The Sweet and Clever Cook

The heavy snow fell for three consecutive days before it finally stopped.

Tiance Palace was wrapped in a blanket of pristine white. The accumulated snow on the eaves gleamed with a piercing silver light under the sun, and the snow on the stone steps had been trodden by the disciples into winding, dark paths.

The snow on the martial arts field had been swept completely clean by Qi Yan with a burst of flame spiritual energy. The green jade stone surface was revealed once more, while a thick ring of snow remained piled along the edges, looking like a white border framing the field.

On this morning, Qi Yan brought Jiang Yuezhan along with him.

Her newly recruited junior brother wore the black robe of a new disciple. Standing half a head taller than Lin Zhiyue, his posture was as straight as a spear. Holding his standard iron sword, he stood quietly two paces behind Qi Yan, keeping even his breathing very light.

When Lin Zhiyue arrived at the martial arts field and saw him there, she raised a hand to greet him. “Good morning, Junior Brother.”

Jiang Yuezhan nodded to her, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly in return, a gesture so small it was almost imperceptible.

Qi Yan looked at Lin Zhiyue, then at the silent Jiang Yuezhan behind him. When he spoke, his tone was as flat as usual. “Today, the two of you will practice together. Run through the starting stance three times, transition forms one through five twice each, and then spar.”

Lin Zhiyue nodded in agreement and drew her sword, stepping to one side of the field. Jiang Yuezhan also drew his sword and stood three or four paces opposite her. Separated by a stretch of clean green stone, they both pointed their sword tips toward the ground. The morning light spilled diagonally from the cliffside, stretching their two shadows long and thin.

The three runs of the starting stance went very smoothly. Having practiced it for so many days, Lin Zhiyue already knew it by heart. Jiang Yuezhan’s foundation was even more solid than she had imagined, each of his sword movements precise and clean.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, thinking that this junior brother was indeed excellent material. No wonder he had taken first place in the outer sect minor competition.

Once they finished the transition forms, Qi Yan raised his hand to signal them to spar.

Lin Zhiyue took the initiative, her Azure Scale Sword thrusting forward with a trail of frost. Jiang Yuezhan sidestepped to dodge, his iron sword sweeping upward from below. The angle was tricky, but his force was well-controlled, showing no intent to harm.

The two of them exchanged over a dozen moves back and forth. Lin Zhiyue relied on her greater experience to gain a slight upper hand for a few moves, but Jiang Yuezhan’s defense was airtight. Although he had fewer opportunities to attack, every single strike of his sword was so steady that it left no openings to exploit.

In the end, both of them sheathed their swords and stood still at the same time, their chests rising and falling slightly as their exhaled breath dispersed into thin mist in the cold air.

Lin Zhiyue returned her Azure Scale Sword to its scabbard and patted Jiang Yuezhan on the shoulder. “Junior Brother, you’ve only been here a few days, yet your swordplay is already so steady. If you practice for another two months, I won’t be able to beat you.”

The tips of Jiang Yuezhan’s ears turned slightly red. Lowering his head, he murmured, “Senior Sister flatters me,” before sheathing his iron sword and stepping back behind Qi Yan.

Qi Yan glanced at the two of them, remained silent for a few breaths, and then waved Lin Zhiyue over.

Lin Zhiyue walked over. “Master, what is it?”

Qi Yan’s gaze rested on her face for a moment, then passed over her to look at Jiang Yuezhan, who was currently looking down and adjusting his scabbard. When he spoke, his tone carried an indescribable nuance that was absent from his usual voice. “Focus on your cultivation lately. Do not emulate your senior brother and sister. Keep your mind on the righteous path, and do not let yourself be distracted by romantic entanglements.”

Lin Zhiyue froze, blinking.

Then, realizing what Qi Yan was implying, she felt as if she were about to split apart on the spot.

“Master!” she hissed in a low voice, her face filled with disbelief. “I have no such feelings for Junior Brother! I only praised him because his swordplay is good!”

Qi Yan looked at her, his deep black eyes holding a subtle expression that seemed to say, if you say so, calm as if he had seen through everything.

He said nothing more, merely raising his chin to signal her to continue practicing. Then, he turned and walked over to sit on a green stone at the edge of the field, drawing his blade to wipe it down, acting as if the conversation just now had never happened.

Lin Zhiyue stood in place, a breath catching in her throat, unable to let it out.

She turned to look at Jiang Yuezhan, who was still quietly adjusting his scabbard a few paces away. The youth had not noticed what had happened here at all. He was currently lowering his head, carefully using his sleeve to wipe away a tiny speck of frost on the edge of his iron blade, completely absorbed in his task.

Lin Zhiyue closed her eyes, with only one thought in her mind: What on earth is Qi Yan thinking?

All she did was say a few good words to recommend Jiang Yuezhan for apprenticeship. How did that translate to her having feelings for her junior brother in his eyes?

This misunderstanding was too absurd, so absurd that she didn’t even know where to begin explaining.

Taking a deep breath, she returned to the field and drew her sword, venting all her speechless frustration into her sword movements. A single strike of her frost-trailed sword cut a full half-foot longer than usual. Watching from the side, Jiang Yuezhan whispered to Qi Yan, “Senior Sister’s sword strikes are very fast today.”

Qi Yan raised his eyelids to glance at the field. The cloth in his hand paused for a moment before he continued wiping his blade. He let out a flat, indifferent “Mm.”

Lin Zhiyue was left speechless by Qi Yan’s words for two whole days, making her a bit more silent than usual during her sword lessons.

It wasn’t that she was angry; she was just speechless to a certain degree. How could Qi Yan think she liked Jiang Yuezhan? The kid had only been here for a few days. She even had to think for a moment about which character for “Zhan” was used to write his full name. How did this turn into “romantic entanglements”?

But two days later, she no longer had the spare mind to think about this.

The spiritual spring in her dantian suddenly began to expand of its own accord. Her ice and wind dual-element spiritual energy became far more active than usual. Its speed noticeably quickened when circulating through her meridians, as if something were brewing deep within the spiritual spring, preparing to break out of its shell.

After meditating for half an hour, Lin Zhiyue realized that she had touched the threshold of the mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

As she sat up straight on her cushion, the system light screen popped up in response:

【Limited-Time Quest: Break through to the mid-stage Foundation Establishment. Quest Reward: Premium Draw Ticket ×5, unlock eligibility for the limited-time card pool “Sweet and Clever Cook”. Countdown: 15 days.】

Lin Zhiyue looked at the quest panel and nodded. Her breakthrough to the early-stage Foundation Establishment last time had been too violent, complete with a lightning tribulation that nearly blasted her to death. This time, she planned to take the mid-stage breakthrough steadily.

For two days, she spent eight hours meditating each day, steadily stabilizing her spiritual energy. Finally, on the morning of the third day, the spiritual spring in her dantian solidified into a complete circle of its own accord. Her spiritual energy density doubled, and the speed of its circulation became incomparably smoother than before.

The light screen immediately burst with a warm, pink special effect:

【Quest complete! Premium Draw Ticket ×5 has been distributed. The limited-time card pool “Sweet and Clever Cook” has been unlocked.】

Lin Zhiyue stretched her shoulders and clicked on the preview interface of the new card pool, only to freeze instantly.

Floating within the card pool was a set of clothing entirely different in style from any spiritual outfit she had seen before.

The headwear was a white, short-brimmed chef’s hat, its brim embroidered with a delicate floral border.

The dress was a puffy, light pink short skirt. The hem was printed with chocolate-colored wavy patterns and cream-colored dots. The skirt length only reached above her knees, revealing the white knee-high socks and light pink, round-toed leather shoes below.