In the small courtyard’s kitchen, an oil-sizzling aroma was currently drifting through the air.
The two little ones were wearing a black and a white cotton apron, busily working together with unspoken chemistry amidst the dense steam and the scent of food.
“Xiao Qiancha, the sugar.”
“Coming!”
Lu Qiancha moved at the call, her small hands nimbly picking up the heavy bag of brown sugar from the shelf and steadily handing it to Ling Wanbai.
“And the flour.”
“Right here!”
Lu Qiancha turned around and, with a heavy grunt, used every ounce of her strength to push a large bag of flour from the corner to a position where it was easy for Ling Wanbai to reach.
“A little more water.”
“Mhm… here!”
Lu Qiancha picked up the ceramic pot filled with clear water and carefully placed it on the edge of the stove.
Afterward, the two of them stood side by side in front of the wide cutting board. Ling Wanbai skillfully plucked off pieces of soft dough, while Lu Qiancha was responsible for wrapping the glistening brown sugar filling inside.
She used her small hands to pinch them shut and roll them into spheres. Before long, the cutting board was covered with white, plump shapes waiting to be finalized into sugar cakes.
Next was Ling Wanbai’s time to shine. She expertly controlled the heat, sliding the sugar cake prototypes one by one into the warm oil pan.
Frying slowly over a low flame, golden oil bubbles danced cheerfully around the cakes.
Once the sugar cakes became golden and crispy all over, with tempting small bubbles bulging on the surface, she used long chopsticks to lightly lift them, draining the excess oil before neatly stacking them in an open food box to the side.
“It smells so good…”
The rich, sweet fragrance aggressively invaded her nostrils.
Lu Qiancha could no longer restrain herself; she stood on her tiptoes by the stove, her little nose twitching as she greedily inhaled the mouth-watering scent.
The tail behind her wagged back and forth unconsciously, looking extremely joyful.
“Xiao Qiancha,” Ling Wanbai gently tugged at the corner of her apron, her voice carrying a hint of helpless laughter, “you have to wait for them to cool down before eating, otherwise you’ll burn your little tongue.”
“Mhm… I know.” Lu Qiancha pouted reluctantly, leaving the aroma-filled kitchen while looking back every three steps. she obediently returned to Xun Xue’s room, waiting anxiously for the sugar cakes to cool.
However, the wait did not last long.
After just a moment, the door was pushed open with a creak.
But the person standing outside was not Ling Wanbai carrying the food box, but their solemn-faced Master, Xuan Ya. Following behind her was a slightly nervous Gantang.
“Master, Junior Sister.” Lu Qiancha hurriedly rose from her chair, preparing to salute properly, but Xuan Ya spoke indifferently: “No need for formalities.”
“Mhm…” Lu Qiancha stood up straight and tilted her small head, her deep blue eyes filled with questions. ‘Does Master and Junior Sister have something to see me about?’
Her gaze subconsciously swept over Gantang, who was also looking at her.
“There is indeed a matter.” Xuan Ya nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping between Lu Qiancha and Gantang. Her tone was calm yet carried a weight that could not be ignored.
“Recently, there has been unusual movement in Wanghai City by the coast of the East Sea. Demonic energy is pervasive and quite abnormal, suggesting a great disaster may manifest.”
“The Sect has ordered each peak to deploy elite disciples to investigate. You two must also go with the main group to represent my Tianquanfeng and clarify the situation.”
“Wanghai City?” Lu Qiancha tilted her head, trying to search her memories for information on this small city. An ordinary town by the East Sea.
“Yes.” Xuan Ya responded, her expression suddenly becoming even more serious. She looked sharply at her two young disciples.
“This trip is out of the ordinary and may be dangerous. You two must remember that your core responsibility is only to investigate! If you sense that the source of the demonic energy is too powerful to match, you must—”
She deliberately emphasized her tone, saying each word clearly: “Withdraw immediately. You absolutely must not try to be brave.”
“Prioritize your own safety above all else and report back to the Sect quickly; the sect elders will handle it. Do you understand?”
Feeling the solemnity and concern in their Master’s words, Lu Qiancha and Gantang immediately straightened up and replied in unison: “We know, Master!”
“This disciple understands!”
Hearing her two disciples’ crisp and decisive responses, Xuan Ya felt slightly more at ease, yet she could not help but sigh softly.
She added, “For this investigation, the Sect will dispatch a Heavenly Immortal stage elder to accompany and protect the group.”
“You two must remember to be respectful to this elder and seek opportunities to get close to them. If you truly encounter irresistible danger, this elder might be your last path to survival.”
“Mhm, this disciple remembers.” Lu Qiancha immediately nodded vigorously, her small face looking entirely serious.
Gantang, who was at her side, also hurried to respond: “Yes, Master. This disciple will surely keep it in mind.”
Xuan Ya’s lips moved, intending to give a few more instructions regarding more critical details—
Creak.
The door was pushed open gently.
A small figure carrying a large food box that was nearly half as tall as she was walked in with light steps. Her crisp voice broke the solemnity of the room: “The sugar cakes are here.”
She seemed unable to feel the stagnant atmosphere in the room as she carried the food box directly in front of everyone.
The eyes of the three people in the room—Xuan Ya, Lu Qiancha, and Gantang—instantly focused in unison on this uninvited guest, Ling Wanbai.
“Hmm? There are guests?” Ling Wanbai seemed to only just notice the presence of Xuan Ya and Gantang. Her gray eyes swept over them calmly, and she tilted her head slightly.
Then, she very naturally pushed the food box, which was emitting a tempting sweet fragrance, toward them. She asked in a voice without any fluctuations, “Do you want to eat? They were just fried and are still hot.”
Gantang and Lu Qiancha’s bodies froze as if they had been struck by an immobilization spell. Two pairs of eyes simultaneously and cautiously darted toward the calm-faced Xuan Ya sitting at the head of the room. Neither of them dared to breathe loudly.
Xuan Ya helplessly closed her eyes and then opened them, slowing her tone as much as possible as she spoke to Ling Wanbai: “Little one, could you put the food box aside first? We are discussing important matters.”
“Mhm.” Ling Wanbai nodded without objection, nimbly placing the food box on a low table nearby.
However, the lid of the food box was not tightly closed. A thin, wispy, soul-hooking sweet fragrance, like a most cunning little sprite, stubbornly crawled out from the gap and instantly filled the room.
To Lu Qiancha, who was already starving and had been enduring for a long time, this scent was simply a form of torture.
Her large blue eyes, as if pulled by invisible threads, involuntarily glanced toward the food box on the low table again and again.
Her small nostrils twitched slightly, and her throat moved in an unconscious swallow.
In order to resist this powerful temptation, she even raised one little hand to her mouth, her tender fingertips unconsciously nibbling as if this could temporarily alleviate the itch in her heart—
But when the corner of her eye caught the cold figure of her Master nearby, her heart suddenly jolted.
‘No, Master will find out.’
The little wolf cub suppressed her impulse, reluctantly tearing her gaze away from the food box.
She moved it back to Xuan Ya with great difficulty, while simultaneously pulling the small hand that was about to be bitten into tooth marks away from her mouth, placing it properly behind her back.
‘I can’t bite my hand, or I’ll be beaten. Master’s horsetail whisk hurts so much.’
She thought with lingering fear. ‘And… and if I cry from the pain, how embarrassing would that be in front of my Junior Sister?’
Xuan Ya took in this entire series of clumsy cover-up actions by her eldest disciple, and the corner of her mouth twitched violently, unable to be restrained.
She remained expressionless but quietly sent a secret voice transmission to Gantang at her side.
Her voice carried an unprecedented gravity and a trace of an undetectable headache: ‘Gantang, once you reach Wanghai City, you must keep a close eye on your Senior Brother.’
‘Remember, remember! Do not let others easily lure her away with a few pastries or a stick of tanghulu.’