Chapter Fourteen: Suddenly, the Center of Everyone's Attention

After the three of them, the new disciples arrived at the arena one after another. Once the sect leader entered and announced the start of the competition, a new round of fists and kicks commenced.

Cheng Yu and Chi Xiaoxiao had drawn lots for one of the last groups, so there was no rush to get on stage. Both of them, having barely slept the night before, slipped away to the small kitchen while the earlier matches were underway. There, they found a kitchen boy and coaxed a few flower pastries out of him. The pastries, paired with light tea, were truly revitalizing.

“What are you two sneaking around for?” Ling Qiqi, who had been tailing them, poked her head out from behind the door frame.

Chi Xiaoxiao, biting into a pastry, replied, “The sect leader enjoys some sweets after his daily nap. Today, crabapple rose cakes were prepared. Cheng Yu and I thought we’d help the sect leader by sampling them in advance. They’re truly fragrant and delicious, sweet yet refreshing.” Truth be told, the two of them had simply joined forces with the kitchen boy to steal the sect leader’s afternoon tea.

On the stove, a pot of peach gum and snow fungus soup was simmering. The kitchen boy, upon seeing a refined fairy enter, quickly ladled a bowl and invited Ling Qiqi to taste it.

Ling Qiqi demurred twice out of politeness, but soon succumbed to temptation and joined the little team of gluttons.

“By the way, Cheng Yu, are you ready for your match?” Ling Qiqi scooped up a bit of snow fungus, blew on it, and glanced at her two companions.

Cheng Yu wiped pastry crumbs from his mouth and answered, “Last night, a little ghost in red sneaked into my room to scare me. While I was matching wits with the little rascal, I accidentally summoned a burst of flame. I can’t say I’m certain of victory now, but I’m feeling a bit more confident.”

The little ghost in question didn’t expose the truth behind this so-called battle of wits. Instead, Chi Xiaoxiao played along: “That ghost must be madly in love with Brother Cheng Yu. To help you, it braved the Azure Jade Sect all by itself—truly moving and heroic.” With that, he finished the last of his pastry, cheeks bulging as he chewed.

Though Ling Qiqi didn’t quite believe in passionate devotion, she didn’t press the matter. After quietly finishing her snow fungus soup, she began thanking the kitchen boy.

The kitchen boy, bashful, replied, “No need to be so polite, fairy. Once the elders begin fasting, they no longer eat, so the sweets and desserts we prepare usually go to waste. If you didn’t come, us greedy kitchen boys would just finish them ourselves.”

“Then can I come often?” Ling Qiqi complained, “All we ever get in the new disciples’ courtyard is plain porridge, every meal, every day. I’m practically turning into a grain of rice.” She’d been drinking plain porridge for over a month, hadn’t seen so much as a pickle, and now felt nauseous at the sight of any gruel.

“Same here, same here. No meat, no vegetables—I’m about to starve into an immortal,” Cheng Yu said, gulping down a bowl of peach gum and snow fungus soup with satisfaction. “This place is the best. After the competition, I’ll apply to come work in the kitchen. That way, I can eat sweets every day.”

At the prospect of Cheng Yu switching to kitchen work, Chi Xiaoxiao objected immediately: “We drink porridge to train our temperament and prepare for fasting. If cultivators can’t even conquer their appetites, how will they ever sever worldly desires or pursue the Dao?” With a serious expression, he sounded quite convincing.

His speech about a steadfast Dao heart actually made Ling Qiqi reflect on her own weaknesses, but Cheng Yu, who had no patience for ascetic cultivation, was unmoved.

“You grew up eating celestial fruit, young master, what do you know of the taste of ordinary folk’s chicken, duck, or fish? You’ve never had meat, yet you won’t let anyone else crave it—you’re just a tasteless housekeeper!” Cheng Yu, who hadn’t seen meat in ages, snapped. He punctuated his words by stuffing a pastry into Chi Xiaoxiao’s mouth to shut him up.

The kitchen boy, overhearing Cheng Yu’s dreams of kitchen work and endless desserts, quickly shook his head in warning: “Immortal, you mustn’t eat sweets as meals. Elder Lin He of Apricot Grove Peak says too much sugar leads to wasting sickness. We’re supposed to strictly monitor the sect leader’s diet and not indulge his sweet tooth.”

Ling Qiqi, reflecting on her lack of self-control, was struck by inspiration at the mention of the sect leader’s fondness for sweets. She wondered: If the sect leader loves sweets, might Senior Brother Ling Xiaozi, his favorite disciple, share this preference?

“I’ve enjoyed your snow fungus soup but don’t even know your name,” Ling Qiqi said, smiling. She intended to befriend the kitchen boy, hoping to learn more about Ling Xiaozi’s tastes. After all, isn’t it said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?

“Ah, I almost forgot! I’m Awu, raised in the Immortal Crane Hall of the Azure Jade Sect,” the kitchen boy replied, finally recalling his manners, as he had always been too preoccupied with food and drink to introduce himself.

Since Cheng Yu still had a match to prepare for, the three didn’t linger in the kitchen, but they did arrange to have dinner together after the tournament, sending Awu down the mountain to buy some meat and vegetables.

When they returned to the arena, the pair on stage was locked in a desperate struggle, arms and legs entangled, neither willing to let go. Finally, one, desperate to break the deadlock, yanked off his opponent’s belt. The one who lost his pants was so mortified he fainted on the spot.

Daoist Pingxu, seeing such an unsightly scene, quickly turned away and ordered the unconscious disciple carried off for treatment, while Lin He, finding this year’s competition endlessly entertaining, volunteered to help with the stretcher.

Ming Shuang, seated beside Lin He, had already dozed off at the table. Yun Ting, seeing Ming Shuang sleeping so carelessly, nearly got up to smack him, but, spotting the sect leader’s kindly smile at Ergou, refrained.

“I feel Ling Xiaozi has changed a lot since being wounded by the Demon Lord…” Pingxu Daoist remarked.

Yun Ting broke out in a cold sweat at this, nervously studying the sect leader, terrified he would order Ling Xiaozi arrested and interrogated as a demonic spy.

Unexpectedly, Pingxu Daoist’s concerns lay elsewhere. He sipped his tea and said with relief, “I used to think Ling Xiaozi was too strict with himself—always courteous and upright, never breaking the rules. Even when facing the Demon Lord, he would rather die than violate the sect’s code to protect the disciples. You could call it resolute, or just stubborn and reckless. But now, it seems he’s come around. I used to worry he’d drive himself to death.”

Ming Shuang, half awake, heard Ling Xiaozi’s name and jerked upright. Rubbing his eyes, he saw his master looking at him with a gaze full of affection.

Seeing the usually solemn sect leader smiling so fondly was so oddly comical that Ming Shuang couldn’t help laughing aloud.

Yun Ting felt a mix of emotions, glancing from sect leader to Ming Shuang. Once he confirmed that the sect leader was genuinely pleased with Ling Xiaozi’s transformation, his tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed.

Call it the fortune of fools—this kid really was lucky. Yun Ting sighed, feeling relieved for Ming Shuang. The current Ming Shuang was so different from the Ling Xiaozi of the past that people were bound to be suspicious, but with the sect leader’s public endorsement, no one in the sect would dare trouble him in the future.

He dropped his gaze to the brown tea in his cup, the corners of his mouth curving up unconsciously—only to quickly suppress the smile, not wanting anyone to notice.

For a while, the high platform was filled with a harmonious atmosphere. Below, the sisters were whispering about the morning’s unusually cheerful Ling Xiaozi. Some latecomers refused to believe their ever-courteous idol would laugh and joke so openly. In the midst of their debate, they saw Ling Xiaozi flash a pair of dimples for all to see, and immediately set aside all arguments to simply admire his beauty.

Ling Qiqi was among those enchanted by Ling Xiaozi’s charm. She found him even more captivating after a few days apart. She’d only ever seen him offer polite, slight smiles before—never such sweet dimples.

“Oh! Senior Brother Ling Xiaozi looks so sweet when he smiles! I can’t take it!” Ling Qiqi exclaimed, blushing furiously. On a whim, she shaped a large, shimmering heart out of water and floated it in the air, facing Ming Shuang on the high platform.

The other sisters, seeing her unique gesture, followed suit, and soon the sky was filled with floating hearts of all shapes and sizes.

“What’s with such a grand display? Is some incredible newcomer going on stage?” Ming Shuang, oblivious, saw the girls around the arena all crowned with hearts and assumed some idol-type contestant was about to fight.

On the stage, Cheng Yu was filled with both sweetness and torment—the sweetness of competing while surrounded by the girls’ floating hearts, and the torment of knowing none of them were for him. Judging by the direction of their gazes, he was certain they were all fans of the real star, Ling Xiaozi.

“Go Cheng Yu! Even if you’re plain and the girls don’t notice you, even if you’re lazy, gluttonous, and lack ambition, I still support you!” In the crowd, a unique supporter bounced up and waved, drawing a flaming heart in the air with Cheng Yu’s name inside.

Cheng Yu was both touched and a little embarrassed, already planning to make braised pork for Chi Xiaoxiao that night after the tournament.

His opponent, evidently envious of such a fan, struck up a conversation: “Is that bouncing kid down there your little brother?”

“No, not my brother—he’s my adopted godson,” Cheng Yu replied. While his opponent was distracted by this answer, Cheng Yu discreetly took out some wood spirit seeds and scattered them on the stage.