The server’s smile faltered. He was professional enough to hide the utter confusion on his face, but Jun could smell it on him. Had you told the boy that a dragon had razed half the sect to ash using fire, he still would have been less caught off guard than this.
Chen Hao opened the basket and moved the leaves to the side, revealing small and unappetizing cuts of mostly pork. The standoff between the two was something worth studying in history books. The server was the first to break.
“I’ll go ask Master Liu Wei,” he bowed, and before Jun even realised it, he was gone. Immediately, the inn returned back to normal.
“See? It’s going well,” Chen Hao whispered to Jun, who in return rolled his eyes.
A minute or two later, the boy returned, silently beckoning them to follow him. Several regulars eyed the kid and the dog, sizing them up. Jun did not like those glances one bit. The pressure disappeared when they walked through a wooden door, revealing a small but cosy-looking kitchen.
Pots, pans, and numerous other kitchen utensils cluttered the room, worn by frequent use. Fresh produce and jars of wine, coupled with ancient-looking trays of spice, lined the shelves. Paper lanterns hung directly above the kitchen as if the owner of the place had a death wish.
“Master, I’ve brought the kid,” the server said, quickly ushering them into the kitchen, side-eyeing the dog.
“Good. Let me see this strange vendor.”
A deep voice came from a sturdy and tall man in a chef’s hat and white clothes. Both were a few sizes too small for him. A handsome man in his late thirties, with slick black hair and a luscious moustache that curled up tossed a wok full of rice while pouring in generous amounts of wine. Tattoos and scars marred his body like stars. Jun’s eye twitched. It was like dressing up a ferocious tiger with cat ears and pink stickers, hoping to make it non-threatening. Even here, he could tell that the man had led a life full of battle.
“Ah. Look at you. What happened?” The chef stared at Chen Hao's ragged appearance.
“Got in a fight,” the boy lied.
Master Liu Wei eyed him suspiciously but chose not to pursue the question. Instead, he looked at the bamboo basket in the boy’s arms, motioning to hand it over. Facing the intimidating man, Chen Hao didn’t dare to disobey.
“W-we have the best bits of a magical beast right here. Enough for a hearty meal that will feed an entire family. With one bite, you’ll feel your cultivation base stirring. It might even help you break through,” he faithfully recited the meat shop’s selling pitch, bravely meeting the chef’s piercing eyes.
‘I can’t believe we’re saying this to a chef of all people.’ Jun thought.
“You’re Wang Xiu’s new helper,” he said, putting the basket on a stone counter. “I heard the rumours going around of a kid, looking sickly and pale, selling meat instead of her. She’s the one you ‘fought’, right?”
Chen Hao practically melted under the intense gaze, weakly nodding his head.
“You stole these?”
“Absolutely not! She, uh, paid us for the work well done with. We’re just trying to sell it for a bit of money and get a place to sleep, sir.” The boy stumbled over his words.
The man chuckled, which turned into a full-blown belly laugh.
“You’ve got no clue where you are, do you? You can just say it’s stolen. The awful woman wouldn’t pay you a single spirit stone even if she was forced to.”
The chef took the various pieces of meat, put them on the cutting board, and before Jun could even blink, they were cut into evenly shaped cubes. He took out a massive metal pot and started boiling some water, adding various vegetables and sprinkling exotic spices before eventually adding the cubes.
“What kind of a fucked up recipe requires meat cubes?” Jun said at the same moment as his stomach decided to riot. He hadn’t eaten for days on end.
“Tell you what. For the meat you gave me, I’ll feed both you and your dog. For the promise of a better batch tomorrow, I’ll house you in an unused room in the basement. If it’s particularly good, you may even move up to a regular room. How does that sound?” The chef said, flashing a beaming smile at them, finding a moment to twirl his moustache for extra style.
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“Really? I mean, absolutely! We’ll get even more tomorrow.”
The boy couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Neither, apparently, could the server, because he was staring daggers at Chen Hao. He interjected, cutting the boy’s jubilation short.
“Could I ask why you’re doing this, master? A few months ago, when I first came here, you told me you wouldn’t be giving out any handouts. I had to work hard to earn a spot in the family,” the server said, putting down a platter.
“A helping hand when someone is down on their luck is worth a lot more than you might think. Just because you’ve had it worse doesn’t mean you can ignore the plight the young man before you is facing,” the chef met He Ming’s unamused look. Before the situation could escalate, they were broken up by the sounds of Jun’s rumbling stomach.
‘Man, I did not sign up for whatever family dispute this is.’
Eventually, He Ming returned to work, leaving the three of them alone in the kitchen. Chen Hao admired the man’s knife skills while Jun impatiently prowled around, searching for any bones. As luck would have it, he found some discarded chicken bones in the trash.
“Look at how far I’ve fallen. This is like drawing questionable animal drawings because you can’t make money using a digital degree. But, instead of that, I’m digging through trash like a hobo just to get a taste of some bone essence.”
One might have thought that Jun would proudly turn his nose away and walk off with dignity. Instead, the speed at which he devoured the bone broke several world records—the sweet sensation of his body becoming stronger was worth every bit of lost pride.
After some time, the chef served them piping hot and incredibly delicious meat stew, which they both ravenously devoured. Jun even tried to sneak in extras, but a solid whack to the head with a wooden spoon told him everything he needed to know. Both of them slumped down to the floor in the corner of the kitchen, basking in the heat and the various smells. Master Liu Wei didn’t seem keen on chasing them away, so here they stayed.
“The meat was really delicious. Too delicious. I can see why people would want to kill the pigs. It’s just... I don’t know."
“News flash. They also eat dogs in certain parts of the world. Don’t even get me started on that.”
Wait, was the chef fattening him up just so he could be made into dog meat stew? The horror of it all.
"Working all day just to not get paid, having an old woman constantly yell and berate you for the slightest mistake. Hah, even the animals sleep better than us. It's tough," he said, staring at the empty bowl. His stomach was rumbling for more.
Moments later, the boy's thoughts were interrupted by sharp laughter.
“Grow up, kid. The world isn’t going to coddle you and wait for you to come to terms with everything, nor will anyone save you. The only thing you can rely on is your blade and your determination.”
Those words were said by He Ming as he returned to the kitchen, picking up a plate of stir-fried vegetables. His voice held a certain kind of disdain towards Chen Hao, which was even more emphasised by his glare.
“What do you know? It’s only been two weeks since we were torn away from the village!”
In an uncharacteristic display of anger, Chen Hao’s voice rose to answer He Ming.
“And I was only six when some drunk bastard burned down everything I had. Instead of wallowing in sorrow and complaining like you, I prepared for the day when I reached thirteen. When I materialised my spirit roots, I cultivated every single day, every single hour. Then, I ended the bastard with my own two hands.”
He Ming picked up a knife and tossed it towards Chen Hao before heading back to the common room. In a split second, his expression changed from disdain and hostility to a peaceful smile as if putting up an act for the rest of the world. The boy grabbed the knife and stared at his face in the silvery reflection.
“Don’t mind him. He doesn’t like it when people ‘don’t earn their keep.’ He’ll warm up to you if you keep your promise. And, perhaps he sees a bit of himself in you,” the chef commented, but the boy didn’t respond.
After an hour of thinking over everything, Chen Hao asked for a cup of water, but instead of drinking it, he peered deeply into the clear water, channelling his technique. The window of view was too small to see much, but Jun saw the boy check up on some of the other disciples. The rest of the evening was spent peeping at familiar streets and strange people, all of whom noticed the Water Mirror Art. Despite that, no one moved to break it, instead opting to move out of sight.
Jun saw He Ming managing to sneak a glance inside the cup, but if the technique surprised him, he didn’t show it. Eventually, the server guided them to an abandoned room in the basement, which stored mostly non-perishable goods. Jun had no clue why there would even be a room here, but he wouldn’t complain about finally having peace of mind and safety.
But, for tonight, Jun had other plans. Counting minutes until the night was the darkest, he snuck out of the basement, making sure Chen Hao was sound asleep. It was time to limit test again. Would there be someone keeping a watch over a lone dog in the dead of night?
The thoughts of heading to the elders or informing Li Xia still lingered in his mind, but he shook them off. Even if the butcher was dealt with and they returned back to the sect quarters to happily sleep there, what was the guarantee that they wouldn’t ‘accidentally’ inflict 38 stab wounds on themselves during the night while a passerby was just sheltering from the rain with an umbrella?
‘Woops, I went to grab a drink of water and fell on my favourite carpet of blades. How clumsy of me. Tee hee.’
Jun chuckled at that. Still, he needed a way to get stronger, and fast. Just as luck would have it, there was exactly such a thing. It carried along with it an element of risk, but this would give him a way to grow beyond his limits.
His target for today was simple—the big bag of bones left in the disciple’s quarters. Like a crack addict getting his dose, the taste of chicken bones today was too much for him to handle. He needed to get that massive supply of bones back. And he would gladly risk everything for it.