As Gu Yue watched him, she unconsciously reached out, wanting to wipe the grease from the tip of Xie Xie's nose.
Xie Xie caught sight of the slender, fair hand reaching toward him from the corner of his eye.
His brain hadn't caught up yet, but his body reacted first—
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't touch my beef!"
He let out a yelp, drew in both arms, and hugged the entire pot of Braised Beef Pot, plate and all, tight against his chest. He shrank back and glared warily at Gu Yue.
His cheeks were still stuffed with meat as he protested incoherently, "This pot's mine! I haven't had enough yet. You're not getting so much as a bite!"
Gu Yue: "..."
Boom—!
A fireball blasted straight at him, sending Xie Xie and the pot flying into the neighboring seat.
Gu Yue dusted off her hands and snorted in annoyance. "Eat, eat, eat. Go on and eat yourself to death!"
As she spoke, the inexplicable stirring in her eyes was also swept away without a trace by this sudden mishap.
Tang Wulin watched from the side, helpless and amused.
When the three left the Braised Beef Pot shop, Uncle Li stared at the refrigerator, now nearly two-thirds empty, and fell into deep thought. "Kids these days... do they eat a little too much?"
It was only after night had deepened that the three of them finally made their way back to Eastsea Academy, bickering and laughing all the way.
Gu Yue was the first to say goodbye and head back to the girls' dormitory.
Tang Wulin was just about to pull Xie Xie toward the boys' dormitory.
"Wait, wait." Xie Xie took two steps back. "Tang Wulin, you go on ahead. I'll be there in a bit."
Tang Wulin paused. Seeing Xie Xie's mysterious expression, he was about to ask what was up when Xie Xie had already dashed off, leaving behind only a whirlwind of a figure.
Inside the teachers' dormitory—
Wu Zhangkong sat cross-legged by the window, eyes nearly closed, her breathing steady as a still, deep well as she focused on meditation.
But her tightly knitted brows showed that this meditation was far from smooth.
A shadow that would not disperse wound around her mind, and cold memories surged like a tide—
The warm blood lingering on her fingertips, her Martial Soul shattering and dimming, and the figure lying in her arms, never to open her eyes again.
Long Bing...
The moment that name surfaced, a fine, sharp pain pierced Wu Zhangkong's chest.
The air around her seemed to turn cold with it, the chill seeping through her clothes bit by bit.
Just as the inner demon was about to tighten its grip on her mind, a warm, rich fragrance suddenly drifted into her nose.
Wu Zhangkong abruptly opened her eyes.
A wisp of fragrance was slipping in through the crack beneath the door.
Then it slowly floated toward her, gathering into a phantom hand that beckoned to her with irresistible temptation.
Wu Zhangkong rose slowly, her white robes pristine as snow.
The chill around her had yet to fade, and a cold severity still lingered between her brows from the disturbance of her inner demon.
She raised a slender hand and casually smacked the large phantom hand away.
"Come in," Wu Zhangkong said coolly.
Creak—
The dormitory door opened a crack, and a tousled head poked through. Grinning at Wu Zhangkong, he said, "Teacher Wu, still awake?"
Wu Zhangkong lifted her eyes and glanced at him, her cool gaze settling on the cloth bundle he clutched tightly in his arms.
The fragrance from earlier had come from inside it.
"What is it?" Wu Zhangkong asked evenly, her tone giving nothing away.
Xie Xie wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He stepped inside and plopped down in a chair as if he owned the place, setting the clay pot from the bundle on the table.
As Xie Xie lifted the cotton cloth, a gust of steam billowed up, and the aroma instantly dispelled the chill filling the room.
"Ta-da!"
Xie Xie introduced it proudly. "Braised Beef Pot, soup version!"
"I know you like light flavors, Teacher Wu. Not much salt or oil, and no spice!"
"If you don't like it, I've got more!" As he spoke, Xie Xie began pulling more food out of his Soul Guidance Storage Bracelet.
"These Sugar-Roasted Chestnuts, low in sugar."
"And this Poria Cake, handmade."
"And there's more! These taro balls in clear broth!"
Wu Zhangkong's gaze fell on the growing mountain of food on the table. The refined lines of her face showed the faintest flicker of surprise.
Xie Xie was like a little hoarding mouse, still eagerly digging out the food he'd stashed away.
It was all light, mild fare, clearly chosen with care along the way.
Wu Zhangkong lowered her eyes and stared silently for a long while at the pot of Braised Beef Pot, still giving off wisps of steam.
"Well? What do you think?"
Xie Xie's cheerful voice rang out again.
Wu Zhangkong raised her gaze. The boy sitting across from her was looking at her expectantly, like a puppy waiting for praise, its tail wagging furiously behind it.
She looked at the pure enthusiasm in his eyes.
Without realizing it, her long-frozen, silent heart gave a slight tremor.
"...Good."
As the words left her mouth, Wu Zhangkong herself was the first to be taken aback.
But Xie Xie didn't care about that. He immediately pushed his luck, grabbing hold of the opportunity.
"I knew it! Come on, come on. This trip won't be in vain—I guarantee it!"
He slapped his thigh excitedly, no longer bothering to act composed in front of Wu Zhangkong. He scooped up the pot of Braised Beef Pot and pulled it right over in front of himself.
After all that talk, Xie Xie really just wanted to eat it himself.
Because the Braised Beef Pot was so delicious!
He'd only managed three or four bowls at the shop earlier, and that wasn't nearly enough. Tang Wulin had scarfed down most of it, and he hadn't been able to beat Gu Yue to any. Worst of all, he hadn't even dared to protest.
(Actually, he had protested and gotten hit by a fireball.)
Xie Xie picked up a spoon and served Wu Zhangkong a bowl first, then filled one for himself.
Once he was done, he eagerly licked a spoonful of the piping-hot beef, only to burn his tongue. He grimaced, but couldn't bear to spit it out, so he could only cry out through a mouthful of food:
"Mmm... hot, hot, hot, but it's incredible!"
Wu Zhangkong looked at the mountain of beef in Xie Xie's bowl, then at the watery broth in her own, with only a few small pieces of beef floating in it.
Wu Zhangkong: "..."
In the end, she let out a helpless sigh.
Xie Xie's cheeks bulged from the heat. He blew on the food in little puffs and savored the meat in tiny bites, his eyes narrowing into blissful slits. He didn't notice Wu Zhangkong watching him from across the table.
He was so absorbed in eating that a fine sheen of sweat had already formed on the tip of his nose.
After her sigh, Wu Zhangkong finally scooped up a spoonful of warm broth and brought it to her lips.
The warm broth slid down her throat, carrying a faint meaty aroma and driving away the lingering chill in her heart, bit by bit.
She lifted her eyes and watched Xie Xie enjoying himself across the table, the corner of her mouth quietly curving upward.
Wu Zhangkong picked up her chopsticks, took one of the few pieces of beef in her bowl, and placed it in Xie Xie's.
The gesture was natural, and held a tenderness she herself had yet to notice.
Only then did Xie Xie look up. With his mouth still full of meat, he blinked at her and mumbled, "Tea-Teacher Wu?"
Wu Zhangkong withdrew her chopsticks, her expression still cool and calm. "I..."
"Oh, Teacher Wu, if you don't like beef, you should've said so! I love it!"
Xie Xie immediately stood up and, without the slightest hesitation, transferred all the beef from Wu Zhangkong's bowl into his own, stuffing it into his mouth in great mouthfuls.
Wu Zhangkong looked at her bowl, now completely reduced to clear broth.
Wu Zhangkong: "..."
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