As soon as Chen Kuang entered, Shen Meinan's eyes lit up.
She immediately put down her teacup and practically bounced to her feet, eyes shining as she watched him take out dish after dish from the food box and place them neatly on the table.
There were no fewer than eight different dishes.
Though all were simple home-cooked fare, the spread was generous and every plate was beautifully presented. Just looking at them was enough to make one's mouth water.
The young girl's expression gradually shifted from excitement to disbelief. She looked up at the smiling Chen Kuang and gaped in astonishment. "You made all of these?"
Chen Kuang nodded. "Why? Doesn't look like it?"
Shen Meinan shook her head honestly. "Not at all."
She simply couldn't reconcile the image of this elegant man, who once played the zither by moonlight in a tower cabin on a lake, with the mental picture of him cooking in a smoky kitchen, cleaving chicken and chopping duck.
Not that it was a bad thing, it was just... way too down-to-earth.
Like a carefully crafted fantasy suddenly shattering.
Still conflicted, the girl murmured, "My father always said, 'A gentleman cannot bear to see life taken, and thus should stay far from the kitchen...'"
Chen Kuang handed her a pair of chopsticks with a chuckle. "I'm no gentleman."
Shen Meinan accepted them, eyeing him strangely, and muttered, "But you told my sister you were a proper gentleman who saw me only as a friend..."
Chen Kuang: "..."
Being a decent person... is really hard sometimes.
He cleared his throat awkwardly and pretended not to hear, then called over Qingcuo and Chu Wenruo to join them for the meal.
Qingcuo had been resting quietly against the wall, almost invisible, with her aura retracted. When Chen Kuang called her, she opened her eyes.
In that instant, a flash of divine light flickered in her pupils, her aura solidifying as if it had become one with the world. She emanated a silent, mountain-like presence.
Then it vanished as quickly as it had come, and she walked over quietly to sit down.
Chen Kuang, thanks to his "Piercing Insight" passive, immediately noticed the shift in her state.
He raised an eyebrow. "You broke through?"
Qingcuo calmly nodded. "While resting just now."
Chen Kuang fell silent.
Qingcuo had originally been at the Tower Ascension Realm. With this breakthrough, she had stepped into the Sea-Cleaving Realm.
Good grief. Without a word, she had crossed the great threshold of mid-third rank!
To ascend the twelfth floors of heaven, each level holds a thousand obstacles.
The Tower Ascension Realm marked the true threshold of immortality for cultivators.
And the Sea-Cleaving Realm, where one opened their Sea of Consciousness, their Spiritual Energy became as vast as the sea, rendering them nearly immune to exhaustion.
Their lifespan would now increase by eight hundred years, and they would be known as Immortal Masters.
From this moment on, Qingcuo could truly be called an immortal master.
Unlike Fan Hailong of the Canal Guild, who, even with immense secular power in Jishao Prefecture, remained a mortal limited by time, as long as he stayed below this realm.
But considering that Li Hongling's death had resolved a lingering heart-knot for Qingcuo, and she had endured much in their journey, it was only natural she advanced.
Chen Kuang was relieved. This meant Chu Wenruo and the others had even greater protection now.
He nodded. "You just reached the Sea-Cleaving Realm, make sure to consolidate your cultivation. We'll be staying quiet these next few days, so take the time to settle into your new state."
Qingcuo responded with a simple hum and sat at the lowest position at the table.
Despite her new level of cultivation, her demeanor hadn't changed. She still treated herself as nothing more than a humble guard.
To outsiders, seeing a Qi Opening Realm cultivator like Chen Kuang so casually instructing a Sea-Cleaving Realm Immortal Master would be outrageous.
But Shen Meinan had already started eating.
Hearing what had been said, she paused mid-chew and turned to look at Qingcuo, who had kept a low presence all along.
Stuffing her cheeks with food, she swallowed hard, and finally processed the reality.
Sea-Cleaving Realm...
And to think she had just been saying she wanted to protect Chen Kuang.
With her low innate talent, even her food no longer tasted good.
Ten years of slacking, and now, for the first time, she truly wanted to change.
Biting her chopsticks, the young girl wavered internally...
Maybe I really should listen to my parents and train at the Mysterious Divine Path Sect?
Unaware that he'd just sparked a lazy fish into motivation, Chen Kuang continued serving food.
He noticed that Chu Wenruo's mind kept drifting, her gaze repeatedly turning toward the still unconscious little princess.
He patted her on the back gently and comforted her: "Try not to worry. At least for now, Qingcuo has detected no physical abnormalities. If we can just wake her up, everything will be fine."
Chu Wenruo bit her lip and finally nodded. "I understand."
Chen Kuang continued, "Tomorrow, I'll head to the Envious Fish Hermitage and seek out Qi Sibai. He's spent three years searching for this Demon Sword, he definitely knows more than we do."
"Even if he can't resolve it, at least we'll have another expert helping."
Of course, he couldn't reveal Chu Wenruo and her daughter's identities.
Which meant he'd need to do some maneuvering to earn Qi Sibai's help.
Fortunately, he already had a plan.
Everyone ate with their own thoughts in mind, but thanks to Chen Kuang's "Golden Brocade and Jade Cuisine" passive, the meal turned out so delicious that all the dishes were eventually finished.
Though... mostly by Shen Meinan.
Chen Kuang couldn't help but reflect. He'd intended this as a small experiment, and the result confirmed what he'd long suspected:
Winning someone over with food just doesn't work on cultivators and nobles.
Still, no one noticed, on the bed, the unconscious little princess faintly furrowed her brows as the scent of food wafted into her nose. Her expression turned surprisingly stern for a moment.
After packing up the containers and handing them to a maid, Chen Kuang suddenly heard a soft voice call out.
"Big Brother!"
He looked up to see Chen Ning gracefully approaching in her long skirt.
"You're here, Little Sister?"
Chen Kuang smiled and closed the door behind him, the smile fading slightly. "How's Mother?"
Chen Ning sighed and shook her head. "She's sitting in the courtyard staring at the tree. No matter how I tried, she wouldn't budge..."
She looked up at him earnestly. "Even if you still bear resentment, Big Brother, please don't let it turn into stubbornness with Mother. She really, truly missed you all these years."
Chen Kuang gave a faint, wry smile. "It's not stubbornness. What I said earlier, I meant it. I truly have no interest in the Chen family estate. I have my own path to follow. I can't stay here long."
Chen Ning hesitated. "But I heard your music... and it sounded lonely."
"If you're lonely, why not reunite with your family and enjoy the time together?"
Chen Kuang raised an eyebrow.
So she had gleaned that much from just one tune? This sister of his was indeed remarkable.
No wonder she was called the "Eastern Court's Talented Lady."
Still, because of his transmigrator status, she had misunderstood the meaning entirely.
But her heart was in the right place, she just didn't see the whole picture.
With a slight smile, he asked, "If I really did stay, how do you think the family's assets should be divided?"
Chen Ning opened her mouth, then fell silent.
Chen Kuang said softly, "Even honest judges can't resolve family disputes. I came back just to visit briefly. I appreciate your concern."
"Besides..."
He smiled lightly. "How could sparrows understand the ambition of a swan?"
His tone was calm, but Chen Ning felt something twist inside her.
Sparrows? Swans?
So her brother was not only talented, but lofty in ambition.
But he had only just returned, did he even know how much the family was worth?
In the South Wharf, the Chen family's influence surpassed even the Canal Guild.
She could believe that some people would reject unexpected fortune, but what if that fortune had been rightfully theirs to begin with?
Mother was already distraught. If he came back only to leave again, her grief would surely deepen..
Chen Ning said no more, but quietly asked, "Then how long do you plan to stay?"
Chen Kuang replied, "No more than a month, perhaps just a few days."
Chen Ning's eyes flickered with another idea. "In that case, Big Brother, if you have time, perhaps you could walk around Eastern Court Lake a bit?"
She added with a hopeful smile: "Tomorrow, the poetry society I joined is holding a poetry gathering at the Envious Fish Hermitage. Would you like to come with me?"
Envious Fish Hermitage?
Chen Kuang blinked, then smiled in realization.
That inn by Eastern Court Lake wasn't exclusive to Qi Sibai. Though run by cultivators, it didn't bar mortals either.
Still, Chen Kuang didn't want to complicate things further and so he politely declined.
Though disappointed, Chen Ning didn't press, merely saying they could go another time.
Chen Kuang watched her leave, then slowly made his way back to the eastern wing.
As he walked, the unfamiliar scenery weighed on him, so much had changed from his memories. A quiet melancholy stirred within him.
Back in his room, he picked up the cloth doll from the bed, examined it for a while, then carefully set it aside and began cultivating.
Though he had the Fetal Breathing Technique passive that let him grow stronger without active training, his enemies were simply too powerful.
If he slacked off now, it would be no different from seeking death.
Time to hustle again.
He didn't plan to meditate, but to solidify his Third Aspect and comprehend the Fourth.
In his last battle with Li Hongling, he had awakened Twin Dragons Bathe the Buddha, but it had come from a flash of passive enlightenment, he had not truly mastered it himself.
Chen Kuang took a deep breath and settled into the starting stance of Descent from Tusita Heaven.