âWant to hear a story about this beggar chicken?â Yang Wei asked softly while continuing to place dirt around the lotus leaves, making sure itâs covered everywhere.
Elder Jing nodded her head slowly as she stopped questioning his action.
Yang Wei smiled and started speaking about a modified version of the original story.
A story about his past 7 years in the village before becoming a cultivator.
âIt was during the time when a boy turned 12 years old, chopping down some woods while missing his parents. Although he was no longer sad about their departure, he still blamed himself for their death, and at the same time, he was all alone.â Yang Wei said calmly but Elder Jing knew who the boy was.
However, she didnât interrupt him and allowed Yang Wei to continue telling the story.
âOne time, the boy lost motivation and wondered if the money he made could even help him to enter the sect until a chicken ran past him. He started to remember his hometown specialty where he slowly ate a beggar chicken made by his grandma in his previous life.â
As Yang Wei got up to this point, some tears started dripping down when he recalled his previous life on Earth where his grandma would always make beggar chicken for him.
His grandma was always there, supporting his decision every single time despite being looked down on by everyone else. She was his motivation and the one who brought him back up from being in depression.
Remembering the first bite he took from the beggar chicken, Yang Wei vowed to himself that he would make this dish for someone special if he ever met one.
âBeggar chicken is a unique dish that doesnât require much seasoning because the lotus leaves itself when being cooked in a fire would bring out the natural flavor of the chicken.â Yang Wei finishes his story there as he placed the beggar chicken into the fire.
The fire slowly burned around the dirt covering the beggar chicken and Yang Wei glanced at Elder Jing who was silent the entire time.
Elder Jing stared at Yang Wei and asked, âThat boy is you right?â
Yang Wei nodded his head since he wasnât planning on hiding it from her.
Elder Jing smiled and continued her words, âIâm glad that you had a grandmother that supported you in life. I was also the same where my grandmother would always play with me whenever I got bullied in the family.â
Yang Wei raised his eyebrow in shock, seemingly in disbelief that Elder Jing was willing to talk about herself with him.
Elder Jing knocked his head slowly and said, âYou better be grateful that Iâm telling you something that has been in my heart as thanks for making the beggar chicken. However, you better make sure itâs delicious like you said otherwise, I will punish you thoroughly.â
âThank you Elder Jing,â Yang Wei replied and held her hand slowly. Elder Jing didnât refuse his approach and held it tightly as they watched the fire continue to burn.
Time slowly went by and the aroma from the beggar chicken continued to spread around, causing Elder Jingâs stomach to grumble loudly.
Yang Wei wasnât an exception too as his stomach was eager to chomp on the beggar chicken already but he needed to be patient with this dish or else, his effort would be wasted if he rushed and cracked open the dirt.
Suddenly, footsteps can be heard from outside, alerting Yang Wei and Elder Jing.
âDamn it, they arrived back too quickly. I didnât make any for them.â Yang Wei cursed aloud as he was not willing to share the beggar chicken with his so-called disciples.
Not even Lian Xinyue was an exception because Yang Wei only planned on eating the beggar chicken with Elder Jing.
âYou donât have to worry about them interrupting us. I already carved some wording in the entrance for Elder Pao Huang to see with my true qi.â Elder Jing said with a prideful expression.
She had already expected them to clean the field fast since they donât want others to know that their sect has killed the members from the Purple Scorpion Sect which would bring disaster to them.
Meanwhile, Yang Wei wanted to clap his hand in admiration for her foresight but couldnât because his hand was currently holding Elder Jingâs hand.
He was not willing to let go of it and pray that he can continue holding hers forever.
âThe cooking seems to be done,â Elder Jing said with anticipation as she couldnât imagine the flavor that would be produced from this unusual cooking technique.
Yang Wei smiled bitterly as he could only let go of her hand to clear the fire out and used a small tree branch to bring the beggar chicken to the cold ground.
Elder Jing watched the process solemnly as she saw Yang Wei start cracking the dirt open, revealing a steamy white cloud in the air.
Yang Wei tried to open up the lotus leaves to reveal the glistening chicken but yelled aloud when he touched the lotus leaves.
âHot,â Yang Wei exclaimed as he almost burned his finger from the heat and Elder Jing touched his hand in concern.
âBe careful next time. If others learned about a cultivator burning himself accidentally because of cooking then youâre going to be a laughing stock.â Elder Jing exclaimed as she blew the finger to soothe his burnt wound, causing Yang Wei to blush slightly from the intimate action.
Yang Wei smiled with a gentle expression as Elder Jingâs behavior reminded him of his deceased grandma where she would blow his finger gently when he burned his finger for touching the lotus leaves in a hurry.
âWhen you know the food is hot, you should wait for it to cool down before touching it. Youâre an adult already and you said itâs your hometown specialty so you should know that the lotus leaves are extremely hot after being slow-cooked.â
Elder Jing scolded, causing Yang Weiâs heart to have a meltdown.
Yang Wei couldnât hold back his emotion anymore as he leaned forward and kissed Elder Jingâs lip, causing her to open her eyes wide in surprise at his bold action.