A Farewell Meal and a Revelation

It was noon.

Qin Zhaoyu sat in the living room, her eyes fixed on the slightly lavish spread of dishes before her. She swallowed hard.

Though she had reached the Golden Core stage, a realm where cultivators could forgo food, and had spent her days sustained by spiritual elixirs and medicines, the cravings of the flesh still persisted.

Moreover, the vibrant colors and tantalizing aroma of the dishes were simply too alluring, leaving her feeling quite gluttonous.

Amidst this, a question began to form in her mind.

‘Master…’

‘He actually knows how to cook?’

‘And his culinary skills seem rather impressive, too…’

‘Perhaps…’

‘Just one bite?’

Just as Qin Zhaoyu could no longer resist reaching for her chopsticks, Zhuang Xun entered the living room, one hand holding a small, floating cauldron.

“Cough, cough! The dishes aren’t even all out yet, and you’re already thinking of eating?”

“Ah?! Mas… Master… I didn’t…”

“It’s fine. Eat if you want to. Eat more.”

“It’s been so many years, and you haven’t tasted your master’s cooking.”

Zhuang Xun placed the floating cauldron on the table. Inside was a seemingly ordinary black chicken soup.

“……”

A long moment passed.

Seeing that Zhuang Xun still hadn’t picked up his chopsticks, Qin Zhaoyu ventured, “Master… aren’t you eating?”

“This entire meal was specially prepared for you.”

“Eat. Your master will just watch.”

At his words, Qin Zhaoyu became even more hesitant to move her chopsticks. It felt disturbingly like a final meal before an execution.

“What’s wrong? Are you afraid your master has poisoned you?”

“No… No, it’s not that.”

“Even if it were poison, if Master commanded it, this disciple would swallow it without hesitation.”

“Then why don’t you dare to eat?”

“…”

‘I just feel… Master seems a bit strange today…’

“When is your master not strange?”

“Er…”

‘That’s true, actually.’

‘Every day, Master either sleeps or goes off to catch strange things to research.’

‘He even frequently prepared medicinal baths for me, quietly observing and taking notes from the side.’

‘At first, it made me incredibly shy every time.’

‘But later…’

‘I seemed to get used to it.’

‘So much so that for a period when he didn’t come, I felt a little empty inside.’

‘It always felt like something was missing.’

‘And at the age where one begins to vaguely dream of love…’

‘Master is quite handsome, and his demeanor is so refined.’

‘I even thought about pulling him into the bath with me…’

‘To bathe together…’

‘Utterly shameless…’

The more Qin Zhaoyu thought, the redder her face became, her mind a tangled mess. Wisps of steam seemed to rise from the top of her head.

“?”

“Cough, cough!”

‘What exactly is this child thinking about? She’s practically a steam engine princess.’

“Zhaoyu, your master asks you, since I took you as my disciple, how long have you stayed in this place?”

“Hmm…”

“To answer Master, it has been nine years and thirteen days.”

“Then, if your master now asks you to leave this place, never to return, will you obey?”

“……”

“Master… are you… driving me away?”

Qin Zhaoyu’s chaotic thoughts instantly plummeted to rock bottom, her expression filled with profound loss. ‘I should have expected this.’

“You have reached the Golden Core stage. Your master can no longer teach you much.”

“Therefore, with your talent, staying here would only be a waste.”

“It would be better to take this opportunity to return to the mortal world, settle your karmic debts, and then seek out a more skilled master.”

Zhuang Xun’s tone was incredibly calm, as if he were recounting an ordinary matter.

“……”

Qin Zhaoyu bit her lower lip, her hands tightly clenching her skirt, her eyes reddening as if tears might fall at any moment.

“No…”

“I don’t want to…”

“……”

“If your mortal grievances are unresolved and your heart is burdened by karma, how can you seek immortality and the Dao?”

“Go, experience the mortal world. You will gain much.”

Zhuang Xun poured a cup of wine for himself and raised it towards Qin Zhaoyu. “May your immortal fortune be everlasting, and may you find the grand Dao of immortal destiny.”

As his words fell…

*Drip…*

*Drip…*

Qin Zhaoyu’s tears finally fell, yet everything before her… began to slowly shatter and dissipate, like a reflection in a mirror or a flower in water.

****

Within the Divine Swallow Kingdom.

About fifty miles from the border defense line of the neighboring Jade Spirit Kingdom lay a dark, man-eating marsh forest, which no mortal dared to enter lightly.

Yet now…

A remarkably handsome young man lay on a withered tree, his head tilting slightly outward as he awoke.

“……”

“Hah~” The young man yawned, lazily complaining, “What’s going on… why am I dreaming of that scene again…?”

He was Zhuang Xun.

Nearly two years had passed since he had expelled Qin Zhaoyu from his sect.

In order to ensure she could peacefully walk the path meant for her, and to prevent her from having any lingering attachments to him, he chose to conceal and seal Kunlun Mountain.

He then slipped away himself, secretly following her, constantly observing her growth and movements, trying his best to ensure she followed the novel’s original plot.

This way, it would be easier for him to control.

And so… he became like this.

Clad in plain ink-colored robes, wherever she went, he would, after her departure, remove any lingering dangers she left behind and control the general direction of events.

“Alas…”

“Humans are not plants; how can they be without emotion?”

*Buzz~*

The void suddenly trembled, and a pure white light figure slowly materialized before him.

“Father, she departed several days ago and has already met with King Pingliang.”

“The next step is to instigate civil war within the Divine Swallow Kingdom.”

“Hmm, I understand.”

“But I’ve always had a question, something I wish to know.”

“Oh?”

“Please ask, Father.”

“Why did my original story, a common ‘Dragon Among Men’ harem plot, turn into a ‘Phoenix Among Women’ story instead?”

“Moreover, those who were meant to join the harem have now become sworn sisters, forming a sisterhood.”

“I’ve asked this question many times along the way, but you’ve never given me a direct answer.”

“……”

The white light figure remained silent for a long time, as if it, too, could not provide a definite answer.

“Never mind. I’m not in a hurry for an answer to that question.”

“However, you must tell me the truth: were those worlds you called ‘simulation exercises’ truly real?”

Those voices were simply too real. So real that they felt familiar, causing their figures to involuntarily surface in his mind.

“……”

“Yes.”

“Moreover, they ascended by breaking through their worlds, and all of them possess great karmic luck.”

“The reason Father has repeatedly heard their voices without explanation is likely because you are in the same plane.”

“Their strength is growing rapidly, and they cultivate extremely unique techniques. This allows them to transmit their heartfelt desires and obsessions to the person they are thinking of.”

“……”

“No wonder…”

Zhuang Xun pondered, stroking his chin.

According to the settings in the book, the myriad worlds of the heavens and cosmos were diverse, but also stratified into different ranks.

The lowest were worlds just beginning to develop civilization, characterized by agriculture, fire, blades, spears, axes, halberds, and wars fought with guns and cannons.

Moving upwards… there were worlds of swords and magic, worlds where martial artists reigned supreme, worlds of mysterious spiritual phenomena, and worlds of interstellar travel.

Worlds similar to these could all be considered high-power worlds.

And above that, there were cultivation worlds, where immortals plucked stars, grasped the moon, and sought the Dao.

But if the Incarnation of Heavenly Dao’s explanation was true… his disciples, whom he had nurtured for several centuries in four high-power worlds, had all broken through and ascended?

And they had grown so rapidly that they had reached a realm where they could transmit their heartfelt desires and obsessions to him.

Damn it!

“Why didn’t you tell me all this before?”

“If I had explained everything clearly to Father in advance, could Father’s state of mind at the beginning have allowed him to achieve the planned goals?”

“Could he have cultivated them all into the supreme combat powers of those worlds and then returned freely and unburdened by attachments?”

“……”

“Human emotions are the greatest variable. I did not wish for Father to become deeply entangled, unable to return… and to forget that this world is the one Father should cherish.”

“……”

“Alright, I understand.”

Zhuang Xun reached out and gently patted the white light figure’s head. “I won’t ask again from now on.”

He could sense some subtle emotions in its words. For some reason, he actually felt an urge to comfort it.

“……”

“Does Father have any other questions?”

The white light figure shifted slightly into Zhuang Xun’s palm, seemingly enjoying his touch.