WBICDPH Chapter 16 Part 1

Chapter 16: Why Dwell in Green Mountains

Lin Jin felt as if a bolt of thunder had struck him squarely on the head, instantly plunging his future into darkness.

If he were to make a list of characters from The Record of the Proud and Unrivaled Immortal whom he absolutely did not want to meet or provoke, Hua Nanzhi would unquestionably be on it—and not near the bottom.

Although she was a righteous female lead, her early portrayal was not particularly likable. In the main story, because Han Ao had snatched first place from her during the entrance trial, she had held a grudge ever since. Whenever she found an opportunity, she would challenge him to prove who was superior. If she won, she grew more aggressive the next time; if she lost, she stacked an “unconvinced” debuff and came back even harder later. It could be said that, among the troubles Han Ao encountered early on at Misty Rain Mountain, eight out of ten had something to do with Hua Nanzhi.

Lin Jin didn’t actually dislike this kind of outspoken, competitive, lively girl—provided he was just an observer.

Now that the temperamental young lady had made him her target, it was very hard for him to smile about it.

“Come on, we’re all fellow disciples. Wouldn’t it be better to keep things friendly? This really was an accident. Next time—next time, Miss Hua, you’ll definitely be first.”

Lin Jin made a futile struggle under the edge of Hua Nanzhi’s blade.

“Enough with the smooth talk! Seven thousand eight hundred thirty-two—seven thousand eight hundred thirty-two points! I will never forget this humiliation! I want to see exactly what kind of skills you really have!!”

It seemed that being used to life as a favored prodigy had made Miss Hua particularly sensitive about this crushing defeat. Lin Jin suspected that even in the middle of the night, she would bolt upright in her sleep, grinding her teeth and muttering “seven thousand eight hundred thirty-two.”

The sight of a girl in red brandishing a huge saber to threaten someone was far too eye-catching. Hua Nanzhi herself noticed the glances from bystanders, so she spun the blade in a flourish, sheathed it, and stepped forward to grab Lin Jin’s collar with her bare hand.

“Come on. To the martial field with me!”

“No! Miss Hua, I’m not even a martial cultivator. What’s there to fight between you and me?!”

Hua Nanzhi was surprisingly strong. Afraid of being dragged away by force, Lin Jin clung desperately to Han Ao like a lifeline. But clearly, Han Ao didn’t want to incur the young lady’s wrath. At this critical moment of brotherly life and death, he simply stood there silently, as motionless as a wooden post.

Sure enough, Hua Nanzhi didn’t even notice him. Her attention was completely on Lin Jin.

“Not a martial cultivator? Then what are you?”

“I’m a beast tamer! Those seven thousand points weren’t even earned by me—it was my dog!”

“Then call your dog over. I’ll compete with it!”

“You—!”

Do you even hear what you’re saying???

Hua Nanzhi looked utterly determined. Was he really unable to avoid getting beaten today?

Lin Jin was on the verge of collapse—until his savior arrived, stepping in on metaphorical seven-colored clouds.

“Young friend, why are you making things so difficult for my disciple?”

Mo Yuzhi descended from the sky, grabbing Lin Jin by the back of his collar. At the same time, Hua Nanzhi felt a gentle force push her hand away from Lin Jin’s clothes.

She took two steps back, about to flare up, but when she saw that it was an elderly person speaking, she swallowed her anger reluctantly.

She shot Lin Jin a glare.

“I just wanted to spar with him a bit. Elder, your disciple is far too timid—he refuses to accept my challenge no matter what, hiding like a turtle!”

“Ah, that’s not quite fair to say,” Mo Yuzhi replied with a kindly smile. “While friendly sparring among fellow disciples is allowed, it still has to be mutual. Forcing someone to fight—wouldn’t that be bullying?”

Mo Yuzhi soothed Hua Nanzhi, then glanced at Han Ao nearby.

“My apologies, young friends. I still have some matters to attend to with my good disciple, so I’ll be taking him with me. Excuse us.”

Hearing this, Lin Jin’s eyes and heart were filled with nothing but the word gratitude.

Mo Yuzhi took Lin Jin away from the classroom, heading straight for his small courtyard.

At first, Lin Jin thought Mo Yuzhi had rushed over because something urgent had come up. To his surprise, once they arrived, Mo Yuzhi said nothing at all. Leaning on his slightly bow-legged short legs, he trotted into the small kitchen and cheerfully brought out a roast chicken.

“Come, come, it just came out of the oven—still hot. I figured you’d be done with class by now, but I waited and waited and you never came. If I waited any longer, the skin wouldn’t be crispy anymore, so I had to go find you. That said, how did you manage to offend that little demon on your very first day of lectures? The way she looked at you, it was like she wanted to swallow you whole.”

Looking at the sizzling, oil-dripping roast chicken, Lin Jin reaffirmed for the umpteenth time how correct his choice of master had been.

He eagerly accepted the huge drumstick Mo Yuzhi tore off for him and explained as he ate, “It was because of the entrance trial. My score was way too outrageous—she couldn’t accept it and insisted on competing with me again.”

“Tsk, you were indeed a bit too flashy. That’s unavoidable. If you don’t want to fight her, just avoid her in the future. I’ll give you a magic artifact later—if we can’t beat her, we can at least run away, right?”

As he spoke, Mo Yuzhi stared longingly at the drumstick in Lin Jin’s hand.

“Well? How does it taste?”

Lin Jin savored it carefully. “Delicious! The heat control is excellent, and the meat is tender and fragrant. But if it were marinated beforehand, I think the flavor would be even better.”

“Oh? Marinated?”

“Yes. A bit of salt, a bit of sugar, some scallions, ginger, and garlic, a little soy sauce and oyster sauce. Score the meat so it absorbs the flavors, mix it well, and marinate it for a while…”

He suddenly stopped, noticing that Mo Yuzhi looked a little confused.

“Sugar and salt, I know,” the old man said. “But what are the rest?”

“Uh…” Lin Jin hesitated. “They’re seasonings from the mortal world.”

“Oh!” Mo Yuzhi said, suddenly enlightened. “That makes sense. Cultivators practice fasting, so the foods available in the markets are naturally less varied than in the mortal realm. But you actually came from the mortal world?”

Lin Jin nodded and gave a dry laugh. “More or less.”

“Then, from the way you talk, are you good at cooking? Is your family running a restaurant? The mortal world must have so much good food. Sigh, living in an immortal sect is truly torture—everyone fasts. Even if I want to share a roast chicken, it’s hard to find anyone. Luckily, I took in a good disciple like you.”