“Actually…”
Yu Sheng lowered his head, staring at the plates of dim sum, his expression calm and detached, with a somewhat pale face. “Actually, what?”
Zhang Xiaotian said, “Actually, I’ve heard a saying that if food is buried in front of a grave, the deceased can enjoy it.”
Yu Sheng felt like crying but had no tears. “Who said that…”
“Hmm, it was the Ghost King who told me,” Zhang Xiaotian replied straightforwardly. “I figured he’s the king of the ghost realm, overseeing all souls that haven’t entered reincarnation, so he must be right.”
Yu Sheng: !!!
The Ghost King! Isn’t that Yin Wangzhi?!
Well, it’s one thing to not be able to eat it; it’s another to be tempted by it. Now he had to watch helplessly as it was buried, and his heart ached. They had buried it, and it turned out to be his second disciple who had done it…
Both were the second in line, but look at how protective Zhu Bajie is of his food! Why does it have to be so wasteful here?
As Zhang Xiaotian laid paper in the neatly dug little pit and placed the food inside, he reminisced, “This sticky rice cake was my master’s favorite when he was still alive.”
Yu Sheng nodded with a sense of loss. “Yeah, especially when you take a bite. It’s soft and sticky, fragrant and sweet. Once you eat one, you want to eat another.”
Zhang Xiaotian continued, “And this, the brown sugar glutinous rice cake, my master loved to dip it in lots of brown sugar syrup. He was really amazing; by the end, he would never leave a drop of syrup behind.”
Yu Sheng nodded again. “Yes, the glutinous rice cake is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Its texture is very different from ordinary rice cakes, and it looks beautiful. Eating it while it’s hot is the best.”
Zhang Xiaotian picked up a small bowl of sweet glutinous rice balls. “Whenever my master overindulged, he liked to drink it with various types of sweet rice wine porridge. He often said strong liquor was too spicy; he preferred fruit wines and sweet things like this that carried the fragrance of wine.”
Yu Sheng recalled that the sweet rice balls he made were barely edible but still better than nothing. “I… yes, whether it’s sweet rice balls or sago, they’re perfect to pair with snacks…”
At this moment, Yu Sheng particularly missed the third disciple. After all, Wen Jiu was the most nurturing and gentle among the three protagonists, and he was the best cook. If Wen Jiu were still around, he wouldn’t be so heartbroken over these plates of dim sum and drinks...
Just as the pit was neatly dug, paper laid down, and the delicious, cute, Q-bouncy dim sum was about to be buried, Yu Sheng’s gaze at Zhang Xiaotian’s hands was filled with resentment.
At that moment, a white shadow flashed by, and the dim sum was gone.
The white rabbit! It was the big white rabbit!
Yu Sheng quickly looked up and spotted the big white rabbit, which had hidden away earlier. The rabbit, though small in mouth, had great potential; with one gulp, it devoured a piece of dim sum, quickly swallowing a pile of delicacies along with the plate like a greedy snake.
That speed, that appetite, and the ability to stretch its body into a plate shape... It was definitely the power of a spirit pet!
“How dare you steal my master’s offerings! Seeking death!”
In that instant, it was as if Zhang Xiaotian’s small universe erupted, gaining the power of love. His waist no longer ached, his legs no longer hurt, and he stood up, charging forward, drawing his sword.
The movement was so fluid it was heartbreaking.
Seeing the situation, the big white rabbit sensed danger and swiftly transformed into a shadow, fleeing in all directions, creating whirlwinds and sending leaves flying.
Yu Sheng simply knelt down, feeling the cool breeze, and quietly poured himself a drink, taking a sip while the two—Zhang Xiaotian and the rabbit—were distracted.
He was still somewhat worried about the big white rabbit; after all, intense exercise right after eating isn’t good for the body. He was also a bit concerned about Zhang Xiaotian, who, despite having a broken leg, insisted on using spiritual power to maintain himself and run around, which would likely require redoing his bandages.
However, he didn’t worry about their lives...
After taking another sip, feeling the ache in his heart ease and grow numb, Yu Sheng set down his cup, stood up, and took his dusting brush, sweeping it once—instantly, the white fur became glossy, imbued with spiritual light, elongating and pointing toward a certain direction as he waved it.
In the next moment, the big white rabbit was drawn back into his embrace, big and round.
Strangely, even as Zhang Xiaotian furiously chased after something with his sword still in hand, he didn’t stop.
Hmm?
Yu Sheng found it odd and focused his gaze.
"...???"
How did the big white rabbit suddenly multiply into so many?!
He wondered if Zhang Xiaotian had noticed.
Yu Sheng didn’t take further action. To be honest, he could feel that these big white rabbits were spirit pets, but whether in their sticky rice cake-like appearance or their current rabbit form, he couldn’t distinguish between them, feeling as if they were all cut from the same mold.
Could it be that the ones Wen Jiu left behind have returned?
While Yu Sheng was deep in thought, a seemingly countless number of big white rabbits began to hop together, gradually merging back into their original form, becoming one large sticky rice cake.
It looked quite adorable.
The big rice cake continued to transform, as if playing a game of “I shape myself,” while Zhang Xiaotian stopped his pursuit, gripping his sword tightly, braced for anything.
At that moment, the big white rice cake in Yu Sheng’s arms moved. He relaxed his hold, thinking it was going to jump away to join the collective.
However, instead of jumping away, the big white rabbit opened its mouth wide and let out a whole plate of sticky rice cakes.
It was intact, still on the plate, perfectly clean without a speck of dust, and shaped just right—sticky rice cakes.
Yu Sheng: …
What just happened? What does this mean? Why does the spirit pet have fridge-like abilities?
The rice cake balanced the plate of sticky rice cakes on its head, wobbling unsteadily.
The white dumpling balanced the plate of glutinous rice cakes on its head, swaying unsteadily. Yu Sheng could only speak softly to it, turning his back to use his body to shield the rice cakes and the dumpling from being seen, "Is this for me?"
The dumpling wiggled, seemingly responding affirmatively.
Yu Sheng, once a renowned NPC and semi-immortal named Yu Yangzi who had a steady income from the system, now found himself secretly stealing food with his big disciple, the human world’s big shot and the number one protagonist of another world, Zhan Xiaotian.
Stealing food meant for his own sacrifice...?
The more he thought about it, the hotter and redder his face became. "How can I accept this…?"
He picked up the first plate of glutinous rice cakes and hid it in his arms. After some time, he had grown accustomed to using this gesture to conceal his spatial pocket, so it looked as though he had hidden something substantial.
"I’ll hold onto it for you."
Then the big white dumpling let out another "aowu" and spat out the second and third plates.
Yu Sheng kept his hands moving, tucking each plate into his clothes until all the treats that had been swallowed were stored away. His clothes remained loose, and the pocket area still looked flat as if nothing was hidden inside.
One was a somewhat silly yet powerful spirit pet, while the other was the highly skilled Yu Sheng. Their movements flowed seamlessly, and in just a few moments, everything was hidden. During this time, Yu Sheng couldn’t resist picking up a piece of fried milk and sneaking a bite.
Once they finished, he looked back over, and the huge combined dumpling had completed its transformation into a human figure.
Upon closer inspection, it was surprisingly in the likeness of Wen Jiu, though while the facial features were the same, the body appeared somewhat unusual, as if it had lost its color. Not only were its eyes lighter, but its hair was also silver-white, resembling an ice sculpture.
Seeing this person, Zhan Xiaotian's killing intent erupted, and he lunged forward, sword raised, "It’s you!"
Wen Jiu remained calm and countered with his bare hands.
Yu Sheng hurriedly waved his dust whisk to intervene between the two, causing both disciples to retreat half a step, allowing them to regain their composure as they turned to Yu Sheng.
"Stop this nonsense!"
Instinctively, Yu Sheng scolded them coldly, just as he used to when he was their master. The two instantly restrained their killing intent, looking at him with innocent, aggrieved expressions.
Yu Sheng took a breath, realizing the situation and softening his gaze and tone. He advised, "At a grave, how can you act violently? It disturbs the peace of the deceased."
Zhan Xiaotian: "…"
Wen Jiu: "… Huh?"
For some reason, after hearing this, the expressions on both their faces looked a bit strange, but they quickly returned to normal.
Zhan Xiaotian stepped forward, completely devoid of the previous killing intent, "I apologize for my rudeness. Thank you for the reminder, senior. By the way, Senior Yu Yangzi, let me introduce you to this person: the first holy master of the spirit realm, Wen Jiu."
Wen Jiu was taken aback, seemingly not expecting such an introduction. He blinked and after thinking for a moment, said, "I’m not."
Yu Sheng was also surprised. Was it possible that Wen Jiu had a son?
"I’m just a fragment of his consciousness," the white-haired Wen Jiu explained slowly. "However, treating me as the real Wen Jiu is fine; the real me is elsewhere, occupied and unable to come."
A fragment of consciousness? That made sense. Since Wen Jiu was a spirit body, creating a fragment to walk around and do things for himself would be much easier than for ordinary cultivators or ghosts.
"Nice to meet you. I’m Yu Yangzi," Yu Sheng pretended it was their first encounter and nodded to Wen Jiu. "But what kept you so busy that you couldn’t come?"
Although Wen Jiu was also a protagonist, he appeared to attract danger easily. Yu Sheng couldn't help but worry. If there were genuine villains, sending a fragment would only cause more trouble.
"There’s no trouble," Wen Jiu smiled and then looked up towards the cliff above. "My true body is not far from here, right above the Three Realms Cliff. If you wish to see me, you can come back anytime."
Yu Sheng was stunned. "Huh?"
Wen Jiu added, "When you return, let’s have a meal together."
“I want to eat. But that’s not important right now. What are you doing on the cliff?”
“Um…” Wen Jiu said a bit shyly, “There’s a young man who’s being chased and is about to die. He looks just like I did back then, and I couldn’t bear to watch, so I thought I’d save him.”
Yu Sheng: “……”
Wait a minute, a young man at the edge of a cliff, being chased, about to die… Isn’t that the fourth protagonist he’s been waiting for today? So, Wen Jiu must have intercepted him?!
Wen Jiu stepped a little closer, speaking sincerely and empathetically, “Rest assured, senior. That young man has such a difficult fate; he’s very pitiful. I, Wen, will definitely save him and ensure he’s well taken care of afterward. I won’t let him fall off the cliff; otherwise, he would truly die without a burial place.”
Yu Sheng was momentarily dazed, and his hand loosened, causing the big white rabbit in his arms to plop onto the ground.
Good disciple, you, someone who gained fortune after falling off a cliff, are saying this in front of another person who also gained fortune after falling off a cliff. Isn’t that a bit inappropriate…?
“Alright…” Yu Sheng said in a daze, awkwardly praising him a bit and nodding. “May I ask, is this your first time standing up for someone in need?”
Don’t tell me the reason I haven’t been able to find the protagonist all these years is because of this…
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