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He seemed to arch an eyebrow, his expression carrying a hint of provocation. Though he was speaking to Ning Ning, his gaze rested on Rong Ci's face. "Master is about to take us to the guest rooms where we'll spend the night. If you don't come now, you'll miss out."

Rong Ci narrowed his eyes with a smile and met his gaze in silence.

"Oh! I'll be right there!"

After speaking, Ning Ning glanced at Rong Ci. The instant she turned her head toward him, he had put on that same harmless smile as before. She said softly, "Then I'll get going! We can pick up our chat next time."

She paused. "Though the next time we meet, it'll probably be inside the secret realm."

"Indeed." The red-robed Charm Cultivator's tone was calm, but held a faint, elusive hint of anticipation. "By then, we'll be rivals."

Liuming Mountain truly lived up to its reputation as a great sect of the immortal world. Even the guest rooms were built with exquisite elegance, and each one came with an Alchemy Furnace.

The moment she saw the furnace, Ning Ning was reminded of an unpleasant memory and couldn't help wincing at the thought of the expense—

But how could a successor of New China be defeated by such a minor setback! When you fell, you had to get back up right where you'd fallen. She refused to believe she couldn't tame a furnace.

"What? You're making food in an Alchemy Furnace?"

He Zhizhou froze for a moment, then quickly grinned in hearty agreement. "Sure! An Alchemy Furnace is basically a cultivation-world microwave. It can control the heat by itself, and whatever you make in it comes infused with spiritual energy. If we use it to cook, we might just create some masterpiece that shocks the world."

There was no technical or theoretical obstacle to cooking with an Alchemy Furnace.

It was just that, in the eyes of cultivators, furnaces were meant for refining precious pills. Using one to cook food seemed like a terrible waste.

But Ning Ning didn't see it that way at all.

In her old world, she often made little desserts herself. Since coming here, she'd had few chances to use a kitchen, and things like lighting a fire and washing pots were such a hassle. If she could turn an Alchemy Furnace into a portable little oven and tuck it into her Storage Bag—

Then she'd be able to make cultivation-world mung bean cakes, Osmanthus Cake, egg-yolk pastries, and even sushi!

The two of them got straight to work. Ingredients were scarce, so all they had were the syrup, starch, and cooking oil in Ning Ning's Storage Bag, along with the apples, bananas, and pears on the guest-room table. After discussing it, they decided to make Pulled Sugar Banana.

Qin Shu, who was sharing a room with Ning Ning, hugged her sword and watched them bustle about. "What is Pulled Sugar Banana?"

"A delicacy fit for the gods! Junior Sister, you're in for a treat tonight!"

He Zhizhou gave her a thumbs-up. "The syrup hardens around the banana pieces. Eat it while it's hot, and the sugar coating will be scorching and crisp, while the banana inside stays tender and soft, giving off a sweet warmth from the inside out—perfection!"

Qin Shu said, "Oh," then asked, "Then why did Fellow Daoist Lin Xun turn pale when he saw me and run straight into the room?"

Ning Ning replied, "My junior brother is shy. He's afraid of being around strangers. I already bought him a dummy so he can practice conversations in his room and see if that helps."

The first banana, coated in oil and starch, went into the furnace. The smoke made Ning Ning cough softly, and she nearly lost her grip on the chopsticks.

Just then, she noticed a dark shadow flash before her eyes, blocking all the smoke behind it.

It was Pei Ji. He raised his left hand to shield her from the thick white smoke with his sleeve, while his other hand took the chopsticks from hers without a word. "I'll do it."

Their hands touched for only the briefest moment.

Pei Ji's palm was as cold as black iron, while the back of her hand was soft and warm. The sudden touch was so icy that Ning Ning blinked in surprise.

Right, he'd been born with a cold constitution. His health wasn't very good.

Pei Ji was clever; after watching once, he understood how to make Pulled Sugar Banana. His long fingers moved deftly as he turned, gathered, and folded the ingredients. Before long, all the chopped banana had been put into the furnace.

Unlike Ning Ning, who only stirred up trouble when the system issued a quest, He Zhizhou usually got along well enough with Pei Ji.

As an acting student who'd once dreamed of winning an Oscar, he had excellent professional discipline. He kept up his villainous persona and gave a cold snort. "Who'd have guessed? Your swordsmanship's no good, but you've got some skill in the kitchen."

Of course.

Ning Ning thought that Pei Ji's mother had never bothered to look after him. If he hadn't learned to cook for himself, he'd probably have starved to death long ago.

Now that all the bananas were in the furnace, they faced a very important question.

Ning Ning scratched her head, her expression grave. "So... how long do we wait before it's done?"

"...Snoop on the competition?"

Evening. Guest rooms at Liuming Mountain.

A young woman in plain clothes sat at a wooden table. Though she was speaking to the person beside her, her eyes were fixed straight down, wholly absorbed in the copy of the Taiqing Sword Nine Forms in her hands.

She was Su Qinghan, a personal disciple of the Wanjian Sect.

"Exactly! The secret realm opens tomorrow, and we're just sitting around anyway. We might as well go see what the disciples from the other sects are like."

The young man beside her said, "Senior Sister, the Xiaochong Mountain Secret Realm only opens once every few years. Many Golden Core Realm cultivators treat it as a place to compete and test themselves. As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated. Why don't we—"

"Xu Ye, as a Sword Cultivator, how can you entertain such crooked schemes?"

Su Qinghan's voice was faint, without the slightest fluctuation in tone. "Whoever they are, once they're beneath our swords, there's no difference between them."

In other words, when you were cutting grass, every blade was the same.

This young lady sure was arrogant.

The boy called Xu Ye was rebuffed, and could only take his leave and step out of the room. But Su Qinghan's unhesitating refusal didn't mean he would give up halfway.

Senior Sister always said he had too many tricks up his sleeve and wasn't much of a Sword Cultivator. But Xu Ye thought it wasn't a matter of having too many tricks. It was called strategy and tactics.

He'd been under Senior Sister's care for so long. Tomorrow, he was determined to make her see his preparations for battle in a whole new light.