My cultivation is too warm

Xu Mo and the others had long been mentally prepared for Ou Fenjin's passing. Ever since he suddenly stopped cooking, everyone knew that his life was nearing its end.

After all, for a true chef, cooking is everything.

Although everyone was mentally prepared, they still couldn't hide their sadness when he actually left them.

Especially his apprentice Xu Yaoyao, a former foodie girl, is an optimist like Liang Huanhuan. As long as there is food, she is always laughing and joking, as if there are no worries in the world.

However, after Ou Fenjin finished his seven-day mourning period and arranged his funeral, Xu Yaoyao seemed to have completed her mission of survival. Her eyes completely lost their light, and even when delicious food was placed in front of her, she could not cheer up.

Seeing her like this, Liang Huanhuan said with concern, "Yaoyao, don't you love eating delicious food the most? Why aren't you eating? This won't do. Uncle Ou will be sad if you do this."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yaoyao shook her head apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, I can't help it. It's all Master's fault for spoiling me. I've only just realized that what I like isn't the food itself, but the food that Master makes."

Upon hearing this, even an optimist like Liang Huanhuan was at a loss for words to comfort her. She frowned and thought for a while before saying, "But Yao Yao, didn't you inherit Master Ou's culinary skills? Why don't you just cook for yourself?"

Xu Yaoyao shook her head again, her expression somewhat bitter, and said, "In terms of pure technique, my cooking skills may be better than my master's, but no matter how hard I try, the taste of my dishes is always a little worse than his."

"The difference is very small, but even the most ordinary person would feel that Master's cooking tastes better than mine after comparing them."

"Why is that? I still can't figure it out. I've clearly surpassed my master in terms of skill."

Liang Huanhuan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He seemed to have heard his junior brother mention this question before. At that time, his junior brother said that Xu Yaoyao needed to figure it out on her own. He didn't expect that so much time had passed and she still hadn't gotten the answer.

She glanced at Xu Yaoyao, who was lifeless, and thought that it would be too cruel for her if she didn't find the answer even when she reached the end of her life.

Thinking of this, Liang Huanhuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, the answer to this question is very simple. It's just that you're being stubborn. Think carefully about how you felt when you first ate Uncle Ou's cooking at Wuyou Peak."

People are sometimes like this. What seems like a simple question to outsiders may be something they themselves can never understand in their entire lives, or they may have already known the answer in their hearts, but they deliberately ignore it because they are unwilling to admit it.

Xu Yaoyao was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and then she fell into a daze, seemingly lost in memories. It wasn't until most of the day had passed that she came back to her senses.

When she came to her senses, her entire demeanor changed instantly. Although she looked the same person, her aura made her seem like a completely different person.

This surprised Liang Huanhuan, who had been by her side. She was familiar with Xu Yaoyao's state. If this were still the era of cultivation, then Xu Yaoyao would be in the state of enlightenment, no, no, it should be said that she had attained the Dao and proved the Dao. She had completely found her own Dao.

If she were to cultivate, given her state of mind, she would likely be able to cultivate all the way to the seventh realm of Dao Integration Venerable without encountering any obstacles, and could break through directly.

Feeling much more relaxed, Xu Yaoyao looked at Liang Huanhuan and said, "Sister Huanhuan, I'm hungry."

Upon hearing this, Liang Huanhuan was overjoyed and quickly handed over the food, saying, "This is the latest quantum insulated lunchbox. It can keep the food warm without losing its flavor. It's almost like it just came out of the pot. Yaoyao, you should eat quickly."

After thanking her, Xu Yaoyao began to wolf down her food. After finishing, she wiped her mouth and said with a satisfied look, "Delicious! Who made this? The taste is just as good as Master's."

Upon hearing this, Liang Huanhuan narrowed her eyes, a hint of smugness showing between her brows, and said, "Of course, this was made by my junior brother."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yaoyao nodded in sudden understanding and exclaimed with admiration, "I see. As expected of the Peak Master, you are truly amazing."

She then stood up, bowed respectfully to Liang Huanhuan, and said solemnly, "Thank you for your guidance, Sister Huanhuan. I think I understand now."

"Guidance?" Liang Huanhuan repeated the sentence, a smug and happy expression on her face. Although she tried her best to restrain herself, she couldn't hide it when she heard the words. Since she resigned from her position as an elder at Wuyou Peak the following year and became a star, touring various places in Canggu, she had not experienced the feeling of being a teacher for a long time.

This immediately reminded her of the feeling when she was instructing disciples at Wuyou Peak. The feeling of being praised by her students was wonderful, and no matter how much time has passed, she still misses and cherishes it.

If the Thirteenth incident hadn't happened, before the end of the Dharma era, I would probably have been guiding newly initiated disciples and being worshipped by everyone, right?
However, because she remembered Thirteen, her desire to become a teacher and guide students to grow grew stronger and stronger.

Perhaps Huanhuan could talk to her junior and ask him to become a teacher at the school?

The thought had barely surfaced when it grew stronger and stronger until it became impossible to control.

So Liang Huanhuan waved to Xu Yaoyao and said, "It's okay, Yaoyao. If you have any questions in the future, just come to Teacher Huanhuan. Teacher Huanhuan will give you good guidance. That's all, Huanhuan is leaving now."

After saying that, Liang Huanhuan skipped away under Xu Yaoyao's bewildered gaze. She was like a dancing rabbit, hopping and waving her arms and legs, her figure very cheerful.

After parting ways with Xu Yaoyao, Liang Huanhuan quickly found Xu Mo and asked excitedly, "Junior brother, junior brother, Huanhuan wants to become a teacher at the school, is that okay?"

Xu Mo was completely bewildered by Liang Huanhuan's sudden question, not knowing what was wrong with his senior sister all of a sudden.

Liang Huanhuan didn't give him any time to think. She stared at him with shining eyes and an expectant look on her face. She said eagerly, "Junior brother, you can do it, right? You can do it, right? Huanhuan can definitely be a teacher, right? Right, right, right? Huanhuan hasn't been a teacher for a long time. I'm so looking forward to it."

Although Xu Mo didn't understand why Liang Huanhuan suddenly wanted to be a teacher, he naturally wouldn't refuse since she had asked. So he nodded and said, "No problem, Senior Sister Huanhuan, get ready, I'll take you to school tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Liang Huanhuan jumped up excitedly, like a child who had just received a toy, and shouted, "Yay!"

Looking at her like this, Xu Mo shook his head. He suddenly remembered that Huanhuan had always liked to "play the teacher" and enjoyed the admiring gazes of others. It was precisely because of this that she stopped being a teacher after what happened at Thirteen.

It might be a good thing that she suddenly brought up wanting to be a teacher, which shows that she has completely moved on from what happened back then.

Liang Huanhuan's desire to become a teacher immediately caught the attention of Wang Er and Ye Qingyue, who rushed over to congratulate and encourage her.

Xu Mo was particularly surprised to find Ye Qingyue secretly wiping away tears in a corner. He couldn't help but ask, "Senior Sister Ye, what's wrong? Is it really that serious?"

Ye Qingyue rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "You're supposed to be Huanhuan's lover, and you don't even know what she wants to do most? Really."

Then she sighed, a genuinely happy expression on her face, and said, "Although Huanhuan always seemed happy before, I knew that the Huanhuan she was before was not the real or complete version of herself. Only the Huanhuan who was 'eager to teach' was the complete Huanhuan. Now that Huanhuan wants to be a teacher again, it means that she has completely moved on from the past and become the original and complete Huanhuan."

Ye Qingyue's words were a bit convoluted, but Xu Mo understood them. He then felt a little guilty. Just as she said, as her lover, he still didn't understand Huanhuan as well as Senior Sister Ye. It was really wrong of him.

Thinking of this, Xu Mo took a deep breath and said to Ye Qingyue with utmost seriousness, "Senior Sister Ye, go and hug Huanhuan."

Ye Qingyue looked bewildered upon hearing this, and asked curiously, "Junior brother, what are you suddenly saying?"

Xu Mo didn't answer her question, but instead asked, "Senior sister, just tell me if you want a hug or not. If you do, hurry up and go, or I'll regret it later." Ye Qingyue glanced at him upon hearing this, and then rushed over without saying a word, hugged Liang Huanhuan tightly, and pressed her face against her chest.

After a while, Liang Huanhuan, who was a little out of breath, struggled to get her head out and asked in a strange tone, "Oh, senior sister, why did you suddenly hug me?"

Ye Qingyue was very loyal. She didn't tell Liang Huanhuan that Xu Mo had asked her to do this. Instead, she put on a pitiful expression and said, "What's wrong, Huanhuan? Don't you want me to hug you? Are you disgusted with your senior sister?"

Xu Mo's lips twitched upon hearing this. It seemed that ever since Ou Fenjin learned this trick from him—or rather, ever since Ou Fenjin used this trick—everyone around him had recently started using this expression.

Sure enough, Liang Huanhuan was immediately defeated by this expression, and shook her head vigorously, saying, "How could that be? If Senior Sister wants to hug Huanhuan, she can do it anytime."

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyue immediately showed a happy expression, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "That's more like it."

And so, everyone spent the day in a joyful atmosphere.

The next day, Xu Mo, Wang Er, and Ye Qingyue brought Liang Huanhuan to the school and made them permanent teachers. Yes, Wang Er and Ye Qingyue also became teachers at the school. In their words, they were all members of the Wuyou Family and Friends Group and later became elders of Wuyou Peak. It was quite nice for everyone to be teachers together now.

Xu Mo naturally had no objection to this. In the past, the teachers at the school were rotated among people from the research institute. Although this was good, it was still inconvenient for many things. Now that there are three permanent teachers, including Liang Huanhuan, it's quite good.

Therefore, Xu Mo directly appointed Wang Er as the school's principal, and Liang Huanhuan and Ye Qingyue as the deans of studies, each in charge of different duties: Liang Huanhuan was responsible for teaching, and Ye Qingyue was responsible for internal affairs.

Wang Er and Ye Qingyue looked miserable, feeling like they were about to become slaves again, as if they had been tricked by their junior brother and junior sister Huanhuan.

Liang Huanhuan, looking excited, rested her chin on her hands and said shyly, "Wow, Huanhuan becoming the director, is that really possible? Hehehe~"

Xu Mo encouraged her, "Of course there's no problem. No one is more suitable than Senior Sister Huanhuan."

Hearing this made Liang Huanhuan even happier.

A few days later, Xu Yaoyao came to Xu Mo's house with a serious expression, cooked a meal for everyone, and asked them to give their opinions.

Then, under Xu Yaoyao's tense gaze, Xu Mo and the others silently picked up a bite of food and put it in their mouths. As soon as the food entered their mouths, their eyes widened, and they stared at Xu Yaoyao in disbelief.

Then they quickly devoured all the dozens of dishes on the table until everyone was stuffed and slumped in their chairs. Only then did Xu Mo speak, "Yao Yao, you have completely surpassed Lao Ou. Congratulations."

Xu Yaoyao had regained her composure and continued, "Because I now understand how Master felt when he cooked."

After she finished speaking, she bowed very seriously to Xu Mo and the others. The next day, she went to the research institute’s canteen and recruited several thousand more chef apprentices. She also dismissed half of the previous staff, sending them to open restaurants in various parts of Canggu. Two years later, she dismissed another batch of disciples.

In five years, restaurants that inherited Ou Fenjin's culinary skills opened all over Canggu, and then Xu Yaoyao closed her eyes with a satisfied look on her face.

She inherited her master Ou Fenjin's culinary skills and even surpassed them, spreading her master's culinary skills far and wide. She considered herself an excellent disciple, and believed that her master would surely praise her.

Two years passed after Xu Yaoyao left.

On this day, Ye Qingyue found Xu Mo, hesitated for a long time with a conflicted expression, and then said, "Junior brother, can I ask you for a favor?"

Seeing her serious expression, Xu Mo replied earnestly, "Senior Sister, please speak freely."

After a moment of silence, Ye Qingyue said, "Junior brother, could you say to me as 'Xu Qing': Ye Qingyue, can we be friends?"

Xu Mo was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. Although his feelings were somewhat complicated, he still said earnestly, "No problem, then Senior Sister, are you ready?"

After speaking, Xu Mo closed his eyes, adjusted his demeanor, and looked honest and unassuming.

Ye Qingyue stared at Xu Mo's changes, her expression instantly frozen. Xu Mo's current appearance was somewhat similar to the 'Xu Qing' alias, after all, they were of the same lineage. Now that he had regained his temperament, she really felt like she was seeing her junior brother 'Xu Qing' from back then.

Having regained his composure, Xu Mo looked at Ye Qingyue with the nervous expression of an honest man seeing a woman and said, "Hello, Senior Sister Ye Qingyue. My name is Xu Qing, and I am an outer disciple of Lingmiao Peak. May I ask if we can be friends?"

Ye Qingyue was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then brushed her bangs aside, revealing a dazzling smile on her face, and said, "Sure, but..."

Then, seeing Xu Mo's blank expression, she gritted her teeth and said, "Before that, could you please return the five spirit stones you owe me, Junior Brother Xu Qing?"

Ye Qingyue was like that; even though her expression was full of gritted teeth when she spoke, her tone was extremely gentle, like water, nourishing things silently, yet making people feel terrified.

Then, while Xu Mo was still in a daze, she chuckled softly, a bright and happy laugh. This was probably the happiest laugh Xu Mo had ever seen her make since they met.

“Junior Brother Xu Qing, remember, you still owe me five spirit stones. I’ve kept this debt in mind for a very, very long time… Now that you’ve admitted your identity, don’t try to get away with it. There are no spirit stones in the world right now, so I’ll allow you to postpone it for a while.”

"But you must return the spirit stones to me when they reappear in the Ancient World!"

Xu Mo was completely stunned. No wonder Senior Sister Ye couldn't forget his Xu Qing alias; this was the real reason.

He then replied very seriously, "Don't worry, Senior Sister Ye, I definitely won't renege on my promise."

Ye Qingyue nodded slightly with a smile on her face. Then, she made a Dao seal in front of Xu Mo and said softly, "Hello, Junior Brother Xu Qing. My name is Ye Qingyue. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She had wanted to say this for a long time, but never had the chance. Now, she finally said it.

Ye Qingyue suddenly felt incredibly relaxed; her past regrets had finally been made up for.

The happiest thing in life is having the opportunity to make up for past mistakes and regrets.

She's really happy to have this opportunity... Thank you, junior.

Then, another month passed, and in the blurry, wet vision of Xu Mo, Wang Er, and Liang Huanhuan, Ye Qingyue passed away with a relaxed expression on her face.

(End of this chapter)