21-25

Chapter 21 - High On Buns

It was a beautiful summer day in Jiangzhen and the sun shone brightly through the shutters, casting dancing shadows on the walls. The breeze was something of a dream, not coming from the holes riddling the roof, but snaking inside with the sunlight, so Lei had decided to enjoy the silence of the afternoon with a cup of tea.

It'd taken all night to prepare the spiritual menu for that cultivator woman, but Lei was proud of the work. He'd just grilled the patties and the fries, waiting for Fatty Lou to bring him the buns.

He had checked on Little Ji to make sure he was sleeping. Thankfully, the chicken soup he'd made for him seemed to have worked, as the kid was deep in his dreams and had a blissful smile on his face. These were olden times, after all, and even a matter as simple as stomach pain couldn't be taken lightly.

He'd sent the other kids away some hours prior. Rather than locking them up inside the house, he thought it was good practice to let them savor the bustle of the crowds, as a month in the ruins had made them strangers to this world.

These are good times.

He was smiling ear to ear when the door clicked open, revealing his brother-in-arms, face pale and fingers of his right hand trembling around the bag. He looked as if he had spent a long breakfast with ghosts and ghouls as his company, but Lei had a few guesses.

"I'm guessing…" Lei said, propping his chin with one hand. "Something about you being a useless piece of garbage, perhaps? Or did he try to jab you using those girls again? I've told you you're spending too much—"

"Butcher." Fatty Lou closed the door and wobbled a couple of steps before crashing down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling as a deep sigh escaped his lips. "I'm not a butcher anymore."

"Oh?" Lei cocked an eyebrow as he silently reached for the bag his brother-in-arms clenched tightly, pulling it to safety while hoping the buns were still good and fresh. When he saw the puffy clouds smiling up at him from inside the bag, he took a breath of relief and asked Fatty Lou, "What happened?"

"Seems that old goat Liwei had some words to say behind my back, and it just so happened that my old man decided to eat some chicken after all these years." Fatty Lou leaned closer to the table and glanced at his hands. "He fired me."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Lei asked. It wasn't like Fatty Lou really worked at that place. "That means from now on we can focus on our stuff."

Fatty Lou stared blankly at him. "Come on, Brother Lei, you're not that stupid. The only reason why that old bastard left me alone was because I was a butcher. But now—"

Of course.

"He wants you in the bakery." It dawned on Lei the reason for it a second after. "But didn't he say you've not the respect for the craft, and not qualified for the job? Sure, he can teach you, but I can't imagine the both of you in the same room, let alone in the same job. It's going to get bloody."

"You see how I handled those thugs." Fatty Lou clenched his fists. "But for the life of me, I can't seem to summon any strength against that old fool. He does this thing with his eyes that leaves me breathless as if I've suddenly become that five-year-old child who got his ass beaten with a roller."

I'm afraid that's how all Fathers are around this part of the world.

"At least he made the buns, that's a good thing, right?" Lei tried to manage a smile on his face, but Fatty Lou didn't look amused as he gave him a side-eyed glance. "I know, sorry, but let us keep our spirits up for today's feast, shall we? I've been working for the whole night to cook you the new recipe."

"I don't think I can eat." Fatty Lou slumped back on the couch, waving a dismissive hand at him.

Oh, it's serious if he's not in the mood for food. He's always in the mood, always.

"You can always come and stay with me," Lei said as he clapped Fatty Lou on the back. "You don't have to do what your old man says. You're a grown man, aren't you? And this couch's as good as any bed if you ask me."

Fatty Lou shook his head, eyes still down at his hands. "You don't understand. I hate the fool. Hate his guts. He's never said a good word to my face, but his presence is like a ghost looming over me, looking down at me like I'm a worthless piece of shit. I want to show him that I… I can do things, you know? Maybe I'm not a good butcher and don't know anything about baking, but I've got my own talents, too."

"I know." Lei nodded. Seemed to him that even in a different world, some things stayed the same. He had a few words about the matter and wondered if telling him that he didn't have to get his Father's approval to be his own man would do any good, but then, family matters were never that simple.

Lei shook his head to gather his mind. The best course of action in this situation was probably for him to stay beside his brother-in-arms, and be there for him. Simple as that. But waiting there and doing nothing was a no-go in his book. There had to be something to take him out of his gloom. This was a spiritual world, right? There had to be—

Wait a second.

"Brother Lou," Lei said as he placed a hand on Fatty Lou's right shoulder, squeezing it hard. "What if we get our cultivator license? I'm thinking your old man's not going to push you to become a baker if you show how serious you are about the Immortal Path."

Fatty Lou turned at him with doubt in his eyes. "Not impossible, but he knows I'm a talentless fool. Even if I become a Body Tempering Stage cultivator, he's going to want to see some proof, some work to leave me alone."

"Some work, you've said?" Lei muttered.

There were many things a cultivator could do in the city. Becoming a guard was one of them. Or they could always use the strength of the Body Tempering Stage to, well, carry heavy things, but that didn't seem any better than being a baker.

"We can get a badge from Adventurers' Guild," he said, making Fatty Lou snap his head at him. Lei nodded with strength. "We don't have to hunt spiritual beasts. We can do the basic missions. I know you have the strength to strangle a couple of foxes. And I've just heard there have been some serious cases of chickens going out of business as of late. We can lend a hand to those farmers, and get paid for it."

"Are you serious?" Fatty Lou said, grasping Lei's arm. "Will you do that with me?"

Lei smiled round at his face. "Do you need to ask? Come on, we have a spiritual trial ahead of us. I'm sure it'll clear your mind."

...….

Fatty Lou was keeping an eye on him as Lei placed the tray on the table, looking greatly excited as he drummed a finger on the wood. Lei couldn't blame him, though, as the buns and the gnarled fries were nothing short of a work of art.

"What was the name again? Hamburg, was it?" Fatty Lou asked as he rubbed his hands together, leaning closer to the table.

"Just call it a burger," Lei said.

"And those things… were fries?"

"Fries, chips, you name it."

"I think I'll go with chips. It has a good ring to it. They look disturbingly sharp, though. You sure they're edible?"

"They are most certainly spiritual, I can tell you that much."

"I'm not… Well, fine. I'll trust you."

Lei nodded as Fatty Lou stared deeply at the table, one hand under his chin as he regarded the oddly colorful yet strangely captivating dishes that Lei had prepared with all his love.

There was some doubt in the mix, of course, but he trusted the process. He'd strangled the Needlestalks in flour, then bathed them inside some egg yolk before giving them a wash of grated Gnarled Souls. He then fried them until they were golden brown and a lot thicker than they'd used to be.

The burger's patty had been a challenge, as he had to wrestle with the beans before finally deciding to soak them for two hours in the chicken stock to soften them enough to be mashed into a patty. He then grilled the bean patties over some lard.

It's one of those things you think is vegan, and looks vegan, but in fact, the cook in the kitchen had to make do with what he's got.

But it had a beautiful crust coating over it, and a garlic mayo over on top mixed with some veggies. A part of him had waited for the system to acknowledge the fact that he was making good progress in this world. Creating a whole cuisine for the mortals, and for Jianghzen, no doubt. With a little push and incentives from, say, the Governor's Office, there was no reason why they couldn't turn this menu into a local specialty.

They had the bun for it. Unlike his manners, Master Li had produced one of the puffiest, and freshest buns Lei had ever seen before. It could be that the flour and all the other ingredients in this world were way too organic, but the man still had baked the perfect buns with little effort.

Just open a Burger Place. Low effort, low risk.

Lei smiled at the thought. Could've been a viable option if not for the fact that people eating his food could kill him in the long run if he didn't do something about his cultivation.

"I think I'm ready," Fatty Lou said.

"At the same time." Lei nodded as he stared at the fries.

[Spirited Gnarled Fries: Mortal-grade, Medium Quality]

I think the system is not much of a stranger to Earth. How does it decide what to call these dishes, anyway?

For the sake of the experiment, he didn't take even a single bite from the food after he was done preparing it, which had been a challenge as he was still completely in the dark whether these things were edible. If not, he'd have to start from the top, this time with a little more enthusiasm.

Taking a breath in, he took one of the fries. The needle-like chip crunched between his teeth, dissolving into different flavors that assaulted his taste buds. The earthy tone of Gnarled Souls was more prominent, but then the Needlestalk's own juice started twisting the scene, that underlying garlic taste slowly coming on top.

Juicy, and crunchy!

Lei was savoring the food when suddenly Fatty Lou started stuffing one fry after another into his mouth, juice dripping down the side of his lips. He let out soft moans, slapping his right knee with passion while shaking his head as if he couldn't believe the taste of these new marvels.

We were supposed to take it slow, damn it!

The menthol taste showed itself not long after, squirming inside his stomach. He'd made sure to [Essence Enhancement] skill on each spiritual ingredient, thinking they would do a little taste test before wolfing down the food, but his brother-in-arms had completely scratched that plan.

But I'm glad I didn't add too much salt. That kick from the garlic taste is enough on its own. Feels like these Gnarled Souls have grown while absorbing all the richness of the soil and the air around them. Oddly fresh on my tongue, and warm in the stomach.

"It's coming. I can feel it" Fatty Lou said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand once he was done with the fries and reached for the burger. "But I need more."

"Hey, be careful with that!"

Lei tried to warn him, but Fatty Lou was having none of it. His eyes were fixed on the burger, a greedy glint flashing behind them. Then he lunged forward, grabbed it with both hands and stared down at it before tearing his first bite from the puffy bun.

Lei was left completely speechless as he watched his brother-in-arms gobble down the burger in three big bites. Gulping nervously, he checked his own burger. This thing could be… dangerous.

[Spirited Bean Burger: Mortal-grade, High Quality]

He didn't know why the burger got a quality boost. All the ingredients he'd used during the cooking process were Mortal-grade, Low-Quality spiritual herbs, but while the [Essence Enhancement] skill had worked the fries up to Medium Quality, it'd done some serious work on the burger.

I don't want to be that guy.

He wasn't about to sit there and watch while Fatty Lou experienced the greatest high of his life. If they were going to get high on spiritual food, then they'd do it together.

Fingers trembling, Lei slowly took his first bite. The soft bean almost melted into a glorious stream of juice in his mouth, trickling down through his throat like butter. It was almost too much for his palate.

The lemon zest, the pepper, the salt, and the bun… The bun! Slightly sweet and toasted, baked by the deftest of hands. It complemented the spicy note of the patty perfectly, like two lovers meant to be together.

But then, those lovers betrayed their matchmaker as something started jabbing at Lei from inside -- the food, the menthol taste, or whatever the hell it was. His body was heating, cheeks flushed as if burning, the nape of his neck throbbing alive. Felt like thousands of ants started crawling all over him, sinking their little teeth into his flesh.

Here we go again…

The world spun around him, but Lei couldn't pull his fingers away from the burger as he took another bite. He just couldn't stop.

"I'm coming… Coming!" Fatty Lou was screaming as Lei started wobbling left and right. The ground was there, but then it got closer and drifted away, his feet changed places with his arms, and for a second he didn't know what to do with them.

He blinked round at the walls as they started closing in on him. He tried to breathe, but the heat was getting worse.

Then he saw it — a castle. It sprawled over the walls, sunlight twisting round the parapets, flashing brightly in Lei's eyes. There was a castle on the wall, and Lei couldn't keep his eyes away from the lone silhouette standing atop there, the side of her face blurry and distant.

She then reached out with one hand, as if calling at him, smiling from between the lines on the wood, blond hair curled in beautiful waves. Lei dragged himself afoot, lurched out a step, and near fell, breath rasping in his chest. He stumbled another step, unable to resist the temptation, and finally reached the wall, stretching his arms out to embrace the beauty.

His hands wrapped around something wobbly. He stared down.

"You're not blond," he said, scowling.

"And you're not naked," Fatty Lou burped out.

This can't be a dream, Lei thought, shaking his head, but he sure wished it were.

Chapter 22 – The Cookbook

Lei breathed in deep, enjoying the cool sensation roaming inside his body. The spiritual energy. He was thankful for it as it kept him from staring into Fatty Lou's eyes, who'd slumped on the corner and busy staring at his hands.

Felt strange to think that minutes ago they were about to cuddle like a long-distance couple finally got the chance to meet. Some brotherly love, Lei tried to tell himself. Nothing wrong with that. Some brotherly love and the thrill of minor circles dancing inside their bodies.

We did cuddle, though. But it was a celebration. Yes. Nothing more, nothing less.

He nodded as another minor circle started from the depths of his core, and slowly gave himself to the process. There had been a buzzing in his ears, probably a notification from the system, but he feared if he dared to open his eyes and focus on the system the sense of wonder would slip through his fingers.

This wasn't anything like he'd ever experienced before. The minor circles they'd gotten from the Spirited Fried Rice felt fresh, and novel, but this time, after the ninth minor circle things… had been changed. Felt himself a completely new man, now, as if he somehow ascended into a higher being.

Strength coursed just under his skin, sinews throbbing at the side of his neck with power. He reckoned the wooden walls of the house wouldn't stand a chance if he were to take a swing at them. Intoxicating, and mesmerizing. No wonder why cultivators acted like they were high on crack all the time.

The earthy tone of Gnarled Soul was still clutching to the roof of his mouth. The burger was gone. The fries were gone. They'd devoured every piece of them. Fought, even, for the last piece of fries. It dawned on him the strangeness of that hug after they were done with the food.

Brotherly love. Men have emotions too. There's nothing wrong with that.

He was aligned, twisted and turned, changed and placed deftly into the place he was supposed to be. The world beckoned him from beyond the walls, the chirping of the birds loud and clear in his mind. If this was the feeling he got by just becoming a Body Tempering Stage cultivator, he couldn't even begin to think about the Qi Condensation and other stages.

This was about the nature of one's self. Didn't know how, but when the ninth circle was completed, this strange feeling nailed itself right into his heart. Becoming a cultivator was like a farewell to his old ignorant self.

The curious thing was, he knew what he felt was just the tip of the iceberg. Under the surface more waited for him. Walk and ride, slide across the waves to reach the place that lay beyond. It was calling for him.

Why, then, did those people insist on using this wonderous power to wreak havoc around the world? Or perhaps was it the human condition that left them with no choice? Might makes right, people called it. It could be that he was the ignorant one.

I keep forgetting that I'm the stranger here. 

The spiritual energy was like the touch of a lover. Gentle and full of desire. It left not a single part of his body untouched, as if keen on exploring this new world it was brought upon. And it was a child even, a curious little devil poking his body from within, expecting to see lights flashing and colors mixing, its touch hard and careless.

But Lei could only watch this spiritual energy inside his body. His words fell on deaf ears. It was there, within, but he felt as if they were separated by a transparent shroud, one that promised many things, but just allowed a brief peek.

Qi Condensation, was it? Until then I can only stare at this wonder. My body, my world, but not everything is mine.

The Body Tempering Stage was crucial for the cultivators. From the previous owner's memories, Lei knew that this stage was just a soft prologue through which the cultivator prepared their body to contain and control this energy. It took rigorous training and ample resources to climb the ranks, to even have a chance to step into the Qi Condensation Stage.

People like him who lacked spiritual roots could only rely on pills and other treasures on this path. But Lei was not like those people. He was gifted, and Fatty Lou had told him that being gifted is no crime.

And this gift is meant to be shared.

Lei nodded with strength. He had his boys and girls beside him. They were a handful bunch, but perhaps he'd been coming at his new life from the wrong angle. If he could keep getting spiritual ingredients, then there was no reason why their little circle couldn't grow into a more powerful one.

"Simple," he heard Fatty Lou say just as the tenth circle was completed. "Thought we're going with simple."

Lei took another breath, trying to keep his focus. When the spiritual energy strayed toward his pores rather than rounding into another circle, he blinked and stared down at Fatty Lou.

His brother-in-arms was flushed like a ripe tomato, his lower lip quivering with what Lei thought was excitement mixed with embarrassment. His fingers were all white from how hard he clenched them. And there was a tiny smile on his lips.

Lei clicked his tongue, raised a hand over his forehead. "It is perhaps a curse of mine, Brother Lou, to always try to suppress this gift of mine and fail miserably over and over again. But I find a certain joy, an insidious satisfaction, whenever I see the results put to shame what others call food. I fear I can't contain the genius within me."

"Bah!" Fatty Lou snickered, shaking his head. "Using my words against me, do you? That's some courage right there, brother, but I like it. Fits perfectly with your heavenly gifts. But--" He floundered up his feet and took a couple of steps, swayed this way or that before finally balancing himself on one foot. He looked triumphant when his other foot found its way beside its sibling. "Do remember that it was this Young Master's genius that laid the foundation of your success."

"I was blind," Lei said solemnly before they both started laughing.

Fatty Lou eased onto the couch while holding his belly, fingers still trembling from the kick he'd gotten out of the spiritual food. Even the skin under his chin seemed to have gained a curious luster about it.

"At least it didn't kick us goodnight this time," he said. "Still can't believe it."

"Ten minor circles." Lei nodded. "I say we're now real cultivators, Brother Lou."

"Oh, we're cultivators alright," Fatty Lou said with a shake of his head. "Though we lack techniques, cultivation manuals, all the training, and the backing of a strong force. We've crossed one thing from the list, and left with a heap of others."

"Baby steps," Lei said, reaching for the water cup on the table. He took a sip before glancing at Fatty Lou. "Things are only going to get better from now on. That's what I'm thinking. Focus on what we have here, and build slowly upon your so-called foundation."

Fatty Lou raised an eyebrow at him. "You know what, you're right. A month ago, I was trying to decide whether I should kill myself with that butcher knife or drink myself to death in some whorehouse. Then you came here and started cooking those delicacies. I guess you're not the only one who is gifted, eh, Brother Lei? Seems like I've got some of your fortune as well."

Lei looked him in the eye, wondering if the man knew he'd been one of the reasons why he started feeling at home in this strange world. He didn't know that one day Lei would become a spiritual cook. There was no expectation. They were just two men—one a stranger in his own world, the other a complete alien—who found that life could get a lot easier if you could find someone to depend on.

"It's my fortune to have someone like you here at my side," Lei said, smiling at him. "But we're just starting, aren't we, Brother Lou?"

"You're damned right we are!" Fatty Lou slapped his thigh before barking out a laugh. "Come on, then. We have a cultivator caught on the hook. We can't let her escape."

Lei nodded. He had a newfound confidence about his spiritual fast-food business.

...

After he sent Fatty Lou off with a burger and some gnarled fries, Lei then eased onto the couch and stared at the blue screen flashing before his eyes. There were three new notifications.

Your [Tier] has increased by 1 level!

[Essence Enhancement] has increased by 1 level! 

Skill Choice Available!

Oh? 

He checked the status window.

Name: Liang Lei

Age: 20

Class: Chef

Tier: Novice 5

Skills: Eyes of the Yellow Maiden

Cooking Skills: Essence Enhancement - Novice 3

Cultivation Stage: 1st Step of Body Tempering Stage

Dao: None

There were two new tabs on the window, one showing his cultivation level, the other highlighting the fact that he had none of those mystical Daos. That was hardly a surprise, considering he'd just stepped into the ranks of cultivators, but he still felt a certain excitement looking at it.

The possibility of comprehending a Dao alone was more than enough for him to start thinking about the future. Perhaps one day, he would look down at the world from beyond the Heavens as an Immortal Cook who could feed the crowds with a wave of his hand, or maybe as a Spiritual Chef cooking his dishes beside the heavenly rivers, simply savoring the freshness of the air high up in the skies.

And Fatty Lou would be there too, but not as the true Immortal he'd thought he'd become—perhaps as a waiter. Lei reckoned his brother-in-arms wouldn't have trouble carrying a few plates. It was just good business.

What about the kids?

That was a question best left unanswered for now. They all had their own paths, and Lei was too young to act like a strict father who had unreasonable demands. Unlike the other kids in this world, he would try his best to give them the freedom of choice. That was the least he could do.

I've changed, haven't I?

Lei looked down at his hands. Lately, these fingers had started to feel like his own. A month ago, he was used to waking up to the darkness of his room, wooden tiles clanking under his feet, phone already dead because he forgot to plug it in. Not that there would be anyone to call him.

The sun wouldn't show its face until he stepped inside the kitchen, and after that, he would be too busy to crane his head out from the window to see if it was there. The chaos of his surroundings helped silence the sounds inside his mind—thought against thought, always bickering, never finding a middle ground. But here he couldn't hear those thoughts anymore. The sun was there, perhaps a different one, flashing through the shutters. He also had another kitchen, his own kitchen.

He chuckled to himself as he finally focused on the skill choice notification. Like the last time, there were three of them.

[Spiritual Sensitivity - Novice 1]: Allows you to discern the details of spiritual ingredients, identify hidden properties, and detect spiritual anomalies.

[Soulremedy - Novice 1]: Infuse your spiritual dishes with a sedative aura that affects both you and the consumers of the food, reducing stress and fatigue. 

[Cookbook - Novice 1]: Adding a recipe to your cookbook will brand that recipe with your spiritual energy, allowing you to gain special essence from people eating your food prepared by using the same recipe. 

Current slots in the cookbook: 0/1

Spiritual ingredients to heal your soul, eh? 

Lei clicked his tongue when he saw the Soulremedy skill. A part of him thought that there was a wicked being somewhere high up, peering down at the world of mortals and enjoying watching Lei get high on spiritual food.

Thanks, but no thanks.

The Spiritual Sensitivity still looked useful, especially after Lei had experienced the boundaries of the Yellow Maiden's Eyes. That skill allowed him to identify multiple things but didn't provide any specific details, which made it somewhat basic. He wondered if getting Spiritual Sensitivity would change that.

The Cookbook, on the other hand, was simply too strange. For a second, he thought he'd read it wrong. But taking another look, this thing really seemed broken. By simply giving his recipes to stall owners and restaurants, he could earn himself an endless amount of special essence.

Why doesn't it say spiritual energy? Are they different?

That made him pause. The system used the term spiritual energy for basically all the skill choices he'd been given until now, so he found it peculiar that it suddenly opted to use a different terming. So either this special essence was a completely different thing, or the system was baiting him with its wording to keep him from choosing this fraudulent skill.

Sleep on it. No need to rush.

Lei closed the interface, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. He was still smarting from the effects of an hours-long cultivation session with Fatty Lou, and they'd gotten enough spiritual herbs from that cultivator woman to feed the brats for two or three days, so he had a whole feast to prepare before the kids came back to the house.

He'd decided to turn the group of misfits into real powerhouses, after all.

Chapter 23 – Trouble With Food

"Can you just… stop?" Zhu Luli yowled once again, her right hand shielding her scalp against the tiny claw that was trying to jab and poke at her brain.

Little Yao didn't seem to care. She'd been acting this way after they'd gotten the news that their food was ready at the Adventurers' Guild Hall and exited the inn they'd been staying in.

"The best spiritual beast you can get," my Father told me. Keen eyes and a sharp nose. Small and handy, has no trouble slipping through the narrow spaces. But nobody has told me that its attitude would only get worse and worse!

She didn't know if it was because of the months she'd spent out in the wilds that left a mark on her, or the constant nagging in the form of spiteful squeaks she kept hearing even when she clamped her ears shut, but today she just wanted to lay on a silent corner, and sleep like there was no tomorrow.

She'd definitely earned a break. Kept herself alive through all these months, relying on nothing but the knowledge learned by studying diligently in school. She'd done it all, but she'd never quite managed to get a hold on this one beast.

"You're going to get your food, stop acting like a spoiled kid!" Zhu Luli said as she tried to pull Little Yao's claw that was stuck on her cheek away, and instantly regretted her words as her little companion gave her a side-eyed glance from beside her face.

I wish you could scream… At least that way, I wouldn't have to suffer those judging eyes of yours!

She took a deep breath to press down the ball of fury growing in her stomach and peered out around her to see if there was anything she could find some solace in.

The sights around her were new, at least. Unlike Lanzhou, this place looked as if it was caught in a time bubble some hundreds of years prior, and got stuck there with all its wooden and stone buildings scattered mindlessly across the space.

Almost primal. No wonder why I've hardly seen a cultivator while I was here.

The spiritual energy in the air here felt like a trickle rather than a gurgling river, so much so that the other night she had to concentrate for an hour just to feel it. It was like trying to suck water from a broken straw. And after she'd managed to feel it, it took another hour to finish a dozen minor circles.

I could complete thirty circles back in Lanzhou in just one hour. If I were to stay here, I don't think I could ever reach the 8th Step of the Body Tempering Stage.

As if it weren't enough, they were out of stock when she tried to ask the prices for pills in the Alchemists' Guild. They told her it was because of high demand.

Pills being short in supply wasn't anything new for her, but according to the scribe in the Alchemists' Guild, there wasn't even a licensed Alchemist residing here, which meant that Zhu Luli had to make some changes to her original plan of exploring the Darkloom Forest while restocking her pills from Jianghzen. She would have to visit Lanzhou at some point.

They're going to rip me off again. Uh… I hate this.

She still had that peak-grade Body Tempering Pill in her pack, but she was saving that pill to break through the Eighth Step of the Body Tempering Stage. Under these conditions, though, she was doubtful if there was enough spiritual energy here to aid the effort.

I've managed to complete seventy minor circles before coming here, I just need two more! It's gotten harder… But I think this isn't bad either. What was that line again? Fortune… favors the bravest cultivators?

She flicked her long hair back to its place as she tried to remember one of Emperor Xia's famous lines. He had so many of them that she'd made it a habit of posting his quotes on her wall back in the day.

When I had a roof over my head.

Zhu Luli shook her head as her thoughts strayed toward a dangerous path. Thinking about the past wasn't helping. She'd known all the risks long before she'd decided to take on the world all by herself. She'd known it all, but then, knowing did little to ease the thumping of her heart.

Sunlight drilled through her eyes, making her squint up as a familiar building flashed from beyond the square. The structure stuck out like a sore thumb among the other humble buildings, white marble glinting. Dozens of people filed in and out from the double doors, bowing slightly as they passed before a sculpture, its two emerald eyes sparkling with wisdom.

Emperor… Xia!

She was about to crash down on her knees at the sight of Emperor Xia's sculpture when Little Yao jumped on the ground, clasped her claws together, and bowed deeply. Gathering herself, Zhu Luli nodded solemnly and bowed her head as well.

We're in his debt, her Father had once told her when they were speaking about the Sage Emperor. It was because of him that the Empire shed its contemptuous, and primal skin, allowing mortals and cultivators to live peacefully together. He'd made an example of the Mountain Sky Sect, felling thousands of cultivators with a wave of his sword when they refused to abide by the new laws.

The Eastern Sword, they called him, for there was no place under the Eastern Skies that his sword couldn't reach. But Zhu Luli admired his wisdom more, and it seemed she was right as even here, in a remote city, they built one of his famous libraries. To think that Zhu Luli's father had been blessed enough to see that man in person… She couldn't be more jealous.

I wonder if he's still alive. Maybe he is, and he's roaming the skies, or perhaps strolling beyond the heavens. My Father was too sure of himself when he said that Emperor Xia was guarding the Three Realms for our sake.

Shaking her head, Zhu Luli made her way through the crowd and strolled into an alley. She was so occupied with her cultivation that she hadn't had a chance to explore the city the other day, but once she satisfied the need for her precious companion, she would pay a visit to the Library.

It took her a couple of wrong turns, a little chat with a stall owner, and a chase with a group of kids trying to pet Little Yao before finally giving up when she made a show of her claws to find the Adventurers' Guild. She'd also seen a man with bushy eyebrows dragging two children away, supposedly two little thieves caught right in the act.

Out in the wilds, deep into the forests, she could find the way out with the ease of a master, but the stone and wooden faces of the buildings didn't give her anything to work with, blending into a confusing mess people called a city. There were just too many distractions for her to stay focused.

When she stepped inside the Adventurers' Guild Hall, she found the same scribe dozing off behind the high table, his right fist supporting the side of his head as he slowly swayed back and fro. The building itself was nothing special, a one-story affair that seemed more like it was built just to make a show of it that they got an Adventurers' Guild here in Jiangzhen rather than serve as a real base for adventurers.

Unlike other Guild Halls, this place didn't even have a tavern next to it, where licensed cultivators could share valuable information and tricks of the trade. There wasn't the laughter of the survivors, the clanks of the wine glasses, and the bustle of a heated crowd. Just a single man and a wooden board, with a bunch of chairs lying sullen in the corner.

"I've been told my reward is ready," Zhu Luli said with a practiced smile, knocking at the table to announce herself. Little Yao was more than ready to claim that reward, shaking her furry tail like a highly motivated dog from beside her face.

"Reward…" the scribe muttered, eyes slowly coming alive and widening as he stared at Zhu Luli. "What reward?"

"The food," Zhu Luli said, still keeping that professional smile. It was one of the things her Senior Sister Feilin taught her back when she was studying at the Luminous Sun School, saying that a little smile could go a long way.

As expected, it took a few seconds before the scribe gathered himself, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "The food… Yes, I think my brother put it somewhere here. Where was it? In a sack… Sack?"

He searched for quite a while before pulling up a sack from under the counter, scratching his head as he smiled at her. "It's here, still hot. Can I see your badge? I need to write the number down."

Zhu Luli flashed the badge into his face, a bronze one she was hoping to upgrade once she stepped into the Qi Condensation Stage. As it was, the badge was just a simple tool that brought no specific benefits. After she got the silver one, she could then get access to certain dungeons to broaden her research.

Soon… I'll become a Qi Condensation expert soon.

After taking the badge, the scribe noted down the number etched onto its surface before giving it back. He then bowed his head slightly and waved a hand toward the board that stood on the right side. "We wish you a pleasant journey, Miss. If you want, you can check the other missions on our board. We're in deep need of cultivators as of late, especially our farmers."

"Oh?" Zhu Luli cocked an eyebrow at the man after taking the badge and the sack. "I have to admit, I haven't seen many cultivators in this city. Can't blame them, though. The spiritual energy here is too thin."

The scribe nodded sadly. "That's an unfortunate truth, but we'd usually get one or two visits each day from our local cultivators which was enough to keep our farms and fields safe. But there has been a serious lack of interest in the missions for the last few weeks. So if you would be kind to help—"

"I'll take a look after I'm done with this one," Zhu Luli said as she glanced at Little Yao with a helpless smile.

"You're too kind, Miss," the scribe said. "I'll be waiting."

.....

Back in the inn, Zhu Luli smoothened her clothes before placing the sack on the wooden table. The room itself wasn't much, but she'd seen far worse. At least this one had a table and a chair for her studies.

Little Yao was perched on top of her right shoulder, eyes narrowed and claws trembling like a hawk savoring the thrill of the sight of its prey. Unlike normal squirrels, which were rare to begin with, a Browntail could eat twice its size in a single day and was known for its insatiable appetite. Meat or vegetables hardly made a difference for them, but they were especially fond of spiritual food.

"Easy now," Zhu Luli said as she carefully took the plate from inside the sack and placed it on the table. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of food. There was a bun, sliced open, and a round meaty thing placed in between the halves. She almost couldn't recognize the Pettydiggers, as the thin stalks looked as if they'd grown root-like outcroppings.

"What are these things?" she muttered, disturbed and disoriented as she poked one of the stalks with a finger.

She knew that she'd get spiritual food from the mission, but never in her life, she'd dreamed they'd give her a twisted form of cuisine that only used spiritual herbs as ingredients. It was true that Little Yao could use some of that sedative effect of the Gnarled Souls, but other than that, the thought of eating a Gnarled Soul mixed with Pettydiggers made her stomach turn.

A sudden crunch pulled her awake as Little Yao started chomping down the gnarled needles. Her beady eyes slowly widened as she took another bite, and before long the first needle was gone.

"Are you… sure about this?" Zhu Luli asked unknowingly, staring down the needles with doubt. But Little Yao was too busy wolfing down another needle to pay her attention. Her claws worked around the food with practiced ease, and she used them like a fork which made the whole thing seem ridiculous as the needles were nearly as big as her face.

It can't be bad if Little Yao likes it. I guess I should try one…

Bracing herself, Zhu Luli pinched her eyes shut as she slowly took one of the needles. She was about to have her first bite when her heart pounded in her chest, shivers running down her spine. Eyes shot wide open, she shook her head and put the needle back, trying to fight back against the urge to vomit that rocked her from within.

"I'll start with the bun," she said, gulping down. At least that thing had a normal side about it, unlike the abominations that Little Yao gobbled one after another.

Fingers trembling, this time Zhu Luli managed to let her lips touch the food. Her teeth sunk into the bun with a soft crunch before a wave of flavors splashed inside her mouth. She stumbled back, heart thumping in her chest, breath caught in her throat. She took the bite and let it sail across her mouth, the meaty part of the bun, which she now recognized as Rootremedy beans mashed together, slowly making its way down her throat.

She let out a giggle when the wind tickled her from within as if suddenly the breeze picked up its pace. The airy feeling and the strong garlic taste mixed with the earthly tone of the beans were things she'd never thought would blend perfectly.

This was the touch of a master. She could almost feel the gentle care behind the effort, and the skill that had turned these spiritual herbs into a glorious dish.

What… is happening?

But then the wind grew stronger and started poking her from within, making her wince in pain. She pressed a hand over her stomach as a monstrous wave of spiritual energy burst inside.

Fear crept into her thoughts as she desperately tried to control this wave, but it felt like trying to stop a dam from collapsing. The energy trickled out through her hold and scattered around her body, coursing across her meridians without a care in the world. If she didn't do something this furious wave could cripple her cultivation base.

She took a breath to calm herself, tapping into the experience she'd gained all those years.

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.

Clenching her jaw, she forced the waves into a minor circle with all her worth, tears streaming down her face. She was caught off guard, unaware, but then it wasn't the first time she had to find her way through trouble.

It was only when the waves calmed into that rhythmic cycle inside her meridians that Zhu Luli felt the pain slowly wearing off. Her nails had drilled painful holes in her palms, sweat pouring down her back, but she was still alive, still breathing.

You… You've said nothing!

She glared at her spiritual beast, who should've warned her in the first place, but Little Yao was busy tearing apart the needles, burping contently at the side. She gave her a side-eyed glance in the matter of a disappointed mother looking at her child, then turned and finished another needle.

Zhu Luli leaned back in the chair, too tired to lift a finger, as spiritual energy swirled around her body. One minor circle after another was completed effortlessly, without her needing to do anything.

Of all places, I chanced upon a Spirit Chef here in Jiangzhen! This can't be real...

Who would have thought she'd stumble upon a meal prepared by one of those legendary chefs who, despite their talent, chose to forgo Alchemy to pursue the Dao of Cooking?

Chapter 24 - Unexpected Company

.....

It was night and windy, a strong wind making the shutters of the windows rattle and groan. Rain pattered against the wood. The heavens seemed to howl in agony as one thunder after another growled across the skies of Jianzghen.

Lei paced back and forth in the kitchen, trying to keep his mind clear. He'd sliced the buns and fried the needles, and managed a smile even as the kids threw questions at him. He'd told them to eat their food and get back to their beds. He'd kept the front until they were deep in their sleep.

It was now just the cat and him in the house. He and the cat, and the eerie air that took hold of the whole place. Its round eyes never left him as Lei kept pacing around, waiting for Fatty Lou to bring him the good news."

Surely Master Li had taken them to his side after a day's work. They would be tired after carrying all those flour sacks, and there was a furious storm. Small wonder why those two didn't come back. They would be sleeping now, just like their brothers and sisters, dreaming under Master Li's roof.

That man could be a mean father to Fatty Lou, but he'd always had a soft spot for children, especially orphans. Probably why he'd asked half the price for Lei's bread. No matter how many times Lei told him that he didn't need it, the famed Master Li wouldn't budge, saying that helping those kids was a form of redemption for raising a good-for-nothing son like Fatty Lou.

And a few minutes from now, Fatty Lou would come back from that door to tell him that Stone and Snake were sleeping sound. He would then start his tirade about how Master Li said this and that again.

But it had been more than two hours, and the door had stayed closed. Lei didn't want to go outside. There was a feeling crawling just under his skin that told him stepping away from the house would somehow confirm the fear clouding his thoughts

So he waited, and the cat stayed with him.

It was good company, the cat. Even when Little Mei tried to take it upstairs, it remained rooted on the spot, refusing to look anywhere but into Lei's eyes, as if somehow it'd seen his heart, and saw there a growing pain.

I don't know what are you doing, but it's not working.

Lei took a couple of steps and reached for the door handle. The wood was cold against his skin. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Just when he was about to open the damned thing and step outside, the handle moved on its own, dragging his fingers down with it.

The door clicked open as Lei stepped back. Fatty Lou barged inside, wet hair plastered around his face, drops of rain dripping down his robe. He peered around and stared up at Lei, holding his gaze for a long second before shaking his head.

Lei grabbed him by the collar, yanked him close, and held him hard. "Where are the kids?"

"I don't know." Fatty Lou clutched Lei's arm and looked him in the eye. "I couldn't find them at my old man's place."

"What do you mean you couldn't find them? They should be there! They worked the whole day for Master Li, right?" Lei's hold around the collar tightened. "If not there, then where the hell have those two vanished without saying a word to me?"

"Father told me he hadn't seen them for hours," Fatty Lou said, wiping his face with the back of his hand. "After they were done with the sacks, they never came back. He thought the kids went to your place after work."

Lei shouldered past him, bounded out the door, and stared around. The cold wind splashed across his face, stealing the breath from his lungs. He wheezed through his lips and rubbed his arms as he tried to find anything but old wood and stone around the alley.

The street was dead and empty, the sky a pit of nothingness. Not even the stars showed their faces tonight, and the lanterns swinging in the wind were about to break.

"Snake! Stone!" Lei called for them, his voice reverberating off the dark walls.

"We should call the guards," came Fatty Lou's voice from behind.

Lei scowled back at him as drops of rain slithered around his robe and down his chest, making his skin crawl. "For what? You think they'll give a shit about them?"

"Anything's better than searching blindly," Fatty Lou muttered, frowning out into the dark skies.

"Ruins," Lei said, suddenly hopeful. "They could've gone back to the ruins. The city's been hard on Snake. Perhaps he dragged Stone with him, too. They must've gone there, and when the storm started they decided to spend the night in my old house."

"You think after those thugs attacked they would do such a thing?" Fatty Lou looked doubtful.

"I don't know," Lei said, shaking his head. "But I can't think of any other explanation. You go fetch the guards, and I'll search the ruins. And don't leave the kids alone for too long."

"You sure you—"

"Now, go, Brother Lou! This storm is getting worse!"

Thunder crackled as Lei opened the door to the house, and dashed in, taking his spiritual ladle before clasping it tight in his hand. Looking at the staircase, he nodded to himself and made for the ruins.

He sloshed through the streets, hair dripping wet, breaths hard and heavy in his chest. From left and right the stone walls peered down at him, cold and lifeless. Not a single soul was out in the streets, shutters of the windows closed shut. Past the square, the Library, and the damp stalls, he finally crossed the line that marked the ruins.

It was dark here. He couldn't see his hands. It was dark and damp, rats squeaking, his feet stumbling in and out of the muddy puddles. All around him, the old wreckage loomed as his eyes searched every hole. He called their names, his voice bouncing off the broken walls.

His mind reeled, as if an axe had caught him by the scalp, and got stuck there, tinkering with his thoughts. All kinds of possibilities, yet they all coalesced into a single one — something bad happened. The realization slowly sank deep into his mind even as he tried to shake it off.

Then light glinted from beyond a half-collapsed roof, flickering under the rain like a candle bearing a strong breeze. Lei lumbered around the old ruins of the house and came out on the other side, one hand clenched tight around the ladle.

An old man glanced up at him from under the half-collapsed roof, sitting cross-legged in meditation, chest bare and gray hair dancing in the wind. The candle flickered right between his legs, its flame touching the man's legs, but he didn't seem aware.

"O-Old Ji," Lei sputtered as he leaned on a wooden plank, his breath slowly catching up to him. "What are you doing here?"

"The Heavens are weeping," Old Ji said, his voice oddly deep as he slowly looked up from between the cracks in the roof to the skies and let out a long sigh. "I wanted to bear witness to their pain. It's an old tradition."

"What?" Lei scowled at him. "Have you seen the kids around here?"

Old Ji slowly took the candle in his hand and raised himself, glancing at Lei. "Didn't you tell me you were going to take those kids with you? I might be old, but I still remember certain things. I surely remember telling you not to pamper them too much. You can't always be there for them. Eventually, they'll have to face the harsh truths that govern this world. Can't escape them."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lei was about to take him by the hand and give him a shake, for the old man seemed he was still in a deep state of meditation from his muddy eyes.

"Can't escape them," Old Ji said, swayed back, and grabbed a wooden plank, standing barely on his feet like a drunkard.

"Did you take something?" Lei helped him sit back on the ground, fearing that if he'd left the man alone he might get himself drilled by the wooden planks hanging from the roof like makeshift spears. "Lay here, and don't move. I have to go."

Lei left him there under the roof, blending once again into the dark of the ruins. The place was full of stones and wood, the ground littered with old toys and crumbled pieces of someone's past, everything reeked with a desolate air of emptiness. The place was full of stones and wood, but underneath their skin, there was no trail of the kids, nor their passing.

...…

Hours turned into grains of molten rock slowly searing Lei's skin. Dawn broke through the storm, but the sprinkling sunlight only made matters worse as crowds of townsfolk started pouring into the streets. Searching around, picking faces, asking questions, and trying to describe the appearances of the two kids only to get back silent nods and apologetic shrugs had dwindled the little hope Lei had that the kids were safe.

He'd picked the [Spiritual Sensitivity], hoping to get something out of it—perhaps a trail that'd give him some clues—but it was useless other than making his skin crawl with the brooding feeling he'd gotten in the ruins.

The guards would search the city. At least that was what they told Fatty Lou. There was no trust in those fools, not after they'd let that thug walk away from the station with a smile on his face. Seemed nobody knew his name or his face, as all the questions Lei had asked about the man had been left unanswered.

They said he was banished with his men from the city, never to return again. They hanged the one with the mole as people watched with great excitement as his face turned purple and dark. Grudges, Fatty Lou had told him at the time. Lei had refused to believe any man could be this inhuman.

There was no other option. If they couldn't find the kids in the city, then they had to keep searching for them elsewhere.

Lei sighed, pulled the straps of the pack tight around his back, checked the spiritual ladle, and weighted it on his hand. He then made sure they'd have enough food to last them for a week before tucking the wok over into the pack. He watched Fatty Lou checking his meat cleaver on the right side before he caught sight of a banner poking slightly out from behind the couch, the red embroidery making him pause.

Clean, and wrinkled, as if left there just this morning. It reminded him of the day Fatty Lou played one of his tricks, getting all those women round the stall and making a scene that allowed him to sell the kebabs like hotcakes. That was before the thugs attacked them, deep in the night and on their way back home.

Shaking his head, he walked over to Fatty Lou and clapped him on the back. "You don't have to do this."

Fatty Lou gave him a side-eyed glance and snorted. "We've already sent the kids to my old man's place. He'll be staying there with Granny Xu… Something about him having no experience with the kids, that woman told me. But I'm guessing there is some heat between those two."

"That can't be true." Lei cringed just at the thought of it. Granny Xu was his old boss, a grizzly and wrinkled old woman who knew how to work scores of men with a blink of her eyes. The Iron Mistress, they'd called her behind her back. He never thought the famed baker of the town would have the hots for that iron lady.

"Old age," Fatty Lou said as he hauled his own pack, filled with all sorts of knives and arrows. There was a bow strapped to his back as well, an antique piece from the days when Master Li used to go hunting. "I'm afraid it starts messing with your mind. After a certain point you should stop trying, and let that old and wrinkly skin go loose on a rocking chair, but… This isn't too bad, I guess. Will take some weight off my shoulders, no doubt."

Lei chuckled silently. He knew his brother was trying to lighten the mood after the night they'd spent out searching for the kids. And it was working, sort of. You have to keep your head up, Lei's father had told him once when life had become too heavy to bear alone. Keep your head up and eyes on the path. Battering yourself with all sorts of questions was meaningless.

"Right then," Lei said, turning to the door. "We should go."

Sharing a solemn glance, they were about to go out when a knock halted their steps, a gentle bump on the wood after which the door creaked slowly open, a small face peering sheepishly from behind it.

Long, brown hair danced lazily in the morning breeze, a pair of curious eyes peering round the living room before finally focusing on Lei. Then she flinched, frowned, and stumbled into the house, pulled her leg back to shake off a little squirrel trying to bite a large chunk from her calf.

"Stop… it!" she screamed, her eyes flickering back to Lei and Fatty Lou as shame reddened her face. She immediately cleared her throat and bowed her head, glaring down at the squirrel as if to say 'Be quiet!'.

"Err… Can we help you?" Lei had to ask as the woman kept her head down like a housemaid about to see her Master off. The strange thing was that the squirrel followed her example, clasping its claws together and bowing its head, which was oddly human and strangely cute at the same time.

"Forgive me for barging in like this, but I was wondering if this is the residence of the Honorable Spirit Chef," the woman said, raising her head. "I was hoping to ask for a favor—"

"Favor?" Fatty Lou asked.

"Spirit Chef?" Lei blurted out.

"Oh!" The woman stepped back, shaking, eyes trembling as she sputtered, "N-Not that kind of a favor, oh, no! I will pay richly if that Honorable Chef would be kind enough to cook me those dishes--" The squirrel pulled at her robe, which made her stiffen. "Not richly, oh, I don't have any money… But I can get those spiritual herbs. Yes! You see, I'm a herbalist, an apothecary in the making. I've recorded over ten thousand herbs in the past two years of my venture, plucked them all by myself! And my spiritual beast here, Little Yao, has the sharpest nose across the Eastern Continent!"

The squirrel stepped forward, looking greatly proud of itself as it stretched a claw out and bowed once again, making Lei question who was in charge between these two.

"Where did you get this information?" Fatty Lou asked, glaring into the woman's face. It was only then that it dawned on Lei that they were compromised.

"I-I'm terribly ashamed, but as I've said, my spiritual beast has a sharp nose," the woman said, scratching the back of her head. "We tried to ask... but, well, she just trailed the smell of the food."

"That squirrel can do that?" Fatty Lou said as they shared a shocked glance with Lei.

"Yes, she can!" The woman seemed like she had finally found the courage to keep her head straight. "There is no scent that she can't trail. Browntails used to be the best hunting beasts, but because of their, err, unreasonable demands, people stopped using them. They often devoured the game right away."

As much as he was amused by the sight of them, Lei shook his head. They didn't have the time to entertain this woman, not when Snake and Stone could be in danger.

"I'm afraid there has been a misunderstanding," Lei said with a sigh. "There is no Spirit Chef here—"

"You've just come to the right place!" Fatty Lou roared in laughter, slapping his knee. When Lei snapped his head at him, Fatty Lou pointed with his eyes at the squirrel, stretched out a hand, and pulled Lei before him as though showing a great art piece to a master dealer. "Here is our most Honorable Spiritual Chef, the King of Flavors himself! Chef Lei!"

"Ohh!" The woman's eyes sparkled like stars as she stared at Lei. But someone else was staring into his face, with a gaze full of passion and reverence. Its cheeks swollen and furry tail shaking madly, the squirrel seemed like a ticking bomb about to go off.

What the hell is happening?

Chapter 25 - Darkloom Forest

It had been hours now that they were on the path, sunlight harsh and heavy over the clear skies, burning light drilling painfully into Lei's head. Fields stretched all around them, farmers busy working among the crops, their skin dark and battered by the sun. At least they looked grateful, as the storm had brought them much-needed rain in the heat of summer.

Lei didn't know how he should feel. He'd spent hours thinking about what-ifs and what-nots, his mind refusing to stop sketching all sorts of possibilities. Perhaps that thug took the kids and sold them for money. The late emperor might have abolished slavery, but he doubted if the so-called demonic cultivators would be kind enough to adhere to the laws of the Empire. Or perhaps there was more to that thug than they knew. It could be that he was working for someone else.

It's odd that after a certain point, your mind just… blanks.

He shook his head and peered down at the little squirrel guiding them through the path. The creature was small and quite well-mannered. It was hard to believe that it had the strength to dig a hole its own size in hardwood with those sharp claws, but Lei guessed that was how spiritual beasts were in this world.

A cultivator and her pet beast. For some reason, they don't align with the image of a cultivator duo in my head.

He didn't know how things had reached this point. They were preparing to go out when some woman barged into the house and said she was a herbalist—an apothecary in the making. She then bowed her head and told them she was there to ask for a favor.

Supposedly, she'd checked with Brother He before coming to see if she could keep doing the mission they'd posted at the Adventurers' Guild, and when Brother He told her he had to ask before giving her an answer, the squirrel went berserk and trailed the scent of the food all the way up to Lei's place.

Some story, was Lei's first thought before he'd tried to send the woman on her way, only for Fatty Lou to stop him and decide to use the squirrel's strangely sharp senses to find Snake and Stone. That was why they were now out in the wild, away from Jiangzhen, trudging through the fields with the woman and her little squirrel that kept staring at Lei as if spellbound.

"Are we sure your little pet can find their trail just by relying on an old robe?" Lei asked, raising Snake's old robe over his head to keep the sunlight from drilling holes into his eyes. Just in case they lost that one, he'd tucked Stone's robe into his pack as well.

The woman, Zhu Luli, nodded her head once again, flashing him that wide smile. The squirrel, on the other hand, scowled with its tiny eyebrows when it heard the words as if offended.

"Don't worry, Senior, Little Yao may be a glutton, but I wasn't lying when I told you that she has the sharpest nose across the Eastern Square," Zhu Luli said, pulling at her oversized pack. "And from what I can tell, the kids couldn't have been taken by someone strong. Even a Qi Condensation expert would've at least tried to mask the trail of their passing, which would've made it nearly impossible for Little Yao to track them."

"That's a relief," Lei said as he shared a glance with Fatty Lou.

It was his brother-in-arms' idea to bring the cultivator woman on the journey. They didn't know who she was, why she was in Jiangzhen, or for what reason she'd accepted the sudden invitation to become a part of their group. Though it had at least allowed him to understand that being a Spiritual Chef was by no means a simple thing if it made this cultivator woman act like a crazed drug addict.

That was the favor she talked about—she wanted to provide Lei with a heap of spiritual herbs in exchange for his overly spiritual dishes. Those were her exact words, and Lei was somewhat relieved that the woman hadn't planned on enslaving him to make him her personal cook.

I'm not sure what to make of her, but she doesn't look that strong. 

This was more or less what his new skill, Spiritual Sensitivity, told him. Though Lei wasn't sure how the skill's sensitivity part really worked, he thought of it as a different sort of sixth sense that allowed him to get a feel for certain things and also provided him with some curious details about spiritual ingredients.

He checked the spiritual ladle.

[Spiritual Ladle: Mortal-Grade, Low Quality.] - (An old ladle infused with the lingering spiritual energy of its owner. Once broken, it would be hard to fix.)

Lingering spiritual energy of its owner. Are you trying to say that the spiritual energy leaking from my pores somehow made its way into this ladle?

Lei shook his head. The important part was that he had a spiritual tool by his side, and this time, he wouldn't be giving that thug to the guards. He'd learned his lesson.

"I'm guessing the sun shining over the skies can be taken as a good omen," Fatty Lou said, hopping a step forward and giving them a look over his shoulder. "What do you say, Miss?"

"Light and dark, clear or cloudy, it doesn't make much of a difference to me," Zhu Luli said. "I'm used to sleeping on dirt or inside a cave, but I have to say Jiangzhen and its surroundings are a good change. Feels like I'm exploring a secret part of the world."

"You've seen the world, then?" Lei couldn't help but ask.

Zhu Luli looked thoughtful as she shook her head. "Just the Eastern Continent. Didn't want to stray too far from the Empire. Things can get… complicated with other nations."

"Mm," Fatty Lou hummed his approval, earning an eye-roll from Lei. But he wasn't bothered as he stretched a hand toward the ground, the squirrel jumping on his arm before easing onto his right shoulder. He scratched its chin. "This little one must've been a great help. You know, I haven't seen any spiritual beast like this before. Sure, there were some beasts of burden in Lanzhou, but we were often told that beasts are, well, beasts, better left in their own nature."

"Browntails are an endangered species," Zhu Luli answered with a tired look. "That's why they are given to their owners under strict conditions."

"How so?" Lei asked.

"I only remember parts of it, but it was about a Nascent Soul expert going on a continent-wide hunt for their species after one of them snatched a Moon Rabbit from his daughter's hand," Zhu Luli said. "They can be rather eccentric, those Nascent Soul experts. I should know."

Fatty Lou tried to keep his smile, but even Lei could see the sides of his lips trembling, and he was also taken aback by the words.

He glanced at her. She certainly looked like a normal, twenty-year-old woman, with brown hair curled around the edges and a face bright and clean, but Lei had never seen or heard someone speak about Nascent Soul cultivators like this back in Jiangzhen.

"Err…" Fatty Lou cleared his throat as he took the squirrel and placed it gently on the ground. "A rare spiritual beast… Who are you again?"

"A curious wanderer," Zhu Luli said, clasping her hands sheepishly.

"A curious wanderer with a rare beast, who happens to have traveled all across the Eastern Continent before coming to Jiangzhen," Fatty Lou pressed on. "Are you sure you are here to study spiritual herbs?"

Lei glared at him, then smiled as he turned toward Zhu Luli. "Come now, Brother Lou. I'm sure everyone has their secrets."

"Eh? That's… true."

"I'm just happy to find a Spirit Chef here of all places," Zhu Luli said, tilting her head. "I've been told that even in the heart of the Empire, finding an Honorable Master Chef is as hard as plucking a cloud from the sky. Your Dao… is a most grand one, Senior."

"Ah…" Lei sighed tiredly, scratching the back of his neck. He didn't know if he could call himself a Spirit Chef, and he certainly hadn't given up on the more profitable path of Alchemy for the rare art of cooking. But the woman had put him on a pedestal, and the way Fatty Lou presented him to her made the matter only worse.

Should I just tell her?

But their best bet to find Snake and Stone was that little squirrel, and Lei feared if he cleared the misunderstanding the woman would leave their group. And it wasn't like he couldn't cook spiritual dishes. That was the thing. He'd even introduced this primal world to fast food, and apparently his spiritual burger and fries were enough to even hook a cultivator.

Just a small difference. And she probably doesn't have any special techniques to check our cultivation bases, otherwise she would've figured that we've just taken our first steps on the Immortal Path.

But that little step changed everything. He was surefooted, feet crushing the pebbles and the stones, the steps barely taking any effort. In a single breath, he could suck enough air to last him for a couple of minutes, and Fatty Lou was the same. His brother, however fleshy he was, seemed like he was having no trouble keeping up with them along the way.

I'm not sure if this is really the effect of becoming a Body Tempering Stage. We're just at the first step, but I feel like I could run across the clouds.

Well, that might be an exaggeration, but he certainly felt light as a feather trudging through the fields. And the world did seem to have something different about it now, the colors flashing bright and the trees looming in the distance highly detailed and clear as if he were looking through the lenses of a telescope.

He clenched his hand around the ladle and felt the bone click underneath his skin. There was an odd strength there, power he could use to knock that thug out cold once he found him.

...

"Are we… sure this is the place?" Fatty Lou gulped nervously, one hand clenched tight around his sleeve as he stared at the hulking trees of the Darkloom Forest.

Before Zhu Luli could answer, the squirrel dashed forward and raised a claw toward the ominous forest, looking mightily sure of itself. There was no doubt in those beady eyes.

"Uh." Lei bit his lower lip, trying to shake off the malicious feeling his Spiritual Sensitivity skill brought him. He got goosebumps just by looking at the trees, looming over him like crooked giants broken and mashed together into a thick canopy that barred the sunlight from seeping through the cracks.

"How convenient!" Zhu Luli smiled like a young girl out for a morning stroll, jumping over the bushes and landing gently on the other side before turning and waving a hand toward them.

Lei braced himself as he shared a look with Fatty Lou. Jiangzhen could be a mortal city, but even then, the folk over there knew to stay away from the Darkloom Forest. The place brimmed with monstrous beasts hungry for human flesh, unspeakable horrors slithering beyond the trees and lurking under the soil, always looking for more, always yearning for fresh meat.

And they would be presenting their newly ascended skin to these beasts.

Lei found it hard to contain the fear crawling from the nape of his neck. He lingered for a long second, jaw clenched tight. Suddenly that thug's face flashed before his eyes, bushy eyebrows scowled down at the two kids as they tried to drag themselves out of his hold, their little faces twisted with fear and desperation.

He dashed inside the forest. Fatty Lou followed after him, cursing under his breath as he fought against the barbs and the thorns, the bow strapped to his back catching all the branches which made him nearly leave the damned thing.

The first thought that popped into Lei's mind was that they were in a completely new dimension. Sunlight couldn't reach here, wandering beyond the boundaries of the forest marked by the tall trees, a curious child peeking inside, but too afraid to take that step.

His feet crunched over the broken branches as they sauntered after the little squirrel. The ground was slick with rain and muddy black, crooked branches all dried and naked, hanging from above like worn-out ropes of some sick practice. An occasional scream or a guttural growl broke the muted silence they shared between them, which often made Lei and Fatty Lou exchange nervous glances, with Zhu Luli humming a song along the path.

That was the only thing that eased Lei's heart a bit—the unexpected pair of the company who looked as if they knew their business. Lei could only hope they would keep this performance up and running, as he wasn't sure how long he could take the pounding of his heart that dinned inside his ears.

They trudged through the bushes, up the sloping ground, sloshing down and away, damp hair sticking to the skin like a wet blanket. Little Yao the squirrel kept its nose to the ground, sniffing its way about the forest with the confidence of a master, stopping occasionally to give them an indication about where they were headed with small but effective gestures.

Hours passed while nobody uttered a word. It somehow felt wrong to speak when even the forest loomed silent all around them, a lumbering beast of an entity that breathed in and out with the wind.

"Oh!" Zhu Luli stopped all of a sudden when Little Yao patted with a clawed hand the darkened trunk of a tree. She leaned closer and felt the wood with her fingers, started lowering them down while keeping her eyes fixed on the squirrel.

A little squeak later, she stepped back, crossed her arms over her chest, and waited. Lei was about to ask why they stopped when Little Yao swung one of her claws to the tree, the hard-looking wood crumbling with a deafening crunch. Another claw bore into the tree, sharp edges flashing like silver under the dark, splinters of wood scattering around them even as Lei and Fatty Lou stiffened at the sight.

Once there was a hole big enough to peek inside, Little Yao stepped sideways and allowed Zhu Luli to take a look. Her whole head vanished inside the tree before she pointed with a finger to the lower side of the trunk, Little Yao following the silent order with yet another slash of her claws.

Lei's ears rang with each impact, making him peer around the forest in fear, expecting a paw or a claw, a bigger one, to come slashing across them any minute now. This wasn't any different from announcing their presence to the whole forest. Three humans and a squirrel, and from the looks of Fatty Lou, it seemed he knew he'd be the biggest prize of them all.

"Found it!" came Zhu Luli's voice as she drove an arm inside the tree, laboring for a second before she drew back, holding in her hand a bunch of mushrooms.

"I can't believe it!" She seemed like an overjoyed bunny as she raised the sickly-looking, darkish mushrooms with a spring, a dozen of them stuck together like an amulet of dark origins. "Grim's Mushrooms! I thought they were just a fairy tale!"

"Miss." Fatty Lou cleared his throat, the smile barely hanging at the edge of his lips. "Shouldn't we be more, I don't know, careful in here? Not that I want to quench your enthusiasm, but I'm thinking we can't be too cautious in a forest known for its, err, dark side."

"Exactly!" Lei said, placing a hand over Fatty Lou's left shoulder. "Brother Lou's words have some merit in them. We don't know what we are dealing with. It's best to tread with caution until we find Snake and Stone."

Zhu Luli's smile slowly gave way to a shocked silence before she stepped forward and bowed her head. "Forgive my rashness, Senior. But you see, these mushrooms are something of a legend from where I came from, and honestly, I don't have much choice but to oblige when Little Yao gets… excited."

"Excited?" Lei glanced down at the squirrel. The little creature's eyes flickered back and forth between Lei and the mushrooms hanging from Zhu Luli's hand, glinting with desire. He had to take a step back when it struck him. "You want me to cook those mushrooms?"

It was Little Yao who squeaked in approval, rather than letting Zhu Luli do the talking for her. And from the look in her eyes, she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Sighing out a breath, Lei took the mushrooms and turned his back, using his skills to check on them.

[Grim's Mushrooms: Mortal-Grade - High-Quality] - [Mushrooms tainted by the grim spiritual energy of the forest. Unlike their looks, they are not poisonous and quite nutritious for cultivators who have Earth or Darkness affinities.]

Lei's fingers trembled around the mushrooms when he saw the High-Quality part. He let go of the skills as he looked back and turned to Fatty Lou, pointing with his eyes at the mushrooms.

"We don't have to stop right away," Zhu Luli said sheepishly. "You can cook the mushrooms when we find a place to camp. Isn't that right, Little Yao?"

Another squeak answered. There was a creeping pain at the back of Lei's head. It was the first time he got a High-Quality ingredient, and frankly, he wanted to try it. But he also wished to keep his head over his shoulders during the search, and this thing… looked dangerous.

"Yes, we'll do that," Fatty Lou said as he gave Lei a greedy look.

You don't know… How could you possibly know? This is a damned bomb I'm holding here!

Lei was about to argue, but he paused. They didn't have to eat the food, right? They could just let the pair of them cherish the experience while he and Fatty Lou could watch from the sidelines. Their top priority right now was to keep that squirrel satisfied.

After all, eating these mushrooms… There was no way they would be walking after that.