"Is it serious?" Black Widow asked worriedly as she watched Ling Yi "work hard" on repairing the car. "Not particularly, but it'll take some time."
As Ling Yi inspected the car, he marveled inwardly.
S.H.I.E.L.D. really did leave no gaps for water to seep through. There genuinely was something wrong with the car, but the problem fell precisely within the range of something an ordinary person could fix, yet would take quite a bit of time.
Impressive, my dear agency.
By now, it was completely dark, and ten o'clock was fast approaching. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s objective was obvious.
Black Widow was going to stay the night.
Should he let her? Of course.
This was Black Widow. That figure, that presence, that face... even just keeping her around as a feast for the eyes would be nice.
As for any subsequent problems, Ling Yi wasn't worried at all. After all, even if he sent Black Widow away, there would still be a Red Widow, a Sister May... those were manageable. What he feared was getting some severely balding, middle-aged man instead.
"I don't know where you're headed," Ling Yi volunteered. "If it's far away, I suggest giving up on that."
Ling Yi stood up, closed the hood, and shrugged. "There isn't much wrong with the car, but fixing it will probably take a few hours. Besides, repairing a car at night is really inconvenient."
"It looks like what I need more right now is a cup of coffee."
"Of course. Perhaps we could have a late-night meal together."
With perfect unspoken understanding, the two walked shoulder to shoulder toward the villa.
Once they returned to the living room, Black Widow took the initiative to offer Ling Yi her hand. "My name is Natalie Rushman. Thank you very much for your help."
"Ling Yi. I'm from the ancient nation of the East!" Ling Yi shook Black Widow's hand, releasing it immediately after contact to give her the favorable impression that he was an upright gentleman who would never take advantage.
"This is a pretty bad situation for a woman. Rest for a bit. I'll make some noodles, then get a room ready for you. I'll fix your car first thing tomorrow morning."
Black Widow nodded gratefully. "Sorry for the trouble."
After Ling Yi entered the kitchen, Black Widow went over to the window and said quietly, "The target is safe. You can withdraw."
The six agents hidden outside the villa quickly withdrew upon hearing Black Widow's instructions.
Judging by Black Widow's "experience," Ling Yi was merely an "ordinary person" with mysterious origins.
She hadn't seen any signs of "cultivation" in Ling Yi. She reckoned that after tonight, she might never cross paths with this handsome young man again.
Perhaps he was an illegal immigrant, probably running some shady business, but none of that fell under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jurisdiction.
Or perhaps Ling Yi's disguise was simply too good. At least for now, he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary person.
Soon, a fragrance wafted over from the kitchen.
It was an utterly pure food aroma, yet its fragrance had reached the absolute pinnacle.
"Try it. I'm sure you've never eaten anything this delicious." Ling Yi placed a bowl of noodles in front of Black Widow and spoke confidently... he was starting to build a persona for himself.
He had appeared out of nowhere, and S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't uncover any information about him. He could fool Black Widow, but he couldn't fool that Black Braised Egg.
So Ling Yi needed to give himself an identity with somewhat mysterious origins.
For instance, a wondrous chef who could make supremely delicious food imbued with a little special power.
The aroma of the noodles before her made Black Widow's mouth water.
Besides, she wasn't worried about her own safety. Although the agents outside had withdrawn, her every move was still being monitored. The miniature camera at her collar and the miniature Bluetooth earpiece in her ear were both safeguards.
If anything went wrong with her vital signs, agents were guaranteed to surround this place within minutes.
This bowl of noodles was an ordinary bowl of noodles. Ling Yi had merely used Faith Manifestation to infinitely amplify its deliciousness. Furthermore, after eating it, Black Widow would receive a certain increase in strength and constitution over the next twenty-four hours, and that increase would be permanent.
Once Black Widow discovered this, it would inevitably draw S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention. Ling Yi was looking forward to seeing what Black Braised Egg would do, and what Hydra would do as well.
"This is my first time cooking for someone since I left home. You're lucky. Not just anyone gets to eat my food," Ling Yi said pointedly.
"Then I'm fortunate. I've never eaten noodles this delicious. Are you a professional chef?" Black Widow asked, still wanting more after drinking the last mouthful of broth.
"You could put it that way. Calling me a chef isn't wrong, but I'm different from ordinary chefs."
"Yes, your skill goes far beyond that of ordinary chefs. This flavor isn't just a treat for the taste buds; it even lifts the spirits. You didn't add anything strange to it, did you?"
"What do you think you could add to make food this delicious?" Ling Yi asked somewhat angrily. "I'm different from those cooks."
"Sorry, I'm just too curious. It's hard to imagine that a seemingly ordinary bowl of noodles could taste so delicious." Black Widow was telling the truth. She believed these were the best noodles she had ever eaten in her life, bar none.
"You're not wrong, either. I did add something."
Black Widow immediately grew a little worried, her body tensing at the same time. At the first sign of physical discomfort, she would retaliate as quickly as possible.
"Don't be nervous. These things will only benefit you, with no harm whatsoever. I'm sure you'll feel it soon."
"This bowl of noodles has other effects?" Black Widow asked in puzzlement.
"Of course. You've heard of the Qi refiners of the ancient nation of the East, haven't you?"
"Yes, I know about them. I've even met some Qi refiners from your ancient eastern nation." Black Widow couldn't help thinking of the Kunlun Lineage of that ancient eastern nation. The Qi they cultivated really was miraculous.
At S.H.I.E.L.D., Melinda May was also a Qi cultivator, and she was extremely powerful.
Could Ling Yi be a Qi refiner? If he was, her usual method of assessing strength might not work.
"It seems you're very lucky. There aren't many people who know Qi refiners exist and have actually met them."
"Qi refiners are divided into many sects..." Ling Yi officially entered his nonsense-spouting mode.
"Thousands of years ago, Qi Refining sects were too numerous to count. The Qi Refiners of every sect had their own cultivation methods that they kept at the bottom of their trunks."
"Among those many sects was a very unusual one. They called themselves Food Cultivators. It was a Qi Refining sect made up entirely of cooks. They tried every possible way to use Qi to enhance the flavor of food or give it special properties."
"But in the eyes of other Qi Refiners, the Food Cultivators were heretics. Later, they offended a powerful Qi Refining expert, and at that person's instigation, the Food Cultivators became targets everyone cried out to strike down."
"Gradually, the Food Cultivators slowly disappeared, until people forgot them completely."
"But the Food Cultivators hadn't died out. They had merely hidden themselves among towering mountains and precipitous ridges far from humanity. About three years ago, the last Food Cultivator, my master, died at his stove."
Black Widow couldn't help saying, "What a shame. They were born in the wrong era. If they appeared in modern times, they would definitely be very popular."
Ling Yi nodded very earnestly. "Yes. I may be the only Food Cultivator left in this world."
Black Widow pondered inwardly. No wonder they couldn't find any information about Ling Yi. He had grown up deep in the remote mountains and forests.
"When I first left the mountains, I was extremely cautious. I worried that the Food Cultivators' enemies would come knocking. The ancient nation of the East is the stronghold of Qi refiners, so I could only leave my homeland and make my way here, cautiously every step of the way."
At this point, Ling Yi shook his head with a wry smile. "But I only learned a while ago that the Food Cultivators' enemies had long since died out. They hadn't even left behind their sects' legacies, and there aren't many Qi refiners left in this world, either.
"Coming to a foreign land while hiding here and there really was being a little too cautious."
Inwardly, Ling Yi gave himself ten thousand likes. Saying this not only gave him a reason for his sudden appearance, but would also lead S.H.I.E.L.D.'s view of him completely astray.
"Sorry. I lived with my master from childhood. Although he taught me a lot, I rarely got to speak to outsiders. I've talked a little too much today. Just take it as a story."
Although Black Widow didn't fully believe Ling Yi, she was already instinctively leaning toward believing the story was true.
Black Widow wasn't the only one listening to the story. A certain Black Braised Egg at S.H.I.E.L.D. was listening too.
Unlike Black Widow, Black Braised Egg instinctively disbelieved Ling Yi's nonsense. The story was simply too formulaic. No matter how he looked at it, it felt like the plot of some television drama.
Food Cultivators? If Food Cultivators really existed in this world, he didn't believe he would be unable to find information about them.
Of course, Black Braised Egg didn't reject it outright, either. What concerned him more now was whether Ling Yi's claim about giving food special properties was true.
Meanwhile, Ling Yi seemed to have lost interest in chatting further. After arranging a room on the second floor for Black Widow, he returned to the first floor to sleep.
As for having managed to cobble together an entire script today, Ling Yi felt he deserved a like.
"Nick, what should I do next?" After checking the room and finding no surveillance equipment, Natasha immediately contacted Nick.
"Stay by his side and keep observing."
"But I don't think that's necessary. He's just an extremely skilled cook. If he opens a restaurant, I'll definitely come support his business."
"If what he said is true, then we need to know exactly what properties the food made by Food Cultivators possesses."