Azure Sky Sect sprawled over a mountainside like an elegant painting come to life. White marble halls and golden-tiled rooftops gleamed in the midday sun. Disciples in flowing robes hurried about on important tasks—carrying scrolls, sparring in courtyards, or meditating under ancient pines. Amidst all this lofty activity, one new disciple stood out by the way he bee-lined straight toward the dining hall, guided by nothing more than the heavenly aroma of lunch being served.
Li Fan clutched his new outer disciple robe (which was slightly too large and threatened to trip him) and his precious meal card. The sect steward had droned on about rules and duties—something about morning exercises, cultivation lessons, chores for senior disciples— but Li Fan had tuned most of it out the moment he heard the lunch bell ring. Now, with stomach leading the way, he found himself at the grand entrance of the dining hall.
The hall was enormous, capable of seating hundreds of disciples. Long wooden tables lined the floor, and at the far end, a serving area with giant woks and cauldrons emitted clouds of savory steam. Dozens of outer disciples were already queued up. Li Fan hastily joined the line, nearly bouncing on his feet with anticipation.
"Name and sect ID?" asked a bored-looking senior disciple manning the meal card station at the front. Li Fan proudly presented his card, which had his name and a small picture of him looking slightly confused (they had taken it during registration). "Li Fan, outer disciple, new." The senior disciple stamped his card and waved him through to the serving counter.
Before him lay a glorious spread: braised pork belly in soy glaze, spicy tofu, stir-fried greens with garlic, and—was that fish fragrant eggplant? Li Fan's eyes moistened with joy. Truly, he had arrived in paradise. He grabbed a tray and piled it high, maybe a bit too high. As he turned to find a seat, he nearly ran into someone.
"Watch it!" snapped a voice. Li Fan stopped short, a piece of braised pork dangling precariously from his chopsticks. Before him stood a tall, lean young man with sharp features and an even sharper glare. By his slightly finer robe and the insignia on his belt, Li Fan deduced this was an inner disciple.
The inner disciple looked at Li Fan's overflowing tray and curled his lip. "Greedy much? Save some for the rest of us." A couple of other outer disciples at nearby tables looked over nervously. It seemed no one dared to talk back to this fellow.
Li Fan blinked, then gave an apologetic grin. "Sorry, senior brother. I have a... high capacity for appreciation when it comes to sect meals." He sidestepped carefully to avoid knocking into the man and began moving along.
But the inner disciple wasn't done. He stepped directly into Li Fan's path. "I haven't seen you around. New recruit?" His tone was mocking. "What's your name?"
"Li Fan, outer disciple, as of an hour ago," Li Fan replied, his voice polite but a tad impatient—his food was getting cold!
The tall disciple crossed his arms. "I am Guo Hei, inner sect second-rank. If you're going to be in this sect, learn some respect. First day and you're already gorging yourself like a starving boar. Were you raised in a barn?"
A few gasps came from those listening. Insulting someone as a boar was a sure way to provoke a fight in cultivation circles—'boar' implied stupidity and gluttony. Li Fan, however, wasn't so easily provoked. He chuckled, "Raised in a barn? No, but I did spend a week in a pigsty once, long story, not important." He casually plucked the dangling piece of pork belly from his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth, chewing blissfully. "Mmm. Delicious!"
Guo Hei's eyes widened at Li Fan's flippant response. He clearly expected anger or embarrassment. Instead, Li Fan just continued to savor his food. "You dare laugh?" Guo Hei said, scowling now. "Do you know who I am? I can have a troublemaker like you kicked out on your first day."
Li Fan swallowed his bite and sighed. He remembered something Elder Kang said about chores and offending seniors on day one. Perhaps antagonizing this guy might indeed get him in trouble. With a reluctant bow of his head, Li Fan said, "My apologies, Senior Brother Guo. It's just my excitement for the food got the better of me. I meant no disrespect. Please, carry on and have a nice meal." He motioned like a doorman politely showing someone through.
Guo Hei frowned, somewhat disarmed by the mixture of cheek and politeness. He seemed to decide Li Fan was insignificant. "Hmph. Just don't let me catch you acting so uncouth again," he spat, then brushed past, bumping Li Fan's shoulder intentionally as he went.
Though Li Fan managed not to drop his tray, one solitary dumpling wobbled off and hit the floor. He looked mournfully at the fallen dumpling as Guo Hei took a seat with some other inner disciples. For a split second, Li Fan considered chucking a spoon at the back of Guo Hei's head. But then he shook it off—no need to get thrown out before dinner.
He found an empty spot at a bench next to a chubby youth who was eating with single-minded focus. "Mind if I sit?" Li Fan asked.
The chubby boy looked up, cheeks puffed with rice, and nodded vigorously, scooting aside. Li Fan sat and introduced himself between bites. He learned the boy's name was Pang Wei, another new outer disciple who had joined mostly due to parental pressure. Pang Wei was delighted to find someone who shared his enthusiasm for food over fighting.
"That Guo Hei, he's got a bad temper," Pang Wei whispered, glancing at the inner disciples' table. "He's known to bully newcomers. Be careful around him. He once force-fed a junior a whole pot of congee for accidentally spilling tea on his robes. Called it 'teaching table manners'."
Li Fan winced. "Noted. I'll steer clear of Mr. Inner Disciple of the Year." He chuckled and raised a bowl of soup to his lips.
As Li Fan drained the last of his soup, a loud gong sounded from outside. Many disciples immediately began gathering their trays. "Afternoon cultivation class," Pang Wei explained. "They expect us at the training yard soon."
Li Fan burped softly and patted his belly, feeling content. "Training yard, right... I think I'll take a quick digesting stroll first." In truth, the last thing he wanted was to jump into drills after such a satisfying lunch.
"Don't be late," Pang Wei warned kindly. "Instructor Lu is strict. He might make you do horse-stance for an hour if you come late."
Li Fan made a face. "Ugh, my knees ache just hearing that." He waved Pang Wei off. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up." Pang Wei shrugged and joined the departing crowd.
Once the dining hall cleared out, Li Fan stretched lazily. "Horse stance or nap under a shady tree?" he mused to himself. "Tree it is." With that, he slipped out a side door, determined to find a quiet spot to snooze away the post-meal drowsiness.
He wandered a bit and found a serene little courtyard behind the kitchens, with a fragrant osmanthus tree providing dappled shade. Perfect. Li Fan settled down against the tree trunk, arms crossed, and let out a comfortable sigh. Within minutes, he was fast asleep, even starting to snore lightly.
Unbeknownst to Li Fan, not far away on the main training ground, Instructor Lu was barking orders at rows of sweating new disciples, one space conspicuously empty where Li Fan should have been. Guo Hei happened to notice the vacancy and smirked, making a mental note of the absent glutton's first strike.
Li Fan's nap was blissful and might have continued until dinner, except fate had other plans. He awoke to an odd sensation—something wet and rough dragging across his cheek. "Mmm five more minutes..." he mumbled, swatting lazily. But the wet rough thing persisted. He cracked open an eye and nearly screamed.
A huge shaggy face was inches from his own. Big round eyes, a bristling snout, and two curved horns—it was a spirit beast, a kind of bovine creature the size of a small elephant. Its tongue lolled out as it licked his face again, clearly thinking it had found a snack.
"Ahh!" Li Fan scrambled backwards, knocking his head on the tree. The beast gave a low moo-like sound. It didn't appear aggressive—if anything, it looked... hopeful? As if expecting something.
He then noticed the beast carried baskets on its sides filled with vegetables. It must be a spirit ox delivering produce to the kitchen. The ox sniffed at Li Fan's robes, drooling slightly. It nudged a basket towards him.
"Are you... offering me cabbages?" Li Fan asked in disbelief, wiping ox saliva off his face. Indeed, the basket was piled with fresh cabbages and carrots. The spirit ox looked between Li Fan and the vegetables and let out another impatient moo.
Li Fan realized with amusement that while he had been dreaming of food, perhaps he'd drooled on himself, and the ox thought he wanted to eat its delivery. Either that or the beast itself was hungry and thought Li Fan could prepare something from these ingredients. The latter made him grin. "You got the wrong guy, big fella, I'm not a chef... yet." Still, the idea of fresh ingredients stirred something inside him.
He glanced around; the kitchen back door was open. The cooks must be busy prepping for dinner. If he just borrowed a small wok... No, he should be going to training. But the ox snorted and gave him such a pitiful look, as if saying, I'm hungry too, buddy.
"Fine, fine," Li Fan chuckled. "One quick snack won't hurt." He grabbed a few cabbages and carrots. The ox stomped happily. In the kitchen, he found a spare cutting board and knife. His hands moved on their own—years of cooking at roadside stalls and helping in taverns for meals had given him decent skills. Chop chop chop, he sliced the vegetables deftly.
He found some ginger and garlic, a pinch of salt. Lighting the stove with a small fire talisman, he threw everything in a wok with oil and started a quick stir-fry. The aroma of ginger-garlic cabbage soon wafted through the air. The spirit ox wagged its tail, huge nose sniffing in excitement.
Li Fan couldn't help grinning. "Hold your horses—or oxen," he joked. After a minute, he expertly tossed the contents of the wok, the vegetables catching air before landing perfectly back. A dash of soy sauce, a sprinkle of spring onions at the end, and done. He heaped the sizzling cabbage and carrot stir-fry onto a large platter.
"Dinner is served, buddy," he announced, placing the platter on the ground. The ox immediately dug in with gusto, its giant tongue lapping up veggies. Li Fan watched with pride and a tinge of envy—it smelled really good, and he realized he was hungry again (after all, he had missed afternoon training and snack time). Fortunately, he had saved a small bowl for himself.
As man and beast enjoyed their impromptu meal, a soft chuckle came from the roof of the kitchen. Perched quietly above was a slender figure in a light blue robe, a veil covering her face. She had been observing the napping disciple and the spirit ox with keen interest. "Interesting," she murmured under her breath. The setting sun cast a long shadow of the eaves, and by the time Li Fan looked up at a sudden feeling of being watched, the roof was empty.
Li Fan shrugged off the feeling and patted the now-content spirit ox. "There you go. Now don't go telling on me, alright?" The ox licked his face one more time, perhaps in gratitude, before lumbering off toward the storerooms, baskets much lighter.
Realizing the afternoon had passed, Li Fan figured he should at least show up for dinner roll call or he'd get in trouble. Dusting off his robe and making sure no obvious cabbage stains remained, he headed back to the dining hall as dusk fell, whistling a happy tune. He felt oddly energized from that snack, as if a warm current flowed in his belly. Must just be the ginger, he thought.
He didn't notice the small patch of grass where spilled sauce had fallen—grass that now glowed faintly and grew an inch taller after absorbing the flavorful drippings.
Back in the main courtyard, Instructor Lu was fuming at the list of absentees from training (with Li Fan's name at the top), and Guo Hei was eagerly waiting to see punishment handed out. But when Li Fan strolled innocently into the evening assembly line as if nothing was wrong, all he got was a stern glare and a promise of "double drills tomorrow morning" from the instructor. Li Fan nodded, suppressing a yawn, which only made Instructor Lu's temple vein throb.
By the time night fell, Li Fan was comfortably settled into the outer disciples' dormitory, which was essentially a large shared hall with rows of bunks. Pang Wei snagged the bunk next to him, and they chatted quietly about the day's events. Pang Wei marveled at how Li Fan got off light for skipping training. Li Fan just winked, "I think the key is to not be missed. Blend into the background like a chair. Chairs don't do horse stance." Pang Wei gave him a confused look, clearly not understanding the logic, but shrugged.
Soon, the weary disciples fell asleep one by one. Li Fan lay on his bunk, hands behind his head, staring at the wooden rafters above. In the quiet of night, his stomach started to rumble again. "Already hungry? You just ate," he whispered to himself. Maybe all that napping and cooking used up energy. He glanced around; everyone seemed asleep. Perhaps a quick midnight kitchen raid?
Unable to resist, Li Fan stealthily got up and tiptoed out of the dormitory. He made for the kitchens again—he'd spotted where leftover rice and ingredients were stored. Tonight, he could whip up something simple.
As he disappeared into the darkness, a figure detached from the shadows of a nearby banyan tree. The moonlight revealed a hint of a veil and the glint of curious eyes. The mysterious girl from the rooftop was following quietly, like a phantom, intrigued by this peculiar disciple who valued food over cultivation. Her presence remained undetected by Li Fan, who was humming softly as he plotted his midnight snack. He had no idea that his late-night culinary experiments would soon stir up far more than just delicious smells.