Chapter 565: Eating Without Enthusiasm, Mind Is Flawed

Xia He was born with the innate ability "Xi Ji," which passively emits a Qi field that manipulates others' desires and emotions.

This ability was completely beyond her control, causing her to be regarded since childhood by those around her

as a "demoness" and an outcast, subjected to endless discrimination, rejection, and objectification.

She longed to form normal human relationships, but her very existence caused others to fall into ruin,

leaving her in prolonged extreme loneliness and suffering.

Zhang Jie and Zhang Chulan, along with Lingyu Zhenren—the junior uncle of Longhu Mountain—

Zhang Lingyu was the only person in Xia He’s life who ever gave her genuine care and warmth.

She poured all her deep affection into this junior uncle of Longhu Mountain.

However, due to an intimate contact born of a single momentary lapse that night (insert),

Zhang Lingyu could no longer cultivate the purest yang energy of "Yang Wu Lei," and was forced to switch to Yin Wu Lei.

Unable to face this imperfect version of himself,

and deeply concerned with the reputation of the Tian Shi Fu’s orthodox disciples and societal judgment, he ultimately chose to flee and leave.

To Xia He, this was no different from being abandoned by the one she loved most.

She did not understand Zhang Lingyu’s plight—she felt only profound betrayal and despair.

To seek revenge and out of self-destruction, she decided to join Longhu Mountain’s greatest enemy—the Quan Xing.

The so-called "orthodox sects" rejected her because of her innate ability and identity,

while Quan Xing upheld "Preserve True Nature Fully," disregarding societal rules and moral conventions.

For Xia He, Quan Xing was the only place that did not treat her as an outcast and accepted her true abilities.

In her most desperate moment, she met Dou Mei, one of Quan Xing’s "Four Maniacs," known as "Poison That Eats the Intestines."

Under Dou Mei’s persuasion, Xia He ultimately accepted her fate and joined Quan Xing.

After joining Quan Xing, she used her ability to become the feared "Bone-Scraping Knife,"

a title steeped in infamy, yet granting her a twisted sense of belonging and camouflage.

Of course, as an observer with clear vision, Zhang Jie thought:

deep within, Xia He’s decision to join Quan Xing may have harbored a faint, humble hope.

That hope was to force Zhang Lingyu, as an orthodox disciple,

to descend the mountain himself to "subdue demons and exorcise evils," so she could see him again.

Hmmmm… how to put it?

Upon learning the true nature of Xia He and Zhang Lingyu’s relationship, Zhang Jie could only sigh:

the tangled romance between a demonic cultivator and an orthodox young hero has always been a favorite topic.

After sighing, Zhang Jie returned to his research on True Qi.

Cultivation knows no time; before he realized it, the golden crow of noon had already sunk westward,

leaving only a twilight of golden and crimson clouds, as if sighing in reluctance.

"It’s not this simple after all."

Zhang Jie sighed, slowly opening his eyes, letting the evening glow reflect into them.

He had tried to analyze—and even replicate—Xia He’s True Qi, but clearly, he failed.

Yet Zhang Jie was not particularly disappointed: if innate abilities of primordial cultivators were this easy to study,

there wouldn’t be so many primordial cultivators in the world who dominate their regions through their innate powers.

And the problem that plagued so many primordial cultivators—

that their innate abilities interfere with their cultivation methods—

forcing them to stumble alone, forging their own paths,

resulting in painfully slow progress, and in some cases, no advancement throughout their entire lives—

had already been resolved.

"Jie Ge, dinner’s ready."

Zhang Chulan, the lowest in both cultivation and status, voluntarily took on the duty of cooking.

"Alright."

Zhang Jie set aside his research on True Qi, rose from his seat, and stepped out of the meditation chamber,

preparing to engage in one of life’s two most important things—eating.

Though with his cultivation level, he need not rely on food or drink, not even needing to fast,

going months or even years without eating or drinking posed no issue,

yet as a mere ordinary person who had only recently shared power from another Zhang Jie,

he still maintained his old habit of three meals a day.

Besides, Confucius said it well: "Food and sex are human nature."

The two most important things in life are eating and sex: one is essential for sustaining existence,

the other stems from the human genome’s instinct to propagate and perpetuate itself.

Zhang Jie currently had no desire for sex and intended to let things unfold naturally—

in short, the three principles of a scoundrel: don’t initiate, don’t deny, don’t take responsibility.

But he was very interested in eating—even immortals have appetites.

Otherwise, where did the celestial delicacies like dragon liver, phoenix marrow, and peach nectar pills come from?

Following the guiding principle "Don’t be eager to eat, and your mind is flawed," Zhang Jie ended his practice and rose,

stepping out of the chamber to find Zhang Chulan had already laid out the meal on a small table.

Braised pork, fish-fragrant eggplant, vinegar-braised potato shreds, and a three-ingredient soup—

all home-style dishes, still steaming hot, clearly just taken off the stove.

How could a villa with a Syrian war-damaged aesthetic possibly have a fully equipped kitchen, utensils, and ingredients?

Well, even Syrian locals need to eat.

"Jie Ge."

Zhang Chulan eagerly presented chopsticks and bowls.

Zhang Jie felt he had treated him well enough, so he accepted.

Feng Baobao had already filled her bowl with rice and picked up her chopsticks,

her large eyes fixed hungrily on the still-steaming dishes,

waiting only for Zhang Jie to sit down before launching her righteous assault.

Zhang Jie picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it in his mouth; after a slight chew, he raised an eyebrow in approval:

"Tastes good. Didn’t know you had this skill, Chulan."

Zhang Chulan had selected premium pork belly with five layers of fat and lean,

paired with precisely balanced seasonings and sauces—the flavor was truly excellent.

The only flaw was that the caramelization time was slightly too short—the color was a bit pale.

But the imperfection did not overshadow the excellence.

Zhang Chulan’s cooking couldn’t match that of the Zhang Jie from the Heavenly Dragon or the Zhang Jie from Water Margin,

who had spent decades as an imperial chef in the palace kitchen, but it was no worse than an ordinary master chef.

Put it this way: even if Zhang Chulan chose to remain anonymous, dropped out of school,

and opened a home-style restaurant on a moderately busy street, he’d never starve.

"Jie Ge, you flatter me—it’s just simple home dishes."

Zhang Chulan replied humbly, though the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his inner delight.

Since his grandfather’s death and his father’s disappearance, he had been alone; though most days he ate at school,

school cafeterias—especially those in middle and high schools with limited choices—

were something anyone who’d attended school knew well;

after all, the first rule of large-scale cooking was never flavor, aroma, or appearance,

but safety—which is why fish was rarely found in school cafeterias.

So he inevitably had to cook himself, both to ensure he wouldn’t starve on weekends

and during winter and summer breaks, and also to soothe his own stomach; over the years, he’d honed his skills.

The mutual praise between Zhang Jie and Zhang Chulan ended after a few sentences.

The mutual flattery between Zhang Jie and Zhang Chulan ended after just a few words.

While they chatted, Feng Baobao had already begun devouring her meal like she was exacting revenge,

her chopsticks moving so fast they nearly blurred into afterimages.

Zhang Jie and Zhang Chulan quickly joined in—if they waited another few minutes,

with Bao’er’s pace, they’d be lucky to even get the water used to rinse the pots.

With Bao'er's demeanor, they probably won't even get to drink the water used to wash the pots.