A Ya Fried Chicken Shop Reopens

Yunmeng Immortal Marsh was thrown into chaos. The upheaval came so suddenly that many sect elders traveling outside had to return to their sects to restore order.

Only the Spirit-Seeking Stone, once standing tall between heaven and earth atop the mountain peaks, could no longer be activated. The specially crafted stone required the spiritual energy of a specific individual to function. But with that person now dead and their dao extinguished, the stone was shrouded in a gray haze. The rankings that had captivated Yunmeng Immortal Marsh for a hundred years vanished overnight. Some cultivators within the marsh lost their drive, adrift and uncertain of the path ahead.

The high-level cultivators of Yunmeng Immortal Marsh, however, were unaffected. They continued cultivating as usual, but none mentioned pooling their spiritual energy to reactivate the Spirit-Seeking Stone.

Low- and mid-level cultivators dared not speak out, though they simmered with frustration.

Meanwhile, after renovations, A Ya Fried Chicken Shop reopened—and business was even better than before.

After all, it wasn’t every day you saw two high-level cultivators like Shi Yuzhen and An Jiaze brawling over a single portion of fried chicken in broad daylight. If that wasn’t proof that Xu Ya had something special, what was?

Of course, the actual events didn’t quite match the rumors. Somewhere along the way, the story got twisted, but none of the people involved bothered to clarify. And so, this “legend” was passed down as fact.

The shop’s signboard was once again proudly hung above the entrance. On opening day, before the sky had even begun to lighten, a crowd of cultivators was already lined up outside.

But now, Xu Ya had only A Xi to help her. The shop’s rent to Master Xu had only been paid through the end of the first year. From here on out, all the burdens would fall on her shoulders. The countless little details of running the shop pressed in on Xu Ya, forcing her to seriously consider the shop’s future.

First and foremost, she needed to find another trustworthy assistant. A Xi was still growing, and with business booming, neither of them could handle the workload alone.

Second, with orders skyrocketing, relying solely on the “magical effects of fried chicken made by Xu Ya’s hands” would be a surefire way to work herself to death.

After several heated arguments with the system in her head, Xu Ya finally got it to apply to the Main God for an upgrade to her fried chicken cheat.

Now, all she had to do was silently recite her intent, and her words would manifest reality—though only when it came to fried chicken.

Everything else remained unchanged. But Xu Ya no longer cared whether the setting was absurd or not. As long as it lightened her load, she’d accept it.

Finally at ease, Xu Ya let herself relax. Though she had always known she was living inside a novel, now that her fried chicken business was thriving, she genuinely wanted to do her job well each day, nurture her frail body, and perfectly fulfill her mission of supporting the male lead.

【The male lead is here again.】

Xu Ya sighed deeply in her mind. Even in the early morning rush, she couldn’t escape the system’s snide fangirl commentary. Ever since that time she hesitated over whether to share the box of fried chicken meant for the male lead with An Jiaze, the revolutionary bond between her and the system had completely shattered.

Since that sharp outburst, the system had been emotionally unstable. Though it still sounded like the same familiar electronic voice, Xu Ya could now sense its moods.

The male lead had come to check on Xu Ya’s dantian. After several rounds of medicinal pills he had fed her, even Xu Ya’s shallow self-awareness could detect the changes in her body. So every time he visited, she looked forward to it with eager anticipation.

Prompted by the system, Xu Ya turned around just in time, her big eyes sparkling. “Great Senior Brother~~ Good morning~~ You’re here! Come quick, help me check—am I ready to buy higher-grade medicine yet?”

Shi Yuzhen was long used to Xu Ya’s antics.

He naturally extended his hand, and Xu Ya obediently rolled up her sleeve slightly, allowing him easier access to her dantian.

Her dantian had now formed into a full, rounded sphere, brimming with spiritual energy that did not originally belong to her.

This clearly meant she was ready for more advanced pills.

But Shi Yuzhen said, “Let it settle a bit longer. Your foundation is weak. Don’t rush it.”

Hearing this, Xu Ya believed him completely. It made sense—she had neglected her health for over twenty years. Jumping ahead too quickly could easily lead to over-nourishment.

Xu Ya smiled, her eyes curving like little crescent moons. “Hehe, then I’ll trouble Great Senior Brother for a few more rounds of pills.”

Shi Yuzhen understood. He reached into his sleeve and, moments later, pulled out a new porcelain bottle and handed it to Xu Ya.

Her eyes lit up as she reverently held out both hands to receive it.

What Xu Ya didn’t know was that the pills this time were already a grade higher. She was too busy with the shop each day to notice. Nor would she ever know how ridiculous the expressions were on the faces of those snobbish pill vendors at Danxiao Manor every time Shi Yuzhen came by, insisting on the lowest-grade pills.

It was the kind of reaction you’d expect from people watching neon lights flicker in the night sky.

In return, Xu Ya brought out a finely crafted food box from her treasure pouch. She had upgraded her food boxes too. She now carefully selected the most flavorful, crispiest parts of the fried chicken, packing each box with a combination of ten wings and five drumsticks. If the box were bigger, she would’ve stuffed in even more.

During the shop’s downtime, Xu Ya had developed a new type of meat grinder. The method was simple. She used the shop’s earnings to buy a massive stone basin from the local immortals, then modified it by fixing a dagger-tipped stick above it. With a touch of basic spellwork, the giant meat grinder could be activated.

She stripped away all the dry, tough chicken breast meat and ground it into a fine paste. Carefully scooping it out of the stone basin, she molded it into uniform shapes. Thus, chicken cutlets were born.

Xu Ya tasted a bite. Compared to previous versions, this one was far more tender and flavorful.

She gave several portions of the new product to Shi Yuzhen. Now, she crouched nearby, eyes sparkling, waiting eagerly for his verdict.

The male lead was, as always, a crowd-pleaser.

He stepped forward, lifted the hem of his robe to reveal his long, elegant legs, and sat down gracefully. The moment he sat, he opened the food box.

Shi Yuzhen immediately noticed that the layout inside was different from usual. His brows lifted slightly beneath his hair.

This was clearly a carefully arranged meal. Under Xu Ya’s fervent gaze, he reached for one of the new chicken cutlets.

If you saw a cold, aloof flower of the high mountains savoring food with such enjoyment, you might think it looked strange.

But this was Shi Yuzhen. Somehow, it all made a weird kind of sense.

Though he ate with refined manners, Xu Ya thought he could totally become a mukbang star in the modern world.

All he’d need was a camera, and the money would just roll in!

Xu Ya didn’t want to admit that her fried chicken was just that good—it felt a bit narcissistic—but the way Shi Yuzhen savored every bite really whetted the appetite!

Normally, eating high-fat, high-oil fried chicken every day wouldn’t be healthy. But thanks to Xu Ya’s special preparation, this kind of immortal-method fried chicken didn’t cause internal heat. Judging by Shi Yuzhen’s and the shop’s 80 percent customer return rate, her shameless slogan for the fried chicken—“Your cultivation companion”—was actually pretty accurate.

News of the internal upheaval in Yunmeng Immortal Marsh had spread to the outside world, and A Ya Fried Chicken Shop had become famous along with it.

Now, cultivators in all kinds of attire could be seen lining up to buy.

A Xi stirred, groaning and mumbling as he woke. The first thing he did upon sitting up was look for Xu Ya.

Xu Ya, ever cooperative, reached out her arms, waiting for him to come over for their morning hug.

It was their little daily ritual.

Shi Yuzhen’s expression darkened inexplicably as he asked the question that had been on his mind: “Are you still sleeping with this brat?”

Xu Ya replied with a chuckle, “Hehe, things have been a bit hectic lately. A Xi’s growing fast, the bed’s getting too small, and I haven’t had time to call the carpenter to make a new one. So we’ve just been making do.”

Shi Yuzhen suddenly found the fried chicken in his hand lost its flavor. That muddle-headed little brat had clearly been eating well—he’d shot up again. He was now nearly up to Xu Ya’s shoulder. A strange sense of crisis welled up in Shi Yuzhen’s chest.

He shot to his feet and swiftly blocked A Xi’s usual path.

A Xi still managed to get a hug in, but something about the contact felt different.

He rubbed his chubby cheek against Shi Yuzhen, trying to confirm the feeling. Yep, it was definitely different.

When he looked up, Shi Yuzhen was staring down at him from above with a cold, oppressive gaze.

A Xi quickly let go and, mimicking Xu Ya, greeted him with a stammer, “G-Great Senior Brother, good morning.” Why is he here again? A Xi muttered to himself.

High-level cultivators were hypersensitive to everything. Even if they didn’t want to, they couldn’t help but pick up on even the smallest movements of mortals. Naturally, Shi Yuzhen heard A Xi’s grumbling. He let out a cold snort in response.

For a moment, the atmosphere turned tense and strange.

But Xu Ya, ever oblivious, was focused on just one thing—opening the shop for business as soon as possible.

She didn’t think much of the blocked morning hug with A Xi. With a cheerful wave and a smile, she called A Xi over to help set up the front hall.

A Xi responded, deftly sidestepped past Shi Yuzhen, shot him a glance full of unspoken meaning, and then ran off to help in the front.

Shi Yuzhen remained inside the room, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the bed where A Xi had just been lying. His expression was anything but pleasant.

As soon as Xu Ya opened the door, a crowd of cultivators outside couldn’t help but crane their necks and peer inside, as if trying to burn a hole through the wooden partition between the front hall and the private room.

But it didn’t take long for the higher-level cultivators to sense that Shi Yuzhen was currently inside the shop. They quickly and discreetly warned the others.

The crowd immediately quieted down and lined up in an orderly fashion, forming a long, silent queue.

It was as if Xu Ya wasn’t selling snacks, but life-changing tomes of wisdom.

Xu Ya had long since gotten used to the cultivators’ bizarre behavior. Just the other day, they hadn’t been nearly this obedient.

The cultivators, however, were quietly suffering. Many of them had already lost their rose-colored view of Shi Yuzhen. After all, they had personally witnessed him purge the evildoers from the Immortal Marsh. His ruthlessness had left them speechless. Master Xu, despite being a figure of master-level status, had received no mercy from Shi Yuzhen. That scene had left a deep impression—more like a lingering trauma—on many of them.

Now that he was stationed inside Xu Ya’s shop, they had to be extra cautious. One wrong move, and who knew if Shi Yuzhen would go on a killing spree.