Little Cooking Saint – 0131 – Octopus Ball (d)

Chapter 131 Octopus Ball (d)

Translated by Gumihou

Edited by Gumihou

 

The next day, Qing Chen, Xuan Yin, 11th Martial Uncle and 12th Martial all Uncle left together. Once their flying mounts disappeared into the horizon, Lin Fan and Feng Luo also said their good-byes and left.

The Bamboo Villa suddenly felt very empty.

Lao Er slept deeply for a whole night. The next day, he woke up and appeared quite cheerful. From appearance alone, it did not look like he had been struck by any great setbacks.

“No matter what, at least I could now Cultivate, right?” Lao Er’s smile caused Shiyu’s heart to constrict. She must locate another Thunder Seed for him, she must!

That afternoon, she gathered her brother and sister and told them about her intention to leave for a Cultivation journey.

“When Brother Lin Fan and Brother Feng Luo left for their journey, I thought that sister ought to leave with them. Sister is really incredible and should go on a journey to become more powerful. Sister, please be at ease. I will make sure to take care of Xiao Qi,” said Lao Er.

Seeing how understanding and grown-up these two kids were, Shiyu could not help but rub their heads emotionally. In the end, she even rubbed Wen Xian’s head and entrusted the safety of all three brothers and sister to Elder Liu.

Not only that, but she also sought out Ling Xiao Xiao and Gan Ping, and entreated them to look after her siblings. Yes, even Wen Xian is considered a ‘sibling’ now.

She only began packing her things after making these arrangements. She even packed up a sleeping San Pang, [2] pulling him out of his pot of dirt and rolling him in a cloth before stuffing him into her inner coat pocket.

One other thing worth mentioning. After Shiyu made the decision to leave for Xuan Chu, Ocean Heart Flame appeared more active than usual. Perhaps it was excited now that she’s about to head towards his master’s hometown?

On the morning of her leaving, Dong-Fang Zhen rudely leapt over the walls adjoining their properties. He stormed into the villa asking for Xuan Yin. [3] Shiyu, who was having a final breakfast gathering with the remaining people in the villa looked up and told him honestly,

[3] “She left for Leisurely Cloud Sect with her people yesterday,”

[3] The Crown Prince visibly wilted and Shiyu felt oddly guilty to be the one who made this proud young man sad. However, before she could think of anything to say to mitigate the matter, the Crown Prince made a swift about-turn and stomped off.

Ah, is he going to re-enact the scene of a man chasing a wife over a thousand miles?

Shrugging, Shiyu decided it was not her problem. After a final round of good-byes and waving her sibling off to their classes, Shiyu closed the Villa door behind her and set out on her journey.

As soon as she was out of the Imperial Capital and away from prying eyes, Shiyu made to summon Cloud Beast but was stopped by Fat Cat. “Since the distance between here and Xuan Chu is quite far, this is a good chance for you to train yourself. If you just sit your bottom on Cloud Beast all the way, it would be a sheer waste of opportunity.”

An ominous premonition came over Shiyu. “Er… how should I use this opportunity?”

“Your Cultivation may have surged up a lot. However, it is not based on your true ability. We must stabilize your Cultivation base. That way, even if Ocean Heart Flame is to leave you in the future, your foundation will remain,” explained Fat Cat.

“Alright, what should I do?”

“Travel on your own two legs.”

“… …”

“Naturally, with your current foot strength, it would probably take you over a year to reach Xuan Chu. However, your fortune is good. Your friend gave you some very good things before he left. Take out the volume called <<Chasing Clouds and Moons>>. You’ll understand what I mean.”

Shiyu quickly took out the pile of scrolls and valuable books on martial arts that Qing Chen had dumped on her yesterday. After looking through the lot, she soon located <<Chasing Clouds and Moon>>. When she inspected the content, it turned out that this was actually a special martial art designed for fleeing one’s enemies.

[4] That Qing Chen really understands her, ah!

“Learn this skill well. Once you’ve mastered it, not even a Core Condensation Master could chase you down if you go all out,” said Fat Cat. “Of course, this is only true as long as you did not run out of Spiritual energy.”

[5] Excited, Shiyu quickly settled down under a copse of trees by a vast open field and began to study. The skill was not difficult to learn but was a little tricky to master. She had several false starts. Picking up speed several times, but then suddenly stopping against her will.

[5] The area she was in was covered in snow and looked quite barren. The next tree line appeared quite far away and it would probably take Shiyu 10 minutes to reach if she was to run full speed under her own power. After testing the skill a few times, Shiyu finally deemed herself ready to try it for real.

Standing under the barren branches of snow-covered trees, Shiyu picked a point in the tree line just beyond the barren land and circulated Spiritual powers under her feet. Then, she breathed in deeply and her whole body rushed forward. A blink later, pain exploded on her face.

[6] Luckily, the << Chasing Clouds and Moon>> martial arts also included self-protection. Otherwise, her brain would have popped from her head already. Shiyu massaged her sore nose. She had hit the tree at full speed, but only suffer such a small injury, how amazing ah!

She looked back and saw the area where she had been just a second ago, “Does this count as having mastered the skill?” She wondered, still rubbing her nose.

Perched on her shoulders, Fat Cat said, “Practice this skill as you head south.”

 

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[7] From time to time, the mountains and old forests towards the south would suddenly explode into activity. Birds squawk and shoot into the air before settling back down. Occasionally, a large tree would shake, causing bunches of leaves to fall. Random cloud dust would be kicked up and water on streams or rivers would jet into the air.

The general direction of the Xuan Chu Empire was southerly, so Shiyu did her best to go in a straight line. This meant travelling over mountains and ridges instead of taking the more winding public roads.

 

Three days of non-stop travelling later, Shiyu came to a halt in a small town. She looked very ragged. Her clothes were torn in places, her hair filled with forest litter and her face covered with bruises and scratches. It looked as if she had gotten into a fistfight with a gang of bushes and came out the loser. Travelling this way was very hard on her person since she was not very good at controlling her speed or direction yet.

Nevertheless, she was finally within the cradle of civilization again.

[8] After checking into one of the busiest inns, Shiyu tiredly handed a couple of silver taels over the counter and asked for a room. Luckily, it was not strange for this town to receive road weary guests. Shiyu went upstairs and came down in clean clothes and a pot of very showy flowers.

It was winter now and whatever flowers that had survived the autumn cold had already withered in the frost. However, the flowers in Shiyu’s pot was still blooming brightly. The large blossoms were deep purple and tinged with gold, looking very delicate, graceful and luxuriously extravagant. More importantly, they left a faint medicinal smell wherever Shiyu went.

The appearance of such an unusual sight drew the attention of everyone within the inn. Several curious people asked, “Little girl, what kind of flower is that? They bloom so nicely even in the dead of winter.”

Shiyu, as though preparing her debut act for the College Award, puffed up her chest and said loudly, “This is our family’s treasure. It’s called the Golden-Violet Peony. Moreover, it’s over 800-years-old! I’ve been Cultivating next to it every day. It’s great for speeding up Cultivation.”

Others seemed to doubt her claims, “If it’s a family treasure, why is it in your hands now? Surely something as important as a family treasure should be carefully hidden away?”

Shiyu lifted her chin and said, “I sneaked this Golden-Violet Peony out from the family vault. However, once I break through to the Core Transformation stage, I’m sure Grandpa will not blame me.” Suddenly, she hugged the plant closer and glared at the person asking the question. “Anyway, I’m not going to speak to you anymore. You had better not tell my Grandpa about this.”

Looking around suspiciously, Shiyu turned around and left the inn with the flower still tucked close to her chest.

After leaving the inn, Shiyu entered an equally busy restaurant, placed the precious plant on the table and ordered food. Once she was done eating, Shiyu proceeded to walk around town with the plant in her arm. It was close to dusk when she returned to the inn.

Once the door to her room shut behind her, Shiyu said, “You don’t think I overdid it? Would anyone believe my acting skills?”

“Your acting skill is of no consequence here. The important thing is that the plant in your hand is the real thing. If they want it, they will come for it. When they come, that’s when the real test happens,” Fat Cat stretched himself out on the most comfortable perch in the room and rolled to his stomach. “Just make sure to place the flower somewhere visible.”

Shiyu wiped the flowerpot clean a few times, wrapped the pot with a cloth and placed it next to her pillow. She made sure to sleep with an arm around it.

 

That night, a stranger appeared on top of the roof over Shiyu’s bedroom. The stranger removed one of the roof tiles to peer at the sleeping girl. At the sight of the brilliant purple flowers, their eyes lit up. After covering their face with a cloth leaving only the eyes exposed, the person quickly entered the room.

The girl continued to breathe peacefully as she slept. Humph, how sweetly these youngsters sleep. A girl with barely-there Cultivation would naturally have lower vigilance. Even so, he should not underestimate these rich youngsters. They may have a trick or two up their sleeves.

With that thought in mind, the stranger moved cautiously over to the bed. Intending to snatch the plant when another thought occurred to him. That’s right, for a slip of a girl like this to get her hands on a rare medicinal herb must come from a large and influential clan.

In order to save himself some trouble…

His hand reached for a knife and lunged for the bed.

He must cut away all loose ends immediately!

A powerful slash and the bed fell into two halves. However, not a trace of blood was seen. The little girl had disappeared too.

Wha- where-

A giggle made him turned around.

“Are you looking for me?”

 

[Gumihou: Shiyu has gained a Skill. Shiyu can now use Shunshin no Jutsu!]

 

[1] Gumihou is keeping track so that you don’t have to ~

 

Condensation Stage	Stage 1
Core Transformation	Stage 2
Core Condensation	Stage 3
Divine Transformation	Stage 4

 

[2] Additional Details for Logistic Purpose: How does one pack up a sentient Radish? Extrapolated packing technique after reading ahead

[3] Additional Details for Dramatic Purpose: Poor Dong-Fang Zhen’s fate was dismissed with just one paragraph, gave him a little dialogue and a dramatic entry at least. He’s a Crown Prince after all.

[4] Additional Detail for Character Development: Show’s how attentive Qing Chen is despite his taciturnity.

[5] Additional Detail for Logistic Purpose: Please don’t learn speed-related magic or martial arts in a tree-covered area. Unless you want to knock your brains out. Also, mentioned the weather, because that is kind of important?

[6] Additional Detail for Logistic Purpose: I mean, if I could go fast, but brain myself against the wall, what the heck?

[7] Additional Detail for Dramatic Purpose: It’s a special speed jutsu after all, so let’s go all out with the description.

[8] Additional Details for Dramatic Purpose: Shiyu is scheming, so I thought I should use more subtle language.

 

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