From a country cook to a master chef

The flying sword brushed past Lin Jue and disappeared in the blink of an eye. He nervously looked around. Anyone who could use a flying sword to kill enemies must be a Qi cultivator.

Lin Jue was astonished. Apart from the head of the Liu family troupe, no other alchemist had ever had a grudge against him.

If he were to talk about the Qi Refining cultivators he knew, it seemed that there were only Han Wenqiao and Wuyanzi. But if the two of them wanted to harm him, there would have been no need for them to save him from Pan Mang in the first place.

Just as Lin Jue was frowning and deep in thought, a handsome young man wearing a blue robe slowly walked out of the woods.

He toyed with the flying sword that had almost killed Lin Jue in his hand, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"You're quite skilled; you actually managed to kill this demonic snake. You're much better than your companions."

"Who are you?"

Lin Jue remained vigilant, unsure whether the young man was friend or foe, and dared not let his guard down.

"You don't need to be so nervous. I was just testing your martial arts skills; I meant no harm."

The young man squatted by the fire, picked up a piece of wolf meat that was roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and ate it with relish.

Lin Jue kept a distance of three or four zhang from the young man, quietly observing him, but did not dare to make any rash moves.

A moment later, a red-billed blue magpie flew over and landed on the young man's shoulder, raising its head and puffing out its chest, looking at Lin Jue with an air of arrogance.

She seemed to look down on him.

After eating and drinking his fill, the young man smiled and said, "I am a disciple of the Yanxia Sect. I have been watching this demonic snake for almost half a month. If it weren't for the magpie bringing the news today, I'm afraid all my efforts would have been in vain."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jue seemed to understand something, and quickly clasped his hands in a salute: "So you are an immortal from the Yanxia Sect. I am Lin Jue. To be honest, I also have an old friend who cultivates in the Yanxia Sect."

"Oh, may I ask what your old friend's name is?"

Upon hearing what the mortal in front of him said, the young man immediately became interested and curiously inquired about it.

Lin Jue calmed his breathing, cupped his hands and said, "Her name is Zhao Xiaoyao. Speaking of which, she should have only recently joined the Yanxia Sect."

"Zhao Xiaoyao?"

"Junior Sister Zhao!"

The young man's expression brightened, and he abruptly stood up, straightened his long robe, and bowed with his sword in a gesture of respect, his face beaming: "I am Shen Qing, an outer disciple of the Yanxia Sect. May I ask what the relationship is between Brother Lin and Junior Sister Zhao?"

Upon hearing Zhao Xiaoyao's name mentioned, the young man immediately changed his demeanor, becoming extremely courteous in his words. Lin Jue was slightly taken aback, secretly guessing that this person was probably fond of Zhao Xiaoyao.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to talk to him so easily.

"Looks like we made the right bet!"

Lin Jue sighed inwardly. When he heard the other party claim to be a disciple of the Yanxia Sect, he immediately thought of Zhao Xiaoyao. He boldly mentioned Zhao Xiaoyao's name, betting that Zhao Xiaoyao had just entered the Yanxia Sect and wouldn't make enemies so quickly.

In this way, as long as he mentions Zhao Xiaoyao's name, with this connection, this disciple of the Yanxia Sect won't bother him too much, considering him a mere mortal.

It seems he made the right bet.

Thinking of this, Lin Jue remained calm and returned the greeting with clasped hands: "To be honest, Immortal Master Shen, Xiao Yao is indeed my cousin. Since you are Xiao Yao's senior brother, you must know about her current situation. May I ask which immortal master she is studying under at the Yanxia Sect?"

Upon hearing Lin Jue's identity, the young man's smile widened. "Brother Lin, just call me Shen Qing. You are Junior Sister Zhao's cousin, so you are my elder brother, Shen Qing."

"Junior Sister Zhao is now a disciple of Elder Li in the sect and is highly regarded by the elder. She is enjoying great prestige."

The two sat around the fire, their conversation revolving entirely around Zhao Xiaoyao.

……

"Today, the flood almost washed away the Dragon King Temple. Brother Lin, I'll take the Crimson Scale Python Skin Armor, and the rest is yours. If you ever meet Junior Sister Zhao, remember to say a few good words for me."

Half an hour later, Shen Qing got up, peeled off the snake's skin with his sword, and bid farewell to Lin Jue with satisfaction. He then immediately stepped on the leaf-shaped magic artifact and took off into the air, flying towards the outside of Wolf Smoke Valley.

Lin Jue breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression suddenly turned cold as he watched Shen Qing's departing figure.

If this person hadn't been from the same school as Zhao Xiaoyao and hadn't happened to favor the latter, getting rid of this person today would probably not have been an easy task.

According to this person, he already knew that the demon snake transformed from the Crimson Scale Python was hiding in Wolf Smoke Valley. Although the other party did not say it explicitly, Lin Jue guessed that he was waiting for the other disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect to take action.

The snake-man transformed from the Crimson Scale Python was comparable to a second-tier demon beast. Shen Qing's aura was similar to Han Wenqiao's, so Lin Jue concluded that his cultivation had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

Otherwise, after learning of the demon serpent's location, they wouldn't have refrained from taking any rash actions, but instead used the spirit bird, the red-billed blue magpie, to monitor the entire Wolf Smoke Valley.

That's why he was able to barely dodge the flying sword strike earlier.

If it were a Foundation Establishment cultivator who launched a sneak attack, he would have no chance of survival after that sword strike.

"The grudge of today's sword strike will be repaid tenfold in the future."

Looking at the sword wound on his shoulder, a murderous glint flashed in Lin Jue's eyes, and he clenched his fist tightly.

The world is treacherous, and people's hearts are unpredictable. One can gain temporary advantage, but not lifelong advantage.

Only when your own fist is strong enough can you have a sufficient sense of security.

At this moment, Lin Jue craved greater power and an improvement in his martial arts realm. Before Liu Ruyan and the others could wake up, he couldn't wait to get up and search for the fallen Golden Lotus.

After searching for a while, Lin Jue finally found the Golden Lotus emerging from the ground under a pile of snow.

Of all the things he was looking forward to during his trip to Wolf Smoke Valley, the Golden Lotus Emerging from the Earth was the one he was most looking forward to. With this medicine, he would have the opportunity to advance to the Martial Master level and rapidly improve his strength.

The path of martial arts, when reached to its peak, can lead to the ability to move mountains and overturn seas, possessing extraordinary powers, just like a Qi cultivator.

When they returned to the campfire, their fellow disciples had already woken up. Ignoring their own injuries, Sun Guo first busied himself bandaging the heads of others, and then took out medicine from his pocket to distribute.

Upon seeing Lin Jue, the four invited him to sit down and gathered around the fire to ask him what had happened after they fainted.

Seeing the four people with expectant faces, Lin Jue attributed all the credit to Shen Qing, the cultivator from the Yanxia Sect who appeared later.

In this way, it won't arouse suspicion from my senior brothers.

"It turns out that it was a Qi refiner from the Yanxia Sect who killed the monster snake. If I had had spiritual roots back then, I would have gone to refine Qi and cultivate myself too."

"Junior Brother Luo, save your breath. I saw you get knocked unconscious by that strange snake's tail. When you get back, hurry up and get Master to instruct you on how to improve your movement techniques!"

"Oh, right, junior brother, when we were dealing with the wolf pack earlier, I accidentally found the wolf den and discovered a cub that was less than a month old inside."

The group huddled around the fire for warmth, eating wolf meat and chatting. Suddenly, Sun Guo remembered the wolf cubs they had found earlier, so he led them to the wolf den.

"Wolves typically have at least three cubs per litter, and during the breeding season, only the alpha wolf in the pack has mating rights."

Along the way, Sun Guo, drawing on his previous hunting experience, told everyone about the habits of wolf packs: "There is a strict social hierarchy in wolf packs. If other male wolves want to reproduce with female wolves, they can only challenge the wolf king. If they win, all is well, but if they lose, they will be driven out of the pack and meet a miserable end."

"Generally speaking, there is more than one mother wolf in a wolf pack, so there shouldn't be only one wolf cub."

When the group found the wolf cub, it was hiding under a rock, trembling with fear.

Sun Guo intended to catch the wolf cub, but it almost bit him.

Beneath the rock, the wolf cub glared fiercely at the group.

After five people took turns trying and failed four times in a row, it was finally Lin Jue's turn.

Looking at the wolf cub howling in the corner, Lin Jue lowered his head. The moment his gaze met the wolf cub's, he secretly activated the Spirit Control Seal. Black and white fish flashed in his pupils.

The wolf cub, which had been extremely resistant, instantly became incredibly docile. Lin Jue lifted the wolf cub by the scruff of its neck and glanced at it.

I never expected it to be a female wolf.

Hunters have always liked keeping dogs. Sun Guo originally planned to tame the wolf cubs, but upon seeing that it was a female wolf, he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, "It has a connection with Junior Brother. Junior Brother, you should take it back and raise it. If you really can't tame it, killing it and eating its meat will still be delicious."

As Sun Guo spoke, he handed a piece of meat to the wolf cub's mouth. The little guy sniffed it, then took a bite and swallowed it.

Lin Jue was slightly taken aback. Senior Brother Sun was clearly holding a piece of wolf meat, but he didn't expect the little guy to accept it without hesitation.

Liu Ruyan dislikes small animals and was keeping her distance with a look of disgust on her face.

As darkness fell, the five laid out the medicinal herbs they had picked, making sure they had gathered all of them. Each of them chopped some wolf meat to take with them. As for the highly venomous red-scaled python, they didn't even glance at it, and instead discussed how to leave Wolf Smoke Valley.

The road we came on this morning has collapsed and is blocked. The Wolf Smoke Valley is surrounded by mountains, which are hundreds of feet high and steep rocks on all sides, making it extremely difficult to climb.

The group had not brought chains or grappling hooks with them, and relying solely on their bare hands, they dared not venture up the mountain. They had no choice but to split up and search for other ways out.

They agreed to meet at the location of the Red Scale Python's corpse two hours later, regardless of the outcome.

As night fell, Lin Jue, holding a torch and wrapping the wolf cub around his waist with a cloth, was searching for a way out of the valley along the frozen stream.