Chapter 15: No Offense Intended

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: No Offense Intended

"Body Tempering Great Success. No wonder he could climb up."

Mo Xuan shook his head and relaxed after confirming the fellow was unharmed. He wasn’t the least bit worried that his arrival would bring chaos to the bamboo forest.

If he wished, he could perceive the condition of his three disciples at any moment. Besides, the guy was an Outer Disciple; he should know where he was.

In any case, in his hundred-plus years on Purple Bamboo Peak, Mo Xuan had never encountered an Outer Disciple who dared to cause a ruckus here.

"Besides the disciples we just took in, the last time someone new joined us on Purple Bamboo Peak was half a year ago."

Bai Qiulan shook her head. Reaching Body Tempering Great Success in half a year certainly made him a genius, but that was all. Geniuses were common, but those worthy of a True Inheritance were rare.

"With Liu Chen’s cultivation Talent, I’m afraid it won’t even take him half a year to master Body Tempering."

A corner of Mo Xuan’s mouth lifted in a proud smile. This was the disciple he had taken in—not only did he have an incredible Talent for cultivation, but he was also a Spirit Chef.

"I’ll give you that, you have a good eye. Now take the food box and ingredients over to him."

Bai Qiulan placed the cleaned food box on the table and rolled her eyes at Mo Xuan. The latter, looking a bit awkward, picked up the box and walked out of the Bamboo Garden.

"I think this spot is perfect. The cliff is right behind us, and we can build three bamboo houses on either side..."

At the edge of the bamboo forest, Liu Chen surveyed the area with great satisfaction. The side areas were far enough apart to ensure privacy between the men’s and women’s quarters, while the space in the middle would be perfect for a kitchen and a courtyard.

’In our free time, we could gaze out at the distant scenery. How pleasant would that be.’

’I can’t have my two junior sisters sharing a room again tonight. Since I’m going to do something about it, I might as well plan it out properly according to my own design. Master isn’t concerned about the amount of Purple Bamboo Grass, so he certainly won’t care about some ordinary Cyan Bamboo.’

’Ninety-nine percent of the Cyan Bamboo in this forest are just offshoots of the real thing. Master marked the truly valuable ones long ago. We can cut down the other Cyan Bamboos and dig up the Bamboo Shoots as we please.’

"That’s a great idea, Senior Brother."

Ye Linglong looked on with anticipation. If they really built it, just living here would be a joy. Watching the sunrise and sunset each day would be enough to soothe one’s soul.

"Senior Brother, there’s someone down there!"

Ji Suyao, who had run a few steps ahead, jumped in fright. She immediately scurried back to Ye Linglong’s side.

"Someone?!"

Liu Chen was stunned. His two junior sisters had only just arrived, but he had been living here for half a month. He’d wandered this area before and had never seen anyone climb up.

Hearing the commotion above, Yang Haichen grinned. He used the last of his strength to leap up. If all went according to plan, he would land on the clifftop in a dashing pose, leaving a deep impression on the junior sister who had just called out.

Just as Liu Chen walked over, he caught a glimpse of someone flying up from below.

An image of his past brawls with local thugs flashed through his mind. Liu Chen’s hand shot out, grabbing the person’s collar and slamming them to the ground in one fluid motion. The entire sequence was smooth and decisive.

When Liu Chen came to his senses, he found his two junior sisters staring at him in astonishment. A figure was sprawled pathetically on the ground, pinned firmly under his foot. A moment later, a pleading voice came from beneath him.

"Spare me, Senior Brother! I’m an Outer Disciple of Purple Bamboo Peak! I meant no offense!"

Yang Haichen was filled with regret. He had wanted to make a cool entrance, but instead, he’d been plucked out of the air and thrown to the ground. Not only was the fall incredibly humiliating, but he was now being casually pinned underfoot.

"How can you prove it?"

Liu Chen hesitated. Even though he had the guy pinned, he was still wary. Anyone who could climb up from that bottomless cliff was clearly no simple character.

Liu Chen knew he couldn’t accomplish such a feat himself.

"Senior Brother, isn’t the fact that I’m here proof enough?"

Yang Haichen said, aggrieved. "Disciples who aren’t from Purple Bamboo Peak are stopped by guards if they even get near the bamboo forest. The fact that I’m here should be enough to prove my identity."

’That’s true,’ Liu Chen mused. ’Purple Bamboo Peak has wards in place. It’s impossible for anyone who isn’t a disciple of the peak to intrude without being noticed. His presence here says it all.’

With that thought, Liu Chen lifted his foot and pulled the unknown junior brother up.

Yang Haichen hastily dusted himself off. Thankfully, it was summer and hadn’t rained recently, otherwise he’d be covered in mud. He still looked a mess, but at least he’d retained a shred of dignity.

"If you don’t mind me asking, Junior Brother, why didn’t you take the main path?"

Liu Chen couldn’t help but ask as he looked at Yang Haichen. The area below the cliff had to be the foot of Purple Bamboo Peak’s rear mountain—that much was obvious. But if his destination was simply the rear mountain, there was no need to take such a risk.

A fall from here would let you skip a few decades of detours in life by starting over from scratch.

Yang Haichen glanced at the two junior sisters. As soon as he’d appeared, they had exchanged a look with the senior brother beside him and quickly departed. He had a bad feeling about this.

If he had appeared before them in a dashing pose, even if these two junior sisters were different from the others, he could have used the opportunity to ask about what he wanted to know.

Namely, the matter of the pre-selected Inner Sect Disciple spot.

But now, he suspected that the spot had been taken by the very senior brother standing before him. Under these circumstances, he couldn’t just ask about it directly. If this senior brother got angry and kicked him off the cliff, not even his confidence in reaching a High Realm in his cultivation would be enough to save him.

"To be honest, Senior Brother, I came here for you."

Yang Haichen took a deep breath and decided to tell the truth. He wanted to prevent any further misunderstandings, but more than that, he wanted to know how this senior brother had managed to snatch the Inner Sect Disciple spot that had been all but guaranteed to be his.

"I haven’t left Purple Bamboo Peak since I arrived. We couldn’t have possibly met, Junior Brother."

Liu Chen backed away from the guy as he spoke. ’Could he be a relative of those thugs I taught a lesson to?’

’If so, this could be trouble. I didn’t exactly go easy on them back then.’

"You misunderstand, Senior Brother. It’s about the pre-selected Inner Sect Disciple spot for Purple Bamboo Peak. I want to know what qualifications you have that allowed you to take it from me."

Yang Haichen’s eyes blazed with a challenging spirit. Though his stamina hadn’t recovered, he couldn’t lose in terms of presence.

"Oh, that. I don’t mind telling you. It’s because I’m a Spirit Chef."

Liu Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Since his master had said there was no issue with him taking the spot as a Spirit Chef, there was no reason to hide it. In fact, being upfront might save him a lot of trouble down the line.

"A Spirit Chef?!"

A bucket of imaginary cold water instantly extinguished Yang Haichen’s fiery fighting spirit. He had already settled into a stance, but now he awkwardly lowered his hands. Knowing full well the influence a Spirit Chef commanded, he had the sudden urge to just turn around and jump off the cliff.

If his opponent had simply been stronger than him, he could have accepted defeat with his pride intact—it would be, at worst, a simple spar between disciples. But his opponent was a Spirit Chef.

He could already foresee that if this news got out, it wouldn’t just be disciples from Purple Bamboo Peak flocking to visit. Disciples from every other peak would come calling, and even the Stewards and Elders wouldn’t remain indifferent.

Liu Chen quietly watched the cold sweat bead on his junior brother’s forehead. ’It seems the value of a Spirit Chef is even higher than I imagined.’