Chapter 7: Sects and Soup Dumplings

Chapter 7: Sects and Soup Dumplings

It started, like many bad ideas do, with dumplings.

Alex had just steamed a fresh basket—stuffed with pickled radish, spiritual pork (from a pig that once meditated), and a secret herb called "Forget-Me-Spice."

He set the bamboo tray on the porch table.

Jun took one, bit in, and immediatly blinked.

"I just remembered where I left my grandfather's sword," he said. "Twenty years ago."

Yun'er, biting carefully, muttered, "This spice is dangerous."

Alex shrugged. "System said it boosts memory. I didn't know it hurled memories back at you."

Then the sect people arrived.

Three figures in overly shiny robes—swords, sashes, smug expressions. The kind of guests who knock on a wooden gate like they're auditioning for a war.

Alex sipped tea and waited.

The system chimed:

Incoming: Sect of Heavenly Jade FurnaceSub-Branch: Loud and Important Division"Threat Level: Mild Annoyance."

They introduced themselves very dramatically.

"We are here to inspect rumors of a forbidden cultivation garden," the leader said, pointing at the cabbage patch like it was a crime scene.

Alex nodded. "You mean my backyard."

"Yes! It is said spirit plants here have reached awakening!"

Meilin stepped in. "You want to arrest... cabbage?"

The second sect member, taller and dumber, shouted, "Cabbage of this potency could overthrow empires!"

A sudden breeze passed.

One cabbage leaf fluttered.

The air grew tense.

Alex just pointed to the bamboo steamer.

"Would you like a dumpling?"

There was a long pause.

Then… they accepted.

One bite each.

The loudest one sobbed instantly. "My mother used to make these before she joined the sword monks…"

The leader trembled. "I was gonna destroy your field but now I… I just wanna protect it…"

Alex patted their shoulders.

"Eat slow. You might remember stuff you regret."

That night, the sect trio stayed for dinner.

They tried helping on the farm but mostly failed. One tripped over a sleepy spirit chicken. Another got pecked into a mild enlightenment state.

The third just stared at the whisper root and muttered, "Why does it feel like it's reading my regrets?"

Alex just smiled. "Maybe it is."

Later, the sect leader returned to the porch, kneeling slightly.

"I know not what field this is… or what you are cultivating here. But it is not wrong."

He placed a jade token on the table.

"In the name of the Sect of Jade Furnace… we name this land Sacred Peace Grove."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"…You named my cabbage patch."

The man nodded solemnly. "And may your dumplings cleanse the hearts of many."

The next morning, Meilin found Alex harvesting radishes in silence.

"You let them go?"

He nodded.

"They'll talk. You know that, right? Your name's gonna spread."

Alex glanced at the scarecrow. Then at the whisper root, gently glowing.

He smiled.

"Let it."

He held up a dumpling.

"Maybe the world could use more truth… and soup."

End of Chapter 7