Chapter 824: Can You At Least Pretend to Be Normal?

Chapter 824: Chapter 824: Can You At Least Pretend to Be Normal?

Night. A bright moon.

Dish after dish was carried out by Qian Qing — not exactly refined in presentation, but generous in portion.

Steam rose in curling clouds, and the aroma was at least pleasantly fragrant.

Everything had been prepared by Qian Qing’s own hands, without the use of cultivation arts. Even the cooking fire had been made with firewood; every so often a wisp of dark smoke would drift past overhead.

Bai Xuanling watched with interest as Qian Qing cooked personally, with San Dong helping alongside her.

The final item to hit the table wasn’t a dish — it was the wooden bucket of rice Qian Qing carried over from the side.

She deftly scooped rice into bowls and distributed them to everyone.

Bai Xuanling was somewhat surprised but accepted the plain rice without hesitation. In truth, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten a meal. The only grain-based foods she’d had were pastries and noodles.

"My palate runs heavy as a martial artist — everything I cook goes well with rice." Qian Qing handed another bowl to Chu Xingchen. "Without rice to balance it, the dishes are a bit too salty. I hope you don’t mind."

Chu Xingchen held the warm rice bowl and chuckled:

"This is exactly the homely touch I was looking for."

Bai Xuanling had already started eating without ceremony. Heavy oil, bold salt, paired with rice — it was surprisingly satisfying. She nodded, reasonably pleased:

"Not bad. Yuankong’s luck runs deep."

"This lady rarely compliments anyone." Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow slightly. "Don’t sell yourself short."

Qian Qing let out a breath of relief: "I’m glad everyone enjoyed it."

"San Dong loves it!" San Dong held up his own little bowl with both hands, raising the other hand enthusiastically.

The stone table on Loving Family Peak felt like a family dinner.

No one said much more. No probing questions were asked. They finished the meal in quiet contentment.

Qian Qing cleared things away efficiently, and San Dong helped thoughtfully.

Perhaps the food had suited Bai Xuanling’s taste, because her expression softened considerably and her tone warmed:

"You let the Black Crow Sect Master handle the planning. Isn’t that giving up the initiative?"

"Careful people only trust their own plans," Chu Xingchen said, taking a sip of tea after his rice. "No matter how perfect our plan is, it’ll always lose to his version, even with a few holes in it. Let them do it — we just need to disagree with them now and then. In the end, no matter how they arrange things, they’ll have to show us their hand. They’re in the light, we’re in the dark. The advantage is ours."

Bai Xuanling nodded in agreement:

"The main benefit is that it lets you rest easy. But will this really make those Heart Demons eat their hearts out? They want blood energy, that’s true — but they can’t seriously expect the Evil Spirit Sect to deliver."

"A stumbling block, no matter how small, is still annoying." Chu Xingchen sighed lightly. "At least half of the Evil Spirit Sect is controlled by the demon race. A little cleanup should make Boluo squirm."

"The Heavenly Demons have been acting noticeably of late. Something big is coming — they’re probably planning to strike while we haven’t fully consolidated the immortal sects or settled terms."

"The Evil Spirit Sect’s movements won’t escape Boluo’s detection. If he deduces this is an opportunity worth wasting our time on, he’ll likely fan the flames."

"If we find even a single thread, we’ll have the chance to bring Boluo down with it."

Bai Xuanling gave a soft laugh: "Lovely dream. You’re just thinking too beautifully."

"Come on, people should have beautiful hopes." Chu Xingchen’s expression was wistful. "If Boluo could chop off his own head and deliver it to me, that would be even better."

"Save that kind of talk for when you’re asleep." Bai Xuanling stood with a smile. "But I doubt you’ll have time to sleep. Lu Xuan has a mountain of matters to discuss with you in the second half of the night. Runan’s messages — a whole stack of them — Lu Xuan handled on your behalf. You’ll need to make up for all of that."

Chu Xingchen’s expression turned to one of self-abandonment as he slumped over the table:

"No, no... I ate too much. Indigestion. I need to rest a while before I can move."

Bai Xuanling raised an eyebrow, thought of something, and grinned:

"Qinghe uses the same excuse when she’s slacking off. I wonder who learned from whom. But knowing you, this clumsy excuse is probably something you picked up from Qinghe. Still, when the savior of the world needs extra rest, I don’t mind."

"Although I rarely give compliments — you’ve done very well."

Chu Xingchen tilted his head slightly, looking up at Bai Xuanling’s face — her lips curved with a trace of a smile in the moonlight. He said carefully:

"Is that a compliment? But even if it is, I have no good news for you."

Bai Xuanling raised an eyebrow slightly, then turned and walked calmly toward the exit. Her composed voice drifted back:

"Everyone being alive is good news enough. Rest as long as you like. Even if you don’t go, Lu Xuan will curse you behind your back and get everything done properly anyway. I speak from experience."

With those words, Bai Xuanling’s figure vanished from Loving Family Peak.

In the moonlight, Chu Xingchen’s expression was perfectly still.

The moon was beautiful. Pity Lingyu wasn’t here.

Great Thunder Temple couldn’t be left to Yuankong alone. Without full understanding of the situation, Yuankong lacked the ability to hold things together independently. The Buddhist sect would probably sell him and he’d help count the money.

Right now, only Lingyu had both the standing and the capability to anchor the situation at Great Thunder Temple.

Qian Qing was waiting for Yuankong to return.

Chu Xingchen was waiting for Lingyu to return.

After lounging for just a moment, Chu Xingchen rose and headed toward Tianyan Peak.

San Dong noticed this without a word. He simply smiled and waved at the retreating figure of Chu Xingchen.

Qian Qing glanced sideways, feeling a quiet touch of emotion — even San Dong’s farewells were this silent.

But the very next instant, Qian Qing’s expression froze.

Chu Xingchen, without turning his head, raised a hand and waved back — answering San Dong’s goodbye.

San Dong then spoke:

"Sect Master boss, come back early next time!"

"Got it. Wait for my good news, San Dong. When I’m back, I’ll have Cui Hao tell you his stories."

"Okay, Sect Master boss!"

Boluo lay in a drying lotus pond wearing his monk’s robes, some muddy water staining the fabric.

His gaze was fixed upward. Dark clouds blanketed the sky — not a trace of moonlight.

Crickets chirped intermittently in the surroundings.

"I thought you’d been cooped up with the Buddhist sect for so long that they’d gotten to you — warped your mind, made you still act like a monk. I was trying to understand you better, give you more time to adjust."

"But watching you lie in the mud like an idiot, I’m genuinely worried. You haven’t been influenced — something’s wrong with your head."

"Also, can I ask a favor? Even if your head really is broken, could you at least pretend to be normal when I’m around?"

"Believing someone this crazy — it’s really hard to convince myself."

Boluo propped himself up, his gaze meeting the handsome young man standing about a meter away.

Zhong Su’s expression was impossible to disguise — pure disgust. He flicked a jade token straight at Boluo’s forehead.

"The Evil Spirit Sect’s movements. Judge for yourself whether this is Chu Xingchen’s doing."

"The intelligence is on your forehead. Read it yourself."