A Loving Family Peak.
Nightfall, a bright moon.
Qian Qing brought out the dishes one bowl at a time. They were hardly exquisite, but the portions were generous.
They steamed, their aroma fairly appetizing.
Qian Qing had prepared all of them without using Spell Arts. Even the cooking fire burned firewood, and wisps of black smoke drifted overhead from time to time.
Bai Xuanling watched with interest as Qian Qing cooked with her own hands, with Sandong helping beside her.
The last thing brought over was not a dish, but a wooden bucket of rice that Qian Qing set to one side.
She deftly picked up bowls and filled one with rice for each of the others.
Bai Xuanling was a little surprised, but accepted the plain rice all the same. In truth, even she had no idea how long it had been since she last ate a meal. The only flour-based foods she ate were pastries and noodles.
"Martial Artists like me have a taste for strong flavors. The dishes I make are meant to go with rice." Qian Qing handed another bowl to Chu Xingchen. "Without some rice, they're a little salty. I hope you don't mind."
Holding the warm rice bowl, Chu Xingchen chuckled and said:
"That touch of hearth smoke is exactly what I wanted."
Bai Xuanling had already tucked in with easy familiarity. The rich, heavily salted dishes paired with rice did have a distinctive appeal. Sounding fairly satisfied, she said:
"Very good. Yuankong is in for quite a treat."
"This big shot rarely praises anyone," Chu Xingchen said, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Just don't sell yourself short."
Qian Qing breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as everyone likes it."
"Sandong likes it very much." Holding her own little bowl, Sandong enthusiastically raised a