A short while later.
"All right, the last dish, stir-fried yellow sheep, is ready!"
Xu Taiping scooped the cooked sheep meat out of the wok, then carried the plate into the main room.
By then, the dining table in the main room was already covered with dishes. Although most used yellow sheep meat, their preparations varied greatly. The soups alone included sheep heart soup, sheep kidney soup, and sheep bone soup, while the meat dishes included stir-fried yellow sheep, steamed sheep head, roasted yellow sheep leg, roasted sheep meat, and wine-boiled sheep meat.
These were all dishes Xu Taiping's grandfather had eaten while traveling far and wide in his youth. Hearing him talk about them every day had made Xu Taiping's mouth water, so he had asked his grandfather to teach him the recipes, planning to make them once he could afford meat.
He had never expected to put them to use today.
"Mmm... that smells wonderful... those seven merit coins were well spent."
Old Nine craned his neck and sniffed. His expression changed at once, and he could not help slapping the table hard.
"If I'd known you could cook like this, Taiping, I should have come to cadge a few more meals!"
The sight of the dishes covering the table whetted White Rainbow's appetite as well.
"If you like it, Uncle Bai, you can come eat here often."
Xu Taiping's reply was perfectly earnest.
"Heh, I was only saying that. I couldn't keep coming over and disturbing your cultivation."
White Rainbow smiled and shook his head.
Beside him, Old Nine was filled with envy at Xu Taiping's invitation. After sneakily pinching a piece of meat and popping it into his mouth, he asked Xu Taiping tentatively:
"Young friend Taiping, after this meal, wouldn't the two of us count as friends too?"
"Of course not."
Xu Taiping's face was entirely serious.
"Young friend Taiping, you can't favor one and slight the other! Look, I helped you light the fire and wipe the table. Surely we ought to count as friends too."
Old Nine's face fell at his answer.
Beside them, White Rainbow broke into a cold sweat on Xu Taiping's behalf, yet a faint sense of triumph also rose within him. To think that I, White Rainbow, would one day get the better of my granduncle-master.
Bang, bang, bang!
Just as the three were feasting heartily, someone suddenly knocked on the courtyard gate.
"White Rainbow, why have you invited me here?"
An old man's voice came from outside the courtyard.
"Taiping, besides Old Nine, I invited a few other friends. Could you add another bowl and pair of chopsticks?"
Rather than answer the man outside, White Rainbow set down his bowl and chopsticks and smilingly asked Xu Taiping, who sat opposite him.
"If he's another friend of yours, Uncle Bai, please invite him in."
Xu Taiping nodded.
"Don't forget to make him pay. I paid seven Merit Coins!"
Old Nine gave White Rainbow beside him a disgruntled look.
"Of... of course!"
White Rainbow nodded repeatedly and rose to open the gate.
"White Rainbow, just what did you call me here for? I don't have the leisure to reminisce with you!"
Before long, Xu Taiping and Old Nine, each gnawing on a sheep rib, saw White Rainbow lead an old man in fine clothing, with meticulously combed hair, into the main room.
"Brother Liu, there's nothing else to it. Brother Nine, you, and I haven't gotten together in a long time, so I wanted to share a meal with you."
Once inside the main room, White Rainbow smiled and pointed at the old man gnawing on a sheep rib at the table.
"Brother Nine? What Brother Nine?"
The old man whom White Rainbow called Brother Liu looked impatiently toward the table, only to meet Old Nine's eyes.
"You... how did you..."
"Why all this nonsense? Sit down and eat!"
The instant his eyes met Old Nine's, a clear flash of horror crossed the old man surnamed Liu's gaze, only for Old Nine's glare to force it back down.
"Yes... yes!"
The old man surnamed Liu hurriedly sat down.
"Oh, aren't you Pavilion Master Liu of West Wind Pavilion?"
At this point, Xu Taiping also recognized the old man who had just entered.
If he remembered correctly, this was Liu Songshan, the Pavilion Master of West Wind Pavilion whom Senior Sister Linglong had taken him to meet when he first came up the mountain.
"I'm speaking with my mas... with my two senior brothers. Who gave you leave to speak?"
When Xu Taiping interjected, Pavilion Master Liu's expression immediately soured, and he glared fiercely at him.
"Liu Songshan, your cultivation isn't much to speak of, but you certainly put on airs."
Before Xu Taiping could speak, Old Nine suddenly set down his chopsticks and sneered at Liu Songshan.
"Mas... Ninth Uncle... I..."
"Now, now, Brother Liu, Brother Liu, let's talk calmly. Ninth Uncle was only reminding you to speak a little more politely. Every dish on the table today was made by young brother Taiping."
At those words, Liu Songshan's face turned deathly pale, and his body shuddered violently. He was about to slide off his chair when White Rainbow caught him in time.
"That's right. It's thanks to young brother Taiping that we could get together today, yet you immediately started barking orders at him. How rude."
Old Nine stuffed a mouthful of meat into his mouth, his tone softening somewhat.
"Yes, yes, yes! You're right, Ninth Uncle..."
Hearing Ninth Uncle's tone ease, Liu Songshan felt as though he had been granted a pardon and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Brother Liu, try young brother Taiping's cooking. Ninth Uncle was singing its praises just now."
White Rainbow brought out a bowl and a pair of chopsticks and placed them before Liu Songshan.
"If even Ninth Uncle was singing its praises, it must taste wonderful."
Liu Songshan accepted the bowl and chopsticks with a beaming smile, every bit of it an attempt to flatter Old Nine.
"Wait!"
Just as Liu Songshan reached out to take some food, Old Nine suddenly caught his chopsticks between his own, then rolled his eyes at him and said:
"Pay up!"
Xu Taiping, who had been watching the show from the side, caught on as well and immediately held out his hand to Liu Songshan.
"Pavilion Master Liu, just like Ninth Uncle, your meal costs seven Merit Coins."
Naturally, he could tell that Ninth Uncle was no ordinary person and that the three had come for more than a simple meal. But he had no intention of turning down Merit Coins that had fallen into his lap. As for whatever these important figures were up to, he could neither interfere nor be bothered to.
Maybe they really were just passing by. In any case, I'll treat it as watching a play.
Xu Taiping mused to himself.
Seeing that Xu Taiping showed no hesitation whatsoever in collecting payment, Ninth Uncle nodded in great satisfaction. Then, as he shoveled rice into his mouth, he casually asked Liu Songshan between bites:
"Who's the Hall Master of Raging Wind Hall under you these days?"
"Raging Wind Hall's current Hall Master is Xu Youzhi, an Azure Generation disciple of the Second Peak."
Liu Songshan hurriedly set down his chopsticks and answered with the utmost seriousness.
"Xu Youzhi, eh? His master brought him to meet me once back then, so we do have that one meeting between us. Why not call him over to share a meal too?"
Ninth Uncle ladled himself a bowl of soup and sipped it with a look of enjoyment, without so much as glancing at Liu Songshan.
"Ninth Uncle... that... wouldn't be appropriate, would it? Raging Wind Hall is... rather far from here."
Sweat beaded on Liu Songshan's forehead.
Before you continue