Chapter 124: Strangely Moved

Yan Shu had always been puzzled about why one would choose the path of cultivation.

In truth, given her temperament, she would much rather live as a wealthy mortal—indulging in good food, drink, and leisure, enjoying a carefree life.

At present, even taking a bath felt like a luxury; only a fool would want to pursue cultivation!

She had worn the same outfit for over ten years without a single change. Every day, using the Transcendence Technique, the pale purple robe on Xiao Jihan had even faded to white!

Deprived of satisfying her appetite or her love of beauty, what meaning was there in cultivation?

This, however, was Yan Shu’s misunderstanding. In reality, female cultivators in the immortal realm lived quite comfortably. They had many garments, cosmetics, accessories, and daily feasts.

Not just the women—ordinary male cultivators also bathed and changed clothes from time to time. Noble scions like Yuwen Che even burned incense.

Her own misery stemmed partly from the poverty of the Xuanyuan Sect and partly because the original owner was obsessed with cultivation, indifferent to worldly possessions.

In her childhood, the sect leader and several senior brothers had tried to dress her up, but she disliked it. After a few attempts, they gave up.

Later, when she developed a heart demon, she cared even less about these things.

If cultivation truly meant living like an ascetic monk, how many would willingly choose this path?

“Awake?” Xiao Jihan set down his brush and rose, coming to the wooden table beside her. Looking at her, he said, “Since you’re awake, get up and eat. We haven’t been back for ten years. Spirit rice and spirit plants have accumulated. I thought you hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time, so I prepared some.”

Yan Shu immediately perked up, rising several times faster than usual.

After putting on her shoes, socks, and clothes and stepping down from the bed, she noticed her room had changed.

Before, it had been just a bed, a wooden table, and a round mat, making the main chamber feel empty.

Now the bed had been replaced, the wooden table was moved, and under the windowsill stood a desk and a chair. On the desk lay brush, ink, paper, and inkstone—Xiao Jihan had clearly been copying something earlier.

Against the wall stood a long chest of drawers, topped with a flower vase holding fresh blossoms. Suddenly, the once cold and sparse room felt warm and elegant.

Moved without knowing why, Yan Shu sat by the wooden table, glancing at the dishes before her and then at Xiao Jihan opposite her. She suddenly felt that the two of them were quite good company.

It reminded her of when, trapped in an illusion, she had watched Xiao Jihan and the ‘Yan Shu’ of that dreamlike world. Though the days were monotonous, they were filled with warmth.

Seeing the emotion welling in her eyes, Xiao Jihan softly smiled and handed her chopsticks. “Eat quickly; the food will get cold.”

“Mm!” Yan Shu took the chopsticks and lifted her bowl, eagerly beginning to eat.

Xiao Jihan’s cooking was quite good. Though the dishes were simple, their flavor was excellent.

If she weren’t concerned about appearances, Yan Shu would have licked the plates clean!

It wasn’t just her being sensitive; after ten years without a proper meal, no one could be indifferent to such food.

As the meal was nearly finished, Xiao Jihan lowered his gaze and casually said, “Though we haven’t returned for ten years, if we eat one meal a day, the supplies will only last about a month.”

“Ah?” Yan Shu was stunned. “Spirit rice and spirit plants for ten years amount to this little?”

Xiao Jihan nodded. “Previously, we only had morning porridge. Now there’s a full meal for two. Of course, if you prefer, I can skip eating.”

“Impossible!” Yan Shu rejected that without hesitation. She was not the original owner; she couldn’t be so heartless.

Besides, Xiao Jihan was the male lead—refusing to feed him would be cruel.

“One month it is,” Yan Shu sighed. “Better than nothing. If I had to drink porridge every day, I’d rather save it up and eat it all at once.”

Hearing this, Xiao Jihan smiled faintly. “You’re right. Actually, I have quite a few pills refined in the Medicine King Valley. If we sell them, we could earn a good amount of spirit stones. Our daily needs would be covered, and we could even buy some clothes, cosmetics, hairpins, and jewelry for you.”

Yan Shu’s heart leapt. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s sell them!”

“To sell them, we must go to the imperial city of Yunzhou,” Xiao Jihan said, hesitation flickering across his handsome face. “We only just returned this morning. Leaving now would be inappropriate.”

Yan Shu considered this and said, “You’re right. The food will last another month anyway. Let’s go then, a month from now.”

Xiao Jihan still looked hesitant. “That’s not good. You just returned and haven’t had a chance to get along properly with the senior uncles.”

“It’s fine,” Yan Shu waved her hand. “Usually, I don’t stay with the brothers all the time. They have their own affairs, and I have mine.”

At this, Xiao Jihan’s hesitation faded, and he nodded. “Very well. Then in a month, we’ll go to Yunzhou imperial city, sell the pills, and exchange them for spirit stones. It’s also close to my mother’s death anniversary, so we can make a stop in Hanzhou to pay respects.”

Yan Shu was momentarily taken aback. To reach Hanzhou, they would first have to pass through Tiannan and Zhongzhou, and only then arrive at Hanzhou. Compared to Yunzhou, the distance was vast—hardly something one could call “on the way.”

Yet she recalled from the original story that after Xiao Jihan inherited the Medicine King legacy, he began leveling up by defeating monsters and experiencing various romantic entanglements. But his initial purpose was to return to Hanzhou to honor his mother and stir trouble for the Sima clan.

At that time, he did not seek revenge directly, as he was still being pursued by the Xuanyuan Sect, while the imperial family surely had powerful protectors.

He journeyed through battles and trials, reaching Hanzhou many years later, by which time he had attained the late Nascent Soul stage.

After enduring hardships, Xiao Jihan successfully exacted bloody vengeance on the Sima royal family, avenging both his mother and himself.

At that time, the cultivation world was unaware that he was an eighth-rank alchemist and artifact crafter. Coupled with the Xuanyuan Sect’s denunciations, he became a hated fugitive.

Only Yuwen Che and the Demon King stood by him.

The Demon King supported him because he admired Xiao Jihan and considered him a close friend and vital partner.

Yuwen Che defended him because the Sima clan sought revenge on the Yuwen clan, which in turn sought out Yuwen Che. Being Xiao Jihan’s great-granduncle by marriage, he understood the full story and the chaos within the Sima clan, as well as Xiao Jihan’s childhood suffering.

Thus, Yuwen Che refused to pursue Xiao Jihan and even declared that having transcended the mortal world, he would no longer interfere in mortal grudges.

Because of this, Yuwen Che—a minor character in the book—left a deep impression on Yan Shu.