Chapter 140: The Anti-Theft System

“Girl, I’ve brought back the papers from Class Three.”

The old man strode into the room just as Yun Jiao was deep in thought. His eyes immediately landed on a very familiar-looking jar on the table—and instantly lit up.

“Eh! You made something tasty again? This one’s for me, right?”

Before she could react, he reached straight for it.

“Wait—!” she blurted, trying to stop him. “That’s Ancestor Master’s—”

“What? Don’t tell me you’re not saving me any!” he complained before she could finish. Hugging the jar like treasure, he added, “This little bit must be what the old master didn’t want. You might as well give it to me!”

And without waiting for her reply, he whipped off the lid, grabbed a bright green pastry, and bit down hard.

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out—but the pastry stayed perfectly whole, while the old man’s tooth snapped. A bright line of blood trickled from his gums, flooding his mouth with the taste of iron.

He froze in disbelief, then slowly fished the pastry back out of his mouth. The sweet, soft-looking cake was completely intact, and glowing faintly. A small golden formation gleamed right on its surface.

His face went pale. “No way, girl—you carved spells into pastries?! Isn’t that overkill?”

Yun Jiao also looked shocked. She hurriedly took the jar from him and examined it. Every single cake inside bore the same shining array. She picked one up—instantly, the glow faded away, the seal unraveling harmlessly. She took a bite. Soft, fragrant—perfectly normal.

No tooth-shattering backlash.

“It wasn’t me,” she said helplessly. “It was Ancestor Master.”

Figures. Even as the founder of the entire sect, he still had to outdo everyone—an anti-theft enchantment, now complete with Taoist aesthetics. Truly cutting-edge.

“What?” the old man sputtered, staring at her as though she’d grown three heads. “You’re joking, right? Ancestor Master… making pastries?!”

“Mm-hmm.” Yun Jiao nodded solemnly. “I’ve been teaching him these past few days.”

The old man gaped. He had noticed them hanging around the kitchen lately, but he’d assumed it was just the usual—Ancestor Master running out of snacks and pestering Yun Jiao to restock.

“You… taught him?”

“I’ve been busy, couldn’t keep up. So I told him to make them himself.” She shrugged, broke one of the enchanted cakes clean in half—at once, the array shattered. Handing half to him, she said, “Try again. Ancestor Master’s cooking isn’t bad.”

He instinctively covered the side of his mouth that hurt, glaring suspiciously at the green piece in her hand. If it was really from that man, there had to be a catch.

“The formation’s gone. It’s fine,” she said patiently.

After a long hesitation, he took it, chewed carefully—and froze.

The cake melted on his tongue, filling his mouth with sweetness and a refreshing coolness that spread through his limbs. His body felt lighter, clearer.

“This… this is amazing!” His eyes widened in delight. “Girl, what is this stuff?”

“Green-bean cake,” she said offhandedly. “Why?”

“Why?! You didn’t taste the difference? This isn’t ordinary!”

“Really?” To her, it tasted just like her own.

He nodded vigorously, eyes gleaming. Then he grinned. “If you’re not eating the rest, can you, uh… break them all in half for me first? I’ll take the pieces!”

Even quarters would do—as long as they didn’t break his teeth.

Yun Jiao thought about it. “I could… but I’d have to tell Ancestor Master first. They were his gift.”

“Mm-mm-mm, that’s fine!” The old man nodded eagerly. “He won’t mind if you ask. I just wonder what he put in there—these things are divinely—”

Gurgle…

The strange sound came from his stomach. His triumphant expression froze; his face twisted, turning pale. Sweat poured down his forehead.

“M-my stomach…” He doubled over, clutching his belly. His knees buckled.

“What’s wrong?” Yun Jiao asked, alarmed, reaching out instinctively.

But he shoved her away. “Out of the way, girl—I can’t hold it!”

Then he bolted from the room, sprinting toward—yes—the outhouse.

Moments later came the unmistakable glug-glug-glug and a sound like a waterfall.

Yun Jiao: “…”

She retreated a full hundred meters on instinct.

At first she thought he’d just eaten something that disagreed with him. The Ancestor Master was still a novice cook, after all—accidents happened.

But when three whole hours passed and the old man still hadn’t emerged, and a certain unspeakable smell began drifting from the left wing toward hers…

She realized this might be serious.

She debated whether to break in or move her quarters entirely. In the end, she decided the culprit had to be held accountable.

Time to find the source of infection—the Ancestor Master.

(Definitely not because it stank too much.)

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“Green-bean cake ingredients?” Ye Yuan repeated blankly when she asked, handing her a freshly made jar of almond crisps labeled in golden script: Little Disciple’s Almond Pastries.

“Why are you asking?”

“The old man’s been in the toilet for three and a half hours,” she said flatly. “If he stays any longer, the sun will set.”

Ye Yuan’s hand froze. His expression darkened instantly. “You gave him the green-bean cake.”

It wasn’t a question. His cold eyes locked on hers, filled with faint… resentment?

Her heart skipped a beat. “Just half a piece. Then he, uh… ran off and hasn’t come back since. What did you put in there? Is he okay?”

His tone eased a little as he glanced toward the left wing. “It’s fine. Just a minor meridian-cleansing technique. He won’t die.”

“‘Meridian cleansing’?” she echoed dubiously. “That sounds more like a colon cleanse.”

“Mm.” He nodded solemnly. “He started cultivation too late. His body is full of impurities. Cleansing his meridians will help his progress.”

“So… you did it for his own good?”

“Mm.”

“…But I ate some too.”

Why wasn’t she affected?

“You ate the cookies,” he replied automatically. “I infused them with celestial energy that dissolves impurities quietly—no… side effects.”

Yun Jiao drew a long breath. “So… you deliberately left that jar on my desk, just to make sure the old man would see it?”

Ye Yuan: “…”

Yun Jiao: “…”

The air froze between them.

Nothing was more terrifying than sudden silence.

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(End of Chapter)