Chapter 95

Chapter 95: A Total Mess

After finishing the chase with the Azure Phoenix, Shen Sang Ruo went to the Sect Master’s Hall. The once empty hall was now piled high with sect dossiers, and she fell into deep thought.

Daoist Wu Wei greeted her with a squinty grin and a shameless tone: “Sang girl, you are here? I chose these dossiers for you with great care. If they are not enough, just tell me. Do not be polite. How about handling fifty sets today?”

Shen Sang Ruo’s head started to ache. She had thought this would be simple paperwork, but Daoist Wu Wei’s crafty nature far exceeded her expectations. He paced beside her, offering instant judgments on her answers.

He pointed at one: “This part is wrong. Your punishment is five more sets.”

Shen Sang Ruo blinked: “?”

He pointed at another: “This part is quite good. Your reward is ten more sets.”

Shen Sang Ruo stared harder: “???”

Was that a reward or a punishment? The piles beside her grew and grew until they threatened to bury her. The day wrecked both her mind and her body. When she finally stepped out of the Sect Master’s Hall, it was deep night, and she was dazed.

Su Xi Yu and the other three hurried over and steered her back to the training field. Their methods were far gentler than the previous three teachers, so she treated it as a relaxation session.

Among the four, Ye Huai and Bai Ruo An had not fully recovered, and Su Xi Yu was an Alchemist not skilled at attacking, so only Song Wei Yan actually sparred with her. The headache was that Song Wei Yan was a Spell Cultivator whose fighting used Hand Seals and spoken incantations, yet he did not chant, he sang.

His singing was, well, hard to describe. Sometimes piercing, sometimes hushed, sometimes sorrowful, sometimes bitter and lingering; if you did not know better, you would think a funeral had just happened. Bai Ruo An smiled faintly and said: “It has been a long time since I heard Second Senior Brother sing his spells. Still the same familiar sound.” After a beat, he added: “It sounds just like my grandma’s sleep talk.”

Shen Sang Ruo felt that Bai Ruo An carried a calm kind of madness, like the quiet of someone half alive. Ye Huai was more direct and said: “Croaking and screeching, impossible to hear.”

Song Wei Yan’s face fell as if deeply wounded, and he protested: “Eldest Senior Brother, your words are hurtful.” Then he sang even louder.

Shen Sang Ruo could only think: [Has anyone considered my feelings?] After one round, the only thing seriously injured was her ears. It was pure mental damage.

Just then Su Xi Yu arrived with four bowls and said with a bright smile: “You are all tired, right? I made four bowls of soup just for you. Come taste.”

All three besides Shen Sang Ruo jumped back over ten meters as if facing a great beast. Years of experience told them that, right now, Su Xi Yu was no different from a poison master carrying poison.

Song Wei Yan asked in fear: “Fourth Junior Sister, if we drink your soup, will we still be alive?”

Su Xi Yu rolled her eyes and said: “You do not know a good thing. I will give it to Junior Sister.”

She turned with a bowl toward Shen Sang Ruo. From the others’ reaction, this was very likely a bowl of dark cuisine. Shen Sang Ruo felt some resistance, but when she met Su Xi Yu’s expectant gaze, she could not refuse. [It is only a bowl of soup. At worst, my tongue will suffer a little.]

She gave Su Xi Yu a bright smile and said: “Thank you, Senior Sister Su.”

Su Xi Yu beamed and lifted her chin: “Junior Sister really knows how to appreciate me.”

The soup in Shen Sang Ruo’s bowl was pale green and carried the light fragrance of mung beans. It looked and smelled lovely. She peered closer and said in surprise: “Mung bean soup?”

Su Xi Yu nodded and said: “Yes. It is delicious. Try it.”

The soup slid in sweet but not sticky, the beans were soft, and the broth was clear and bright. It was better than any mung bean soup Shen Sang Ruo had ever tasted. She relaxed and said: “It is delicious.” The fatigue in her body seemed to melt away.

Su Xi Yu preened and said: “Of course. Junior Sister understands quality.”

The other three stared like they had just seen a miracle. It was actually just mung bean soup. Had Su Xi Yu changed?

Su Xi Yu turned and called to them: “You three, last chance. If you do not drink, I am taking them away.”

Shen Sang Ruo added helpfully: “I can vouch for it. Senior Sister Su’s mung bean soup is very good.”

The three finally let go of their doubts. If Su Xi Yu did not go wild, her cooking was indeed worth tasting. Song Wei Yan chuckled and said: “It is a reflex at this point. Fourth Junior Sister, give me a bowl.”

But when he looked at the bowl in his hands, his face twisted. He asked: “Are you sure this is mung bean soup? Junior Sister, was yours really tasty?”

Shen Sang Ruo said honestly that hers was true mung bean soup and very good. Song Wei Yan showed her his bowl. The liquid was bright green, with what looked like tiny animal feet floating on top.

Shen Sang Ruo widened her eyes. This was nothing like the soup she drank.

Su Xi Yu smiled and explained: “Mung Bean Frog Green Plum Soup, shortened to mung bean soup.” There were mung beans in it, so how was it not mung bean soup?

Shen Sang Ruo could not understand how she had connected those three ingredients. She finally understood why the three had reacted the way they had earlier.

In general, cultivators who reached a certain level did not need to eat. Aside from Alchemy, Su Xi Yu loved to cook and truly had skill, but she loved studying strange recipe ideas, with no purpose beyond tormenting her long suffering Senior Brothers.

Song Wei Yan, sharp as ever, asked: “Then why is Junior Sister’s mung bean soup the real thing?”

Su Xi Yu sniffed and said: “Is Junior Sister the same as you?” She treasured Shen Sang Ruo and would not harm her.

Shen Sang Ruo felt flattered and silently thanked Su Xi Yu for her mercy. Song Wei Yan cried out in protest: “That is unfair treatment.”

Su Xi Yu fixed him with a dangerous look and asked: “Are you drinking or not?”

He answered firmly: “Not drinking.”

In the next instant, they were chasing each other in circles, the field turning into chaos. Bai Ruo An watched the show with calm delight and said: “Wonderful, it is all a pot of porridge now. Let us drink while it is hot.” Ye Huai quietly tipped his own bowl out.

Shen Sang Ruo watched the scene, shook her head with a sigh, and yet a small smile curved at the corners of her mouth.