I Reloaded the Save File! [Transmigration] - Chapter 47

Xuan Shuang simply changed her clothes and quickly walked out of the inner room.

Taking advantage of this time, Yun Yu cleaned up the scene of the heating failure and neatly arranged the successfully heated dishes on the table.

“Master, you can dine here. May I go inside and take a bath?” Yun Yu asked, looking with distaste at the stains on her clothes. “It’s also to get rid of the greasy smell I picked up while cooking.”

Xuan Shuang had originally intended to tell Yun Yu to return to her own room, but seeing her earnest attitude and noting that she was only in this state because she was cooking for Xuan Shuang, she nodded in silent permission.

“Thank you, Master,” Yun Yu said.

Although Xuan Shuang was staying at an inn, it was one of the higher-class ones. Therefore, Xuan Shuang’s room was quite large, and the distance between the inner room (where the bath was) and the outer hall (where they ate) was considerable. If it were an ordinary person, they wouldn’t hear any movement from the inner room.

But the problem was that Xuan Shuang was not an ordinary person; she was a Spirit Transformation Grandmaster. And Yun Yu, perhaps having forgotten, didn’t cast a barrier on herself while bathing.

Consequently, Xuan Shuang, whose five senses were extraordinarily acute, heard the movements in the inner room clearly and completely. Whether it was the sound of Yun Yu removing her clothes, the splash of her body immersing in the bathtub, or even her heartbeat, Xuan Shuang could hear everything distinctly.

Xuan Shuang wanted to temporarily block her senses, but she worried that the demon race might choose that moment to launch a surprise attack, and a lapse in vigilance would be detrimental.

As for casting a barrier on herself or Yun Yu, Xuan Shuang felt it would be an act of drawing attention to what she was trying to hide. It would be as if she were not a gentleman and thus needed a barrier to isolate the sound.

Since blocking the five senses was out, and casting a barrier was out, Xuan Shuang could only shift her attention to the meal on the table and began to taste it.

She picked up a few appetizing-looking green vegetables and put them into her mouth. After a couple of bites, Xuan Shuang’s eyebrows raised slightly. The taste of these vegetables seemed better than she had expected.

Yun Yu hadn’t made many dishes: four main dishes and one soup, the latter of which she had ruined. The remaining four were simple, home-style dishes—two with meat and two vegetarian.

Xuan Shuang sampled them one by one and found that they all suited her light palate. Although some of the spiritual energy in the ingredients was lost, about half of it was retained, which was quite good for Yun Yu’s first attempt at cooking.

Yun Yu, currently bathing, wasn’t overthinking things. She stayed to bathe only to prove with action that her previous sentence had no ulterior meaning; she simply felt dirty and needed a bath.

Yun Yu was quick in the bath. After about fifteen minutes, she stepped out of the tub barefoot, used a spell to dry off the moisture on her body, then took out her spare clothes from her storage space and quickly put them on.

When movements are rushed, the sounds created are louder than usual. Xuan Shuang, who had finally managed to focus her attention on the food, couldn’t help but divert her focus back to Yun Yu’s situation.

“Master, I’m done washing,” Yun Yu came out after changing and sat down next to her Master. “How was it? Are the dishes I made acceptable?”

“Mhm, not bad,” Xuan Shuang gathered her stray thoughts. “The first time I cooked, I was not as outstanding as you.”

Yun Yu smiled, then picked up the chopsticks placed on the side, and placed a piece of lean meat into her Master’s bowl. “Actually, it’s not exactly my first time. I’ve cooked some things over an open fire before.”

Furthermore, for the sake of caution, she had specifically asked the inn’s chef to guide her. In such circumstances, if she still made unpalatable food, wouldn’t that ruin the chef’s reputation?

Xuan Shuang looked down at the extra piece of meat in her bowl, hesitated slightly, then picked up a chopstick full of green vegetables and placed it in Yun Yu’s bowl.

“That’s still excellent. You should taste it yourself,” The expression on Xuan Shuang’s face looked no different from usual, but only she knew that her heart was slightly flustered.

“Alright!” Yun Yu was very happy. She and her Master had finally fed each other, so she no longer had to envy her Second and Youngest Junior Sisters.

After finishing the meal, Xuan Shuang left the room, intending to go out for a patrol to check if there were any abnormalities around the inn.

When Yun Yu heard this, she insisted on accompanying her. Seeing her determined attitude, Xuan Shuang tacitly allowed her to follow.

“Master, Eldest Senior Sister, you’re here,” As soon as they reached the inn’s main hall, Yun He greeted the two warmly. “We were just about to eat. Would Master and Eldest Senior Sister like to join us?”

“No need, you all eat. We’re going out to look around,” Xuan Shuang said.

“Mhm, Master and I have just eaten, you all please carry on,” Yun Yu added, her gaze sweeping over Mo Xiao and Zuo Wuyi.

Were these two holding hands before eating? That’s nice. I wonder when Master and I can be like that.

They ate together? Mo Xiao’s eyes subtly changed. She was certain she hadn’t misheard that question about bathing. Moreover, if she remembered correctly, Eldest Senior Sister wasn’t wearing these clothes when she went out this morning.

As for Master, she seemed to have changed her clothes too?

Ate together, and also bathed together? Did they really just eat?

Mo Xiao’s initial thought process was skewed, so now her line of inquiry was completely running wild, like a horse with broken reins.

Fortunately, Mo Xiao didn’t show any strange expression while thinking about such things, so Xuan Shuang and Yun Yu didn’t notice her. After a brief explanation, they left together.

Zuo Wuyi gently bumped Mo Xiao with her arm. “Still haven’t decided what you want to eat?”

“Hmm?” Mo Xiao was startled, then quickly reacted. “I’m easy; just add a few desserts at the end.”

Just like that, two seemingly peaceful days quickly passed. Just as Mo Xiao and Zuo Wuyi were figuring out their Master’s concerns, the Second Elder of the Pill Pavilion arrived in Nanfeng City as the City Lord had eagerly anticipated.

Although the Second Elder of the Pill Pavilion came alone, he was the person in the Asking Dao Sect with the most research on the spiritual consciousness of cultivators. If he had no solution, then no one in the Asking Dao Sect would.

Upon reaching Nanfeng City, the Pill Pavilion Elder immediately went to the City Lord’s manor and, accompanied by Chu Yang and Xuan Shuang, went to the jail to examine the state of the cultivators.

“Senior, is there a solution?” Chu Ting waited nearby, asking expectantly.

The Pill Pavilion Elder stroked his short beard. “I just examined them. The Demonic Qi in these people all originates from the same source. If we can capture that demon, I have a way to resolve the problem in one fell swoop.”

“The demon responsible should have already returned to the demon realm by now. I fear it won’t be that easy…” Chu Ting said, frowning subconsciously. “Senior, do you have any other methods?”

“I do, but I will need to take these cultivators back to the Asking Dao Sect. The process of removing the Demonic Qi must also be kept secret,” the Pill Pavilion Elder said. “And I ask the City Lord not to inquire about the specific process.”

Upon hearing the Elder’s words, Chu Ting was hesitant. Not inquiring about the process—did that mean there would be some unnecessary sacrifices during the procedure?

“Second Elder, the process of removing the Demonic Qi should not involve any innocent sacrifices, correct?” Xuan Shuang immediately saw Chu Ting’s concern and voiced the question for her.

“Naturally. I am saving people, not harming them,” the Pill Pavilion Elder sounded slightly perplexed when he heard this. He was merely going to ask the Artifact Pavilion Elder to refine some more Spirit Storage Stones, which would be destroyed after use. Where would the innocent people come from?

“Then I entrust this to you, Senior. I will immediately arrange for people to escort these cultivators to the Asking Dao Sect,” Chu Ting breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the affirmative answer. The Asking Dao Sect truly deserved its unspoken title as the top sect in the world; they were indeed impressive.

The Pill Pavilion Elder found a solution? Xuan Min was stunned for a good while when he heard this news.

“Elder, how confident are you that you can cure them?” Xuan Min was skeptical. Once Demonic Qi has invaded a cultivator’s spiritual consciousness, how could it be easily stripped away?

“Eighty to ninety percent,” The Pill Pavilion Elder avoided making an absolute guarantee. Although he was sure the method would work, he would reserve a little room for maneuver until the people were cured.

“Elder, could you explain the solution?” Xuan Min asked. “To allow me to broaden my knowledge.”

Xuan Min’s reputation among the other Elders of the Asking Dao Sect was still good; he was one of the sect’s three pillars of strength, an exceptionally talented Sword Cultivator.

So, the Pill Pavilion Elder didn’t think much of it. Since they were all from the same sect, he did not hide the solution and explained it directly. “It’s actually not difficult. The Pill Pavilion will collaborate with the Artifact Pavilion Elder. By utilizing the Spirit Storage Stones, we can trick the Demonic Qi out.”

According to the Pill Pavilion Elder’s explanation, because the Demonic Qi originated only from a Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator, all they had to do was inject some high-level cultivator aura into the Spirit Storage Stones, and that would be enough to lure the Demonic Qi out.

“The main reason I concealed this from the City Lord is that I don’t want the matter of the Spirit Storage Stones to spread. After all, Spirit Storage Stones are more harmful than beneficial to most cultivators, and it’s best for their existence to completely fade away,” the Pill Pavilion Elder explained.

Spirit Storage Stone? Xuan Min frowned slightly. He took some effort to recall what this item was and was temporarily at a loss for how to react.

Xuan Min had initially thought that even if the Pill Pavilion Elder arrived, he wouldn’t be able to come up with a solution.

In that scenario, if Xuan Shuang took action, he could seize the opportunity to tamper with things. If she didn’t take action, that would be even better, as the matter could directly evolve into her inner demon.

But Xuan Min, in all his calculations, had not anticipated that the Pill Pavilion Elder would resolve the problem as soon as he arrived, and with a solution that was virtually perfect, leaving him no room to maneuver.

“In that case, let us depart tomorrow. The sooner we return to the sect, the sooner the treatment can begin,” Xuan Shuang spoke, her gaze falling on Xuan Min. “I will accompany Martial Brother Xuan Min on the journey to protect the safety of the cultivators.”

Xuan Min pursed his lips. After three breaths, he nodded. “Good. Tomorrow, I will accompany Senior Sister to escort those cultivators back to the sect.”

Given the situation, if he were to make a move on the return journey, it would be too obvious, and Xuan Shuang would surely grow suspicious of him. What a pity. Such a perfect opportunity was missed.

Xuan Min slowly exhaled. So be it. This trip was not entirely without gain. At the very least, he learned that Zuo Wuyi did not seem as concerned about Xuan Shuang as she appeared, otherwise she wouldn’t have kept avoiding him.

As long as there are issues in their relationship, given enough time, he will still have a chance.