Chapter 95: Please Help Me
Xiang Yu approached the ruins of his newly built house, where Li Yao stood examining the debris. Her eyes widened with surprise as she noticed him.
"Senior brother, you built a new house?" she asked, gesturing toward the scattered remnants.
"Yeah, but it was destroyed," Xiang Yu replied, surveying the damage caused by the talisman explosion. He made a mental note to repair it when he had the chance.
Concern flashed across Li Yao’s face. "Were you hurt? Is everything okay?" In an instant, she materialized directly in front of him, crossing the distance so swiftly that he hadn’t even registered her movement.
Xiang Yu blinked in astonishment. Her speed surpassed even the Core Formation cultivator he had faced—and not by a small margin. Despite his recent breakthrough in cultivation, the gap between them remained vast. He had believed he might catch up to her now that he could cultivate properly, but he couldn’t even track her movements with his eyes. Was this truly the level of a cultivation genius?
He released a soft sigh. "No, I’m alright."
Li Yao opened her mouth to press for details, but their conversation was interrupted as Elder Guo and Elder Huang descended from the sky, landing beside them. To Xiang Yu’s bewilderment, Elder Huang was carrying Elder Guo in her arms like a princess.
"Martial nephew, you have to help senior brother!" Elder Huang exclaimed, her voice urgent and breathless. Elder Guo, thoroughly mortified by his position, buried his face in his hands, unwilling to make eye contact with his disciples.
Elder Huang attempted to bow to Xiang Yu, but he quickly stopped her. "Calm down," he said gently. "Just explain what’s going on."
"That’s right," she nodded, catching her breath. "Your master overexerted his golden core. It was already injured before, but now it’s burst completely, and he’s lost all his cultivation." Her voice trembled as she continued, "Now that he’s lost all his cultivation, he’ll start aging again. Since he’s exhausted all his mortal lifespan..." She hesitated, her voice breaking slightly. "He won’t live for long."
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she spoke. "Senior brother said before that his qi pathways had healed when he ate your food. Since his spiritual root is still there, if his qi pathways are repaired, he should be able to cultivate once again." She tugged desperately at Xiang Yu’s clothing, her eyes glistening with tears. "Please help me."
Xiang Yu gently detached her fingers from his clothes, taking her hands in his with a reassuring smile. "Martial aunt doesn’t need to be so polite," he said warmly. "He’s my master. Of course I’ll help him."
Her face crumpled at his words, and she began sobbing openly. "Senior brother really took in nice disciples," she thought to herself. One was a genius who had saved the sect, and the other was also a genius who would now save him. This was how it should be—someone as kind as her senior brother would never be abandoned by the heavens.
"Umm, can you let me down now?" Elder Guo asked, still cradled in Elder Huang’s arms.
"No! You’re a mortal now," Elder Huang protested. "What if you trip and fall to your death?"
Elder Guo nearly coughed blood at this ridiculous suggestion. "How is that even possible? If that were true, wouldn’t all mortals have died long ago?"
"Master, you should listen to martial aunt," Xiang Yu advised with a barely concealed smile.
Li Yao approached their master, patting his head affectionately. "Master, it’s okay. We won’t make fun of you," she said, her tone playful.
Elder Guo stretched out his hand toward her. "You brat, do you think I can’t punish you?" But Li Yao instantly vanished, reappearing safely behind Xiang Yu.
With a defeated sigh, Elder Guo closed his eyes. "Hmph, I’ll let it go for now. I’m not that petty to argue with you kids." Privately, though, he vowed to discipline his unruly disciples once he recovered. How dare they make fun of their weakened master!
...
"Junior sister, go and catch some meat. I’ll prepare the herbs," Xiang Yu instructed, already mentally planning the meal he would create.
Li Yao pointed toward a distant section of the partially destroyed house. "Senior brother, I saw some meat over there. Shouldn’t we cook that?"
Xiang Yu followed her gesture and instantly panicked, his eyes widening in alarm. "Wait, you didn’t kill them, did you?" The thought of his carefully maintained livestock being slaughtered made his heart skip a beat.
"No, I just sensed them with my qi sense," she replied casually.
Relief washed over Xiang Yu’s face as he exhaled slowly.
Li Yao tilted her head, curiosity evident in her expression. "Is something wrong with them?"
"Well, no," he admitted, composing himself. "But those are not for eating. They’re for domestication." He spoke the last word with particular emphasis, hoping she would understand the distinction.
"What’s the difference?" Li Yao asked, genuinely perplexed. In her mind, meat was meat, regardless of its source.
Xiang Yu carefully explained, "These are for emergencies, so we’ll have something to eat if the mountain ever runs out of food."
Li Yao’s confusion only deepened, her brows furrowing slightly. "If the mountain ever ran out of food, I would just go look for it on another mountain," she declared proudly, crossing her arms with a self-satisfied expression. "Senior brother need not concern himself with such a thing."
Xiang Yu could only facepalm. How could someone so extraordinarily talented in cultivation be so utterly clueless about basic survival principles?
With a patient smile, he reached out and gently patted her head, his fingers lightly tousling her silky hair. "Junior sister is really reliable," he acknowledged. "But you won’t always be here. Do you want your senior brother to starve to death when you aren’t around to catch food?"
She fell silent, her expression growing serious as she contemplated this scenario. After a moment of deep thought, she nodded slowly. Xiang Yu felt a small sense of accomplishment, believing his explanation had finally penetrated her understanding.
"Then go and catch meat," he directed, making a shooing motion with his hands. "Bring as much as you can. We’re having a feast as promised."
Li Yao’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Senior brother, does that mean..." she began eagerly.
Before she could finish, Xiang Yu pressed a finger gently against her lips. "Shh," he whispered, leaning closer. "It’s a surprise for master and martial aunt, so don’t say anything."
Her eyes brightened even more, sparkling with childlike delight. Without another word, she took to the air, her form blurring as she flew away with extraordinary speed.
Xiang Yu watched her disappear into the distance, a contemplative expression settling on his face. He reflected on his tendency toward secrecy—a survival strategy that had served him well thus far. But perhaps it had its limitations. He couldn’t hide everything forever, especially from those closest to him.
If he had revealed some of his capabilities earlier, he might have alerted the sect to Elder Mei’s treacherous plans. This time, his master had survived the ordeal, but what about next time?
He didn’t need to reveal everything—just enough to establish some credibility among his inner circle. And he knew exactly where to start.
Xiang Yu walked toward the kitchen—not the one in his destroyed house, but the common kitchen of the pavilion. As he stepped inside, he realized it had been quite some time since he’d last used this space.
A small smile played across his lips. Today, he would reveal one secret he had carefully hidden until now: his 4th grade cooking skill...
...
Author’s Corner:
What do you guys think of this, I think it’s quite reasonable.