The Taste of Cultivation and Tribulations

“You’re asking how I knew, huh…” Yu Lian realized she had let something slip. However, after a moment’s thought, there seemed to be nothing worth concealing. She pointed at Yixiya and said, “You told me, didn’t you? It was probably the time before last.”

‘The time before last…’ Yixiya patted her forehead. ‘Alright, it must have been when I was hazy and accidentally blurted it out,’ she mused. ‘This habit of mine is truly a headache; I always end up spilling things.’

“Yixiya, tell me about cultivation,” Yu Lian requested. She reached for a large chicken drumstick, took a bite, and finding both the taste and temperature perfect, she held it to Yixiya’s closed lips. “I won’t have a chance to cultivate in this life. My aptitude is ordinary, destined for a mundane existence. I can only watch cultivators soar through the air, filled with envy and longing.”

Yixiya’s gaze dropped, fixating on the chicken drumstick at her lips. Are you doing this on purpose? she thought. Holding the part you already bit, teeth marks and all, right to my mouth? She opened her mouth and bit exactly where Yu Lian had eaten.

Did you think I’d be afraid just because you’d already eaten it?

Hmph, you won’t make me back down!

Unexpectedly, Yixiya found the taste of that bite of chicken remarkably different. It was subtly sweet, intoxicating her heart and causing a captivating blush to bloom on her cheeks. Instinctively, no sooner had she swallowed than she immediately took a second bite. Yet, that intoxicating flavor was no longer there.

Yu Lian watched Yixiya’s reddened face, then glanced at the bitten part of the chicken drumstick. A sudden realization struck her, making her heart skip a beat, and she grew considerably more nervous.

‘She wouldn’t misunderstand, would she?’

‘I gave her the part I’d eaten; would she think I did it intentionally?’

‘What if, what if she gets angry…’

However, Yu Lian found no trace of anger on Yixiya’s face. Instead, she seemed somewhat… shy? Yes, it had to be shyness. That deeply flushed face looked utterly abnormal, for it was entirely unlike Yixiya. This sight couldn’t even be described as merely rare.

Yu Lian watched silently for a long moment, intending to engrave this rare scene into her memory. Yixiya, unable to bear her scrutiny any longer, snapped, “What are you looking at? Do you still want to know about cultivation? Keep staring at me, and not only will I not tell you, but you can forget about me feeding you anything else. Go eat by yourself, hmph!”

‘How could this be tolerated?’

Yu Lian quickly averted her gaze. She wouldn’t engage in such a losing proposition. Setting aside her confusion, she stopped pondering the reason for the other’s blushing shyness and whispered, “My apologies, my apologies. I wasn’t looking at you just now; I was lost in thought, that’s why…”

“Alright, I forgive your impertinence.”

Yixiya snatched the unfinished chicken drumstick from Yu Lian’s hand. With an arrogant turn of her head, she held it to Yu Lian’s mouth. “I’m full, I can’t eat any more. You finish the rest for me; it’s my turn to feed you now.”

“But… but you’ve already eaten from it…”

“Huh? Are you disgusted?”

“Not really.”

“Then why are you saying so much? Eat it, eat every last bit. If you leave even a scrap, I’ll hit you, you know.”

*I don’t even mind your saliva, and you’re getting picky, hmph.* Yixiya shoved the chicken drumstick into Yu Lian’s mouth, playfully and deliberately stirring Yu Lian’s tongue with the part she had bitten.

*Now it’s your turn to taste my saliva.*

Yixiya felt utterly delighted. She hadn’t expected such an action to significantly lift her spirits. She surmised her dreams tonight would be sweet.

Yu Lian mumbled something, her words indistinct, harshly muffled by the large chicken drumstick in her mouth. Left with no choice, she gave up resistance and slowly ate the remainder of Yixiya’s drumstick. However, the process was somewhat difficult.

Yixiya noticed Yu Lian’s face slowly reddening and quickly pulled out the chicken drumstick. It was clear Yu Lian was choking. She didn’t mistake Yu Lian’s blush for shyness at eating her food.

“Cough, cough, cough, cough…”

Yixiya patted Yu Lian’s back, asking with concern, “Are you feeling better? I went too far just now.”

Yu Lian pressed her hand to her chest, waving it dismissively as she replied, “No… no, I’m fine, cough, cough. I’m much better now.”

After that incident, Yixiya dared not repeat such an act.

They sat facing each other. Yixiya held chopsticks and a bowl, feeding Yu Lian with motions that were a little gentler than yesterday, though still clumsy and stiff. Yu Lian, in turn, slowly swallowed each mouthful.

‘Such great progress?’

Yu Lian was quite surprised by Yixiya’s change. She was practically a different person compared to yesterday. Although her movements remained unpracticed and the chopsticks sometimes accidentally poked her throat, Yu Lian was already very satisfied. After all, Yixiya was the Eldest Young Lady of the Yi Estate. Even if she genuinely intended to set aside her pride to feed her, she wouldn’t get used to it in just a day or two.

A person’s character and behavioral patterns, once established in adulthood, are generally fixed and difficult to change. Unless they encounter a major life event…

“You said you wanted to know about cultivation earlier?”

“Mm-hmm, very much.”

“Haven’t you read any books about cultivation?”

“Young Lady Yi, what do you take cultivation for? Commoners aren’t allowed to privately print records of such matters. To us, cultivators are like the distant, unreachable stars.”

“I haven’t looked into that aspect much,” Yixiya admitted. Aside from Ya’er, whom she held dear, she only paid attention to matters concerning the Yi Estate, rarely concerning herself with the outside world. “I actually know little about cultivation. The first thing those with cultivation talent must do is absorb the Tribulation Qi of heaven and earth into their bodies to nourish their Tribulation Veins. There are nine layers of Tribulation Veins. If the first layer is well-nourished, it corresponds to the First Stage, which is entry-level, meaning the First Heaven of the First Tribulation Realm.”

Yu Lian listened intently, asking curiously, “If all of them are nourished, will one be able to enter the Ninth Heaven and then naturally step into the Second Tribulation Realm?”

“It’s not that simple,” Yixiya shook her head. “My mother told me that once a cultivator reaches the Ninth Heaven, they must further stabilize until they achieve perfection. Then, a premonition will arise in their heart—a trial sent from the heavens. Only those who survive can advance.”

“A trial?”

“Yes, this trial is the Lightning Tribulation. Each stage of cultivation faces a different Lightning Tribulation. The stronger one’s power, the greater the might of the Lightning Tribulation, and correspondingly, the danger will greatly increase.”

Yu Lian exclaimed in shock, “If they don’t pass it, won’t they die under the Lightning Tribulation?” Why do people have to die? For the first time, she felt a sense of dread toward cultivation and a desire to retreat, no longer longing for it.

“Of course they’ll die. Do you think cultivation is child’s play? If there were no risks, cultivators would be everywhere in this world. Cultivators not only die under Lightning Tribulations but also in various ambushes—for revenge, for treasures, for territory, for resources, and so on. Ha, there are so many, I really can’t list them all.”

‘So terrifying!’

Yu Lian’s imagined cultivation was a world where everyone developed peacefully, helping each other. She never expected it to be no different from the mundane lives of commoners in the marketplace.