Wait a minute, where is my master?

"The fish I caught insists on cooking for me—what do I do? Waiting online, it's urgent."

—Jin Xu

......

Two months later, inside the Xuanxu Temple.

The sun was just rising, the morning mist not yet dispersed.

Two figures circled the Big Willow Tree, one chasing the other.

Yu Yaoer, carrying a bowl of dark green thick soup, followed behind Jin Xu.

"Young Master, this is the fresh 'fish soup' I just made. It's definitely tastier than the barbecue before, please try it."

Having said this, she watched Jin Xu with full confidence.

When Yu Yaoer urged him for the eleventh time,

"I've decided to follow Buddhism; I'm not eating meat anymore,"

Jin Xu turned around and said in despair,

"Oh"

the Little Fish Demon walked away disappointed.

After two months of living together, Jin Xu finally managed to correct Yu Yaoer's habit of insisting on calling him master.

The relationship between the human and the demon had become much more familiar, and their behaviors had become more natural.

Jin Xu found that Yu Yaoer was a kind-hearted and good demon, her only flaw being her love of cooking.

Yu Yaoer also discovered that although her master was terrifyingly powerful, he was very approachable, and he barely left the house.

In over two months, the number of times they had left the temple could be counted on one hand.

...

...

Two months earlier

After learning the control mantra, Jin Xu had the Xuanxu Temple land in a deep mountain forest.

Extremely excited to set foot on the land of the Nine Provinces Realm again, he intended to make some French fries—

No, he meant to find something to eat.

He hesitated for a moment to use the fishing rod, afraid he might accidentally catch a magical animal, considering this was a temple, not a zoo.

So, he decided to look for wild fruits, rabbits, or vegetables near the temple.

The moment Yu Yaoer heard her master planned to obtain food, she immediately became enthusiastic, clapping her chest to assure Jin Xu that she was the Shui Clan's number one chef and was proficient in cooking.

Jin Xu, seeing her confident demeanor, which did not seem fake, and also frankly admitting he wasn't great at cooking, let Yu Yaoer have her way.

As a result,

Jin Xu experienced a very unique barbecue: roasted earthworms, centipedes, grasshoppers, and finally an unknown animal.

That unknown animal, reportedly caught nearby, had not transformed into a human form and was about to harm a woodcutter entering the forest when Yu Yaoer captured it to roast.

In those two months, that was the only time Jin Xu ate her cooking; seeing him spit it out after a couple of bites, Yu Yaoer thought it didn't suit his taste and kindly asked if he disliked barbecues.

Looking at Yu Yaoer's concerned face, the kind-hearted Jin Xu couldn't bear to disappoint her.

He silently swore to himself, never to let himself find out who taught her to cook!

He silently nodded, indicating he indeed did not like barbecues.

Moreover, he had started a fasting diet and would no longer eat regular meals.

Finally, there was peace for two months.

But, a couple of days ago, while chatting, Jin Xu carelessly expressed his desire to eat fish or even just sip some fish soup.

Yu Yaoer didn't hesitate and began experimenting with various "fish soups."

Initially, Yu Yaoer struggled; after all, in her past life, she was a magical carp.

Though the aquatic creatures in the river lacked spiritual intelligence, they were somewhat kin, and she couldn't bear to harm them.

So the Little Fish Demon thought for two whole days on how to make fish soup without killing fish,

and a brilliant idea popped into her head.

"Isn't she a fish herself?"

After realizing this key point,

Yu Yaoer started to light fires and boil water in the kitchen, throwing in many medicinal herbs that she had exchanged for with those mountain spirits and strange beasts using her "barbecue" over the past two months.

Cuiwei Mountain was abuzz with rumors about a Nascent Soul Realm fish demon, beautiful but brutal, who not only stole their harvested herbs but also forced them to eat filthy things.

In the kitchen

The self-proclaimed "number one chef of the Shui Clan" was humming a tune as she added ingredients to the pot: Fire Spirit Grass, Earthworm Dried, Dark Cloud Fruit, green willow branches, century-old ginseng, and more.

Once the water started boiling, she revealed her true form, jumped into the pot—after all, such temperature couldn't kill someone from the Nascent Soul Realm.

An hour later, Yu Yaoer, back in her human form, appeared behind Jin Xu carrying a bowl of dark green thick soup.

That was the scene just now.

"Young Master, this is the fresh 'fish soup' I just brewed. It's definitely tastier than the barbecue earlier; please have a taste."

She then looked at Jin Xu with full confidence.

When Yu Yaoer repeated herself for the eleventh time,

"I have decided to follow Buddhism, no more meat for me."

Jin Xu turned around and spoke desperately

"Oh"

Little Fish Demon walked away disappointed.

Watching Yu Yaoer's retreating figure, Jin Xu thought that he could not let her focus solely on cooking anymore.

Otherwise, sooner or later, she might inadvertently harm him.

"Wait."

"Ah, Master... Young Master, do you want to drink it?" The Little Fish Demon turned around with a bowl of "fish soup," her face full of excitement.

"No, just put that 'fish soup' back in the kitchen; I have something to discuss with you."

The best way to make someone forget about someone else is to divert their attention.

Likewise, the best way to make someone forget about something is also to divert their attention.

Jin Xu dragged Yu Yaoer out of the kitchen and the two sat down at the stone table under the Big Willow Tree.

Jin Xu first asked her about the waterskin in her storage magical treasure.

Yu Yaoer was surprisingly shocked. How did her young master know about it? Then, she took the waterskin out from the red jade bracelet she wore on her wrist.

Envy filled Jin Xu's eyes—he didn't have a storage magical treasure yet.

Then, Yu Yaoer explained to Jin Xu how she came to possess the waterskin.

So that was it—it seemed possible that Yu Yaoer's grandmother had an old connection with his master. Maybe he could inquire about it sometime.

No, wait!

Having taken his granddaughter as a demon servant and then showing up at their door might be somewhat impolite.

Jin Xu squashed this dangerous thought.

It was better not to do something impolite.

Next, Jin Xu brought up the matter that his master had vanished without a trace, neither seen alive nor found dead, and the Communication Jade Token was also unresponsive.

The Little Taoist expressed his concerns: without his support, he felt very insecure.

His sleep quality had been declining over the past few days.

Yu Yaoer was internally surprised.

Hadn't her master mentioned this two months ago? It hadn't seemed so serious then, that his sleep quality would deteriorate.

The Little Fish Demon immediately suggested, should they not make some "soup" to calm Jin Xu's nerves?

Upon hearing this, Jin Xu coughed violently—he had choked on his own saliva.

He then declared that there was no need for soup; instead, he wanted to ask Yu Yaoer if she had any good suggestions regarding the search for his master.

Hearing this, Yu Yaoer blinked her clear but somewhat foolish large eyes and softly comforted him,

"Young Master, don't worry too much. The Elder Master has great divine skills; he surely won't come to harm. Moreover, it's common for cultivation practitioners to be delayed by some matters and vanish for years. Besides, the Elder Master might have gone to visit friends, got caught up in delightful conversations, and forgot about the time."

Having said this, she turned her head toward the kitchen door; the pot still simmered with "new soup," and she was worried it might dry up.

After hearing what the Little Fish Demon had said, an idea began to form in the little Taoist's mind.

Visiting friends?

This actually reminded him of something—the last time the old Taoist showcased his cultivation powers, he first took him to "visit" a few people before heading to the East Sea to confront a thunder-struck demon.

Jin Xu watched as Yu Yaoer's hands unconsciously crossed together and repeatedly glanced back towards the kitchen.

He started speaking.

"You make sense. I happen to know a few of my master's friends; let's visit them and see if we can find any clues."

No sooner said than done, fearing Yu Yaoer might again bring up the soup matter, he quickly performed a hand spell.

Up the hill, mist started rising around the entire Taoist temple, then the Xuanxu Taoist Temple shot up like a rocket, vanishing into the hillside.