Chapter 36 - 036 Wenliang

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Atlas Studios

He wouldn’t even let Yun Qian cook, so how could he not make food for her?

Therefore, Xu Chang’an chose to continue pampering his own Miss Yun.

He used Yun Qian’s jade talisman to bring over some ingredients and then went to the kitchen in their new home to cook.

With a kitchen knife in hand, his movements were fluid, but his thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.

He used to want Yun Qian to be more ambitious, but looking back now, he realized he himself was quite unambitious.

It’s best not to have weaknesses, especially for those who cultivate.

Undoubtedly, if Xu Chang’an encounters a heart demon on his cultivation path, the only one qualified to become his heart demon would be Yun Qian.

Can he remove this weakness?

How could he.

Yun Qian is actually his motivation for cultivation. Xu Chang’an sometimes wonders if the world wasn’t so dangerous, he might have chosen to be a couch potato, planting fields at home, asking his wife for a daughter, and living an ordinary family life of three.

Xu Chang’an paused, applied force, and sliced the cucumber on the cutting board in two.

Helplessness.

It’s also because Yun Qian always thinks about having kids, causing him to start caring about it too.

At this moment, Xu Chang’an forgot that it was he who first brought up the idea of children, and now he was blaming it on Yun Qian.

Xu Chang’an felt something and turned around to see Yun Qian, just like back in Beisang City, leaning against the door frame watching him cook.

"Hungry? Didn’t I put the preserved fruit snacks in the cabinet?" Xu Chang’an wiped his hands and said, "The cabinet is carved with an array, so there’s no need to worry about them spoiling in a short time."

"No." Yun Qian walked to the cutting board, leaned forward, and looked at Xu Chang’an’s face: "I just feel that when you cook, it has a bit of a homey feeling."

"Miss, isn’t your definition of home a bit cheap?" Xu Chang’an said helplessly.

"I don’t know." Yun Qian blinked, and the image of Gu Qiancheng flashed through her mind.

That child said her husband cooks well like a woman, and although Yun Qian thought there was nothing wrong with being like a woman, judging from Gu Qiancheng’s expression, it was clearly not meant as a compliment.

As Yun Qian pondered, Xu Chang’an suddenly placed the remaining cucumber slices in front of her, and she lightly bit into one, chewing and swallowing it.

Xu Chang’an’s fingers brushed past Yun Qian’s nose, unable to resist smiling, then continued cooking seriously.

"Doesn’t the book say a gentleman stays away from the kitchen?" Yun Qian blinked as she watched Xu Chang’an’s focused face: "You always cook for me, is that okay?"

"A gentleman stays away from the kitchen?" Xu Chang’an thought for a moment: "I’m not a gentleman."

Yun Qian nodded.

In Xu Chang’an’s mind, a gentleman should be outwardly respectful and inwardly resilient. Tolerant toward others, strict with oneself, and quietly radiant, neither ostentatious nor boastful.

How could he have the slightest trace of a gentleman’s demeanor?

Not to mention being lustful, his mind was mixed and selfish; in terms of managing the family, he was far from being a gentleman.

In his hometown, virtues are warmth, humility, courtesy, thrift, and yielding.

Xu Chang’an thought if he could achieve being gentle, it would already be quite impressive.

Oh.

Being gentle was also hard for him, just like he showed no hesitation when killing the Cyan-eyed Tiger, cautiously using the Demon-Exorcising Talisman.

He was only this gentle in front of Yun Qian, but in reality, when he went down the mountain to complete the Demon Extermination Order, or even to clear bandit camps, he always rooted out the problem entirely, never giving the other side a chance to turn the tables.

The gentleman stays away from the kitchen, essentially means keeping unpleasant things out of sight, for example... you can die, but don’t die in front of me.

"Did Miss suddenly say something like this because she thinks killing is not good?" Xu Chang’an asked.

"It doesn’t matter." Yun Qian looked down at her white, slender hand and stuffed a cucumber slice from the cutting board into Xu Chang’an’s mouth, stopping him from speaking.

Killing?

He sure picked a good topic.

Yun Qian had set her standards against Li Mochou and Jiang Yuyan.

"... I’m going to have some preserved fruits." Yun Qian tossed out the remark before leaving the kitchen.

Xu Chang’an watched Yun Qian turn and leave, then sighed.

Sparking interest and then fleeing, truly worthy of being his own Miss.

"Work hard on cultivation then."

Wanting to protect Yun Qian, Xu Chang’an felt a heavy responsibility ahead.

Having been raised by Yun Qian since he was a child, how could he truly be a gentle, timid person?

"..."

Xu Chang’an sat down at the dinner table.

Life needs a sense of ceremony, and once he and Yun Qian finished this meal here, they could mark this small courtyard as "home."

Yun Qian scooped some greens into her bowl.

Golden oil drizzled onto rice that was as fine as white jade, the white, green, and yellow mingling together.

A rich aroma instantly spread, and the fragrant, tempting aroma of the rice made Yun Qian’s eyes light up as she began to eat.

Her movements were elegant and leisurely.

"Miss, don’t just eat." Xu Chang’an discontentedly tapped the table with his chopsticks: "Say something."

"It tastes great." Yun Qian lifted a strand of hair that had fallen beside her ear.

It wasn’t a perfunctory comment; it was really delicious. The vegetables were crispy and tasty, though simple, mixed with the rice, creating a very unique flavor.

Yun Qian thought for a long time but didn’t know how to describe it. If she had to say, it was probably just her husband’s unique taste.

What Xu Chang’an wanted to hear was words of praise.

"Don’t choke, have some soup." Seeing Yun Qian enjoying the food, Xu Chang’an slid the small bowl in front of him toward her.

In the bowl, a light layer of oily film floated on the surface, with visibly clear colors.

Golden egg flowers sat atop red vegetables, with a bit of green onion adhering to the egg flowers, matched with the translucent white jade bowl, it looked like a work of art.

Yun Qian picked up the bowl, then put it down and said: "The food here isn’t quite the same as what you made in Beisang City."

"I thought Miss only knew how to eat, turns out you noticed." Xu Chang’an laughed.

"?"

"The ingredients here are produced by the Chaoyun Sect itself. Compared to worldly foods, they carry a hint of Spiritual Qi... it’s best for someone like Miss who hasn’t cultivated yet." Xu Chang’an explained: "This way, Miss’s body can start adapting to Spiritual Power, beneficial for future cultivation."

The freely supplied ingredients were far lesser compared to the elixirs for Washing Marrow, but they had a tiny effect, better than nothing.

...

After the meal.

"Was it satisfying?" Xu Chang’an asked.

Yun Qian held her slightly bulging stomach and said: "Satisfied."

Xu Chang’an blinked.

Sometimes Yun Qian could really eat, and he could only say her graceful figure made sense.

Good appetite is a blessing, and eating well is wisdom.

Yun Qian only needed to focus on eating; as for what to eat, that complicated issue was up to him.

Xu Chang’an walked behind Yun Qian, took out a white silk ribbon, and tied a high ponytail at Miss Yu’s nape, the white ribbon like little bunny ears.

"It’s a bit heavy." Yun Qian shook her head, feeling it before speaking.

She usually wore low ponytails that naturally draped, which Xu Chang’an called a "homely hairstyle," though she occasionally wore it up into a bun.

"I have to go." Xu Chang’an suddenly said.

No matter how cozy and tender the homely realm, he couldn’t indulge in it forever.

"Go on." Yun Qian naturally waved him off, not keeping him back at all.

Isn’t it just changing places to keep an empty house; she was used to it long ago.