Lin Xue's expression soured upon hearing that Ye Tiancheng was going to cook. She felt her master shouldn't be so picky, but she couldn't help it. This was practically common knowledge.
The last time Ye Tiancheng was asked to stew ribs, he burned them to a crisp, sticking to the bottom of the pot, a truly terrifying sight.
Later, everyone thought it might be too much to ask a grown man like Ye Tiancheng to stew meat, so they had him stir-fry some dishes instead.
Lin Xue remembered this incident quite clearly. They were stir-frying green beans, and it was a truly tragic affair. The green beans were barely cooked.
If it weren't for Lin Xue's spiritual energy protecting her, the undercooked green beans would have produced toxins, and Lin Xue would have suffered severe vomiting and diarrhea. The thought alone made her feel stifled.
Fortunately, at this moment, Old Mrs. Jiang noticed the situation and proactively diffused it. "I'll cook then. There's a popular dish online called Braised Pork Ribs and Green Beans with Noodles. It's not greasy for breakfast and tastes especially good. I'm planning to make it for you to try."
Old Mrs. Jiang's words finally pulled everyone out of their predicament, especially Lin Xue, who least wanted to eat Ye Tiancheng's cooking. However, as Ye Tiancheng's disciple, she had to say something pleasant. Despite her reluctance, she voiced her anticipation.
"Alright, it seems my turn to cook will have to be another day. We'll talk about it later, no rush."
Lin Xue finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly told Ye Tiancheng to occupy the scholar's room and meditate there, gathering his true qi.
By the time Ye Tiancheng finished, the kitchen was already emitting a fragrant aroma, but the meal wasn't ready yet, as Old Mrs. Jiang would call everyone when it was done.
Under these circumstances, Ye Tiancheng decided to wander around to pass the time. He thought about checking on the bear cub and found Lin Xue already there, using her spiritual energy to care for it.
"Xue'er, it's good that you're letting me cultivate, but you've come here to care for the bear cub. You'll exhaust yourself like this. Hurry and rest."
Lin Xue didn't seem to think there was anything inappropriate about her devotion to the bear cub. Instead, she found it quite endearing, constantly telling Ye Tiancheng how cute the little bear cub was.
"It's much livelier today. I fed it some meat earlier, and it ate it all up. It looks quite energetic today."
Lin Xue had channeled so much spiritual power into the cub, and given its young age, it was relatively easy to heal. Of course, it would have energy. This was a normal phenomenon.
However, humans and bears could not coexist. Forcing them together would only bring trouble to both sides.
Therefore, even though Ye Tiancheng felt reluctant, he had to remind Lin Xue of one thing. "Once this little bear cub recovers, it still needs to be released back into the forest. That is its home."
"But Master, I feel that even if it recovers, it's still too early to release it back into the forest. The forest is still filled with dark energy. If we release it now, I'm afraid it will be harmed. It's best to wait a while longer."
Lin Xue was clearly worried about the bear cub, and also reluctant to part with it. Despite its larger size compared to other pets, the bear cub was very obedient, making it hard to let go. Honestly, if this little guy were to leave, it would feel like a piece of her heart was missing.
"You have a point. Then, after we clear the dangers in the forest, we'll return the bear cub to its world." Ye Tiancheng also felt a pang of reluctance, but he didn't express it as clearly. Sometimes, men weren't necessarily less compassionate than women; they just found it harder to express.
"Of course, those hunters, and that scholarly man with glasses, are the most suspicious. We need to remove all danger from them as well, which will facilitate our next steps."
All dangers around the bear cub must be eliminated before it could be returned to the forest. Otherwise, it would be akin to killing the creature they had just saved, which would be too cruel.
After the master and disciple finished their lunch, they planned to rest for a while. In the evening, when the mist was thinnest, they would head into the forest to confront the entity filled with dark energy.
In the meantime, the master and disciple intended to use the time for cultivation. Every second was precious now, and they couldn't afford to waste time. They should plan their time well and dedicate more of it to self-improvement.
The sky outside was gradually darkening. The master and disciple prepared to set out. Based on their experience, this was indeed the best time.
As they stepped out, they ran into Huang Mao, who was scrambling towards them. Huang Mao looked terrified, like a frightened mouse, exuding a faint air of creepiness.
"Help me, esteemed sir! Only you can save me now. You can't abandon me!"
Huang Mao wailed, grabbing Ye Tiancheng's pants, looking like he had been unlucky his entire life. For a moment, he distracted Ye Tiancheng.
"What are you doing? Go find your brother. Why are you bothering me?"
"My brother has gone mad. He's not my brother anymore, and I can't rely on that lunatic. Please, save me. If you don't help me, I'll truly die."
Huang Mao, having experienced some unimaginable psychological trauma, was now behaving extremely abnormally, as if he had gone insane.
Ye Tiancheng looked at him with disdain. "Honestly, I'm not sure about your bespectacled brother, but I'm sure you've gone mad."
Seeing that Ye Tiancheng didn't seem to believe him, Huang Mao had no choice but to reveal his true intentions. If he didn't offer something substantial, Ye Tiancheng probably wouldn't continue to entertain him.
"How about this, esteemed sir? I'll tell you everything. Actually, there's treasure in this forest. Our boss made an agreement with a Mr. Ouyang to find it. But before we could get the treasure, we were betrayed. The forest is filled with evil energy. Most of our brothers were killed, and some fled. They didn't truly betray our boss. I survived because I was lucky, but I don't know how much longer I can live."
Huang Mao trembled as he spoke, clearly showing his extreme fear. For someone like him, as long as he could stay alive, he would do anything.
"You're scared now? When you were following that bespectacled man, you should have known better. People like that are unreliable. You were bound to fall into his hands sooner or later, and suffer misfortune."
The message was clear, and Huang Mao was willing to admit his mistakes. He now had only one request: for Ye Tiancheng to accept him.
"I understand, capable sir. I knew I was wrong long ago and am willing to pay any price for my foolish actions. But can you spare me this time? Also, I was thinking, I can be your subordinate. Just tell me what you want, and I'll do it. I'm quite loyal, and as long as my life isn't threatened, I'll never betray you."
What this Huang Mao said was almost laughable. This person would say anything, which was truly troublesome.
"Do you think I'm like that bespectacled man, always thinking about taking subordinates? I have no intention of taking subordinates."
"I know that, but esteemed sir, don't you have a disciple? Isn't your disciple your subordinate?"
This statement was, for a moment, unanswerable. However, Ye Tiancheng also had a retort to put him in his place.
"Don't talk nonsense. You've seen your skills, and your disciple is even stronger than me, the master. How dare you compare yourself to my disciple? Aren't you being a bit too arrogant!"
What he said was not wrong. The only disciple Ye Tiancheng had taken was indeed formidable, far beyond what others could hope to achieve.
"Although I haven't met him, I know you have a good brother who is very fat and always calls you Brother Ye. He's also your subordinate. That person is an ordinary person, and he can be your subordinate, so I can too."
It was unclear whether this guy had come for help or was trying every way to make Ye Tiancheng know he was qualified to be Ye Tiancheng's subordinate. But this was not the time to discuss such matters. It felt truly strange.
"I will not take you as a subordinate. As for your life, I will not stand by and watch you die."
"Then, esteemed sir, it doesn't matter if you take me as a subordinate or not. Please save me. My brother has been dragged into the forest by a mysterious force. Without your protection, I will also be dragged in sooner or later."
After all this rambling, this was the main point. If this Huang Mao subordinate had said this earlier, Ye Tiancheng wouldn't have wasted so much time. Communicating with someone like this was truly exhausting.
"It just so happens that I need to go into the forest, so I'll save your brother along the way. But don't misunderstand, it's definitely not because of you. I will never take you as a subordinate, no matter what."
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng called Lin Xue, and they prepared to set off together. The master and disciple were already planning to eliminate evil and help the good. As for saving the scholarly man, it was likely a secondary objective.
The master and disciple quickly entered the forest. Ye Tiancheng had promised Huang Mao nothing, but he had a plan. What they were doing today was not just about eliminating the dark energy; he truly believed that saving lives was the most important thing.
As the saying goes, saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. As cultivators, they were inherently stronger than ordinary people.
If they didn't embrace the sentiment of serving the people, they would eventually stray onto an evil path. Their cultivation would never lead them to the righteous way. This was a realization Ye Tiancheng came to later.
Since gaining this understanding, Ye Tiancheng had become much kinder and his perspective broadened. The scholarly man was merely greedy and had not yet committed any unforgivable mistakes.
Such a person did not deserve death, so Ye Tiancheng felt it necessary to save him. If he discovered that the scholarly man had committed any heinous crimes, Ye Tiancheng would not be foolish enough to set up his own court.
Even a powerful cultivator could not be above the law. Otherwise, such a person would also meet a bad end. Ye Tiancheng needed to maintain a humble heart to live his life well, and only then would his cultivation have a future.