Wei Qing's scalp went numb. "Where did you get this?"

Wei Qing now knew a fair number of secrets about the Chongming Bird Clan, such as this Jade Bamboo, which was an absolutely top-tier treasure. Not only could it be refined into a Lifebound Magic Treasure, but it was also one of the finest delicacies.

However, the Jade Bamboo was far too precious. Each Chongming Bird could only go to the ancestral Jade Bamboo Forest to choose a stalk once in its entire life. When the bird died, the bamboo shattered.

No outsider had ever managed to take a single piece, let alone eat it. A hundred-section Jade Bamboo would require at least a million years to grow; it definitely wasn't a gift from the Chongming Bird Clan.

Xu Lai chuckled. "Years ago, when I was a guest of the Demon Race, I went from house to house for some friendly exchanges. They were so moved that they gave me quite a few things."

A friendly exchange? Given to him because they were moved?

Wei Qing's mouth twitched slightly. She was unaware of Xu Lai's identity as The Supreme Emperor, but from his words, she could infer that his Boundary was probably very high. Frighteningly high.

"You're in luck. This is the only hundred-section Jade Bamboo I have," Xu Lai said, rubbing his hands together. "Since you're here today, let's make a pot of soup."

Does that mean... he has many Jade Bamboos with fewer than a hundred sections?

Wei Qing was dumbstruck. This was no friendly exchange with the Demon Race; it sounded more like a robbery!

"What are you two muttering about? Wei Qing, don't worry, just leave the kitchen to Xu Lai. His cooking is out of this world."

Ever since Xu Lai had entered the kitchen, Ruan Tang had given up on her own disastrous cooking and instead sat on the kang, setting out the bowls and chopsticks.

Wei Qing turned her head and gave Ruan Tang a long, deep look, her heart filled with immense gratitude. Back then, Wei Qing had only stepped in because she couldn't stand seeing Ruan Tang get kicked while she was down. She had never expected to get anything in return from Ruan Tang in the future.

It was a small act of kindness, but what Wei Qing didn't know was that her gesture had saved the Ruan Tang of the past. And what Ruan Tang didn't know was that her own small act of kindness had, in turn, saved the Wei Qing of today.

As he stewed the Jade Bamboo in the iron pot, Xu Lai felt a wave of emotion. Good and evil were a cycle. The distance between a person and goodness was merely a series of seemingly insignificant small deeds. It was just as The Seventh Divine General of the Heavenly Court, Chang Nian Gu, once said: "Just do good deeds, and do not ask about the future."

* * *

Knowing how incredibly precious the hundred-section Jade Bamboo was, Wei Qing drank the soup with extreme care, afraid of wasting even a single drop.

Ruan Tang, on the other hand, ate casually. She even found the flavor a bit bland and added a large spoonful of chili oil.

"Delicious!" Ruan Tang exclaimed in delight. "Xu Lai, Wei Qing, you have to try it! It's sweet, spicy, and crunchy. A heavenly delicacy."

What a sinful waste of a priceless treasure, Wei Qing muttered to herself. It should have been sipped slowly.

But then it dawned on her that the delicacy she regarded as a priceless treasure was likely just an everyday meal for Ruan Tang's family. For a moment, she didn't want to leave Earth anymore. She just wanted to latch onto her powerful old classmate and never let go...

* * *

A large pot of Jade Bamboo soup was too much for three people to finish. Xu Lai said, "If you don't mind the leftovers, you can finish them before you leave Earth."

I wouldn't mind at all!

Wei Qing quickly thanked him, then tidied up the bowls and chopsticks and changed the bedding. She smiled, "The quilt and pillow are new, and the kang is heated. You two can go to sleep."

"No, no, no!" Ruan Tang grew flustered. There was only one quilt on the kang. How were they supposed to sleep? She hesitated, "Wei Qing, I'll sleep with you."

"..."

Wei Qing lowered her head and asked cautiously, "Are you two having a fight?"

"It's not exactly a fight, it's just..." As she spoke, Ruan Tang snuck a glance at Xu Lai.

Seeing that the two women were about to start whispering secrets, Xu Lai chuckled softly, stood up, and left the house. He had just sensed an extraordinary presence in the village and decided to take this opportunity to deal with the trouble.

The village wasn't large, housing only a hundred or so families, most of whom were elderly. After dinner, this group of neighbors, who had known each other for decades, sat chatting under a large, cool tree.

When they saw Xu Lai, they were intrigued and waved him over, asking which family's child he was. However, upon learning he was a friend of Wei Qing, their eyes filled with disdain, and they took several steps back.

Only a white-haired elder glanced at Xu Lai before looking away again. An old dog lay at his feet, and he held a teacup with a cracked spout. He was lounging in a wicker chair, eyes half-closed, gently rocking and humming a little tune, clearly in a good mood.

Xu Lai's gaze was calm as he walked over to the elder. Not minding the dirty ground, he plopped down on the flagstone.

The white-haired elder opened his eyes again to look at Xu Lai. Under the moonlight, his smile was exceptionally kind. "Young man, is there something I can help you with?"

Hearing the elder speak, the villagers were stunned. The old man's name was Chong Yuan. He had lived in the village for decades and was said to be over a hundred years old, a long-lived senior. But he only ever spent his days basking in the sun and moon. He never spoke or acknowledged anyone, so for him to speak today was a shock.

"Nothing much," Xu Lai said with a smile.

Chong Yuan, however, sized up Xu Lai and asked, "Are you close with Wei Qing?"

"Neither close nor distant."

"Then I'll cut to the chase. Don't stick your nose into other people's business," Chong Yuan said with a chuckle. "Many people have come to this village wanting to meddle. In the end, they all died. They're buried right beneath your feet."

Chong Yuan could tell that Xu Lai was no ordinary person, likely a cultivator who had come to Earth from off-world, but he didn't pay it much mind.

Xu Lai remained silent. This elder also had the bloodline of the Chongming Bird. He was a pure-blooded descendant whose Boundary had already reached Half-Step Celestial Venerable. An expert at the Immortal Venerable Realm was considered a major power in the Universe, not to mention his status as a member of the Demon Race's Royal Clan. It was precisely this aura that Xu Lai had sensed and come for.

"You cannot kill Wei Qing," Xu Lai said flatly. "Otherwise, the entire Chongming Bird Clan... will be buried with her!"

"Are you threatening me, or are you threatening my clan?" Chong Yuan's mouth stretched into a grin, but the smile was exceptionally eerie because his mouth took on a shape strikingly similar to a bird's beak.

"A threat?" Xu Lai shook his head. "You aren't worthy. I am merely stating a fact."

Chong Yuan said no more. His eyes turned icy as he launched a palm strike.

He was, after all, a Half-Step Celestial Venerable. The moment he struck, he attracted the attention of the Heavenly Dao. But before the Heavenly Dao could intervene and suppress him, Xu Lai swept a casual glance his way.

Chong Yuan's pinnacle palm strike froze in mid-air. He spat out a mouthful of blood as his inner core shattered in an instant.

A wisp of divine sense dispatched by the Earth Heavenly Dao circled the area but couldn't find the Half-Step Celestial Venerable anywhere. However, upon sensing Xu Lai's presence, the Heavenly Dao's divine sense WHOOSHED away, not even daring to greet him.

His hair disheveled, looking like a madman, Chong Yuan screamed, "I am an Elder of the Chongming Bird Clan, ordered to hunt down and kill fugitive clan members and their descendants throughout the Universe! Who are you to destroy my Boundary? Do you seek war with my clan?!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.