. He was now close to breaking through to the third level.

When Ye Yun arrived at his usual training spot, Tian Ling'er hadn't arrived yet, so he found some shade to wait. With a casual glance, he saw that a bamboo tree not far away was covered in bamboo seeds. This discovery filled Ye Yun with regret.

"I should have thought of this earlier. Great Bamboo Peak spans who knows how many miles, especially the back mountains, which are rolling hills consisting mostly of bamboo forests. These bamboos have been growing for who knows how many years, and there must be many over a hundred years old. After a hundred years, bamboo flowers and bears fruit. Bamboo seeds are a rare and valuable commodity. Books say that a phoenix will not perch on any tree but a Wutong, nor will it eat any grain but bamboo seeds, which shows that bamboo seeds are indeed a good thing. I've lived here for so long and never discovered this."

Just as Ye Yun was regretting this, a clear voice interrupted him.

"Xiaoyun, what are you muttering about? Catch! I'm going to have a good fight with you today."

Hearing the voice, Ye Yun quickly turned around. The moment he turned, he saw a sword about three feet long, with a reddish-yellow hue, flying towards him. After fumbling to catch it, his jaw almost dropped to the ground because this sword was very famous in the Qingyun Sect, especially at Great Bamboo Peak. It was known to everyone. Its name was "Crimson Flame," the personal sword of his master, Tian Buyi.

Ye Yun looked at the reddish-yellow sword in his hand and said in shock, "Senior Sister, how did you steal Master's personal sword?"

Tian Ling'er covered Ye Yun's mouth and whispered, "Keep your voice down, don't let Father hear. I took Crimson Flame while Father was taking his afternoon nap. Who told him to be so stingy and refuse to give me a magic treasure? We're just borrowing his sword to use. We'll put it back when we're done. It's no big deal. Okay, let's begin."

"This, alright." Ye Yun hesitated for only a moment before agreeing. He suddenly realized that Crimson Flame was Tian Buyi's exclusive sword, which he rarely took off. Without his permission, Tian Ling'er wouldn't have been able to get it. This meant that the sword was intentionally placed in his hands by Tian Buyi. After all, at the level of Amber Zhu Ling, only his Crimson Flame and Su Ru's Ink Snow could compare.

After understanding this, Ye Yun no longer had any reservations. He initiated the sword art and began to spar with Tian Ling'er. However, Crimson Flame was Tian Buyi's personal sword and had long been connected to his master's will. Furthermore, Ye Yun's own cultivation was only at the seventh level of Jade Purity, not enough to fully unleash Crimson Flame's power. Therefore, although his strength was slightly superior to Tian Ling'er's, the actual power displayed was almost equal. However, if the fight reached a stalemate, he would definitely win, as his magic power was much more profound than Tian Ling'er's.

The two sparred enthusiastically for the entire morning, only stopping at lunchtime. They returned Crimson Flame, and during lunch, Ye Yun saw that Tian Buyi acted as if nothing had happened, confirming his guess.

After that, Tian Ling'er and Ye Yun sparred punctually every morning. However, as Ye Yun became more familiar with Crimson Flame, the gap gradually widened. In ten bouts, Ye Yun won five or six times, and this was even with his luck. After continuing for another half a year, their sparring sessions stopped. This was because they had become so familiar with each other's moves and habits that they knew what the other was going to do the moment they made a move. Such sparring had lost its meaning.