Rencarnation Room {Other Story line}

After making sure the dog was gone, El walked leisurely to the bottom of the nearest thick tree. He sat down on a large root, and took out a wine bottle and a small cup.

With calm movements, El poured the wine into the cup until it was full, as his eyes gazed off into the distance.

Before taking a sip of his wine, El muttered under his breath, "If my guess is correct, the Kuchiyose animal from Animal Path has the strength of a Rank 3 Magic Beast."

El paused for a moment, flashing a small smile. "But, even if it's wrong, what's the harm in trying? After all, that dog is the hardest to kill among all the animals of the Animal Path."

El tilted her cup, savoring a sip of the warm wine, before murmuring again, "Besides sharing its vision with me, that dog can also be completely controlled by me if necessary. More importantly, I won't have to wander around in this forest."

Casually, El leaned his back against the trunk of a large tree, letting the cool breeze of the forest flow around his, while the wine cup in hand was left empty.

From within El's soul, Yuri watched his student with a faint smile.

With a sudden decision, Yuri chose to exit El's body. His tiny body, typical of a Spirit Ghost, appeared and spun in the air before stopping right in front of El who was relaxing.

"You bastard," Yuri said in a grumbling tone, immediately snatching the empty cup from El's hand. "What kind of student are you? Why do you always drink alone? Don't you invite your Master?"

El, who looked a little surprised, merely raised an eyebrow before replying casually, "I thought Master only liked tea?"

Yuri looked at him while folding her small arms across her chest, then nodded briefly. "That's right, this Master of yours is indeed a fan of tea. But that doesn't mean I don't like other drinks."

She then held out the cup in her hand, gesturing for El to pour the wine into it. "Come on, fill this up. Don't be stingy with your own Master."

El just chuckled, lifted the wine bottle, and poured the drink into Yuri's cup. "Alright, Master. This is for you."

Yuri accepted the cup with a satisfied smile, staring at the contents for a while before saying softly, "Remember this, Disciple... The relationship between student and master is not just about guidance, but also about sharing, even in small things like this."

El simply nodded, leaning back against the tree as she poured himself some wine. "Looks like this lesson is more practical than the Dao theory back then, huh?" he said in a half-joking tone.

Yuri chuckled, taking the first sip from his cup. "Sometimes, the most profound lessons come from things that seem simple."

"Eating venison in the middle of the forest and drinking is a small example," Yuri said casually, turning her wine cup in her small hands. "It doesn't matter if we drink a lot. We won't get drunk anyway."

El gave a small nod. "Alright," he said as he stood up from where he was leaning. "But Master does the cooking. I don't know how to roast a deer."

Yuri raised his eyebrows, smiling triumphantly. "Sure, I'll do the cooking. But the fire part is the student's job, okay?"

El just sighed, then formed a hand seal. From where he stood, he ordered the Chimera Dogs to hunt down the stag as quickly as possible and throw it to where El was.

BAM!

A huge stag fell from the sky, hitting the ground hard just a few steps away from El. A light vibration was felt on the ground around it.

Yuri floated down with a triumphant smile, handing El an empty wine cup. "See? Even a deer knows its destiny to be our meal."

With a casual gesture, Yuri floated over to the deer's body, examined it briefly, then turned to El. "Alright, now light the fire, my disciple. I'll take care of the rest."

El let out a long sigh, staring at the deer lying on the ground. "Why is it that every time I agree to your plan, the result always feels like a little trap for me..." El said softly.

Yuri laughed lightly, paying no attention to his student's complaints. "Never mind, never mind, don't take it too seriously. We're a great team, aren't we? So let's work together, my student!"

El, reluctantly, raised his hand, creating fire with his technique. "Alright, Master... But if it burns, I'm not responsible."

Yuri smiled, waving his hand casually. "Don't worry, your Master never fails to cook, my disciple!"

***

In the Valley of Medicine, in a simple wooden house, Xiao Yi Xian walked slowly down the quiet corridor, heading towards the kitchen. The sound of her light steps was almost inaudible on the solid wooden floor.

Arriving at the kitchen, Xiao Yi Xian's gaze swept the entire room meticulously. Her attention was immediately drawn to a piece of paper neatly taped to the wooden cabinet door.

Curious, she stepped closer, removed the paper, and began to read. Her brows furrowed momentarily as he tried to make sense of the sloppy handwriting in front of him.

"Is this Ji Lan's handwriting? It's so bad, I can barely read it," Xiao Yi Xian muttered with a faint smile on her lips.

With extra effort, Xiao Yi Xian finally managed to read the message. The words written were exactly the same as what El had said this morning, before leaving the house.

Xiao Yi Xian's smile widened even more, and she chuckled softly. "If you can't write, you shouldn't write," she said softly.

She smoothed the paper again, gazing at it meaningfully for a moment, before folding it and placing it on the wooden table not too far away.

Then, Xiao Yi Xian opened the wooden cabinet, and inside she found a plate of five meat buns as well as a small bottle that was usually used to store Blood Pill.

She sighed with a small smile. "You're overdoing it, Ji Lan. This is too much for me," she said, taking the plate out of the cupboard carefully.

However, before eating the buns, Xiao Yi Xian decides to warm them up first. "Warm food is always better," she muttered under her breath.

She placed the plate on the table, next to the paper, and walked to the stove in the corner of the kitchen.

With deft movements, Xiao Yi Xian lit the fire and began to prepare the steaming pot. Steam slowly began to rise, giving off a pleasantly warm aroma in the air.

While waiting for the buns to warm up, Xiao Yi Xian looked at the small bottle in her hand, rolling her fingertips over its surface.

"Is this pill really made from his blood?" asked Xiao Yi Xian in a soft, whisper-like tone. "This man has so many secrets... "

Not long after, Xiao Yi Xian made sure the buns that were being warmed up by steaming in the pot were ready. White smoke billowed out when the lid of the pot was opened.

Xiao Yi Xian smiled slightly. "It should be warm," she said, picking up a pair of wooden tongs to transfer one hot bun to a plate.

The buns were placed one by one on the plate before her, then Xiao Yi Xian sat on a chair and began to enjoy the buns while they were warm.

"Hmm? They don't taste bad," Xiao Yi Xian said with a frown. "But, why does it taste like it was made by a young girl?"

"This should be Ji Lan's, right?" she adds with a hint of curiosity and suspicion. "The taste of this bun dough still feels fresh, like it was made a few hours ago. After all, I only told Ji Lan about this place."

Xiao Yi Xian paused for a moment, thinking more deeply. "If I remember correctly, his porridge this morning also tasted like it was made by a young girl's hands?"

The thought began to intrude, creating a bigger question mark in her mind.

Unbeknownst to Xiao Yi Xian, in order to make the dishes taste better with every bite, El secretly uses the 1001 Changes Technique.

With this technique, El perfectly mimics a girl's hand movements while cooking, from how to process the ingredients to gently nurturing the dough.

A thought occurred to Xiao Yi Xian. "Is Ji Lan... actually a young girl?" Thinking of that, Xiao Yi Xian immediately shook her head lightly and sighed, trying to dismiss her doubts.

After that, Xiao Yi Xian continued to enjoy the buns in her hand until they were gone, then swallowed the Blood Pill that was beside her.

Her eyes turned to the window, which revealed a bright noon lantern.

"Do I have to make food for Ji Lan? But that guy seems pretty good at cooking," Xiao Yi Xian muttered, a little confused.

Xiao Yi Xian got up from her seat, deciding to make a move. "I'd better make that pervert my special dumplings."

"Consider it my favor!" she said in a casual tone, immediately walking towards the wooden cabinet in the kitchen to prepare the ingredients.