Chapter 3: Disciple, Don't Worry — Your Master Will Keep Watch for You
By the time Li Yingling returned from the deep mountain forest, covered in dirt and dust, it was already noon.
Her pink flowing dress was smeared with mud, and there were streaks of dirt on her face.
The wooden stick in her hand had also been replaced with a wild rabbit.
Originally, her target had been a wild chicken, but chickens perched on trees and were far too difficult to catch.
So, she settled for a poor little rabbit instead. Though she felt a twinge of guilt, wasn't her hungry stomach even more pitiful?
Pushing open the temple's broken door, she saw her easygoing master boiling water.
Chu Xingchen looked at the disheveled Li Yingling and sighed. "I sent you out to hunt something wild—why do you look like the wilds hunted you?"
Li Yingling nearly exploded in anger but managed to hold it back.
After all, that Water Heart Scripture was incredibly effective.
Maybe her master truly was a hidden expert?
Perhaps he was just testing her resolve?
So she muttered weakly, "It's not that easy to catch them."
Chu Xingchen walked over, took the rabbit from her hand, and pinched its ears to examine it.
"Too skinny. Next time, catch a fatter one—it tastes better roasted."
"Oh…"
Seeing her sulky expression, Chu Xingchen smiled confidently.
"Don't make that face. I'll show you how it's done. Next time you go hunting, you'll have more motivation."
Li Yingling looked puzzled, only to see Chu Xingchen pull out a dagger.
He skillfully demonstrated how to handle a rabbit.
Then, summoning a ball of water with a Five Elements technique, he washed it clean.
If traveling all over Xuanwu Kingdom had any benefit, it was that he lacked for nothing—not even spices.
All neatly stored in his spatial ring, preserved perfectly thanks to its static environment.
He took out garlic and scallions, preparing a fragrant spicy rabbit head—one side braised, the other stir-fried with garlic.
Soon, three plates of rabbit dishes were set on the table.
The aroma was rich and irresistible.
Chu Xingchen slid the plate with the rabbit head toward her. "This is your first hunt. You deserve the best part—the rabbit head."
Seeing the cute little rabbit turned into a delicious meal, Li Yingling's tears almost fell straight into her mouth.
Still, she couldn't bring herself to eat the head.
As a young girl with a tender heart, eating rabbit meat was already pushing her moral limit.
How could she eat its head?
That resolve, however, collapsed the instant she took her first bite of the meat.
The spicy, savory flavor was irresistible.
A few mouthfuls later, the plate was clean.
And she had to admit—Master was right!
The rabbit was far too skinny; it barely filled her up.
Her gaze soon drifted toward the final plate—the spicy rabbit head.
Of course, her inner struggle didn't escape Chu Xingchen's notice.
He smirked and said lazily, "Not eating? If you don't want it, I'll take it."
"I'll eat it!"
Li Yingling felt ashamed for having no sense of restraint.
Eating the rabbit was one thing—but how could she even bring herself to gnaw on its head?
Damn it, it was all her master's fault!
And yet… it was so delicious!
—————
Ever since tasting Chu Xingchen's cooking, Li Yingling's enthusiasm for hunting had skyrocketed.
At the same time, the sense of progress from cultivation kept her awake at night, and she trained diligently without needing to be told.
Chu Xingchen wanted to act like a strict master and supervise her training, but he never even got the chance.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly; for now, this disciple was at least easy to handle.
However, the living conditions in the ruined temple were truly unbearable for someone of Li Yingling's noble background.
She carefully tidied up the temple—sweeping away cobwebs from the ceiling and patching up the wind-leaking door.
She even dismantled the last two wooden planks from the shrine to partition off her own sleeping space.
Chu Xingchen didn't object; after all, she was an unmarried young lady—it was understandable.
Though, if he ever took in another disciple, they might have to sleep on a haystack instead.
Half a month later.
Under the night sky.
Li Yingling sat beside the fire, happily eating a roasted chicken leg, though her voice was weak as she said, "Master, I've been stuck at the ninth level of Qi Refining for so long."
Chu Xingchen sprinkled seasoning over his own roast and said casually, "Keep practicing—you'll get through it soon enough."
Li Yingling cleared her throat softly. "Master, I've read in storybooks that when cultivators get stuck at a bottleneck, they usually use some kind of elixir or spirit plant to help break through."
"As the number one sect in Xuanwu Kingdom, and with you as the number one cultivator, surely you have a few good pills, right?"
Chu Xingchen glanced at her. She was looking up at him with eager, expectant eyes.
In simpler terms, her message was clear: Old man, hurry up and bring out your pills.
He nearly laughed out loud. What pills?
If he hadn't accepted her as his disciple, he'd still be stuck in the Foundation Establishment stage himself.
And she expected a Foundation Establishment master to produce heavenly elixirs?
Still… it wasn't entirely impossible.
He glanced toward the night sky. The Xuanwu Kingdom was a remote region—not like the Central Continent, where Golden Core cultivators were as common as clouds.
Here, a Golden Core cultivator was already considered a grand elder.
Now that he had reached the Flawless Golden Core stage, things that were once too risky might no longer be off-limits.
After some thought, Chu Xingchen made up his mind.
"Finish eating. I'll take you to our sect's spirit herb field to pick a few spirit plants."
Li Yingling's eyes lit up with excitement. "We have a spirit field? I've searched this whole wilderness and never saw a single plot of land!"
Chu Xingchen snapped back, "There's no spiritual vein here! Do you think spirit plants are radishes you can just stick in the ground anywhere?"
Li Yingling barely listened. So the sect really wasn't just a broken temple after all!
They even had a spirit field! That meant her sect wasn't as poor as she'd thought!
Her mood lifted instantly.
It looked like breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm was within reach!
The roasted chicken leg in her hand suddenly tasted even better. Forgetting all decorum, she quickly devoured it.
"Master! I'm full—let's go!"
Chu Xingchen was speechless. This girl wasn't even trying to hide her greed for her master's so-called "treasures."
Still, leaving early would work better with his timing.
He sighed. "Alright, let's go."
Under the dark, windy night, master and disciple left the temple and headed southeast.
An hour later, as they climbed a rugged mountain path, Li Yingling couldn't help but ask, "Master, isn't this spirit field a little too far away?"
"Spiritual veins are always remote," he replied. "We're almost there."
Another half hour passed.
Finally, Li Yingling saw the so-called spirit field.
And to be fair—it really did look impressive.
Under the moonlight, the spirit herbs shimmered softly, their glow mingling beautifully with the pale light of the moon.
The field was even well-protected.
A faint yellow barrier surrounded the not-too-large area.
Li Yingling turned to Chu Xingchen with excitement—only for that excitement to vanish when she saw what her master was doing.
He was carefully using his spiritual power to melt open a small hole in the barrier.
After looking around to make sure no one was nearby, he handed her a ragged sack.
"I'll keep watch. You go in and grab what you like! Take whatever catches your eye—it's our field, no need to be polite!"
Li Yingling felt dizzy with disbelief.
Master! Are you… robbing someone else's spirit field?!