Thud.
"Finally…" Jiu Xian closed the book with a long breath, as though he had just finished a battle. 'Cultivation for dummies' the book cover read.
Yao Qing looked up. "Done already?"
"Yes." He lifted his head high. "Memorized."
She let out a low whistle. "Show-off."
Rolling her stiff shoulders, she muttered, "Just one more chapter and I will also be done with this stupid book."
The duo was busy studying when a rich aroma drifted through the kitchen and found its way to their nose.
Grumble!
The smell was delicious, snatching all their attention away from the books.
"You hungry?"
"Yes. I could eat."
They blatantly ignored the grumblings of their stomach and pretended like they had just noticed it was time for lunch.
"Here, eat this." Granny entered the living room, carrying three bowls on a tray.
Jiu Xian and Yao Qing stared at the bowls on the table. They were filled to the brim with steaming hot broth, full of meat and herbs.
""Thank you.""
They brought the spoon to their mouth and took a sip.
"Ygh!"
Cough! Cough!
"What happened? Is it not to your taste?"
"Did you put sugar inside it?" Yao Qing grimaced.
"No."
"Then, is there poison in it?" Jiu Xian raised an eyebrow, his eyes turning playful.
"Tsk! How did you find out? I thought my plan was perfect." Granny chuckled beneath her hood.
"I knew it."
'This is the worst meal I've ever had' Yao Qing swallowed the words, careful not to hurt her feelings.
"Your taste doesn't matter. It will aid you in your cultivation. So, finish it."
Granny did not show much reaction to the horrendous taste of the meal, but inwardly her mind was reeling.
'Is my cooking that bad? No way… Even without my sense of taste it's impossible for my cooking to taste that bad…
They must have a weird taste, otherwise they would be licking their fingers. Mom and Dad always did.'
Unaware of the heresy in Granny's mind, Jiu Xian and Yao Qing forced the sugary broth down their throat slowly, tears forming in the corner of their eyes.
After the meal they went back to studying.
The start of their cultivation journey turned out to be very dull, they could only hope that real cultivation was not as mundane.
After the lunch, their reading speed increased, their mind felt more active than before, even the speed at which they memorized the books increased twofolds.
The basics of human body, the circulation of Qi, the map of meridians, the dantian, the warning signs of deviation. They learned in depth.
Their minds were swollen with knowledge.
Yet they had not cultivated a single strand of Qi.
Jiu Xian couldn't help but think of a friend back in Crouching Fish Village — a fellow who had never once been in a relationship yet spoke as if he had lived through a hundred love stories.
That's us, Jiu Xian thought.
We may sound like seasoned cultivators… but we're still complete novices.
Hours passed, and the words began to blur together…
A thick smell struck Jiu Xian's nose.
It was a familiar smell but before he could trace it, his eyes narrowed and ears stood it. His mind screamed at him to run.
"Yawn! I think I should sleep."
"Yes, I'm also feeling sleepy."
They whispered to each other and tip toed their way to their room.
"Huh?"
"Why can't we move?"
A thin layer of green Qi enveloped them, stopping them in their tracks.
"Stay right there." Granny's menacing voice came from behind. "You think you can run?"
They were dragged back to the table where two bowls of broth waited them. The smell, and even the appearance was appetising.
"Eat."
"I'm not hungry."
"…"
They took a sip.
Their eyes widened. They nearly gagged. The taste was different this time, but it still tasted like garbage.
Whatever happened in the future, this taste would always stay in their mind, tormenting them in their sleep. Of this, they were sure.
After another tear-filled dinner, Jiu Xian and Yao Qing asked granny to sit down and chat with them. She accepted and brewed a cup of tea for them.
"Have you heard of Ice Jade Palace?"
"Oh? Ice Jade Palace? It was a small sect in the frigid northern ridges. I know because their sect master's beauty was often compared to mine… Though I'm more beautiful."
She laughed haughtily.
"A small sect?"
'That's not right.'
"How long ago was this?"
Her laugher stopped.
"A Thou— I mean some time ago."
"…"
"…"
"Really. Believe me."
"Yeah. We believe you." Jiu Xian and Yao Qing looked at her in pity and wonder. "Ah, right! I have this cultivation method which I have not been able to succeed in."
"Can you tell me more about it?" Jiu Xian's eyes lit up, his voice raised an octave.
Granny took a moment then pulled out a jade from her sleeve.
"Close your eyes and try to recall about the method while pressing this jade against your forehead.
Jiu Xian did as he was told.
The cold jade begun to turn warm, and a green light surrounded it as memories about the Golden Sun Cultivation Method replayed inside Jiu Xian's mind.
"That's enough. Give the jade to me."
Granny studied the technique.
"Hmm… It's a decent technique. I have a supplementary technique that can aid you in capturing the Sun Qi,"
Jiu Xian's smile widened.
"But it's not here. So just forget about it right now and focus on the book."
She sipped her tea.
The atmosphere in the cabin was warm unlike the cold night outside.
"U-Um. Can you show us your face?" Yao Qing's innocent question made the air inside turn cold. Colder than the night.
A heavy pressure enveloped them, before it quickly receded back.
"You should go to sleep."
She turned around and entered another one of many doors in the cabin.
This time they did not heard and roar, but faint rustling of leaves and a sweet scent of nature struck them.
They looked at each other.
"D—Did I ask something I shouldn't have?"
"Hm. I don't know. But don't worry, Granny's a good person. She will not take it to heart."
"Let's go sleep."
They entered their room and laid down, this time however there were no pillows between them.
Neither of them mentioned the missing pillows.
Yet neither moved to put them back.