At the summit of Cloudsea Peak, a gentle breeze brushed past, carrying a faint chill.
The aroma from Ming Hao and Lin Zihan's barbecue spread in every direction. Of course, Ming Hao did the eating, while Lin Zihan did the grilling.
Just then, however, two uninvited guests quietly appeared. One was a boy and the other a girl, and both seemed younger than Ming Hao.
The girl looked only eleven or twelve, yet without the slightest reserve, she pulled a boy of around ten straight toward the barbecue, acting as though they were already old friends.
Ming Hao was somewhat speechless. The way these two barged in to freeload on food and drink left him at a loss.
The girl in particular had an enormous appetite. Before long, she had snatched up every last morsel Ming Hao had meant to enjoy himself, leaving him barely anything to eat.
Watching these two, who looked like reincarnations of starving ghosts, Ming Hao grew a little displeased and asked irritably:
"Who are you two? Why did you come without an invitation? Hey, hey, hey, that drumstick's mine..."
Before he could finish, the little girl with two pigtails sticking straight up swiftly grabbed the drumstick he wanted, stuffed it into her mouth, and began taking huge bites.
She ate with relish, smacked her lips twice, and only then leisurely replied:
"My name's Qi Qing, and this is my little brother, Qing Yu."
As she spoke, Qi Qing pointed at the somewhat bashful Qing Yu beside her.
When his sister pointed him out, Qing Yu's face instantly flushed red. He lowered his head, looking rather ill at ease.
Qi Qing continued:
"My brother and I haven't eaten for nearly ten days, and no one in the sect was willing to help us.
"We were so hungry we couldn't stand it. When we smelled the food here, we couldn't help coming over, so..."
Qi Qing pinched the hem of her clothes, looking a little embarrassed as she spoke.
"What about your parents and family? You're so young. Isn't anyone looking after you?"
Ming Hao asked curiously.
At the question, Qi Qing's and Qing Yu's expressions instantly dimmed, but they quickly concealed it, answering softly:
"Neither of us has had parents since we were little. We've been on our own since birth. I found Qing Yu and raised him myself."
Seeing the two pretend to be carefree, Ming Hao felt a wave of sympathy rise in his heart, but for the moment, he didn't know what to say to comfort them.
"Actually, my brother and I are both from the Demon Race. We grew up in the Ferocious Beast Mountains.
"One day, we happened to hear that the Misty Sect was recruiting disciples, and that once you joined, you'd have all the food and drink you needed.
"You could even learn immortal arts, so my brother and I came without hesitation."
Qi Qing continued, her tone still sounding light.
Her next words, however, greatly surprised Ming Hao:
"But we never expected to discover, only after joining the Misty Sect, that even eating here costs spirit stones.
"We didn't have any spirit stones at all, and the monthly stipend we received last time was stolen by other disciples."
Ming Hao understood all too well. After all, Lin Zihan and the others had constantly been robbed before. They had only managed to keep their stipend last time because they had run into him.
"And that's not all. Because we're from the Demon Race, the other disciples don't like us at all.
"We tried to borrow some spirit stones, but no one was willing to lend us any."
Qi Qing shook her head helplessly, as though she had long grown accustomed to such things.
For a moment, Ming Hao didn't know how to comfort them either. Words caught in his throat and refused to come out. After a brief silence, he finally said:
"Eat as much as you like. There's plenty more here. Tonight, you'll eat your fill."
Ming Hao immediately took several large boxes of meat from his Spatial Ring and asked Lin Zihan to grill more. Her eyes had reddened as she listened, too. Without saying a word, she simply kept her head down and grilled.
Seeing the two struggling to swallow all that meat without anything to drink, Ming Hao took several bottles of beverages specially made in the Cultivation World from his storage space and handed them over.
Qi Qing and Qing Yu took the drinks and gulped them down. After a while, Qi Qing said solemnly:
"Don't worry, senior brother. My brother and I won't eat your food for nothing. Whenever you need anything in the future, we'll be there."
Qing Yu also nodded vigorously in agreement.
"All right, I'll remember that. I'll come find you if I need anything."
Ming Hao spoke casually.
Before long, the two had polished off almost all the meat he had just brought out. Seeing their bellies were still flat, Ming Hao could only bear the pain and take out several more boxes of meat.
Cloudsea Peak was the tallest and largest mountain in the Inner Disciple Area. By now, its summit was crowded with young men and women who had come to admire the moon, chatting and moon-gazing in pairs and small groups.
Ever since Qi Qing and Qing Yu had arrived, Ming Hao had felt a faint gaze watching him.
He had assumed it would soon fade, but even now, it still turned toward them from time to time.
Ming Hao picked up a piece of meat Lin Zihan had just grilled, stood, and walked straight over to a young man behind him.
Although the man wore the sect's white robes, wisps of black energy seemed to rise from him.
Ming Hao held out the grilled meat and said:
"You seem to have been watching us for quite a while. Are you hungry too? Here, take this."
The cold-faced young man remained silent for a long time before finally reaching out with a pale, bloodless hand to accept it. In a hoarse voice, he said:
"Thank you."
Ming Hao thought nothing of it and warmly invited him:
"We have plenty more over there. You're all alone while everyone else is paired up. Come have some barbecue with us. One more person will make things livelier."
The cold-faced man's expression stiffened slightly, and he refused outright:
"Thank you, junior brother, but I'm used to being alone. I won't join you."
Seeing that the man's words didn't match his feelings, Ming Hao muttered that one more wouldn't make a difference, since two extras had already shown up anyway. Then he simply reached out and pulled the man along.
The cold-faced man apparently hadn't expected Ming Hao to take matters into his own hands. Caught off guard, he was dragged over.
By the time he came to his senses, they had already arrived. He felt terribly awkward, unable to decide whether to leave or stay.
Ming Hao seemed to notice his embarrassment and handed him a bottle of drink as well. The cold-faced man hesitated for a while before accepting it and sitting down.
Seeing that Qi Qing and Qing Yu had once again finished all the grilled meat, Ming Hao helplessly took out another seven or eight boxes.
Poor Lin Zihan had grilled so much her hands were practically smoking, yet she still couldn't keep up. Now that another man had joined them, she wished she could grow two more pairs of hands.
Ming Hao then introduced everyone to the cold-faced man.
After a brief silence, the cold-faced man finally spoke:
"My name is Zhao Bufan. I'm a Demonic Cultivator."
Yet Ming Hao and the others showed no reaction at all. They kept eating and drinking, finding nothing amiss.
This left Zhao Bufan at a loss. Normally, the moment people heard he was a Demonic Cultivator, they stayed as far away as possible. When had anyone ever reacted as calmly as these people?
Thinking they hadn't heard him clearly, Zhao Bufan repeated himself:
"My name is Zhao Bufan. I'm a Demonic Cultivator."
"Senior Brother Zhao, we heard you. Hurry up and eat, or these two big eaters will finish everything. Hey, hey, hey, Qi Qing, put down my duck leg..."
Ming Hao spoke without a care and even tried to wrest the duck leg from Qi Qing, but he couldn't win.
Zhao Bufan froze at his words. A flicker of warmth passed through his eyes, vanishing an instant later.
The barbecue lasted until midnight. Looking at Qi Qing and Qing Yu, who still weren't full, Ming Hao was rather speechless.
The Demon Race really could eat. Moreover, their auras seemed considerably stronger than before. Eating could actually make them stronger-a truly enviable gift.
Zhao Bufan's appetite was much smaller by comparison, and his belly had long since begun to bulge slightly.
"Tomorrow morning, meet me outside the Dining Hall in Building A. My treat."
Ming Hao was very generous. Although he had given Fatty Zhang and the others plenty of resources that morning, he hadn't forgotten the more than two thousand people he had robbed earlier. He still had plenty left.
Besides, he had never lacked spirit stones.
Qi Qing and Qing Yu were delighted and hurriedly promised to arrive on time. Zhao Bufan, however, refused outright, claiming he had other important matters to attend to. Anyone with eyes could tell he was simply too embarrassed to accept.
The group then went their separate ways.
Lin Zihan was finally free. Seeing her somewhat red and swollen hands, Ming Hao felt a pang of tenderness and took out some Spirit Salve, carefully applying it for her.
A little later, the two slowly disappeared into the night, hand in hand.