Chapter 4: Senior Brother is a Good Person

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Senior Brother is a Good Person

In the courtyard, Ye Linglong rolled over in her bamboo lounge chair, continuing to study the cookbook in her hands. It was said to have been left behind by the previous Spirit Chef of Purple Bamboo Peak.

’Ji Suyao usually comes looking for me when she wants a snack to satisfy her cravings. I should just ignore her. Besides, she bragged yesterday that her senior brother was way better than me. I remember that quite clearly!’

"Stop studying that. It won’t be good if it gets cold. I specifically asked my senior brother to make this for you."

Seeing her friend still studying the cookbook that looked like a Ghost Talisman, Ji Suyao pulled her right up. It was that book of scribbles they’d bought at the market down the mountain yesterday. It looked more like a book of Talismans than a cookbook—at least that would have seemed more reliable.

"I’ve already eaten."

Ye Linglong put away her cookbook and sat up. The two had been acquaintances back in the mortal world, so the moment Ji Suyao opened her mouth, Ye Linglong knew exactly what she was thinking. She clearly wanted her to admit that her cooking skills were inferior to that senior brother of hers.

"It won’t hurt to have a taste."

Ji Suyao pouted. It was a line she used often. In the past, she really would have wanted her friend to test if a cook she’d found was reliable, but this time, she genuinely wanted to open her friend’s eyes.

"It smells so good~"

Ye Linglong slowly opened the food container, and a fresh fragrance wafted over her. It looked rather nice. She picked up a slice of Bamboo Shoot and placed it in her mouth. Instantly, a refreshing sensation washed over her entire body.

Ye Linglong felt as if she had shed all her worldly shackles, becoming a bamboo shoot herself, quietly basking in the beauty of the forest.

"This has to be Spiritual Cuisine, right?"

Ye Linglong asked tentatively. Yesterday, while out with Ji Suyao, they had run into a disciple of the previous Spirit Chef of Purple Cloud Valley who was running a stall. That was where she had learned about the concept of Spiritual Cuisine.

Food prepared by a Spirit Chef that aided cultivation and contained Spiritual Qi was known as Spiritual Cuisine. That person had only learned the barest of basics, yet he dared to sell a fist-sized pastry for ten Spirit Stones.

To put that in perspective, their monthly allowance as Outer Disciples was only ten Spirit Stones.

"Maybe. You say that as if I’ve eaten real Spiritual Cuisine before. But if this counts as Spiritual Cuisine, doesn’t that mean my senior brother is a Spirit Chef..."

Ji Suyao’s imagination ran wild. If her senior brother was a Spirit Chef, then the recipes Ye Linglong tinkered with on a daily basis would taste even more amazing. The mere thought was enough to make her mouth water.

"Eat, eat, eat! That’s all you think about!"

Ye Linglong jabbed a finger toward Ji Suyao’s head. As she continued to savor the meal—which was very likely Spiritual Cuisine—her thoughts began to drift.

Neither her nor Ji Suyao’s Talent for cultivation was particularly strong. They had come here to practice partly out of their own desire, and partly for the sake of the families behind them.

Immortals controlled the dynasty; what family within it wouldn’t hope for their descendants to connect with an Immortal?

Their cultivation aptitude wasn’t considered good. Their families hadn’t sent them here expecting them to achieve anything remarkable in cultivation; they were sent to find a patron for their family. If they were lucky, they might meet a decent senior or junior brother.

If they were unlucky, they would be sacrificed for the family’s sake. The price for enjoying over a decade of the family’s splendor was the rest of their lives.

"My senior brother is a good person. As long as we find the right ingredients, I’m sure he’ll be willing to help. We’ll be in for such a feast then..."

Ji Suyao’s eyes were filled with anticipation. The mere thought of it motivated her for the entire cultivation journey ahead.

"Oh, you~"

Ye Linglong shook her head and began to ponder how to establish a connection with this Spirit Chef. Ji Suyao had probably forgotten her own status, but the family behind her would definitely take action as soon as they heard the news.

Returning to the present, Ye Linglong looked at the still-fantasizing Ji Suyao and couldn’t help but shake her head. The girl seemed so carefree and thoughtless, completely unconcerned with the instructions from that certain someone. Yet, as luck would have it, the only Spirit Chef on Purple Bamboo Peak—and perhaps in all of Purple Cloud Valley—was her senior brother.

Being close to the source provides the best opportunities. From now on, even if only to stay on good terms with the Spirit Chef, her friend wouldn’t have to worry about all those messy complications anymore.

Any of the Skills that could aid cultivation were rare—not only was the knowledge itself rare, but people with the Talent to master them were even rarer.

In Purple Cloud Valley, there were at least several hundred Outer Disciples with cultivation Talent like her and Ji Suyao. Most were sent by various factions within the Great Xia Dynasty, and the goal for the vast majority of them was to become an Inner Sect Disciple.

’My fate is my own, not for the heavens to decide.’ That was the truest belief for people like them. Yet, after years of bitter, fruitless cultivation, they could only accept their family’s arrangements, return to the mortal world, and use their rudimentary skills to become the family’s pillar of support.

Purple Cloud Valley originally had only one Spirit Chef, but he died three years ago during a failed breakthrough.

Her parents had started training her in the art of cooking seven years ago. The original plan was to rely on a past favor to become an apprentice under the Spirit Chef. Even if she learned nothing, the title alone would have been enough to ensure her family’s stability.

But alas, man proposes and God disposes. She had been one move short in the end, and could only come to Purple Bamboo Peak to become an ordinary Outer Disciple.

Ji Suyao’s senior brother was most likely the only Spirit Chef in Purple Cloud Valley. With that status, becoming an Inner Sect Disciple was an absolute certainty.

Within the Great Xia Dynasty, various factions had been founded by Outer Disciples with no hope of advancing in their cultivation. The Three Immortal Sects jointly controlled this dynasty, but Outer Disciples were ultimately not considered true members of the sect.

Once someone managed to enter the Inner Sect, not only would they receive better nurturing, but the faction behind them would make a quantum leap in status almost instantly.

This was why so many scions of Noble Families, despite having Talent that was clearly mediocre or even terrible, would still try to enter an Immortal Sect.

A Noble Family was both a form of support and a shackle. If your cultivation Talent wasn’t enough, you had no choice but to find a powerful backer.

"Hey? What’s wrong?"

Ji Suyao looked at her friend, who had suddenly frozen, and quickly gave her a shake. ’The food isn’t the problem, is it? I ate two huge bowls!’

"Suyao, have you ever considered that this senior brother of yours might be the solution to our troubles?"

After snapping out of her daze, Ye Linglong looked at Ji Suyao with a grave expression. Ji Suyao’s situation was similar to her own. Even though she was a member of the Royal Family, the Emperor of Great Xia himself was chosen by the Three Immortal Sects, which meant he had an even greater need to solidify his own position.

"What troubles?"

Ji Suyao felt a pang of guilt. She hadn’t listened at all when her parents had given her their instructions. But the number of times Ye Linglong had been this serious could be counted on one hand, so she figured the matter must be important.

"Um... just remember to send word back about your situation here on Purple Bamboo Peak."

Ye Linglong took a deep breath, ultimately deciding against laying the harsh reality bare. She figured that once this news reached home, the Great Xia Royal Family would no longer consider using her friend for a marriage alliance.

There were very few Inner Sect Disciples, but each was a future leader destined to hold great power. Even the Emperor of Great Xia would have to treat such a person with courtesy.