Chapter 24 Liu Yu'er's Doubt
"Did you hear? Xiao Chen actually refused to join the inner institute and chose to stay in the Miscellaneous Dao Institute."
"You've got to be joking. He must be out of his mind to stay in the Miscellaneous Dao Institute."
"I'm not joking. This news came straight from the Merit Hall. After Xiao Chen rejected the eight institute chiefs, it's said all their faces turned dark."
"Hiss... Xiao Chen is just too arrogant."
"..."
At Wendao Academy, whether in the inner or outer court, the news of Xiao Chen rejecting the inner institute had already spread everywhere.
Especially among the disciples of the Sword Dao Institute, who simply couldn't believe it.
But soon, everyone was secretly pleased. With a monster like Xiao Chen no longer competing for cultivation resources, it was definitely a good thing.
When Liu Yu'er heard the news, she was completely stunned.
She couldn't understand why Senior Brother Xiao would make such a decision.
Could he still be upset with the chief?
But Senior Brother Xiao was broad-minded. He didn't seem like the type to hold a grudge.
After thinking it over repeatedly, she finally decided to go to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute to find Senior Brother Xiao and understand why he made that choice.
A short while later, Liu Yu'er arrived at the entrance of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute on her sword.
Before even entering, she heard Senior Brother Xiao's voice.
"Da Qian, that's not how you skin it. You're going to tear the beast meat apart like that. If you do, we won't be able to make a dish that looks, smells, and tastes perfect."
???
Liu Yu'er was stunned. Senior Brother was actually cooking? Didn't he know that a gentleman should stay far from the kitchen?
She walked into the institute and saw Senior Brother Xiao and that guy Cao Youqian skinning a deer.
"Senior Brother."
When Xiao Chen heard Liu Yu'er's voice, he looked up instinctively and smiled. "Junior Sister Liu, perfect timing. We bought a Wind Spirit Deer today—you're in for a treat."
The Wind Spirit Deer was a kind of demon beast known for its delicious meat. Although it was only at the Dao Foundation Realm, it was incredibly fast and had a keen sense of danger.
Catching a live Wind Spirit Deer wasn't easy, which made them far more expensive than other beasts of the same level.
"Senior Brother, could you pause for a bit? I have something I want to talk to you about."
Liu Yu'er lowered her voice.
"Sure."
Xiao Chen put down what he was doing and turned to Cao Youqian. "Da Qian, did you remember what I just taught you?"
"Just a little."
Cao Youqian had been in the Miscellaneous Dao Institute for five days now. At first, he was very cautious.
Every day, he was either planning his escape or avoiding his master and senior brother.
But after spending some time with them, neither the master nor the senior brother had brought up the matter of spirit stones.
Aside from helping out during meals, he wasn't asked to do anything else.
And no one forced him to cultivate every day either.
Cao Youqian was a slacker by nature, and the thing he feared most was cultivation. The Miscellaneous Dao Institute didn't make him cultivate—it was perfect. Plus, there were tons of interesting books to kill time with.
Once he got in good with the master, he could ask to leave the institute and go back to living a carefree life.
Thinking about it this way, coming to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute wasn't such a bad choice after all.
After all, the Flamefire Alchemy King was his ancestor, and the number one figure in the outer court was his senior brother. Who would dare mess with him?
Xiao Chen brought Liu Yu'er to a quiet corner.
"Junior Sister Liu, what did you come to see me about?"
"Senior Brother, I want to ask you something."
Liu Yu'er carefully observed Xiao Chen as she spoke. Seeing his bright and lively expression, she continued:
"Why didn't you join the inner institute?"
Xiao Chen smiled and replied, "Ah, that. I just think staying in the Miscellaneous Dao Institute will make me stronger, so I turned down the invitations from the institute chiefs."
"Really?"
Liu Yu'er clearly didn't believe him. "But I heard that Elder Chu doesn't even have any cultivation."
Xiao Chen frowned slightly at that. He knew it was the common misconception people had about his master.
"Junior Sister Liu, that's just because outsiders haven't seen how powerful Master truly is. If you don't believe it, you could join the Miscellaneous Dao Institute too.
With Master's guidance, I guarantee you'll reach the True Fate Realm within a year."
???
Liu Yu'er fell silent. She had come to persuade Xiao Chen, but somehow it had turned into Xiao Chen persuading her.
"Thank you for your kind offer, Senior Brother, but I'm not ready to leave the Sword Dao Institute yet."
"Alright. Just let me know when you're ready, and I'll ask Master to take you in."
Xiao Chen said it seriously.
In his eyes, Master definitely had standards when it came to taking disciples—not just anyone could join.
Don't be fooled by how Da Qian was a walking medicine jar. He had been personally sent by the Flamefire Alchemy King.
"Okay."
Liu Yu'er knew that Senior Brother wouldn't listen to advice right now. It looked like she would have to try a different method to change his mind.
"Let's go. Come help me cook. Today I'm making something delicious for you."
Xiao Chen didn't dwell on the small matter with Liu Yu'er.
In his master's words: people are iron, food is steel—nothing is more important than eating.
"Alright."
Liu Yu'er also wanted to see what Senior Brother's daily life was like.
A moment later—
She saw a strange scene.
The three members of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute—master and disciples—were all in the kitchen cooking.
If this got out, wouldn't it be a laughingstock? I'll definitely keep this secret for Senior Brother.
After a while—
A fragrant aroma wafted through the entire courtyard.
Even someone as reserved as Liu Yu'er couldn't help but secretly swallow her saliva upon smelling it.
Xiao Chen and Cao Youqian brought dish after dish to the table.
Very soon, a full deer feast covered the table.
Cao Youqian rubbed his hands. "Master, I didn't expect your cooking to be even better than the spiritual chefs at Drunken Immortal Pavilion in Wendao City."
Xiao Chen added, "Of course. Master's cooking is the best I've seen in my life."
Chu Feng laughed. "You two can stop flattering me in front of outsiders. This is just something I tinker with when I'm idle."
As he spoke, he cast a glance at Liu Yu'er seated at the table.
He didn't need to guess—this little girl was clearly smitten with Xiao Chen, his eldest disciple.
But it seemed his disciple hadn't yet realized her feelings.
As a master, he wasn't going to play matchmaker. Whether the two would end up together depended on their own fate.
Liu Yu'er quickly lowered her head when Chu Feng looked at her.
After Chu Feng sat down, he said, "Let's eat."
"Yes."
Xiao Chen and Cao Youqian responded and sat at the table.
Seeing the three begin, Liu Yu'er daintily picked up a piece of venison. The moment it entered her mouth, her entire body froze.
This was way too good.
How could a mortal possibly cook something this delicious?
And this wasn't just ordinary food—it could rival the spiritual meals at Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
It seemed this Elder Chu was not as useless as the outside world claimed.
An hour later, everyone was full and satisfied.
Liu Yu'er asked cautiously, "Senior Brother Xiao, are you planning to go down the mountain for training?"
Xiao Chen smiled. "That's the plan. In another three to five days, I'll head down."
Liu Yu'er said, "Senior Brother Xiao, can you take me with you?"
Xiao Chen nodded. "Sure, but you'll need to follow all of my arrangements."
"Okay."
Liu Yu'er agreed without a second thought.
After chatting for a while, Xiao Chen personally escorted Liu Yu'er back to the Sword Dao Institute.
Returning to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute, he found Chu Feng.
At that moment, Chu Feng and Cao Youqian were reading Spring and Autumn Annals together.
"You're back so soon?"
Chu Feng put down the book and asked.
Xiao Chen answered respectfully, "Yes, Master. I won't return until I break through to the True Fate Realm."
Chu Feng laughed. "No need to pressure yourself like that. If you run into any problems with cultivation, just come back to me immediately."
"Understood."
After replying, Xiao Chen turned and left.
Cao Youqian watched Xiao Chen's figure disappear and muttered, "Master, if Senior Brother goes down the mountain, won't we not see him for several years?"
Chu Feng said, "It won't be that long. He'll definitely reach the True Fate Realm within a year."
"That fast?"
Cao Youqian looked surprised. After all, Xiao Chen was currently only at the second layer of Dao Foundation.
"Of course. You want to learn from him too?"
Chu Feng shot back.
Cao Youqian quickly shook his head. "No, no. Cultivation's too exhausting. And I don't have good comprehension. There's no way I could be like Senior Brother. I'm perfectly happy with my current life."
"Alright."
Chu Feng laughed. "If you ever feel like cultivating, come find me."
"Okay."
Seeing how happy his master was, Cao Youqian cautiously asked, "Master, can I go down the mountain to have some fun?"
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