Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Want, Want, Want

Jiang Li Sheng truly was asleep.

She had studied the ring of new space in her spiritual mansion for a long time, only to conclude it didn’t change much. It could store a little more spiritual power, nothing more. She was still at early Foundation Establishment cultivation. Aside from feeling frustrated and annoyed for a while, there was nothing worth getting excited about.

So she lay down and slept.

The knocking dragged her up. She stumbled to the door, eyes bleary, and opened it.

Wei Qing Lan stood outside.

She rubbed her eyes hard, then her face darkened. “What are you doing here?”

She slammed the door shut in his face.

Wei Qing Lan had never been given a cold shoulder like that—certainly not one so fierce. He seemed almost amused. Looking at the closed door, he said evenly, “Senior Brother Yun is back. Everything you had him buy for you is here. Are you sure you don’t want it?”

Then he turned to leave.

Jiang Li Sheng froze.

…How did she forget that?

She yanked the door open and rushed after him, grabbing his sleeve as her pride evaporated. “I want it. I want it.”

Wei Qing Lan shook her off without looking at her and kept walking.

Jiang Li Sheng chased two steps. His stride was long; she was already breathing hard. She reached out again and grabbed his arm. “I said I want it.”

Wei Qing Lan stopped and looked down at her hand. “Wasn’t I not allowed to touch you even once? So what is your hand doing now? Does it have a will of its own, beyond your control?”

Jiang Li Sheng looked like she might cry. The memory of her earlier outrage—the way she’d shoved him away when he steadied her—came back and burned her ears. Retribution really was swift.

She swallowed and admitted shamelessly, “Yes. It’s my hand. It has a mind of its own.”

Wei Qing Lan gave a quiet snort.

Jiang Li Sheng forced a placating smile. “Senior Brother Wei, I’m sorry. I was ungrateful. I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

Wei Qing Lan’s gaze rested on her. “Do you truly know you were wrong, or is it for your snacks?”

“I truly know I was wrong.” She nodded fast, sincerity and desperation tangled together. “You were being kind—you didn’t want to take advantage of me. You helped me, I helped you back. That’s fellow disciple bond. I shouldn’t have lacked that bond, lost my temper, and refused your replenishment.”

Wei Qing Lan nodded once. “Will there be a next time?”

“No. No next time.” She shook her head so hard her hair nearly fell into her face.

Only then did Wei Qing Lan take out the storage pouch and hand it to her.

Jiang Li Sheng grabbed it immediately. She opened it and saw everything she’d wanted packed inside—her snacks piled most visibly on top. Her face lit up so fast it was almost ridiculous. “Thank you, Senior Brother Wei.”

Wei Qing Lan turned his face aside. “No need.”

Then he added, “Seven days. The Qi Shan trip. Don’t forget.”

“I won’t.” Jiang Li Sheng pulled out a bag of snacks and shoved it into his hand.

Wei Qing Lan paused, clearly about to say something—then stopped. Jiang Li Sheng’s eyes were shining like she’d just been handed a treasure vault. In the end, he said nothing and accepted the snack bag.

Jiang Li Sheng tied the storage pouch to her waist and immediately tore open a snack for herself, eating with shameless satisfaction. “Mm. I haven’t eaten in days.”

Most cultivators fasted and lived on pills. But she’d grown up eating pills like meals. Whenever she got so sick of them she wanted to vomit, her master would buy her piles of snacks to coax her into swallowing them. Over time, she developed a habit—if she didn’t eat mortal-world food, she felt limp and drained.

Now her supplies were finally replenished.

With food in her stomach and joy on her face, she could finally speak calmly again. She looked up at Wei Qing Lan and thanked him properly. “Senior Brother Wei, thank you. The things my master can’t do, you can. You’re amazing.”

Then, deliberately copying An Ru Xu’s over-the-top tone, she added with earnest exaggeration, “In the future, you won’t just become immortal. You’ll definitely become a god.”

Wei Qing Lan let out a soft laugh. “Fine. I’ll take your blessing. Go back.”

He turned to leave.

A light breeze tugged at his sleeve. For that brief moment, his smile made the cold feel like spring—so bright it was almost unfair, as if even Kun Lun Sect’s eternal snow might melt.

Jiang Li Sheng stood there, stunned.

When he was gone, she finally snapped back to herself and smacked her own head, muttering, “I’m done. For a bite of food, I sold out all my principles.”

“What smells so good?” An Ru Xu popped back onto the wall again, sniffing loudly. “Junior Sister Jiang, what are you eating?”

Jiang Li Sheng turned and looked at him, helpless. “Senior Brother An, you can’t heal like this. Do you want snacks?”

An Ru Xu grinned. “It’s because I’m healing and Tai Wu is boring me to death that I can’t stay in bed. What kind of snacks smell this good? I want some.”

An Ru Xu was a true foodie. On Kun Lun Sect’s mountain, if it was edible, he wanted it.

But he usually ate only the finest things—spiritual plants, spirit beast pills. Ordinary grains were something he never touched.

“Snacks commoners eat in the mortal world,” Jiang Li Sheng said as she walked closer. “Grains and mixed cereals. You’re healing. You probably shouldn’t.”

For cultivators, grains offered no benefit and could leave impurities behind. Most fasted.

Unless you were like her—whether she ate grains or not, her cultivation barely advanced, so it didn’t make much difference.

Wei Qing Lan had already reached Golden Core cultivation. Eating it didn’t help him, but it didn’t harm him either.

An Ru Xu was different. He was still at Foundation Establishment, and he was injured.

“I still want it,” An Ru Xu insisted, eyeing her snack bag like it was sacred.

Jiang Li Sheng sighed and handed him one. “Then just a couple bites.”

“Perfect!” An Ru Xu reached down from the wall with effort, caught the bag, pinched one piece, and popped it into his mouth. He chewed and sighed, nostalgia softening his face. “It’s been so many years. Ever since my master brought me into Kun Lun Sect, I haven’t eaten mortal-world grains.”

He ate another piece, eyes half-lidding. “I forgot what it even tasted like. It’s really good.”

“Don’t get addicted,” Jiang Li Sheng warned.

An Ru Xu’s hand froze mid-reach. He reluctantly pulled it back. “Fine.” He sighed dramatically. “Sometimes I really don’t know what we cultivate for. Avoid this, avoid that, grind yourself down every day… it’s not much fun.”

Jiang Li Sheng still thought cultivation was plenty interesting. “If you weren’t a cultivator, you couldn’t eat Yuan Hu at all. You’d die.”

An Ru Xu blinked, then nodded, properly chastened. “True. Junior Sister Jiang, you’re really kind.”

“Go rest,” Jiang Li Sheng said firmly. “If you don’t heal properly, you won’t be able to go with me to the Qi Shan Secret Realm.”

She really wanted someone to travel with. Otherwise, she was terrified she’d step inside and get eaten by a demon beast before she could even breathe.

“All right.” An Ru Xu slid down from the wall. “If I can’t resist and come out to talk again… just ignore me.”

Jiang Li Sheng gave him a hard nod. “Mm.”