The person you could least afford to offend was the cook.
Fifth Elder's husband cooked delicious food and had a gentle temperament. In her past life, because Fifth Elder protected him so well, Song Yao hadn't had many opportunities to torment him; every time she came to him, it was just to eat, eat, and eat.
Indeed, he had no reason to avoid or hide from her.
Song Yao yawned and casually talked nonsense. “Yeah, I didn't eat properly. How could there be any food in the Earth Realm? I've starved so much that I've shrunk several sizes.”
The hand of Fifth Elder's husband kneading the dough paused. Suddenly, his smile vanished. He lowered his head and remained silent for a moment, his movements quickening slightly.
Seeing that he wasn't speaking, Song Yao decided not to disturb him and turned to go to Fifth Elder's room.
Outside, two Jiyue Peak disciples were on guard.
As soon as they looked up and saw her, they bowed to her with cupped hands. “Seventh Senior Sister, are you here to see Master? Master hasn't woken up yet.”
Song Yao nodded. “I missed her, so I came to take a look. It's fine, you can go back to what you were doing.”
Lately, this Seventh Senior Sister had completely cast aside her previous quiet and gentle demeanor, becoming somewhat nonsensical.
Furthermore, the Hall Master had instructed them not to let her visit Fifth Elder alone. Both of them instantly paled with fright and followed her. “Seventh Senior Sister, why don't you come see Master next time? Master really needs to rest right now!”
Unable to stop her, Song Yao had already pushed the door open, stepped inside, and walked over to Fifth Elder's bed.
Fifth Elder's breathing was still weak, her face pale, and her eyelids occasionally twitched. She was clearly trapped in a nightmare.
Song Yao narrowed her eyes and checked her condition.
The grade of the pills given by Pavilion Master Huai was extraordinary, and her own Qi-Replenishing Pills also had detoxifying properties. Reasonably speaking, Fifth Elder should have recovered very quickly, and there was no reason for her to still be unconscious.
It could only be said that the demon was far stronger than they had imagined.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she pulled out a porcelain bottle of Qi-Replenishing Pills without a second thought, pried open Fifth Elder's mouth, and poured them straight in.
Her movements were too fast. The two disciples nearby were startled and lunged forward to stop her. “No, no, no, Seventh Senior Sister! Calm down!”
“She'll choke!”
“How can you feed someone pills like that?!”
Before they could even touch a hair of Seventh Senior Sister, they were blocked by a barrier of spiritual energy.
They could only watch helplessly as Seventh Senior Sister produced a folding fan from out of nowhere and tapped it against their master's forehead.
Spiritual energy surged continuously into her forehead. Fifth Elder's face turned from pale to green, then from green to black. Just as she looked to be on the verge of breathing her last, a bizarre, healthy flush returned to her cheeks.
Then, her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
“Master!”
“Master really woke up!”
“Quick, go call for someone!”
Seeing that she would probably only remain awake for a short while, Song Yao found them too noisy. With a sweep of her sleeve, she sent the two disciples flying out of the room, closing the door behind them. She then pulled Fifth Elder up slightly and asked, “Where did you see Shen Queshan?”
Fifth Elder let out a muffled cough, her eyes squinting weakly as she spoke with great difficulty. “...Shen Queshan? He... he is trapped... cough, cough... held by chains. He can't seem to get out. He said... he said...”
Seeing that she was about to pass out again, Song Yao stuffed two more Qi-Replenishing Pills into her mouth and channeled her energy to force her awake once more. “What did he say?”
Fifth Elder felt a floaty, half-dead sensation, as if caught between ice and fire. Summoning every ounce of her remaining strength, she managed to finish, “He said... kill him.”
With those few words, she could no longer hold on and fell completely unconscious.
Outside the room, Fifth Elder's husband and two medical cultivators rushed in in a panic, only to see Song Yao walking out with a calm expression. “Fifth Elder is fine. She won't die. Don't worry.”
Fifth Elder's husband hurriedly urged the medical cultivators to go in and check. He rubbed his flour-covered hands against his clothes and caught up with Song Yao. “Are you going to the demon realm too? Didn't you see how badly Qinghe was injured? She's a body cultivator, and her cultivation is higher than yours, yet she nearly lost her life...”
He furrowed his brow tightly. “Can't you come to Jiyue Peak more often to eat, put on some weight, and get stronger before going in a while?”
Song Yao thought about it and shook her head. “No.”
Fifth Elder's husband was utterly perplexed. “Why?”
Song Yao smiled at him. “Because I haven't dealt with demons in a long time, and I miss them a little.”
Fifth Elder's husband: “?”
Did that sound like something a human would say?
He sighed. “Alright, alright. I really don't understand what goes on in the minds of you sword cultivators. If you had told me earlier that you were going to bring them into the demon realm to eat, I would have made more. How could this small amount be enough for you?”
With that, he turned and walked toward the small kitchen, from which smoke was rising.
Song Yao followed him. “My appetite isn't that big right now anyway.”
Fifth Elder's husband said, “...If you didn't run off, and I cooked for you every day, your appetite would definitely get better.”
Song Yao laughed. “Next time. We'll talk about it the next time I return to the sect.”
The steaming pastries came out of the oven. Fifth Elder's husband carefully wrapped them in oil paper and put them all into her spatial pouch. “I originally planned to save some for Ning Zhou and Cheng Yue, since those two kids also said they were going to the demon realm. But they are strong and sturdy, so they don't need a bite or two as much as you do. You should keep them and eat more.”
Song Yao accused him. “You're being biased.”
Fifth Elder's husband finally let out a smile. “Yao'ao enjoys her food more than anyone else, and I've known Yao'ao the longest. What's wrong with being a little biased?”
He chin-gestured toward the outside. “Alright, off you go. Remember not to share them with others; eat them yourself.”
Song Yao, already clutching a steaming brown sugar cake in her hand, nodded. “Okay~”
...
When Zhu Zhao spotted Song Yao waving her folding fan and smiling as she chatted with people in the gathered crowd of cultivators, she was still a bit dazed.
Didn't she say she wouldn't walk into the trap?
Didn't she say she was no longer interested in the demon realm?
To keep her from meddling in the matters of the demon realm, she had even relented and agreed to let her go to Mingdan Pavilion. Why now...
Zhu Zhao said goodbye to the person beside her and walked toward Song Yao with a tense expression.
Just as she drew near, she heard her drawl lazily, “Since I am a personal disciple of Nine Saints Hall, I naturally cannot be absent from such a heroic deed. If you're scared, just hide behind me when the time comes. I can't very well let you get hurt.”
In front of her were several young men and women who looked to be around her age, all gazing at her with worshipful expressions. “I heard you're a pill cultivator. Can a pill cultivator really be this powerful?”
“Nonsense! Senior Sister Lin is a personal disciple of Nine Saints Hall. Personal disciples of Nine Saints Hall are one in ten thousand. How could she not be powerful?”
“Then... can we follow you when the time comes? Would it be too much of a bother?”
Zhu Zhao's temples throbbed as she listened.
This person really wasn't pretending anymore; her true nature was completely laid bare.
No matter who she met, she had to tease and coax them.
But did she not have any self-awareness about her own situation and cultivation level?
Zhu Zhao stepped up to Song Yao's side and suddenly spoke in a clear, loud voice, “Although everyone is heading out to hunt demons to save the lives of the people of Frost City out of benevolence and righteousness, I'm sure you all know that this Frost City demon realm is extraordinary. The demons within possess unfathomable cultivation and use cruel methods.”
“It is not recommended for fellow Daoists who have not reached the mid to late stage of the Golden Core to go. If any of you require the protection of others, you might as well remain at your sects to avoid throwing away your lives in vain. It won't be too late to perform heroic deeds once your cultivation has made a breakthrough.”
Rate on N.U.
