In the dining room, Gao Shang, Wang Tianyuan, Hong Hua, Sun Meng, and Han Xing, the little girl he had rescued earlier, sat around the dining table.
Besides the Polar Ice Phosphorus Shrimp reserved for Gao Shang, the table held three additional dishes and a soup, all in generous portions.
Yet none of them ate very quickly. Even Wang Tianyuan, usually the most carefree of them, only picked up small bites instead of burying his head and wolfing everything down as usual.
The reason was Han Xing and Hong Hua, who had only returned to the residence that morning.
There had been no lucky twist in the story. When Hong Hua followed Gao Shang's instructions and took Han Xing home, all they found were her parents' bodies.
They had not returned until today because, after burying her parents, Han Xing had kept vigil at home for another three days.
A child of only eight, suddenly struck by such a calamity, Han Xing had cried until she nearly fainted.
Without Hong Hua watching over her, she might already have collapsed in the wilderness and been carried off by wild beasts.
Seeing that Han Xing still refused to touch her chopsticks, Gao Shang knew she had yet to recover from the blow of losing her parents.
He understood that pain, but letting things continue like this was no solution.
Whatever else, he had rescued Han Xing. He could not simply leave her to her own devices.
After a moment's thought, Gao Shang spoke first.
"Han Xing."
"Young master, what are your orders?"
Hearing his voice, Han Xing instinctively stood up, her head slightly lowered. Her long hair hid her wooden expression, but it could not hide the tremor in her voice.
"Ah, I understand how you feel. My parents met with an accident when I was three, after all."
Gao Shang paused, softening his tone.
"But life has to go on. Eat first."
"Yes, young master."
His gentle persuasion did little good.
Only when Han Xing heard that Gao Shang had also lost his parents did her eyes stir slightly, before quickly falling still again.
Watching her, Gao Shang could not help feeling a headache coming on.
It seemed that without something stronger, this little girl would not pull herself out of it anytime soon.
At that thought, he set down his chopsticks, his expression turning more serious.
"Han Xing, actually, death doesn't mean someone can't be brought back to life."
Bang!
The moment Gao Shang finished speaking, Han Xing sprang to her feet, knocking over her bowl and chopsticks. Ignoring the mess, she looked at Gao Shang with reddened eyes.
"Young master, is that true?"
"Please, tell me what I have to do to bring my parents back!"
At that moment, Han Xing had long since forgotten all etiquette. She only wanted to hear the answer she yearned for most.
Gao Shang nodded and pressed both hands downward.
"Don't get worked up yet. Sit down and hear me out."
"Of course it's true. Not only are there ways to bring people back to life on this continent, there's more than one. The most common is becoming a god. Many gods can resurrect mortals."
"Become a god?"
"Can people really become gods?"
Han Xing's excitement subsided a little, but a hint of dejection crept into her voice.
To her, becoming a god belonged only in storybooks. She had never heard of anyone on the continent actually achieving it.
"Of course. And there's more hope than you imagine. As long as you pass a God Examination, you can inherit the corresponding godhood."
Gao Shang shifted the conversation with a smile.
"But before that, you'll at least have to eat your fill. Otherwise, you'll have to pin your hopes on some god who reached godhood by starving."
Han Xing had been listening intently, but at his last sentence, she looked up in bewilderment.
Her eyes met Gao Shang's.
"S-sorry, young master. I understand."
Only then did she realize she had lost her composure. Embarrassed, she sat back down, lowered her head, and began to eat.
The pain of losing her parents had not disappeared, but after hearing Gao Shang's words, she finally had a goal to work toward.
Even if becoming a god was still a distant prospect, at least it was not completely hopeless.
Seeing that this troubled girl who had just joined them was doing considerably better, Gao Shang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He admitted he had lied. With Han Xing's aptitude, becoming a god was almost impossible. Even giving him an immortal herb would do little good.
Still, although Han Xing could not become a god, Gao Shang believed he could. At worst, he could help resurrect them himself when the time came.
As for whether her parents' souls would still be around by then and other such issues, as long as he was strong enough, there would always be a solution.
At last, the atmosphere around the table grew a little livelier.
Wang Tianyuan finally began burying his head and wolfing down his food, while Sun Meng and Hong Hua chatted as they ate, occasionally drawing Han Xing into the conversation.
Only when the meal was nearly over did Gao Shang set down his chopsticks, stand up, and get down to business.
"Hong Hua, after you finish eating, go to the Fortune and Prosperity Pavilion and find the head chef. Ask him to come cook dinner tonight."
Hong Hua looked up at his words, but before she could speak, Wang Tianyuan cut in beside her.
"Boss, you think Hong Hua's cooking tastes awful too? I..."
"Ow!"
Gao Shang gave Wang Tianyuan, who was asking for trouble for no reason, a speechless look. He really wondered how this guy had managed to win Hong Hua over.
Still, he explained to Hong Hua.
"Don't worry, it's not because of you. I want to open a restaurant. Tonight is mainly to test his skills. If he's suitable, we'll poach him."
"A restaurant? Boss, you want to sell the dishes we usually eat?"
Hong Hua glanced at the table, which had already been swept clean, and her eyes lit up.
She might not have much of a head for business, but she could still tell whether food tasted good.
If her ordinary cooking skills could produce such delicious meals with the ingredients Gao Shang provided, she could hardly imagine how good these dishes would taste with an even better chef.
When the time came, never mind Nuoding City-even people from other cities would probably come drawn by its reputation.
An exclusive business like this was guaranteed to turn a profit.
"Yes. And not just these. There'll also be ingredients like bear paws and moose noses. Those are what will really test his skills. Remember to remind the head chef to bring all his tools."
"Morons? Boss, you're going to eat people?"
The moment Gao Shang finished, Sun Meng blurted out her question.
"Eat people, my ass! I said moose noses! It's pronounced 'àn'!"
Gao Shang was so exasperated that he nearly rolled his Sharingan into a Byakugan. He raised a hand and rewarded her with a sharp knock on the head.
Still, he knew Sun Meng was just an ordinary person. It was normal that she had never heard of this dish; even the head chef of the Fortune and Prosperity Pavilion might not know it.
So he continued explaining:
"It's the nose of a kind of big-nosed deer. It's considered one of the finest ingredients."
"As for how it tastes, you'll find out when you try it tonight."
Gao Shang did not go into much detail. After all, he had never eaten it either and truly could not describe it.
"Oh."
Sun Meng rubbed her head, looking so aggrieved that both Hong Hua and Wang Tianyuan laughed.
Even Han Xing's expression relaxed a little.
Seeing this, Gao Shang secretly gave Sun Meng a look that said, "Well done."
Sun Meng lifted her chin slightly, a smile at the corners of her mouth as well.
Meanwhile, Hong Hua gave the two of them a few smiling glances, then wasted no more time. She said goodbye to everyone and headed out.
Wang Tianyuan, however, looked from side to side in confusion.
For some reason, he kept feeling a little out of place, as though he had missed something.