61. The Cooking Contest
Fortunately, Miss Gong’s talismans produced high-grade cranes, the kind you couldn’t easily buy on the market, with six-speed transmissions.
So, they quickly shook off their pursuer and returned to the balcony.
As the cranes dissipated into smoke, they couldn’t help but chuckle.
After a while, Gong Yiling asked, “Are you still worried?”
Qiu Shui shook her head seriously. “No, thank you, Master.”
“What’s there to thank? It’s what I should do. And…” Gong Yiling, seeing the time was right, said seriously, “I have some news, though I don’t know if it’s good or bad for you.”
“What is it?”
“Before that…” Gong Yiling took a deep breath. “What are your impressions of the Yin family?”
“The Yin family…” Qiu Shui’s expression changed slightly.
She had little connection to them. Even after being found by Yin Tianchou, she had never met her father—perhaps she wasn’t worthy.
From the beginning, she was just a disposable tool to the Yin family. Even her surname was optional.
“Why would Master suddenly bring up the Yin family?”
“Do you remember what I told you about Ye Ao Daoist Mountain?”
“Yes.” Qiu Shui nodded. “Master said they had been mostly infiltrated by the Divine King’s Court. We even went to their camp to investigate.”
“What if I told you,” Gong Yiling said grimly, “that the mastermind behind the Divine King’s Court is likely Shenqi Daoist Mountain, the Yin family?”
“What!?”
Although this had little to do with her, hearing the Yin family’s name in this context still shocked her.
“Could it be… grandfather?”
“Today, Wen Qiyin specifically mentioned Old Yin. Compared to your grandfather, I suspect Yin Wuyai even more.” Gong Yiling stroked her chin thoughtfully. “Your grandfather, Yin Tianchou, has less influence in Qian Yue Academy than his brother, Yin Wuyai. So, the latter is more likely.”
“But if the entire Yin family is involved, then that’s a different story.”
Qiu Shui opened her mouth to speak, but only managed, “Why did Master hesitate to tell me this?”
“You could tell I was hesitating?”
“If you weren’t…” Qiu Shui turned her head, her hands behind her back, and said softly, “Then all that foreplay would have been much simpler, right?”
“Not necessarily. Seeing my disciple so down, I naturally had to do something to cheer her up. And there’s more than one way to do that. Why would it get simpler?”
“Then Master…”
“I just feel that blood ties are a complicated matter, although I don’t want to admit that irresponsible man is your father.” Gong Yiling said, “And Qiu Shui, I also want you to be prepared.”
Qiu Shui’s heart skipped a beat. She understood immediately.
Her mother was in their hands, deliberately brought here. If the Yin family’s connection to the Divine King’s Court was that deep, then her mother…
She was just an ordinary dancer, with no cultivation talent, just a pretty face.
If her mother hadn’t been deceived by that man and then abandoned, she might still be a famous courtesan somewhere.
“My mother…”
In front of her master, Qiu Shui held back her tears, but her nails dug into her palms, almost drawing blood.
Gong Yiling pulled her into a tight hug. “Whatever difficulties we face, we’ll face them together. As long as your mother is still breathing, I’ll turn this Hundred Paths Mountain upside down to save her. You still trust me, this liar, right?”
“Master…” Qiu Shui hugged her back, her voice trembling with unshed tears. “You’re not… a liar.”
“Yes, yes, that’s what that so-called venerable who slandered me said.” Gong Yiling stroked the girl’s soft hair and smiled. “Since Qiu Shui trusts me so much, I have to be worthy of that trust.”
“Get some rest tonight. I’ll find a way to get more information tomorrow.”
Listening to Gong Yiling’s gentle voice, Qiu Shui nodded, but she still clung to the embrace, unwilling to let go.
The night was indeed still young.
—
—
The next day.
“Mother, why are you here so early?”
Early in the morning, Gong Yiling was summoned to Lan Suqin’s room by someone from Ruohuai Daoist Mountain.
They wouldn’t normally disturb her so early, but her own mother had come to deliver breakfast.
Although cultivators didn’t usually eat breakfast, it would be rude to refuse a gift of food. And since Gong Muzhi couldn’t go to the North Courtyard’s dormitory herself (or rather, wasn’t allowed), she asked a female cultivator from Ruohuai Daoist Mountain to fetch her.
When Gong Yiling arrived, she saw several people gathered around a large table, which was filled with simple breakfast items.
Buns, shumai, steamed dumplings, and some strange-looking pancakes.
Oh, not just pancakes. Everything could be divided into two categories.
One category was well-made, looking and tasting as it should. The other was… interesting.
The buns looked like zongzi (rice dumplings), the shumai were made with what seemed to be leftover rice, and some of the dumplings were even filled with jujube paste and red bean paste. Utterly bizarre.
Undoubtedly, one category was made by a skilled cook, and the other by a temporary one.
As for who this temporary cook was, it was self-evident.
Everyone present knew, but no one said anything, carefully avoiding the strange-looking items, but still eating some to avoid offending Gong Muzhi.
But when Gong Yiling joined them, she immediately grabbed a handful of the strange items and stuffed them into her mouth, praising them lavishly.
Gong Muzhi’s face beamed with joy.
