The iron pot bubbled and burbled.
The beef had been stewed until tender, with Carrot, Sichuan Pepper, Cilantro, Tofu Skin, and potatoes in the broth.
The aroma was rich.
Xu Yuan ladled some beef and broth over his white rice, picked up the bowl, and dug in.
"Not bad."
"Thanks for the compliment. I worked hard to get it this good," Lu Feiming said.
"So cooking's your hobby now?"
Xu Yuan asked as he ate.
Lu Feiming served himself a bowl too. Squatting beside him with the air of a judge, he picked through the ingredients and tasted a little of each.
"I don't particularly like cooking. I just like stewing beef," Lu Feiming said.
"Strange hobby," Xu Yuan said.
"It's one person's lifelong dream—to make a stew so delicious that customers keep streaming into the shop and business booms."
"So it's a dream. All right, I'll support you with another bowl."
Xu Yuan filled his bowl with more white rice, ladled in broth and beef, and kept eating.
He had fought for so long in the Primordial Era, then gone to see the Ancient God. He had been run off his feet, and he was hungry.
"There's something I want to ask you," Lu Feiming said.
"Go ahead."
"Why do I feel like I played a part in this Dark Staircase Law... and through the Contract, at that? Me, the Ancient God, and the Universe are all bound by this Contract, supporting the Rule's existence." Lu Feiming frowned.
Without looking up, Xu Yuan replied, "Weren't you the one who discovered those people collecting the Power of Truth and fought them? This whole thing started with you."
"And then..." Lu Feiming mused.
"You're the strongest. A tiny bit stronger than me, even. That gives you the right to represent humanity,