“Senior Brother Gu, did anything happen between you and that girl later?”
Mo Xiaonian showed a curious expression, staring dreamily at her senior brother across the table, as if she were very interested in the follow-up to the hero-rescues-damsel story.
“There’s absolutely nothing between her and me!” Gu Shenzhi declared firmly.
“What’s her name?”
“Bai Ling.”
Gu Shenzhi blurted out the name without hesitation.
The ethereal charm in the eyes of that mud-covered girl had long been etched into his heart, vivid in his memory.
However, the love he once felt had entirely turned into hatred.
From the moment he performed the three kneels and nine bows to become a disciple, he was doomed to lose everything.
Like a rat walking into a trap, he was destined to be devoured by the cunning white snake.
Who could have imagined that the seemingly frail and delicate junior sister by the roadside would turn out to be a world-renowned figure, the leader of the Lingjian Sect?
The cold and ethereal fairy-like exterior was nothing but a delicate lie.
Only by peeling back the layers could one glimpse the heart that was more enchanting than a siren and more devilish than a demoness.
And under the heavens, only Gu Shenzhi knew this truth.
“If there’s no connection, why does Senior Brother still remember such an ordinary name?”
Mo Xiaonian covered her mouth and chuckled, her starry eyes sparkling with liveliness.
Since childhood, she had loved listening to tragic love stories and was particularly sensitive to the emotions between men and women.
Based solely on the strange fluctuations in Gu Shenzhi’s words earlier, she knew things weren’t as simple as he claimed.
“As the young master of the Lingjian Sect, isn’t it normal to know the names of one or two outer disciples?”
Facing his junior sister’s question, Gu Shenzhi responded calmly, his expression as serene as ever, revealing no flaws.
He wasn’t about to fall into the same trap twice.
Having served his master for years, besides swordsmanship and cultivation, he had mastered the art of controlling his expressions, letting his smiles and frowns come and go freely.
Mo Xiaonian was about to press further when the waiter brought the dishes to the table.
The chef’s knife skills were impeccable—lamb sliced as thin as paper, with fat like snow.
The copper pot held two distinct broths: the white broth with floating oil, fragrant and enticing; the red broth sprinkled with chili peppers, spicy and eye-watering.
“Honored guests, your dishes are all here. The innkeeper has prepared a room upstairs, and the items you requested are there as well,” the waiter said hurriedly before rushing off.
Though Wu’an City had covert ties with the demonic sect, it nominally belonged to the Lingjian Sect.
If it were discovered that spies of the evil sect were operating within, the consequences from the sect would be unbearable.
Gu Shenzhi picked up a slice of lamb, dipped it briefly into the broth, and quickly retrieved it.
The meat still had traces of blood, but its freshness and tenderness were unparalleled—silky, elastic, and bursting with flavor, the epitome of simple yet divine taste.
Yue Xi absentmindedly swished her lamb in the red broth, her eyes fixed on Gu Shenzhi.
So what if he was a bit handsome, a bit refined, and had exceptional talent in swordsmanship?
She couldn’t understand what Ling Huang saw in him.
Moreover, this beast had not only tarnished Ling Huang but also toyed with the innocent Tao Yao.
And it seemed he had a fling back at the Lingjian Sect as well.
Clearly, he was someone who deserved to be dealt with, yet the sect leader insisted on protecting him.
In her opinion, he should be exiled to the perilous Mingyun Gorge to fend for himself.
Suddenly, snapping out of her wandering thoughts, Yue Xi noticed something and, with a charming smile, asked, “Junior Brother Gu seems to have a particular fondness for the white broth. You’ve eaten so much without even touching the red broth for flavor.”
The white broth represented Bai Ling (Qi), and the red broth symbolized the Red Lotus Saintess.
Gu Shenzhi instantly grasped the hidden meaning in her words.
He wondered why this inner sect senior sister harbored such malice toward him when he had never offended her.
Seeing him momentarily speechless, Yue Xi pressed her advantage.
“It’s not that the white broth is bad—soft, gentle, and all-encompassing; it’s natural to like it. But if you don’t like the red broth, why hold onto it? Isn’t Junior Brother Gu being a bit too greedy?”
“It’s nothing more than this: I heard Senior Sister Yue Xi is particularly fond of the red broth base, so I was waiting for you to go first.”
With that, Gu Shenzhi called out loudly, “Waiter, bring three—no, ten portions of extra spicy broth base!”
The hot pot, now infused with the extra spice, turned a deep crimson.
Countless Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers floated up and down with the boiling bubbles, as if a mountain of peppers had been barely diluted with water.
The fiery, numbing intensity was unimaginable.
“Senior Sister Yue Xi, these are for you.”
Gu Shenzhi smiled faintly, tossing seven or eight pieces of lamb into the red broth, letting them soak up the fiery liquid before placing them in Yue Xi’s bowl.
Staring at the steaming lamb in her bowl, Yue Xi, who usually preferred mild flavors, swallowed hard. She was now in a dilemma.
She could never admit she didn’t like the red broth (Su Linghuang).
Steeling herself, Yue Xi quickly stuffed all the meat into her mouth, chewing silently.
The lamb, saturated with the red broth, ignited her taste buds like wildfire the moment it touched her tongue.
The scalding heat and intense spiciness erupted, filling every corner of her mouth like an uncontrollable blaze.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Yue Xi choked and coughed, clutching her chest with her delicate hand, her body trembling in discomfort.
Seeing this, Mo Xiaonian hurriedly poured her some water.
After drinking half a pot of cold water, Yue Xi barely recovered, but she kept fanning her lips, trying to dispel the lingering spice.
Her efforts were in vain.
Her once delicate lips were now half-swollen, and glistening tears welled in her eyes, making her look utterly pitiful.
After holding it in for a while, Gu Shenzhi and Mo Xiaonian couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Just as Gu Shenzhi was laughing heartily, a sharp pain shot through his foot.
Looking under the table, he saw Yue Xi furiously stomping on his foot with her silk-clad jade foot, occasionally switching to her heel to vent her frustration.
Unfortunately for her, Gu Shenzhi didn’t have that particular fetish, or he might have enjoyed it as much as the last time they played a “tying-up” game.
“Fine, now it’s your turn. If you don’t finish the rest of the lamb in the red broth, I’ll go back and tell Ling Huang you bullied me,” Yue Xi said through gritted teeth, her brows furrowed as she glared at him fiercely.
Mo Xiaonian glanced at Senior Sister Yue, then at Gu Shenzhi, feeling a bit dazed.
It seemed like there was some deep-seated grudge between the two.
Gu Shenzhi picked up the remaining dozens of lamb slices, swiftly passed them through the red broth’s surface, and swallowed them whole without chewing, minimizing the spice’s impact.
However, he had underestimated the power of ten portions of extra spicy broth.
It was as if a fire had been lit in his stomach, burning everything in its path.
Gu Shenzhi began coughing violently, surpassing even Yue Xi’s earlier reaction.
Is it that spicy?
Watching her senior brother and sister nearly pass out from the spice, Mo Xiaonian grew curious.
She scooped a small half-bowl of the red broth, tasted it lightly at first, then drank it all down without leaving a drop.
She muttered softly, “This is barely even mildly spicy.”