Volume Two: Inheriting the Legacy, Blood on the Brocade Robe Chapter 138: The Imperial Chef

Yang Ning stepped out of the Hall of Radiance, and to his surprise, the young monk Zhenming was still waiting outside. The weather had turned quite cold, and the paths were not clearly visible in the dim light. However, Zhenming was well-acquainted with the terrain; he took the lead and guided Yang Ning back to the courtyard on Tianbao Peak. Throughout the journey, Zhenming remained silent.

Once inside the room, Zhenming lit a lamp and finally spoke: "Brother Ning, so... so your martial arts are truly that formidable. Earlier, you were merely... merely going easy on me."

Having seen Yang Ning step up during the Great Brightness Temple’s time of crisis to protect the Jingxin Pavilion from outside interference, Zhenming, who regarded the temple as his home, felt immense gratitude. Moreover, seeing Yang Ning defeat Bai Yuhe with a single strike filled him with awe, leading him to believe that Yang Ning had been hiding his true strength all along.

Yang Ning laughed heartily. He knew the young monk was honest and simple-minded, and that he must be feeling a sense of reverence toward him. He asked, "Little monk, have you ever heard of White Cloud Island?"

Zhenming answered truthfully, "My master has mentioned it, but not in great detail. He only said that there are a few Grandmasters in the world today whose martial arts are beyond imagination, and the Master of White Cloud Island is one of them. That Master resides year-round on White Cloud Island in the East Sea and rarely leaves."

"Grandmasters?" Yang Ning asked curiously. "What does that mean?"

Young Zhenming replied, "A Grandmaster is a person whose martial arts have transcended the mortal realm. My master told me in private that those people are so powerful that even if they held nothing more than a leaf, no one could defeat them. My master said that even the Abbot’s martial arts are quite extraordinary, yet they still fall short of those few Grandmasters."

"There are others?" Yang Ning was stunned. "You mean, besides the Master of White Cloud Island, there are... there are other Grandmasters?"

Zhenming nodded. "My master said there are at least three or four. Besides the Master of White Cloud Island, there is the Sun-Chasing Dharma King of the Snowy Mountains in Qingzang. My master did not name the others, but they must all be exceptionally powerful figures."

Yang Ning frowned. "The Sun-Chasing Dharma King of the Qingzang Snowy Mountains? What is his background?"

"I do not know either," Zhenming said. "But whenever my master speaks of them, he says that such people should not exist in the mortal world."

Yang Ning laughed. "That is strange. Could it be that your master is jealous because his own martial arts do not measure up?"

"Amitabha, Brother Ning, you must not say that," Zhenming immediately interjected. "My master has no desire to compete. For all these years that I have followed him here, he has lived a life of purity and restraint, only occasionally mentioning things from the outside world when he has leisure. He feels no jealousy toward those people; he simply says that if a person's martial arts exceed the limits of the flesh, they are no longer human, but monsters. Such monsters living in the world cause more harm than good."

Just then, Zhenming’s brow furrowed, and he whispered, "There is someone outside!" He rose to his feet.

Yang Ning asked, "Is it your master returning?"

"If it were my master, I would not have been able to detect his presence at all," Zhenming said honestly. "Few people come here. I will go and check."

He went out, and it was only then that Yang Ning reached into his robe to search carefully. His expression immediately turned grave.

His grand display at the Hall of Radiance today was, in the final analysis, due to the sword charts he had obtained from the old manor. Yang Ning remembered organizing those dozens of charts and keeping them on his person. Upon returning to the capital, he had not yet found a place to hide them when he encountered Qi Yu and her son causing a scene at the Marquis’s estate.

After driving them away and breaking ties with the Qi clan, he had not had the chance to stow the charts away before his internal injuries flared up and he lost consciousness.

He remembered keeping that stack of charts close to his body. When he woke up in this room at the Great Brightness Temple, he hadn't thought about them, but now that he did, he discovered they were gone—completely vanished.

His heart sank.

At that moment, he heard a voice from outside: "Brother Qi, not resting yet? Perfect, we made some late-night snacks and brought them over for you to have a bite." Zhenbi entered with a beaming smile, followed by the fat monk from the Five Grains Hall, who was carrying a large food box, bowing slightly with a smile of his own.

Yang Ning glanced at them, surprised it was the people from the Five Grains Hall. He did not rise, saying coolly, "Aren't these the brothers from the Five Grains Hall? What brings you here so late?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Zhenbi said, his smile wide. "Brother Qi, your heroic display of swordsmanship today has filled the entire temple with joy. We were so excited we couldn't sleep." He gestured for the fat monk to bring over the food box, sat on the edge of a stool opposite Yang Ning, and before he could speak further, he noticed Yang Ning frowning and hurriedly stood up, smiling. "Brother Qi, look at what we’ve brought you!"

Just as the fat monk was about to open the box, Yang Ning raised his hand. "Wait!" He scrutinized Zhenbi and asked, "Tell me, Brother Zhenbi, what kind of scheme are you two cooking up?"

"Brother Qi, please don't misunderstand," Zhenbi said. "We were quite offensive at the Five Grains Hall today. After thinking it over, we realized we were in the wrong, so we came specifically to apologize. You are a noble son of a prestigious house, broad-minded and well-traveled; surely you wouldn't hold a grudge against us."

"Oh!" Yang Ning smiled faintly. "You came to apologize? That is truly unexpected."

Zhenbi laughed. "Brother Qi, take a look at what we've prepared first." He signaled to the fat monk, who began laying out dishes one by one. "This is Emerald Tofu, this is Purple-Jade Bamboo Shoots, Brother Qi, look—this is a Fragrant Mushroom Stew, and here, these are Immortal Beans, Five-Treasure Wood Ear, Auspicious Monkey Mushrooms, and this final dish is called the Three-Colored Jade Rolls!"

As the dishes were laid out, a delicious aroma filled the air. Though they were all vegetarian, Yang Ning had to admit that each dish was visually stunning and aromatic. It was impressive that they had brought them all the way from the Five Grains Hall without disturbing the presentation.

Zhenming, watching from the side, widened his eyes and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhenbi, are these... are these dishes from our temple? I’ve never seen them before!"

The fat monk chuckled, "Brother Zhenbi cooked these himself. You must understand, even the senior uncles don't usually have this luxury unless they are in deep meditation, at which point Brother Zhenbi prepares special meals for them. The Abbot has been practicing 'Empty Meditation' lately, and his daily meals are prepared by Brother Zhenbi himself. You’ve only been in the temple a few years; how could you have tasted Brother Zhenbi’s cooking?"

Yang Ning cleared his throat, and Zhenbi’s expression darkened immediately. He scolded the fat monk, "Zhenchi, what nonsense are you spouting? Why wouldn't Brother Zhenming be able to eat my cooking? Isn't it being served right now?" He turned to Zhenming with a warm expression. "Brother Zhenming, if you like it, I shall cook for you often."

Zhenbi had gone from arrogant to sycophantic. Yang Ning knew exactly why, and with a faint smile, he said, "Brother Zhenbi, isn't it inappropriate for you to be cooking special meals for us? Even the brothers in the Kongming Pavilion don't receive such treatment; how could we dare to accept it?"

"Brother Qi, don't say that," Zhenbi said with feigned seriousness. "If you wish to join the Kongming Pavilion, just say a word to Senior Uncle Jinkong; he is in charge, and it would be settled with a single sentence. Besides, after the way you defeated that man surnamed Bai with a single strike today, your martial arts are clearly superior to those in the Kongming Pavilion. I suspect the Abbot will have important tasks for you."

Zhenchi, the fat monk, added with a giggle, "Brother Qi, we hope you will look out for us in the future."

"So that's the plan," Yang Ning laughed. "If the Abbot doesn't see fit to use me, wouldn't your efforts today go to waste? If that's the case, I advise you to take these things back to avoid wasting your trouble."

"Brother Qi, you misunderstand again," Zhenbi quickly said. "We are simply grateful for your help in resolving the crisis for the Great Brightness Temple and wanted to express our sincerity. There is nothing more to it." He glared at Zhenchi. "If you don't know how to speak, keep your mouth shut! What 'looking out for us'? Brother Qi is broad-minded; if there is a way he can help us, he will do so without your prompting!"

Zhenchi slapped his own face and apologized, "It is my clumsy tongue. Brother Qi, please do not hold it against me."

Zhenbi picked up the chopsticks and offered them to Yang Ning with both hands, saying carefully, "Brother Qi, please have a taste and see if it suits your palate. If you like it, from now on, I will cook for you myself and have it delivered daily so you don't have to go through the trouble of traveling back and forth."

Seeing Zhenbi’s smiling face, Yang Ning didn't actually have the heart to argue. He had seen too many people who bent with the wind to take them seriously. As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face. Since the two had gone through the trouble of bringing food to apologize, regardless of their hidden motives, there was no need to embarrass them. He took the chopsticks, scanned the table full of dishes, and casually picked up a few bites.

The taste was better than he had expected; the dishes were excellent in color, aroma, and flavor. After eating a few mouthfuls, he asked, "Brother Zhenbi, did you really cook all of this yourself?"

Zhenbi replied solemnly, "Every dish was prepared by me personally, no exaggeration. Brother Qi, how is the taste?"

"That is strange. You left the Hall of Radiance only a short while before I did. There wasn't much time in between—how did you manage to prepare so many dishes in such a short time?" Yang Ning asked suspiciously. "To be honest, these dishes are quite good, and the heat control is perfect. It seems impossible that you did this all alone."

Zhenbi’s face showed a hint of pride as he laughed, "Brother Qi, you wouldn't know this, but I can stir-fry four different dishes at once using four pots simultaneously; it doesn't slow me down at all."

Zhenchi added from the side, "Brother Qi, you don't know what Brother Zhenbi did before he became a monk, do you?" He glanced at Zhenbi with admiration. "Before taking his vows, Brother Zhenbi was a genuine imperial chef who cooked for the palace, and he even served the Prince of Huainan!"