Tsundere Li Jinyao

Inside the kitchen of the Hehuan Sect's small courtyard.

Dressed as a Housewife, wearing an apron and hood, Li Jinyao heated up a large iron pot, then picked up a knife from the cutting board and began to slice the vegetables into evenly sized thin slices with fluid movements.

She worked quickly. After the wok was heated until it started to smoke slightly, she had already prepared all the side dishes. Then she immediately poured in the cooking oil, heated it, and when the oil was at the right temperature, she added the meat that had been marinated beforehand and stir-fried it. Then she added the side dishes and seasonings.

Li Jinyao's housework skills are top-notch, so her cooking is also a feast for the eyes. The vegetables and meat tumbled twice in the flames rising in the pot, then were taken out of the pot and placed on a plate. The cooking time was perfect, and the colors of the vegetables and meat were bright and tempting, with an enticing aroma that made one's mouth water.

The fumes from the kitchen billowed out through the chimney, and Jiang Lan and Su Xiangxue, who had returned together, happened to see this. When they came to the kitchen, they were surprised to see Li Jinyao busy around the stove.

"Jinyao."

Su Xiangxue asked, "Why are you so busy so early today?"

Jiang Lan walked to the cutting board and tiptoed slightly to take a look.

"So many materials?"

Jiang Lan casually picked up a fresh abalone.

"Jinyao, are we having guests today?"

With Bai Qiuran and Bai Xuxiang absent, Jiang Lan and Su Xiangxue found it hard to imagine that Li Jinyao would cook a special meal for them. If the goal was to strengthen the bond between sisters and family, the Little Demoness would never have resorted to such a method.

After their husbands and daughters left home, the three wives ate whatever they wanted, sometimes not eating at all when they felt like it, and even resorting to Fasting Technique, subsisting on air and dew.

Seeing Li Jinyao so unusually busy today, Jiang Lan and Su Xiangxue both guessed that a guest had arrived at their home.

"He's my Master."

After casting a heat-preserving spell on the freshly cooked stir-fry, Li Jinyao placed the soup pot on the stove and sighed, "Although people always say it's disrespectful to one's master, that woman has at least raised me for so many years. She wrote to me the day before yesterday, tearfully telling me that she and Jueyunzi Alliance Leader Jueyunzi were coming to visit, saying that she hadn't tasted the dishes her disciple made for her Master in so many years. So I reluctantly made some."

Jiang Lan and Su Xiangxue exchanged a smile upon hearing this.

Although Li Jinyao and her Master Ji Lingyun didn't say nice things to each other when they were together, they still valued each other very much. Just look at the materials that the Little Demoness had prepared on the cutting board. Some of them were not things that could be bought on the market. Some of them grew in some Deadly Lands or near powerful monsters. Needless to say, the Little Demoness must have personally gone to collect them after knowing that her master was coming.

"Alright, alright, sisters, stop making fun of me."

Li Jinyao wiped her bare hands with her apron.

"What if my troublesome master comes over later..."

"Let me help you with the reception."

Su Xiangxue said softly, "Sect Master Ji and I are of the same generation. We were both Sect Master of the Three Demonic Sects back then, and our friendship wasn't shallow."

"As for Jueyunzi, let him be."

Jiang Lan also laughed and said, "Anyway, he's learned Qiuran Ran's temper completely, to the point that he's even more shameless than his master."

"Then thank you both very much, sisters."

Li Jinyao laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'll show you my skills later."

She rolled up her sleeves and made a confident gesture.

Jiang Lan and Su Xiangxue left the kitchen and waited inside for a while. Sure enough, a female disciple of the Hehuan Sect led Jueyunzi and Ji Lingyun to the courtyard gate.

Jueyunzi and Ji Lingyun greeted Su Xiangxue and Jiang Lan with the courtesy due to juniors. Jiang Lan and Su Xiangxue quickly invited the two and the disciples they brought to their home and served them tea.

The group sat in the living room. Jueyunzi took a sip of tea, then bowed to Jiang Lan and the others, asking, "Two Martial Ancestor Uncle, may I ask where our Martial Ancestor Uncle has gone?"

"Qiuran has some business in the Immortal Realm; he went out with Ruowei."

Jiang Lan smiled and replied, "Is there something you need from him?"

"No, it's just that my old man and Lingyun's master are about to Ascension to immortality, and we wanted to ask our Martial Ancestor Uncle if they could give us some final guidance."

Jueyunzi laughed and said, "If it's unfortunate, then so be it. Our Martial Ancestor Uncle has gone to fight for the sake of all living beings in the All Living Beings of the Myriad Worlds. As for my old man and the old demon of the Heavenly Demon Sect, let them Ascension on their own."

Hearing their conversation, Jueyunzi and Ji Lingyun, who had come from the Cultivator Alliance, noticed a subtle Runes flash in the eyes of one of their disciples, but no one else noticed.

Meanwhile, Ji Lingyun, after stamping her feet and looking around repeatedly, finally couldn't help but ask, "Where's that little girl? Where did she go?"

You mean Jinyao?

Upon hearing this, Su Xiangxue smiled and said, "After she knew you were coming, she went to collect some rare ingredients early on, wanting to cook a feast for you. She's busy in the kitchen right now."

Upon hearing Su Xiangxue's words, Ji Lingyun's eyebrows lifted slightly, and her eyes softened. She couldn't help but feel happy, but after noticing the ambiguous smiles on Jiang Lan's, Su Xiangxue's, and Jueyunzi's faces, she coughed again, forcing herself to remain calm and reverting to her original fierce demeanor.

"That brat! The elders are here, and she doesn't even come out to greet them."

Ji Lingyun coughed, stood up, and said, "I'll go see what she's up to."

After saying that, she apologized to Jiang Lan and Su Xiangxue, and hurriedly walked out the door towards the kitchen.

Less than two minutes later, the sound of Li Jinyao and Ji Lingyun arguing came from the kitchen.

Jiang Lan and Su Xiangxue looked at Jueyunzi, and the three of them smiled knowingly. Then Su Xiangxue said softly, "Shall we go and see what's going on?"

"No, no, it's fine for the two Martial Ancestor Uncles to go."

Jueyunzi hurriedly waved his hand and said, "I'm afraid she'll cause me trouble if I go... she'll beat me up!"

"Then you can fight back."

Jiang Lan said indifferently, "Didn't you inherit Qiuran's fine tradition of [Equality Between Men and Women]? You and Sect Master Ji haven't established a relationship yet."

"Ahem, Martial Ancestor Uncle 're joking. What's with all this talk about confirming a relationship..."

Jueyunzi coughed, glanced at the disciples, and said somewhat awkwardly in a low voice, "The main thing is that I am now the Alliance Leader of the Cultivator Alliance, and she is the vice Alliance Leader. We are leading a group of disciples. If we fight on the way back, it would look terrible if word got out that the Alliance Leader and vice Alliance Leader of the Cultivator Alliance are fighting."

"Too."

Jiang Lan nodded.

"Xiangxue, let's go check on her... Jinyao is still cooking, lest the two of them start fighting again while they're arguing. Right now, Sect Master Ji is far from being a match for Jinyao."

"OK."

Su Xiangxue and Jiang Lan apologized to Jueyunzi, then walked out together, closing the door behind them.

The moment the two walked out, the fingers of one of Jueyunzi's disciples began to deform slightly, turning into a clump of condensing silvery-white liquid.