A petty mind judges others by its own pettiness.

The clay pot was placed on the table, filling the room with a rich aroma.

Zhuifengzi brought out a jug of wine—this time it was ordinary barley wine.

Jiang Mingzhe eagerly took it, filling cups for both Zhuifengzi and himself.

“Senior Brother, a toast from your junior brother!”

“Haha, sit down and drink, no need for formalities among brothers.”

The two cups clinked, and they drained them in one go.

Zhuifengzi picked up his chopsticks: “Dig in, no need to be polite...”

Before he could finish, Azi had already grabbed a chicken drumstick and was eating heartily.

Zhuifengzi smiled and said nothing more, simply burying himself in the food.

Jiang Mingzhe, by now famished, paid no attention to his manners either.

One had to admit, Zhuifengzi’s culinary skills were truly impressive.

The wild chicken’s neck was chopped off at both ends, skinned, deboned, and cut into pieces. The white snake bones were blanched clean and laid at the bottom of the pot, then boiled with water.

Lard was heated in a copper pan, into which the snake meat pieces, chunks of large stone chicken, and smashed ginger were stir-fried until golden. After adding sauce and frying briefly more, everything was poured into the boiling clay pot. Some Rhodiola and Tibetan Yin Chen herbs were added for fragrance, and it was simmered all night.

Before serving, a pinch of green salt and a generous handful of goji berries were sprinkled in.

Though this “One Dragon, Two Phoenixes” dish lacked the multitude of seasonings seen in later times, the quality of the ingredients and the careful cooking made the aroma intense, the flavor fresh, and the texture tender. Even Jiang Mingzhe, who had tasted countless delicacies, gave it an unhesitating five-star rating.

After a satisfying meal, everyone returned to their own homes.

The third senior brother saw them off with a cheerful smile. Before leaving, he grasped Jiang Mingzhe’s hand, who felt a firm pressure in his palm. Looking down, he found a small wine jar filled with the Five Treasures Honey Wine.

Jiang Mingzhe was surprised; he had not expected Zhuifengzi to give him such a gift and hastily declined: “Third Senior Brother, this wine is far too precious, I cannot possibly accept!”

Zhuifengzi turned his back, refusing to take no for an answer, forcing a smile: “Senior Brother, I am magnanimous and generous, and dislike this back-and-forth. Unfortunately, this is all that remains; otherwise, I would surely have given you several jin... well, it’s only a little over two liang, but if you drink a bit before training each day, your foundation will become exceptionally solid. No more refusals—this is my sincere intention!”

The stout man’s heart bled; he tried to appear generous and magnanimous, but the more he smiled, the more strained it looked.

Azi found it amusing and tightly covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.

Seeing his insistence, Jiang Mingzhe had no choice but to accept: “Well... alright then, I’ll accept it shamelessly. Thank you very much, Senior Brother.”

Bidding farewell to Zhuifengzi, they turned a corner. Azi grinned broadly: “This Five Treasures Honey Wine is difficult to brew. I thought just sharing a cup with us was generous enough, but to give it all to you at once—that’s truly magnanimous.”

Jiang Mingzhe was puzzled; he did not know Azi had crafted a secret illegitimate child persona for him. He only assumed Zhuifengzi saw great potential in him, wanting him to be a decoy to attract the attention of the Star Seeker.

But if that were the case, the investment seemed too great. Jiang Mingzhe pondered deeply but could not solve the mystery.

Seeing his suspicion, Azi chuckled silently but did not intend to reveal the truth. Instead, she babbled about the dishes they had just eaten.

“Ginger, why do you think the wild chicken tastes so good? If I were Master, I’d just send Third Senior Brother to the dining hall to be the chef—cooking wild chicken every day. Then I wouldn’t have to eat those nasty things anymore.”

Jiang Mingzhe gathered from her tone that delicious food was a rare treat for her, and laughed: “Actually, my cooking isn’t bad either. When I get the ingredients, I’ll definitely treat Senior Sister to a good meal.”

“You can cook too?” Azi was surprised, then her eyes sparkled mischievously: “But good dishes need good wine. Would you be willing to treat me to some Five Treasures Honey Wine?”

Azi had hoped to see this junior brother’s reluctance, but Jiang Mingzhe smiled casually and handed over the small wine jar: “If Senior Sister likes it, why wait to treat?”

“Huh?” Azi hadn’t reacted yet when the wine was already in her hand. She shook it and looked dazed: “All of it?”

Jiang Mingzhe nodded.

“You!” Azi raised an eyebrow, as if Jiang Mingzhe had committed a grave offense, and exclaimed: “How can you give me all of it? Haven’t I told you about the origin of this wine? I’m telling you, without Master providing many precious ingredients, Third Senior Brother alone couldn’t have made this wine. Huh!”

Her gaze suddenly sharpened, her brow furrowed in calculation: “Come to think of it, those materials for brewing won’t spoil. Third Senior Brother could brew another batch, though the effect probably wouldn’t be as good... Huh! Ginger, do you think he’s already brewed a second batch? The wine he gave us is... is...”

“Secondhand?” Jiang Mingzhe kindly prompted, seeing she struggled for words.

“Right, secondhand! The wine he gave us is secondhand!” Azi was increasingly certain and nodded firmly: “No doubt about it! Otherwise, with my high talent, how come after drinking his wine, I only opened three meridian points?”

Jiang Mingzhe laughed heartily; this was his first time drinking the wine too and he could not distinguish firsthand from secondhand. Still, Zhuifengzi’s forced generosity and underlying pain were unmistakably genuine.

Thus, Azi’s suspicion was likely a projection of mistrust...

Suddenly, Jiang Mingzhe realized something—where was there a gentleman in the Star Sect?

He nodded slightly, understanding Azi’s mistrust.

In this sect, without a heart capable of seeing through petty schemes, how could one navigate among so many schemers?

“Third Senior Brother is really stingy! I knew he couldn’t be that generous!”

Azi had completely forgotten the grateful words Third Senior Brother had said while pouring her wine, pouting as she muttered.

Then she glanced at Jiang Mingzhe and smiled: “Ginger, you’re the most generous!”

Jiang Mingzhe chuckled and reminded her: “I’m just offering a borrowed flower to present a Buddha. The wine still belongs to Third Senior Brother. How come he’s stingy and I’m generous?”

“It’s different.” Azi spoke solemnly and convincingly: “Third Senior Brother probably has hidden some stash. When he says he has none, I don’t believe it! But you really only have this much.”

She lifted the small wine jar high, shaking it: “You gave me all you had!”

Suddenly, Azi was moved, stopping in her tracks and looking steadily at Jiang Mingzhe: “Ginger, why are you so good to me?”

Jiang Mingzhe had no choice but to pause, smiling gently: “You’ve been good to me too.”

“No.” Azi was silent for a moment, then shyly confessed: “I wanted Master to poison you before.”

Jiang Mingzhe was taken aback that she would bring this up spontaneously.

He looked down at Azi, who bit her lip lightly, eyes half-closed, revealing a trace of guilt and unease.

A confession from the little girl?

Jiang Mingzhe smiled silently and asked in response: “Oh? We had no grievances or enmity; why did you want to poison me?”

Azi’s voice grew softer: “At that time, I didn’t know you. You didn’t wear clothes and were so annoying... Besides, if Master poisoned someone else, I could secretly learn his technique. If he used a strong poison, I could pester him for some.”

Jiang Mingzhe sighed inwardly. From watching the Heavenly Dragon before, he had noticed that Azi—perhaps because she grew up in the Star Sect—lacked the most basic respect for life. For those she didn’t care about, she truly didn’t care.

But for those she cared about, she genuinely cared deeply.

Jiang Mingzhe regretted not being a psychologist; he was sure Azi had serious psychological issues but couldn’t diagnose her.

Deciding to drop the topic, he said earnestly: “Yes, we didn’t know each other then. But later, when I became your junior brother, you treated me very well—teaching me how to adapt here, how to get Master to pass down powerful skills, even finding me a belt, and then eating that belt together...”

Azi found this amusing and giggled: “So I was indeed good to you. No wonder you’re so good to me!”

As dawn brightened the sky, Azi’s mood lifted. Suddenly, she turned, jumped, and kicked Jiang Mingzhe lightly on the rear: “The sun’s almost up, aren’t you going back to get some more sleep?”

With that, she hopped away happily.

Passing the entrance of Building B1, Jiang Mingzhe stopped: “Senior Sister, I’ll head back first.”

“Go ahead, go ahead!”

Azi waved her hand dismissively as she passed, casually tossing the small wine jar backward: “Catch it!”

Jiang Mingzhe’s eyes widened, hastily catching it with both hands. He wondered what Azi was thinking, tossing such a precious item so carelessly, not fearing he might drop it.

“Senior Sister...”

“Just teasing you! This secondhand wine isn’t worth my attention; I’m saving it for you to build your foundation!” Azi interrupted without looking back.

Watching her figure disappear, Jiang Mingzhe shook his head with a smile and murmured to himself: “The little brat runs so fast. I still have things to ask you... Oh well, I’ll sleep on it first.”

Stretching lazily, he entered his small building.