You Actually Snatched My Opportunity

That meal lasted a long time. By the time they finished, it was already past two in the morning.

Luo Li and Xiao Xueyi lay sprawled on the sofa, numb and glassy-eyed as they stared at the ceiling. They felt like they'd just eaten everything they could possibly eat in their entire lives. They couldn't even move a finger.

Liu Bing was on the other sofa, holding Chang Xi while feeding her chocolate.

Chang Xi happily enjoyed Liu Bing's offerings, her big eyes narrowing into crescents. Xi He glanced at Luo Li and the others with satisfaction. "You're pretty good. I like you. From now on, you can be my dining companions."

Luo Li and Xiao Xueyi's faces instantly turned horrified. The terror of that frantic eating session came flooding back. They wanted to shake their heads and refuse, but when they thought of what they'd learned over dinner, they didn't dare. All they could do was nod, looking utterly defeated.

When they'd first sat down to eat, Luo Li had been so astonished by Chang'e's handiwork that she'd instinctively asked how Chang'e had done it. Only afterward had it dawned on her who Chang'e and the others were.

Chang Xi, Chang'e, Xi He—weren't those figures from mythology?

Then she added, "Are you immortals?"

"Mm. By your understanding, we are indeed immortals." Chang'e stroked her chin, speaking with a mischievous air.

Seeing the shock on Luo Li and Xiao Xueyi's faces as their worldview was reshaped when Chang'e admitted who they were had been especially amusing to her.

Luo Li stared wide-eyed at Chang'e and the others, her face full of disbelief. "How is that possible? You really are those immortals from the legends!"

"Then... are you an immortal too? Which one are you?" She turned to Liu Bing, her voice trembling with shock.

No wonder Liu Bing had dealt with her so easily before. Even helping her break free of her ghoul state had been effortless for him. And the food he'd brought out would make an ordinary person explode on the spot if they ate it.

He'd even talked about spiritual energy and such. So he really was an immortal, which explained how he could produce food that ordinary people—and even some extraordinary people—couldn't withstand.

Liu Bing waved a hand. "Uh... I'm not an immortal."

Liu Bing really wasn't an immortal from any myth. He was just an ordinary transmigrator who'd been granted the chance to become an immortal thanks to Nuwa's mischievous streak.

As for being an immortal, he really wasn't one. He didn't have an immortal rank or a divine position.

But before long, Luo Li no longer had the attention to spare for whether Liu Bing was an immortal, because Chang'e was already inviting everyone to take their seats and eat.

Xi He had originally asked Liu Bing to prepare the food, but she soon remembered that ordinary people couldn't eat what he made.

Luo Li and Xiao Xueyi were still mortal, and they couldn't withstand the high-spiritual-energy foods Liu Bing excelled at cooking. So Xi He directly conjured up a table of dishes suitable for mortals.

The dishes contained very little spiritual energy—so little that, for someone like Liu Bing, they were practically devoid of it. But for mortals like Luo Li and the others, they were exceptionally precious nourishing ingredients.

And as a food lover, Xi He could conjure up dishes that tasted no worse than Liu Bing's cooking.

Luo Li and Xiao Xueyi had been utterly overwhelmed when they were invited to the table. After all, Chang'e was the one welcoming them, and Xi He and Chang Xi were there too.

But it didn't take long for them to stop feeling overwhelmed. Soon, all they could think about was food. Luo Li in particular hadn't eaten a proper meal in days. The moment she picked up the Taotie Feast, she transformed into an eating machine and began devouring everything in sight.

The next few hours dragged on. When they finally stopped eating, all they could do was collapse on the sofa, staring blankly into space like fish who'd lost all hope.

Chang'e poured Xi He a cup of tea. Xi He leisurely took a sip, then said, "My sister and I are going to stay here for a while. You'll be looking after us during that time."

Liu Bing nodded. "Sure."

After seeing Xi He and the others, he'd known they would be staying for quite a while. It was just like when Liu Bing had gone to the Moon Palace. Xi He had said she'd let him leave after a while.

As it turned out, "a while" meant a full hundred years.

For these Primordial World beings, time meant nothing. They could probably spend more than a hundred years just spacing out.

"What do you mean, 'sure'? You need to take action! You don't expect us to stay in that bachelor apartment of yours, do you? Do you think we'd be comfortable there?" Xi He set down her cup and gave Liu Bing a sidelong glance.

Liu Bing rolled his eyes at Xi He. "I'd have to wait until tomorrow to go buy a house. It's the middle of the night—I can't do anything about it now. We'll just make do here for tonight."

Xi He glanced at Luo Li's spacious apartment and pursed her lips. "I don't like living in a building like this. I prefer a house of my own. I'm not asking you to get me an estate, but at the very least, it has to be a detached villa. Ideally, it'd be out in the countryside, near the mountains. The air in the city isn't good, and I don't like it."

"You sure are picky," Liu Bing said.

"If I were really picky, I'd have you prepare a Moon Palace for me, not to mention a Sun Palace." Xi He rolled her eyes at Liu Bing.

At the thought of the Moon Palace, Liu Bing suddenly felt that asking for just a villa was a pretty modest demand. It was like an emperor who'd always lived in a palace the size of the Forbidden City asking you for no more than a single room.

That was a low bar, wasn't it?

"I have a villa that's empty. Sister Xi He, if you like it, I can give it to you." Xiao Xueyi looked like a fish who'd lost all hope, sprawled on the sofa, but she'd been listening in on Liu Bing and the others the whole time.

As soon as she heard that Xi He would be staying here for a while, she hurried to offer her the house.

Luo Li stared at Xiao Xueyi in shock, her face saying, You sneaky little thing—you actually stole my chance to curry favor! I should've kicked you out earlier.

Luo Li clearly regretted not kicking Xiao Xueyi out earlier. It had let her steal the opportunity.

Xi He glanced at Xiao Xueyi and nodded with a smile. "All right. I won't let all the good food I gave you go to waste."

At the mention of food, Xiao Xueyi and Luo Li's faces turned a little green. The memory of their frenzied eating came rushing back. Their stomachs had been painfully full, yet their minds had held no thoughts but food and drink. The feeling had been deeply unsettling.

Luo Li shook her head, driving the feeling from her mind. Then she got up to prepare the guest rooms. Since she'd missed her chance to offer a house, they'd be spending the night at her place, and she wanted to make sure they were comfortable.

As for whether another opportunity would come along later, that would depend on how she played her cards.

Chang'e saw Luo Li get up and realized what she was going to do, so she followed her. If Luo Li had to tidy up alone, it would probably take until morning.