14 The Meat Lover

"You meat murderer! Are you blind? Do you not see that beautiful piece of grilled chicken laying so sadly on the floor?!" Xinyu yelled in all seriousness. She pointed angrily to the grilled chicken that had gone cold; it laid among the rubbish of wood and broken plates.

Jiafeng and Mudan were struck dumb with a sudden realization.

The reason why Xinyu had turned so aggressive was because the meat had fallen on the ground? Not because Jiafeng was looking down on her and her abilities?

A roar of laughter abruptly rang through the room.

Jiafeng and Mudan were holding onto their stomachs as they laughed with no restraint. In fact, they were laughing so hard, they had to lean onto each other for support. Jiafeng was even hitting his thighs mercilessly in an attempt to calm his amusement. The sight was unfit for disciples of the esteemed White Cloud Sect.

Xinyu's indignant face turned into a look of puzzlement.

Had these two immortals gone crazy? What was so funny about this situation? Her meat was ruined!

"Did you not hear me? I said apologize!" Xinyu demanded amid their laughter.

"Of course, of course," Jiafeng tried to sound serious, but his mask was quickly broken as a loud guffaw broke through the air.

Xinyu's brows furrowed. She gripped her jade flute tightly.

Mudan regained her composure first and hit Jiafeng's arm. "Apologize, you fool!"

"Yes, yes, anything for my sweetheart," he cleared his throat, but a chuckle still escaped his fine lips. "I apologize for my rudeness, little miss. I did not realize you were in the middle of enjoying your evening meal. I will order the finest dish for you as a humble apology. Will you accept it?"

"Finest dish?" Xinyu raised a brow questioningly, a frown still plastered on her lips. "Does that include meat?"

"That is to be expected. Nine Gates of Heaven Inn is known for their delicious roasted duck—it's seasoned with the rarest spices on Mount Reverence! I will order you the biggest one they have tonight. How about it?" Jiafeng grinned. He had a clue as to how to placate this temperamental lass now.

Xinyu slowly lifted her chin. "Not enough."

"Hmm," Jiafeng pondered for a quick second, "then I'll add some fried pork with garlic-chili oil, beef stew with veggies, and a steamed chicken. How does that sound?"

Xinyu stared at his pretty face as if contemplating the offer.

"Better." She nodded and crossed her arms satisfactorily, her jade flute still in hand.

Jiafeng laughed.

"Zhaoli, go tell the kitchen to prepare their plumpest roasted duck with some side dishes of fried pork with garlic oil, beef stew with veggies, and a steamed chicken for the little miss here. Have them cook it as soon as possible. This is a top priority."

"Yes, Young Master." A male youth from the hall answered and lowered himself into a small bow. He had an adolescent face unworn by adulthood, but his eyes were as clear as the blue Sky; it gave him a sense of maturity. In a few more years, he would be admired by girls across the Mortal Realm.

Xinyu studied this youth incredulously. His skill in invisibility was even more impressive than her own! Perhaps it was because she was too distracted or because he was wearing plain clothes that blended into the background, but she didn't even notice him at all! Was he there the whole time?

As if noticing Xinyu's probing eyes, Zhaoli's dark orbs met her gaze. The gesture almost made Xinyu's heart jump out of her chest.

Although it was just a glance, his eyes were clearly full of animosity! She could even sense a powerful force of Qing energy behind him; but unlike Jiafeng and Mudan, he was only a mortal! A mortal with such a dominating aura? It was unprecedented!

Xinyu gulped. She should be more careful from now on. She wasn't at Shuijing City anymore; she was at the revered White Cloud Sect! That meant that everyone here was keen at cultivating Qing energy. She mustn't offend anyone—be it mortals or immortals!

With a dismissive look, Zhaoli turned on his heels and followed his orders to the kitchen.

Mudan eyed the youth as he made his way out.

"Don't tell me, you..." Mudan's voice was soft before it turned to a bellow. "Jiafeng, you are a total cheat!" She pointed an accusing finger at the pretty boy.

"My, my. My sweetheart is so smart. You've already guessed who my candidate is?" Jiafeng chuckled and admired the face of his bride-to-be as it flushed with indignance.

"You chose Zhaoli as your candidate? That's not fair at all! He's been under your care for ten years now! He's basically family!" Mudan lashed out.

"Now, now, don't be angry, sweetheart," Jiafeng smiled sweetly with a face that could kill. "We didn't set any rules upon selecting a candidate, now did we?"

Mudan huffed angrily. "Even if we didn't, it should be obvious that it shouldn't be someone close to us! Especially a child-genius like Zhaoli!"

"Hey, now. Zhaoli is already fourteen years old. He is no longer a child. It wouldn't be odd that I chose him as my candidate. In addition to his rare Morphed-Ice Affinity, the fact that he is already at the apprentice-level immortal disciple is all the more reason I should invite him into our revered White Cloud Sect," Jiafeng defended proudly as if he was praising his true-blood brother.

"That still doesn't mean you could choose him for our bet! Do you know how far I searched to find a candidate? I had to fly on my sword for nearly three days straight!"

Jiafeng's smile widened mischievously. "Does my sweetheart want to be comforted? Why didn't you just say so? Come here." He opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.

"You wish!" Mudan hit his arms away. "The reason for this bet was so that you would stop pestering me about marriage this, marriage that! Now that the bet has been terminated, you should know your place!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself now, sweetheart," Jiafeng gave Mudan a knowing look. "We agreed upon selecting a candidate to join the sect, but the true test is whether or not they pass the qualification exam. If Zhaoli passes and the little miss here doesn't, then you'll have to marry me."

"What if they both pass then, hm?" Mudan crossed her arms.

"Then the bet will be terminated," Jiafeng replied coolly with a shrug.

"Hmph! Then I have no doubts that I can avoid this marriage."

Jiafeng chuckled, "But a marriage with me is inevitable, sweetheart." He leaned down to the girl who stood over a head shorter than him and planted a light kiss on the fair skin of her forehead. "After all, you've already fallen for me, have you not?"

Mudan's flower-like face flushed a deep red. "How dare you! You, you-" Her chest heaved unsteadily. She found no more words to say before stomping out of the room.

Jiafeng looked at her livid back with a smitten face.

In contrast to their lively conversation, Xinyu was eerily quiet. She had taken a seat at one of the beds during the exchange. She didn't pay any heed to their farce; instead, her attention was at the door—at least what should have been the door.

Xinyu stared intently into the open space.

When was her food going to arrive? Half an incense stick had already passed since that Zhaoli went away. Was he not going to bring her the food? Even if he did, would he poison the food? It was already obvious that that little boy did not like her, but did he dislike her enough to want to kill her? Would he even need to resort to poison to kill her?

Several thoughts crossed Xinyu's mind.

Although she has lived for seventy years, Xinyu was never familiar with the interrelationships of humans. It was one thing to observe people from afar, but to be a part of it? That was a whole different case! She was clueless in this department.

As she pondered seriously on this subject, the savory smell of meat reached her nose. Immediately, she got up from the bed and—as if in a trance—headed towards the delicious smell.

In the hall, two male servants were carrying a table. They were told that the table in Lady Mudan's room had been met with misfortune; and thus, they had prepared a new one. When they reached the entrance of the room, however, they collided with a small girl.

"Dogshit!" Xinyu cursed when she lost her balance. She twisted her body and grabbed whatever was closest to her to brace herself for the fall.

However, the fall never came. There was no pain, no nothing. Instead, Xinyu's landing was rather soft. She got up from whatever this soft thing was and found herself in an awkward position.

Her legs were straddled around the hips of this "soft thing." That "soft thing" was Zhaoli.