Some nervous expectation in his chest, a slight tremor around his hands. Nothing too big, to Lei’s thinking. It took him a moment to steel his heart and give a nod to the young guards that stood by Master Li’s tent before he entered inside with Little Mei.
The moment they stepped beyond the guards, Little Yao took off from Little Mei’s shoulder and instead hid behind the little girl’s legs.
What welcomed Lei inside was a group of black-robed people who were talking with Master Li and Zhu Luli, with Fatty Lou standing completely still at the side. Lei’s eyes were instantly drawn to the middle-aged man, face creased with a frown and one hand placed tenderly over Zhu Luli’s arm. The other men seemed to drink in his expression, as if waiting for a command or a slight sign to make themselves useful.
Lei used his Spiritual Sensitivity skill on them right away to check if there was anything abnormal about these people. He could already feel how deep their foundations were and that their meridians were full of spiritual energy.
Thankfully, the skill let him know that these were, as expected, real cultivators who had no mana or anything as such in their bodies. And from the way Master Li kept a gentle smile on his face, they didn’t seem to harbor any bad intentions either.
“Oh, here’s our young hero!” Master Li said the moment he laid his eyes upon Lei, raising a hand and gesturing for him to come close. He then turned to the middle-aged man who was likely Zhu Luli’s father. “Here, Esteemed Scholar, this is the chef we were talking about. It was thanks to him that Jiangzhen still stands today. Our people owe him their lives.”
When the middle-aged man swept an eye at him, Lei froze. There was something strange about the man’s eyes. Some sort of force seemed to be prying somewhere deep into his soul. His long, dark hair had a few strands of gray mixed in them, and a frown stretched his lips thin, but other than that, Lei thought the man’s lines had a gentle, scholarly air about them.
He looks genuinely curious. I guess that’s a good thing.
“So you’re that Lei who my daughter couldn’t stop talking about, eh?” the man said in a straight voice, glancing back at Zhu Luli as if to check her reaction. She stood perfectly still, to which the man gave a long sigh. “Come closer, young man. Let me take a look at you. It’s not every day that you hear of a chef saving a mortal city from a bunch of outsiders.”
Lei’s eyes strayed toward Zhu Luli at the mention of ‘outsiders.’ It was one thing to hide the real identity of those people from Jiangzhen’s normal population, but they’d already decided to tell everything to the authorities. And as a patriarch of one of the strongest clans in the Empire, Zhu Luli’s father had everything to be considered a real authority.
Perhaps he’s even more.
As a response to his questioning look, Zhu Luli waved a hand at him, which was enough for Lei for now. Breathing in deep, he took a step and stood before the man.
“Interesting,” Zhu Luli’s father said as he weighed him up and down. Lei felt his skin prickle under his gaze. The Maiden’s Flame that slept deep in his heart stirred slightly, but Lei pressed it down with a mental command. It was still tired after that last battle and needed a good rest.
“You have strange bones,” the man said after a moment, looking a touch confused. “As a Qi Refiner, you’re clearly a step away from the Qi Condensation Stage, but your bones and muscles are hard enough to rival even the Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. You must be using some kind of Body Tempering manual, and not a bad one, either. I can sense a certain warmth around your meridians as well, an internal source that feeds your paths constantly. Is that related to—”
“Father,” Zhu Luli said, rolling her eyes at him. “You always say everyone has their own secrets. Clearly, Brother Lei has his own as well, so please chain that scholar side of yours and focus on what’s important. You were going to say something to him, right?”
“Uh…” Zhu Luli’s father stared at his daughter and sighed heavily before giving a reluctant nod. When he turned to Lei, the man seemed to have aged a good ten years in a moment’s time. “It’s never easy to deal with an unruly child. Even harder when she’s a stubborn one, but I have learned my lessons. Learned them well, I’m afraid.”
He gestured for Lei to take one of the chairs, then, when Lei sat rather awkwardly with the other black-robed men, Zhu Luli’s father instead rose from his seat and clasped his hands behind his back.
“I’m an old man. I have lived through many a hard time. I’ve seen this Empire rise from the ashes and fall back to the depths yet again. I’ve seen grand Immortals take to the skies, even sent a few of them off with these old bones of mine. I’ve experienced great pain and love, both in equal measure. Time has given me precious gifts. The same time took them away as well,” he said, this time with a voice tinged with a heaviness that thumped in Lei’s ears.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“But these few years that I’ve spent apart from my daughter have been the hardest times of my life. I can’t take it any longer. I have not in me to bear another month, let alone another year, without her scent any longer. Therefore, willingly or not, I’m taking her back with me. There’s nothing in the wide circle of the world that could change that.”
“Sir…” Lei muttered, slightly shaken by the intense look in the man’s eyes. There he saw a deep-rooted pain, an agony that was beyond mere longing. It was as though the man had a part of his heart missing, and now that he was whole again, he’d never wanted to return back ever to that state. “I’m—”
“I’m not done, young man. You will listen, and you will listen well,” Zhu Luli’s father said with a sweep of his arm. He continued with that same heaviness in his voice. “I’m a lucky man, and yet I’m cursed as well. The Heavens gave me a genius. They also made her just as stubborn. I’m not familiar with the things you’ve been through together in this forgotten part of the Empire, and yet my daughter seems to be quite fond of you. To the point that she refuses to be parted from you or those kids that she couldn’t stop talking about.”
Heat rushed to Lei’s head, and his heart thumped in his chest. When he looked at Zhu Luli, he saw her hiding her face behind her hands.
“Therefore, I’ve decided, after much thought, to bring you lot with me as well. But do hear me before making a hasty decision, as this is not the gift that you think it is,” the man said, shaking his head. “Many people think of the capital as the greatest city that’s ever been built on this continent. The one true Immortal City that rises over the others. But few know that it is a den of hidden dragons and tigers, a place where the most elite of this Empire vie for supremacy.”
The man nodded to his own words, an array of complex emotions flashing behind his eyes. Fear. Rage. More importantly, a deep uncertainty, which Lei felt true in his heart.
“That is the city of Immortals and Kings, constantly under the watch of the Jade Throne that creeps ever closer to the Heavens. Only the most prodigious academies and sects reside there. And the same is true for…” He paused all of a sudden, glancing at Lei with a strange glint in his eyes. “Restaurants.”
“Eh?” Lei blurted out.
The man nodded. “It is true. You may think of yourself as a great chef, but I’ve dined at the tables of true masters and thus know how deep some of them are in their Dao of Cooking. As per my daughter’s request, I shall give you a restaurant and the kids the chance to attend the entrance exams of those sects, but I’m afraid this is the most I can do for you. Whether you’re successful or not will depend on you.”
“You…” Lei muttered, disoriented as he rose shakily to his feet, staring at the man’s face as his mouth parted. For a second, he didn’t know what to say or what to think. “You’re giving me a restaurant?!”
“Not just a restaurant,” the man snorted with disdain. “I’ll give you the Golden Crow’s Den. Do know that it is one of the most glorious establishments that belong to the Ji Clan. They owe me a rather big debt, which I’d planned to sit on for quite some time, but might as well cash it now. However, they would take their chefs and staff with them the moment I force them to give me the place. So, my question is, knowing the Immortals and Sages often dine there, do you think you can handle it?”
“Me? Sages and Immortals?” Lei said as shivers trickled down his spine. He stood there for a moment, all confused and shaken, his mind too fuzzy to think it through.
His eyes searched for an answer around the tent. Master Li was smiling. Beside him, Zhu Luli looked at him with expectant eyes, but it was Fatty Lou he couldn’t help but turn to.
His brother-in-arms was trying to keep himself still, but Lei could see how his eyes widened at the words. It looked like even he hadn’t expected this offer. His whole face was flushed with excitement, and the fat under his chin wriggled impatiently.
Lei gave him a slight nod. This… This was a huge opportunity. Not only for him but for the kids as well. They were already thinking about trying their chances at Lanzhou, knowing it would take time to come up with enough funds to open a restaurant. The trouble was, they had no one to depend on in that place. It was a big question mark whether they could find their footing there or not.
On the other hand, the notion of opening a big restaurant in the capital scared Lei. He didn’t have much experience with the restaurant business, let alone one that would serve Immortals and Sages. Could he do it? Could his dishes satisfy such rich palates?
A warmth washed over his chest and up his head. The Maiden’s Flame roared against the swirling mess of his thoughts, then forced them to settle down and allowed Lei a moment of peace.
Right.
He was being a fool acting like this. So what if he only had some experience with a little restaurant? In his past life, he was a Michelin-starred chef, a damned good one who studied the field like a maniac. All his life, he yearned for such an opportunity, a big stage to show his talents.
And then there’s the quest.
He checked it once again.
[Quest Available!]
[The Chef’s Grace]
[Difficulty: ???]
[Rewards: ???]
[Description: You have come to hear your own Dao in these turbulent times. It now beckons you from the depths of your soul. Only through using and sharing this gift can your heart grow, and so shall grow the seed in your soul. Your world needs it even if it may yet not understand the gravity of its importance.]
The moment he checked it, he remembered Voilanth’s words. That man seemed to be obsessed with fate. To him, everything that had ever happened in the Three Realms had a meaning.
This quest, and now the offer from Zhu Luli’s father…
Lei felt it.
It was fate.
He needed not think anymore to make a decision.
“I can do that,” he said, fists clenched tight around his robe. “Bring me the Emperor for all I care. I can cook for him as well.”