Chapter 26

Chapter 26. Drinking porridge with the young master’s spoon~

The next day, Lin Nuo woke up early. He had two daily routines:


First, check if his demonic root had awakened.


Second, check if his cultivation had improved.

After confirming both, he sighed. Alright, still a useless waste today.

He changed into his white Taoist robe, grabbed his sword, and gently pushed open the door. Outside, Li Ruo’er was waiting with a tray of breakfast.

“How long have you been waiting?”

“Just got here, young master. Such a coincidence~”

Li Ruo’er smiled innocently. Lin Nuo knew she had been waiting outside for a while. As soon as she heard movement inside, she would quickly bring breakfast over. She always timed her knocks perfectly, never disturbing his sleep.

Lin Nuo picked two steamed buns from the tray and started eating one.

“You can have the rest.”

“Young master, you train so hard every day. Is eating this little enough?” Li Ruo’er looked at his lean figure with concern.

“Young master, how about having some porridge?”

Lin Nuo glanced at the steaming porridge. It was infused with rare medicinal herbs, a nourishing recipe from the Lin family specifically for him. The porridge was sweet and fragrant, without the bitterness of the herbs.

Although he had drunk this porridge before, it hadn’t helped his cultivation. People’s physiques vary, and his body didn’t seem to benefit from it. A sip to moisten his throat was fine, but drinking too much might backfire.

Lin Nuo picked up the spoon, took two sips to wet his mouth and throat, and then put it back on the tray.

“You can drink the rest.”

“Young master, I’m not worthy of drinking this porridge…”

“If you don’t drink it, throw it away. I’m leaving.”

With that, Lin Nuo left for his morning practice, still munching on a steamed bun.

“Young master is eating so little these days. It’s a pity to waste this porridge…”

Li Ruo’er stared at the bowl of nourishing porridge, sighing.

As a servant, she wasn’t allowed to drink such precious porridge, or she could be expelled from the Lin family—unless the master permitted it.

Wait, isn’t the young master my master? If he said I could drink it, then it’s fine.

Li Ruo’er’s bright eyes glanced at the spoon on the tray.

Wasn’t that the spoon the young master just used?

She quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching.

Her pale hand reached out for the spoon.

Her heart was pounding—not because she wanted to steal the porridge, but because she wanted to drink it with the spoon the young master had used.

Would people think she was strange if they found out?

But… she couldn’t resist. The young master hadn’t scolded her lately and had been kind to her—letting her eat at the same table, helping her dispel cold energy, and now allowing her to drink the porridge.

Though he didn’t speak much and was cold, his gestures felt warm.

At first, she served him out of gratitude. Now, she was drawn to him.

If I drink porridge with the young master’s spoon, it’ll surely taste even sweeter.

After a brief struggle, she decided to use the spoon. Scooping up a mouthful of porridge, she brought it to her lips.

“It’s so sweet~”

Li Ruo’er’s fluffy ears drooped as she savored the porridge. She finished the whole bowl in one go, feeling happier than ever to serve the young master.

Hmph~ Those people who told me to find another master are just jealous of me, Li Ruo’er.

—

Lin Nuo was used to being stared at, but today the crowd seemed larger than usual.

“That’s him—Lin Nuo, who single-handedly slew the Heaven-tier Demonic Dragon and the Demon Refining Sect members.”

“It doesn’t seem real…”

“But many people saw it with their own eyes. Even their leader, Du Xu, admitted defeat.”

“What kind of techniques does he usually practice?”

The disciples of Xuanyun Sect stopped their training to follow Lin Nuo, hoping to witness some high-level spiritual techniques or sword skills.

Although there were still some skeptics, they were fewer than before, and surprisingly, there were even some praises.

The absence of daily ridicule felt almost… unnatural to him.

“Do you all need something?”

Lin Nuo turned to face the disciples trailing behind him.

The disciples awkwardly averted their gazes, pretending not to follow him.

Being watched made it inconvenient to practice demonic cultivation techniques. Fame was a troublesome thing. Ever since returning from the Fenghai Forest trial, he had become the center of attention—a terrible nuisance.

“Junior Brother Lin Nuo, would you be willing to spar with me?”

“Senior Brother Lin Nuo, please spar with me!”

“Brother Lin, spar with me!”

Three male disciples stepped forward, politely requesting a duel.

It wasn’t surprising. Lin Nuo, once a lowly cultivator, had suddenly become a hero who defeated the Demon Refining Sect. Of course, people would challenge him.

He vaguely remembered these three disciples being at the fifth-tier level.

Sparring for fun was meaningless. Life-or-death duels were more interesting.

“Not interested.”

Lin Nuo waved them off.

“Please reconsider, Junior Brother Lin Nuo.”

The male disciples persisted, unwilling to back down.

Suddenly, a chilling aura filled the air, and frost spread across the forest branches.

“Are you all this free?”

Everyone turned toward the source of the icy aura—a stunning silver-haired girl.