Chapter 122: You Xiyue Returns to the Celestial Realm

Yan Qingye and Yun Jianxin watched in bewilderment as Han Xing, who had suddenly rushed over, engaged the bandits in a struggle and quickly drove them away.

Yun Jianxin nudged Yan Qingye with his elbow. "Isn't she just a maid? How is her cultivation so high?"

Yan Qingye shrugged. How would he know? She looked familiar, but he still could not recall who she was.

Han Xing walked over and looked at the two stunned men. She gave a smile that left them quite puzzled. "Why are you two looking so dazed? The people have already run off. And you two—why would you walk into such a secluded place after purchasing items?"

Yan Qingye nudged Yun Jianxin, and Yun Jianxin blinked.

"We... we felt like it..."

"..."

Yan Qingye and Han Xing looked at Yun Jianxin in speechless silence.

Yun Jianxin looked innocently at Yan Qingye. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"…Well, no."

They were indeed in a good mood.

Han Xing gave a playful huff. "I know you two are thin-skinned, so I won't hold it against you. You had better hurry home; watch out, more people might come by later."

"Oh..." Yun Jianxin replied with a blank expression.

Han Xing frowned slightly, turned around, and walked away. After a few steps, she looked back at them, feeling puzzled. Logically speaking, she had saved them; they shouldn't be reacting like this. Unable to make sense of it, she decided to return to the estate first; as a mere maid, she did not have much freedom in her actions.

"Isn't she strange?" Yun Jianxin asked, frowning as he watched Han Xing’s retreating figure.

"A bit," Yan Qingye agreed, nodding. "She was mocking you at the Immortal Treasure Pavilion just a moment ago, and now she’s suddenly so enthusiastic. There must be something fishy going on."

Yun Jianxin glanced at Yan Qingye; that was not what he meant by strange. Helplessly, he changed the subject. "Are we still eating the Sky-Pepper Flower Roast Chicken?"

Yan Qingye carefully observed the surroundings. "Is... is it still safe to eat?"

Yun Jianxin replied calmly, "There is no reason why not."

"True enough. I doubt anyone from the Sacred Realm would come down here to fight us for food." Yan Qingye pulled Yun Jianxin toward the small grove. "Let's go, let's go. We need to catch some chickens first."

For the two of them, catching the spirit chickens in the grove was effortless. They caught four in no time.

"Isn't this too many?" Yun Jianxin looked at the four neatly arranged, rather plump chickens. He had never eaten this much at once; he probably wouldn't even be able to finish half of one.

Yan Qingye waved his hand and said mysteriously, "Too many? Wait until you taste the Sky-Pepper Flower Roast Chicken; you might find that these aren't enough."

Yun Jianxin was half-doubting, smiling as he asked, "Is it really that good?"

"Heh." Yan Qingye gave a confident snort. "You don't know this, but this Sky-Pepper Flower Roast Chicken is a secret recipe passed down in my family. My little Master loves it the most, and it is also a tradition in our sect to buy Sky-Pepper Flowers whenever we see them."

"..." Yun Jianxin looked at Yan Qingye with a complicated expression. "The things passed down in your sect are truly unique."

"That they are." Yan Qingye beamed with pride, then sighed. "I wonder where my little Master and Senior Jun Yang have gone."

"Jun... Yang?"

Yun Jianxin found the surname familiar. After all, the news of the Teng Snake clan ascending to the Sacred Realm was something everyone knew.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Yan Qingye looked at Yun Jianxin after preparing the spirit chickens and setting them over the fire.

"I just think it's a coincidence. The Teng Snake clan that ascended to the Sacred Realm all seem to have the surname Jun. It’s quite a unique name."

"Not a coincidence at all. Senior Jun Yang is the ancestor of the Teng Snake clan."

"..." Yun Jianxin was shocked. "The Senior Jun Yang you speak of is the ancestor of the Teng Snake clan??"

"Yeah, that's right."

"And your little Master?"

"My little Master? She's just my little Master."

"..." Yun Jianxin looked at Yan Qingye, feeling stifled.

Yan Qingye had now reached the final step of preparing the roast chicken. He took the Sky-Pepper Flowers out of his storage pouch, crushed them, and sprinkled them over the meat. As his alchemy skills had improved, his ability to control fire with wind-element spells had become increasingly formidable, making the roast chicken even more flavorful.

Soon, the fragrance drifted outward, disrupting Yun Jianxin’s train of thought.

"This Sky-Pepper Flower Roast Chicken... is it really this fragrant??" Even Yun Jianxin, who rarely cared for the pleasures of the palate, began to swallow his saliva.

Seeing Yun Jianxin’s expression, Yan Qingye grew even prouder. "It’s my ancestral recipe; could it be bad? You could also say it was passed down by the ancestor of the Teng Snake clan."

"..." Yun Jianxin no longer cared about the Teng Snake ancestor. "How much longer until it's ready?"

"Almost there, almost there. What's the rush?" Yan Qingye continued to roast with even greater focus.

Neither of them realized just how far the fragrance was drifting. It was so strong that You Xiyue, Jun Yang, and Fan Lihua, who had just returned to the Immortal Realm, all caught the scent.

"This fragrance... why is it so familiar??"

Jun Yang tilted his head and sniffed.

You Xiyue pursed her lips. "Sky-Pepper Flower."

"Roast chicken??" Jun Yang swallowed his saliva; it had been a while since he had last eaten it. "Could this be that kid, Yan Qingye?"

You Xiyue’s expression, however, was not as pleasant. She flew rapidly toward the direction of Yan Qingye and Yun Jianxin. "They didn't even think to set up a protective array."

Jun Yang also realized something was wrong. If the scent had traveled this far for them to smell it, wouldn't others be able to smell it too?

More and more people began to follow the scent toward the grove where Yan Qingye and Yun Jianxin were located. Fortunately, You Xiyue reached the two of them first. While they were both staring intently at the roasting chickens, she gave the back of Yan Qingye's head a slap.

It wasn't heavy, but it stung quite a bit.

Yan Qingye clutched his head and looked up abruptly. "Who... oh? Little Master??"

He was so happy he jumped up, nearly dropping the roast chicken into the fire. Yun Jianxin looked at the nearly finished chicken with a pang of heartache, then looked up, stunned into speechlessness.

"Don't you know how to set up a protective array?" You Xiyue’s tone was sharp with irritation. She flicked her sleeve, and a protective array rose from the ground, completely isolating the scent.

Those who had been halfway there suddenly lost their way.

Yan Qingye rubbed the back of his head, aggrieved. "My protective array couldn't block this smell..."

"..." Yun Jianxin clenched his fists. *His* could have!!

Jun Yang and Fan Lihua also walked over. They didn't scold Yan Qingye, but instead teased, "Not bad, Little Ye. Eating the good stuff behind our backs?"

"I didn't... I was treating a friend..."

Jun Yang then looked at Yun Jianxin and was somewhat surprised to find he was from the Sacred Realm.

"Sacred Realm?" Jun Yang asked directly.

Yun Jianxin stood up, bowed respectfully to Jun Yang, and arched his back. "Junior pays respects to Senior."

Jun Yang nodded and asked, "Which family?" Since the boy was hanging out with Yan Qingye, Jun Yang felt it was better to be clear about his background.

"The Yun family of the Sacred Realm." Yun Jianxin remained bowed.

"The Yun family?" Jun Yang carefully recalled the name. There were not many families he found familiar, but this Yun family was a prominent clan that had existed for over five hundred thousand years. He took a deep look at Yun Jianxin. "Rise."

"Yes."

Yun Jianxin stood up and looked at You Xiyue. "This..."