Travel · Imperial Capital Arc (19): Xiao's Kidney Crisis (Part Two)

Xiao Ling slept like a log during his second nap, and it was already evening when his consciousness returned to his body.

Yes, he was awake, but he didn't want to be awake at all. His body felt as heavy as lead, and he had no desire to get out of bed to eat.

But just then, a familiar, languid girl's voice, filled with concern, came to wake him.

"Ling? Ling? You lazybones? Time to get up?"

Xiao Ling hummed twice, seemingly without understanding what was happening, before reluctantly opening her eyes. She froze for half a second upon seeing the scene before her.

You mean, this Miss Honey Peach, who's barely even touched the stove, is actually wearing an apron and carrying a decent-looking dish to wake him up?

"Finally you've decided to wake up, you lazybones?" Dania puffed out her cheeks and pinched Xiao Ling's cheek, then scooped a spoonful of white fungus soup and brought it to his lips. "Here, try this."

"Did you do this?" Xiao Ling asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yes."

"I'm sure I won't get poisoned if I eat it?"

Dania rolled her eyes at him speechlessly before saying, "I've tried it myself, Yangyang has tasted it too. Anyway, it's fine. If you still don't want to eat it, then I'll take it away."

"... I didn't say I didn't want it."

Xiao Ling sat up, reached out and took the bowl of white fungus soup, then spooned it into her mouth.

"You added osmanthus sugar to it?" After taking a few bites, Xiao Ling looked at the osmanthus sugar floating in the bowl and asked suspiciously, "How come I didn't know you had this?"

"It's Xiao Xue. She heard I was making white fungus soup and brought it especially for me, saying it tastes better this way."

Xiao Ling: Jiangnan is still chasing after me, damn it!

However, it must be said that although the white fungus soup was a bit sweet, he felt more and more energetic as he drank it, and the leaden heaviness in his body immediately subsided by more than half.

(This white fungus soup is so energizing!)

"Aside from being a little too sweet, it's perfect. Pretty good, Yaya, such a great achievement for your first time cooking!" Xiao Ling smiled and ruffled Dania's hair.

Seeing Xiao Ling regain her former vitality, Dania finally breathed a sigh of relief.

You look much better than before.

"Yeah, I feel much better. I felt really unwell when I first woke up, but after drinking this bowl of white fungus soup, I feel full of energy." Xiao Ling pretended to throw a few punches. "Could it be that the white fungus soup made by this beautiful girl has special effects?"

"Hmm... I added some of Sister Cantarella's special potion, which is said to nourish the blood and qi, but it has some side effects," Dania replied.

"Uh..." Xiao Ling was speechless.

As you know, it's said that every medicine has some degree of toxicity, so the special medicine of the Fell Clan must contain at least five parts toxicity!

Did you throw all the medicine into that pot of white fungus soup?

"Of course not, I only made sure to cook this bowl for you."

"Phew... that's good."

After placing the empty bowl and spoon on the bedside table, Xiao Ling sprang out of bed with a somersault.

Then, after clearing away the dishes, he looked at Dania beside him, who was smiling, and gave her a hearty smile.

"Okay, I'm fine now. Let's go downstairs and let everyone know I'm safe."

"Xiao Yu, you're finally awake!" Yangyang's eyes shone with undisguised joy as she saw Xiao Ling, who had fully recovered. "You look much better."

"Yeah, I feel great right now!" Xiao Ling smiled, even making a muscle-flexing gesture. "Thanks to Yaya for bringing me the white fungus soup."

"Xiao Ya was very serious when she made the white fungus soup," Yangyang said with a smile. "She made it three times. The first two times it was either bitter or tasteless, and she didn't like the taste, so she started making it all over again."

"You taught her?" Xiao Ling asked with a smirk.

"I only gave her a few pointers; she figured out most of the steps on her own," Yangyang chuckled. "While she was doing it, she complained to me that you hadn't taught her this much detail when you taught her how to handle crabs, which resulted in her getting her hands all cut."

"Practice makes perfect," Xiao Ling replied in a light tone.

"That makes a lot of sense." Yangyang nodded in agreement. "By the way, the food is ready, and everyone is waiting for you to sit down."

"That makes sense. Shall we go then?" Xiao Ling smiled. "It's time to let everyone know we're safe."

At the dinner table.

Upon learning that Xiao Ling's condition had improved, the group of girls were naturally overjoyed.

"That's more like the partner I know!" Lupa jumped onto Xiao Ling's shoulder like a puppy. "You looked like a sickly person the other day, I was so worried about you!"

"To be honest, if you were still looking so sickly today, Young Master Xiao, I would have had to ask Baizhi Zhi to come all this way." Jinhsi smiled with relief. "Fortunately, Yangyang and Xiao Ya's dietary therapy worked."

"Actually, I feel it's more like the effects of Cantarella's special drug kicking in..." Xiao Ling thought to himself.

"It's good that A-Yu is alright!" Aemeath's face lit up with joy. "However, your condition has only just improved, and you still need to replenish your nutrition!"

She picked up the spoon on the table, scooped a large bowlful of soup from the pot of nourishing soup that Yangyang had personally prepared, then picked up a chicken leg and handed it to Xiao Ling.

"Here, this bowl of soup is for you!" Aemeath said solemnly. "This is a nourishing soup that Yangyang specially made for you, so don't be picky! I'll make sure you eat it all!"

Yangyang's cheeks flushed from Aemeath's sudden assist, and she could only hide half of her face behind the porcelain bowl filled with hot soup.

"So this soup was made by Yangyang! No wonder it smells so appetizing." Xiao Ling was very supportive, picking up the soup and taking a big gulp. "Mmm~ It's just the right amount of salt, the taste is absolutely wonderful, no wonder it's Chef Yang's cooking."

"Yes, Xiao Yu, I'm glad you like it." Yangyang nodded shyly.

Aemeath's initiative to feed him naturally attracted the attention of the others, so they began to compete to feed Xiao Ling, hoping that he could get enough nutrition and recover quickly.

"Partner, come on, eat more meat." Lupa kept piling meat and vegetables onto Xiao Ling's plate. "After each gladiatorial match, I treat myself to a barbecue to replenish my energy for the next day's match. I don't know if it's suitable for you, but eating meat is never a bad thing."

"Of course, even Righteous One can't just eat meat. Try this stir-fried vegetable dish. A balanced diet of meat and vegetables is good for your health." Cartethyia put two pieces of vegetables on Xiao Ling's plate.

"Here, Brother Ling, try this. It's mulberry water I made." Suisui smiled. "I just heard from Miss Roccia that you've been having nightmares lately and are quite restless. This mulberry water has a calming and soothing effect, so it should be very beneficial for you."

The girls' enthusiasm for feeding her was so strong that Xiao Ling's bowl was soon piled high with food.

"You guys..." Xiao Ling said helplessly, but a happy smile was on her face.

"Don't just stand there, Ling, eat up!" Dania reminded her. "Everyone's hoping you get better."

"Okay, then I'll start eating!"

With everyone's blessings, Xiao Ling smiled as she put a mouthful of food into her mouth, adding a touch of gentleness to the dinner.

Cantarella watched Xiao Ling chatting and laughing with the other women at the dinner table, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"It seems to be working well. As for the side effects... we'll need to observe for a while longer before we can get results."

Hmm... it seems it won't end so easily after all.