Overcast and Sunny

As the founders of the Try Again Barbecue Shop, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou naturally possessed considerable skill. Signs of this had already shown back in Yanjiang Commandery, and now that Lu Yang had mastered the Three-Flavor True Fire, his abilities had reached an even higher level. Among cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, Lu Yang was confident he had no rival when it came to barbecue. Lu Yang shook the meat skewers as cumin and chili powder tumbled across the meat. Once touched by the flames, the aromas were thoroughly unleashed. Even someone like Qin Yanyan, who preferred light and delicate food, could not help gulping down saliva. "Come on over, they're done!" Lu Yang placed two large handfuls of skewers onto the metal serving tray. They landed with a heavy clatter, sounding wonderfully substantial. Meng Jingzhou was not slacking off either. Sliced potatoes, chives, and tofu constantly danced through his hands, giving off an enticing fragrance not one bit inferior to Lu Yang's. "Delicious!" After eating two skewers, Father Li and Mother Li let out heartfelt sighs of praise. As expected of top disciples, they not only possessed profound cultivation, but their culinary skills were also exceptional. Li Haoran could not compare to them in the slightest. "Give me one too!" Li Haoran had long heard of the legendary skewers grilled by Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Meng, but he had never had the chance to taste them. These were the very skewers that had once tasted so good they brought about the downfall of the entire Immortal Cult. "So good!" Li Haoran's eyes lit up. These were the finest grilled skewers he had ever eaten. Qin Yanyan and Su Yiren began eating in small, reserved bites, but as the atmosphere grew lively, they too cast aside their restraint. Once everyone had eaten and drunk to their hearts' content, expressions of deep satisfaction adorned every face. Watching the crowd enjoy their meal, the Immortal Fairy drooled with envy. In her soul form, she had no sense of taste and could not eat anything. "Lu Yang, let me borrow your body for a bit. I want to eat a couple of skewers too," the Immortal Fairy negotiated with Lu Yang. Lu Yang did not care much and generously handed control over his body to her. The Immortal Fairy happily took over Lu Yang's body, gorging herself without the slightest ladylike reserve. "Haha, Senior Brother Lu, you've really let loose too!" Li Haoran laughed. Senior Brother Lu had been eating with relative elegance earlier, but now he seemed like an entirely different person, taking huge bites of skewers and gulping down bamboo juice. The mountain forests around Luofeng Commandery held abundant groves of red-leaf bamboo whose juice was clear, sweet, and delicious—a treat tasted by countless travelers visiting the region. Lu Yang sighed inwardly. *You're an immortal fairy, aren't you? Couldn't you show a little decorum?* "Immortal Ying Tian and the others tried to advise me too, telling me to speak as little as possible in front of outsiders," the Immortal Fairy said. "They even claimed the four of them put in a ton of effort to improve the outside world's impression of immortals, and warned me not to mess it up. "Still, it's not like there are any outsiders here, right?" She did not treat Lu Yang as an outsider. "The problem is you're using my body!" Lu Yang protested. "Oh, come on, why draw lines between yours and mine?" The Immortal Fairy sounded remarkably magnanimous. "Once we find my legacy in the future, I'll split half of it with you." Lu Yang remembered that when they first met, the Immortal Fairy had claimed she had buried an immortal cache on the North Star, filled entirely with treasures she cherished. Knowing what he did of her, there was an eighty percent chance nothing genuinely good lay within it. "If that's not enough, I can teach you a few cooking techniques at the immortal level." The Immortal Fairy treated this second-in-command of the Immortal Lineage as her true mantle-bearer. Lu Yang rolled his eyes and held his tongue. Setting aside this little interlude known only to the two of them, the meal went smoothly, and everyone ate to their heart's content. Father Li and Mother Li arranged guest rooms for Lu Yang and the others. After washing up, Lu Yang retrieved a body pillow half a person tall from his identity jade pendant. He always liked hugging something while sleeping. With more than a decade of sleeping experience, Lu Yang could rest peacefully anywhere and was never picky about his surroundings. Early the next morning, Lu Yang awoke to find the body pillow kicked down by his feet, looking rather pathetic. "That little girl named Su Yiren has a thoughtful heart," the Immortal Fairy suddenly chimed in. "What do you mean?" "While you were sleeping, she set up an array in the courtyard. It's useless to you, but for Li Haoran's parents, it allows them to cultivate unconsciously, infusing spiritual energy and advancing their cultivation. However, this process takes a very long time, so it won't show any results right now, and Li Haoran's parents won't notice it either." Lu Yang stepped out of his room and stretched. The weather was pleasant—an overcast day, cool and refreshing. He had always preferred cloudy days to sunny ones. In the courtyard, he spotted Li Haoran practicing fist forms and meditating. "Junior Brother Li, you're this diligent even at home?" Lu Yang asked in surprise. He had thought he had gotten up early enough, yet Li Haoran had risen even earlier and was already cultivating. He did not remember him being this hardworking back at the Dao Seeking Sect. Li Haoran adopted a solemn expression and sent a voice transmission: "Senior Brother Lu, you don't understand. My parents were delighted to welcome me home yesterday, but based on past experience, once they sleep on it and the second day rolls around, the novelty wears off. Then they start scolding me, saying all I do at home is eat and sleep, living a completely degenerate life. "Rather than wait around to be scolded, it's better for me to take the initiative and put on an act of sheer diligence. It's only for the morning anyway; when I go out to enjoy myself during the day, they won't be able to nag." Enlightenment dawned upon Lu Yang. He had never imagined such profound wisdom existed in dealing with parents. What Li Haoran kept to himself was that if Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had not come, his parents might have coddled him for two whole days. But with Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou present, that period of indulgence was cut drastically short! "Haoran, you're up so early?" Seeing Li Haoran cultivating first thing in the morning with Lu Yang standing by his side, Mother Li beamed with joy. She assumed Lu Yang had led Li Haoran out to cultivate together. Li Haoran: "..." He desperately wanted to tell her: *Mom, being ranked fifth among our batch at the Dao Seeking Sect really carries a lot of weight.* That was no exaggeration. With Li Haoran's natural talent, whether placed in a first-rate or super-first-rate sect, he would have been the undisputed first among his peers. Even in earlier generations of the Dao Seeking Sect, he would have easily made the top three. It was simply his bad luck that this batch held far too many monsters and freaks. During breakfast, Su Yiren ate quietly and never brought up the array she had placed in the courtyard the night before. Evidently, she had no desire for anyone to know about it. Had the Immortal Fairy not spoken up, Lu Yang would never have discovered it either. "Come on, I'll take you all for a stroll around the commandery!" Li Haoran called out to Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. After a brief pause, he invited Qin Yanyan and Su Yiren along as well. "I'm only inviting you because you're guests, so don't read too much into it," Li Haoran said to Su Yiren. Even so, Su Yiren beamed with genuine happiness. Just as the group had gathered their gear and prepared to step outside, the overcast sky grew increasingly gloomy. The clouds thickened, and faint rumbles of thunder began to roll across the heavens. "It's about to pour," Li Haoran said, glancing upward with regret. Luofeng Commandery saw frequent rain, and judging by how heavy the gloom hung, a torrential downpour was inevitable. "Looks like we won't be able to go today." Hearing that, Su Yiren thrust a palm toward the sky. The gloomy storm clouds, which had hung as oppressive as an army bearing down on a city, vanished in an instant, replaced by a radiant, azure expanse. Su Yiren smiled gently, as though nothing extraordinary had happened. "It's sunny now. Let's go." Li Haoran: "..."