The Two Missing Little Ones

Beneath the great boulder by Spring Lake on the rear mountain, two small figures were crouching there.

"Little Junior Brother! Aren't you tired?" Zhang Xiaofan watched as Luo Yunji cast an incantation, summoned a stream of water to wrap around the black bamboo, and kept it spinning inside the ball of water.

"Don't bother me!" Luo Yunji was regretting it a little now. He had held this posture for almost two sticks of incense, and it felt so boring!

As he thought, he kept glancing now and then at Zhang Xiaofan, who was staying by his side, considering whether he ought to urge Zhang Xiaofan to cultivate harder. In the future, if he wanted to eat something again, he would not have to do anything himself at all; he would only need to wait and eat!

Just thinking about it felt wonderfully beautiful.

Zhang Xiaofan felt a little uncomfortable under Luo Yunji's stare. He shifted backward, leaning his back against the great boulder, yet he still did not gain much sense of safety.

Another stick of incense passed before this step was finally completed. But when it came to the next step, smoking and roasting, Luo Yunji became a little conflicted. The thought that he would have to keep casting for another one or two sticks of incense made his whole body uncomfortable.

"Little Junior Brother... why are you looking at me! I... I still don't know how to cast spells! I can't help you!" Zhang Xiaofan pressed his back tightly against the great boulder and swallowed.

"I usually tell you to cultivate properly. See! Now that it's time to use it, you regret it, don't you! It's useless now, isn't it!" Luo Yunji glared at Zhang Xiaofan and scolded him, the resentment all over him nearly turning solid as it twined toward Zhang Xiaofan.

"I... I'll work twice as hard!" Zhang Xiaofan felt uncomfortable all over from being stared at and hurriedly promised.

"For this next step of smoking and roasting, using firewood isn't impossible, it's just that the flavor will lose a lot." Luo Yunji, the little fatty, was calculating the gains and losses, whether to use firewood or spell fire. One was mortal flame, the other spirit flame; the difference was not ordinary at all. It was quite enormous!

"Ai! Just for this little bit of delicious food, I really don't have it easy!" In the end, between fatigue and fine food, the little fatty chose fine food.

Somewhat speechless, Zhang Xiaofan stayed by Luo Yunji's side. Roughly another three sticks of incense passed.

"Little Junior Brother! Is it done?" Zhang Xiaofan finally let out a breath of relief. It's finally over! Seeing Luo Yunji withdraw his spell, Zhang Xiaofan silently sighed in relief in his heart.

Luo Yunji ignored him. He found some wet mud and wrapped the bamboo in it.

"Little Junior Brother! Won't that make it dirty?" Zhang Xiaofan said with some distress. Clearly, they had spent so much effort and time before finally finishing this dish.

"This pulls the fire energy out of the bamboo while using the heat from that extracted fire energy to steam the food inside the bamboo once more."

"Oh!" Zhang Xiaofan nodded after hearing this. It seemed this was the final step.

When the wet mud wrapped around the bamboo dried and cracked, the light that shone from Luo Yunji's eyes made Zhang Xiaofan feel as if his own eyes were nearly blinded by the flash.

"Wahahaha! It's finally done! My invincible-under-heaven delicious meat meat is finally done!"

"It seems Little Junior Brother has changed the name of this dish again." Zhang Xiaofan looked at the starry sky overhead and suddenly realized that they seemed to have forgotten to report to Master and the others! He began to worry a little. Would Master and the others discover they were not in their rooms, then search the mountains and plains for them?

"Oh no!" Zhang Xiaofan only now remembered that they had run out at noon, and he had forgotten to make dinner!

Just as Zhang Xiaofan was panicking, faint voices came from afar.

"Little Junior Brother!"

"Seventh Junior Brother! Where are you?"

"Junior Brother!"

The vague calls made Zhang Xiaofan bury his head between his knees in shame, silently cursing his own carelessness.

"Eh? Senior Brothers? Why are you here?!" Luo Yunji saw Eldest Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, and Fifth Senior Brother appear before him, and he looked at the three of them with curiosity and vigilance.

"Why are we here?!!!!" After hearing the little fatty's words, Song Daren was so angry his teeth itched, but his hands itched even more!

He truly wanted to drag him over and knead him thoroughly.

"You two just vanished without a word. You didn't even tell us. We thought something had happened to the both of you! Master and all of us were worried to death!" Song Daren kept a taut face. Fuming, he grabbed the little fatty under the armpits and lifted him from the ground, then tucked him under his arm and turned to leave in a huff.

"Little Senior Brother! My treasure! Treasure!" After Luo Yunji was tucked under his arm, the bamboo was left where it was. He hurriedly shouted loudly to Zhang Xiaofan behind him.

"Treasure!" When Song Daren and the others heard this, they turned to look.

They saw Zhang Xiaofan bend down and lift a blackish lump of mud from the ground, and the others all curled their lips in disdain.

Seeing Zhang Xiaofan bring his treasure along, Luo Yunji let out a breath of relief. Then, in a most undignified manner, he was carried back to the central hall tucked under Song Daren's arm and handed over to Tian Buyi and his wife, who were still waiting for news.

"All right! Since they've been found, call everyone else back!" Seeing the two little disciples kneeling before him, Tian Buyi sighed a little wearily. All the other disciples put together had not caused him as much worry as this youngest disciple.

The anger on his face did not vanish because the two had been found; instead, it grew even thicker.

"Tell me. What were you two doing on the rear mountain? Why have you only returned now?" Tian Buyi only thought the two of them were young, playful, and had forgotten the time. He had not planned to punish them; it was enough that they had been found. But he still had to knock them into line properly.

Tian Buyi lowered his head and took a sip of tea, but when no one answered, he looked up and saw only that little disciple of his snatching a lump of mud from his seventh disciple.

"What is going on!" Tian Buyi's expression began to turn even uglier.

"Your master is asking you a question!" Seeing this, Su Ru hurriedly reminded them.

"Making something delicious, ah, the most, most delicious meat in the whole world!" Luo Yunji looked proudly at his master and mistress. As if showing off, he raised the lump of mud in his hands high, hoping Tian Buyi and his wife could see it more clearly. Then he seemed to think of something and hurriedly hugged the lump back into his arms, hiding it away.

"What nonsense! Little Seven! You speak!" Tian Buyi completely failed to understand what that whole string of words from his little disciple's mouth meant. Fortunately, beside him there was still an honest disciple who was somewhat wooden.

After that, Zhang Xiaofan very honestly recounted everything that had happened after lunch today from beginning to end.

"You caused this whole disappearance for this pitch-black thing!" Tian Buyi glared at his little disciple and roared, hating iron for not becoming steel. Then he reached out and pointed at Zhang Xiaofan. "That boy is unreliable in what he does, but as his senior brother, why didn't you stop him!"

I couldn't stop him! I didn't dare stop him! I can't beat him, either! Most importantly, I can't refuse Little Junior Brother's requests! Zhang Xiaofan answered in his heart, but his face still wore an expression of admitting his mistake as he lowered his head and said nothing.

"You two are going to be the death of me!" Tian Buyi looked at the two little ones kneeling before him. The smallest one was hugging a pitch-black thing with a silly grin, while the other had his head lowered with a foolish look on his face. So angry that he slapped the table heavily with one palm.

"Calm down!" Su Ru soothed him. Then she looked at Luo Yunji and asked, "What is that lump of mud you're holding in your arms? Let Mistress see what kind of treasure it is."

Earlier, she had not understood that long string of introductions from Luo Yunji either.

At this time, the others who had gone searching also returned one after another. After paying their respects to Tian Buyi and his wife, they all stood properly to the side.