Chapter 18 – What’s Wrong With Eating Leftover?
179 was currently overwhelmed, busy reporting the news to its superiors, and had no time to deal with Xia Yi.
Liu Siqian had expected he’d need to explain further, but surprisingly, Xia Yi just believed him.
Feeling touched, Liu Siqian awkwardly said to Xia Yi, “But ever since I arrived here yesterday, I haven’t eaten a single grain of rice. I’m absolutely starving. That’s why I thought I’d sell a few bottles of Foundation Establishment Elixir to trade for a meal. Who would’ve thought that something so coveted in the cultivation world would be completely worthless here?”
Xia Yi nodded in understanding, recalling his own experiences, and couldn’t help but feel some sympathy. “My name is Xia Yi, and I know a bit about your world. Come with me, I’ll get you something to eat. You’re getting on in years, and it’s not good for you to go hungry, especially for someone from the cultivation world. You might even get so weak that you suffer ‘Qi deviation’ from hunger.” With that, he led Liu Siqian home.
Liu Siqian, following Xia Yi, explained, “I’ve practiced ‘breatharianism’ for many years and haven’t needed food. But now, I suddenly feel like fire is burning inside me. I’m short of breath and sweating. At first, I thought I might’ve been cursed or experiencing ‘Qi deviation’, but after checking myself, I found everything was normal. Then I realized it must be from sheer hunger.”
“Stop talking. Save your strength for the walk to my place. Otherwise, I’ll have to carry you,” Xia Yi advised, sharing his own experience. “Also, when you’re starving, find a stick to lean on and hold out a bowl. That way, people will know you need food and might help you.”
Liu Siqian nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Once they got home, Xia Yi hurried to start a fire and boil some noodles, preparing a large bowl—the one he usually used for himself.
From the moment Xia Yi started boiling water, Liu Siqian stood by the kitchen door, eyes glued to the pot, swallowing hard, while occasionally stepping inside to touch the cupboard or adjust the firewood.
“You don’t need to feel embarrassed. I’ve been hungry before too. Just wait outside until the food’s ready,” Xia Yi reassured him.
When the noodles were done, Xia Yi brought them out and set them on the table. As soon as the bowl touched the surface, Liu Siqian rushed forward, grabbing chopsticks and stuffing his mouth with noodles, not caring about burning his tongue. Xia Yi kept telling him to slow down, but Liu Siqian was too hungry to listen.
His wide sleeves kept knocking into the bowl, so he rolled them up. His long hair occasionally fell forward, so he grabbed a stick from the firewood pile and hastily tied it into a bun. There was no longer any trace of his celestial elegance.
After finishing every last noodle and drinking the broth to the last drop, Liu Siqian collapsed into a chair, satisfied. “When I first got here, I was surrounded by cornfields. I spent the day wandering near the village, searching for an exit to the hidden paradise. I was tempted to grab an ear of corn several times but resisted.”
He then looked Xia Yi up and down, saying, “If I find the way out, I’ll take you with me and make you a disciple of the Qishan Sect. You’ll no longer be an ordinary mortal. Though your talent is average, with diligence and effort, I can give you a ‘Core Cleansing Pill’, and in a few years, you could form your ‘Golden Core’. It’s the least I can do to repay you for the meal.”
“You can’t cultivate here,” Xia Yi reminded him, seeing that Liu Siqian was about to speak again.
“This place is strange. Although the spiritual energy seems abundant, none of it can be harnessed, and all my magical artifacts have lost their power,” Liu Siqian noted, perplexed. “Is this area sealed off by some immortal?”
Xia Yi couldn’t hold back anymore, “This isn’t some hidden paradise, nor is it your cultivation world.”
“Do you know what a parallel world is?” Xia Yi asked. Seeing Liu Siqian’s confusion, he began explaining the concept of parallel worlds.
How could someone so clueless achieve cultivation, especially at the ‘Virtual Core’ stage? Xia Yi explained for quite a while before Liu Siqian finally understood that he had crossed into a different world.
Seeing the dazed look on Liu Siqian’s face, Xia Yi gave him some space to process the information.
Just then, Qilin, Xia Yi’s dog, returned from playing outside. It immediately ran over to Xia Yi, affectionately rubbing against his leg. Xia Yi petted its head and asked, “Hungry?” He then went to the kitchen to mix some leftovers with broth for Qilin.
“That—that’s a Qilin!” Liu Siqian suddenly exclaimed, standing up with wide eyes, his hands trembling as he pointed at the dog.
“Yeah, that’s Qilin. How do you already know it after just a day in the village?” Xia Yi asked, feeling puzzled by the old man’s overreaction. He filled the dog’s bowl, and Qilin happily dug in, wagging its tail while it ate and hummed contentedly.
“That’s a Qilin! And you’re feeding it leftovers?” Liu Siqian was utterly shocked and incredulous.
“What else would it eat? There’s no dog food here,” Xia Yi thought the old man might’ve been a bit out of touch, questioning what was wrong with feeding the dog leftovers. Should he serve it a bowl of noodles at the table like a person?
After Qilin finished its meal, it licked its lips and nuzzled up to Xia Yi. “Go fetch the broom,” Xia Yi told it.
Qilin wagged its tail and dashed off to the corner, returning with a broom in its mouth.
Watching this, Liu Siqian clutched his chest, breathing heavily in distress.
“179, are you still there? Is this guy having an episode? Please check,” Xia Yi nervously called for the system.
“I’m busy patching up a loophole. You’ll have to monitor him for now,” 179 finally responded after a long pause, before going quiet again.
“Stop pretending to be diligent. How long has it been since I got stuck here? And you’re still fixing bugs? I suggest your whole system undergo more training and focus less on performance reviews,” Xia Yi vented.
Meanwhile, Liu Siqian was circling around Qilin, reaching out carefully, eyes shining with joy. “A Qilin! I’ve seen a real Qilin!” He was so overjoyed that Qilin started baring its teeth in annoyance.
Xia Yi: … Seriously? Is he just unfamiliar with dogs, or is there something genuinely wrong with him? Or maybe all cultivators are this eccentric?
When Liu Siqian finally calmed down, Xia Yi started having a heart-to-heart conversation with him. “What are your plans for the future? I don’t know if you’ll be able to go back, but you have to be prepared to live in this world. Are you going to keep selling potions, or do you have another plan?”
“No, I can’t stay here. I need to go back and find the sect leader,” Liu Siqian decisively refused. After some thought, he explained to Xia Yi, “Our Qishan Sect’s Immortal Master Cang Yi has been wandering outside the mortal world for more than twenty years. The sect’s affairs have been managed by the sect leader during this time. Recently, several disciples disappeared mysteriously while out on training missions. There were no clues left behind. So, the sect leader took a few senior disciples to search for them.”
Liu Siqian sighed. “But after the sect leader left, he too disappeared without a trace, just like the others. Right now, I’m managing the sect in his absence. If I go missing as well, the entire Qishan Sect will fall into chaos.”
Hmm? Why does this situation sound so familiar?
“179, come out. Did you guys accidentally send their sect leader to another world?” Xia Yi called out to the system.
“No, the sect leader is still in the original world. I have no records of him traveling to another world. If either you or Liu Siqian traveled to a different world, it would be recorded,” the system replied.
“By the way, my task is to find out the sect leader’s whereabouts. Is this the sect leader it referred to?” Xia Yi suddenly recalled his earlier task.
“Yes, that’s correct, Host.”
“Then what’s the point of searching? Once I plant these radishes, I’ll have the clue,” Xia Yi said.
Liu Siqian furrowed his brows and sighed softly, “I don’t understand where exactly this place is. Everyone here seems like ordinary people, yet they can raise a qilin.” He paused and added, “A qilin that eats leftovers.”
…What is your issue with leftovers? You looked like you were about to starve to death earlier. Were you picky about food then?
“But I definitely need to go back. The sect leader’s whereabouts are unknown, and I must return to continue searching for clues.”
“No rush. When my radishes mature, you’ll have the clues about your sect leader,” Xia Yi said sincerely. “It’ll take about half a month.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Liu Siqian replied absentmindedly.
“I’m serious. Once my radishes mature…” Xia Yi suddenly stopped talking. He noticed that Liu Siqian’s eyes had become unfocused, and his body was surrounded by waves, like ripples in the air. His figure was becoming more and more transparent.
“179, is Liu Siqian returning to the cultivation world?” Xia Yi anxiously called out.
“Yes. Thanks to our recent repairs, the loophole has been patched, and Liu Siqian is now returning to his original world through a spatial rift,” 179 responded cheerfully.
Liu Siqian’s figure became fainter until only a few glowing particles remained. Eventually, even those vanished without a trace.
