Outside the house.
Chen Ye wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at the two disciples in front of him who seemed obedient, but whose gazes kept wandering.
He let out a small breath of relief. "Good thing Jin’er spoke up today, your master was already starving..."
"Huh?!"
Jin’er was secretly shocked; she had thought that speaking rashly would make her master angry!
Even Qing Jun was surprised, muttering inwardly, "If I’d known... I would’ve gone to call Master! The one who should be praised should have been Qing Jun!"
Chen Ye waved his hand grandly, expression relaxed. "Come, go eat with your master!"
"Yay!"
The little girl who had been sulking suddenly brightened up again.
Once Master tasted her cooking, he’d definitely praise her!!
It was just that...
This meal turned out completely different from what Qing Jun had imagined.
"Qing Jun, this steamed spirit perch tastes quite good..."
A certain blonde girl forced a stiff smile as she picked up the tenderest piece of fish for the little girl.
The little girl was terrified, her mind racing with suspicions.
So scary!
Why did True Inheritor Bai show up?
She’d heard that those who abduct children always smiled like this—dagger hidden in a smile—as they tricked the kids away!
Could it be that True Inheritor Bai slipped some drug in?
And on top of that, she had just interrupted True Inheritor Bai’s good business...
The wary little girl didn’t dare lift her chopsticks for a long time.
Chen Ye said calmly, "What are you dazing out for?"
"Oh... oh-oh, thank you, True Inheritor Bai!"
Seeing that even Master had said so, Qing Jun finally picked up that piece of fish with extreme caution and put it in her mouth like she was going to her doom.
Mmm!
The little girl’s eyes lit up. "Delicious, it’s really delicious!"
Bai Susu smiled with squinted eyes. "As long as you like it, this is..."
But who would have thought—
The little girl puffed out her chest proudly. "As expected of Qing Jun’s cooking!"
Wait a second...
Bai Susu’s expression stiffened. The words that had reached the tip of her tongue—"This is something big sis specially picked for you"—were swallowed back down by force.
So this was something Qing Jun had cooked herself?
Then this didn’t even count as "offering Buddha with borrowed flowers"!
She, a dignified Spirit Hidden True Inheritance, was usually the one others racked their brains to please. When had she ever put in this much effort to curry favor with a few little girls?
And yet look how it turned out.
She failed before she even got out of the gate.
"Ahem."
Bai Susu coughed dryly, forcing herself to salvage some dignity.
"Mm... not bad. To have such skills at such a young age, you’re a talent worth cultivating. Just now when I picked it up, I wanted Qing Jun to taste the fruits of her own hard work first..."
"Many thanks for the praise, True Inheritor Bai!"
Although Qing Jun felt that True Inheritor Bai was acting weird today, she still thoroughly enjoyed the compliment. Happily shoveling the fish into her mouth, she then added,
"But it doesn’t matter whether Qing Jun eats it or not, this was made for Master!"
"Uh..."
Bai Susu silently broke out in a sweat.
This Xu Qingjun really was flawless!
She quietly clenched her fist inside her sleeve. In that little notebook called "Guiding Disciple Plan" hidden there, the first strategy, "Food Temptation," was fiercely crossed out with her Divine Sense.
[Misstep! This girl’s a chef herself! Change target!]
She took a deep breath, adjusted her mindset, and let her gaze pass over the feasting Qing Jun to land on Jin’er, who looked like she wanted to bury her face in her bowl.
This one looked like she had the smallest guts and should be the easiest to handle.
"Jin’er."
Bai Susu tried to make her voice sound as gentle as possible, the corners of her lips lifting in a slight smile.
"Clang!"
Jin’er’s hand shook, and the spoon fell right into the soup bowl, splashing up a few drops of broth.
She raised her head in terror, stammering,
"H-Here! What... what instructions does True Inheritor Bai have?"
Bai Susu’s smile froze.
Am I really that scary?
She paused, then fished out a crimson Jade Scroll she’d prepared long ago from her Storage Ring and gently pushed it in front of Jin’er:
"I see that although you cultivate fire techniques, the flow of Spiritual Power in your body is a bit rough. This is a flowing-fire insight I obtained in a certain Secret Realm. It records a few little tricks for Fire Control and should be of some use to you."
This was a top-tier set of insights!
Outside, it would be enough to make Foundation Establishment Cultivators fight to the death over it!
This time she’d definitely be moved to tears, right?
But.
Jin’er stared at that Jade Scroll, her little face turning pale. She subconsciously looked toward Chen Ye, tears welling up in her eyes:
"M-Master... did this disciple do something wrong? Is Master going to abandon this disciple..."
In her understanding, someone who showed you kindness for no reason was either a crook or a thief.
On top of that—
Ever since her Anomalous Fire had been exposed in the Lingyin Sect, the higher-ups of the sect had repeatedly expressed a desire to take her as a disciple.
Back then she’d said she already had a master, only then barely discouraging them.
Now True Inheritor Bai suddenly wanted to give her such a precious Cultivation Technique. Could it be that Master wanted her to become True Inheritor Bai’s disciple?
Bai Susu: "..."
She opened her mouth, only to find she had nothing to say.
Chen Ye, off to the side, was greatly puzzled.
What on earth was this Golden Furred Ball doing?
Was she really thinking of poaching his disciples?
Still, this flowing-fire insight was obviously a Cultivation Technique Bai Susu had carefully selected for Jin’er.
And Jin’er just so happened to be lacking a Cultivation Technique right now. It would be stupid not to take it.
Chen Ye reached out to pat Jin’er’s head, soothing her in a warm voice:
"Silly girl, what are you thinking? This is True Inheritor Bai seeing your potential and rewarding you with a chance. Take it."
With her master’s assurance, Jin’er finally reached out with trembling hands and carefully pinched the corner of the Jade Scroll:
"Th... thank you, True Inheritor Bai."
Seeing how timid Jin’er was,
Bai Susu felt like she had a mouthful of old blood stuck in her chest.
She quietly made another note with her Divine Sense.
[Another misstep! This girl’s bolder than a mouse... giving gifts only scared her half to death...]
After suffering setbacks one after another, Bai Susu’s stubborn streak was only stoked further.
Her gaze shifted and locked onto the last one—Senior Sister, Zhiwei.
This was Chen Ye’s eldest disciple. As long as she handled this one, the other two would be nothing to worry about!