5: Kind-hearted senior sister

Dong—!

A long, dull bell echoed throughout the Sect, signaling lunchtime.

The Utility Disciples, who had been busily working in the back kitchen with numb expressions, seemed to have a switch activated by the bell. They instantly dropped their tasks, rushing towards the dining hall like hungry wolves.

Lin Ye was a half-beat slow. He had just completed the initiation of Iron Sand Palm, and his mind was still immersed in the wonderful feeling of growing strength. It wasn't until someone rudely bumped into him that he suddenly snapped back to reality.

"What are you looking at! If you don't want to eat, get lost and don't block the way!"

A Disciple with a greasy face glared at him fiercely, then joined the surging crowd.

Lin Ye said nothing, just silently returned the cleaver in his hand to its original place and untied his dirty apron. A strong sense of weakness and an even more overwhelming hunger engulfed him like a tide.

Although the System's idle Cultivation was miraculous, it seemed it couldn't generate energy out of thin air. On the contrary, this method of simulating Cultivation in the background was silently consuming his already meager Qi and physical strength.

From yesterday until now, he had only eaten one cold, hard coarse flour bun, endured double the labor, and worked hard in the back kitchen for an entire morning. At this moment, he felt his vision dimming, and his stomach felt like it was burning, with his stomach wall spasming and aching from excessive hunger.

He leaned against the wall, took a few deep breaths, and barely managed to suppress the dizzying sensation. He then dragged his heavy footsteps, joining the end of the crowd heading to the hall.

The Qingyun Sect Outer Sect dining hall, rather than a place to eat, was more like a small battlefield.

Hundreds of equally hungry Outer Sect Disciples squeezed in front of the narrow windows, pushing and cursing, each trying to get a little more food for themselves. The rules here were simple and brutal—strength and background determined the amount of food in your bowl. Those who were strong and robust, or who knew how to curry favor with Steward Zhang, always got to the front of the line and received relatively generous meals.

And Disciples like Lin Ye, who were new, had no background, and poor Aptitude, could only pick up scraps at the very end.

He silently stood at the end of the long line, watching the impatient face of the kitchen Disciple responsible for serving food at the front window. He would stir the rice bucket with a large ladle, giving the Disciples at the front a full, heaping scoop of rice, but when it was the turn of those at the back, he would flick his wrist, leaving only a pitiful half-scoop.

This was the reality of the Outer Sect, indifferent and cruel.

Finally, it was Lin Ye's turn.

He handed over his cracked bowl, which already had several chips along the rim.

The Disciple serving food didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, performing the familiar "shaking ladle" motion. A scoop of thin porridge so clear you could see the bottom, plus a coarse flour bun not much bigger than a fist and even smelling a bit sour, was his lunch for today.

Lin Ye had long been accustomed to all this. He didn't wish for more, nor did he complain. He took his meal and turned to find a corner to eat.

However, as soon as he turned around, he felt his arm lightly touched by someone.

He instinctively looked up, and a delicate and gentle face came into view.

It was a young girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing the same washed-out coarse cloth clothes as the other Outer Sect Disciples, but her clothes were clean and starched, without a single wrinkle. Her hair was tied back with a simple wooden hairpin, revealing a smooth forehead. Her features were not stunningly beautiful, but combined, they gave people a gentle, refreshing feeling, like a spring breeze.

Especially in this dining hall filled with the smell of sweat, oil, and arguments, her presence was like a lily quietly blooming, fresh and out of place.

Lin Ye recognized her. She was one of the few Senior Sisters in the Outer Sect who would actively look after newcomers, named Yun Shu. It was said that her Aptitude was not top-tier either, but she was diligent and gentle, and had a decent reputation in the Outer Sect.

At this moment, Yun Shu was looking at him with slightly furrowed brows, her clear eyes showing a hint of pity and sympathy. Her gaze moved from Lin Ye's pale, haggard face to the meager food in his bowl, and she sighed softly.

Lin Ye felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze and was about to lower his head and leave, when Yun Shu did something unexpected.

She quickly glanced around, and seeing no one paying attention, she swiftly took a plump, steaming white bun from her own bowl and gently placed it into Lin Ye's bowl.

That bun was a full size larger than the one Lin Ye received, exuding a pure wheat aroma, clearly a fresh, good quality item straight from the kitchen.

Lin Ye was completely stunned, his hand holding the bowl frozen in mid-air, somewhat at a loss.

"Hurry... hurry and eat, you look very pale." Yun Shu's voice was very soft, with a unique gentle sweetness of a young girl, like a clear spring in the mountains, flowing into Lin Ye's parched heart.

After doing all this, she didn't linger. She gave him a warm and encouraging smile, a clean and pure smile, devoid of any Impurities, like the crescent moon in the sky, soft and bright.

Then, she took her bowl and turned to walk to the other side.

Lin Ye stood still, staring at the extra, snow-white bun in his bowl, and then at Yun Shu's slightly slender but firm back. An indescribable warm current surged from the deepest part of his heart.

This warm current was a hundred times hotter and a thousand times more turbulent than the internal Qi that flowed through his palms when he initiated Iron Sand Palm! It instantly broke through the dam that Lin Ye had built with indifference and numbness since his Transmigration, washing over his heart, which had long been cold and stiff from reality's torment.

Three months.

Since coming to this world, all he had felt was Steward Zhang's bullying, his fellow Disciples' cold stares, endless labor, and despair about the future. He was like a trapped beast struggling in a quagmire, lonely and helpless.

This was the first time he had felt pure kindness from this world, without any ulterior motive.

It turned out that beneath this cold and cruel Law of the jungle, such a warm flower still grew.

Lin Ye's eyes felt slightly warm. He blinked hard, suppressing the sourness. He took his bowl, went to an unnoticed corner, squatted down, and silently began to eat.

He first took a sip of the bland thin porridge, then picked up the bun that Senior Sister Yun Shu had given him.

The bun was still warm and soft to the touch. He took a small bite, and a delicate wheat aroma instantly filled his mouth, with a hint of subtle sweetness. This was a world of difference from the dry, hard, and even slightly sour coarse flour bun he had received.

This was perhaps the most delicious thing he had eaten since his Transmigration.

He ate in small bites, cherishing each one. Each mouthful seemed to dispel a bit of his body's coldness and fatigue, and inject new strength into him.

This strength not only came from the food but also from the spiritual comfort brought by that kindness.

It made Lin Ye realize that this world was not entirely dark. Even in the dirtiest mud, beautiful things still existed.

And these beautiful things were so fragile, needing enough strength to protect them.

If he remained the Utility Disciple Lin Ye, who was bullied and couldn't even eat his fill, what could he do when kindness like Senior Sister Yun Shu's encountered malice like Steward Zhang's?

Nothing at all. He could only, like today, timidly accept charity, not even daring to loudly say thank you, for fear of causing her trouble.

No!

I don't want to be like this!

Lin Ye's gaze, in the unseen corner, gradually became firm, becoming sharp!

The desire for strength, at this moment, was stronger than ever before!

He was not just fighting for survival, not just to escape the fate of being expelled from the Sect. He was also fighting for the day when he could stand tall and proud, to defend this hard-won warmth with his own hands, and to repay this kindness that was like sending charcoal in winter!

He wanted to become strong!

Stronger than anyone! Strong enough to trample all malice underfoot, strong enough to protect everything he wanted to protect!

The white bun was eaten bit by bit. The hunger in his stomach was greatly alleviated, and a warmth spread from his stomach to his limbs. The physical fatigue still remained, but two blazing flames ignited in Lin Ye's eyes.

He looked up, his gaze piercing through the noisy crowd, and distantly looked at Yun Shu, who was softly comforting a new Junior Brother. Then, he silently engraved her figure and that warm smile deep into his heart.

Then, he looked down at his hands.

There, the warmth from the initiation of Iron Sand Palm still lingered.