Chapter 21: The Grand Martial Tournament of the Five Sects-The Wife I Found in the Game Turned Out to Be a Demon Queen(Buying meat to feed the little one.)

On the Xuan Ying Continent, tales of beauties bringing disaster are common. If a man does not possess enough strength, yet has a stunning woman at his side who inspires envy, it often brings calamity upon himself. Duan Ling, well-versed in seventy thousand years of cultivation history, could easily recount several such examples. With this in mind, he no longer envied Song Ye. Such a peerless beauty could never be truly protected by a mere humble tea stall owner.

Of course, Duan Ling could never have imagined that the woman he regarded as a peerless beauty was actually the mighty Lord of the Abyss, a master whose powers defied heaven and earth, needing no protection from anyone.

Duan Ling turned to Song Ye, who was serving tea, and asked, "I see the people within a hundred miles have fled to northern cities to escape the war, yet you and your wife remain here. Why?"

Song Ye smiled, "No special reason, just unwilling to leave our homeland. And, by the way, we are not yet married, so we are not truly husband and wife."

Duan Ling nodded, "For you both to stay together in times of turmoil, such affection is truly rare."

Song Ye smiled again and countered, "Then what brings you four here?"

Duan Ling replied, "We are here to attend this year's 'Five Sects Martial Tournament' at Xuanqing Palace."

"Xuanqing Palace, Moon-Gazing Sect, Divine Wind Gate, Tianxi Sect, and Seven Stars Gate—our five sects have formed an alliance."

"Every year, we take turns hosting the 'Five Sects Martial Tournament,' each sending young disciples to compete and exchange martial skills."

"This year, it's Xuanqing Palace's turn to host."

"I am Duan Ling, ninth generation disciple of the Moon-Gazing Sect. This is my fellow disciple, Senior Sister Chen Huaiyin, and this is my Senior Brother Zhou Nongshan."

"The three of us represent Moon-Gazing Sect in this year's tournament."

"As for her..." His gaze fell upon the still unconscious woman in the violet dress. "She is our master, Sage Gu of Moon-Gazing Sect."

Duan Ling seemed to think Song Ye was merely a simple villager, posing no threat, so he disclosed their names and purpose without hesitation.

Song Ye replied politely, "Then allow me to wish you three young talents of the cultivation world success in the Five Sects Martial Tournament."

Duan Ling clasped his hands in thanks. "Thank you for your kind words, proprietor!"

Just then, Zhou Nongshan, who had been gloomy and silent, suddenly perked up. The dullness in his eyes vanished, and he immediately asked Song Ye, "Do you have a kitchen in your backyard?"

"We do!" Song Ye nodded.

"Good, that's all we need. You have a kitchen, and I have ingredients," Zhou Nongshan said, and promptly pulled from his storage space two chickens, a duck, a goose, a ring of garlic, and a bundle of green onions.

While others filled their storage spaces with cultivation resources, his was stuffed with food.

Chen Huaiyin rolled her eyes, "Brother Nongshan, honestly, you're making Moon-Gazing Sect lose face!"

Zhou Nongshan laughed heartily, "Face is unimportant. All I care about is having a good meal as soon as possible," he said, presenting the ingredients to Song Ye. "Proprietor, could you help us prepare these into a feast? We will pay you!"

Song Ye scratched his head. He considered himself a decent cook, but handling so many ingredients and making a proper feast was no small task. He had never been asked to do such a thing, for his stall only served travelers a simple bowl of tea.

As he hesitated, the game interface suddenly popped up a notification.

"Ding! Encounter quest triggered!"
"Ding! Encounter quest: [Delicacies]"
"[Delicacies]: Prepare a delicious feast for guests from Moon-Gazing Sect!"
"Quest reward: Demon Pet Draw Coupon!"
"[Demon Pet Draw Coupon]: Can be used to draw a demon pet of any rarity."

After a whole year, this was Song Ye's first time triggering such an encounter quest. Such missions were rare and must be completed.

Thus, Song Ye said to Zhou Nongshan, "No problem. Please sit for a while; good food and wine will soon be ready!"

He took the chickens, duck, and goose from Zhou Nongshan. Handling all the ingredients alone would be troublesome, so he turned to the silent Qin Xuanxi.

As the saying goes, a united couple can overcome any difficulty.

"My dear, come help me in the kitchen," Song Ye said, looking at Qin Xuanxi with sincerity.

Qin Xuanxi bit her lip gently, inwardly complaining,

'That rascal Song Ye, even in front of outsiders, calls me "my dear"!'

However, she did not warn him again. Unconsciously, she seemed to be making a concession.

She rose, walked to Song Ye's side, took a chicken and a duck from his hands, and followed him into the backyard.

Zhou Nongshan and Duan Ling couldn't help but glance at Qin Xuanxi's back. Beneath her pristine white dress, her graceful figure stirred the hearts of these young cultivators whose dao hearts had yet to be tempered.

Chen Huaiyin rolled her eyes at them, clicking her tongue, "The woman is beautiful, yes, but what a pity she's mute."

Zhou Nongshan wondered aloud, "Come to think of it, she hasn't spoken since we entered this tea stall. Is she truly mute?"

Duan Ling admonished, "Do not gossip behind others' backs!"

"Right, right!" Zhou Nongshan agreed. "Master always says we must be careful with words and actions in public!"

Chen Huaiyin pouted, "Master's teachings are always impeccable, but she's never reliable herself."

She glanced sidelong at their master, still sleeping soundly at the table, and sighed deeply.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen behind the tea stall,

Song Ye began organizing the preparation of the chickens, duck, and goose.

"One chicken for white-cut, one for stir-fry, duck for sweet and sour, and the goose will be stewed."

Qin Xuanxi stood by the kitchen door and volunteered, "My dear, let me handle the stir-fried chicken."

"You know how to stir-fry chicken?" Song Ye looked surprised.

The fourth-ranked demoness on the Dark Path actually knew how to stir-fry chicken herself?

Logically, someone of her stature, untouched by mundane life, wouldn't even know how to smash cucumbers, let alone cook.

Her character seemed a bit off!

Originally, Song Ye had only asked her to help with chopping garlic or stoking the fire. He hadn't expected her to take on such a big task.