Crimson Flame

Ye Yun was unwilling to give up, so he searched the woods from end to end. Unfortunately, aside from a few birds startled from their nests, there was no sign of Beggars' Chicken—not even a single feather. In the end, he could only trudge dejectedly toward the dining hall. The sun was already close to setting, and it was nearly dinnertime.

He hadn't even reached the dining hall when a mouthwatering aroma reached him, lifting his spirits considerably.

"Xiao Fan's cooking keeps getting better and better. But why does this smell seem so familiar?" Full of questions, Ye Yun hurried into the dining hall. The moment he entered, his eyes were drawn to several gray, lumpy objects on the table.

"My Beggars' Chicken!" Ye Yun ignored the fact that Tian Buyi and Su Ru were right there and rushed to the table. He examined the lumps of clay closely, then confirmed that they were the very Beggars' Chickens that had been stolen from him.

"Master, where did these Beggars' Chickens come from?" Ye Yun clenched his fists and asked Tian Buyi, looking deeply aggrieved.

Tian Buyi paused, then said, "Daren brought them back from outside. So that's what they're called—Beggars' Chicken. Did you make them, Eighth?"

Ye Yun gritted his teeth and shot Song Daren a glare before turning back to Tian Buyi. "Master, I did make them. I spent nearly an hour preparing them, only for Eldest Senior Brother to steal them. You chicken thief! Pay me back for my Beggars' Chicken!"

Su Ru looked at Song Daren. "Daren, is that true?"

"Reporting to Shiniang, the Beggars' Chicken was indeed made by Little Junior Brother. But I absolutely didn't steal it. I saw that the chickens were cooked, and Little Junior Brother wasn't around. I was afraid they'd burn, so I brought them back. Besides, Little Junior Brother, weren't you making these for everyone to share? Don't be angry. Eldest Senior Brother apologizes. I shouldn't have brought them back without telling you first." Song Daren sounded so sincere that Ye Yun couldn't find anything to fault him for. In the end, he could only let it go.

"Junior Brother, I had no idea you knew how to make this! Hurry and teach me how to eat it. Xiao Fan's such a blockhead—Eldest Senior Brother brought these back ages ago, and he still hasn't figured out how we're supposed to eat them. The smell is driving me crazy!" Seeing that Ye Yun had finally stopped sulking, Tian Ling'er squeezed in beside him and urged him to show them how to eat the dish.

"It's easy. The clay shell has already cracked from the fire, but there's still a layer of lotus leaves around the chicken. Just knock off the outer clay and take out the pheasant inside." As he spoke, Ye Yun flicked a finger toward the Beggars' Chicken in front of him. With a series of crackling sounds, the hard clay shell broke apart and fell away, revealing the chicken wrapped in lotus leaves. The others followed his example, quickly peeling off the shells and clearing them away. Soon, the dining hall was filled with a rich aroma.

There were six Beggars' Chickens. Tian Buyi had one all to himself, while everyone else shared one between two people. Tian Ling'er shared one with her mother, Su Ru, and the remaining eight were paired off in order from oldest to youngest. What infuriated Ye Yun most was that after finishing her own portion, Tian Ling'er swapped one of her bitten chicken wings for his drumstick. Everyone there knew, though, that his outrage was only an act: the slight upward curl of his lips had already betrayed how he really felt.

The next morning, Ye Yun got up early and ran along the path to the bamboo grove behind the mountain before returning to the dining hall. He didn't have any body-tempering techniques, so this was the only way he could get a little exercise.

After breakfast, Tian Ling'er mysteriously told Ye Yun to wait at the place where they had practiced the day before, then ran off. He was left full of questions, but if she hadn't told him, she must have had her reasons. After carrying the bowl of mung bean porridge he'd asked Zhang Xiaofan to make the previous day back to his room and putting it in the refrigerator, Ye Yun leisurely made his way toward the back mountain. It was worth mentioning that, ever since Ye Yun had spurred Zhang Xiaofan on, the boy had spent nearly all his time cultivating, except when he was eating. His efforts had paid off, and he was now close to breaking through to the Third Layer.

When Ye Yun reached the place where he practiced, Tian Ling'er still hadn't arrived, so he found a shady spot beneath a tree to wait. By chance, he glanced over and spotted a bamboo stalk nearby laden with bamboo rice. The discovery filled Ye Yun with regret.

"I should have thought of this sooner. Great Bamboo Peak covers who knows how many miles, especially the back mountain, where rolling hills are covered almost entirely in bamboo. These stalks have been growing for who knows how many years. There must be plenty that are over a century old, and bamboo flowers and bears fruit after a hundred years. Bamboo rice is a rare delicacy! The books say that the phoenix nests only in paulownia trees and eats only bamboo fruit. That shows what a fine thing bamboo rice is. I've lived here so long and never noticed it."

Just as Ye Yun was lamenting his oversight, a clear voice interrupted him.

"Xiao Yun, what are you muttering about? Catch! Today I'm going to have a proper fight with you."

At the sound of the voice, Ye Yun hurriedly turned around. The moment he did, a sword about three feet long, its blade a deep reddish yellow, flew toward him. He fumbled and caught it, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground. This sword was famous throughout Qingyun Sect, especially at Great Bamboo Peak, where everyone knew of it. Its name was Crimson Flame, and it was his master Tian Buyi's sword.

Staring in shock at the deep reddish-yellow sword in his hands, Ye Yun exclaimed, "Senior Sister, how did you steal Master's sword?"

Tian Ling'er clapped a hand over Ye Yun's mouth and whispered, "Keep your voice down. Don't let Father hear you. I took Crimson Flame while he was napping. It's his own fault for being so stingy—he wouldn't give me a magical treasure when I asked. We're just borrowing his sword for a while. We'll put it back when we're done. It's no big deal. Come on, let's get started."

"Well... all right." Ye Yun hesitated only briefly before agreeing. He had suddenly realized that Crimson Flame was Tian Buyi's personal sword, one he rarely let out of his sight. Tian Ling'er could never have gotten hold of it without his permission. In other words, Tian Buyi had deliberately put the sword in Ye Yun's hands. After all, a treasure like the Amber Vermilion Ribbon could only be matched by his Crimson Flame and Su Ru's Mo Xue.

Once he'd figured that out, Ye Yun no longer had any reservations. He formed a sword technique and began sparring with Tian Ling'er. But Crimson Flame was Tian Buyi's sword, and it had long since become attuned to him. On top of that, Ye Yun's cultivation was only at the Seventh Layer of Jade Purity, not enough to bring out the sword's full power. So although his cultivation was slightly superior to Tian Ling'er's, their actual strength was about the same. If the fight reached a stalemate, though, he was sure to win, because his spiritual power was far deeper than hers.

The two fought with growing enthusiasm, sparring all morning until lunchtime, when they finally stopped and returned Crimson Flame. During the meal, Ye Yun saw that Tian Buyi acted as if nothing had happened, confirming that his guess had been right.

After that, Tian Ling'er and Ye Yun met every morning to spar in the Dao. But as Ye Yun grew more familiar with Crimson Flame, the difference between them gradually became clear. He won five or six out of every ten matches—and that was only because he was lucky. After they continued for another half a year, the sparring came to an end. By then, they knew each other's moves and habits so well that they could tell what the other was about to do from the slightest movement. Their sparring had lost its purpose.