An Xiaoxiao bit into the chicken leg like a little hamster, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled.
“Mmm… so delicious.”
She mumbled with her mouth full, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Yue’s wrist, pulling his hand to her mouth and swallowing the remaining chicken meat in one bite.
That warm sensation traveled from his fingertips straight to Lin Yue’s heart, making it skip a beat.
“Senior Brother, your hand is shaking,” An Xiaoxiao said after swallowing the chicken, sticking out her little tongue to lick the grease from her lips.
She looked up at him, her smile now containing a genuine, unfeigned playfulness.
“That look you gave me just now—where did you practice it? It felt a bit fake, but I… kind of liked it.”
“If you like it, then hurry up and eat. Finish and get lost.”
Lin Yue quickly withdrew his hand, his old face burning as he turned back to scrubbing the pot.
“Ooh, Senior Brother is shy!”
An Xiaoxiao cheered, jumping off the stool and flitting around behind Lin Yue like a happy butterfly.
“Since Senior Brother is so nice to me, I’ll tell you a secret too.”
Lin Yue kept his head down, scrubbing.
“Not listening. The more secrets you know, the faster you die.”
“It’s about that new Supervising Steward, Mo Feng,” An Xiaoxiao whispered, leaning close to Lin Yue’s ear.
Her warm breath made his earlobes turn red.
“That guy arrived at the mountain gate this morning, and… he brought the sect’s ‘Demon-Reflecting Mirror.’ Said he wants to check if there’s any evil aura lingering around the Outer Sect lately. Senior Brother, that iron pillar of yours… might not hold up well under inspection.”
Lin Yue’s scrubbing hand paused.
Demon-Reflecting Mirror?
That was a standard magical tool the Nine Heavens Sect used to detect whether disciples were cultivating demonic arts.
Although what he practiced was the legitimate stuff from the ledger, the Black Iron Greatsword’s lodestone and the karma with Steward Sun were indeed troublesome.
“And also,” An Xiaoxiao continued with a mischievous grin, “Mo Feng is extremely fastidious. He absolutely hates people eating meat in front of him. Senior Brother, if he smells all this chicken scent in your room…”
“Does he control the heavens and the earth? Is he going to tell me I can’t kill a chicken?” Lin Yue snorted coldly.
“He not only will, he’ll use it as an excuse to lock you up in ‘Serenity Cliff’ for three months of reflection,” An Xiaoxiao said, poking Lin Yue’s back with a finger.
“By then, you won’t get to see your adorable Xiaoxiao anymore, and you won’t be able to help me bury people either. What a shame.”
Lin Yue turned around, looked at An Xiaoxiao’s gloating face, and sighed helplessly.
“Fine, out with it. What do you actually want?”
An Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up, revealing her little canine teeth.
“It’s simple! This afternoon, you go to the reception area to help move Mo Feng’s luggage. Take the chance to sprinkle this packet of ‘Spirit-Agitating Powder’ on his fan. Once he opens it, the spiritual energy around him will go berserk instantly, and then… hehe, his fastidiousness and poise will be completely gone.”
Lin Yue looked at the packet of medicinal powder emitting a strange odor and fell into thought.
Ding! Linked Quest Triggered: The Witch’s Conspiracy.
Quest Requirement: Assist An Xiaoxiao in pranking Mo Feng. Success Reward: Greatsword Sharpening Progress +1%.
Obtain Demonic Secret Medicine: Hundred-Flavor Powder Recipe.
Failure Penalty: Mo Feng will develop extreme dislike for you and forcibly confiscate your Black Iron Greatsword.
Lin Yue hefted the greatsword in his hand, then looked at An Xiaoxiao’s big, expectant eyes.
“Alright, fine. Only because you gave me this iron pillar,” Lin Yue said, putting away the powder.
“But after this, you have to promise me: for three days, you won’t talk to me in front of others. I’m afraid of being pierced to death by the glares from those male disciples.”
“No problem!”
An Xiaoxiao said with a giggle, standing on her tiptoes to quickly peck Lin Yue on the cheek.
The touch was like a dragonfly skimming the water—gone in an instant.
“That’s the deposit! Good luck, Senior Brother Lin!”
With that, the little witch transformed into a puff of pale yellow smoke and happily slipped out of the kitchen.
Lin Yue stood frozen in place, touching his slightly cool cheek.
It took him a long moment to mutter: “This damn Outer Sect life… why is there a knife hidden in every piece of candy…”
….
That afternoon, at the Nine Heavens Sect mountain gate.
Lin Yue had changed into a relatively clean grey steward’s uniform, still carrying the iron pillar on his shoulder.
There was no helping it—this thing had become his signature.
Not carrying it would draw even more suspicion.
Before long, an ornately decorated spirit-horse carriage slowly stopped at the reception area.
A long-haired young man dressed in white and gold brocade robes stepped down from the carriage.
He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, holding a white jade folding fan.
An air of superiority emanated from his brow.
Most noticeably, the long boots on his feet didn’t have a speck of dust on them.
Wherever he walked, his accompanying attendants would even lay down a thin silk carpet in advance.
It was Mo Feng.
“Outer Sect disciple Lin Yue, greets Steward Mo,” Lin Yue said with a lackluster cupped-fist salute.
Mo Feng frowned in disgust, using his fan to shield the tip of his nose as he asked coldly, “Why do you reek of such a nauseating, foul poultry stench? And what is that crude object in your hand? It’s simply an eyesore.”
You pretentious prick, Lin Yue cursed inwardly.
On the surface, he adopted an expression of fearful reverence.
“Reporting to the Steward, this disciple is a kitchen handyman, usually responsible for cleaning the poultry pens. This heavy iron… is a tool for this disciple’s weight training, to avoid bringing shame to the sect.”
“Utterly vulgar,” Mo Feng snorted coldly.
“Carry these trunks to my cave abode. Remember, do not dirty the edges of the trunks, or you will be held accountable.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lin Yue bent down to lift the trunk.
The moment his fingertips touched the edge of the carriage, the spiritual energy within his body trembled slightly.
The “Nether Concealment Art” suppressed his aura to nothingness.
The packet of Spirit-Agitating Powder slipped from his sleeve, dispersing precisely onto the white jade fan Mo Feng was casually fanning himself with.
Mo Feng remained completely unaware.
He closed his fan, gave Lin Yue a look of disdain, then turned and walked up the mountain, surrounded by his entourage of attendants.
Lin Yue carried the heavy wooden trunk, following behind, a faint, mischievous smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
He could feel the spiritual energy in the air becoming restless because of that powder.
Halfway up the mountain path.
Whoosh….
A gentle breeze blew past.
Mo Feng seemed to feel a bit warm and, with extreme elegance, unfolded his white jade fan, giving it a couple of light waves.
At that very moment, a sudden change occurred!
The previously calm mountain spiritual energy, as if ignited like a barrel of gunpowder, instantly turned violent.
Countless dead branches, fallen leaves, mud, and dust were swept up by a strange suction force, forming a small, human-shaped whirlwind that precisely enveloped Mo Feng.
“Who dares to ambush me?!”
Mo Feng exclaimed in shock, trying to circulate his energy to resist, only to find that the more spiritual power he used, the more filth the whirlwind sucked in.
In less than three seconds.
That elegant, spotless genius of the righteous path was covered from head to toe in rotten leaves and yellow mud.
A few chicken feathers, who knew where they floated from, were stubbornly stuck to his expensive brocade robes.
Pfft.
Lin Yue, hiding behind, almost couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“Lin Yue! You useless waste! What is the meaning of this?!” Mo Feng stood at the center of the whirlwind, trembling with rage.
The white jade fan in his hand had now become a “mud-sticking fan.”
Lin Yue quickly put on a terrified expression, letting the wooden trunk in his hands clatter to the ground.
“Oh no! Steward Mo! It must be that the mountain wind here sensed your righteous aura and got too excited, causing a spiritual energy tide! This… this, this is an auspicious sign!”
“Auspicious sign my ass!”
Mo Feng roared. It was the first time in his life he had ever cursed.
Right then, a clear, crisp laugh came from the bushes nearby.
An Xiaoxiao, who had somehow snuck over, was hiding behind a tree.
She held a small notebook in her hand, seemingly recording something.
She made a funny face at Lin Yue, then pointed at Mo Feng’s disheveled state, laughing so hard tears nearly came out.
Lin Yue looked at Mo Feng’s face, which had turned green and then black with fury, then at his little junior sister laughing so hard she was shaking.
He suddenly felt…
This kind of “partnering up to screw someone over” life seemed a lot more fun than his previous life of single-handedly slaughtering his way through the Nine Realms.
….
That night, Lin Yue was in the kitchen, gnawing on a chicken leg.
The ledger in his sea of consciousness finally issued the reward.
Reward Distributed: Greatsword Sharpening Progress increased.
Second Hidden Meridian fully widened. Evaluation: Although your actions were childish, that chicken leg feeding was quite masterful.
Outside the door, An Xiaoxiao quietly slipped in again.
She didn’t say a word, just silently sat down beside Lin Yue and snatched the remaining half of the chicken leg from his hand.
Moonlight spilled over the two of them.
Lin Yue looked at the greasy corner of An Xiaoxiao’s mouth and instinctively lifted his sleeve to wipe it for her.
“Senior Brother, are you spacing out again?” An Xiaoxiao asked, her words muffled.
“No, I just think you’re dirty,” Lin Yue said, looking out the window.
“Mo Feng will definitely investigate you tomorrow. Be careful.”
“With Senior Brother here, what do I have to fear?”
An Xiaoxiao snuggled closer into Lin Yue’s arms, finding a comfortable spot and closing her eyes.
Lin Yue stiffened.
What… what kind of quest was this?
No quest reminder, no embarrassing lines.
Only the sound of light breathing by his ear and the faint, sweet fragrance of fruit at the tip of his nose.