"Wait. What if we open all the other pores? Can you?" He asked what anyone would ask.
[Yes, we can but it will be faster if we open the pores at higher realms like Spirit Condensation, which is the second stage after Spirit Breathing because Eternal Life Core Elixir is not the right method to open more pores at the lower stages.]
"Hmm…then we need a better method?"
[Yes.]
"Let's hold for a moment, let's have something to eat first." Lu Sheng quickly unwrapped the bandages and stood up, making his way to the kitchen. "Ouch! I forgot about my leg," he winced as a slight pain shot through his injured limb. "Can you automate my walking to reduce strain on my broken leg?"
[Automation Initiated.]
He limped towards the kitchen dreaming about another scrumptious big bowl of fried rice.
The kitchen was located in a separate walled area, completely disconnected from the living quarters. It was a spacious area that was designed specifically for cooking and food preparation.
The kitchen featured a large storeroom that was used for storing food items, a well for water, and a separate room for the cook.
The stove room was equipped with all the necessary cooking tools and appliances, including a stove, mud oven, and a large countertop.
A separate room was the personal room of Yu Yunxia. And lastly, the kitchen had a trash disposable pit, which was used to dispose of all the waste and garbage produced during cooking.
Approaching the Kitchen gate, he hesitated, realizing his previous carelessness led him to get caught but he did get rewarded for it. Like a pervert, he opened the door slightly to peek inside.
In the morning fog, he saw nothing much. He felt disappointed not to find anyone near the well where he was anticipating another chance, a glimpse of naked steamy beauty.
After waiting for a few moments and sensing no movement inside the kitchen, he opened it, behaving like any normal person announcing his entrance.
He was expecting Yu Yunxia to come out to see who had entered but nothing happened. "Big Sister?" He called out and still no response. "Big Sister Yunxia??" He called out again and still nothing.
"Where is she?"
[Maybe, she is out to get groceries?]
"Seems like it."
He entered the cook room where he enjoyed the fried rice as he looked around. Nothing was out of the ordinary. He looked around into the utensils if he could find something to chew on.
"Did we come here too soon?" He finds nothing.
[Yes, we are 30 mins early.]
"Why didn't you say so? And why did you wake me up so early?"
[You slept from 7PM to 7AM, how much more do you want to sleep? Also, even the previous Lu Sheng used to have his breakfast around 9AM.]
"Oh, so that's why I accidentally disturbed Big Sister's bath yesterday." He kept on looking for anything to munch on but found nothing appetizing, so he decided to leave.
However, as he was leaving, he glanced at the room—Yu Yunxia's room.
[What are you thinking?]
"Nothing." Although he said nothing, he couldn't resist the temptation. His curiosity got the better of him, and he quietly approached Yu Yunxia's room.
[Host, this is an invasion of privacy. It is not appropriate. If we get caught then we will be labeled as pervert.]
"I know, I know. I won't do anything. Just a peek, okay?" He tried to justify his actions.
He reached the door and slowly opened the lockless door to peek inside. "Big Sister? Are you there?" He called out but no response again.
As he opened the door, he saw a small room.
It had only a bed, a little table next to it, and a cupboard. The bed looked old, with a faded quilt and a couple of pillows.
The small table seemed to be made of bamboo, and there was an oil lamp on it. The cupboard, made of dark wood, had two doors, one slightly open.
The room was not very bright, with light only coming in through a small opening on the side wall, giving it a gentle glow.
[She is not here, let's leave before anything happens.]
Lu Sheng pretended not to hear anything, captivated by the musty, warm, pleasant scent in the room. Slowly, he approached the bed, feeling its warmth when he touched the corner of the quilt.
A powerful, sweet aroma filled his nose, making his blood surge and his self-control slip away.
Succumbing to the irresistible temptation, he pressed his chubby face against the coziest spot on the bed and took a huge, satisfying sniff.
*Crack*
All the blood on his face drained as he heard the main entrance of the kitchen door open and felt the presence of someone outside. He quickly wanted to leave but panicked.
"LU SHENG! YOU FAT SCUM! STUFFING YOUR FACE ALREADY!!!??"
"Lu Zhan!?" Lu Sheng recognized the voice.
He felt a little relieved knowing it was not Big Sister Yu Yunxia. However, it wasn't entirely good news either because if Lu Zhan saw him in the room of a woman, he would likely spread the news everywhere.
Lu Sheng would be publicly labeled as a pervert, a panty thief.
In a panic, he looked around to find a place to hide. Hiding below the bed wasn't a good idea because it was open, and his large size would be easily visible.
Additionally, the Lu Clan's white robe with a blue cloud pattern would stand out under the bed.
Without any delay, he quickly opened the large cupboard and found the lower shelf empty, with only a few folded blankets.
He grabbed the blankets, sat inside with them on his head, closed the door, and waited for Lu Zhan to leave, hoping that he wouldn't notice anyone was there.
"That Fat Bastard! Is he not here also? Didn't he really get injured?" One of his lackeys commented.
"It has to be a lie. He kept me waiting for the entire day yesterday, and he probably used some trick to spread the news of his fake injury. Now he's not in his room, and we can't find him anywhere else." Lu Zhan sneered.
"Is he secretly preparing for the Tranquil Spirit Realm? That's why he is hiding from us? No wonder he had the guts to challenge us but it seems he does not want to open his cards early and that's why he is hiding from us?"
Lu Zhan looked at his lackey as if he was looking at some idiot. "That fat trash? Secretly preparing? He must be secretly eating or sleeping somewhere. Let's return."
Lu Zhan and his lackey left the kitchen, and Lu Sheng, still hidden inside the cupboard, let out a quiet sigh of relief.
[Host, let's get out of here before someone else comes looking for us. We both forgot that your injury was supposed to keep you in bed for 3 months.]
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. This was a close call," Lu Sheng whispered, still huddled inside the cupboard.
[Let's wait a moment before coming out to ensure there is no one waiting for us.]
Lu Sheng nodded silently and waited patiently inside the cupboard. After a few minutes, he cautiously opened the door and peered outside.
He cautiously looked around to make sure no one was around and put the blanket back as usual.
As he was setting up the blankets back to their place, a thick book fell out. He picked it up and started examining it.
[What is it?]
"I don't know, Some kind of Cultivation Method, I guess? Should we take it? We are looking for one, anyway."
[Quickly glance at each page clearly for a moment.]
He quickly started browsing each page, he was at page 20 when he heard something outside.
"Oi, you vixen maid? Do you know where your fat master is?" Lu Zhan's voice echoed from the outside of the Kitchen walls.
[Quickly leave the room, Yu Yunxia is back.]
Lu Sheng quickly put the thick book back where it was and closed the cupboard silently. He quickly left the room, closing the door and stealthily hid inside the cook room near the big fire stove.
"Young Master Sheng is injured, he will be in his room." Yu Yunxia's sweet but unemotional voice echoed.
"You both are playing a clever game, don't you? One is spreading false rumors and one is hiding, what are you both trying to achieve here?" Lu Zhan demanded.
"Young Master Zhan, I live a secluded life, I have no contact with anyone in the clan, even if I had, why would they listen to my words and believe them?" Yu Yunxia replied, her tone calm and composed.
Seeing there was no outcome coming out of this conversation Lu Zhan stamped his foot and turned to leave.
"If you see your fat master then inform him that he owes us ten Spirit Beads lost in a duel for not showing his face. Otherwise, this time we'll ensure his leg truly breaks." Lu Zhan left and Yu Yunxia sighed.
She slowly entered the kitchen carrying multiple items in big baskets, her both hands were occupied so she was not able to close the main door. She quickly entered the store room to settle down all the food items.
[Host, this is the perfect time to leave.]
"Yes, but I am feeling very nervous…and guilty."
[Fine, let me automate it, Okay?]
"Please!"
His body suddenly changed its stance, and with each careful step, he left the kitchen through the main door. He quickly returned to his room and found it completely trashed.
"Fucking Lu Zhan!!!" He cursed under his breath. "What now?"
[I am confident that Yu Yunxia will come to check on you and deliver Lu Zhan's words, let's check other places.]
He quickly checked all the places and found only his washroom untouched.
"What now?"
[We have to come up with some excuse.]
"We can say that we were in the washroom when Lu Zhan came and he didn't bother to check for some reason."
[A very lame excuse but we have nothing else, let's quickly bandage up.]
Lu Sheng returned to collect bandages when he noticed his bandages had all been cut into pieces.
"What now?" He panicked.
[Let's hide in the washroom and make our excuse believable.]
Lu Sheng nodded and collected all his bandages to hide with them in his washroom.
Meanwhile, Yu Yunxia returns to her room when she smells something different as if someone has polluted her room's aura. Without any thought, she quickly opened her cupboard and looked in the blankets.
She found the thick book and felt relieved, she quickly opened the book and found no pages missing too. She put the book back and was about to close the cupboard when she noticed something.
There was a circular oily mark on the inside wall of the cupboard. She ran her finger over the mark and sniffed it. It had a medicinal scent, which prompted her to remember the words of Lu Zhan.
"You both are playing a clever game, one is spreading false rumors and one is hiding, what are you both trying to achieve here?" She squinted her eyes.