Chapter 90: You Should Be Able to Cook, Right?
Sang Zhe closed the cold door once more, leaving the prison.
Only Master Yu Xia remained, curled up in a corner, trembling.
She had no idea what the weather outside was like, whether it was raining.
All she felt was that today her body was especially damp and cold.
That dampness felt like a shadowy snake, invading her very bones.
Even though Master Yu Xia hugged herself tightly, she couldn’t stop shivering.
It was only at this moment that she finally realized how terrified she was of losing her cultivation.
If she had just ended it all from the beginning, it would have been fine.
If she had been crippled from the start, her heart would have died too.
But it was this day-to-day witnessing of her cultivation dissolving and disappearing that truly shattered her mental defenses.
Letting her see with her own eyes how fragile she was, hiding beneath the dignified facade of Master Yu Xia.
So weak and pathetic.
But it shouldn’t be like this!
What did I do wrong?
Master Yu Xia bit her lip so hard that it bled, still unable to comprehend.
She was sent up the mountain at the age of five, along with other children of similar good talent, to study in the immortal sect.
While others played and slacked off, she was cultivating.
While others fooled around, she was learning Dao laws.
While others slept, she burned the midnight oil reading ancient texts.
With her unusually good talent and hard work, Master Yu Xia became one of the first among her peers to establish her foundation and reach the Core Formation stage.
Always polite and formal, the sect’s teachers and elders adored her and held high hopes.
Master Yu Xia always remembered what her parents said before she ascended the mountain.
…The world of cultivators is ruthless.
…What you want must be obtained through your own efforts.
And she did just that.
Years of waking early and working hard set her apart from her peers, giving her nearly all the cultivation resources she desired.
Except for that one time, when she lost.
It was during a sect competition. She clearly outperformed her senior sister in both literary and martial trials.
Yet, the first place went to that senior sister.
The reason was simple and despairing. That senior sister’s great-grandfather was an elder of the sect, a Crossing Tribulation stage cultivator.
That time, Master Yu Xia lost, even enduring the disdain and mockery from her senior sister for a long time.
“What good is it to be diligent?”
“Can you compete with my great-grandfather, a Crossing Tribulation stage cultivator?”
No matter how good her talent was, how many could actually reach the Crossing Tribulation stage?
And Master Yu Xia actually thought her senior sister was right.
She was just a Core Formation stage little cultivator. The other’s great-grandfather was a Crossing Tribulation stage cultivator.
Losing was only natural.
If she wanted to win, she had to step into the Crossing Tribulation stage herself.
Standing on everyone else’s head.
Making all look up to her.
“I’m not wrong…”
“Yes, I’m not wrong… I must not be wrong…” Master Yu Xia trembled as she stuck her fingers into her mouth, gently biting her nails.
Her eyes dimmed and looked lost, her expression bordering on insanity.
“I was right, my hard work wasn’t in vain, everything I did was meaningful.”
“It’s not my fault… it’s not me…”
The cold wind howled outside, and Master Yu Xia’s body curled up in the corner, trembling.
Like a fallen stray dog.
——
——
The next morning.
A loud crash echoed in the Sang household.
“What is this! It’s disgusting!”
Si Jingzhu’s expression was utterly defeated as she looked at Sang Zhe with almost desperate eyes: “Didn’t you say you could make scrambled eggs with tomatoes?”
“Are you sure this is called scrambled eggs with tomatoes?”
Sang Zhe stared at the dark lump in the dish, unable to help but blush with embarrassment and cough lightly.
“Um, well…”
“Actually, I didn’t burn it. It’s just that this isn’t a tomato—it’s an east black tomato, which is supposed to be black.”
“Do you believe me when I say that?”
Si Jingzhu: “?”
Yan Rouwan initially wanted to take a few bites to encourage Sang Zhe.
But after forcing herself to eat a few bites, she gave up.
She feared that if she forced herself to finish that bowl, she wouldn’t be able to make it alive to the office.
Hei Xia and Jiao Jiao also looked at the fish that was almost covered in salt in the bowl, meowing their complaints.
Shi Qingyan silently sighed as she stared at the rice that was as hard as cardboard in the bowl.
“You truly have no talent for living at all…”
What could she do?
Working folks already had it hard enough.
In her previous life, it was either eating employee meals or instant noodles after work.
After a long day’s work, who had the energy to learn cooking?
Even if she truly knew how, she didn’t have the energy to do it.
“This won’t do.”
Yan Rouwan looked worried: “If we only eat this, we won’t be full.”
Shi Qingyan also protested, “This body is still a child, still growing! Eating this stuff will lead to malnutrition!”
“It’s fine.”
Sang Zhe patted his chest confidently: “I didn’t find a maid willing to work yesterday.”
“I’ll go look again after work today. I’m sure I’ll find someone, just trust me.”
The three women and two cats looked at Sang Zhe with slight skepticism.
Actually, Sang Zhe was also quite frustrated.
Hiring someone to cook in town was usually an easy task.
Who knew why he was so unfortunate these past few days? A local landlord was celebrating a birthday, throwing a feast that lasted three days and nights, pulling all the available cooks away.
It was like drinking cold water and getting food stuck in his teeth.
But cooking was just cooking. If he really couldn’t find anyone, he would have to offer a high reward to the neighbors.
With the right reward, there would definitely be an aunty available.
In comparison to this little issue, today there was a major task he had to complete.
…Today was the last day of Master Yu Xia’s cultivation dispersal.
Through his persistent efforts during this time, Master Yu Xia’s immense cultivation had been successfully whittled down to less than a foundation level.
After taking the final dispersal pill today, Master Yu Xia’s cultivation would completely vanish into nothing.
For this solemn occasion, Sang Zhe intentionally arrived early at Master Yu Xia’s cell.
But to his surprise, today Master Yu Xia appeared very calm.
When she saw Sang Zhe come in, her eyelids only lifted slightly. Her dim eyes stared silently at him.
“Wow? It’s quite calm today.”
Sang Zhe took out the pills while asking, “What’s the matter? Figured it out?”
Master Yu Xia stared blankly at her lowered eyes.
“I don’t get it…”
“But it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Anyway, once I finish taking the pill today, I’ll be an ordinary person with no cultivation, right?” She forced a bitter smile.
Sang Zhe nodded, smiling as he popped the last pill into her mouth.
As she felt the last trace of spiritual power dissipate from her body, Master Yu Xia’s expression suddenly sank into silence.
She finally.
Lost the most precious thing.
And became an ordinary mortal.
“Now, are you satisfied?” She gazed at Sang Zhe with dim eyes.
Sang Zhe thought for a moment and shook his head.
“Not enough.”
Master Yu Xia slowly furrowed her brows.
“You’ve taken everything from me. What else do you want to humiliate me with?”
“Let me think… ah.”
Sang Zhe seemed to suddenly remember something.
“By the way, you should be able to cook, right?”
Master Yu Xia: “…ah?”
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