My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

Chapter 513: A Talking Kitchen Knife? Am I Truly the Savior?

Using Qi Yuan's ability to perceive hidden information, coupled with Chen Kangbao’s smooth-talking, they managed to thoroughly fool the naïve Jiang Yunxi, leaving her utterly bewildered, like a dazed puppy.

“Your golden hairpin was a gift from your uncle…”

“The jade pendant at your waist was crafted by Xuan Gu and is an artifact.”

“Mm.”

“And... your underarm hair is a bit long.”

“Hmm???”

Half a day later, in a courtyard within the city, Jiang Yunxi stared blankly at a room filled with ingredients.

“The world is in turmoil, overrun with malevolent specters. Young lady, it is time for you to save it,” Chen Kangbao said solemnly.

“But… what does saving the world have to do with chopping vegetables?”

Still confused, Jiang Yunxi had bought the knife and was then dragged by Chen Kangbao to this courtyard.

“A deity once said, ‘If one cannot sweep a single room, how can one sweep the world?’

If you can’t even chop vegetables and perfect your knife skills, how will you cleanse the world of evil specters?” Chen Kangbao spouted nonsense with utmost seriousness.

“So, the first step to saving the world is chopping vegetables.

Chop all the cabbage, eggplant, meat… everything here into tiny pieces. That’s your first trial.

Oh, and remember to wash the vegetables before chopping them. Don’t waste food by dirtying it.”

Jiang Yunxi’s mind was flooded with countless questions.

Half-convinced and half-doubtful, she said, “Alright.”

The old man in front of her was simply too extraordinary.

He knew her better than she knew herself and carried the demeanor of a sage wandering the mortal world.

“Since I have nothing better to do, I might as well give it a try?” Jiang Yunxi thought to herself.

In the kitchen, she stared at the pile of vegetables and meat filling the room. This golden child of nobility had officially embarked on her first day as a kitchen maid.

---

Outside, in a pavilion.

A man and a woman were playing chess. The black pieces dominated the board, surrounding the white pieces. Despite their ordinary appearances, the pair exuded the aura of reclusive experts.

“That old man has some tricks, but nothing impressive,” the woman remarked.

The woman’s name was Yun Li, an Earth-tier Weapon Master. The man, Yun Hu, was also an Earth-tier Weapon Master. Both had been tasked by the Duke to secretly protect the princess, Jiang Yunxi.

Jiang Yunxi’s carefree and innocent nature had led her to sneak away from the palace to join the festivities at Yeshan Lake. Worried for her safety, the Duke had sent these two to ensure her protection.

They were instructed not to reveal themselves unless absolutely necessary.

After all, Jiang Yunxi had her own cultivation abilities and several protective artifacts. Ordinary dangers posed no threat to her.

“I’m just curious—how did he manage to convince the princess?” Yun Hu asked, puzzled.

Though Jiang Yunxi was carefree, she wasn’t foolish.

From a distance, they had observed her talking to the old man, but they couldn’t hear the details of their conversation.

“He’s probably just a skilled con artist. Once the princess gets tired of his tricks, it’ll be our time to step in,” Yun Li said dismissively.

She held little regard for Chen Kangbao.

“Agreed,” Yun Hu nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Still, the old man must have some talent to trick the princess into chopping vegetables.”

The princess had lived a pampered life, never once lifting a finger for labor.

Now, for the first time, she was truly working hard.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the sound of chopping echoed nonstop.

“Thump, thump, thump!”

Jiang Yunxi wielded the knife with all her strength, hacking away at the ingredients.

The vegetable basket was slowly filling with finely chopped pieces, but her arms were sore.

“This is so exhausting! It’s harder than cultivation!”

She had spent an hour washing vegetables and three hours chopping them.

Even with all her effort, she had barely finished a third of the pile.

Her arms were sore, her body ached, but she persevered.

“The old immortal was right. In those legendary stories I’ve read, the protagonists always undergo grueling training to grow stronger—like practicing ten thousand spear thrusts a day or catching a hundred flies with chopsticks. Chopping vegetables must be my unique path to growth.”

“Who would’ve thought that one day, I, Jiang Yunxi, could be the protagonist of my own tale?”

“Wait, who will write my story?”

“No, I need to start keeping a journal, documenting everything that happens each day. When I return, I’ll hint to Manager Chen to write a book about me!”

Jiang Yunxi’s thoughts ran wild.

She imagined how she could embellish her deeds in her journal.

Of course, the embarrassing things the old immortal mentioned—like her underarm hair or bed-wetting—would never make it into her story.

Tonight, she resolved to take a bath and shave off the underarm hair!

Footsteps interrupted her thoughts.

Jiang Yunxi’s chopping intensified. She couldn’t afford to be seen slacking off by the old immortal.

“Not bad. You’re quite diligent… Wait, why have you chopped so little?” Chen Kangbao asked, confused.

His eyes fell on her chopping efforts, and he sighed.

“You… haven’t removed the knife’s sheath yet!”

Qi Yuan had crafted the knife with a protective sheath to shield it from contamination.

However, to fully commit to the role of the knife, he had left the sheath intact, becoming one with his disguise.

“A sheath?” Jiang Yunxi was stunned.

Only now did she realize the knife had felt odd the whole time.

Her face filled with indignation.

No wonder chopping had been so difficult—it had been through a sheath the entire time!

She removed the sheath to reveal a simple yet sharp and understated blade, its edge gleaming faintly.

“Well, does this knife look like it’s worth 999 taels now?” Chen Kangbao asked smugly.

Jiang Yunxi examined it… Hmm, it lacked the divine aura of a high-tier artifact.

“…It’s worth it,” she muttered reluctantly.

Out of respect for the old immortal, she gave in.

“Finish chopping the rest, and I’ll teach you the second step.”

Jiang Yunxi’s face lit up with excitement.

Finally, the old immortal was going to teach her something real?

“The first step to saving the world is chopping vegetables. The second step is… making steamed buns.”

“Steamed buns?” Jiang Yunxi blinked, baffled.

“Exactly. Making buns.”

“What’s the deeper meaning behind this, old immortal?” Jiang Yunxi asked, confused.

Chopping vegetables she could somewhat understand—but buns?

“Making steamed buns may seem ordinary, but it’s far from simple.

What your eyes see may not always be the truth.” Chen Kangbao continued weaving his nonsense.

Jiang Yunxi stood still, listening intently to his words.

“For example, I have a friend who sells dog meat. To you, it might seem like he’s committing great sins against dogs, yes?”

“Yes.”

“But in reality, he’s a great benefactor who saves countless dogs.

Every time he sells a dog, he saves another.”

Chen Kangbao recited an absurd anecdote Qi Yuan had once shared.

Jiang Yunxi, unfamiliar with sarcasm or dark humor, was completely taken in.

“This… this is possible?”

“So, once you finish chopping the vegetables, get to making buns.

Sometimes, what you think are just buns might actually be saving countless lives.”

“Making buns can save lives?” Jiang Yunxi was baffled but in awe. To her, the old immortal’s teachings were profound and layered, beyond ordinary understanding.

“Indeed,” Chen Kangbao answered inwardly.

He simply loved buns.

If the buns filled his stomach, they would save him, a mere mortal.

---

Three days passed, and Jiang Yunxi threw herself into her role as a chef.

Each day, she chopped vegetables and occasionally made buns.

Though initially tiring and frustrating, she gradually found joy and purpose in her work.

“Ah, so this is what it feels like to do something meaningful,” she thought.

Her innate “workhorse constitution” shone through.

---

That evening, exhausted, Jiang Yunxi returned to her room.

The knife rested quietly on her dressing table.

Stretching, she yawned.

“So tired… I won’t bathe tonight. I’ll do it tomorrow morning.”

“But first, I should write in my journal.”

“Today was another productive day. My knife skills are sharper than ever. Even if a master challenged me to a vegetable-chopping contest, they’d surely lose.

Despite my fatigue, I must maintain my poise. After a thorough bath, I’ll rest and prepare for tomorrow.”

Jiang Yunxi finished her journal entry, satisfied with herself.

Then, a voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

“Lying to yourself, are you?”

“Who’s there?” Jiang Yunxi froze, eyes wide as she scanned the room.

“Stop searching. It’s me—the knife,” the voice replied.

“The knife?” Jiang Yunxi stared at it, her face a mix of shock and disbelief.

A talking knife?

Even Heavenly-tier artifacts couldn’t speak!

“I wasn’t able to speak before. But thanks to your dedication, you’ve awakened my sentience,” Qi Yuan said casually.

To fully embody the role of the knife, Qi Yuan had previously severed his senses, becoming an inanimate tool.

But Jiang Yunxi’s persistence had pushed his “knife mastery” beyond 60%, granting him new abilities—sentience and perception.

The knife had grown sharper and tougher, nearing the strength of a Heavenly-tier artifact.

This development was astounding.

In this world, Earth-tier Weapon Masters relied heavily on their artifacts, as their bodies were too fragile to withstand direct hits.

But Qi Yuan was different now.

Originally a tactician relying on skill, he could now act as a brute force combatant.

“You can talk?” Jiang Yunxi asked, blinking in awe.

Could she really be the fated savior?

“Are you male or female? Wait, no—you’re probably genderless, like in the stories. But you’re using a male voice to please me, right? Your voice is so nice—say more!” Jiang Yunxi gushed, her exhaustion vanishing.

“…”

“Why aren’t you talking? Oh, I get it now—it was improper of me to say something so flirtatious.

We must abandon such thoughts and focus on defeating the villains!

In the end, I’ll cradle your shattered form, devastated as your sentience fades away. Only then will I realize I loved you all along but never understood it until it was too late.

Then, you’ll die in my arms, and I’ll retreat to the mountains, living in sorrowful solitude. What a tragic yet beautiful scene!”

Qi Yuan was utterly speechless.

“You’re overthinking things,” he said finally.

“Alright, you’ve chopped enough vegetables. It’s time for the third step,” Qi Yuan declared.

“The third step?” Jiang Yunxi’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“A knife that hasn’t drawn blood isn’t a real knife.

A warrior who hasn’t faced killing cannot become a savior.”

“Does this mean we’ll fight bandits and malevolent specters tomorrow?” Jiang Yunxi asked eagerly.

“Not exactly. Tomorrow, we’ll hunt for ingredients—starting with fish.”

“At Yeshan Lake, the villains have secretly polluted many fish, turning them into malevolent specters. Your task is to eliminate these fish!”

Qi Yuan explained.

Previously, when he had preached the Transformation Dragon Technique, he had observed many fish drawn to him.

Some of these fish had entered Yeshan Lake, only to meet mysterious deaths.

The culprits were corrupted, malevolent fish.

This was the perfect opportunity. Jiang Yunxi could hunt for food, eliminate the cursed fish, and gain experience—a win-win-win situation.

“Understood!”

---

As dawn broke, the chill over Yeshan Lake faded.

Yun Li and Yun Hu sat on a boat, keeping a safe distance from the small vessel ahead of them.

“Say what you will about that old man—he’s got some talent. He even tricked the princess into hard labor for days,” Yun Li remarked, amused.

The princess had made so many buns that Chen Kangbao couldn’t finish them all. He had even set up a stall to sell the extras.

As her protector, Yun Li had bought some to sample.

To her surprise, they were delicious.

“The Duke was surprised to hear about this but didn’t object,” Yun Hu said.

The previous day, the Duke himself had arrived at Yeshan Lake. Yun Hu reported the situation and brought some buns for him to try. After eating, the Duke approved of the experience.

As long as his daughter wasn’t in real danger, a bit of hardship could only do her good.

“The princess does seem more focused lately. Today, she looks even more motivated,” Yun Li observed.

“You don’t think the old man is a real reclusive master, do you?” Yun Li mused aloud.

“How could he be? He’s clearly eccentric. If he were a real master, why would the princess be talking to fish as if they could understand her?” Yun Hu retorted.

Earlier, their boat had drifted close enough to overhear the princess speaking to a fish.

She had asked it where the malevolent fish were hiding and even requested its guidance to defeat the evil specters.

It was utterly absurd.

For one, ordinary fish couldn’t possibly be malevolent specters.

Yeshan Lake was home to the powerful Water Sovereign, a terrifying specter that wouldn’t tolerate other malevolent beings in its domain.

Second, even if there were cursed fish, how could a regular fish understand her and lead her there?

It was laughable.