GB Chapter 16

The consequence of ignoring two boring masters was that Qian Ren was still penniless. However, he had no pressure staying at the Tian Shi Mansion and eating for free. After observing the layout, he easily found the kitchen.

However, before they could even enter, they suddenly saw Mo Pan, who was already holding a steamed bun and a big spoon, guarding his kitchen, yelling nervously, “Demon! At this late hour, what are you doing in the kitchen?”

Qian Ren, a demon cultivator exuding poison, suddenly appearing in the kitchen of a righteous sect in the middle of the night was a scene full of conspiracy in anyone’s mind. However, when facing Mo Pan’s righteous question, he only answered two words righteously, “Late-night snack.”

“Huh?”

Mo Pan had originally prepared to shout for help at the top of his lungs, but unexpectedly, he received such a normal answer, leaving him a bit confused. Logically speaking, looking for food in the kitchen was the most normal thing. He himself sneaked out for a late-night snack while in confinement. But why did the word “late-night snack” sound so strange when applied to the person in front of him?

Awkwardly looking at this Great Protector of the Demonic Cult, Mo Pan only had one thought in his mind: So, a demon also needs to eat?

While he was still in shock, Qian Ren, on the other hand, did not show any politeness to his junior and directly said, “Since you’ve come knocking on my door, I might as well make use of you. Go, whip up a few dishes.”

This demon cultivator not only arrogantly wanted to enter their kitchen but also ordered him to cook? Where did he get the courage? What was even more terrifying was that the other party was so righteous that he couldn’t even find a reason to refuse!

Staring wide-eyed at the two people in front of him, Mo Pan didn’t know why he had lost his confidence and weakly said, “I…I don’t know how!”

That was the truth. As the direct disciple of the Tian Shi Mansion’s leader, Mo Pan had grown up with fine clothes and food since childhood and had never learned the skill of cooking. However, in Zhuge Qingtian’s ears, it only elicited a sentence full of contempt: “You can’t even cook, you’re more useless than Fu Hongye.”

To this, Mo Pan could only continue to frown, pondering a serious question: Who is Fu Hongye? Is he a famous chef in some restaurant in the city?

So, why was a righteous cultivator being looked down upon for not knowing how to cook? Why did these two both have a matter-of-fact expression? Could it be that righteous people are all supposed to be proficient in cooking? Was his understanding of the world wrong?

One sentence was enough to make the heir of the Tian Shi Mansion begin to doubt his own life. Thinking back, he had also made a Xuan Sect disciple, Fu Hongye, admit his mistake with just a single sentence. In a sense, Zhuge Qingtian deserved his ghost god title. Although he himself didn’t realize there was anything wrong with this, at this moment, he only said to Qian Ren confidently, “Wife, don’t worry. I’m especially good at stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers. I guarantee you’ll eat until you can’t stop!”

Silently looking at him, Qian Ren thought about it and decided not to reveal the fact that he had originally planned to cook himself. It would violate their demon cultivators’ traditional virtue of not working for anything to not use the free labor.

However, sometimes the righteous and the demonic sides can also reach a consensus. For example, right now, Ling Sui Daoren descended from the sky and very naturally added, “Since you two are so interested, how about making a plate of peanuts for this old Daoist as well?”

It was within Qian Ren’s expectations that the Tian Shi Mansion wouldn’t allow a demon cultivator to wander around freely. However, he was speechless at how this old Daoist was openly following him. However, this was when the importance of tacit understanding with his companion became apparent. Before he could even speak, Mo Pan was once again shocked and instinctively asked, “Master, can your dentures eat peanuts?”

Everyone’s gaze shifted toward the old Daoist’s mouth, as he was betrayed by his disciple. Ling Sui Daoren remained as steady as a mountain, patted his disciple’s shoulder affectionately, and said amicably, “Good disciple, go, stir-fry ten plates of peanuts.”

Watching Zhuge Qingtian drag the struggling Mo Pan into the kitchen, Qian Ren didn’t care what they would eventually serve. He only glared at the old Daoist who was monitoring him, and said with dissatisfaction, “You righteous senior came to freeload, do you have any shame?”

As the saying goes, old ginger is spicier. As an old ginger who had lived for more than two hundred years, Ling Sui Daoren’s face was also incredibly thick. As if he hadn’t heard the mockery in his words, he said kindly, “The Great Protector is very good to this husband of yours.”

Unlike their demon cultivators, who started by asking about the ancestors for eighteen generations, the righteous always mocked others without a single dirty word on the surface but still managed to hit their sore spot. For example, now, hearing the word “husband,” Qian Ren’s face instantly darkened. He knew that he couldn’t compete with this old fox, who was already wearing dentures, in terms of verbal skills. He only said with displeasure, “Stop with the nonsense, tell me, which ghost god is he?”

Unexpectedly, he was so direct. Ling Sui Daoren was also stunned for a moment, but finally sighed truthfully, “To be honest, I don’t know either.”

“You’re the one who discovered him, how could you not know?”

Facing Qian Ren’s suspicious gaze, Ling Sui Daoren looked quite helpless and said, “Since ancient times, ghosts have only been seen in single colors. Mourning clothes are for grief, blood-stained clothes are for ferocity. Grief hurts oneself, and ferocity harms others. The clash between white and red is the most ominous, which is why the Ghost Domain has always had the saying ‘two ghosts traveling together bring tears to the world’.”

As he spoke, he seemed to have remembered the God of Lamentation he had encountered in the past, and his expression became a little worried, “According to my guess, his head and body are both ghost gods that are about to take form. However, because of their missing limbs, they couldn’t completely transform into spirits. Later, I don’t know what kind of accident they encountered, and they happened to come together. The two then merged into this form. If his clothes were to turn into blood, he would become a ferocious god. If they turn into mourning clothes, he would become a sorrowful god. It’s also possible that they would suppress each other and become a normal fierce ghost or that the two would merge and surpass all ghost gods. Because everything is unknown, I can only temporarily call him the Joyful Mourning God.”

It was precisely because it was unknown that Ling Sui Daoren didn’t dare to act rashly, afraid that his salvation would instead give birth to a powerful ghost god that would cause trouble everywhere. He could only try to persuade him to restrain his own ferocious power with the concept of reincarnation. Fortunately, it now seemed that Zhuge Qingtian was truly doing his best to suppress his baleful energy. If he could really continue like this, it might not be a bad thing for the world.

Thinking of this, Ling Sui Daoren looked at Qian Ren solemnly, “Great Protector, what kind of ghost god he will become depends entirely on you.”

The existence of ghost gods was naturally better the less, the better for living people. However, Qian Ren wasn’t enthusiastic about the heavy responsibility of saving the world. He neither agreed nor refused, only said indifferently, “Do you have spirit communication talismans there? Give me a few.”

His attitude didn’t reveal anything, and Ling Sui Daoren couldn’t grasp his thoughts for a moment. He took out a few talismans and gave them to him. Just as he was about to offer a few words of advice, Zhuge Qingtian came out carrying the food.

The two of them fell silent when they saw him. Zhuge Qingtian didn’t notice anything strange at all. He walked happily to Qian Ren’s side, pulled him back, and said, “Wife, let’s go back to our room. I made this especially for you. The old Daoist can’t have any!”

Seeing that this ghost god actually believed that he, a Nascent Soul cultivator, would freeload, Ling Sui Daoren couldn’t help but twitch his lips. Well, perhaps he didn’t need to worry too much about the issue of a new ghost god being born. This one’s wisdom was clearly insufficient to cause trouble in any area.

Perhaps his expression was too wistful, Mo Pan immediately served a plate of dark and unknown objects to console him, “Master, don’t worry, we still have peanuts!”

Looking up at him, Ling Sui Daoren instantly felt his hair turning even whiter. This disciple of his had actually stir-fried ten plates of peanuts, forgetting that his master had been in a state of meditation for a hundred years… Sigh, and they were all burnt… It seemed like the future of their Tian Shi Mansion was also a bit worrying.

While Ling Sui Daoren was pitying his disciple’s inability to read the room, Mo Pan looked at the departing Qian Ren with a somewhat bewildered expression. In his understanding, demon cultivators were the cause of suffering for the common people, and protecting the world from demon cultivators was their duty. Just like flowers are flowers and grass is grass, demon cultivators are demon cultivators, and everything should have its own order. But this Demonic Cult protector was very different from what was written in the books. Although he was a little strange, he didn’t seem like an evil person.

This was a challenge to his understanding for a young man, and he could only seek answers from his elders, “Master, the Demonic Cult protector doesn’t seem as terrible as the rumors say.”

He didn’t expect him to ask this question. Ling Sui Daoren stroked the horsetail whisk on his arm, realizing that in the blink of an eye, his disciple had also reached the age to go out and train in the world. He then sighed softly, “Enemies are not necessarily bad people, and comrades are not necessarily good people. Things that are too black and white may not be a good thing. When you truly understand this, you won’t be far from forming your Nascent Soul.”

The young man’s expression was one of understanding and confusion. Ling Sui Daoren didn’t expect him to fully understand it, and he just casually added, “As for now, finish these ten plates of peanuts, and then go back to your confinement.”

What is righteousness, and what is evil? Mo Pan was still confused about it, but it didn’t stop him from looking at the ten plates of pitch-black peanuts with tears in his eyes. This was called, “Master, I was wrong! I’ll never sneak out during my confinement again! So, can I not eat the peanuts?”

Of course, all he received was the caring words from his master, “Of course, not. This is to teach you to clean up the mess you made yourself. Don’t always rely on your elders.”

While the two masters and disciples were having a heartwarming conversation about life, Zhuge Qingtian, who had returned to the room, was also actively placing the dishes all over the table and looking expectantly at Qian Ren, “Wife, come try my cooking!”

Perhaps it was because he had been in contact with a place with such a living atmosphere like the kitchen after a long absence, Zhuge Qingtian seemed to have found some feeling of being alive, and his expression was clearly more cheerful than usual. Glancing at him, Qian Ren didn’t show any expression. He just patted the stool next to him and said casually, “Come sit.”

Although he didn’t know what he was going to do, Zhuge Qingtian obediently sat down. Then, he saw the man take out a bright yellow talisman and stick it to himself. As a ghost, he was naturally wary of these talismans. He subconsciously became a little nervous, but he still controlled his baleful energy and didn’t resist. Just as he was about to ask, he saw Qian Ren pick up a vegetable from the table and take a bite. Immediately, the aroma of the vegetable came from his mouth. It was a taste that he hadn’t tasted since he died, the taste of food.

“This… this is… why do I…”

He had been dead for too long, and the tastes in his memory were already vague. Now that he suddenly felt it again, he was at a loss for words and could only look at Qian Ren in surprise.

The Tian Shi Mansion took in ghosts, so they naturally had ways of communicating with ghosts. Qian Ren had only remembered that their spirit communication talismans could share senses with ghosts, so he had just asked for a few to use. He didn’t expect Zhuge Qingtian’s reaction to be so big. He could only say calmly, “A talisman used by the Tian Shi Mansion to communicate with ghosts. The old Daoist forced them on me.”

Qian Ren didn’t know how lonely the world after death was for someone who was trying to live. The happiness in Zhuge Qingtian’s memory was simple; it was enough to have simple meals and a warm bed, but after his death, he lost all sense of the world, and he couldn’t even enjoy such ordinary happiness anymore.

He couldn’t smell any odors, and even if he held things in the world tightly, he couldn’t feel anything. It was as if the entire world was telling him—you’re already dead, you should leave.

But he couldn’t reincarnate, so from beginning to end, he could only stay alone in the graveyard, enviously watching living people walk past in the distance. That was a bright future he no longer had.

And now, he had finally regained some feeling of when he was alive. He was not only excited by the taste in his mouth but was also happy that someone had finally seen him and would do something for his feelings. From the moment he opened his eyes and locked eyes with the man in black, he was no longer a ghost alone in the mass grave.

He was clearly someone who had never been reserved, but at this time, he didn’t know what to say to express his happiness. He could only say excitedly to the man as always, “Wife, I want to have a wedding with you! Now! Right away!”

He usually had the word “wedding” on his lips, but he never expected Qian Ren to agree. However, today, for some reason, he had a faint thought that even if there was no reincarnation, it seemed nice to always be with the person in front of him.

However, before he could properly think about what that idea represented, Qian Ren had already glanced at him expressionlessly. Then, Zhuge Qingtian felt a numbness in his mouth, and instantly, he couldn’t care about anything else. He covered his mouth and shouted, “Numb! So numb! Wife, are you really human? You can actually bite a peppercorn in half without changing your expression!”

Watching him quickly bring a cup of tea to wait for him to drink with anticipation, Qian Ren, who had successfully made Zhuge Qingtian shut up for the first time, was in a great mood. The corners of his lips involuntarily turned up. He then drank the tea, thinking to himself that this talisman was quite good, and he should take more of them.

Qian Ren’s tolerance had always been good. Even though Zhuge Qingtian was so shocked by the numbness that he stuck his tongue out, he acted as if nothing had happened at all. Zhuge Qingtian could only look at him with an admiring gaze, but it was just that look that captured the fleeting smile at the corner of his lips.

A person so cold as if he had no emotions, when he smiled slightly, was like the spring breeze of February that had just cut through the new green grass, a gentle warmth hidden in the coolness. In that instant, Zhuge Qingtian only knew that from that faint smile, he saw the continuous rain and the clouds stretching in the wind, as well as a pool of spring water flowing endlessly from the depths of his soul as the ice and snow melted.

Staring blankly at him, Zhuge Qingtian instinctively opened his mouth, “Wife, you… you smiled!”

“You’re seeing things.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Qian Ren instantly returned to his usual cold expression. He glanced at him, and his chopsticks reached for the plate, scaring Zhuge Qingtian into grabbing his arm and begging for mercy, “No, no, I was wrong. Put down the peppercorns. As long as you don’t eat the peppercorns, anything is fine!”

Watching him finally give up on the method of using peppercorns to die together, Zhuge Qingtian finally breathed a sigh of relief. But secretly glancing at the man’s icy face, he couldn’t help but think that this person usually didn’t show any expression, but when he really smiled, his expression was surprisingly gentle.

Author’s note: Zhuge Qingtian: Do you know how excited I am right now!

He Ku: I understand, your mood right now is like eating the noodles on the package of instant noodles! That’s how I felt when I forced a kiss on He Huan!

He Huan: But I’m the one who’s the top???

Qian Ren (coldly): Give me a pound of peppercorns, thank you.