Hmmph... this junior is a good seed [Cultivation Management Quest]

[shibosho]

Xiuying Ten Jiang 4 - Starting Line

Things had fallen into a daily routine for Xiuying. In the morning, she would wake up and help her father prepare the ingredients for the noodle stand, and work during the day as a waitress or a kitchen hand depending on how busy the noodle stand was. In the late afternoon, she would go find Jiang for her training. Jiang would alternate between physical conditioning and helping her with her attempts at cultivation.

To her dismay, even after several months had passed, Xiuying had yet to breakthrough into the first step of becoming a Cultivator. Jiang had told Xiuying not to worry, saying that it was likely that Xiuying wasn't a great talent and that Sword Law was a Dao that talent was not particularly necessary. While it helped, in order to master Sword Law, it was important to develop the proper mindset.

"To discard thought," Jiang had answered when Xiuying asked what was the proper mindset. "A brain is useful only up until the point when you are faced with your enemy. Then it is useless. The only truly useful thing in this conflict-filled world is Will. You must suffuse your worthless body with its terrible heat. You must be so hot that even if your enemy should strike your head off, you shall continue to decapitate ten more men. Your boiling blood must spring forth from your neck and mutilate the survivors."

When Xiuying tried to picture the scene in her mind, to imagine her headless body moving by its own volition to continue killing men, all while boiling blood poured out upon the survivors, burning them like boiling oil, she couldn't help but shudder at the image.

How terrifying would it be to witness such a scene in real life?

"Your face. It's the same as mine when Meti first told me what was important. It says everything. Yes, you understand as I did what mere mortals feel upon gazing upon such terrible power. For to look at Divinity is to be burned into ashes." Jiang slammed the scabbard of his sword down in the ground, forming a small crater where it landed. "Tell me, girl. Can you cast your mind adrift and transform your body into a vessel for the terrible fires of Will, Xiuying?"

Xiuying could only answer in one way. "No."

"I will teach you how. I will teach you to Exhale. I will teach you how to Exalt."

It took a little over a year since the start of her training for Xiuying to begin feeling the faintest wisps of qi begin to burn within the core of her body.

Xiuying had endured months of tough physical training, slowly reshaping her body from a cute young girl that was a little plump from all the noodles she ate to a fit, and athletic young woman with a toned body and muscles to boot. She really liked her abs. Enough of her hair had grown back that she could now style it into a cute wavy bob cut.

Her relationship with her father who she used to be very close with had...not quite deteriorated but rather a wall between Xiuying and her father had appeared. While the rest of her family was understanding and even encouraging about her decision to pursue the path of Sword Law, her father had been angry even though they didn't show it. These days, they hardly spoke to each other outside the noodle stand. It was something that Xiuying was beginning to regret but she had no clue how to resolve the issue between her father and herself.

Master Jiang hadn't been helpful in that regard, citing that his own father was the world's greatest scoundrel and manwhore and that he'd been tasked with cutting off his father's penis as punishment for running away from his mother before Jiang had been born - a task that he had yet to accomplish, much to master Jiang's chagrin.

During the year, Master Jiang had been patient with Xiuying throughout all their training sessions together. Until Xiuying reached the 1st stage of Qi Condensation, there was little for Jiang to do except oversee Xiuying's physical training and her attempts to cultivate through the special breathing exercises that he taught her. After discovering that Xiuying was illiterate, he proceeded to add lessons on writing and reading to the training regime.

One day, while she was meditating and her stomach growling from skipping both lunch and dinner, her body suddenly vibrated, a prickling numbness spreading through her limbs followed by an itchy, painful, and unpleasant sensation. Then, it seemed as if tiny wisps of invisible fire condensed within her flesh and blood, then seeped out of her body. After that, just for an instant before it disappeared, Xiuying felt a tiny flame appearing inside herself.

Instantly, Jiang was at her side, giving her body a quick examination to make sure that everything was alright. After finding no abnormalities with Xiuying's body, Jiang let out a breath of relief and happily informed his student that she was getting close to breaking through to the First stage of Qi Condensation.

From that point onwards, Xiuying's training began to escalate.

= = = = = = = = = = = = =

An open palm slammed into Xiuying's chest, sending her rolling backwards for a few meters before stopping upside down, her legs spread on both sides of your head. Fortunately, she had taken to wearing shorts and pants after her skirt and dresses kept getting ruined by her training. "Oooow..."

Today's training was all about building Xiuying's toughness and endurance, according to Jiang. All Xiuying had to do was do her best to defend against her master's attack. It sounded simple enough but Xiuying soon realised that it was much tougher and more painful than she thought it would be.

"Come on, get back up. If you can still make sounds, you are still doing well." Jiang commented, waiting for Xiuying to get back on her feet. "How's your Qi? Can you sense it faster?"

Xiuying pushed herself to a standing position and sighed while rubbing where the palm strike had landed. "I think so...Yes! I'm definitely sensing it faster!"

Jiang nodded in approval. "All life is fundamentally fire." Jiang proclaims as he approached you, cracking his knuckles loudly. Xiuying immediately stood up, knowing what was coming. "All souls contain a spark of the Flame Immortal, the pure essence of Divinity, and are filled with the awful heat of Will."

His open palm lashed out again. Xiuying, knowing nothing about fighting, could only raise her arms in defence. Even though Master Jiang was holding back their strength, each blow seemed to shook her deep to the bones.

"Exhale the hot breath of the Flame Immortal, my student!" Jiang shouted through the onslaught of open palm strikes, forcing Xiuying further and further back. "Reach heaven by violence!"

"You still haven't explained what that means!" Xiuying shouted back before clenching her fist and attempted to toss out a fist of her own.

"That's why I'm teaching you," Jiang remarked before sending Xiuying rolling again, face down this time. "Though honestly, I think it's to be taken both metaphorically and literally."

Xiuying could only groan in response.

"Indeed. Have a ten-minute break." Jiang said before walking away, leaving Xiuying on the ground for the time being.

While Xiuying was grateful that the Qi now within her had made her body tougher, even if she couldn't actually control it just yet, it just gave an excuse to Meti to push her even harder.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Xiuying breathed deeply, closing her eyes and willing the flame of spiritual energy to circulate throughout her body, spreading its heat through her blood vessels along with that unpleasant itchy feeling that she felt while meditating. In that moment a loud sound reverberated in her head, like a wordless prayer or song, followed by the Qi suffusing every corner of her body. For a few, blessed moments it felt as though Xiuying was floating above the ground.

"Congratulations, you've finally broken through to Qi Condensation." Jiang's words brought Xiuying back to reality. Before Xiuying could say anything, she felt a rough calloused hand playfully pat the top of her head affectionately. "Though it took you longer than the average would-be cultivator, far more would have given up long ago. That shows you have good Willpower, and Will, as I've mentioned before, is necessary to mastering Sword Law."

Xiuying could feel her cheeks heat up from the praise given to her by her master. "What now then, Master Jiang?"

"Now? Now you can start doing what all Sect Disciples do: trying their damndest to cultivate faster than other Disciples by getting their hands on every possible advantage." Jiang said with a solemn expression on his face. Said expression lasted only a few seconds before he let out a soft chuckle and grinned at Xiuying. "Or you can decide to use your time for better things than a glorified dick waving contest...like say learning how to wield a sword?"

"...Does that mean I can learn how to use a sword now?" Xiuying asked with growing anticipation.

"Later, still need to lecture you on a couple of things," Jiang said before drinking some water. "Now, as I told you several months ago there is a ceiling after which breathing exercises become useless to increase your Qi. If you continue as you did until now, reaching the peak of Qi Condensation and then transcend to Foundation Establishment would take decades, maybe a whole century."

Xiuying frowned as she tried to imagine what life would be like a century from now. Even if Qi now extended her lifespan, she still thought like a normal mortal person, and a century was a very long time to practice for so long and yet gain so little.

"Meditating in places rich with natural spiritual energy helps, but they're rare. And likely already claimed by a Sect." Jiang continued. "That leaves either preparing and consuming Spirit Pills, which I happen to know a thing or two about, or hunting Spirit Beasts and consuming their Core, which I am quite adept at. Alternatively, you can try dual cultivation but I doubt you have the right constitution to make full use of it or find the right partner to dual cultivate with and not be crippled."

Xiuying tilted her head in confusion. "Spirit Beasts? Core? Dual cultivation?"

"Spirit Beasts are animals capable of Cultivation. Some are innately magical and simply grow stronger over time, while others must actively practice a Cultivation method." Jiang explained. "They are more intelligent than mundane animals, and some are capable of speaking the human language and take a human form. All of them possess a Spirit Core inside their bodies which contains spiritual energy. Think of it as a naturally formed Spirit Pill."

"Okay." Xiuying nodded in understanding before frowning. "What's dual cultivation?"

"Er...Hey! Let's get started on teaching you how to use a sword!" Jiang said, changing the subject. While Xiuying was still curious about what dual cultivation was, there was no way she was going to miss the chance to finally get to learn the way of the sword. "Here, catch."

Without warning, Jiang threw a sword still in its scabbard at Xiuying. Caught off-guard, the leather sheath struck Xiuying right in the face, knocking her down on her back.

"...Whoops," Jiang said sheepishly.

After rubbing her bruised face, Xiuying looked at the sword that Jiang had given her. Unsheathed, Xiuying saw that it was a double-edge straight sword, a jian if she recalled correctly. It looked quite old but otherwise it was in decent condition. It was, she noted, also heavy. Not just weight but in a feeling she didn't know how to describe.

Eventually, Xiuying stopped examining her new sword and waited for Jiang to begin the lesson. Seeing that Xiuying was ready, Jiang began his first formal lesson on swordsmanship.

"Listen well, Xiuying. To train with the sword, first master sweeping. When you have mastered sweeping, you must master the way of drawing water. Once you have learned how to draw water, you must split wood. Once you have split wood, you must learn the arts of finding the fine herbs in the forest, the arts of writing, the arts of papermaking, and poetry writing. You must become familiar with the awl and the pen in equal measure. When you have mastered all these things you must master building a house."

Xiuying blinked in confusion before nodding slowly. "Okay...And then you learn how to use a sword?"

"No. Once your house is built you have no further need for a sword, since it is an ugly piece of metal and its adherents idiots." Jiang said proudly.

"...Huh?" This was not what Xiuying was expecting at all. She thought that all sword cultivators loved their sword and thought highly of them. Even if her ultimate goal was to learn how to cut beautifully, it rubbed her the wrong way how her master seemed to have little regard for the sword.

However, Jiang was looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to respond. After mulling over her master's words for a minute or so, Xiuying asked them a question in a stiff, uncertain tone. "Then...how does one become an adherent of an ugly piece of metal?"

Xiuying didn't quite think her master was wrong but she had since learnt that Jiang often likes to try and seem mysterious and sagely, even though his attempts usually failed. There was a deep meaningful message here, even if she didn't really understand it.

Jiang once again began to speak with a tranquil, dissonant tone. "God's glory is great, and you may know this by two paths: the sanctioned words and the sanctioned action.

The sanctioned words are YS ATN VARAMA PRESH. The meaning of these words is Divinity and their attainment is Royalty.

The sanctioned action is to Cut. To Cut means Division by the Blade of Want, that parer of potentials that excises infinities."

Xiuying stared at Jiang as she tried to comprehend what her master said. This time she was sure what he said was something profoundly wise and mysterious. Unfortunately she didn't understand a single bit of it.

"I don't expect you to understand it immediately, even if you're a bigger idiot than I was when I started," Jiang commented, returning to a conversational tone. "For now we'll just work on making you get used to swinging your sword and training the muscles of your arms. Meanwhile, I want you to meditate on the meaning of this phrase: 'There is no such thing as a sword'."

 

[shibosho]

Xiuying Ten Jiang 5 - The Distant Horizon

It was while listening in on her younger brothers arguing about some inane incident in the village that Xiuying reached an epiphany. At the moment, she was working at the noodle stand and the morning rush had finished. She'd been cleaning up when her brother began arguing about something.

"I bet you that Wanglu is the better carpenter!" Wei, the older brother argued.

"Nuh-huh! It's Dongdu who's better!" Han, the younger brother retorted.

Ever since she started her training, Xiuying found herself listening less and less to village gossip, being far more focused on cultivating. As of such, she had no idea what her brothers were talking about. When she asked, they told her that Chungyu, the village carpenter had taken on two apprentices around six months ago. Both of these apprentices were quite different in the way they worked. Wanglu was skilful and precise yet was quite slow when working. Dongdu on the other hand was rough but very quick in his tasks.

"Wanglu is better because he does things really carefully. He hardly ever uses his tools and yet doesn't make mistakes. He's slow since he's only an apprentice!"

"No! Dongdu is better because he's always practising. He might not be as good as making stuff but he's really fast so that means he gets more time to practice!"

"Wanglu is the better carpenter!"

"No! Dongdu is!"

Xiuying sighed as she watched her brothers begin to fight. Before things escalated, she swiped a pair of chopsticks from the counter and lightly hit them both on the head.

"Bah! Why big sister!"

"Owie! That hurt!"

"None of that, you two. What did father say about fighting at the noodle stand?"

"...No fighting." The twins answered at the same time, looking down.

"Good. Now go out and play."

"...Wanglu is still better though," Wei said, not wanting to admit defeat.

"No, Dongdu is the better one," Han said, also refusing to budge from his position.

"Wanglu can hammer in nails without using a tool. He used to just use random rocks to hammer nails and stuff but then he decided to do it without anything. He once told me that although tools might be useful, he wanted to be able to do things using a tool."

Xiuying was able to chide them for starting up their argument again when what Wei said sunk in. Wanglu didn't use tools? He worked without them?

She recalled something that her teacher said almost absentmindedly during one of his training sessions.

"The sword is just a tool for cutting. Nothing more nothing less." It was a random comment that Xiuying hadn't paid much attention to since her arms at the time felt like they were going to fall off.

Her master had told her to meditate on the meaning of the phrase: "There is no such thing as a sword".

She hadn't understood it at all when she first heard it. How could you cut without a sword?

She'd been stuck trying to figure out what it meant. She was also certain that until she began to understand the phrase, her sword training would not advance beyond just swinging the sword randomly under her master's eyes.

When he heard about Wanglu and his strange ways, she began to realise something about that phrase.

The sword was a tool just as much as a hammer was a tool. A hammer was a tool for hammering nails while a sword was a tool for cutting.

However, one could easily just use a random rock to hammer in a nail. All manner of objects could be used in place of a hammer. Or rather, all kinds of objects can be called hammers since they can be used to hit things in the manner of a hammer.

Did not the same apply to the sword as well?

If one wanted to cut, one did not need to use a sword. A knife would work just as well though one could say that a knife was just a smaller sword. Then however about a broken shard of ceramic from a plate?

Such a thing could still be used to cut. A broken bottle could cut as well. A fine piece of paper once gave her a papercut as well so paper could be used to cut too. If it was able to cut things, then it would not be wrong to call such things swords.

And Wanglu was said to be able to hammer in nails without using any tool at all. She didn't know how one would hammer in nails without a hammer, maybe using their hands or something but did the same principle apply to swords?

If all manner of things could be used as swords to cut and being a tool, like a hammer, was not actually needed to cut, then one should be able to cut without using a tool like one can hammer a nail without a tool.

That's right. Sword Law wasn't about learning how to use swords to cut. Sword Law was all about learning how to cut.

Just like that, Xiuying finally understood the meaning of what her teacher meant when they said: "There is no such thing as a sword."

Though Xiuying felt that there was still more to it than what she had figured out, at the very least she had worked out the important part of the phrase.

She needed to see her master.

"Wei! Han! I'm going to see my master now! Look after the stand!"

"Sister?"

"Xiuying?"

Before her younger brothers could protest, Xiuying had already run out of the noodle stand and to where her Master usually stayed when he was not training her.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Xiuying found her master in the usual place. Jiang Chen Ten Meti had taken to staying in a large tent set up at the outskirts of the village. The tent, despite its patch-work appearance, was a magical treasure. The inside was larger than the outside and was equipped with well-made furnishings. It was essentially a portable house that was better than the home of the richest person in the village.

Jiang was outside his tent, staring out at the desert in the distance. Xiuying was about to call out to him when she noticed a strange air around him. Instead of the usual laidback air that he usually had, his current one was noticeably sharper. Not only that, the way he was standing, the tenseness in his form, he was clearly waiting for something. Turning her eyes to where her master was looking. All she could see was sand dunes, the clear blue sky, and the horizon. Then, in the sky, she saw what might have been a flash of light - possibly light reflecting off a metal surface.

"Xiuying." Jiang suddenly said, acknowledging his student's presence. "Behind me now."

"Wha - " Before Xiuying could finish talking, her master had already yanked her behind him, making her fall on her butt, just as the place where she was just standing seconds ago exploded. Xiuying stared at the spot where she had just been, barely grasping that she had barely avoided death. "Huh?"

"Stay behind me and don't move. Oh and cover your ears," Jiang ordered and Xiuying realised as she followed her master's command, for the first time since meeting him, her master was angry. Taking a step forward, Jiang reached down to grab hold of his sword and then, taking a deep, Jiang shouted at the top of his lungs, "HEY ASSHOLES! GO TAKE YOUR STUPID DICKWAVING CONTEST SOMEWHERE ELSE JACKASSES!"

Xiuying stared up at her master in shock. She never expected such words to come out of her teacher's mouth, nor to say them with such vitriol either. Jiang continued glaring at something in the far off distance when his eyes narrowed and without a word unsheathed his sword. Whatever happened next was too fast for Xiuying to comprehend but she felt that her master had struck back against something. Then she heard two large explosions coming from her left and right, far enough that she could tell that whatever caused them didn't harm the village.

"Tch, it's gonna be that way then, huh." Xiuying heard her master mutter in an annoyed tone. That was when two objects landed in front of Jiang, kicking up plumes of sand into the air and engulfing the area in a dust cloud. A powerful pressure suddenly pushed all the dust away and Xiuying struggled to stay where she was. When the dust cleared, Xiuying could now see two people standing in front of her master. One was a man and the other a woman, and both were clearly cultivators.

The man on the left was dressed completely in black, their refined and relatively simple clothing seemingly darkening the longer one looked at them. Even their wide brim straw hat was black. The only colour they wore was the golden ornate mask shaped like a demon's maw over their lower face. At their hips were two long swords sheathed in their immaculately and beautifully designed scabbards. In the shadows of their hat, two cold blue eyes glared at Jiang Chen Ten Meti.

The woman on the right was wearing a white long coat with red trimmings designed after flames. Under the coat, she wore a form-fitting black bodysuit with one leg removed, showing off the red flame tattoo on her thigh. The woman had long glowing red hair that moved like flames and she had in her hand a long black sword with glowing orange characters on the side and flames erupting from its edge. Her dark red eyes were glaring at Jiang Chen Ten Meti.

It was clear to Xiuying that the two sword cultivators were not allies and were on guard against one another. Not only that, but they were also angry at her master for no doubt interrupting their battle. However, Xiuying had no words for the two whose battle also turned her into collateral damage. For a few tense seconds, every cultivator in front of Xiuying glared at each other in silence. The first to break the silence was the woman, her glare softening to an appraising look while a smug grin appeared on her face.

"Ya ain't bad, brat! You managed to deflect our attacks. Of course, I wasn't being serious but you were still able to deflect this serious bastard's attack so I suppose you're somewhat strong." The woman seemed rather pleased at this observation.

"Silence, Fire Bitch!" The man snarled, his hand on his swords, ready to draw them out in an instant. "I'd simply underestimate their capability. The move I sent out wasn't even using a fraction of my full power! I simply did not expect them to be capable of deflecting that simple move of mine though they obviously had more trouble defending against my power when they disregarded your own so easily so obviously I am the superior one."

"Oh yeah! Want to say that again with my Tyrant Magma Blade in your face!?" The woman threatened, pointing her sword at the other's face.

"Ha! You're just lucky that this interloper interrupted our battle, otherwise I would have finally ended our century-long feud!" The man said, pulling out one of his swords and pointing them at the woman.

"Oh god, it's this template again..." Xiuying's master, seeing the two swordsmen bickering like Xiuying's brothers, couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Jiang gave the two sword cultivators a look filled with vexation, "Can you both just go away and fight somewhere that won't result in civilian casualties? Or, I don't know, get a room!?"

"What did you say!?" That last line had immediately caught the two cultivator's attention, their eyes snapping back to Jiang, incensed by his comment, and their swords pointed at him.

"I haven't forgotten about you, brat! You interrupted my fated duel! Know that I, Huoying the Blazing Phoenix Blade, will be your slayer unless you kowtow towards this big sister and beg for forgiveness!" The woman demanded, a glowing aura of flame growing all around her.

"Oh? You're actually showing mercy, Huoying? Ha! No need!" The man declared before a nauseating purple aura erupted from him. "Boy! You appear to be a swordsman of some note. However, you are but an ignorant fool, unaware of those who stand above you in the way of the sword! Fool, I, Nether Tiger, and my Nightmare Void Sword Style will show you what true swordsmanship is as a gift to the afterlife!"

"Xiuying, have you finished your homework?" Her master suddenly asked her. Xiuying could only dumbly nod, not understanding what was going on. The two sword cultivators in front of Jiang narrowed their eyes, not taking Jiang's rude actions well. "Good. We'll talk more about it afterwards. For now, just watch as I demonstrate several key concepts of Sword Law."

"Junior! You dare ignore me!?" Nether Tiger, further angered by this man's flippant disregard of the situation, shot towards Jiang.

"Hey wait!" Huoying the Blazing Phoenix Blade, realising that Nether Tiger was spitting on her goodwill, tried to stop her eternal rival/nemesis but it was too late.

"Master!" Xiuying could only watch as Nether Tiger's blade reached Jiang's neck.

However, instead of beheading Jiang's head, Nether Tiger suddenly threw himself backwards, their eyes wide with shock. The black-clad swordsman fell to one knee and reached up to his neck. A line of blood then appeared around his neck and without any fanfare his head fell off his body.

"Eleventh Precept," Jiang said calmly, returning his own sword into its sheath.

That was when an eruption of power burst forth from Nether Tiger's body, and gathered around the wound and his decapitated head. The aura grabbed the head and placed it back on Nether Tiger's neck before reattaching his head back to his body. Nether Tiger's body shook violently as he took in several desperate deep breaths. Several metal crosses then emerged from Nether Tiger's body before they all shattered into many pieces, falling to the ground becoming dust as the spells within them were spent.

"...God damn it." Jiang frowned at the sight of Nether Tiger's fast recovery from decapitation and reached down to grab his sword's hilt again.

Nether Tiger was breathing heavily as though he had just exerted a large amount of physical effort. Close by, Huoying could only stare in shock. One of the reasons why Huoying and Nether Tiger have never truly ended their rivalry was due to the number of life-saving treasures that both of them had. By the looks of things, Nether Tiger had taken a fatal wound before his life-saving treasures activated, saving his life. However, both Huoying and Nether Tiger didn't even see Jiang draw their sword, let alone the attack that had cost most of Nether Tiger's life-saving treasures. It was then that the two sword cultivators noticed it.

"S-Such potent qi! Never have I felt such qi in my life!" Nether Tiger exclaimed in disbelief.

"This level of qi in the air...How can this be?" Huoying cried out, equally shocked by her discovery. Already, the two swordsmen could feel their cultivation progress just from breathing in the thick qi in the air. However, there was a strange quality to this thick Qi that made the Qi that they had been used to for centuries feel like complete shit.

"I understand now. If a person was to cultivate in this place, they would surely progress at unimaginable speed! It seems I have made a grievous error in judgement." Nether Tiger admitted in a regretful voice. "I know not your name, swordsman, but I understand your power now! No doubt there is an incredible treasure in this tiny village that is releasing this thick Qi. By cultivating using this Qi, you have reached a much higher level of cultivation at an age much younger than one would expect. Though you are my junior, you have strength that is close to mine. Having underestimated your true power, I was far too reckless and allowed myself to be struck by that mysterious technique of your."

"Er...What he said." Huoying awkwardly added.

"Hmmph, though you have some skill, know that by revealing your hand, I will no longer be holding back. Come Huoying, let us deal with this fool!"

"Wait what? Hang on! Why should I have to listen to you, bastard! And two on one isn't honourable at all!"

"Fool! Have you not tasted this Qi!? How can we possibly allow some nobody to monopolise it all! We should temporarily form an alliance and crush this fool, rather than risk whatever mysterious techniques he has!"

Nether Tiger was truly shameless, thought Xiuying. Was he not enemies with the Huoying lady? Did he not care about how pathetic he looked right now?

"...This is stupid." Jiang's patience had reached its limits. "Just die."

With those words, a terrifying pressure came down around Jiang. Anything that either Nether Tiger or Huoying had to say quickly died in their throat as a horrifyingly powerful aura pressed down upon them. It was at this very moment that they realised that they had fucked up big time. Whoever this mysterious swordsman was, he was far beyond them.

Instantly, the two cultivators acted to preserve their lives. Dozens of magical treasures and artifacts burst to life, empowering their owners to the limit of their power. However, what the two swordsmen did were very different from one another.

Nether Tiger exploded off the ground like a missile, fleeing as though the demons of hell were chasing after him. Nether Tiger couldn't understand why such a monster was staying in such a small worthless village. Was this karma for all the horrible things that he had done in his entire life? No! He had to survive! He would train and become powerful enough to crush this fool who dared defy him!

Huoying, on the other hand, charged at Jiang with everything she had as she set ablaze to her meridians, dantians and even her lifespan, becoming a blazing comet of white-hot flames. She knew full well that she was going to die but at the very least she would go out on her terms.

"Fifteenth Precept. Eighth Precept. Ninth Precept." Was all Jiang said before he drew his blade once more. His swing seemed almost crude, without any skill put into it.

Xiuying found she could not breathe for the sight before her was just too beautiful. Her eyes strained to stare at the void that had appeared between the Heavens and Earth but her mind was failing to properly perceive that beautiful divide where the horizon once was. Yet Xiuying knew that compared to the cut that had first captured her heart and led her down this path, this cut was far beyond that one. Xiuying did not find herself disheartened by the deep ravine that stood between her and her master. She understood that one day she might be able to cut like that.

In the far off distance, Nether Tiger's head fell off his body without any warning. Thanks to a technique that slowed down his perception of time to allow him to react to any surprise attack, Nether Tiger would be forced to feel himself die for days in the barren desert wastes before he finally passed away. His soul had also been beheaded, irreparably damaged to the point where only wisps of soul-stuff remained before they too dissipated into nothing.

Huoying was halted in her tracks, just before her sword reached Jiang. Her flames were dying down after she felt the cut go through her. She saw only a glimpse of the cut that now ended her life. It was a truly beautiful cut. Right now, the only thing keeping her together was the Phoenix Force that was part of her bloodline and even that was dying. Allowing a single tear to fall from her eyes, it took all of Huoying's strength to turn towards Jiang and bow towards him in utmost respect.

"Master, that was a truly wonderful cut. May this junior have your name as her life ends?" All arrogance and anger had been pared from her, leaving only pure admiration and sincerity. Jiang stared at the woman for a few moments before nodding.

"I am Jiang Chen Ten Meti," Jiang answered, respecting the last wishes of the girl before him.

Hearing that name and not recognising it, Huoying finally understood that in this world, there were unbelievably strong people who no doubt stayed out of the public eye to hone and master their skill beyond imagining. And she had the fortune to face one of them. Huoying could not help but let out a chuckle that swiftly turned into heartfelt laughter, as the last of her phoenix blood burst into flames, consuming her body.

Xiuying, having watched everything that had occurred, was silent as she tried to comprehend all that had happened.

Jiang stared into the flames that were once Huoying for a few moments before shaking his head and turning his attention on Xiuying.

"So, my student. You are early today. You said you finished your homework?" Jiang asked, as though he hadn't just obliterated two powerful swordsmen as though they were nothing.

"A-Ah! Y-Yes Master Jiang! While I do not quite understand it, I realise something important. A sword is just a tool, right? And the goal of Sword Law is to Cut, not to learn how to use a sword." Xiuying shook her head. "Just as a person can use a random object as a hammer to hammer in a nail, so can a person use something that is not a sword to cut! Ultimately, a tool is wholly unnecessary to do things. All one needs is a sword to use swordsmanship. A sword is not a thing. Therefore there is no such thing as a sword!"

Xiuying blurted out her answer at almost unintelligible speeds. However, Jiang seemed to have heard her clearly, nodding along with her answer with a growing smile on his face.

"Not a bad answer, Xiuying," Jiang said, impressed with his student. "Now I have a question for you. Have you ever seen my sword up close?"

Xiuying's eyes widened and she shook her head. She had only ever been focused on the cuts that Jiang made. She had never paid much attention to the tool that he used to make those cuts.

Smirking, Jiang crouched down and unsheathed his sword before Xiuying. It was a simple blade. It had no ornaments or artistic designs anywhere on it. It was however made from material that Xiuying could sense was beyond her understanding at the moment. It was also broken. From the hilt, there was only a few inches of metal before it ended at a jagged section.

"This is my sword, the Maybe Sword. Though it may appear broken, it nonetheless maintains a very long edge." Jiang explained before sheathing his sword. "There is an old proverb from where I come from. Beware the Swordsman who carries no blade."

Standing up straight, Jiang helped his student up onto her feet. "There is no such thing as a sword. The first of the Eighteen Precepts of Sword Law." Jiang continued as he patted the dust off Xiuying. "Your stance must be wide. You must not be spare with the fluidity of your wrists or shoulders. You must have a grip on the handle that is loose and unstrained. I heard it said you must be tender with your sword grip, as though with a lover. This is patently false. A sword is not your lover. It is a hideous tool for separating men from their vital fluids." Jiang stopped, looking down at Xiuying with a sudden fierce gaze. "This is the Second Precept. If necessary, I'll beat it into you."

Then without warning, the flames where Huoying's body had been suddenly flared up, becoming a small pillar of fire before fading away. Jiang and Xiuying turned to look and were surprised to see what was there. Standing amongst Huoying's ashes was a young red-haired girl who was at most a few years younger than Xiuying. In her hands was Huoying's sword.

"I'm alive?!" The young girl cried out in surprise. "Ah. My clothes are gone. Bummer, I really like that coat."

"...God damn it." Was all Jiang could say.

 

[shibosho]

Xiuying Ten Jiang 6 - Baptism

"Alright Xiuying! That's all for today's training." Jiang declared, clapping his hands together cheerfully while standing over an exhausted Xiuying. Xiuying made a noise that either meant she wanted to be consigned into the void of oblivion or she was relieved that her physically taxing training was done for the day. Jiang waited for Xiuying to slowly roll onto her back and pushed herself into a sitting position before continuing, "Now before I dismiss you, please recite to me the precepts of Sword Law that you have learnt so far"

It took a moment for Xiuying to recall each precept of Sword Law that her master had beaten into her throughout her training.

"The First Precept. Consider: there is no such thing as a sword."

From what Xiuying understood, at its core, Sword Law was all about cutting and to completely master the act of cutting, one needed to discard the idea that a sword was required to cut. The sword was not a thing but rather a concept that one could overlay on anything and everything, at least that was what Xiuying got from listening to Jiang.

"The Second Precept. Your stance must be wide. You must not be spare with the fluidity of your wrists or shoulders. You must have a grip on the handle that is loose and unstrained. I heard it said you must be tender with your sword grip, as though with a lover. This is patently false. A sword is not your lover. It is a hideous tool for separating men from their vital fluids."

The training with the Second Precept at its base had been...interesting to say the least. Master Jiang had thrown her into several different kinds of terrains that were available in a desert oasis village, and bade her to learn how to keep a stance that was wide and fluid. Apparently this translated to being able to withstand getting knocked down by a lot of things. She also learnt not to get attached to a sword as they were tools made for cutting and like all tools, they were expendable and replaceable, nothing special

She still had to go looking for her sword each time she lost it due to having a too loose grip on it. She only had the one sword and she didn't know where to get another other than asking the village blacksmith to make one which would cost her more money than she had.

"The Third Precept. Going onwards, you must adjust hands as needed, do not keep the blade close to your body, keep your breathing steady. This is the life cut. You must watch your footwork. Your feet must be controlled whether planted on fire, air, water, or earth in equal measure.

Training according to the third precept was also interesting as she had to learn how to move quickly across different kinds of terrain without moving out of a combat stance. It was harder than learning how to not get knocked down no matter where you stood and it was just as messy. She understood that at the very least she mustn't allow something like slippery ground or unstable flooring to keep her from getting to point B from A.

"The Fourth Precept. Breathing is very important! Is the violent breath of life in you not hot? Exhale! Exult!"

The first time she tried to follow the fourth precept while meditating, Master Jiang flicked her forehead hard and told her to exult quietly without making a sound. After that, she tried to exult in her head as loud as she could when she exhaled her breath while meditating. So far, it didn't seem to do anything but according to Jiang, it was a very useful precept if one was to comprehend it, not that he explained what the benefits were. Master Jiang liked being mysterious for some reason and was not inclined to help his student, at least not in a straightforward manner.

"The Fifth Precept. You must strive for attachment-non-attachment when cutting. Your cut must be sticky and resolute. A weak, listless cut is a despicable thing. But you must also not cling to your action, or its result. Clinging is the great error of men. A man who strikes without thought of his action can cut God."

This precept had her completely confused. All Xiuying got out of it was that her cuts must at least be resolute. She didn't know what the whole attachment-non-attachment part meant nor did she yet know how to make a sticky cut. She did understand that one must not think too much about their actions, especially those that have already been done, or something like that. Or maybe just not think about anything at all while cutting.

She also did not understand why someone would want to cut God. Her master had been strangely tight-lipped about cutting god, beyond some anecdote about how people tend to deceive themselves that putting bad ideas into action was actually a good idea, and that one must learn to take pleasure in the stupidity of others, for it is an endless source of hilarity if cultivated properly.

Being able to take pleasure in other's stupidity was, according to Jiang's Master, a socially acceptable form of sadism, even if it was impolite to mention it out loud in public. It was something that was definitely going to be a work in progress for Xiuying though. The noodle-chef-turned-swordsman was not one to laugh at other people's misfortune though she suspected that she would have to cultivate the ability to do so in the future.

Those were the precepts that Xiuying had been taught so far. The precepts, according to her master, were created by Jiang's own master, Meti, who he often described as a cranky old lady who was also the most dangerous person from where he came from. The precepts certainly sounded like something a cranky old lady would say. But beneath the cynicism and crankiness, there were gems of wisdom hidden in the precepts.

"Excellent." After hearing Xiuying repeat to him the precepts he had taught her so far, Jiang smiled and poked her forehead. Xiuying immediately felt a somewhat tingly sensation spread through her body, relieving her exhaustion and mental fatigue. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Xiuying. You've been working pretty hard lately so take the rest of the day off and relax a bit. Okay?"

"Yes, Master."

With that, Jiang left Xiuying to her own devices while the swordmaster went off to do...whatever he did when he wasn't training Xiuying. Xiuying had attempted to find out what her master did outside of her training but she was never able to find him unless it was time for training. Her muscles were still sore so Xiuying allowed herself to fall onto her back and rest in the shade of a tree. It was a nice afternoon so Xiuying figured that a quick nap would be fine.

Before she could nod off to sleep, an exuberant voice called out from nearby. "Hey there Xiuying! You've finished training?" Xiuying frowned and opened an eye to see a now-familiar red-haired young girl running towards her while waving her hand in greeting. "Wanna hang out, Xiuying?"

Huoying was, in Xiuying's opinion, a strange person. When Xiuying had first seen Huoying, the red-head had been a full-grown woman with a burning hot body and a fiery temper to match as well as a reckless streak that had almost gotten Xiuying killed as collateral damage. However, after she had been cut by her master, in order to survive the fatal attack, Huoying had somehow burnt away her current self along with most of her memories, reverting back to a child in both body and mind as well as cultivation.

Having burnt away most of her memories, Huoying wasn't able to explain exactly what had happened though Jiang had a theory. According to her master, Huoying must have had some kind of phoenix bloodline in her that allowed her both potent control over fire as well as an incredible amount of life force. And like the legends of the phoenix, when Huoying had set her existence ablaze to face Jiang's attack head on, a new Huoying had been born from the ashes of her former self.

Without her memories, Huoying could only remember a few things - the circumstances of her previous self's death, her burning desire to master her Magma Tyrant blade, a cultivation technique that was perfectly suited for her, and her name. Things such as her past, her family, where she came from, who the hell that other guy was, or even her last name had been set alight during her last stand against Jiang.

Despite having all the reasons to do so, Huoying didn't hold anything against Jiang or Xiuying. In fact, Huoying, after her first bowl of noodles post-resurrection, had quickly latched onto Xiuying and declared themselves to be friends for reasons known only to the former immortal. With the past burnt and gone from her memories, a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders or so Huoying claimed. Her cheerful and somewhat airheaded nature was clearly something that couldn't be faked and her good nature shone brightly to all that interacted with Huoying.

Xiuying, having indeed finished her training, nodded. There weren't many others in the village around her age and most of them were annoying boys so having a female friend made Xiuying happy, regardless of said friend's origins. She found Huoying's abundant energy and confidence lifting up her day.

"Awesome! Come on!" Without waiting for Xiuying to respond, Huoying grabbed her by the hand and began dragging her towards the village gates. "I found something that you've got to see! It's gonna be great!"

Xiuying, a little overwhelmed by Huoying's sudden actions, simply grinned and bore with her friend's slightly overbearing nature. Whatever it was that has Huoying all excited ought to be interesting enough.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

"Huoying, when you said we were gonna hang out, this wasn't what I had in mind."

"Huh? This doesn't count as hanging out? I thought it did. I mean, isn't hanging out like doing stuff together?"

"Er...I guess?"

"Then we're hanging out right now!"

"Shush. Keep it down. We don't want them to hear us."

"Ah. Sorry, Xiuying. I'm just excited. It's been so boring just cultivating and meditating. Gotta do some practical exercises after all. Theory is nice and all but it's worthless if we can't put it into practice!"

Xiuying sighed. At the moment, Xiuying and Huoying were hiding behind a large rock formation a fair distance from the village. Luckily for the two, Master Jiang had apparently already decimated the local population of dangerous beasts (something about mutual homicidal hatred), allowing the two newbie cultivators to travel a short distance away from the village without any trouble. However, once at their destination, Huoying showed Xiuying exactly what she had been so excited about.

Her master once said to her that there were few constants that exist no matter where you are. According to Master Jiang, one of these constants was that no matter where you go, there will always be bandits waiting to mug you, rape you, or/and kill you, not necessarily in that order. Xiuying never quite understood what her master was going on about. At best, she understood that there was always someone out there ready to become a bandit.

Just like the ones that Huoying were showing to her.

There was a campfire burning in the distance. Gathered around it was a small group of unwashed men in furs and rags who were roasting some kind of animal. Near them were tents and a wagon. Although it was a bit hard to tell at this distance, Xiuying saw that there was a metal cage on the wagon covered with a tarp. Every few seconds, the cage would shake as whatever was inside struggled to break free.

Xiuying knew about bandits. They were people who due to their circumstances decided to steal, hurt, and kill others for profit, pleasure, and entertainment. Mortal bandits were fairly common though most were quickly destroyed by a wandering cultivator or Golden Devil patrol team. Occasionally there would be cultivators who turned to a life of banditry and cause much greater problems but Xiuying had never seen such bandits save for those Blood Bandits whose presence had revealed her master's capabilities.

It wasn't hard to figure out what Huoying wanted with these bandits.

"Are you ready to save the day?" Huoying asked eagerly. Xiuying bit her lips as she peeked behind the rock formation at the group of bandits that were having their meal. Xiuying had wanted to learn the sword in order to someday create beautiful cuts of her own. However, throughout her training, Jiang had hammered into her almost daily that swords were made for a single purpose: to kill people. Taking a deep breath, Xiuying made a decision. Sooner or later, she would have to kill someone as befitting a practitioner of Sword Law.

This was a good time as any to see if she was truly suited for this kind of bloodshed filled life.

Giving Huoying a nod, Xiuying unsheathed her sword. However, before she realised what was happening, Huoying had already jumped out from behind the rock formation and began charging towards the bandits. "CHAAAAARGE!"

"Damn it!" Xiuying swore as she rushed out to follow her friend. While they were both stronger than mortal bandits, they were still first stage Qi Condensation cultivators. A misstep on their part could easily result in a serious injury.

With that battle cry, Huoying closed the distance between her and the bandits, completely catching the bandits off guard. Her Magma Tyrant blade, despite being limited in capability due to Huoying's now weaker cultivation, was still a very formidable weapon. With an infusion of Huoying's Qi, the blade erupted into flames.

"HIYAH!" With a swing of her now flaming sword, Huoying launched a small serpent of flames at one of the bandits. The moment the flame serpent made contact, the bandit was engulfed in flames, his screams of burning agony clearly shaking the other bandits. Without missing a beat, Huoying then spun on her feet and cleaved straight through another bandit, simultaneously bisecting and cauterising the cut as she did so.

As the bandits were panicking, Xiuying had caught up to her friend. However, one of the bandits had managed to calm down enough to realise that they were under attack. Seeing Xiuying approach, the bandit snarled and drew their knife and lunged at Xiuying, swinging their arms as if they were holding a proper sword instead of a tiny blade. Even Xiuying, inexperienced as she was, could tell the man was doing it all wrong.

Moving onwards and adjusting her hands as needed, Xiuying took a step forward and placed her sword in the knife's path, angling it so that the force of the enemy's blow pushed the short blade down Xiuying's sword and away from her.

Xiuying inhaled.

"The sanctioned action is to Cut." Considering that she had yet to learn how to make one's cut 'sticky', XIuying focused on making her Cut resolute. She pushed down, her sword sliding off from its clash with the bandit's knife, and then from right to left, aiming at the bandit's exposed belly.

The blade cleaved through the flesh as though it was made of steam or possibly jelly, encountering a slight resistance in the middle before prevailing against it and leaving through the other side.

Xiuying exhaled. In her mind, Xiuying exulted.

The bandit blinked once, as if confused, before the upper part of his body tilted back and falls off, leaving only his legs and part of his hips standing up.

"GYAH!" Xiuying immediately backpedalled, her eyes wide in shock and her mind screaming out exult over and over, as blood and gore began to spill out from the wound.

One of the surviving bandits let out a miserable wail while the others had gone pale, their eyes wide with fear.

One must not cling to their action or its result. That means what's done is done, so as Xiuying had been taught, she tried to ignore the bandit who she had cleaved into half a bandit and a totally unasked-for lesson on human anatomy. At the same time, Huoying pounced upon one of the remaining three bandits and began slamming the pommel of her blade over and over again against the man's head.

One of the remaining bandits let loose a wild roar, tinged with desperation and dashed towards Xiuying who was still trying to steady herself from her first kill. Noticing the bandit closing in on her, Xiuying shot forward, shifting back to a loose and unrestrained grip.

Her sword removed the bandit's head, their body continuing to run for a few steps before falling down like a sack of rice.

The last surviving bandit ran away, screaming like a damned soul, only to collapse to the ground when Huoying threw her sword at him with amazing accuracy.

"Ah-ha! That's all of them! Man that was fun! Super easy but still good for getting the blood pumping!" Huoying exclaimed as she walked over to the last bandit to retrieve her blade. Passing by the bandits that Xiuying had slain, Huoying tilted her head in confusion. "Huh, weird. Did you use any Qi to kill these two guys?"

Xiuying numbly shook her head. Now that her first battle was over, Xiuying felt strangely empty. She'd taken a life for the very first time as she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

Huoying let out a low whistle, clearly impressed by Xiuying's handiwork. "That's pretty amazing. I had to use most of my Qi just so my sword could get through all the bones but you didn't need to do that. Man, I think you might be a better swordsman than I am!" Huoying said, praising Xiuying's abilities.

Xiuying didn't say anything and only nodded.

Seeing that her friend wasn't in the mood to talk, Huoying headed over to the cage to see what the bandit had caught. Pulling off the tarp, Huoying gave the prisoner a big grin before frowning at what the tarp had hidden.

"Maaaa." The caged goat screamed, staring at Huoying with its rectangular pupils.

"What the hell? All that to save a goat?" Huoying muttered in disbelief. Letting out a sigh, Huoying turned back to Xiuying. "Okay then, let's go loot the bodies and return this goat from where it came from or something!"

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

After leaving Huoying to return the goat to its owner, Xiuying, instead of heading home, went to find her master. She found him in his usual place, meditating next to the campfire near his tent. Wordlessly, Xiuying allowed the knife and axe that she had taken from the bodies of the bandits to drop from her hands and sat on the ground. For a few solemn silent minutes, Xiuying just sat there until she finally decided to speak.

"I just killed two men."

Jiang Chen Ten Meti opened his eyes and stared at his student, the expression on his face a mix of regret and resignation. "And?"

"...I don't know. I-I honestly don't know if I'm in denial about the whole thing and I'm gonna be having nightmares tonight or I don't feel anything about it at all." Xiuying admitted to her master, surprised at her lack of negative reactions. "Master Jiang, if I must not cling to my action or its result, then what is my reason?"

Her master closed his eyes in thought, as if remembering something from a long time ago. "I asked the same thing after my first kill," Jiang answered, his voice tinged with nostalgia and regret.

"...And what did your master say then?" Xiuying asked. Opening his eyes, Jiang stared at Xiuying with a cold look.

"The Tenth Precept: a man who finds pleasure in the result of cutting is the most hateful, crawling creature there is." Jiang declared. "A man who finds pleasure in the act of cutting is an artisan." He tilted his head. "Were the cuts you made beautiful?"

"...No," Xiuying answered hesitantly.

"Then keep trying to make them so."

 

[shibosho]

Xiuying Ten Jiang 7 - Life Lessons

Xiuying was exhausted. Her training clothes were clinging to her body, soaked with sweat. Her entire body ached as though it was just one big giant bruise. Even so, Xiuying refused to give up. Her opponent was just as exhausted as her, even if they were better at hiding it than her. Though her body felt like lead, Xiuying gritted her teeth to bring her fists up again for the next assault.

"Hah! Good...Good. Still going, eh, Xiuying? Think you can keep up with me a bit longer?" Huoying asked rhetorically. Xiuying simply nodded, too tired to waste energy speaking. "Great great. Well then, here it comes!"

With as much strength that Huoying could muster in her present state, the red-head girl lunged at Xiuying, her fist shooting out like an arrow flying straight for Xiuying. Without missing a step, Xiuying threw out her own punch, barely grazing Huoying's arm, and against expectations managed to hit her friend in the face.

Unfortunately, Huoying's fist also successfully struck its intended target as well - Xiuying's face.

Despite being punched in the face, Huoying's momentum could not be stopped so easily, resulting in the red-haired girl crashing into Xiuying and bringing them both to the ground, painfully. The two girls laid on the ground, breathing heavily as their strength finally ran out. Now completely exhausted, Xiuying simply laid there on the ground, staring up at the blue sky, with Huoying slumped over her.

"...You two still alive?" Xiuying heard her master ask as he prodded her leg with his foot. When Xiuying answered with a weary groan, Jiang let out a sigh of relief. "Good. That's it for martial arts training for the day. Now please repeat for me the Sixteen Precept when you are ready."

It took several minutes of silence before Xiuying felt she had managed to catch enough of her breath to speak again.

"Sixteen Precept. The weak swordsman clings to his instrument. It is better you have a sword, but death must lie under your fingernails, if need be. Learn death with your elbows, death with your knees, and death with your thumbs and fingertips. It is said death with the tongue is useful, but I find words too soft an instrument to smash a man's skull." Xiuying said, repeating what her master had told her before he had Xiuying and Huoying spar against each other in hand-to-hand combat.

Huoying was the ideal sparring partner due to the fact that she was at the same level of martial arts training (reading: none) as Xiuying and the girl was more than happy to help. In all honesty though, it was less martial arts training and more of a continuous brawl with hardly any rest between each fight, and only a bit of advice on how to strike or dodge from her master. Huoying won most of the matches through vague residual combat instincts though Xiuying managed to sneak a win a few times due to mistakes on Huoying's part.

Still, the two girls had pretty much beat each other up black and blue, and to the point of extreme exhaustion.

Satisfied that his student had had the sixteenth precept hammer firmly into her, Jiang looked over the two girls and couldn't help but wince at the state they were in. "Okay then, I think I still have some healing balm left. How about I get you two home and treated? It's getting late, anyways and you are due for a rest day anyway."

Xiuying and Huoying both mumbled in agreement with Jiang's suggestion. Xiuying was vaguely aware of being lifted at some point but she drifted off to sleep while Jiang carried her and Huoying back home.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Xiuying woke up in her bed with Huoying clinging to her body like some...mysterious boneless creature that clung onto things too tightly, with her drooling over her chest. While uncomfortably warm, the noodle-girl made no attempt to peel off her unexpected bedmate. Not because Huoying was too heavy but because her body was still sore from yesterday's training.

Then she remembered that she was supposed to wake up early in order to help prepare the ingredients.

"Crap! I'm late!" Xiuying screamed out before getting out of bed, or at least that's what she tried to do. Instead, Xiuying discovered that Huoying was impossible to remove from her body, and no matter how much Xiuying shouted or pulled, Huoying continued snoring away, oblivious to Xiuying's dilemma. Xiuying however had gotten a good idea about what kind of person Huoying was so after failing to make Huoying get off of her, Xiuying used her last resort. "Huoying! It's time for breakfast!"

"I'm awake!" Just like that Huoying went from being silent and still as the dead to awake and hungry. As soon as Xiuying had gotten Huoying off, the noodle girl quickly leapt out of bed. Huoying smelling no food immediately fell back into the bed, uncaring that her human body pillow was gone. "Wake me up when the food's done…"

Quickly refreshing herself in the bathroom, Xiuying headed down to the storefront to apologise for oversleeping and do her usual job. However, when she arrived, she found an unexpected sight.

"Here you go. One bowl of ramen." Jiang Chen Ten Meti said as he handed over the bowl of beef noodle soup to the eagerly awaiting customer.

"Damn! These noodles are great!" A regular praised, slurping their noodles loudly.

"Divine! Superlative! By the Heavens!" A passing cultivator exclaimed as they dug into their noodles with gusto that Xiuying had rarely seen before, even in normal people. "Never before have I eaten such delicious food! Could it be, the mythical Peaches of Immortality?!"

"...It's just ramen," Jiang muttered with an odd look in their eyes.

"...So this is what it is like to witness a master of the art perform." Xiuying's father said in an awed tone.

Xiuying's Master was manning the noodle stand with her father. However, unexpectedly there was a huge line of people waiting to be served. In fact, it seemed like the entire village had come to eat at the noodle stand. Never before had Xiuying seen so many people just waiting to eat noodles.

It was also clear that Jiang was working by himself with Xiuying's father watching from the side. Jiang was easily doing the work of at least a dozen people, their hands moving with both speed and elegance that was different from how they usually were when they held a blade. Ingredients were prepared within moments and cooked with the aid of Qi. If Xiuying didn't know better, she would have thought Jiang to be a master of cookery instead of a swordmaster. It was unbelievable how much Jiang seemed completely at home in the kitchen.

"Master Jiang? You can cook?" Xiuying asked. Indeed, it was the first time she had ever seen her master actually cook. All the meals that Jiang had eaten since becoming her teacher were bowls of noodles from the stand that she or her father made. Never did she ever suspect that Jiang was capable of cooking noodles as well, and judging by all the customers and their praises, Jiang's noodles were more delicious than her family's noodles.

"Ah. Hey Xiuying, you're up." Jiang greeted his student without missing a beat in his cooking. "And yeah, I know how to cook. I can cook a lot of stuff but noodles are what I'm best at."

"C-Can I have some then?" Xiuying asked, curious about how delicious her master's noodles were.

"Sure. Catch." Without warning, Jiang threw a bowl of noodle soup at Xiuying. Thanks to her training, Xiuying deftly caught the bowl, feeling the warmth of the food in her hands. The smell tickled her appetite and Xiuying couldn't help but swallow her drool. Though its appearance seemed almost insultingly normal, Xiuying instinctively knew that this bowl of noodles was currently beyond what she and her family, despite their long history of noodle-making, were capable of creating.

Before going somewhere to eat her meal, Xiuying looked over at the kitchen where Jiang was cooking. This Ramen noodle soup dish as her master called it was something that would take several people's worth of effort to create. Not only would an animal have to be raised and slaughtered for its creation, as pounds of bones were utilised to turn water and other ingredients into a thick stock akin to gravy, but it also had to be watched, maintained, strained, and augmented over the same period of time. Not only did one consume the resources that went into an animal, even if that animal is low in cost as a desert boar, but hours upon hours of effort by cooks and their assistants, excluding strange cultivator magic that her master was clearly using to speed up the cooking time. The bones alone would make a good broth, but Jiang's effort had practically liquidized the bone through their efforts, making the inedible into a delicacy.

That fact alone ought to grant its status as a delicacy, but that was not all that Jiang's ramen was!

Hand-made noodles, specially crafted by Jiang, for their own broth, is added after a brief shock into boiling water! The noodles, thick with a coating of starch, would become coated by the broth that they'd be engulfed in. Knowing that, one would worry about the noodles becoming soggy. However, being extra-firm ensures that even a large bowl of ramen, such as the one before Xiuying, would remain as it is supposed to be eaten! Then atop the noodles, was a generous portion of fresh vegetables, from bean sprouts to bamboo shoots, to cut through the richness of the broth, and two soft-boiled eggs with perfect yokes to act as another layer of texture and flavour.

Yes. Clearly, this bowl of ramen was something that Xiuying's family was not yet capable of recreating themselves at the moment. But surely in time they would be able to make something that was much better than their current creations.

Taking a free seat in the outdoor dining area, Xiuying muttered a quick prayer of gratitude to the heavens for the food before digging in. Upon the first bite, Xiuying realised that she was but a fledgling noodle chef, an individual who only understood nothing but a tiny sliver of noodle soup and probably never will, as dozens upon dozens of truths set Xiuying's dark unknowing mind alight with knowledge.

Soup! What Xiuying had erroneously thought of as broth, was in fact something that can only be called soup! The unctuous, thick composition of liquefied bones, due to heat, pressure, and technique, can be nothing besides a soup! It is something that can be a dish by itself! A meal that is rich, hearty, and consumed eagerly with any form of accompanying starch! Fresh bread can be dipped into it to glorious effect. Potatoes can swim in it, lending their creamy texture and subtle sweetness, for a divine combination. This soup could even make Dawn Cry Congee taste good! Xiuying had no doubt that, if allowed to reduce, it would become a sauce that is triumphant upon the most base of grains!

However, it is not upon the most base of grains.

The noodles, as well, could be a dish all their own. A composition of subtle sweetness, chew, and pronounced depth. Eating it alone would be a boring affair, yet one can do the same with an excellent piece of baked bread, or freshly prepared, aromatic rice. While the soup had a body all its own, the noodles provided the canvas for it to perfectly flow on the mouth. It is the perfect blank canvas for the soup to be laid upon. It is a painstakingly crafted material meant to accentuate the vibrancy, depth, and bounty of another. The unsung heroes that supported the grand weight of the whole structure, that managed to take the extremes of a soup composed of bone and half-a-dozen ingredients, along with all the toppings, and constrain them for the sake of the eater!

It is easy to love the broth, but Xiuying would most certainly return for the noodles alone.

But, that is not all.

The toppings were not mere additions to satisfy one's desires for texture and change. The bamboo shoots had been fermented, providing both the acidity of a pickle and a resounding crunch, but also a strong earthiness, reminiscent of mushrooms, but nowhere near as harsh. Beansprouts naturally found themselves between teeth, and when crushed, became bursts of refreshing bursts of fresh flavour. Then, of course, there is the egg. The outsides were pliant to the teeth, providing more texture than flavour, but that changed once the orange, molten yolk came into play. It was a fatty accentuation that was intoxicating and sticky to the tongue, which urged Xiuying to take healthy slurps of the soup, until her palate was cleansed of the wholesome richness.

Of course, with a palate wreathed by the heavy soup, one must consume more noodles.

The cycle was a demanding, heavy, and challenging one, but one could easily forget it due to the medley of flavours. Consuming noodle, soup, and amenity together was a whole scene of a play. Adding, or subtracting, from the combination allowed Xiuying to derive more and more. The sips of water cleansed the palate more than beansprouts ever could, granting a new start that was strongly reminiscent of the first bite. The addition of garlic at the halfway point turned the noodles into a scarce resource, to be husbanded carefully, as the soup's flavour deepened to a point where supping upon it alone is nearly an impossibility. Then, of course, one can choose to take part of a singular bites, or sips, of the ingredients on their own, albeit influenced by the now-spiced broth.

Consuming ramen, Xiuying found, was an experience akin to reading a book, but one that evolves with each thought and action taken by the reader. The heroes can be one ingredient or the next, supported easily by the rest of the cast. Through sips of water, the whole story seemingly returned anew, but retained the foundation of the old. Finally, upon the addition of garlic, the tone became nigh impossible, with the soup going from a hearty addition to a nigh impossible antagonist against which all the remaining ingredients compete to overthrow…to the point where the reader must become the hero, by having the courage to drink all of the soup, regardless of its fierce flavour!

Ramen was more than just a dish!

Ramen was an experience to be treasured!

Ramen was something that Xiuying would always wish that she could forget, so that she could experience it all over again!

So, Xiuying downed the whole bowl, without a shred of hesitation!

…

When the lunch rush had ended, Xiuying was still a trance after having eaten the ramen dish that her master had cooked. Xiuying had barely noticed her master coming over and sitting opposite of her before being broken out of her trance with a sudden poke to her forehead from her master.

"So, enjoyed the meal?" Her master asked with a hint of smugness in his seemingly indifferent tone. Xiuying slowly nodded, still too enraptured to care about speaking. "I see...Wanna learn how to make ramen?"

Instantly, Xiuying regained full consciousness and nodded furiously. As the daughter of a noodle chef, rather than being disheartened by the clear difference in noodle-making skill between her and her master, Xiuying was more than willing to learn how to make ramen and improve her cooking skills as well.

"Is that so? I'll teach you then...if you abandoned the sword. God knows we need more ramen chefs than we need swordsmen." Jiang instructed casually. Xiuying froze, almost not believing what her master had told her.

Abandon the sword, after all the effort she had put into learning the way of Sword Law thus far?

For a single brief moment, Xiuying considered doing so. The Ramen that her master made was beyond anything that she herself or anyone in her entire family tree had ever created. Noodle-making was in her blood and soul so learning to make Ramen was clearly a goal worth any sacrifice.

Yet the moment she thought as such, the memory of that Cut appeared in Xiuying memories. Xiuying recoiled in revulsion as she realised she had actually seriously thought about abandoning the sword to return back to the path of noodle making.

No. She told herself. She couldn't abandon the path that would lead her to learn how to recreate such a beautiful cut. Even if the noodle-maker in her screamed out for her to learn the ways of Ramen, she refused, for the way of the sword had already been carved into her soul.

She said as much to her master.

Contrary to her expectation, Jiang merely shrugged his shoulders. "Alright. It was worth a shot." Confused, Xiuying asked if Jiang had been testing her. "Not really. In the past, I was told by my teacher that I was better off being a noodle vendor rather than following the way of the sword. Out of spite, I learnt how to cook good noodles without abandoning the path of Sword Law. Thanks to that, I ended up with something of a weird reputation back in my home realm. But that's another story. In any case, I'm gonna be teaching your family how to cook good ramen anyways in case the whole sword thing falls through and you go back to noodle making."

"Eh?! B-but isn't ramen some kind of super special secret recipe?!" Xiuying couldn't believe her ears when her master told her that he was going to teach her family how to cook ramen despite her refusal to abandon the sword.

"Nah. It's just noodles. As someone who chose to pursue the path of Sword Law to escape the life of being the son of a noodle vendor, I have no real attachment to my noodle recipes." Jiang admitted.

"...You were the son of a noodle vendor?" Xiuying asked with wide eyes.

"Hey, I told you that you reminded me of myself. Though I suppose that we're different in that I wanted to be something other than a noodle vendor so I'd went and did something stupid like ask the homeless old hag living in the barrel of my village if she could take me as her student, whereas you still think highly of the life of a noodle vendor and that you just want to make good cuts. In that regard...you may be more dangerous than I was at your age."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Come on. Let's grab Huoying and we'll continue with martial arts training. And after that, I'll start teaching you and your family how to make ramen. Is that alright?"

"Y-yes! Yes it is Master Jiang!"

"Good. At the very least, I want you to be able to cook good noodles in case you abandon being a cultivator. I don't want you to end up like Maya after all."

"Who?"

"Just someone I know."

Receiving only vague answers, Xiuying decided to focus on today's training. She was looking forward to learning how to one day make noodle dishes at her master's skill level.

Little did Xiuying know that her time with her master would soon come to a close.

 

[shibosho]

Xiuying Ten Jiang 8 - Partings

Xiuying would never forget the day that her master entered her life.

And while not as sudden or inconspicuous as their first meeting was, the day of their parting was just as memorable as their first meeting.

One does not forget easily the moment the trees start growing eyes and fanged mouths chanting in an ominous and unintelligible language before tentacles erupted from a rip in time and space. One especially doesn't forget such an event when one was right in front of said rip in time and space when an immeasurable amount of tentacles explode from it. Thankfully, her master had been able to pull her out of the mass of tentacles before any permanent harm, mental, physical, or metaphysical, could be done.

And then Xiuying saw the immense mass of tentacles shrink and twist together, converging together into the form of a girl with various demonic bits attached. Such impossibility should not have been seen so Xiuying's mind shattered for a bit. Luckily, Jiang always kept some special medicine to help restore a mind that broke from catching glimpse of an other-worldly entity from beyond the veil of reality's true form. After feeding Xiuying comatose self some purple-tasting medicine and helping Xiuying regain a solid grip on reality again, Jiang introduced his half-sister to his student.

"Xiuying, I would like you to meet my younger half-sister, Xex. Xex, this is Xiuying, my student, do not SAFETY her. Also don't accidentally make her biologically immortal."

"Don't worry, Jiang. I won't unless she wants me to," assured the horned, one-winged, and tentacled purple-haired young looking girl. Xiuying stared apprehensively at the tentacles waving below the girl's skirt. "Anyways, greetings, student of Jiang! I am Xxxxxkkthk. Don't try to say it, it hurts my ears when you mispronounce it. Also my feelings. Just call me Xex."

"...Hi Xex?" Xiuying greeted hesitantly. She was quite sure that she would be having nightmares about tentacles in the future. "I'm Xiuying Ten Jiang. I am the daughter of the local noodle vendor and I am currently seeking to follow the path of Sword Law with Master Jiang's guidance."

"Oh, that's nice. Okay then, greetings done. Now let's go, Jiang!" Xex declared suddenly as she pointed to an empty space in the air. On cue, another rip in time and space opened up though thankfully no tentacles could be seen, just a kaleidoscope of colours and lights.

"Wait! Stop! Stop!" Jiang cried out in panic. Xex pouted and waved her hand, closing up the rip in time and space. Letting out a breath of relief, Jiang shot his younger sister a glare. "Please don't rip open in reality without warning, Xex. Also, I still have a few things I still need to do before I can leave."

"But Jiang, I don't want to stick around this turtle soup! It's not only unhygienic, but it's also totally gross!" Xex grumbled in disgust. "Like the guy who made this soup didn't even bother finishing it all and just left like half the meat and bones to rot! They didn't even cook it right!"

"...Hey Xiuying, you're local so do you get any part of what Xex is saying?" Being from another reality altogether, Jiang couldn't make heads or tails of what his sister was saying. It wasn't the first time that Xex ranted on about stuff that Jiang didn't understand. He did understand that his sister apparently was familiar with advanced scientific concepts but had never gotten around to really explaining what those concepts were. The one time she did attempt to explain things to Jiang, the swordmaster almost had an aneurysm from trying to comprehend concepts that by all rights shouldn't exist or were completely incompatible with his reality.

"Um, I'm sorry master but I'm confused as you are," Xiuying replied. Being a noodle girl from a backwater village in the middle of nowhere, Xiuying knew only what most villagers would know, and was wholly unconcerned with stuff like legends or ancient history. The only thing Xiuying was concerned with was noodles and swords.

"That's fine. No need to be sorry." Jiang said, consoling his student. Turning his attention back to Xex, Jiang let out a sigh before continuing, "If you really don't want to stay here, can you at least give me a day to settle my accounts here?"

"Alright fine! You better treat me to Kouhime's dango later! I still think we should leave as soon as possible. Who knows what icky diseases and mould could be growing here!?" Xex said, relenting to Jiang's request. "I'm gonna desync myself from this reality for a bit. It'll be better than staying around this dead turtle! Call me when you're ready."

With that said, Xex did some weird movement with her tentacles before fading out of existence right before Xiuying and Jiang's eyes. Seeing that his sister wasn't about to break down reality again, Jiang turned back to his student who was looking up to him like a confused little bird.

"Come Xiuying, there is much I need to cover before it is time for me to go."

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

The first thing that Jiang Chen Ten Meti spoke about with Xiuying was where the noodle girl was going to go from here when Jiang was gone. While Xiuying did not wish for her master to leave so suddenly, she had no say in her master's decision. The moment that his sister Xex had arrived, Jiang had no choice but return home as this reality was ill-suited for hosting the presence of an extra-dimensional being such as Xex, and Xex wasn't willing to stay very long nor was she going to leave without him.

"Xiuying, though our parting may have come more abruptly than I had originally expected, I have already made preparations in advance," Jiang explained before reaching into the pouch he usually had tied to his belt and pulling out a leather-bound book. "This is something that I've been working on for a while now. With this book, you'll be able to continue down the path of Sword Law on your own. Here, take it."

Xiuying did as her master commanded and gingerly took the book into her hands. Xiuying wouldn't have thought it was anything special just by its appearance alone. However, holding it in her hands, Xiuying could feel that the book had a far greater presence than its simple appearance suggested. Gently, Xiuying caressed the front cover, her finger underlining the title on the cover.

"Meti's Sword Manual - Special Annotated Edition" Xiuying read out loud.

"Aye, that book contains everything you will need to continue pursuing the path of Sword Law by yourself. Not only are the precepts in there, I've included many anecdotes and advice from all kinds of people that I've met over the years. There are also techniques and the likes that I find to be good supplementary material and techniques of Sword Law as well." Jiang said, explaining what the book was. It was clear to Xiuying that Jiang was quite proud of the book that he had made for his student.

"Thank you, Master Jiang." While Xiuying was still sad that her master was leaving, this book that Jiang had written for her was surely something quite special.

Jiang gave his student a big grin. "It's nothing. However, that is not all that I've prepared for you, Xiuying."

Reaching into his pouch again, Jiang pulled out what looked like a tiny model of what looked like a strange rectangular wagon.

"This is something that I used to use a lot back when I was younger," Jiang said before tossing it into the air. With a bright flash, the tiny model suddenly transformed into a large life-size version of itself. It landed lightly on the ground before opening up, revealing to Xiuying what had to be one of the most marvellous kitchens she had ever seen in her life. A roll of what looked like really flexible wood rolled out from beneath the wagon and spread out around it before tables and chairs appeared to grow out from the mysterious flooring. A large sign popped up from the top of the wagon with the words "Oodles of Noodles" written on it.

It took a moment for Xiuying to realise what the thing was. "It's a magical portable noodle stand!"

"Technically it's a magical food truck but who cares about the schematics of things."

"...What's a truck?" Xiuying asked, unfamiliar with the word.

"...Some kind of self-moving vehicle. Pretty much a horseless carriage that can move on its own, so to speak. I don't know, I'm not an artifact crafter." Jiang admitted. "Anyways, this food stand is capable of many things. Thanks to the magics that were used to make it, it can provide a large amount of fresh ingredients on its own every day. The stove and oven are probably the best that you can find in this realm, and the fridge and freezer are guaranteed to keep anything stored within them fresh for, well, forever! There's even an endless flask that can switch between several types of non-magical beverages! It was one of the best food carts when it was built and it is still pretty good today. And I'm giving it to you."

"...Eh?" Xiuying took a few seconds to realise what her master had just said. "EEEEEEH!?"

"Ouch. Too loud." Jiang muttered, wincing from how loud his student's cry of disbelief was. "Also, instructions on how to use the cart are written on a manual somewhere in the driver's cabin."

"B-B-But Master Jiang! Something like must be incredibly valuable! I can't possibly take it! It's just too good for this simple village girl!" Xiuying protested.

"Eh, I've long since gotten something better so I don't mind giving you this one. Besides, even if one becomes an adherent to the sword, which is an ugly piece of metal whose purpose is to relieve men of their vital fluids, as noodles chefs, we should keep our cooking skills sharp plus a lot of people tend to be nicer to noodle chefs than swordsmen as well. Maybe not respect as much but that's not a bad thing." Jiang explained. Though it was a good cart, Jiang's cooking skills had long since gone beyond what the cart could provide. It was better off helping someone like Xiuying fed and sheltered on her journey after Jiang left.

"Master Jiang...I...I.." Xiuying could not put into words the emotions she was feeling at the moment. While the training had been harsh at times, she'd never felt as though it was impossible to continue. Even when she fell, her master had subtly encouraged her to get back up again, and to never give up. To gifted her with both the means of continuing her training as well as continuing her family's noodle-making legacy, Xiuying couldn't be more grateful. She felt as though she didn't deserve such wonderful gifts but Jiang wouldn't have any of that angsty crap.

"Xiuying, you are my student and if there's something that I've learnt from my own teacher...Is that I should do my best not to be like her and do my own thing. Though to be honest, Meti did sometimes give me some freebies back when I was training under her." Jiang said, reminiscing about the past.

"...Then I'll say it again. Thank you for everything, Master Jiang." Xiuying said, resigning herself to receiving her master's gifts.

"You're welcome, Xiuying, though I'll say that in a few years or ten, you'll be regretting learning the sword. Well, you've got the cart now so even if the whole sword thing goes bad, you also have noodles to fall back on."

"Yes, Master Jiang!"

"Well, with this settled, let's have a small farewell party. At your family shop." Jiang suggested.

"Um, okay Master Jiang! Let's have a party!"

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

The party started out as a small affair with Xiuying and her family as well as Huoying having a feast with Jiang. Jiang was treating everyone that came to the noodle shop that day to both food and drinks. Music was playing from some kind of strange box that Xiuying's master had brought out. And everyone who came generally had a good time. Many villagers were sad to see Jiang go, a number of them have gotten used to the presence of the powerful swordmaster who nevertheless was quite an easy-going person and generally pleasant to hang around with.

At the end of the day, the small farewell party had turned into a festival of sorts with dancing, eating, drinking and merrymaking to be had all around. Though it was a farewell party, it certainly didn't feel like one. In the future, the village chief would end up making the day a traditional holiday that would be celebrated for decades to come.

At some point, Jiang Chen Ten Meti and his student Xiuying Ten Jiang slipped out from the improvised festivities and relocated to a more secluded and quieter spot.

It was time for Jiang to go.

"Master Jiang, I'll miss you," Xiuying confessed with tears in her eyes. To her, Jiang had become one of the most important people in her life and to see them go somewhere that she could not follow was making her sad.

"Aye, I'll miss you too Xiuying," Jiang said, with much more composure, though he did allow a few tears to trail down his face.

"I guess...this is good-bye then, Master Jiang."

"Indeed, Xiuying. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours. However, this is not the last time we will see each other."

"Eh?"

"The Path of Sword Law can be a difficult one. Or a really easy and simple one, depending on who you are. In any case, one day you'll need to find the Red City. There we will surely meet again."

"Master...If that is really true then you can expect to see me one day at this...Red City."

"I expect nothing less, Xiuying." With that Jiang turned his eyes up to the sky and held up his arm. "Xex, it is time."

At those words, Jiang's younger sister reappeared, though this time they were floating in the air. "About time, Jiang! Really, you shouldn't keep a girl waiting, you know! I might not understand you primates primitive courting rituals but I know for a fact that poor grasp of chronological progression can result in deviations and break down in social relations!"

"I understood only a third of what you said but I'll try and keep what you said in mind." Jiang turned to his student and gave her a head pat.

Xiuying flushed with embarrassment at the affectionate gesture but didn't shy away from the touch. However, Xex soon interrupted by grabbing hold of Jiang with her tentacles.

"Okay then! Hold on tight, Jiang!" Xex instructed as another rip in time and space appeared above her. Without giving any further warnings, Xex jumped into the tear in reality, dragging her brother along with her.

"Remember Xiuying! Reach heaven through violence!" Was all Jiang could say before he disappeared into the hole in reality.

Xiuying could only stare as the hole slowly shrunk until she could not see it anymore.

Letting the knowledge that her master had truly left this reality sink in, Xiuying said her last farewells to her beloved teacher.

"Goodbye Master Jiang. Until we meet again."

...

Turn 7 Bonus - Life-Saving Treasure

 

[shibosho]

Xiuying Ten Jiang 9 - A Journey's Beginning

It was about a fortnight after Jiang Chen Ten Meti's departure from the Third Sea that Xiuying finally mustered up the courage to take the next step in her quest to become a sword cultivator capable of beautiful cuts like her master. Staying in the small backcountry village that had been her home for almost two decades would no longer help her along the path of Sword Law. It was time for Xiuying to broaden her horizons.

Her family had been supportive of her decision to leave the village. Her father had gotten over her choice to learn the way of the sword when he learnt that Jiang was also teaching Xiuying his noodle recipes on the side. With the noodle recipe created by a master noodle-maker who was also a master swordsman in the possession of Xiuying's family, she did not need to concern herself with their wellbeing. The incredibly delicious noodles would ensure the continued welfare of Xiuying's family.

Just like when Jiang had announced his departure, the villagers had gotten together to give Xiuying a farewell party of her own as well. Though the village chief didn't make the day of her departure a holiday, it was still a good party. Xiuying met up with old friends and acquaintances that she hadn't hung out with for a long time since she started her training. She messed about and had fun with all the villagers, just like a normal girl would.

Xiuying knew full well that this was likely the last time she would be able to consider herself as just a simple village girl.

The festivities lasted the whole day, continuing on throughout the night, leaving many hungover or otherwise indisposed for much of the next morning, Xiuying included. This delayed Xiuying's departure for a couple of days, thanks to accidentally misplacing half of her luggage around the village in a drunken bender. Eventually though, the time for her to finally leave her village and spread her wings out into the big wide world had come.

"Take care big sis!"

"Write back often okay, Xiuying!"

"Remember! Even if things go bad for you, you still got your noodles to fall back on!"

"If you ever meet a guy named Sum Yung Man, tell him that he still owes my great-grandpa money!"

Saying her farewells to her family, friends and village acquaintances, Xiuying got into the front of the magical food wagon cart that her master had given her as a farewell gift and tapped the strange symbol that supposedly meant go. The moment she touched it, the magical food cart began making some strange noises before miraculously moving on its own without anything pulling it. Xiuying poked her head out of the side door and waved her village goodbye, not stopping until the village was almost out of sight.

And like that, Xiuying began her journey to join the Golden Devil clan.

While she didn't exactly know what the recruitment process into the Golden Devil Clan entailed, Xiuying had spoken to the rare travelling legionnaire and wandering cultivator enough to learn a thing or two.

First stop, Emporikipolis!

Emporikipolis, the biggest trade city in the Golden Devil Clan territories would be her first destination. From there, she would learn how to actually join the Golden Devil Clan and gain resources to aid her cultivation, all while she continued her sword training. And she would also sell noodles on the side as well.

That was the plan.

"So...how long do you think it's gonna take to get to Emporikipolis?" Huoying asked, resting her head on Xiuying shoulder.

"Don't know. Never went beyond the outskirts of the village before." Xiuying replied. It took about a minute for Xiuying to realise that she was not alone. "Huoying!? What are you doing here?!"

"Eh? I'm a cultivator as well you know. Can't stay in a tiny village like that forever. You and Master Jiang were pretty much the only reason I stuck around your village for so long." Huoying answered honestly, slightly confused over Xiuying's surprise. "I figured that since you were leaving as well, I thought that it would be more fun if I joined you when you join the Golden Devils."

"Er, thank you, I think. But don't you have a family or a clan looking for you or something?"

"Probably but I don't remember anything about them and I don't give a crap. The old Huoying is dead and gone. It's time for Neo-Huoying to take the stage!"

"...Okay then."

"Yep...Can I have some noodles?"

"Go ahead, I've made lots and that cupboard over there keeps anything cooked nice and hot."

"Awesome."

And like that, Xiuying gained a companion on her journey to master the principle art of cutting.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

The journey across Meat Organ Desert and to the Core territories of the Golden Devils took much longer than anticipated. Not surprising since neither girl had a proper map and Huoying only had brief vague recollection of certain landmarks and locations. The strange but incredibly convenient food cart made what would have been an arduous journey into a comfortable and slightly tedious trip.

The scorching heat, the chilling nights, the threat of dehydration and starvation, the treacherous yet subtle terrain, and many dangers that one would expect on a journey through the desert were ignored completely. The food cart's interior was somehow kept at a comfortably cool temperature during the day and quickly warmed up during the nights. Fresh ingredients appeared by magic in the fridge and cupboards and clean freshwater flowed freely from the strange metal pipe things. There was even a small hidden room that had this strange metal device from which warm water flowed out to clean the body in a cleansing rain.

While the magical food cart held no means to aid in combat, it was undoubtedly a treasure that greatly eased the difficulty of a long journey. During the trip, Xiuying had quickly formed her own training routine. In the morning and evening, Xiuying occupied herself with training and sparring with Huoying. During the day, Xiuying and Huoying would stay in the food cart and listen to music that played on command while the food cart cruised across the desert sands, propelled by mysterious means that Xiuying had no chance of ever understanding.

Of course, since they were following the Scorpion Road, Xiuying and Huoying encountered little trouble during their trip, partially thanks to Xiuying deciding to sell noodles while travelling down the Scorpion Road. There were always many travellers who had grown tired of travel rations or didn't want to go through the trouble of setting up camp and cooking their own meals. To such people, Xiuying's food cart was a godsend, a reprieve from terrible bland and dry tasting meals.

Keeping with her master's teaching, Xiuying never priced her cooking for anything beyond the means of a normal mortal. This caused some interesting incidents to happen when customers, especially cultivators, didn't have any mortal currency on them. Most of the time, Xiuying refused to accept spirit stones or items that were common among cultivators, making exceptions for those who were clearly more powerful than her and unwilling to back down at the threat of bodily harm.

Instead, she traded noodles for information and common cultivator knowledge, quickly learning a bit more about the place where they were headed. Through noodles, Xiuying garnered much goodwill and approval, if not respect.

Though it took weeks (or was it months?) of travelling and selling noodles as well as much self-training and sparring, Xiuying finally reached her destination.

Emporikipolis was much more than she had been expecting. Though she had been travelling alongside more people than she had ever seen in her tiny village, the sight of Emporikipolis and the human masses was almost mind-boggling. Uncomfortable with the huge crowd of people that filled the streets of the city, Xiuying with Huoying's help quickly sought out the recruitment stands of the Golden Devil Legions.

It was here in this large trading city that Xiuying would take yet another step in her journey to master the principle art of cutting.

= = = = = =

AN: Shorter than my usual omakes due to being distracted by first installing Genshin Impact on a whim and getting into it and then by watching a video of Mori Calliope's debut stream and falling into the hololive rabbit hole. I also expect that I'll be writing less due to playing Cyberpunk 2077 in the foreseeable future.

 

[shibosho]

Xiuying Ten Jiang 10 - Early Years Of Legion Life(?)

"Next!" The recruitment officer called out after finishing putting down the details of the latest prospective legionnaire. With how much damage the legions had taken in the last trials, new blood was needed to staunch the wounds the clan had suffered. Most of those who signed up to join the legion would have to go through a special test to see whether or not they at least had the basic capabilities to be a legionnaire. Those that past would go on to undergo legionnaire training. Many would drop out and those that stayed would become proper soldiers of the Golden Devil Clan's legions and perhaps survive long enough to see the next trials.

Still, it was his job to find and sign up prospective soldiers, even if he'd missed breakfast. He'd missed dinner last night as well and it was looking like he was going to be missing today's lunch too. As a Foundation Establishment expert, the officer could sustain themselves on their Qi for a time but the mortal needs were still very much part of his life. The officer would just have to treat the hunger as a test of willpower.

The recruitment officer was brought out of their thoughts when something blocked his light. Rolling their eyes in exasperation, the officer turned their head up only to stare blankly at the strange-looking wagon that had managed to roll up to the large open tent. The officer's confusion only grew as the side of the strange wagon opened up to reveal a large window from which the officer could see two cheerful-looking young ladies.

Both were pretty and pleasing to the eyes, albeit in different ways. The taller and more blessed in terms of figure had a fiery beauty and more spirited air to her, especially with their bright red hair, while the other had a more subdued beauty, that was more approachable to her friend's exuberant charm, and a much more calmer temperament as well.

"Is this the recruitment tent?" The shorter of the two girls asked. The officer nodded and took a deep breath, noticing idly a fragrant aroma that tickled his appetite that he tried to suppress to no avail as his stomach rebelled against his will and let out a loud grumble of discontent. "Sir, would you like a bowl of noodles before you begin? Your stomach sounds very hungry."

The officer blinked as the girl ducked back into their strange wagon before bringing out a nice hot bowl of noodle soup. The officer grimaced but could not stop themselves from swallowing their saliva. It was quite common for people trying to join the legions to try and bribe every officer in charge of recruitment just for a slightly better chance at joining. Usually, they offered currency or small objects of monetary value.

This was the first time someone was bribing him with food.

Usually, the officer would do a quick interview before giving out details on where the prospective soldier would have to go. Most would have to go through a number of tests to see whether or not they were both mentally and physically fit to join the legions. Those that showed promise or had offered good bribes would be allowed to bypass some of the more tedious and troublesome tests and skip the first initiation tests.



"Alright then, ladies, I humbly accept this bowl of noodle soup." The officer said, giving the girls a sincere smile. After taking their first bite of the noodle soup, the officer decided to let them go through the accelerated course of promising hopefuls. The price of the food being offered to him was much less than the usual bribes, as clearly seen on the menu written on the side of the wagon, the officer was starving for something both tasty and filling.

And this bowl of noodle soup was the best damn noodle soup that they had ever eaten.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Xiuying and Huoying had breezed through basic training with little difficulty. Xiuying had problems with formations, what with her cultivation being hyper-focused on the art of cutting, but she managed to pull through basic formations 101, though it was admittedly not something that she would willingly do in the future unless it was vital to the mission. Huoying had some problems as well, mostly with following orders and dealing with authority figures. Fortunately for the fiery red-head, Xiuying was able to keep her from exploding and punching an officer.

After their basic training had finished, Xiuying and Huoying had been recommended for several of the clan's many legions. Upon gathering more information about their prospective legions, however, it turned out that a number of the legions that had been recommended for them to join were in fact full of weirdos, lone wolves, and other troublesome people that were hard to integrate into other legions. These "ghost" legions were mostly for appearance and conveniences, though when push came to shove, their members would do their part as well as any other legion.

It suited the pair just fine. Xiuying wanted to focus on mastering the principle art of cutting and contemplating Sword Law while Huoying hated being bossed around and liked the freedom that these ghost legions provided. There were issues though such as lack of proper legion structure meant that it was hard to find anyone who could help out a pair of new legionnaires as well as figure out what they were actually meant to do.

Thankfully, a free bowl of noodles helped win the benevolence of veteran legionnaires who help guide the girls through legion life. They would take missions from the contribution board, get their contribution points, and spend those points for resources that would help their training and cultivation. Huoying would focus mainly on combat-orientated missions while Xiuying would take on more mundane tasks.

As the years went by, it soon became clear that Xiuying was an inefficient idiot who while making progress on mastering Sword Law was behind in her cultivation, something that Huoying didn't notice until a recent spar where Huoying swept the floor with Xiuying.

"Xiuying, you need to stop doing all these catering missions," Huoying said bluntly to her best friend.

"Eh? But isn't it good that all these people want to eat my noodles?" Indeed, over the last few years, Xiuying's noodles were quickly becoming well known throughout the legions. Not only were the noodles cheap, they often received rave reviews about how they were the best noodles that many had ever eaten in their entire life.

"Don't get me wrong, Xiu-Xiu. Your noodles will always and forever will be the best noodles in the lands but your cultivation speed has slowed to a crawl because you're wasting too much time cooking noodles for barely enough contribution points." Huoying explained. She'd had enough of watching her friend wasting her potential and was determined to help her in the best way she could. "You need to do more rewarding missions! How about we take one together? There's this mission that I've been thinking about taking, something about protecting this village festival from demonic beasts and blood bandits, and it sounds like it would also be a good match for you as well. How about it?"

"Okay," Xiuying said immediately. Xiuying wasn't one to think too hard about stuff, especially when she was used to emptying her mind and setting her body on autopilot while training Sword Law. She was an idiot and idiots didn't need to think too hard about stuff. "When do we leave?"

Huoying grinned. "If you can, now."

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Mai Fan Teng Village or Rice Noodle Peak Village in the old tongue was larger than Xiuying's old home. Despite its name, the village was nowhere near any mountains. It was actually most well-known for the many rock formations surrounding the village that were arranged in such a way that it was obvious some cultivator in the past had set them up like that and made sure that they wouldn't be easily broken.

Legends has it that a Wandering chef had once stopped by these rock formations and had found some way of creating "unparallel" noodles. With these noodles, the chef was able to defeat powerful demons and save the founders of the village. Naturally, as with all legends, nobody knew what the recipe of these unparallel noodles was, or if the legend was true or not for that matter.

Still, every year there was a festival dedicated to this legend and every year, there would be chefs from nearby villages that would make an attempt at recreating these unparallel noodles in a huge cooking contest. The winner of the contest would be gifted with a magnificent trophy (by mortal and low-level cultivator standards), and their names engraved on a plaque set within the rock formation that was said to have been where the legendary chef cooked their noodles.

Xiuying and Huoying had taken a mission to clear out the surrounding areas of bandits and dangerous beasts, so that travellers could visit the village unmolested for the noodle festival. Though things got a little dicey when Xiuying was ambushed, Huoying had saved Xiuying, and the two girls were able to successfully complete their mission without any further trouble.

When Xiuying found out about this contest, she initially didn't care to enter it since noodles were something of a hobby for her since she stepped onto the path of Sword Law. Huoying on the other hand wanted to see how Xiuying's noodles matched up to the best noodle chefs in the area. After much begging and pleading with puppy-dog eyes, Xiuying relented and joined the competition.

There had been several rounds, each of which Xiuying easily passed with flying colours. Despite being victim to multiple sabotages and rigged matchmaking, Xiuying overcame each challenge with the same bright and cheerful smile that hid a will of steel behind it. In the semi-finals, Xiuying had successfully fended off an assassination attempt shortly after her opponent had tried to bribe her into throwing the match. Being an adherent to an ugly piece of metal that was more commonly known as a sword, she refused as money didn't mean much to her and she was much more interested in the grand prize. She won with hardly any trouble, even as her opponent swore that she would regret beating him.

Xiuying's opponent in the finals had given her the most trouble due to them being a master chef from the simmering soup sect. There had been no sabotage or assassination attempts for the cooking cultivator had both faith and pride in their skills. Their experience and knowledge for outweighed that of Xiuying and it was only through instinct and a great love of noodles (as well as Jiang's special noodle recipe #14), that Xiuying was able to defeat such a master.

After receiving the trophy, there was much celebration to be had. The plaque engraving would be held in private after the celebrations. However, no one suspected that Xiuying's semi-final opponent was in fact a cultivator who had infiltrated Mai Fan Teng Village in order to obtain the secret hidden within. Their loss to Xiuying had forced the cultivator to use plan B, sending a group of blood bandits to attack the village while they stole the secret.

Huoying and several guest cultivators who were visiting to enjoy the festivities took care of the bandits while Xiuying confronted the villain behind the attack.

In a hidden cave carved into a large rock formation that was hidden from plain sight through the use of an ancient array, Xiuying faced off against her semi-final opponent in a different matter from cooking.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

"You damn whores ruined everything!" The cultivator screamed out, spit flying everywhere in front of them. "For years I have studied the ancient text and for years I had pretended to be a mortal in hopes of gaining entry to this place without a fuss! And when the day finally came, I made sure that victory would be mine. I bribed, sabotaged, and even killed and yet near the end, some fucking Golden Devil whore was too stupid to do the smart thing and accept my bribe!"

"Hey! I'm not a whore! I'm still a virgin!" Xiuying protested without shame, causing the village elder and her opponent in the finals who had joined her in taking down the true mastermind of the attack to look at her oddly. "Also, cheating in a noodle contest is super bad!"

"Ah! Who the hell would care for worthless things like ethics or morals when true power is within their grasps! And now, thanks to my allies, I have finally found them, the true treasure of Rice Noodle Peaks!" Without warning, the cultivator stabbed their blade into one of the funny looking boulders that were nearby and cut off its top as if it was nothing. A fragrant and appetising smell immediately filled the cave as the man revealed to all that the boulder was in fact hollow and filled to the brim with noodles the likes that Xiuying had never seen before. "Behold The Thousand-Year Noodles! With their power, I shall rise to heights never before seen in my sect! Thank you for the meal, ancient legendary chef Mao!"

"My god! Stop him!" Xiuying's opponent in the grand finals cried out in horror but it was too late. Pulling out a pair of chopsticks, the mastermind began slurping noodles. Almost immediately their body seemed to fill with immense vitality and power. "No! Die, you villain!"

The cultivator from the simmering soup sect charged at the mastermind but despite being close to breaking through to Foundation Establishment realm, one swing from the mastermind's arm immediately sent cultivator crashing into the wall where they dropped to the ground motionlessly, with a pool of blood growing out from them. The mastermind looked at their arms in surprise before cackling crazily in excitement

"GAHAHAHAHAHA! Do you see little girl! With the Thousand Years Noodles, I am unparalleled! Now it is time for you to suffer for obstructing my plans, Golden Devil Whore!" Almost without warning, the mastermind lunged at Xiuying, their eyes brimming with murderous intent. Xiuying on instinct, immediately emptied her mind and her body moved, drawing her sword. If Xiuying had been aware, she would have seen the mastermind's body suddenly lose the glow of vitality that the Thousand Year Noodles had bestowed upon them in mid-air, much to the mastermind's shock and horror. Instead, she didn't and she cut. "NOOOOOO!"

"Eh? I'm alive?" Xiuying asked in confusion, having not yet seen the bisected body of the mastermind behind her rolling to a stop.

"Im-impossible! What happened?! Where did the power go!?" Thanks to being a cultivator, the mastermind did not die immediately after being cut in half at the waist. The mastermind could only flail their arms helplessly as they tried to understand what happened.

"I remember now! The legend said that the unparalleled noodles were served fresh." The village elder suddenly exclaimed. "Even though these are those same noodles, there's no telling how long they have been here for. Their potency must have faded away over time!"

"No! It can't be! That means everything I've done was completely in vain!" The mastermind cried out in despair.

Curious, Xiuying walked over to the small boulder that had held the Thousand-Year Noodles. While most had been devoured by the mastermind, there were still a little bit left. Grabbing a strand, Xiuying slurped it up and chewed, taking in its texture and flavour. As the Elder had suspected, despite their appetising aroma, the flavour and texture of these noodles felt off. Though Xiuying couldn't quite pin down what was wrong with the noodles, she understood that whatever powers these noodles once contained, had long since faded away into almost nothing. She could feel a momentary warm flood her body before disappearing almost as fast as it had appeared.

"Yep! These noodles have gone a bit off!" Xiuying declared, eliciting a dying wail of despair from the mastermind.

"Damn it damn it damn it!" The mastermind cursed before turning their eyes on Xiuying. "Y-You may have defeated me but mark my dying words, the Dark Star Kitchen Sect shall avenge me! For my name is…" Without anyone actually learning their true name, the mastermind dies unceremoniously in a backwater village.

"Urgh, it seems that one should not forget that food is best when freshly-made." The Simmering Soup Sect cultivator had gotten back up, though they were badly injured. Shaking their head at the corpse of the mastermind, they turned their eyes to Xiuying before giving her a nod of approval. "You have done well, young Xiuying. Let us have another contest one day. Now then, Village Elder, help me get medical attention please."

"Ah! At once, lord cultivator!" The village elder said before going to the cultivator's aid and helping them out of the kitchen.

After she was left alone, Xiuying then noticed that the inside of the boulder did not match the outside of the boulder. Frowning, Xiuying punched the boulder, shattering the stone layer, revealing a magnificent pot with an elaborate design on it.

"Huh, neat," Xiuying said before putting the pot away in her pouch of holding. Not only did it look nice but the pot looked like it was made out of some fancy material. It also looked good for cooking noodles, not surprising since it was holding the Thousand-Year Noodles for god knows how long. With the pot stored away, Xiuying set out to finish what she had come to do. With her sword, Xiuying carefully engraved her name and a message on the plaque of noodle champions. "Xiuying...Was...Here...There, done!"

Leaving the cave, Xiuying could hear the villagers cheering at having survived another blood bandit attack. The celebrations were already resuming and Xiuying wouldn't miss them for the world.

It would be some time before Xiuying learnt that she had in fact obtained the true treasure of Rice Noodle Peak Village without realising it.

But that was future Xiuying's problem and not present Xiuying's concern.

 

[shibosho]

Xiuying Ten Jiang 11 - Super Awesome Secret Magical Noodle Soup!

It had been some time after the fiasco at the end of the Grand Noodle Contest of Supremacy or whatever it was called (Xiuying was pretty sure that the organisers of the contest were randomly changing the name every couple of hours just to mess with all the visitors and contestants), things were still winding down from the celebrations that had gone on much longer than planned, and Xiuying was feeling exhausted. She'd lost count over how many bowls of noodle soup she had served to help celebrate her victory as well as the town's successful defence against the blood path bandits but, despite her tiredness, she couldn't help but feel good about the whole thing. Not only did she finish her mission successfully, she'd gotten a really neat trophy as well as being named this year's Unparalleled Noodle Champion.

While not an auspicious title, the title of Unparalleled Noodle Champion opened up doors and influence among certain gourmet circles and sects, at least according to what Xiuying had been told by the contest organisers as well as several other contestants. The title also meant that Xiuying could get free meals from certain restaurants and the likes as well as access to various craftsmen specialising in kitchenware and other cooking-related tools. Not that Xiuying needed anything of that since her noodles were the best and her magic food cart already had kitchenware the likes of which she had never seen before receiving the magical tool.

The only real disappointment she had about the whole thing was the fact that the so-called legendary invincible thousand-year noodles that had been the aim of the mastermind that had orchestrated the attack had long since gone past their best before date, making them essentially useless for proper combat. However, having tasted the noodles herself, Xiuying was determined to try and recreate them in their true form - fresh, hot and full of overwhelming power.

Since making this decision, Xiuying had been holed up in her food cart, experimenting with different ingredients and methods of cooking noodles. From the taste of the noodles, she'd quickly determined that the flour that had been used of those ancient noodles was not something that was readily available to her. Centuries must have passed since those noodles were made, making it likely that the original grains used to make those noodles' flour would have long since been replaced by newer grain crops that were more convenient or provided more harvest. Factor in other ingredients that were long lost to the annals of history and you had a noodle recipe that was near impossible to make.

It was most likely impossible for a Qi Condensation cultivator such as herself to obtain the original flour and ingredients used for those noodles. Instead, she would have to create her own version of the noodles using more modern ingredients. One thing that Xiuying noticed about the noodles was the fact that they had been made with fairly mundane ingredients for the most part. Normal ingredients had been used to somehow make noodles that could grant immense strength to whoever ate them.

In order for such foodstuff to have such an effect, there was likely some ingredient or method that drew out the full potential of those mundane ingredients, bringing out their spiritual energy and more esoteric benefits. With the tools given to her by her teacher and her own noodle-making skills, Xiuying was confident that she would be able to make a modern version of the Thousand-Year Noodle Soup.

Almost without noticing, several weeks passed by as Xiuying immersed herself into her current project. Huoying made sure that Xiuying kept up her physical condition and sword training by reminding her and throwing her out of bed every morning. When training was done, Xiuying would head to the kitchen and begin experimenting. Over the last few weeks, Xiuying had attracted the attention of many who had heard of Xiuying's attempt at recreating the Thousand-Year Noodles.

A number of skilled cooks and several gourmet offered their help to Xiuying which she accepted happily. Though it is said that too many cooks in the kitchen will spoil the broth, I should not push away help if it is freely given with good intentions. Each day, at least a dozen pots filled with all kinds of ingredients would be boiling away while racks of different kinds of noodles were being prepared for noodle soup. Xiuying and several gourmet would then taste each thousand-year noodle candidate before determining whether they were closer or further from the original. Failed experiments that nonetheless tasted great were sold to the waiting customers while complete failures were thrown away or given to the dogs to eat.

Of course, being a member of the Golden Devil Clan, Xiuying could not stay forever at Rice Noodle Peak Village. She had other obligations to attend to as well as continuing down the path of the Sword. Eventually, Xiuying had to put her experiments on hold. Chagrined by her failure to recreate the thousand-year noodles before she had to go, Xiuying ended up making a bunch of experimental noodle soup dishes for fun to clear her mind and relax.

"Alright! This one I'm calling the Big Catch special! Try it and tell me what you think of it, Huoying!" Xiuying said, putting forward a large bowl of her newest creation.

"...Looks kinda like...Did you use an entire bream for this?" Huoying asked, prodding the fish head. Despite the appetising aroma, its looked rather unconventional to say the least, a while fish had been used, with much of its midsection cut into sashimi that lines the top and bottom rim of the bowl while the head and tail stuck out from the sides, giving the appearance of a fish turned into a makeshift bowl of noodles. Huoying took a deep breath and steeled herself. Huoying had learnt that when Xiuying got really experimental, her dishes often turned...not terrible but not particularly pleasant. Huoying however trusted Xiuying to make a semi-decent noodle dish since she had been cooking to relax and cheer herself up so, despite appearances, the Big Catch had to be good. "Whatever, tasting it now."

Xiuying watched with rapt attention as her friend ate her latest creation.

"Mmm! Fantastic! This is great!" Huoying said before eating with more gusto, all trace of hesitation gone from her demeanour. "Using cheese as a hidden flavour really gives the soup body. The bold inclusion of a whole Salt Lake bream gives it flavour and presence, as well as a sense of austere majesty. Unfortunately, while tasty, it still looks a bit too imposing for casual customers so I can't imagine anyone ordering this off the bat." Having spent over a decade eating Xiuying's noodles, Huoying had developed a sharp sense of taste for good noodles.

"Hmmm….mmm...Understood! Big Catch needs to be less imposing!" Xiuying said to herself, writing down Huoying's analysis of her noodles. Once she was done, Xiuying brought out another bowl of noodle soup. "Alright then, try this one!"

"Woah, is that a whole steak? And...are these noodles black? Looks surprisingly good. Feels very...luxurious maybe." Before Huoying was a bowl of shimmering black noodles that had been topped with a decadent steak sourced from a famous farm from somewhere that Xiuying had managed to get her hands on. While murky, the soup smells delicious. "Alright then, thank you for the food!"

Xiuying watched silently as her friend dug into her meal. Huoying slurped up the noodle and soup noisily with obvious glee.

"Delicious! Love meat!" Huoying managed to get out, not wanting to stop eating. Xiuying smiled at Huoying's approval before heading back to the kitchen. Xiuying was now feeling peckish herself and decided to whip herself a bowl of noodles.

However, Xiuying then realised that almost all the pots in the kitchen were currently being used to make one last attempt at recreating the thousand-year noodles. Frowning, Xiuying searched the cupboards for a usable pot. That was when she noticed a pot that was almost hidden in the corner of the lower cupboards. It took a few moments for Xiuying to recognise the pot.

It was the pot that had been holding the original Thousand-Year Noodles. It had been hidden inside a small boulder and Xiuying had taken it as a souvenir of the whole contest. Xiuying had washed and cleaned up the pot before putting it away, at which point she got distracted by the whole recreation of the ancient legendary noodle project she was doing. It was a rather nice looking pot. It had been made to look like two dragons coiling around each other, with their heads resting at the side acting as the pot's handles. Xiuying couldn't help but admire the intricate design that was so wonderfully detailed that it almost looked alive in the right light.

It was still an empty pot though and seeing no other pot available, Xiuying shrugged her shoulders and took the pot out to use for her own lunch.

About ten minutes later, Xiuying stared in confusion at the pot on the stove. After filling the pot up with leftover stock and other additions for more savouriness, it had boiled normally if much faster than normal. It was only when she added the noodles that unexpected things happened. The moment the noodles were submerged into the soup, everything inside the pot began to glow a soft gentle light.

"...Huh, neat," Xiuying muttered as she continued watching the glowing noodle soup, curiosity having won over caution, not that Xiuying had much caution in the first place. Looking more closely, Xiuying could see that it was the ingredients that were glowing rather than the soup itself. Before her eyes, the ingredients began to melt and dissolve into the soup, even stuff that shouldn't melt away such as bones and the likes. Xiuying frowned as nasty looking scum began to float to the top of the pot. Acting quickly, Xiuying scooped away the scum, leaving almost clear golden soup. Most of the ingredients had disappeared, their glow somehow transferring into the noodles that were still in the pot.

Suddenly the soup let off a bright flash, forcing Xiuying to close her eyes. As her vision cleared, a strange light caught her attention.

"...It's beautiful." Xiuying couldn't help but utter those words as she took in the sight before her. Emanating from the pot was something that could be described as a ghostly glow of ever-shifting colours, swaying left and right, undulating like a sheet in the wind. Accompanying this wondrous and mysterious light show was what could only be best described by Xiuying's limited vocabulary as hundreds of ingredients' rich smells interweaving into one harmonious and delectable aroma that stimulated the appetite, and satisfying one's sense of smell.

Looking into the pot, Xiuying was startled to see only noodles lying in the pot, the soup appearing to have disappeared. However, she noticed that the noodles were floating in the air and upon closer inspection, she realised that the soup had in fact turned so transparent that she was unable to see it properly. It was at that moment that Xiuying knew what she now had in front of her.

The Thousand-Year Old Heavenly Noodles had been reborn.

Slowly, with uncharacteristic shaking hands, Xiuying grabbed a spoonful of the noodle soup, pausing for a moment to take in the sound of the spoon entering the soup that somehow had an indescribable elegance to it.

Staring at the spoon of Thousand Year Old Heavenly Noodles, Xiuying took a deep breath and swallowed the saliva that had been building up in her mouth before finally tasting the noodles of legend.

Immediately Xiuying was struck by the incredibly rich taste of the Thousand-Year Heavenly Noodles. It felt as though an uncountable amount, as well as an immense variety of savouriness, had been packed together with every effort put into doing so, yet it was easy to eat and swallow, both soup and noodles sliding down into the stomach with effortless ease. It was like thick layers of flavour that had been accumulating since ancient times were coming undone and spreading around inside her mouth. Primitive taste buds that had been dormant up until now were waking up little by little.

It was an ancient taste and yet somehow it was a fresh flavour as well.

The feeling of satisfaction that this noodle soup gave Xiuying was incredible. It was unbelievably delicious.

However, as Xiuying basked in the flavour of the legendary noodles, she felt it. A wave of power began to spread throughout her entire body. However, Xiuying took little notice of it, far too immersed in devouring these heavenly noodles. As she ate more and more, the power within her body grew stronger and denser. It was only after she finished several bowls of noodles that she finally noticed the change in her body.

"...So this is the power of the Thousand-Year Old Heavenly Noodles," Xiuying murmured to herself in disbelief. Throwing out a punch that immediately sent forth a powerful gust of wind, knocking over pots and pans in the kitchen, Xiuying could tell that she had somehow gained the strength of at least a cultivator at eighth heavenstage, perhaps even more. "...Not bad."

"Hey Xiuying! You okay? I heard pots and pans falling down!" Xiuying heard Huoying shouting from outside the kitchen. Looking around, Xiuying grimaced at the mess she had accidentally made.

"...Crap."

It would take most of the afternoon for Xiuying to clean up the kitchen. It would also be a few more days before Xiuying finally realised that it was the pot and not the ingredients that had allowed the creation of the Thousand-Year Old Heavenly Noodle Soup.

Needless to say, the pot became one of Xiuying's most precious treasures. Such powerful noodles would surely aid her in her journey to master the principle art of cutting. It was truly worth staying true to noodles while following this path of Sword.

…

…

A hooded figure sniffed the air and frowned before cursing in annoyance.

Word had already been received by the sect that the fool that had gone off to try and obtain the treasure of Rice Noodle Peak had been slain, after inciting a group of blood bandits to attack the village and devouring ancient noodles created by the legendary noodle chef, Shang Long Zo.

The fool had failed to read through the ancient texts properly or else they would have understood that the true treasure were not those ancient noodles that have long since gone past their best before date but rather the Thousand-Year Noodle Pot, one of the ten Legendary Cooking Utensils that had been created by the mystical gourmet master chef Shui Lei. The Thousand-Year Noodle Pot was said to be able to transform any noodle soup ingredients into Thousand Year Old Heavenly Noodle Soup that would give great power to those that ate it. Learning that the fool had been focused on only the noodles, the Dark Star Kitchen Sect had sent him to retrieve the pot.

"Damn it. Someone has already discovered the true treasure." The man muttered darkly. Despite being several days away from Rice Noodle Peak Village, the man somehow managed to catch a small whiff of the legendary noodles. "Hmph, looks like this won't be a simple task then. No Matter. I will simply have to change tactics then."

All the Legendary Cooking Utensils were destined to fall into the hands of the Dark Star Kitchen Sect. Only they alone understood the true essence of cookery and it was by right that their sect should possess the Legendary Cooking Utensils. Anyone who would stand in their way would pay the price for obstructing their ultimate goal of dominating the cooking world of the Virtuous Flipper Region.

Whoever now held the Thousand-Year Noodle Pot would rue the day that they foolishly stood in the Dark Star Kitchen Sect's way.

 

[shibosho]

Xiuying Ten Jiang 12 - Noodle-Lovers of the Secret Realm

"This is bullshit! The Huoying that originally entered the Secret Realm died decades ago and I'm what crawled out of her ashes! I'm pretty much a completely different person! There shouldn't be any reason why I can't go in!"

"I'm sorry, Lady Huoying, but despite reverting back to your youth, you still count as having already entered the secret realm. Many apologies but rules are rules. Any cultivator may enter the Qiguai Secret Realm once every Great Realm, regardless of whether they have been revitalised and regained their youth or reverted back to one of their previous states." The guide said, sounding bored, having most likely repeated the same thing to other senior-turned-junior cultivators in the past. "I don't make the rules of the Secret Realm so there's no point in complaining about it to me. Your friend can enter, however."

"Chill, Huoying. It's fine if we don't go in." Xiuying said, trying to placate her friend. "I've already got some good treasures on me and I've recently unlocked another section of Master's Manual so really, it's no big deal if I don't go to this secret realm thing."

Huoying sighed and counted to ten while taking a deep breath before turning to Xiuying who was looking at her like a puppy who didn't want to be left alone.

"Look Xiuying, we both agreed that in order for you to get stronger faster, you'd have to go risk exploring a Secret Realm. There's a war that's gonna be happening soon and we both want to be as strong as we can be when it hits." Huoying explained. "While it's unfortunate I can go back into the secret realm, having entered it before god knows how long ago in my previous life, you still have the opportunity to hit jackpot and power-up big time!"

"But-"

"No buts Xiuying! As your technical senior, I highly recommend that you go into that secret realm and gain strength!" Huoying declared in a haughty manner as though she was some young mistress of a great clan, her chest pushed forward and her arms akimbo.

"...Understood, Huoying! This one shall endeavour to meet your expectations!" Xiuying said, bowing with her hands clasped together, playing along with her friend's shenanigans.

For a few seconds, they stood there frozen in their poses before a snort from Huoying finally set them both off, causing the two girls to start laughing wholeheartedly. After taking a moment to catch their breath, Xiuying gave Huoying a hug.

"Take care then, Huoying! Remember to eat well and not use arson as an answer to all your problems!" Xiuying said, squeezing her best friend tightly.

"Haha, blasphemy. Fire fixes all problems. And you take care as well, Xiuying. Send a message once you're done and out, okay?" Huoying replied, returning Xiuying's hug.

"Oi! Are you two gonna just stand here and make out or are you gonna get going? There are other people waiting to go in, you know!" The guide shouted, having grown tired of the two girl's shenanigans.

With that, Xiuying said her farewell and after a few quick explanations and last minute checks on her gear, she proceeded to make her way into the Secret Realm.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

"C-CO-COLD!"

Xiuying didn't know what to expect when she walked through the shining glowing portal to a mystery place. She certainly didn't expect to step out a few feet above the ground and fall face-first into some weird wet cold white stuff. Despite being a cultivator, she was only third heavenstage so she was still easily affected by extreme temperatures. Quickly absconding into her noodle cart, Xiuying took a moment to collect herself and figure out where she was and why everything was so cold.

In one of the textbooks from her legion training days, Xiuying found a description of something called snow that matched what was outside her cart. Apparently, it was like rain except frozen but not like super solid. It was similar to the shaved ice coconut jelly dessert that the cart was capable of making - but without any of the coconut cream, jelly or anything to give the powdery ice any flavour.

How weird.

Despite the cold, however, Xiuying couldn't help but feel comfortable as the qi in the environment felt just like how it was when she was learning under Master Jiang. She never really understood how hard cycling her qi was compared to when she was still in the village. The best theory she had was that her master emanated qi during his stay in her village, allowing her to draw upon more potent qi than was normally available in the third sea.

It had taken several years for her to come up with this idea though she couldn't really confirm it since she hadn't been back to her village in over twenty years. She still wrote to her family but recently she hadn't been getting any replies back from them. After she was done with this Secret Realm place, she would go and visit her family and see how they were doing.

After she'd gotten warmed up and had a meal (noodles, of course), Xiuying got into the noodle cart's control seat and began her search for fortune and power. Well, that's what she was planning to do as soon as she got out of this weird cold place. Way too cold for her liking. And wouldn't herbs and plants be unable to grow in such a cold place?

Without a map to guide her way, and the cart's automatic driving mode disabled, Xiuying spent several days lost in the frozen tundra zone of the Secret Realm. Thanks to the noodle cart, Xiuying travelled in almost luxurious comfort. The bizarre appearance of the noodle cart made any spirit beasts that made the tundra their home wary and unwilling to confront the mysterious wagon-like artifact. Without good knowledge of spirit plants, particularly those that grew in such cold places, Xiuying ended up missing many valuable herbs and spirit plants as her cart trundled through the snow.

By the time she finally made it out of the snow-filled tundra, Xiuying's patient had been wearing thin. Being stuck in the snowfields was a pain and being cold was horribly uncomfortable for the desert-dweller. The moment she found herself surrounded by vibrant greenery and warm weather, Xiuying couldn't help but let out a cheer of relief.

"SCREW THE COLD!"

Free from the frozen tundra area, Xiuying was eager to finally begin her search for great treasure in earnest. With so many interesting looking places that she could see out in the distance that was away from the frozen tundra, there was sure to be something that could help her get stronger.

All she had to do was head over, and get searching.

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It had been several weeks since Xiuying escaped from the snow-filled area in this part of the Secret Realm. With her noodle cart providing both shelter, warm showers, and delicious food, Xiuying hardly experienced any discomfort while searching. Unfortunately, her search for rare herbs, mysterious treasures, and the likes was so far fruitless. Almost every hidden tomb or ruin that she found had already been ransacked by the previous visitors. She'd even found one mysterious tomb in the middle of being dismantled by a team of cultivators for the qi-infused building materials that they were made from.

All the herbs she found were common stuff that could be easily obtained outside the Secret Realm, and most of them went into her noodle pot to add a spicy but fresh flavour to her meals. Most of the spirit beasts she hunted were weakling whose beast cores were barely formed and were almost useless to Xiuying beyond what she could use in the kitchen. It was actually getting Xiuying kinda down with how pathetic her findings were.

Xiuying's poor mood only picked up when she found herself in the midst of a large encampment on the outer edge of the Secret Realm where Qi Condensation cultivators from all across the Virtuous Flipper met, traded, haggled, and fought over all kinds of treasures. It was a slice of civilisation in a mystical but hostile realm. As Xiuying explored the place, she took note of the people around her. With her noodle cart in storage, she looked like any other female cultivator, discounting her rather worn-out clothing.

One thing that Xiuying could never understand was people's obsession with fashion. Master Jiang, while his clothes were clearly made from very high-class material, didn't look all that different from a travelling cultivator from a lowborn clan. Compared to the elaborate and bizarre fashion sense from cultivators who looked more like preening peacocks in human form, Master Jiang's appearance was both humble and cheap looking. Her own clothes weren't expensive either. Though made out of better material than was available back in her village, it emphasised comfort and practical use over any kind of beauty or aesthetics beyond commoner peasant, or commoner mercenary to be more exact.

Her best clothes were her kitchenware and apron, gifts from Huoying on her thirtieth birthday. While still subdue and minimalistic in style, they were at least fancier than anything else she had in her pile of clothes. She once heard people say that appearance was important but honestly it was an idea that was beyond her meagre understanding of fashion beyond looking intimidating or beautiful in order to make people think about you in a certain way apparently. She was more content with just her normal everyday look.

Plus she was certain that the Grand Elder of the Golden Devil Clan wore simple clothing as well but everybody took him seriously. When one was powerful enough, you could damn well wear whatever the hell you damn well please.

Something to ponder on when she had free time.

Still, seeing a lot of people who looked much more well-off than her was slightly discouraging. However, she also noticed that most meals that people in the Secret Realm ate were mostly roasted spirit beast meat, fruits, wild vegetables or whatever preserved rations that they brought with them into the Secret Realm. Seeing a dearth of warm decent meals in the encampment, Xiuying knew what she had to do.

Though she had come to the Secret Realm in order to find an unorthodox means of further advancing her cultivation, she was still at heart a noodle-vendor and as her father once taught her, a noodle-vendor must always be willing to offer a hungry soul a warm bowl of noodle soup.

As a noodle-vendor, she had a duty to fulfil.

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Wang Xuegang was hungry.

He'd been in the Qiguai Secret Realm for a couple of months now. Being a seventh stage qi condensation cultivator, Xuegang had done admirably well in surviving the many dangers that the Secret Realm had in store for its visitors. He had fought man-eating spirit beasts, braved the treacherous waters that hid many underwater perils beneath its surface, and even had to contend with rivals who sought to steal his prize that he had earned fair and square.

However, exploring a secret realm took its toll on a person, especially if they had been running from one big fight to another. After barely fighting off another spirit beast, Xuegang decided it would be prudent to head to the safety zone to restock on healing pills and elixir as well as trade-off some of the less valuable stuff that he had collected so far in his journey in the secret realm. Unfortunately for Xuegang, his provisions were also reaching their limits.

Spare provisions and the likes were often sold at a premium in the secret realm since very few treasures in this place could stop a person from starving to death or dying a dog's death from an improperly treated wound. Good food was often hard to come by as well. While hunting was also a viable way to keep one self fed, the meat of spirit beasts were often difficult to prepare properly without the right tools or facilities, usually resulting in terrible food.

Many cultivators simply try to endure the many discomforts that living off the land entailed, taking it as training their convictions and willpower. However, no matter how much they might tell themselves that this was all part of their training, being qi condensation cultivators, they are still greatly bound to their earthly desires. Eating after all is both a necessity and a pleasure for a mortal person. Though cultivators like to think of themselves as beyond mortal men, they are still bound by such pleasures.

Thus when a delicious and fragrant aroma wafted past his nose, Xuegang couldn't help but follow the scent, his stomach growling with hunger for something that wasn't bland rations. His nose led him to a corner of the trading hub area of the encampment where he found to his surprise that someone had managed to bring a food cart into the Secret Realm. Not only that, they were selling bowls of what looked like noodle soup. Tables and chairs had been set up in a large area before the food cart and almost every spot was taken by other cultivators, most of whom were happily slurping down bowls of noodles.

It was a scene Xuegang least expected to see in the Secret Realm of all places. Deciding to observe the scene a little longer, Xuegang noticed that people were paying for the food with either mortal currency, common herbs, chunks of spirit beast meat, and, from what he could tell, information about valuable gathering or hunting spots in the secret realm. The fact that there was a line of customers at least several dozen people long told Xuegang that the noodles being served at this mysterious food cart was not ordinary. If it was popular enough to gather all these cultivators, Xuegang had to try some himself.

Taking his place in the queue, Xuegang waited patiently for the line to move. Despite the number of people before him, whoever was manning the food cart was quite fast and it didn't take long before it was almost his turn to order. With only a couple more people in front of him, Xuegang could finally see the owner of this food cart. By all appearance, the person manning the food cart looked like a young woman with simple humble clothing, unlike the fineries and expensive silks that many female cultivators that he knew were obsessed with. Reaching out with his senses, Xuegang could tell that the young woman was only a third stage qi condensation expert.

Not unheard of as the Secret Realm was a place with many opportunities that can easily change around even a lowly first stage qi condensation cultivator's fortunes if they were lucky enough. Many low-level cultivators who come to the Secret Realm dream of finding a lucky opportunity though most usually fail and in many cases die in their attempt to break free from mediocrity.

Still, the girl was a strange one to open up a noodle cart in the Secret Realm when her time would be better spent exploring and foraging for rare herbs herself. Regardless of the oddness of it all though Xuegang's growling stomach made him more than happy to ignore the why and how of the girl's life choices in favour of getting a hot meal that wasn't some improvised stew or roasted meat.

"Welcome! What can I getcha?" The girl behind the counter said when Xuegang finally made his way to the front of the line. She gestured to the menu that had been attached to the side of the food cart wagon thing. Xuegang frowned as he read the menu, finding himself unfamiliar with a number of the noodle dishes on offer. There were very realistic pictures of the menu items with clear prices next to them in mundane currency going from a few silver coins for the cheapest and relatively simple noodle soup to a handful of gold coins for a luxuriously decadent "ramen" that was garnished with all kinds of expensive ingredients including gold leaves. However, this confused Xuegang since he had seen several customers pay the girl with uncommon spirit herbs and even spirit stones before.

Then he saw the item at the bottom of the menu - the "Thousand-year Heavenly Noodle Soup" which claimed that it could temporarily boost a person's combat ability by several small realms for at least half a day. If it really could do as it was advertised, then it was essentially the same as a powerful pill or elixir. Not only would such a meal enable a person to fight significantly above their level, but they would also make exploring and hunting far more efficient.

However, the price of pills and elixirs that did the same thing were usually quite expensive and not something easily obtained. However, when his eyes turned to where the price was, he saw the words "Pay what you think it's worth. Limited stock per day". Xuegang's eyes widened in shock as he sensed a great bargain here. The spirit stones and herbs, and even just the information that had been used to pay the girl were nowhere near what such a potent noodle soup was worth. This girl was surely either a fool to sell such a meal at cutthroat prices. It also suggested that the meal in question might not be as amazing as it sounded.

"Hmmm, tell me about the Thousand-Year Heavenly Noodle Soup." Xuegang requested, his suspicion aroused and his heart wary. Surely it had to be some kind of fake. The girl smiled and moved aside to show off a rather large pot with an elaborate design on it. However, Xuegang could immediately tell that the pot was some kind of treasure and not only that he could smell an incredible rich aroma coming out from it. The smell immediately stimulated his appetite even more and his mouth suddenly filled up with drool.

"This here is the Thousand-Year Noodle Pot! It can turn even a whole bunch of normal ingredients into the magical and powerful Thousand-Year Noodle Soup." The girl explained, lifting up the lid of the pot. As soon as the lid came off, something that could be described as a ghostly glow of ever-shifting colours, swaying left and right, emanated from the pot. The rich smell intensified and Xuegang could no longer stop his saliva from flooding his mouth. He could hear the customers behind getting restless as they took in the smell and light show as well. "I guarantee you that it works just as advertised. As long as you eat it fresh out from the pot, it'll power you up till you're practically unbeatable within your great realm!"

"Gulp", Seeing the mystical glowing effect coming out from the noodle soup as well as that unbelievably rich aroma that was making his stomach roar in hunger, Xuegang swallow his drool and threw away his remaining hesitation. "One bowl of Thousand-Year Heavenly Noodle please!"

"Okay. How much are you willing to pay?" The girl asked and Xuegang grimaced as he recalled what he had on him. Taking a moment to take stock of his belongings, Xuegang mentally swore as he remembered that he had lost his coin pouch to a metal-eating spirit beast. He'd already traded off his less valuable herbs, leaving him with stuff that he couldn't possibly lose. He had some spirit stones left but those were for emergencies. Xuegang couldn't help but groan. He didn't even have any money for the cheapest noodles, let alone those Heavenly Noodles!

"Um...you accept information, right?" Xuegang hesitantly asked, recalling how other customers had given information as payments before.

"Uh-huh. If it's bogus though, I'm putting you on the blacklist for life and banning you from eating my noodles ever again." The girl cheerfully answered. Xuegang let out a sigh of relief before frowning. Being blacklisted and banned was too soft of a punishment for fraudulent payment. "I'll also cut your head off if I ever meet you again."

"Oh, um well...Alright then." Xuegang took a few moments to wrack his brain for any useful information about the Secret Realm that the girl might be able to use. He then recalled a half-hidden hut in the midst of a spirit beast nest that looked like it had yet to be disturbed by anyone. He hadn't been able to investigate it since he'd been injured earlier by an enemy cultivator so he was forced to give up on it. Surely giving the girl the location of this hut would work fine as payment.

After giving the noodle cart girl the information which she accepted happily, Xuegang watched in anticipation as the girl prepared a bowl of the thousand-year heavenly noodles and placed it on a tray before handing it over to him. A set of chopsticks and spoon along with several napkins were placed next to the bowl of noodles. Xuegang did everything he could to keep his drool from flooding out from his mouth as he carefully took the tray and headed over to a free spot in the dining area.

Luck was with Xuegang as he found a free spot in the corner of the dining area with no-one else nearby, just him alone and a bowl of heavenly noodles. While Xuegang was still somewhat sceptical about the noodles' supposed power to temporarily raise his combat ability several small realms higher, his hunger had gotten the better of his judgement and the noodle soup did smell absolutely delicious. If the noodles did turn out to be a fraud and tasted terrible, he would go and cripple the girl for her insolence and deception. Taking a look at his bowl of noodles, Xuegang frowned.

He could only see noodles in the bowl. Where was the soup?

It took a few moments for him to realise that there was in fact soup in the bowl. It was just so clear that it was invisible to the naked eye. And yet the smell was still there and a small light show shimmered above the bowl. Truly mysterious. Alright, maybe Xuegang won't cripple the girl. Picking up the spoon and chopsticks, Xuegang hesitated for a moment. Was it possible that this bowl of noodle soup might be poisoned?

Xuegang shook his head, pushing away those paranoid thoughts. Impossible, he had seen all the customers happily eating the girl's noodles and they were still fine. He'd never met the girl before and his clan had no beef with the Golden Devil clan so she would have no reason to specifically target him. Taking a deep breath, Xuegang finally took the plunge and slurped up a mouthful of heavenly noodle soup.

The moment he tasted it, Xuegang couldn't help but bite into the soup and noodles. The taste was rich, so incredibly rich that he had thought for a moment that he had put a minced meat steak into his mouth. An innumerable number of savoury flavours of all kinds danced upon Xuegang tongue yet it was so easy to eat and swallow. It was like thick layers of deliciousness that had been accumulating since ancient times were gradually coming undone and spreading throughout his mouth.

No, not just his mouth. It was as though his entire body was submerged in a bottomless ocean of deliciousness. And as he bathed in this endless pool of ancient yet refreshing flavour, a mysterious energy that had been hidden within this noodle soup was gradually permeating throughout his entire body. It was like being caressed by the power of the heavens. Yes, this was surely the noodle soup of the heavens.

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"Hey Wang, what the hell up with that guy? He's just drooling and staring out into space with a really bawdy grin."

"You mean that guy, Tong? Ah! He's eating those Thousand-Year Heavenly Noodles! They're so delicious that you can't help but grin like silly."

"Oh man, I wanna taste those Heavenly Noodles as well! I hear they also boost your speed and strength by several folds as well."

"Fat chance of that. We barely have enough reagents for entrance fees and for our pills."

"Yeah and we got really lucky with those as well. No information on possible hidden secret gardens and the likes from us."

"Still, that girl is really weird for setting up a noodle cart here, even if she is selling those Heavenly Noodles of hers."

"Eh, who cares as long as it's good. Have you eaten her beef pho? I've never had noodles as good as those in my entire life before!"

"How about that Tonkotsu noodle soup? Absolutely delicious!"

"You wanna get another bowl?"

"You bet!"

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As Xiuying continued to sell her noodles, she garnered both goodwill and interest from various parties. Her Heavenly Noodle Soup was by far one of the hottest items available in the encampment. Not only were they more effective and cheaper than most pills and elixirs that were normally available to qi condensation cultivators, there were no adverse side effects and, even better, they tasted absolutely delicious.

Even though only a few people were able to buy her Heavenly Noodle Soup, many were more than content with her more common noodle dishes. Indeed, it didn't take long for people to come early in the morning to line up to buy multiple servings of different kinds of noodle dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even those who had animosity towards the Golden Devil Clan were charmed by Xiuying's noodles.

However, not everyone was pleased by Xiuying's presence and her noodle dishes. In the shadows, malicious intent was slowly making its way towards Xiuying Ten Jiang. Soon, she would meet for the very first time in her life, those who despised noodles.

...

Omake Bonus: Life Saving Treasure

 

[shibosho]

Xiuying Ten Jiang 13 - Treasure-Hunting in the Secret Realm

Xiuying had spent about a fortnight serving out dozens upon dozens of noodle dishes to the hungry visitors of the Qiguai Secret Realm. During this time, she amassed a considerable amount of herbs that were often used in medicine or alchemy as well as a good deal of money as well. She also received a great deal of information about places of interest in the secret realm and possible locations of treasures that had yet to be claimed. She had also garnered a good reputation amongst even those who longstanding animosity towards the Golden Devil Clan.

Unfortunately for the cultivators staying at the encampment, it was about time for Xiuying to resume her exploration efforts and find something that could help her become stronger. The day before she was to set off, she sold more noodles than usual thanks to many customers opting to buy the noodle cart's special takeaway boxes to keep their noodle soup fresh and warm for future meals. Others had tried to convince her to join their party and work together but Xiuying was adamant about going at it alone. Huoying had warned Xiuying that she should find her fortune by herself because more often than not, it was easy for a group to devolve into violence and betrayal when a great treasure was found and only one could obtain it.

Xiuying also didn't like the way some of the people who offered to party up with her were looking at her. Xiuying might be an idiot but she was no moron.

That was why, at the crack of dawn, Xiuying left the encampment. To avoid too much hassle, the swordswoman shifted her cart into its miniature form and headed out on foot. She had arrived at the encampment inside the self-moving food wagon and had made a large impression on those who saw her enter so those who might try and pursue her would most likely be looking out for her food cart, after having seen some of its functions. It was simple to change her clothes to something a little bit fancier. She'd worn mostly her work clothes during the last couple of weeks so it was easy to change her appearance to avoid being called out when she left.

Once she was a far distance away from the encampment, Xiuying brought out her food cart and headed inside to figure out where she would go first. Xiuying had received a great deal of information about the Secret Realm and possible locations of mysterious treasures as well.

Somewhere in the Secret Realm, there was a lake of sparkling water with healing properties. Bathing in it would help soothe one's injuries and relieve fatigue. However, one needed to be careful when bathing in it for it was very deep, and there was a strange current that would drag anyone careless enough to submerge themselves into its dark depth, never to be seen again. Rumour has it that a powerful artifact was hidden at the bottom of the aquatic abyss but no-one had yet to ever confirm this rumour with most of those who tried diving into the depths never surfacing ever again.

Elsewhere, there was a vast underground cavern that was home to a bloated beast. Too big to escape through the passageways leading to and from the cavern, the beast learnt how to lure in fresh prey using many different tactics. While extremely dangerous, the beast was said to have an interest in objects that could be considered valuable and had a small hoard of treasures located within this cavern. If one was to obtain this treasure hoard, they would surely become rich beyond imagining.

In another place in the Secret Realm, it was said that hidden in a cursed forest full of gigantic ancient dead trees was a mystical spring from which grew the sole living tree in that forest. This tree would bear fruit for a very short amount of time every century and this rare fruit was said to grant great insight into one's cultivation among other things. However, to reach this spring, one would have to make their way through the cursed forest which slowly drained the qi of all who entered. With a natural array that made almost every location in the forest look almost the same, it was all too easy to get lost within the accursed forest and wither away into nothing.

While it was impossible for Xiuying to determine whether the information she'd received as payment were true or not, it was much better than her previous situation where she had no idea what she was supposed to be keeping an eye out for. The only way she would be able to figure out what was true or not was to go check out the sites in person. She'd also received information about common spirit herbs and other kinds of easily-obtained valuable material so this time she would definitely be able to gather some decent stuff for trading at least.

Her teacher had often told her stories about their own adventures through weird and amazing places filled with both danger and treasures.

Now it was time for her to go make her own story of adventure and fortune.

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There were many stories about how The Black Banshee Swamp got its name. The most well-known story was about a princess who had eloped with her lover, only to be betrayed and left sinking to her doom in the depth of the swamp. Her vengeful ghost is said to still be heard wailing in hate and grief throughout the swamplands. To be honest, a lot of the stories that Xiuying heard about the origins of the Black Banshee Swamp tend to have a woman or more drown in the swamp for one reason or another and their ghosts being the cause of the terribly wailing sound that could be heard whenever someone travelled through the swamp.

In Xiuying's opinion, the Black Banshee Swamp was called as such because of all the bloody screeching birds that were hidden in the mangrove trees. According to the information, the swamp used to be the territory of some powerful demon beast that had killed hundreds, perhaps thousands of cultivators before a large group of hunters managed to bring it down. In-fighting between the hunters resulted in its core being lost somewhere in the swamp, along with a good deal of its body parts.

Xiuying's current goal was to find this particular core but as her exploration moved forwards, she was having seconds thought about coming to the swamp. It certainly didn't help that her pants and boots were now filled with mud. While it would have been easy to walk on top of the swamp, it was frankly a waste of qi. And if the Core did still exist, it would have sunk into the mud.

Unfortunately for Xiuying though, after about a day crawling through mud, the swordswoman managed to find the beast core when some giant frog-mudfish thing suddenly snatched it out of her hands with its tongue before swiftly swimming away through mud. Being knee-deep in mud and caught off-guard, Xiuying was unable to pursue the thieving beast. Tired of being covered in mud, Xiuying gave up on the beast core.

Though disappointing that some weird frogfish thing had stolen the core right from her grasp, Xiuying was not disheartened however as the fact that the beast core did actually exist meant that there was a good chance that the rest of the information that she had were usable. Optimism was one of her stronger traits after all. Falling into despair after a set-back like this wasn't in her. Hopefully, the next location would prove more fruitful.

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Xiuying grimaced as she found herself looking down into the chasm below her once again, as she inches across the ledge. As per her master's advice, she'd brought a very long length of mundane but strong rope and was using it to secure herself as she searched for her target. According to the information one of her customers had given her, the chasm she was in right now was a place where one could find rare herbs and possibly lightning swiftlet nests.

However, the bottom of the chasm was covered in thick mists and all kinds of dangerous demon beasts made this place their home. Though it was said there were many riches in this place, it was notoriously difficult to search for even a single misstep that would alert the creatures of this place and draw their ire. Those who had flying artifacts who tried to simply search from the air would immediately find themselves assaulted and torn apart from all sides by angry flying and very territorial demon beasts.

Only with patience and stealth could one sidle across the cliff face and seek out treasure unmolested by the beasts of the chasm.

Misfortune struck Xiuying again however when a cliff-fanger suddenly popped its head out from its cave that Xiuying had not noticed in time and spotted her when it turned to look to its right. The moment it spotted her, it had let out a deafening screech, alerting its pack and completely ruining her attempt to explore the cliffside.

Xiuying was forced to flee the chasm, beheading a number of demon beasts that she regrettably could not dismantle as she ran. She did manage to demonstrate one of the precepts of Sword Law, successfully running along the wall in complete disregard to gravity. She'd almost slip and fell into the chasm when she ran out of qi near the exit.

With the demon beasts of the chasm agitated and alert, it was no longer possible for Xiuying to explore the chasm for a good long time. That was another target gone and time wasted. Xiuying let out a sigh when she was safe and away from the chasm of death and doom. Hopefully, the next place will have treasure that she can get without much hassle.

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Xiuying glared at the bustling group of cultivators who were in the midst of dismantling what had once been a tomb holding the legacy of a nascent soul cultivator. Whatever legacy or treasures that the tomb once held had already been pilfered by whoever was leading this group of cultivators. With the main treasure gone, these cultivators were now taking away literally everything they could get their hands on that wasn't nailed down - which was pretty much everything.

She'd heard how some desperate or obsessive people would go as far and to take even the material that tombs and legacy sites were made from. Not a bad idea since the material to protect and maintain such legacy and treasures had to be top quality stuff. Dismantling a tomb and other such places was something that only a large-scale expedition could accomplish. A singular adventurer seeking treasure would not have the time, manpower, or storage capacity to accomplish such a feat of engineering and deconstruction.

Xiuying ended up spending a couple of days at the site, selling noodles to help soothe her frustrations after several failures to capitalise on the information she'd receive in payment for her noodles back at the encampment. Though there was some initial hostility from the cultivators, suspicious of outsiders, Xiuying's noodles quickly won them over and soon she was receiving both minor treasures and valuable information from her new customers. She even got to take a qi-infused brick as a gift from one weird stuttering red-faced fellow. What a strange person.

After having sold noodles for a while, Xiuying headed off to the next location. At this point, Xiuying was just hoping for even some half-finished or semi-rare treasure to be found.

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The path to the hidden grove was filled with many beasts. Unlike the chasm where a single misstep would have her plummeting into the mists to her death, Xiuying now had more than enough space to swing her blade without a care in the world. Together with a serving of Thousand-Year heavenly Noodles, Xiuying cut a path through the long grass, cutting down all beasts that blocked her path.

Just as her master taught her, Xiuying's mind was empty of all thought, her body infused with her will - her desire to cut, as she encountered one beast after another. For it is not the sword that cuts. It is want that separates flesh from bone, not sinew and steel. Packs of beasts were decapitated, usually several at the same time in a single swing. Soon, the beasts and monsters that lived in the forest began fleeing from the practitioner of Sword Law as they realised that they could not stop such a terrible being.

Xiuying's consciousness flickered in and out of awareness as her body cut through the beasts. Unfortunate beasts that managed to meet her eyes would find themselves staring into dark empty pools that showed no light within them. By the time she reached the dilapidated cabin in the hidden grove, Xiuying's clothes were splattered in the blood of spirit animals and her strength almost at their limits, the power of the heavenly noodles having expired only minutes ago.

"...Please let this one be the one," Xiuying murmured as she approached the cabin. Up till now, almost every place that she was told had treasure or rare resources were either too dangerous, already been picked clean, or otherwise a complete dud. Eventually, she was gonna run out of time and be forced to leave the Secret Realm or else something bad would happen to her. She couldn't afford to waste any more time.

Entering the cabin, Xiuying's shoulders slumped as she took in the ruined state of the place. It had definitely not been used in a long time. It was dusty and the walls were filled with holes. The wooden furniture looked like they could crumble the moment someone touched them and as far as she could see, there was no sign of any valuables in the place. Xiuying felt her heart sink before she caught herself and slapped her cheeks.

She had yet to actually give the place a proper search. She needed to do that at least before falling into despair.

After spending around an hour carefully looking through the cabin, she finally found something interesting. She'd found a large sealed pot that was strangely in good condition in comparison to the rest of the building. Breaking the seal, Xiuying found what looked like a sheaf of wheat. However, the moment she'd opened the pot, a golden light had almost blinded her, illuminating the dim cabin.

Even with her relatively weak level of cultivation, Xiuying could feel the potent qi in the wheat. She'd finally found it. She had found a suitable treasure to aid in her cultivation. Looking at the golden wheat, Xiuying licked her lips.

With such high-quality wheat in her hands, there was only one thing a noodle vendor such as herself could do.

Time to make some noodles!