Chapter 49

The leader of the Crimson Dragon Sect, Immortal Lord Yan Yuan, was gravely wounded. After consuming numerous precious medicinal herbs, Song Qingshi further channeled spiritual energy into his consciousness with golden needles, eradicating terrifying memories and leaving only lingering psychological shadows. These would remain dormant unless triggered by related events or objects.

The foremost divine physician of the immortal realm had intervened, employing countless spiritual pills and elixirs. What immense sum would such a service command?

The Crimson Dragon Sect, utterly unable to afford the spirit stones, was deeply mortified. They proposed to pay in installments, month by month.

Song Qingshi, finding them agreeable and flush with a generous allowance from his "little angel," indulged his spendthrift tendencies. He magnanimously waived the treatment fees. The entire Crimson Dragon Sect was overwhelmed with gratitude. Upon learning of Song Qingshi's fondness for collecting books, they proactively copied their sect's treasured rune array manuals and presented them as a token of their immense appreciation.

Ordinary talismans were not difficult to craft, but the process was cumbersome, leading most cultivators to simply purchase them.

The vast majority of the Crimson Dragon Sect's disciples were orphans taken in by Immortal Lord Yan Yuan. Though their innate talents were modest, they diligently followed their master in learning talisman-making, each assigned tasks according to their abilities. They were disciplined and never caused trouble.

The girl under Immortal Lord Yan Yuan's protection was named Niannian. She possessed extraordinary talent, keen intellect, and was a born rune array master.

Song Qingshi was greatly impressed by her improved flame-control talisman. He immediately had Yue Wuhuan place an order for a thousand, and also transcribed several unique ancient rune arrays from the Medicine King Valley's archives for her study. Niannian, captivated by one of the illusion-creating sigils, seemed to gain a profound insight and plunged into research, neglecting food and sleep.

Immortal Lord Yan Yuan, pained by her dedication, sternly admonished her once his injuries had somewhat healed.

Niannian playfully clung to her master, while her elder martial siblings joined in the teasing. The atmosphere between master and disciples was one of warm camaraderie.

Immortal Lord Yan Yuan feigned anger: "If you keep neglecting your rest like this, I'll marry you off!"

Niannian playfully pleaded, "No, I want to stay here forever and be filial to Master."

...

Hearing this, Song Qingshi felt an inexplicable pang of envy...

In the pursuit of knowledge, seniority matters not; the capable are teachers.

He decided to secretly seek guidance from Immortal Lord Yan Yuan on the art of mentorship, eager to learn how to win his disciples' affection, make them cherish their master, and wish to remain by his side forever.

Immortal Lord Yan Yuan was no naive junior disciple. He was acutely aware of the Medicine King Immortal Venerable's fearsome reputation, which belied his gentle exterior, and was utterly terrified. When Song Qingshi approached him with such intensity, he nearly knelt and begged for mercy, fearing he'd be dragged off as a medicinal test subject for unpaid debts. But upon hearing the question, he was utterly bewildered, feeling as if he were still trapped in the Nightmare Mind-Devouring Formation, unable to awaken...

Song Qingshi produced a brush and parchment, his face earnest. "Speak."

"I haven't done anything particularly special—just taught them skills," Immortal Lord Yan Yuan surmised that Song Qingshi might be seeking unique methods to better control his disfigured, beautiful disciple. Yet, he dared not refuse his savior. Gritting his teeth, he continued, "If there's anything special, perhaps it's that I cook for them? My disciples all love my noodles. Every time they return from a trip, they demand a large bowl, saying they can't find this flavor elsewhere. Niannian likes them soft, Huang He prefers them firmer, He Xiaoxiao always adds chili, and Yue'er dislikes scallions..."

This unassuming middle-aged cultivator spoke of his disciples with profound tenderness in his eyes.

Song Qingshi swiftly distilled the key takeaways:

1. Convey affection through culinary skills.

2. Capture a disciple's stomach, and you capture their heart.

3. Learn to cook.

His past neglect of culinary studies had been a grave error. From this moment on, he resolved to dedicate himself to learning.

Song Qingshi was a man of action. Without delay, he pulled Immortal Lord Yan Yuan into the kitchen and, with the rigor of a scientific researcher, began to learn how to make noodles.

As a master alchemist, he could precisely measure ingredients by hand, recording each component's weight in grams in his notebook. He meticulously documented the kneading force and technique, including every turn and repetition of the dough, confirming its softness and texture. He then noted the knife skills for cutting the noodles and their thickness, observed the air's humidity and temperature, the material and thickness of the cookware, determined the stove flame's temperature and intensity variations, and precisely timed the moment the noodles entered the pot down to the second. Finally, he rigorously replicated the process, one step at a time, until he produced a satisfactory bowl of noodles.

Immortal Lord Yan Yuan had never witnessed such an eccentric approach to cooking and was utterly dumbfounded...

Song Qingshi tasted the finished product, confirmed it wasn't a disaster, and happily carried the bowl to Yue Wuhuan.

...

Yue Wuhuan was in his room reading. The Crimson Dragon Sect's long history of talisman-making had yielded unique techniques, and some of the rare books in their library contained fascinating, obscure knowledge and skills not found elsewhere, which proved highly beneficial for improving his poison puppets.

Suddenly, Song Qingshi rushed in, proudly presenting him with a bowl of noodles as if it were a treasure.

Yue Wuhuan stared at the plain soy sauce broth noodles, devoid of anything but scallions, for a moment, puzzled. He then picked up his chopsticks and tasted them. The ingredients seemed clean, and the taste was neither good nor bad—just ordinary home cooking, far inferior to his own noodles made with rich, slow-simmered chicken broth. Yet, the Master's face was clearly seeking praise, making the truth undeniable...

Playing along, he immediately feigned ignorance and praised, "The Crimson Dragon Sect's kitchen is truly exceptional. I've never tasted such delicious noodles."

Song Qingshi felt as if he had successfully refined a difficult elixir and was overjoyed, though he humbly replied, "How can they be that good?"

Yue Wuhuan saw through the act but chose not to expose it. Smiling, he finished the entire bowl, even drinking the broth, before saying, "It's the Master's sincerity that makes it special."

"I've cooked before—I have experience," Song Qingshi hastily argued, fearing Yue Wuhuan would see through his intentions. Though he had once fed a child starvation-prevention pills and poisoned an Alaskan Malamute with sticky rice dumplings, he had, technically, cooked before. Feeling a little self-conscious, he changed the subject and promised, "If you like it, I'll make it for you every day... No, not every day. Sometimes experiments keep me busy. But anyway... whenever I have time, I'll cook for you."

Yue Wuhuan found himself puzzled again. He couldn't imagine this man, who often forgot to eat when engrossed in research, willingly stepping into the kitchen.

"Immortal Lord Yan Yuan said good masters cook for their disciples, but eating noodles every day might get boring?" Song Qingshi thought of the various delicacies his "little angel" usually prepared and cheerfully asked, "Do you prefer dumplings, wontons, or pancakes? Pastries or desserts? I can learn anything... Don't worry, I learn quickly. It's no trouble at all."

Had the Master misunderstood something amusing?

Yue Wuhuan looked at his expectant expression, feeling the Emotion Lock within him subtly stir—a surge of infatuation, bordering on uncontrollable. Once the Gu worm absorbed the excess emotions, he set down the bowl and said solemnly, "The Master needn't do these things for me."

Because he liked it too much. Occasional indulgence was tolerable, but prolonged exposure would expose his true desires.

These desires were nothing but base impulses, like embers beneath ashes. If stirred, they would ignite a conflagration, burning everything to the ground, sending everything spiraling out of control.

This was not what he wanted.

So, he must not be tempted to lose control...

Song Qingshi, slow to grasp, pondered Yue Wuhuan's resistance. Then, recalling Yue Wuhuan's culinary skills, which far surpassed his own, his joyful heart suddenly sank, tinged with disappointment. He wanted to give this person all the best things, but Yue Wuhuan was so clever, so capable—he seemed to be able to learn anything, achieve anything...

He didn't know what else he could offer, or how to make Yue Wuhuan happier.

What if Yue Wuhuan recovered, found Medicine King Valley boring, and wanted to leave?

He would then return to his solitary days of watching clouds...

Song Qingshi pondered for a moment, lost in thought, but quickly rallied. Failure was common for him. More importantly, Yue Wuhuan was still by his side, so there was no need to grieve over what hadn't happened yet. He could continue to try.

He took Yue Wuhuan's hand and placed the Phoenix Blood gem, which he had clutched for a long time, into his palm, saying happily, "A trophy from the Mo Yuan ruins. I secured it from An Long—it's for you."

The fiery red gem pulsed with tiny golden starlight, the trails resembling a magnificent phoenix sealed within, radiating a warm aura.

Yue Wuhuan, at the time, had been completely immersed in sword intent and hadn't noticed their private exchange over the gem.

The Phoenix Blood's vibrant yet refined hue, pure and flawless, perfectly matched his aesthetic. It was the kind of treasure he would cherish forever.

He adored it...

He yearned to place this gem on the person before him, feeling as if his own colors were claiming a pure white territory.

The mere thought brought Yue Wuhuan a secret joy, a smile gracing his lips.

Seeing Yue Wuhuan's delight, Song Qingshi beamed with satisfaction.

Though his cooking attempt had been somewhat of a flop, the gift was a resounding success.

He resolved to continue studying how Immortal Lord Yan Yuan taught his disciples—whether it was hands-on instruction in drawing talismans, waking them early for martial arts practice, or accompanying them in their studies. He would try everything, undeterred by failure. By doing more and thinking more, he would surely find what pleased Yue Wuhuan, making him fall in love with life in Medicine King Valley and willingly choose to stay.

The two of them would study together, research together, refine elixirs together, play together, and embark on adventures together every day...

What a divine and blissful life that would be!

...

Song Qingshi once again went to pester the poor Immortal Lord Yan Yuan, determined to extract every last bit of knowledge from his mind. Yue Wuhuan helplessly let him go, while he himself went to the talisman workshop to find the disciples of the Crimson Dragon Sect. He wanted to inquire about some techniques related to drawing talismans and, while he was there, borrow materials and tools for some experiments.

The disciples shared everything they knew without reservation.

Yue Wuhuan casually found an unused workbench and began attempting to craft talismans...

Suddenly, he overheard the Crimson Dragon Sect disciples whispering:

"Ever since the Cantong Sect was wiped out and Immortal Venerable Guiyuan perished, no major sects have been buying Joy Talismans in bulk these past years. Don't make too many—they won't sell."

"Immortal Venerable Guiyuan died a truly gruesome death. Senior Brother Zhao, who went to deliver goods, was so shaken he couldn't eat for three days..."

"Thank goodness that person didn't show up, or Senior Brother Zhao might have wet his pants."

"Haha, what a shame. These talismans are quite profitable. Or perhaps you should try promoting them?"

"Get lost! Trying to hawk this stuff in the pleasure quarters—do you want Master to break my legs?!"

"Hahaha, you got caught..."

"..."

The Cantong Sect wiped out? Immortal Venerable Guiyuan perished?

Yue Wuhuan paused his talisman brush, lost in thought.

Immortal Venerable Guiyuan was a name he utterly wished to avoid, one of the most hateful memories he longed to erase. In recent years, preoccupied with healing Song Qingshi, he had neither the time nor the capacity for vengeance. Thus, he had deliberately ignored the existence of the Cantong Sect and that name, lest it disturb his state of mind.

From his memory, Immortal Venerable Guiyuan was cautious, adept at playing both sides, and never offended the powerful—a clever individual.

How had he met such a tragic end? And who was "that person"?

Yue Wuhuan turned around, a gentle smile on his face. "This matter sounds quite intriguing. Could you tell me more about it in detail?"