At dusk, an exhausted Youtao caught the scent of food.
She looked toward Xiaofeng.
Xiaofeng pulled two fruits from her pocket. "Are you hungry? Eat these!"
What Youtao smelled was certainly no fruit. It was as though she had caught the scent of some master chef's greatest work—an alluring aroma that made drool slip uncontrollably from the corner of her mouth.
"Xuetao, what's wrong with you?" Xiaofeng reached out to wipe her chin, but her own mouth felt as full as a flooded cistern, her words slurring.
The aroma was impossible to resist.
From the shadows, Meng Yuchun whispered to Li Banfeng, "Cook Cultivator technique: Aroma."
Li Banfeng had initially assumed the cook was a Food Cultivator, never expecting that Cook Cultivator was an actual pathway.
Youtao could not hear Meng Yuchun's voice, but she saw a man dressed as a chef, carrying a food box, arrive at the edge of the plot.
She knew a formidable enemy had come, and she knew her chances of winning were slim.
Yet this was land reclamation; as long as she could hold out for a time, Youtao would never easily surrender.
The chef lifted the food box slightly higher and called out to Youtao and Xiaofeng, "Don't be afraid, ladies. Seeing how difficult things are for you, I came specially to bring you something to eat."
Youtao unconsciously licked her lips. The aroma wafting from the box tempted her so intensely that she could barely hold onto her blade.
The chef opened the box, revealing a roast chicken glistening with a golden-red glaze.
Both Youtao and Xiaofeng's eyes went wide, as if that tender, crispy skin, soaked in rich sauce and savory drippings, had already melted into their mouths.
Meng Yuchun continued, "Cook Cultivator technique: Color."
Carrying the food box, the chef stepped across the plot's boundary.
Youtao swung her blade in a slash.
The chef nimbly dodged, using the edge of Youtao's own blade to slice off a drumstick, sending it right to her lips.
Youtao hesitated for less than a second before opening her mouth and clamping down on the chicken leg.
She knew she was in the middle of a battle.
She knew that by eating something from the enemy, she was bound to lose this fight and might even lose her life.
Yet she could not resist.
The moment she swallowed a mouthful of the meat, Youtao tossed her blade aside and sank to the ground, gnawing on the chicken bite by bite, all will to fight completely gone.
"Cook Cultivator technique: Flavor," Meng Yuchun murmured, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the moisture from the corners of her mouth, then dabbing at Li Banfeng's as well.
The aroma had driven off much of Li Banfeng's drowsiness. He could not help but praise, "This Cook Cultivator is truly formidable."
Meng Yuchun nodded. "I once heard him talk about his past. He snuck into his enemy's home and worked as a cook for a day, preparing an entire banquet that wiped out the whole household. I didn't believe it back then, but after tasting his cooking, I did.
"He said that as the enemy ate, he watched his family members succumb to poison one after another, yet his jaws wouldn't stop until he gorged himself to death. Even if the enemy's cultivation wasn't particularly high, it was more than enough to prove this Cook Cultivator's methods."
As Youtao devoured the drumstick heedless of everything, Xiaofeng stepped forward to stop her. "Tao'er, you can't eat that! It must be poisoned! Let's get out of here, stop eating, don't..."
As she spoke, the chef carved off another drumstick and offered it to Xiaofeng.
Xiaofeng held out a bit longer than Youtao; pushing the chicken leg away, she attempted to fight back.
Meng Yuchun said to Li Banfeng, "You saw correctly—this girl's cultivation is indeed not low. To resist that, she must be at least tier three."
Li Banfeng said nothing, using the handkerchief to keep wiping away his drool.
The chef moved with great agility. As though performing a magic trick, the drumstick appeared by Xiaofeng's lips once more.
Xiaofeng shoved it away again and tugged at Youtao, trying to leave.
Youtao refused to budge. Having finished the drumstick, she somehow had a chicken wing in her hands now.
The chef thrust the drumstick toward Xiaofeng's mouth once more. Xiaofeng cut off her breath and swiftly dodged.
"Benevolent Dwelling Heart!" Meng Yuchun caught the traces of the technique. Under normal circumstances, holding one's breath would never block the aroma of that roast chicken. Xiaofeng was using Benevolent Dwelling Heart to forcefully isolate her body from the scent.
Knowing that technique proved Xiaofeng's cultivation was at least tier six.
Li Banfeng nodded, thinking to himself, *It seems I'm not the only one using cheats.*
The chef was equally startled. He was a tier-seven roaming anomaly, while Xiaofeng was tier six at the very least. If her cultivation were any higher, victory and survival would be hard to call.
He sliced open the roast chicken, revealing a roasted squab nestled inside its belly.
The squab's fragrance was even more intoxicating. Xiaofeng retreated rapidly, trying to keep her distance from the cook.
The cook pursued relentlessly, yet Xiaofeng had no means of counterattacking.
This was the weakness of a Dwelling Cultivator: far from their dwelling, their combat prowess dropped drastically. Most techniques, such as Golden House Conceals a Beauty and Sprawling Compound, were impossible to deploy. When facing an opponent of comparable tier, they could hardly put up a fight.
The drumstick hovered right around her mouth, its savory juices practically brushing against her lips. What appeared to be a playful spectacle was actually a lethal technique the cook had honed over decades.
Left with no choice, Xiaofeng unleashed Heart Arrowing Home.
She knew her dwelling was not here, and she had no chance of running all the way back to it. She was relying entirely on the technique's burst of speed to shake off the cook's pursuit.
After running for a short while, she succeeded.
The cook stopped giving chase.
He returned to where he started and handed the drumstick, along with the rest of the chicken, to Youtao.
Youtao took the roast chicken and tore into it greedily.
The cook chuckled. "Eat slowly. There's a squab inside—watch out for the bones."
Xiaofeng stood frozen in place, only then realizing what had happened.
Youtao remained within the plot, but Xiaofeng had crossed outside the boundary.
Frantic to return, she was stopped by the chef's warning: "According to the rules of land reclamation, you have left the plot. Before the reclamation concludes, you may not return."
The chef was speaking the truth; this rule applied to land reclamation everywhere.
Xiaofeng shouted, "Tao'er, let's go! Didn't you reclaim this land for me? Now that I can't go in, what's the use of clearing it?"
Chewing on the meat, Youtao looked up at Xiaofeng.
She desperately wanted to follow Xiaofeng, but her mouth simply would not stop. Even walking while eating was beyond her.
All she wanted was to sit right there and finish the chicken; she could not even free her mouth to utter a single word to Xiaofeng.
The chef spoke on Youtao's behalf. "Miss Xiaofeng, what you say is incorrect.
"Youtao did indeed come to reclaim land for your sake. Once she clears it, she will be able to protect you on this ground in the future. You ought to lend her a hand; why must you force her to leave?
"Could it be that you don't want her to help you reclaim the land? Could it be that you don't want her to protect you?
"Then again, with cultivation as high as yours, you truly have no need for her protection. I'm rather curious about that myself—why are you so intent on dragging her away?"
"That's none of your business! I won't let Tao'er suffer!" Ignoring the chef, Xiaofeng moved to barge back into the plot.
Meng Yuchun no longer needed to show any restraint.
Xiaofeng was no longer a land reclaimer, and attempting to enter the plot was a blatant breach of the rules.
Meng Yuchun charged forward, seized Xiaofeng, soared into midair, and slammed her violently to the ground.
Throughout the entire process, Meng Yuchun remained unseen. Xiaofeng struggled for a long time, unable to get back up.
Youtao's eyes turned red. She wanted to help Xiaofeng, yet her own body would not obey her.
Meng Yuchun's voice descended from the air, a blend of low rumbles and shrill shrieks that masked its tone, making it impossible to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman.
"Why have you entered my domain? Who sent you here?!"
Xiaofeng remained silent.
The cook stepped forward and opened the lower tier of the food box.
Inside lay an oven-roasted duck.
The moment she smelled the duck's aroma, Youtao nearly dropped her chicken.
It smelled entirely too good!
The cook tore off a piece of duck meat and brought it to Xiaofeng's lips. Xiaofeng struggled to resist, but Meng Yuchun pinned her down with a foot.
The cook stuffed the meat into Xiaofeng's mouth. Xiaofeng wanted to spit it out, but she couldn't.
The duck was simply too delicious.
From the skin to the meat, and straight down to the bones, it all melted in her mouth, turning into juices devoid of the slightest greasiness, sliding smoothly down her throat bit by bit.
The cook pulled off a duck leg and said to Xiaofeng, "Miss, I advise you to speak the truth. What did you really come to this place for?
"If you don't tell the truth, I'll keep feeding you duck meat. Eat half a duck more, and your life will be forfeit."
With that, the cook tore off another slice of duck meat and shoved it into Xiaofeng's mouth.
Xiaofeng felt a searing pain in her gut, yet she still could not stop herself from swallowing.
"I'll speak, I'll speak!" Overcome with terror, Xiaofeng confessed, "Axia sent me! It was Axia!"
Youtao stared at Xiaofeng in a daze, still gnawing on the roast chicken.
Axia had sent her?
Hadn't they come here to escape Axia?
What on earth was going on?
The cook tore off another piece of duck meat. "You had better explain in detail."
Xiaofeng shook her head frantically, signaling the cook not to bring the meat any closer. Ceasing all resistance, she spilled the entire story from beginning to end:
"One day, Axia told me that through divination, she found a wonderful place. The local spirit of this place is already dead, but the covenant deed remains.
"As long as we found this ground and obtained the local spirit's covenant deed, Axia could become the local spirit. When that time came, the entire domain would become our dwelling, and my cultivation would soar!"
Eating the roast chicken, Youtao stared at Xiaofeng in shock, mumbling unintelligibly around her food as if trying to say something.
The cook understood what Youtao meant; most people spoke indistinctly while eating his food.
The cook asked Xiaofeng, "Miss Youtao wants to ask you: why did you deceive her?"
Xiaofeng said to Youtao, "I didn't mean to lie to you! I was just worried you'd be afraid. Axia becoming the local spirit would benefit both of us; how could I bear to let you suffer?"
The cook paused for a moment, then chuckled. "Miss Xiaofeng, your words sound very convincing. If it were someone easily duped, they might truly have fallen for it.
"Too bad I'm not so easily fooled—perhaps because I've lived for far too many years. If I'm not mistaken, this little show you and Axia put on wasn't meant to deceive Miss Youtao, but rather to fool your own dwelling, wasn't it?"
Xiaofeng panicked slightly. "Why... why would I fool the dwelling?"
The cook laughed. "Because Dwelling Cultivators are special. Only when the dwelling, the dwelling spirit, and the Dwelling Cultivator come together do they make a complete pathway.
"If the cultivator and the dwelling spirit collude and try to abandon their home, they are forsaking the dwelling, and the dwelling will inevitably fight them to the death.
"Yet if the cultivator and the dwelling spirit have a falling out, or even stage a ruse of self-harm, a gentle dwelling might choose to part ways on peaceful terms.
"The act you and the dwelling spirit put on was very convincing. I hear the dwelling even sustained injuries trying to protect you.
"Under those circumstances, the dwelling would surely hope you'd flee for your life as quickly as possible. If it had a gentle disposition, it wouldn't force the dwelling spirit to stay either. Isn't that how it goes?"
Xiaofeng said nothing. Meng Yuchun whispered to Li Banfeng, "The cook is right. If a Dwelling Cultivator has severed ties with the dwelling spirit, or if they are even trying to kill each other, a mild-tempered dwelling will choose an amicable parting."
Li Banfeng nodded.
So it wasn't that the bamboo building was too weak; it was simply gentle by nature.
Youtao ate the roast chicken, the rims of her eyes reddening, her mouth still mumbling incoherently.
The cook translated, "Miss Youtao asks: now that you've left the dwelling, why did you still deceive her?"
Xiaofeng said to Youtao, "Because I couldn't bear to leave you! I can't manage without you!"
The cook shook his head with a sigh. "Miss Xiaofeng, you look so honest, yet not a word from your mouth is true."
Xiaofeng cried, "Everything I said is true!"
"True in word, perhaps, but not in meaning. You truly couldn't bear to leave her, and you truly can't manage without her, but don't make it sound as though it's out of affection.
"Your cultivation isn't low, but a Dwelling Cultivator lacks worldly experience. Going on a long journey requires someone to look after you; otherwise, even an ordinary human trafficker might abduct you. That's why you couldn't do without Miss Youtao, who knows her way around the jianghu.
"Someone like you can't scheme against outsiders, but you're truly a master at deceiving your own people."
Xiaofeng shook her head repeatedly. "I didn't lie to you! Tao'er, don't believe him!"
"Still refusing to admit it?" The cook gave a faint smile. "Let me lay it all out for you.
"You and Axia tricked the dwelling and fled all the way here just to find this domain that lost its local spirit.
"The reason you insisted on making Youtao reclaim land here was to help Axia probe whether a local spirit truly remained."
Youtao recalled the scene inside the tent the previous night, when Xiaofeng had kept muttering under her breath: *There is one, there really is...*
When Youtao woke, Xiaofeng claimed there had been a snake.
Had she really meant a snake back then?
No!
She had been speaking to Axia!
She was telling Axia that a local spirit truly existed here!
Axia had been following them all along!
Youtao continued eating the chicken, her eyes fixed on Xiaofeng.
Xiaofeng dared not meet her gaze; every single deduction the cook made was spot-on.
The cook continued, "Once you confirmed there was a local spirit and Miss Youtao genuinely wanted to clear the land, you caused trouble from within.
"Because you didn't want Youtao to successfully reclaim this ground. You didn't want Youtao to stay here; you wanted her to keep following you, shielding you from the wind and rain, handling your troubles, and keeping you company at night. Isn't that right?"
Xiaofeng kept quiet.
Tears streamed down Youtao's cheeks.
Next, the cook asked, "How did you know something had happened to the local spirit here?"
Xiaofeng said, "Axia divined it."
The cook tore off another piece of duck meat. "If you still don't speak the truth, your life truly ends here."
Listening intently from the side, Li Banfeng recalled how repeatedly he had instructed the cook to get to the bottom of this specific question.
This matter was of grave importance; he had to uncover Axia's source of information.
Chapter 374