Chapter 1090: As Long as Nothing Is Wrong

"Is there really nothing to eat?" A subtle, barely perceptible shadow of disappointment flickered in Yun Mengmeng's eyes.

She had thought she could enjoy some delicious food here, but as luck would have it, they were completely out of ingredients.

"Not even a single bite?" Yun Mengmeng asked, refusing to give up hope.

The woman in the sky-blue dress recalled the remaining items in the kitchen and said earnestly, "There is still a plate of Laba garlic."

"...Forget it then. By the way, have you eaten yet?"

The woman in the sky-blue dress froze for a moment. "No, why do you ask?"

"Then let's eat together." Yun Mengmeng cheerfully lifted the paper bags in her hands, which were packed to the brim, and warmly invited the woman in the sky-blue dress.

Eating while walking was never as comfortable as sitting down to a meal.

She had originally planned to order a few dishes in the shop and supplement them with the spiritual food in her paper bags, but now it seemed she would have to slightly alter her plans.

Sensing no malice from Yun Mengmeng, the woman in the sky-blue dress felt there was no harm in sharing a meal, so she agreed, "Very well."

Yun Mengmeng tore open the paper bags while the woman in the sky-blue dress went to the kitchen to fetch bowls and chopsticks, soon covering the small table with an abundant spread from the bags.

"Come, try this meat shaobing. Both the Second Chief and I think it's delicious." Having company for the meal chased away her earlier disappointment, putting Yun Mengmeng in high spirits.

The woman in the sky-blue dress delicately took a small bite, carefully pouring the savory broth into a spoon before nibbling on the meat shaobing with graceful elegance.

"It is indeed excellent."

Seeing this, Yun Mengmeng felt her own table manners were a bit unrefined, so she began to mimic her companion's graceful demeanor.

Through their conversation, she learned that the woman in the sky-blue dress was named Xiao He and was the head chef of this establishment. The shop was run solely by her and the owner. Due to a shortage of hands, the owner had to personally go out to buy groceries, leaving Xiao He to mind the shop. It sounded like they lived a precarious, hand-to-mouth existence; otherwise, the shop wouldn't have been opened in such a remote place.

Xiao He also learned that her guest was named Mengmeng. Judging by how often she mentioned the Grand Chief and the Second Chief, along with her frequent stays on a mountain, she was likely a bandit from some peak. Xiao He felt the girl was a bit simple-minded and had probably been tricked into joining them on the mountain. Moreover, from the sound of it, this Second Chief frequently deceived the Grand Chief and was clearly not a good person.

Clink.

The two clinked their teacups together and continued their conversation.

"Has your shop always been this unlucky? A demonic sect came by before, and a battle broke out that nearly leveled the place. Fortunately, your owner had some skill and managed to save the shop. After that happened, you felt the old location was too dangerous, so you relocated to the Demon City?"

Yun Mengmeng chatted while eating herbal tortoise jelly drizzled with honey, thoroughly amazed by Xiao He's past experiences.

"It sounds like you haven't had it easy either. Running away from home to join your good sister, only for her to immediately find you a Grand Chief and a Second Chief, and then pretty much leaving you to your own devices ever since, leaving you to mingle with the two chiefs."

Xiao He was eating a freshly baked mung bean pastry. It was warm, fully releasing the fragrant aroma of mung beans that lingered on her palate, its only flaw being that it was a bit too dry.

"Actually, it's quite fine. The Grand Chief and the Second Chief are both very good people. Originally, the Second Chief wasn't very willing to come to the Demon City, but he only accompanied me because I insisted on coming."

The more Xiao He listened, the more she felt Yun Mengmeng had been thoroughly deceived.

Seeing that the food was finished, Xiao He rose to see her off. "By the way, Mengmeng, how long will you be staying in the Demon City?"

"Probably until the Spiritual Chef Tournament ends."

"Will you come back here again?" On ordinary days, Xiao He rarely had the chance to chat with anyone. Talking with Mengmeng today felt strangely harmonious, and she wished to chat with her more, especially since there were still many days left before the tournament concluded.

"I suppose I will." Yun Mengmeng felt that after the Second Chief was dragged away by someone, he would likely be quite busy later on and wouldn't be able to accompany her shopping like these past two days. It would be best not to trouble him, and coming here to sit for a while sounded nice.

"Then if you want to come, how about dusk? Do you have time then? The owner always goes out to buy groceries around dusk. She... is quite reluctant to let me interact with people."

"Sure thing." Yun Mengmeng agreed readily. A chef chatting with customers during working hours was something probably no owner would approve of.

A short while after Yun Mengmeng left, a woman in a grey dress carrying a vegetable basket returned. Seeing Xiao He wiping the table, she found it somewhat strange.

"Did something good happen? Why do you seem a bit happier than before I left?"

"You are imagining things."

The woman in the grey dress instantly grew alert. Had Lu Yang been here?

No, she had been able to sense Lu Yang's position the entire time, and he had not walked toward their little shop.

The woman in the grey dress shook her head; she was overthinking.

Ever since learning that Lu Yang was connected to the Immortal Fairy, she had a premonition—a feeling that the person she was looking for was tied to Lu Yang. If she found Lu Yang, she would find the Immortal Fairy.

Yet, upon sensing that Lu Yang had arrived in the Demon City, the woman in the grey dress fell into a state of conflict instead. But she did not know what she was conflicted about. Was she afraid of meeting the Immortal Fairy, or was there some other reason? She did not know, having never experienced such a feeling before.

"Let me help you." The woman in the grey dress snatched the rag from Xiao He's hand and began wiping down the tables and stools.

...

"Second Chief, are you in?" Yun Mengmeng knocked on Lu Yang's door.

"I am, come on in."

Lu Yang had assumed Yun Mengmeng would return earlier than him, but to his surprise, he had arrived first.

Yun Mengmeng carried several paper bags and placed them on Lu Yang's table, having bought them on her way back.

"I came across a few quite delicious spiritual foods that I doubt either the Grand Chief or the Second Chief have tried. Want a taste?"

"Alright, alright."

Lu Yang said it twice, once on behalf of the Immortal Fairy.

Spiritual chefs of later generations had introduced many innovations, and there were many spiritual foods the Immortal Fairy had never seen before.

It often went like this: Lu Yang would take a bite, the Immortal Fairy would possess him to take a bite, and then she would return his body, chattering away endlessly in his mental space about where the spiritual food fell short, while Lu Yang listened to her critique to pass the meal.

"Second Chief, what did that person drag you off for just now?"

"It turns out the Clan Leader of the Taotie Clan wants to compete for the position of Chief of the Spiritual Chef Alliance, so he trained a large group of people to participate in the Spiritual Chef Tournament to win ingredients, all so he can prepare his ideal dish."

"Because of my habit of eating soil, they thought I possessed the ability to Devour Heaven and Earth. Well, fine, what I actually know is indeed Devouring Heaven and Earth. Anyway, there was a bit of a misunderstanding, and they took me for one of their own, wanting me to join the tournament as well."

"I figured it was a rare and novel experience, so I just went with the flow and blended in."

Yun Mengmeng felt that the Second Chief truly possessed immense fortune, crossing paths with a Tribulation Transcendence Stage power struggle so quickly.

"What about you, Sister Mengmeng? Did you encounter some unexpected trouble to return so late?"

"Not at all, really. I just happened to run into a spiritual chef who was easy to talk to, so we chatted a bit longer," Yun Mengmeng said bashfully.

"As long as you're safe. If anything happens, just tell me. We have connections here in the Demon City."