chsdbacks Chapter 5 Look at this pancake, it's so big and round.
Chapter 5 Look at this pancake, it's so big and round.
Through the crack in the door, an old figure came into view.
Lin Xiaofan was shocked: The Qingyun Sect Leader?! Oh no, oh no, could it be that he's going to stand up for his precious true disciple?
Just as he was about to smash the warp marble, the old man outside the door suddenly bowed and said respectfully, "This junior, Xianyunzi, has come to pay my respects to Senior Lin."
The room was quiet…
"No... ah...?" Lin Xiaofan's mouth gaped open. "Is this old guy high on pills? What kind of Nascent Soul cultivator calls Xuanzhao kid 'senior'?"
"That's weird, let me take another look."
With trepidation, he peeked through the crack in the door again. Xianyunzi was still bowing his head, his posture humble, which did not seem fake.
Lin Xiaofan's eyes flashed with a blue light, and the other party popped up a note: "Xianyunzi; will turn evil in three years and try to possess Shi Tiandi's body."
"Wow! There's a twist? It's not easy being the 'protagonist' Shi Tiandi; even his own master betrayed him."
Lin Xiaofan clicked his tongue, and after confirming that there was nothing wrong, he gently pinched the warp marble between his fingertips and carefully opened the wooden door.
"Ah... this junior greets you." Xianyunzi lowered his head again.
Thump...thump...
Lin Xiaofan's Adam's apple bobbed, and his heart pounded like a drum: He truly lived up to his reputation as a Nascent Soul cultivator; just standing in front of him exuded such pressure.
"Ahem..." He forced a calm expression. "What does the sect leader mean by this?"
"Could you perhaps offer some guidance, senior?" Xianyunzi suddenly knelt down, his expression excited. "During yesterday's martial arts demonstration, your 'Heaven-Opening and Illusion-Breaking Technique' directly pointed to the origin of the Great Dao! I have cultivated diligently for over three hundred years, yet I cannot match your enlightenment in a single glance!"
Lin Xiaofan froze on the spot, inwardly groaning: Ouch... I'm doomed! I've really messed up this time! I don't know anything about "Opening Heaven and Breaking Illusions," I only know "Opening Heaven and Deceiving"!
He took a deep breath, steeled himself, and put on a detached and world-weary expression: "Sect Leader, there's no need for such formalities. It's not that I'm unwilling to spread the teachings, but rather that I'm entangled in worldly affairs and rarely have the time."
"Senior, there's no need for further words. This junior understands." Xianyunzi hurriedly stood up and lowered his voice. "Our Qingyun Sect is quite powerful in this region. Senior, you can live in seclusion here with peace of mind. I will take care of all the troubles in the outside world."
"Uh..." Lin Xiaofan roared inwardly: You don't understand a damn thing! Can't you see I'm telling you to get out?!
"Since... since that's the case... please come in, sect leader." His lips twitched, and he stepped aside to make way.
Xianyunzi stepped into the room, his eyes sharp as he swept over the simple wooden bed, the moldy futon in the corner, and the half-eaten spirit wheat cake on the table. A flash of realization crossed his eyes: "Senior has indeed mastered the principle of simplicity in the great Dao! This humble room actually contains the essence of returning to simplicity."
Lin Xiaofan almost choked on his own saliva: What are these old guys imagining? That mold is artistic conception, and the spirit wheat cake is the Great Dao? And wasn't this little shabby house originally your Qingyun Mountain's woodshed?
"They're all just mundane things," he chuckled dryly.
"Senior is too modest!" Xianyunzi exclaimed, his beard trembling with excitement. "In that instant yesterday, heaven and earth lost their color, and all laws returned to oneness—how sacred it was!"
"Sect Leader, you flatter me." Lin Xiaofan's brain worked quickly. "There are three thousand great paths, each with its own strengths. My... uh... Creation of Heaven and Breaking Illusions emphasizes the word 'break'."
"I'd like to hear the details!" Xianyunzi sat down cross-legged, listening attentively.
Lin Xiaofan's forehead was beaded with sweat: Break? Break what? Give up and do nothing?
In his haste, he caught sight of the half-eaten barley cake on the table.
"Sect Leader, please look at this cake." Lin Xiaofan slowly picked up the cake. "People all say that cultivation requires fasting and severing worldly ties, but have you ever considered why the disciples of the Dao Patriarch all served him tea when he preached? Why did the Buddha accept the shepherdess's milk porridge offering before his enlightenment?"
Xianyunzi was taken aback and fell into deep thought.
"The Great Way is not in the clouds, but in the everyday world." Lin Xiaofan took a big bite of the pancake and continued, his words muffled, "This pancake is kneaded with the myriad aspects of human life, baked with the smoke and fire of the mortal world, and tasted with the flavors of all beings. If one cannot even understand a bite of pancake, how can one talk about opening the heavens and breaking through illusions?"
He spoke with increasing conviction, almost believing it himself, and simply handed over the remaining flatbread: "Here, take this and eat it. In three days, if you sincerely seek the Way, you will surely gain something."
"Thank you, senior!" Xianyunzi accepted the gift with both hands, bowed deeply, and looked solemn.
Lin Xiaofan nodded in a perfunctory manner, his mind churning: Goodness... the "pie in the sky" promise was still too good to be true; even a Nascent Soul stage monster could be fooled by me.
"Ah... I have another request." Xianyunzi didn't look up, but his eyes quickly glanced upwards for a moment. "During the Qingyun Sect Grand Competition, due to your divine might, our disciples are all afraid to fight, therefore..."
Oh? This old Taoist priest wants me to leave early... I couldn't be happier!
Lin Xiaofan immediately put on a troubled expression: "Alas... the immortal path is truly getting worse with each generation. How can their Dao hearts be so fragile?"
"What you say is absolutely right, senior...you say is absolutely right...I will certainly teach you well in the future."
"Fine, I won't participate in the subsequent matches," Lin Xiaofan said, feigning generosity.
Upon hearing this, Xianyunzi was overjoyed and quickly took out a fine gold token: "This is the highest-level token of our Qingyun Sect. I present it to you, senior, to express my gratitude."
A token? Lin Xiaofan glanced at the metal plaque, which was engraved with the character "Yun" and decorated with patterns around it. It was made with extremely fine craftsmanship.
"Yes, I will make good use of it."
"Then this junior will not disturb you any longer. Farewell... farewell..." Xianyunzi said as he walked backwards out, not forgetting to close the wooden door behind him.
"call…"
After a while, Lin Xiaofan let out a long sigh and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "Oh...oh my god..." He slumped onto the bed, "That old fox, he even gave me a token to win me over before he left."
[Task: A seemingly useless disciple is fortunate enough to gain favor and is sent to the alchemy room to become a hardworking and dutiful fire-tending boy.]
"Huh? You haven't given out any 'quests' in so long, I thought you'd gone crazy."
Lin Xiaofan smiled slightly, stood up, picked up the token, and casually tossed the bulging little cloth bag behind the door onto his shoulder.
"Watch me forge you a great treasure..."
The alchemy room of Qingyun Sect is solemn and dignified, with bluestone flooring and the fragrance of medicinal herbs lingering in the air. Twelve bronze alchemy furnaces are arranged according to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, with the flames leaping and dancing with precise rhythm, even the trajectory of the falling ashes exudes order.
As soon as Lin Xiaofan stepped across the threshold, he was almost choked by the solemn atmosphere and sneezed.
"Seven-tenths of the heat, a balance of fire and fire!" The white-haired Dan Xuanzi roared at his three disciples, "Do you think alchemy is child's play? One breath too short, and the entire batch of 'Concentrating Spirit Pills' will become deadly poison!"
The eldest disciple's head was drooping so low it could bury him in the alchemy furnace; the second disciple was trembling like a leaf; and the third disciple's eyes were darting around, clearly lost in thought.
Lin Xiaofan cleared his throat and twirled the refined gold token between his fingers.
Ding--
The crisp sound instantly cut off Dan Xuanzi's roar. He turned around abruptly, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints the moment he saw the token.
"Cloud... Cloud Pattern Token?" He quickly bowed, "I was unaware of your arrival, senior. I apologize for my rudeness."
Lin Xiaofan waved his hand: "No need for formalities, just give me a job as a fire boy, okay?"
"This..." Dan Xuanzi's Adam's apple bobbed, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
The Cloud Pattern Token represents the sect leader's personal presence, and he had no choice but to comply. However, allowing an outsider into the important alchemy grounds was a violation of ancestral rules.
"You flatter me, senior. Your status is too esteemed; how could you possibly..."
"What? Afraid my pills are poisonous?" Lin Xiaofan narrowed his eyes. "Or is it that your pills are something you're ashamed to show off?"
"I wouldn't dare!" Dan Xuanzi's face turned deathly pale. "Please, senior, make yourself at home."
Lin Xiaofan put the token away. This thing works once, but using it again would be vulgar.
He looked around and finally walked to the pile of dregs and dry firewood in the corner of the alchemy room.
"Tsk, what a waste."
Picking through the pile of dregs—roots of the Nine Deaths Resurrection Grass, remnants of the Crimson Sun Flower, and some unidentifiable fragments of other medicinal herbs.
"Good heavens, this pile of garbage is worth more than my shabby little house! I seriously suspect the brat who assigned me this place is taking a cut!"
With the ingredients prepared, he opened the small cloth bag.
The eldest disciple nearly jumped up as he passed by: "What...what are you doing? Desecrating the alchemy furnace will get you expelled from the sect!"
"Who ruined it?" Lin Xiaofan didn't even look up, stuffing the sweet potatoes from the small cloth bag into the smallest alchemy furnace. "The great way is simple, even fireworks are a way."
The fire in the stove was lit, and the aroma gradually intensified.
When the golden sweet potatoes rolled out of the furnace, the entire alchemy room fell silent. The aroma, as if alive, filled everyone's nostrils, stirring up a rumbling in their stomachs.
"Hey, it's done! The roasted sweet potato is fragrant and soft~" Lin Xiaofan said proudly.
"you…!"
Just as Dan Xuanzi was about to get angry, Lin Xiaofan handed him a sweet potato.
"Want a bite?"
Dan Xuanzi took it as if possessed, and the moment he bit down, his old eyes widened in shock.
"This...this meridian..." He trembled all over. After eating the sweet potato, his meridians, which had been stagnant for decades, suddenly thawed like spring ice, and a warm current flowed out.
Dan Xuanzi grabbed Lin Xiaofan's wrist: "What is this thing called?!"
"Huh?" Lin Xiaofan was taken aback. "It's roasted sweet potato... uh... no, it's called... 'airy potato'."
Dan Xuanzi loosened his fingers, trembling as he grabbed another piece and stuffed it into his mouth: "A good name, a good name indeed!"
[Rebelliousness Value +55]
"Hiss..." Lin Xiaofan scratched his head: I wanted to make you break your persona and increase your rebellious points, but this randomly roasted sweet potato really has a miraculous effect... Could it be that I am really a genius?
He watched as Dan Xuanzi stuffed pieces into his mouth, and suddenly realized something was wrong: "Oh no! I can't eat so much at once...!"
Before he could finish speaking, Dan Xuanzi suddenly looked distressed and clutched his stomach.
run!
Lin Xiaofan strode towards the exit of the alchemy room, and the next moment, a loud "bang" came from behind him.
"Cough cough..." He fanned the black smoke and looked back. He saw several disciples who were blackened by smoke coming out, as well as... Dan Xuanzi covering his buttocks.
His face flushed red, and he roared, "From this day forward... eating potato chips in the alchemy room is strictly forbidden!!!"