Is he about to go mad from practicing qi cultivation?

The first time he tasted his master’s cooking, Xǔ Tiānlí’s expression was beyond blissful.

Gazing at the table laden with dishes, he found himself at a loss, unsure which to try first.

“What’s wrong? No appetite?” Mù Qīngyǔ asked, settling down after finishing her tasks.

“Uh, no, not at all.”

“It’s just that everything looks so delicious, I don’t know where to begin with my chopsticks.”

Observing the hesitant look on his face, a mischievous idea suddenly sparked within Mù Qīngyǔ.

She deliberately slid onto the bench beside her student, picked up a large piece of meat with her chopsticks, and brought it to Xǔ Tiānlí’s mouth.

“Master?”

“Here, try this,” Mù Qīngyǔ offered, giving him a gentle smile, much like an older sister doting on her younger brother.

It was important to remember that the females Xǔ Tiānlí interacted with most were the young children in the orphanage, barely past their toddler years.

Confronted with the sudden, attentive care from Qín Yuè, who was older than him, he momentarily froze, his words trembling:

“Master, I… I can feed myself.”

“What, didn’t you say you couldn’t make up your mind?” Mù Qīngyǔ continued to tease him.

“Now that I’m helping you decide, you’re unhappy?”

“Come on, open wide, ah~”

Xǔ Tiānlí’s gaze swept over her golden eyes, then he closed them.

Perhaps it was her gentle words, or perhaps Xǔ Tiānlí knew he couldn’t escape, so he obediently opened his mouth until the piece of meat was placed inside.

After a few quick chews, Xǔ Tiānlí opened his eyes again, both now emitting a brilliant light.

Though he knew Qín Yuè’s dishes were simple home cooking, they tasted exceptionally delicious.

It truly felt like the fruits of his own hard work were the most flavorful.

Each bite wasn’t just a taste of his maturity and sweat, but also his master’s meticulous care.

He felt tears welling up.

Mù Qīngyǔ, sitting beside him, found his reaction quite exaggerated.

‘I only added a bit of MSG and flavor enhancer,’ she thought.

‘Is it really that big a deal?’

She even suspected Xǔ Tiānlí didn’t actually like her cooking and was merely putting on a show.

“Is it good?”

“Delicious! Very delicious!”

“Truly worthy of Master!”

“Alright, alright, stop with the flattery.” Mù Qīngyǔ fed him a few more pieces of meat.

“Man cannot live on air alone.”

“Missing even one meal will significantly impact your growth.”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Xǔ Tiānlí’s mouth was stuffed with meat, making him feel as though he had arrived in paradise.

Only then did Mù Qīngyǔ pick up her own bowl and begin to eat.

Xǔ Tiānlí’s gaze, however, once again fell upon her face, or more precisely, her cherry-red lips.

Those chopsticks had been in and out of his mouth mere seconds ago, yet she showed no concern for the saliva that might have transferred.

Though the thought felt rebellious, Xǔ Tiānlí couldn’t help but murmur, ‘Is this what they call an indirect kiss?’

A powerful, kind-hearted, and incredibly caring older sister.

‘How wonderful would it be if my fiancée were someone like this?’

‘My father wouldn’t have died, and my life wouldn’t have plunged into such despair.’

‘No, what am I thinking?’

Xǔ Tiānlí patted his cheeks, quickly shaking off such unrealistic thoughts.

‘My master being my fiancée?’

‘I really dare to dream.’

‘If I ever said that aloud, even the good-tempered Qín Yuè would probably beat me senseless.’

After lunch, Xǔ Tiānlí rested briefly before resuming his practice.

With encouragement from Qín Yuè, he became even more motivated, deeply realizing that merely reaching the introductory stage was far from enough.

He had to do better; simply being at this level wouldn’t be enough to defeat Mù Qīngyǔ.

During this time, Xǔ Tiānlí had even specifically searched online for news about his damned fiancée.

This led him to discover a strange phenomenon: the pampered young lady who frequently appeared in the media had not been heard from in some time.

‘Did she realize she had caused too much of a stir and, feeling embarrassed, decided to wait for the commotion to die down?’

‘No, that’s unlikely.’

‘Since she dared to break off the engagement, she must be thick-skinned enough not to care about shame.’

‘Besides, she doesn’t care about me at all.’

Given Mù Qīngyǔ’s status and beauty, she must have countless suitors and was probably long accustomed to men’s flattery.

Xǔ Tiānlí had heard that wealthy people often lived lavishly.

He could even reasonably guess that the woman might currently be surrounded by men, leading a decadent life.

If that were the case, even if she hadn’t broken off the engagement, Xǔ Tiānlí wouldn’t want a woman who had been ‘used up’ by others.

He wouldn’t even know whose child it was.

“No, why am I even concerned about her?”

Xǔ Tiānlí closed his phone’s browser.

“Even if she were a self-respecting person, what then?”

“Would she really care about the broken engagement and secretly lurk by my side?”

The thought alone was laughable.

Xǔ Tiānlí pondered for a moment.

There was no one around him who seemed like a pampered young lady.

Even Qín Yuè, whom he had known for the shortest time, had absolutely no airs of a high-born lady.

Not only did she cook wonderfully, but she even washed the dishes without a word afterward.

The idea that Qín Yuè was Mù Qīngyǔ was simply too far-fetched to consider.

If Mù Qīngyǔ truly dared to appear before him, Xǔ Tiānlí knew he might not be able to defeat her, but Qín Yuè would surely step in to protect her student, thoroughly irritating that scoundrel.

“Ach-choo! Ach-choo! Ach-choo!”

At the same moment, Mù Qīngyǔ, who was tidying up the dishes, inexplicably sneezed several times.

‘Am I catching a cold?’

She had spent half of last night running between the bed and the toilet.

Because of the heat, she had even stripped naked to squat in the later half.

Had she caught a chill then?

Mù Qīngyǔ rubbed her nose, then suddenly paused after finishing the dishes.

‘Wait, why am I doing their chores?’

Though Mù Qīngyǔ had cooked the meal herself, the orphanage surely wasn’t so understaffed that they lacked a caregiver to wash dishes.

‘Was it memories and habits from her previous life?’

‘Never mind, the dish soap is already squeezed.’

‘I’ll just help them this once.’

‘Xǔ Tiānlí should really thank me.’

‘Where else could he find a charming and kind master like me?’

After finishing the chores and stepping out of the kitchen, Mù Qīngyǔ immediately spotted Xǔ Tiānlí vigorously swinging his sword in the courtyard.

Each time he wielded the broken wooden sword in his hand, a ripple of air would reach her, gently lifting a strand of black hair that had fallen onto her shoulder.

‘This guy… is it really okay for him to push himself so hard?’

So many days had passed, and Mù Qīngyǔ was certain that the secret manual had issues.

Otherwise, with Xǔ Tiānlí’s monstrous talent, it was impossible for him to achieve nothing.

Looking at the cracks on the ground and the broken wooden sword, Mù Qīngyǔ suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

If she let him continue practicing like this, her risk of exposure would greatly increase.

So, Mù Qīngyǔ walked over to Xǔ Tiānlí.

“Why don’t you take a break first?”

“No, Master, you once taught me that I cannot continue to slack off.”

“Do you really think you’ll make progress by just blindly toiling away?”

“If I don’t blindly toil, a good-for-nothing like me won’t even have the right to take the first step.”

‘How could that be?’

‘If even you can’t take that step, how many people in this world could possibly grow stronger?’

“Master, I know you’re here to supervise me.”

“Don’t worry, no matter how hard or tiring it gets, I won’t slack off or give up.”

The first step wasn’t enough; Xǔ Tiānlí aimed to take the second step today.

As Xǔ Tiānlí spoke, he tried to stand up his exhausted body again, ready to continue practicing according to the seemingly fraudulent secret manual.

Seeing him like this, a single word immediately flashed in Mù Qīngyǔ’s mind:

‘Deviation!’

‘Though I forgot he was stubborn, this is too stubborn, isn’t it?’

‘Oh no, this kid isn’t actually going to suffer a deviation, is he?’

Mù Qīngyǔ broke into a sweat, realizing she couldn’t quite hold him back.

‘This won’t do.’

‘If I let him blindly mess around without any direction, what if he gets suspicious of me?’

‘It’s better to put this secret manual aside for now and get him some cheap yet effective ones.’

Xǔ Tiānlí suffering a deviation was a minor issue.

If he were to discover the truth after going mad, Mù Qīngyǔ’s entire plan would be exposed.

Thinking this, she no longer lingered, instead quickly walking out of the orphanage.

Just a few minutes after she left, Xǔ Tiānlí took a deep breath and then charged forward.

Bang!!

The headless wooden sword directly pierced through the orphanage wall.

The swirling air current even caused the trees planted outside to rustle and sway.

“Damn it, I tried to hold back, but I still caused trouble again.”

Xǔ Tiānlí was immensely grateful that his master wasn’t around, otherwise, he would surely be lectured.