Chapter 25: Rumors

In this world, everyone is diligently cultivating, and it’s truly rare for anyone to have as much free time as Ji Jiuxuan. Yet despite this, her cultivation had never fallen behind—she was even ahead of her peers.

“Cultivating, of course! It’s just that I don’t spend my time the same way as you do.” Ji Jiuxuan did not elaborate. Everyone has their secrets, and as for her system, that was something she would never reveal. Instead of racking her brains to hide it, she preferred to brush it off with a single sentence.

“Come on! Let’s go catch some wild game. We didn’t get to eat it last time, but this time I’ve prepared all sorts of ingredients!” When she visited the Jinda Restaurant, she had checked out all their seasonings and deliberately bought some of each to keep in her spatial pouch.

At the mention of food, Feng Hanxiao’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Then let’s go look for ingredients right now!”

The wild game in the Spirit Herb Garden consisted of spiritual birds, which were not easy to catch. The fish were even slipperier, requiring a touch of spiritual energy to capture. After much effort, the two finally managed to catch a spirit chicken and a few fish.

The forest was full of edible mushrooms, and Ji Jiuxuan picked a generous amount. Over this period, she had studied the structure of various plants and animals and learned plenty about the properties of different alchemical and forging materials. Now, slaughtering and chopping up a chicken was effortless for her, leaving Feng Hanxiao, who stood by watching in awe, her eyes shining.

“Jiuxuan, you’re amazing!” Feng Hanxiao exclaimed with envy. She could handle preparing a chicken, but to do it as easily as Ji Jiuxuan—never.

“I’ve had lots of practice lately.” As she spoke, Ji Jiuxuan’s hands didn’t pause for a moment.

She enveloped the cleaned chicken pieces in spiritual energy, meticulously removing every impurity. After washing the mushrooms she’d gathered, she purified them as well and added them to the clay pot with the chicken.

She tossed in ginger, cooking wine, salt, and clear water, brought it to a boil on high heat, then let it simmer on low.

Soon, the pot was bubbling, sending forth waves of mouthwatering aroma that made Feng Hanxiao want to lift the lid right away.

Ji Jiuxuan experimented with the fish, making sour fish soup, grilled fish, sweet-and-sour fish pieces, and a plate of stir-fried Chun Spirit Grass.

“Isn’t this Chun Spirit Grass? You can stir-fry it?” Feng Hanxiao was amazed—she had never seen it cooked this way before.

“It’s edible, but I don’t know how it tastes. This is my first try.” She had already harvested a crop of Chun Spirit Grass earlier, and since she hadn’t found any spiritual vegetables at the moment, she decided to use it instead.

In truth, from the moment she started selecting spiritual plants, she had wanted to try how these spiritual herbs would taste stir-fried.

Feng Hanxiao swallowed, unable to believe it, yet the aroma was irresistible.

Soon, the dishes were ready.

The two of them set up a table in the countryside and began their picnic on the spot.

“Delicious! It’s so good!” Feng Hanxiao was full of praise as she ate. “Jiuxuan, I had no idea you could cook so well—it’s even better than the elders’ meals in the dining hall. Are you sure this is your first time? It’s unbelievable!”

Ji Jiuxuan was not the least embarrassed. She nodded as she ate, “This just proves I have a natural gift for cooking.”

She picked up a bite of stir-fried Chun Spirit Grass and was surprised at how tasty it was.

Sweet and flavorful, with a crisp texture, and as she ate, a wave of spiritual energy flowed into her body, leaving her dantian warm and comfortable.

Seeing Ji Jiuxuan enjoying it so much, Feng Hanxiao—who had hesitated to try it—curiously took a bite.

At the first taste, her eyes widened in delight. “This is incredible! Why didn’t I ever think of stir-frying it before? The flavor is amazing!”

The two ate joyfully until they were stuffed. Seeing that it was getting late, Feng Hanxiao looked apologetically at Ji Jiuxuan. “Jiuxuan, it’s about time. I need to head back.”

Ji Jiuxuan smiled, unconcerned. “Go ahead. Today was about enjoying good food together—so long as we’re happy, that’s enough. Next time, if we get the chance, we’ll do it again.”

Feng Hanxiao left, but the promise of another meal together was never fulfilled. Ji Jiuxuan was just that sort of person—once she felt she had caused trouble, she would never do it again.

From that day on, strange rumors began circulating in the sect.

At first, Ji Jiuxuan only noticed the odd looks others gave her, and there were even people following her around, sometimes quite obviously. Unable to endure it, she finally caught one of them.

The person was at the fifth level of Qi Refinement and, believing his cultivation to be higher than Ji Jiuxuan’s, had followed her with little effort to conceal himself. But Ji Jiuxuan, though only at the third level, was solid in her cultivation, and with her unique dantian, surpassing her level in a fight was entirely possible.

Moreover, she was born with a sword body. In her daily practice, she had worked hard to maximize her training within a limited time, studying the most efficient methods.

So it was not impossible for her to catch someone at the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

Her pursuer was incredulous. “Don’t you skip cultivation every day? How could you catch me?”

Ji Jiuxuan looked at the disciple impassively. “Why have you been following me lately?”

When the disciple said nothing, Ji Jiuxuan—hardly intimidating with her slight frame—resorted to a threat: “If you don’t answer, we’ll settle this in the Discipline Hall.”

The disciple stammered in surprise. “I haven’t done anything against the rules. The Discipline Hall wouldn’t listen to you.”

But then, remembering her status—and that this was no great secret, as half the sect already knew—he relented.

“It’s nothing, really. There’s just a rumor going around that you’re extremely lazy and a bad influence. People say that even with your heavenly spiritual root, you’re destined to fall behind, and that you’re a disgrace.”

Seeing Ji Jiuxuan’s indifference, the disciple asked in wonder, “Aren’t you angry?”

“Why should I be? Anyone spreading such rumors must just be jealous of me.”

As the disciple looked at her in confusion, Ji Jiuxuan kindly explained, “Tell me, how does my cultivation compare to others of my cohort?”

Among those who tested with her, most were still at the first or second level of Qi Refinement; she was already at the third, making her the top among her peers.

“Number one among your peers,” the disciple answered obediently, curious to hear what Ji Jiuxuan would say next.

“Exactly. So they’re just jealous—jealous that my cultivation’s not lacking, yet I still have time for leisure. Pure envy, nothing more.”

The disciple felt dizzy—what she said made sense, yet something about it seemed off.

Ji Jiuxuan let the matter drop and released him.

Not long after, word spread throughout the sect that Ji Jiuxuan was the leader among her peers in cultivation, and that the earlier rumors were born of jealousy.

But soon the wind shifted again, with people saying that Ji Jiuxuan was lazy and undisciplined, and that if she actually worked hard, her achievements would be far greater—so no one should follow her example.

Hearing these rumors, Ji Jiuxuan couldn’t help but suspect who might be behind them. Yet with no past grievances, would that person really be so petty and gossipy?