Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Da Qing
She set a plate of stir-fry on the table in front of Master Han—bright colors, rich aroma.
Master Han picked up a bite with forced restraint. He tasted it, paused, and said, “Not much.”
Then he took a second bite.
A third.
A fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh—
Hu Qing went numb. If it wasn’t good, why was he eating it clean? And why was his steamed-bun face wrinkling into something like an eighteen-fold dumpling?
He wasn’t pretending, either. He looked genuinely displeased.
Was the flavor really wrong?
Hu Qing grabbed a clean pair of chopsticks and reached for the plate. Master Han flicked his chopsticks and knocked hers away.
“Master Han,” she said helplessly, “at least let me taste it.”
Master Han chewed the last mouthful slowly and swallowed, still looking unsatisfied. Then his small eyes sharpened as he swept his gaze over Hu Qing.
“I heard you came from the teleportation formation direction,” he said. “Hmph. Not bad. You dodged that many demon beasts and still made it to our garden.”
Hu Qing had expected this. She put on a troubled look. “If I tell you, you might not believe me.”
Master Han slammed his chopsticks down. “As long as you tell the truth.”
Hu Qing nodded and began cautiously. “The place I’m from is remote.”
“Heh. This elder has traveled everywhere. There’s no backwater I haven’t seen.”
Hu Qing took a breath. “Little Li Realm.”
She watched his expression carefully, hoping he’d recognize it. Instead, his face went blank for a heartbeat, and he blurted, “You’re lying. There’s no such place.”
Hu Qing’s disappointment was obvious. “It’s Little Li Realm. A lower realm that just reconnected.”
Master Han’s eyes widened. Excitement replaced doubt almost instantly. “Where is it? I want to go take a look. Maybe there are ingredients I’ve never tasted.”
Hu Qing went still. “…I don’t know. I was on the other side of the immortal bridge. I got dragged into trouble by immortals searching for treasure, barely survived, and when I finally escaped, I was already here. I don’t even know how I reached the immortal realm.”
Master Han frowned, as if remembering something, and said offhandedly, “Then your place is probably going to be in trouble.”
Hu Qing’s heart clenched.
“A lower realm that’s just reconnected to the immortal realm,” Master Han continued. “If it meets good people, fine. But if it runs into bad ones—stealing and kidnapping are everyday things.”
Hu Qing’s panic hit her in the chest. Her family. Her people.
“Master Han,” she pleaded, “please point me to a way. I need to hurry back.”
Master Han had said it intentionally to test her. His spiritual sense had been watching the whole time. Her sudden rush of fear, her speeding heartbeat, the way her blood flow changed—she wasn’t lying.
He sighed, almost regretful. “I truly haven’t heard of it. And besides…”
His gaze swept her up and down. “With your cultivation, what can you do if you return?”
“I still have to go back and see,” Hu Qing said hoarsely.
Master Han shook his head. “You’d be delivering yourself as food. Maybe it won’t be as bad as I said.”
He paused, then added with frank sympathy, “Even if you go back now, you can’t win a fight. It’s probably already too late. Coming to the immortal realm might be your chance. Ask around while you grow stronger.”
Get strong, then take revenge.
Hu Qing pressed her lips together. “It won’t be that bad. Heaven watches us. If we’ve already ascended, the Heavenly Dao will protect our side.”
Master Han didn’t respond. It was precisely because the Heavenly Dao favored them that black-hearted people came to seize and plunder.
He changed the subject. “You can stay. Work as an assistant in the kitchen. We’ll feed and house you. As for wages—”
Hu Qing’s eyes lit up.
“None.”
Her face fell.
“But,” Master Han continued.
Her eyes lit up again.
“If what you make can be sold out front, you get a cut.”
Hu Qing blinked. “You’ll sell what I make?”
Master Han grimaced. “Your knife work is terrible, and your flavor is ordinary. Your dishes can’t go on the stage at all.”
Hu Qing’s expression went blank. Then why did you eat it clean?
“But your pastries are acceptable,” Master Han went on, as if her thoughts were irrelevant. “Stay for now. See if you get a chance. If you insist on leaving, then go ahead.”
Hu Qing swallowed her pride. “I’ll stay.”
“Good.” Master Han waved. “Da Mu, take this—”
“Hu Qing,” she supplied quickly.
“Take Da Qing to settle in,” Master Han said without missing a beat. “She starts work this afternoon.”
Hu Qing: “…”
Just like that, she had become Da Qing.
Da Mu ran over, grinning. “I told you Master Han is kind. You’re staying!”
Hu Qing forced a smile. “Yes. I’m lucky. I met a noble lady.”
Master Han coughed and walked away with his hands behind his back, already deep in thought. Little Li Realm… did it have new ingredients or not? He needed to ask around.
Shixiu’s staff housing was separated by gender, and the environment was surprisingly pleasant. Even as an assistant, Hu Qing was assigned her own unit—outer sitting room, inner bedroom, and a shared courtyard.
This was the lowest level of treatment. The head chefs had their own full residences.
Da Mu walked ahead, pointing toward a grand estate halfway up the mountain, his eyes bright with ambition. “Sooner or later, I’ll live up there.”
Hu Qing looked up. “Isn’t that far?”
“Far?” Da Mu turned back, envy written across his face. “Our banquet halls stretch from the foot of the mountain all the way to the summit. The higher you go, the more honored the guests.”
Hu Qing’s gaze lifted higher and higher until it reached the snowy peak. Her mouth fell open. “You mean… these mountains are all Shixiu’s?”
Juan Bu muttered, “Shixiu’s? You adapted fast.”
“Of course,” Da Mu said proudly. Then he clarified, “Not all of them. This mountain and the one behind it belong to Shixiu. The front is for hosting guests. The back is for storing ingredients and raising stock.”
Hu Qing exhaled. “That’s incredible.”
Da Mu beamed. “Naturally. This is headquarters.”
Hu Qing’s mind stirred. “Headquarters? The headquarters for all Shixiu in the Deng Yun Realm immortal realm… or headquarters for other immortal realms too?”
Da Mu sucked in a breath. “You really dare to dream. Other immortal realms? Sigh. I don’t even know if I’ll ever get the chance to visit another headquarters and exchange cooking skills.”
Hu Qing fell silent. A food brand could run chains across multiple immortal realms, and yet Yu Liu Ya still hadn’t managed to expand Zhaohua Sect beyond one small world.
Far away in the Little Li Realm, Yu Liu Ya suddenly sneezed three times in a row, completely ungraceful.
He froze.
Strange things demanded extra thought—especially when you were facing a difficult choice.
Right now, his emotions churned. The itch in his nose felt oddly insistent, as if Heaven itself were prodding him.
Many seniors who had ascended had returned recently, wearing the appearance of fervent devotion to their homeland. Yu Liu Ya didn’t believe in “unchanged hearts.” Even the person he’d once loved no longer stirred him the way they used to.
If someone claimed those returnees came purely to repay their homeland, he didn’t buy it. He believed they came for benefits.
“You think they’re doing it for themselves?” someone asked.
The hall was sealed with a barrier. Yu Liu Ya wasn’t the only one there; the sect’s great experts had gathered as well. To be precise, his seniority was the lowest in the room.
Yu Liu Ya spoke evenly. “Ancestors, the immortal ancestors ascended even the most recent of them nearly ten thousand years ago. How much attachment can they still have to the Little Li Realm?”
The ancestors exchanged glances. A calm, knowing light passed between them, and one said, “Perhaps they’re here to sever the debt of being raised by the Little Li Realm. Like when we take disciples—they also must cut worldly ties.”