[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-immortal-food":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-immortal-food-lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-765":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Lord of the Immortal Food",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2313888,4524,"Chapter 765","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-765",765,"\u003Cp>“No, is it not allowed? I’m sorry…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye looked at the girl, and the girl looked at him with some trepidation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where do you want to touch?” he asked flatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nan Yingzhi cautiously extended her hand: “C-Can I just hold your sword hand for a moment, Master Pei?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye hesitated slightly, then handed her his hand; Nan Yingzhi lightly gripped it—just a fleeting brush, like a dragonfly skimming water—and immediately her face lit up with a joyful smile: “Thank you, Master Pei!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re welcome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you get to the Imperial Academy… if you need help, find me.” Nan Yingzhi spoke quickly, “Has half a quarter-hour passed? Sorry, sorry, I’m leaving, Master Pei!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye thought the half-quarter-hour didn’t need to be so strict; he silently withdrew his hand and watched the girl swiftly exit the room, glancing up at him one last time before closing the door—when she saw he was still watching, she flinched and slammed the door shut with a sharp “bang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye thought this girl was quite simple and adorable, but why hadn’t she asked him a single thing about the sword?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After pondering for a dozen breaths, the door opened again, and another elegantly dressed woman stepped in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For nearly half an hour, Pei Ye thought something must be wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every woman who entered was in her prime—some sixteen or seventeen, others in their early twenties. They clearly had no chance to train in swordplay; only a few bore faint calluses from holding blades, and even those could barely perform a basic flourish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye had prepared himself to encourage and guide them, never imagining he’d be stuck for words when talking about the sword—but now, almost no one spoke of the sword at all; they only kept mentioning it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Pei Ye kept his doubts to himself, still smiling warmly at every woman who entered, gently asking why they’d come and what troubles they faced—though most didn’t seem to have any troubles at all; each appeared far wealthier than Pei Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And their spirits were high, not the least dejected or disheartened by their inability to practice swordplay. For a moment, Pei Ye began to wonder whether his own mastery of the sword was truly something to be proud of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among all the topics Pei Ye initiated, the three provided by Qu Xin were always the most effective, the most fluid in keeping conversation going.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every woman was eager to tell how she had come to know “Master Pei.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most had a few favorite sword styles, half of them Feiyu Immortal and Snow Sword; Pei Ye suspected they couldn’t recognize the Divine Gong Cleansing Sword, so no one mentioned it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the wish stage, desires grew wildly varied: besides wanting to hold his hand, some asked him to answer a question, others wanted him to write his name on the sword manual on the table and give it to them… In short, everyone had a wish they’d long cherished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each had a wish they’d nurtured for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye, somewhat bewildered but polite, saw these lively girls off; several even tearfully and sweetly told him Master Pei was even better than they’d imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye had no idea what they’d imagined him to be like.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be fair, these girls were full of vitality; besides filling the room with a faint fragrance, they lifted Pei Ye’s spirits considerably—especially after offending Yun Lang and being ignored in the garden, suddenly encountering such a crowd of warm, beaming faces was deeply comforting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Pei Ye truly had no idea where they’d come from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked down at the kitten, which lay sprawled on the table, uninterested in answering his questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the door opened again—Qu Xin walked in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye rarely saw such a faint glimmer in Qu Xin’s cold eyes, as if dusted with starlight; he’d only glimpsed it once before, when she’d tended his bloodied, grievously wounded body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you in good spirits?” Pei Ye asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Xin was slightly startled, lowering her gaze: “No… you must be tired. Everyone’s very happy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...” Pei Ye detected a trace of tenderness in the girl’s tone, and it sent a shiver down his spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not tiring at all,” he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Xin nodded, tugged his sleeve, and led him outside: “Then go quickly—the Sword Cultivation Academy must be waiting for you impatiently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Did they send someone to call me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re definitely waiting impatiently.” Qu Xin pulled him to the courtyard gate; the noon sun shone brightly, and Pei Ye heard faint chatter from the building across the way again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why the hurry?” Pei Ye smiled. “Where did you meet all these people? Why does everyone know me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re famous now. Of course everyone knows you.” Qu Xin led him to the courtyard gate, then reached up to pat his chest and waist—Pei Ye dodged, but she pulled him back. “Are you feeling well?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong with my health?” Pei Ye eyed her warily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you go outside the city to handle a case? Were you injured?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I’ve been back five days. Why didn’t you wait until the New Year to ask?” Pei Ye frowned. “And you can tell at a glance whether someone’s injured.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was just speaking with concern.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only your tone was concerned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Xin fell silent, thinking: “How do other women please you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Don’t even think about that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Xin thought a moment: “Let me give you something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No—uh—” Pei Ye’s voice trailed off, trembling, then rose sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Xin pulled out a large, gleaming silver ingot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Twenty taels of silver. As your patient, I didn’t treat you after your injury, and the wounds looked severe.” Qu Xin said, “Little duck, take this and buy some medicine. Here’s the prescription I wrote for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Pei Ye notice a piece of unremarkable paper beneath the heavy ingot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… this…” Pei Ye was bewildered. “Twenty taels?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Xin took his hand, opened it, placed the silver and prescription inside, then closed his fingers. She looked up and saw the boy’s trembling gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She analyzed it, judged the expression to be one of emotion, thought again, then lowered her head and plucked a small white flower from the bushes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She rose on her toes and tucked it into Pei Ye’s hairpin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she rose onto her toes and plunged them into Pei Ye’s topknot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must live well,” Qu Xin said flatly. “Go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pushed the boy out the door and shut it behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye stared at the heavy weight in his hand, feeling as if in a dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced sideways at the black cat on his shoulder, held the silver up to its mouth: “Bite it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat turned its emerald eyes away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye bit into it himself—real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why… why did she give me so much money?” Pei Ye cradled the silver ingot. “This… this is too much… I can’t accept it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did she give me so much money?” Pei Ye held the silver ingot in his hands, “This… this is too much… I can’t accept it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whose life?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Her own.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...” Pei Ye didn’t understand. His gaze was drawn again to the glittering ingot; he turned and walked off dazedly. “It’s really twenty taels.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He carried the silver seventy or eighty steps toward the garden, then suddenly stopped, teeth clenched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat looked up: “What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ancients said: no merit, no reward,” Pei Ye breathed deeply. “Though I’m poor, I cannot accept so much silver without earning it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat watched him: “Good boy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a pause, it added: “Then why don’t you turn around?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m gathering my resolve!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye took another deep breath, turned with firm steps: “Qu Xin herself is always short on money. She must have some hardship, yet today she gives me such a vast sum… I cannot accept it lightly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gripped his sword and walked back step by step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gripped his sword and walked back, each step deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every joint can move—it’s a perfect, lifelike replica,” Qu Xin said calmly, standing on the stage like a teacher lecturing. “Look—even the tiny finger joints move.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow!” People clustered around a table, heads tilted upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Each box contains not only the puppet itself,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“but also two sets of clothing: one is the Sword Cultivation Academy’s sword robe, the other everyday wear, both sewn by my own hands. And a finger-sized sword—the ‘Dao Sheng Sword’ of Chang’an’s Sword Cultivation Academy.” Qu Xin lifted the two tiny garments in each hand. “And once you return home, you may sew clothes for Master Pei and craft new finger swords for him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, each of you receives two sets of clothing: one is the Jian Academy uniform, the other is daily wear, both sewn by my own hands. And a finger sword—the ‘Dao Sheng Sword’ of Chang’an Jian Academy.” Qu Xin lifted the two small garments, one in each hand. “After returning, everyone may also sew clothes for Pei Ye Young Master and gift him a new finger sword.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Qu, are there really only eight boxes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Making the Mechanism Puppets is difficult. In my spare time these days, I made only eight.” Qu Xin said. “Each costs one hundred taels. No bidding—those with means may draw lots for purchase rights. He Yaoyao, bring the lottery cylinder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Xin looked around and saw the yellow dress fleeing hastily out the door; she ignored it, took the cylinder herself, placed it on the table, and said: “I’ve already sold one copy of Master Pei’s five-inch winter portrait to each person—no extras. Now, I’ll introduce a unique item prepared for this Sword Banquet: only five exist—‘The Night of Pei Ye’s Sword Wounds, Bare-Chested.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye entered the small courtyard and heard faint chatter inside—this time, it was a unified chorus of “Wow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye grew more curious about what was happening inside, but his main goal was still to find Qu Xin and return the silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his gaze fixed on He Yaoyao’s fragile yellow dress descending the steps; she saw him and hurried over, skirts fluttering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why the rush?” Pei Ye smiled. “He Zhichuan, do you know where Qu Xin is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yaoyao stopped before him, looked up with lips pressed tight, her eyes like two jars brimming with water—now shimmering with agitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?” Pei Ye softened his expression. “What happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Pei… I’ve never been to Shenjing before…” He Yaoyao looked as if she’d witnessed something soul-shattering. “You… you… do all famous swordmasters in Shenjing have to be stripped bare and painted for people to gawk at?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pei Ye Young Master, I—I’ve never been to Shenjing before…” He Yao looked as if she had just witnessed something shattering to the soul. “You—you… do famous swordmasters in Shenjing really have their clothes stripped off, painted, and turned into objects for people to admire?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...” Pei Ye froze. “Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Pei, how… how could you accept this? I couldn’t even look.” She lowered her head, voice trembling, and hurried away. “I’m leaving, Master Pei—I can’t stay here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I accept—accept what?” Pei Ye, bewildered, grabbed her wrist. “Don’t go—what are you talking about? Have you seen Qu Xin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yaoyao looked up, pointing: “Master Pei… Qu… Qu Xiaoyao is inside this building—selling your portraits!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yaoyao lifted her head and pointed: “Young Master Pei, Qu… Qu Xiao Yaojun is in this building, selling your portrait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye still didn’t understand and laughed: “Sell my portrait… what portrait? The one of me practicing swordplay just now on the pond? Who’d buy that? Unless it’s Cui Zhaoye…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He froze. “She wouldn’t really…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“go into business with Miss Cui.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yao narrowed her lips, seized his forearm, and pulled him up the steps. Pei Ye was about to enter the door when He Yao led him to the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye leaned forward curiously—and turned into a wooden statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting or leaning, a crowd of beauties, each one he had just seen moments ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They laughed and chattered, their cheeks flushed, eyes bright, hands dancing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Xin stood at the front, unfurling a painting against the wall behind him, holding a thin rod to point and gesture, like a physician explaining acupoints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…A giant Pei Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lying on his back on the painting, half-reclining on a bed. His chest fully exposed, upper body nearly naked, revealing hard muscles and fresh blood, with patches of reddish-white cloth scattered about, dim candlelight casting everything in a hazy veil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye recognized the scene instantly—he knew that bed at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the side chamber of Zhu Jingdian, the night he’d climbed ashore from the Southern Pond. He remembered his face and hair soaked through, his expression slack and weary, perhaps still streaked with algae. But this painting gave him a new head: only half a cold, sharp profile visible, shadows of hair obscuring the other side’s angles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This original painting was drawn by my own hand. Afterwards, I commissioned the master Zhang Qiunan to copy five versions, adding many details from memory, and spent two months completing them—every inch infused with care.” Qu Xin’s voice rang convincingly through the hall. “After completion, she kept one as payment. The other five are right here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This painting, and the puppet just now, are sold only at this Sword Banquet. No further copies will ever be made in future gatherings. Each is priced at one hundred and twenty taels—bidding open.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This painting is just too… too heartbreaking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those wounds look terrifying—does Young Master Pei Ye hurt terribly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just want to touch Young Master Pei Ye’s belly… so lifelike…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll take the first one—one hundred and thirty taels!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! Someone just stripped Young Master Pei Ye bare!” a girl giggled, leaning forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another quickly hid the puppet behind her back, blushing: “I just want to check if it’s real… a perfect replica…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Xin said coolly: “I never carved anything the world deems vulgar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only now did Pei Ye truly believe he was dreaming—how else could such a tormenting hell exist?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, he recalled the white, rosy-cheeked Zhu Ge, covered by a small red quilt, as he walked into Fenghuai County’s courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s truly powerful, Pei Ye thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yao stood beside him, watching the boy’s face shift from smiling, to stunned, then rigid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His lips slowly parted, then clamped into a tight line; his eyes first surged with tidal waves, then ignited into flames, finally freezing into a solid block of ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his vision went black, he swayed twice, and collapsed backward into unconsciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master Pei!” He Yao caught him instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy hadn’t fully toppled—he gripped the woman’s shoulders and stood firm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he slammed a silver ingot into her palm, face blank, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pressed against the windowsill and stepped straight through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pressed against the windowsill and stepped in.\u003C\u002Fp>",2497,"2026-06-20T13:17:12.150Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4f0490278e70659655875c1928b8c2163726575e546046c28f79c14ac9e7d9ad","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-766","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-764",771,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-immortal-food-cover.jpg"]