Adepti couldn't cook

Supporting Yucheng, Shenhe did not head straight to Bubu Pharmacy to have her injuries treated. Instead, she went to Wanmin Restaurant first.

The reason was simple. After that intense battle, Shenhe, who had eaten only three steamed corn buns, smelled the aroma from Wanmin Restaurant, and her stomach betrayed her with another protest.

This time, since Shenhe was supporting Yucheng, they were very close, and he heard it even more clearly than before. Even as a disciple of the adepti, Shenhe could not help feeling embarrassed when the same person heard her stomach growl twice in one day.

Yucheng actually knew the state of his injuries perfectly well. He had only been slightly exhausted to begin with, and his injuries were superficial at most, nothing worth mentioning to a ninja. But the chance to be so close to Shenhe was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so of course he had to put on a convincing act.

But since he had heard Shenhe's stomach growling, her needs naturally had to come first.

Thus, at Yucheng's insistence, Shenhe helped him into Wanmin Restaurant. The moment a woman of such outstanding bearing appeared inside, the noisy restaurant fell silent. Men and women, young and old alike, stared straight at Shenhe, unable to hide the astonishment on their faces.

Master Mao, who had been concentrating on his cooking, suddenly noticed that his restaurant had gone quiet. He turned to look in puzzlement, only to be stunned by Shenhe's breathtaking appearance and bearing himself.

"Hey, Master Mao, you're handling dinner today? Where's Xiangling?" Yucheng was the first to break the strange atmosphere.

"Uh, huh? Oh, Xiangling's gone on a trip. She said she was going to Mondstadt. Hmm? Aren't you the young fellow from lunchtime? How did you end up like this?" After all, it had only happened at noon, and his daughter had practically dragged Yucheng away by force, so Master Mao certainly remembered him.

But not long after they left, his daughter had rushed home, packed a few essentials, and set off traveling light, saying she was going to Mondstadt. She had kept muttering something about chilled meat, then hurried out again before he could get a clear explanation, leaving her old father quite speechless.

"Xiangling was going to take me up to the summit of Mt. Tianheng to have a look, but something urgent came up halfway through, and she left. I figured I was already there, so I went up on my own. I didn't expect to run into monsters along the way. Luckily, this friend came to my rescue."

Yucheng casually made up a lie. After hearing his explanation, Shenhe was just about to tell the truth when he stopped her. Master Mao, on the other hand, suddenly felt a trace of guilt at that answer.

"Oh dear! That Xiangling really was thoughtless. How could she leave a friend behind halfway through, especially somewhere as dangerous as Mt. Tianheng? I'm sorry, young man. My daughter was inconsiderate. Once she's back, I'll make sure she apologizes to you in person. And thank you to this beau... adeptus beside you for coming to his rescue.

"How about this? I'll go with you to Bubu Pharmacy to get your injuries checked. I'll cover the consultation and medicine."

As Master Mao understood it, this young man had ended up in his current state entirely because of his daughter. Xiangling had a Vision and was quite capable in a fight, so Master Mao did not stop her from searching for ingredients in the wilderness.

This young man had no Vision, yet Xiangling had left him all alone in the wild. If he had not encountered this adeptus of extraordinary bearing along the way, he might well have lost his life. As Xiangling's father, Master Mao certainly had to take responsibility when something like this happened.

But Yucheng clearly had not paid attention to that either. He hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, no, it's fine. They're just minor injuries, nothing serious. We're hungry, so make us a few of your specialties. Oh, and my friend likes vegetarian food. Be sure to bring a few extra vegetable dishes."

"Then please take a seat in the back room. It's quiet there. Don't worry, I'll make sure you're well taken care of. This meal is on me."

As a restaurant catering to the public, Wanmin Restaurant had no private dining rooms. The so-called back room was actually the room where Master Mao usually rested.

Xiangling studied under Madame Ping, and as her father, he was actually among those in Liyue Harbor who knew a fair amount about the adepti. He knew they preferred secluded places. Besides, Shenhe's appearance and bearing were outstanding. If he seated her in the main dining area and the diners gathered around to stare at her like a monkey, it would certainly displease her. The back room was therefore the most suitable arrangement.

Master Mao's back room was simple and clean, with only a bed for resting and a table. Though it was not spacious, it was enough for just Yucheng and Shenhe to sit across from each other. Yucheng nodded in satisfaction after taking a look.

Soon, exquisite dishes were brought to the table one after another. Master Mao even thoughtfully placed the vegetable dishes on Shenhe's side and some meat dishes on Yucheng's.

Though the ingredients were all ordinary, in Master Mao's hands, their flavor was no worse than anything served at upscale restaurants. There were even dishes that tested the chef's knife skills, such as spiral-cut cucumber and Wensi tofu, which suddenly elevated the otherwise ordinary table through the food alone.

Although Master Mao's cooking was delicious, Shenhe did not seem satisfied. She took only a small bite of each dish, yet ate quite a lot of rice.

"What's wrong? Is the food not to your taste?"

Shenhe shook her head and explained, "The food of the mortal world is certainly delicious, but if I return to the mountains someday, the lingering memory of fine food would instead become an obstacle to my cultivation. So it is enough to have a small taste and understand its flavor."

"Where did you get that idea? How come I've never heard that eating good food affects cultivation? It's not as if you're cultivating supreme detachment from emotion."

"My master, Mountain Shaper, and Moon Carver all eat very plain food in their daily lives. Surely that is part of the reason they have attained their current cultivation?"

Yucheng could not help covering his face, struggling not to laugh aloud, while also feeling a little sorry for Shenhe.

"Shenhe, you may have misunderstood. Your master and martial uncles are adeptal birds and deer, not humans. They're naturally vegetarian. Besides, it isn't that they like plain food. It's that none of them knows how to cook.

"As for why their cultivation is so high, it's because they've cultivated for thousands of years. Given that much time, even a turtle could attain enlightenment, let alone extraordinary talents who, without exception, possess exceptional natural aptitude.

"Also, let me tell you a little secret. I don't know about your master, Cloud Retainer, but Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver often come to Liyue behind her back to enjoy themselves and sample the food.

"Under someone's influence, their palates have become incredibly picky now. They insist on newly sprouted bamboo shoots, sea salt refined from the shallow waters of Guyun Stone Forest for their salt-and-pepper tofu, and a strictly controlled ratio of shrimp to fish in the egg mixture for Moon Pie."

At that moment, Shenhe was utterly stunned. The lofty, imposing images of her master and martial uncles in her mind seemed to have diminished considerably that day.