ARLQLCC chapter 16

 

The group stood there in a daze. The path back to the sect beneath their feet had been cut off, which meant they would have to fly back to the sect on their swords tonight.

It was not that such a short distance would tire them out, but this was time that could have been saved. Instead, because of some shameless person’s handiwork, they had stood there like fools inside the teleportation formation for quite a while.

The group stepped out of the formation and stared at one another. Yue He asked, “What exactly is going on?! Why was the teleportation array suddenly destroyed when it was working perfectly fine?”

Yun Xicheng said bitterly, “Just now, I sent my spiritual energy to investigate. The array on Linggu Mountain is functioning normally, but when the spiritual energy reached our sect, it hit a wall. Someone must have destroyed the teleportation array on the Yunxian Sect side this afternoon!”

Yun Che said angrily, “Who would do something like this? We know all the Yunxian Sect disciples who came today. Everyone gets along well and has never had any conflicts. After so many years as fellow disciples, their character is trustworthy.”

Yan Shao said quietly, “Could it be… that it wasn’t done by a disciple?”

Yun Xicheng fell silent for a moment. “That’s possible. Everyone has suffered from the sect’s food for a long time. Now that they can finally eat something delicious, they’d be happy before anything else. Why would they cut off their own retreat?”

Yue He said, “Then it must have been some servant in the sect!”

Listening to their heated discussion, Su Ji lowered his head and thought for a moment while holding the cat. A flash of inspiration crossed his mind. “You mentioned before… that your sect recently got a new chef, and as soon as he arrived, he pushed out the previous head chef?”

He spoke suddenly, but his words hit the nail on the head. Yun Xicheng immediately replied, “That’s right! The new chef’s surname is Lin. Everyone calls him Chef Lin!”

Yan Shao added, “I remember he was recommended by the Second Elder!”

Su Ji asked again, “What is this Chef Lin usually like? Do you know much about his temperament?”

Yue He had been listening from the side the whole time. Upon hearing this, she immediately said, “Me, me, me! I know him!”

Yun Che glanced sideways at her. “This Chef Lin hardly ever shows himself, and you actually know?”

Yue He explained, “You all know that I’m very picky about food. The previous chef’s cooking was only average, but I thought that food in the cultivation world had always been like this, and as long as it was edible, that was enough.”

“But ever since this Chef Lin forced him out, the dishes in the cafeteria have become hard to describe. I really couldn’t convince myself to accept them, so I thought I’d go to the back kitchen and see what kind of remarkable person could make food this bad.”

Yun Xicheng let out an “Oh.” “So you sneaked into the kitchen?”

Yue He nodded. “I only planned to take a quick look and leave. After all, I couldn’t exactly point at his face and tell him his cooking was terrible, right? But as soon as I entered the kitchen, I discovered something strange. The kitchen had to cook food for so many people at once, and the fumes were heavy, so it obviously wouldn’t be too luxurious. But who would have thought that half of the kitchen had been converted into a lavish lounge!”

“I didn’t see what it looked like inside, but it definitely wasn’t shabby. And that Chef Lin was teaching some apprentice disciples how to cook. He was extremely harsh while speaking. If the apprentice made even one step wrong, he would hurl insults and scold them so badly that the poor disciple didn’t even dare lift his head!”

Su Ji clicked his tongue. “From what you’re saying, this Chef Lin has quite a bad temper?”

Yue He nodded quickly. “Exactly! His own cooking isn’t that good, but he’s still so fierce when teaching others!”

Su Ji continued, “From what you’ve said, this Chef Lin has only been here for a short time, yet he already had enough spare money to occupy part of the kitchen and renovate a lounge. Is the monthly stipend for the head chef of Yunxian Sect really that generous?”

Yun Xicheng said, “Not at all. Every disciple and servant receives a fixed monthly stipend. I was puzzled too. That lounge alone takes up half the kitchen!”

It should be known that the Yunxian Sect cafeteria occupied an enormous area, and the kitchen was far larger than that of an ordinary cafeteria.

Chef Lin had only been in the position for a few days, yet he already had enough resources to build such a large lounge. And according to Yue He, even the materials visible from the outside looked extremely luxurious, not to mention what the interior must be like.

As Su Ji raised one question after another, Yun Xicheng gradually understood what he was implying. “Are you saying that Chef Lin destroyed the teleportation formation?”

Su Ji said, “It’s only my guess. I have no evidence. Originally, I thought that if you said Chef Lin had a mild temperament, then I was probably mistaken. But after hearing Yue He, I’m actually becoming more certain.”

Yun Xicheng voiced the implication Su Ji had left unsaid. “That’s right! So many Yunxian Sect disciples came to Linggu Mountain today. There must have been far fewer people in the sect cafeteria. He probably noticed that hardly anyone came to eat, feared that he would not be able to make money in the future, and destroyed the formation in a fit of anger!”

Yue He said angrily, “How despicable! If he had put more effort into his own cooking, why would everyone travel all this way instead of eating nearby?”

Yan Shao agreed, “If the Second Elder weren’t backing him, he probably would have already been reported by the disciples and kicked out.”

Yun Che said, “We’ll go back right now and expose what he did to everyone!”

Seeing how agitated they were, Su Ji quickly advised, “Everyone, please calm down. This is only our speculation. We have no evidence, and no one actually saw him destroy the formation. If you speak up now, he may turn the accusation against you.”

Yun Xicheng sighed. “That may be true, but it’s really infuriating.”

Yue He said, “Senior Brother Yun, isn’t the Sect Master your father? Can’t you ask him to stand up for us disciples? Others may fear the Second Elder, but the Sect Master certainly doesn’t.”

Yun Xicheng shook his head. “Do you think I haven’t thought of that? But my father is trying to break through to the Tribulation Transcendence realm and has been in seclusion for many years. I haven’t seen him in a long time.”

Yun Che said helplessly, “Are we just going to let him off like this?”

Su Ji comforted them. “Without evidence, there’s nothing we can do. It’s already late. Flying back on your swords will probably take some time, so why not return to the sect for now? Stay alert in the future and see whether you can catch him in the act.”

Yun Xicheng said, “Fortunately, my knowledge of formations is decent. I’ll repair the formation when I get back, then spread the news that it was destroyed and see whether we can scare him a little.”

The group stepped onto their flying swords and said goodbye to Su Ji.

As spiritual energy surged, different-colored auras wrapped around them. Standing against the wind, they sped toward Yunxian Sect.

Once they left, only one man and one cat remained on Linggu Mountain.

The night was deep. In the blink of an eye, the four of them were swallowed by the thick darkness and disappeared from sight.

Su Ji let out a breath and carried Chu Zhaoye back to the bedroom.

He had originally planned to research some new pastries that evening, but after this sudden incident, he lost interest and postponed it.

After returning to the bedroom, he first contacted Shopkeeper Chen and arranged for several assistants to come work the next day. Then he stroked the kitten’s round little head and stared blankly at the tightly shut door ahead.

Chu Zhaoye climbed out along his arm and placed both front paws on Su Ji’s chest, looking at him with concern.

Su Ji sensed his emotions and lowered his head. “Reopening this cafeteria was originally just meant to be a way to make money. I never thought it would become this popular on the second day, and I certainly didn’t expect it to block someone else’s path to wealth.”

Chu Zhaoye thought to himself: It’s clearly because that Chef Lin is unworthy of his position and makes nothing but dirty money. Any chef with slightly better skills could take away his business, let alone when that person is Su Ji.

He licked the back of Su Ji’s hand to comfort him.

Su Ji felt ticklish from the licking. His eyes curved like crescent moons as he smiled. “No need to comfort me. I’m not unhappy. I just didn’t expect something like this to happen right after opening. I have a feeling things won’t be peaceful from now on. Tell me, if chefs from other sects also destroy the formations, won’t my cafeteria have no choice but to shut down?”

Chu Zhaoye shook his head, and his soft ears traced adorable arcs in the air.

Not to mention that every sect had disciples who understood formations, chefs from other sects were not as overbearing as Chef Lin, acting so arrogantly just because he had an elder backing him.

Su Ji continued, “But I suspect that if he really did it, then even after Xicheng repairs the formation this time, he won’t let the matter rest.”

Although the cafeteria had only been open for two days, Chu Zhaoye had seen all of Su Ji’s hard work. Business was booming, and the disciples were happy to eat. It should have been a win-win situation, but someone had already come to cause trouble so soon…

A few traces of hostility flashed through Chu Zhaoye’s eyes.

If he could restore his true form as the Demon King, there would be no need to wait for the man to expose himself. He would simply tear through space, head straight to that so-called lounge, drag him out, and under the pressure of his spiritual might, the man would confess everything.

How would a mere Second Elder of Yunxian Sect dare stop him?

Unfortunately, his strength had not yet recovered, and he was powerless to help even as he watched Su Ji being bullied.

Thinking of this, Chu Zhaoye irritably flexed his claws.

Now he ate all three meals a day prepared by Su Ji, and Su Ji’s mysterious ability was healing his internal injuries every day. Although the speed of recovery was already terrifying, the injuries caused by the backlash of the Tribulation Transcendence realm were not so easily healed.

The limitations imposed by his kitten body became more obvious with each day and night spent with Su Ji. With Yan Shao’s appearance and all these troubling matters, Chu Zhaoye grew more and more anxious to recover quickly.

Once his strength returned, Su Ji could open a cafeteria wherever he wanted. The demon race had no shortage of spirit stones.

Then they would see who dared come seeking revenge.

With worries on his mind, Chu Zhaoye slept very restlessly that night. He dreamed of many events from the past. Only when Su Ji woke him the next morning for breakfast did he shake off the haze filling his mind.

After contacting Shopkeeper Chen last night, the man arrived at Linggu Mountain the next morning with several assistants who looked honest and capable.

There were four assistants in total: two to wash dishes, one to collect money, and one to serve food, while Su Ji was solely responsible for cooking.

After making the arrangements, Shopkeeper Chen hurried off. The assistants stood by, awaiting instructions, while Su Ji sat with the kitten beside him in the seat where Yun Xicheng usually sat.

In the blink of an eye, it was mealtime again. Groups of disciples poured out of the teleportation array like hungry tigers pouncing on prey and rushed straight to the serving area to line up. Seeing the new assistants, they greeted Su Ji.

“Did Chef Su hire new helpers? You really should have. Business is booming now, and doing everything alone is too exhausting!”

“It’s just a pity we can’t see the little kitten collecting money anymore, hahaha!”

Su Ji responded to the disciples’ good-natured teasing with a smile.

The four from Yunxian Sect arrived a bit late today. After getting their food, they all came over to sit beside Su Ji.

Yun Xicheng carried his tray and sat across from Su Ji. “Chef Su, I’ve already repaired the formation. After classes ended, I gathered the disciples and told them what happened. Everyone is furious and said they’ll keep an eye on the formation area over the next few days!”

Su Ji nodded. “That’s good.”

Yan Shao also squeezed over and showed Su Ji an honest smile. “C-Chef Su, seven days from now will be the once-in-ten-years Sword Trial Tournament. This year, Yunxian Sect is hosting it. W-would you like to come to our sect and stay for a couple of days?”

 

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