The Last Meal

Adil entered the cafeteria. There were numerous different stations where you could line up to get different types of food.

The sect understood the importance of nutrition, especially for young cultivators who still required more physical food. Their need for food would decrease as they went up the realms and more or less live off heaven and earth energy.

There were a huge number of seating areas and the stations were set up like food stalls during a festival. Each station was manned by a group of chefs and workers.

Adil walked towards the rundown station towards the end of the street that made up the 'cafeteria'. The queues varied depending on the popularity of the station.

The more popular stations received more pay from the sect and they would then use this money to increase the size of their station and the quality of their food. It was as if there was a microeconomy that existed solely on this one long road.

The Outer Disciples all talked and laughed amongst themselves. Joking and bantering with each other, discussing the different movements of the Divine sword style they were practising, and otherwise just getting on with their lives.

The Outer Disciples tended to be young as they were the lowest of all the disciples present in the Sapling Sword Sect. The older disciples would be sufficiently strong and skilled enough to participate in the Inner Disciple examinations.

Generally, elders were more respected in any type of social setting. However, if any disciples of the Sapling Sword Sect were too old relative to his peers, then he would be looked down upon.

It was seen as a sign of inadequacy and lack of talent since being older than your fellow Outer Disciples means that you had taken that much longer to pass the Inner Disciple exams.

Adil walked along this road and some would notice him and point their fingers at him. Giggling and laughing amongst themselves, ridiculing him.

But he ignored them. This happened every time.

When he reached the station with the shortest queue he stood and waited. After a short while he reached the front.

"Hello Auntie Gemma" Adil greeted the plump woman running the stall. She had started to age and the wrinkles on her forehead were proof of this. The fingers that served her food were covered in cuts and burns as a testament to the time and effort she had spent in the kitchen.

"Oh, Adil! It's you." She smiled when she realised who it was. She was a kind chef who ran the stall by herself.

Adil had originally always gone to this station not because he liked the food but because the line was always the shortest. He looked at her soft smile and slightly sweaty face.

'It must be tiring to prepare, cook, and serve all that food by herself.'

But she had no choice after all. Her line was always the shortest simply because her food was the worst. This meant that the sect didn't give her enough money to hire helpers.

The Outer Disciples that visited her station usually only did so because her food was the cheapest.

Adil wasn't sure if Auntie Gemma had realized it yet, but sometimes the disciples came to eat her food as a form of punishment when they played games and made bets among themselves.

He hated them for insulting her efforts like that but him saying anything would only make it worse.

He could only smile brighter when he greeted her and try to make her day better as she did his.

She was an honest and sincere woman who pitied Adil and his circumstances. But she never made this apparent and never spoke of it. Adil greatly appreciated this aspect of hers.

She was always trying her best to improve her cooking and increase her popularity.

Adil had suffered through a lifetime's worth of weird experimental dishes that this auntie had prepared for him.

Her sparkling eyes that seemed so sure that this dish would be different from the last, Adil found it difficult to reject her.

"Here you go Adil, I cooked this especially for you today!"

"Oh…"

'Another weird dish huh' Adil thought to himself.

"And here's your usual dish as well."

"Thank you very much, Auntie. I really appreciate it."

"Oh you, stop it. It's nothing for a great chef like me. As long as you like it." She smiled.

She had always been preparing the same meal for Adil ever since he was younger. It wasn't on the menu; it was a simple meal she made just for him.

After Adil had started frequenting her station, they had built up a friendship of sorts. The kind auntie had learnt of his condition from the gossip of other Outer Disciples and prepared a special meal for him.

They were noodles. More specifically, they were longevity noodles. They were traditional noodles that were usually served during the New Year.

The long length of the noodles was supposed to represent long life, and they were eaten in the wishes of exactly that.

She had never said anything but had said simply handed them over to Adil for his meal one day.

Adil, who felt isolated and bullied within the sect was moved to tears at her silent gesture. They had never spoken of this topic, but she had made him the noodles ever since.

Adil looked at the bowl of noodles in his hand.

"Thank you, Auntie Gemma. Truly, I hope you know that I have always greatly appreciated you, both your kindness and food."

"Haha, you flatterer. Nothing good will come of buttering up this old lady. Is it an extra portion you want? You don't need to go about this roundabout way of doing things, Adil." She laughed, happy at his sincere thoughts.

"Here you go," she handed over the grilled fish that Adil usually bought for Cinder.

"Thank you, I'll take this but I won't be needing the fish any longer."

Adil bought the fish even though he didn't need it anymore.

"What's wrong? Has something happened to the cat you're always feeding?" She asked. Adil felt his heart warming up at her concerned tone.

Just the fact that she cared was enough to move him and make him happy.

"Something like that. If she ever visits you, do you mind giving her some fish? Here's some extra payment in advance." Adil said while handing over a small bag of coins.

"Th-this much!?" Gemma was completely shocked at the huge sum of money inside the bag.

Of course, the small bag contained enough money inside to feed Cinder for all her 9 lives and more. It was filled Adil's meagre life savings after all.

He wanted to do something for this kind-hearted woman, and this was all he could think of.

"She's a big eater you see Auntie, that might not be enough to feed her," He joked,

"So, I hope you don't mind it and just accept it."

"Well…" She felt the weight of the bag in her hands, "if you say so…" She felt that something was off with Adil today.

"Adil dear, is something up? This old lady can't do much for you cultivators, but I can always cook you something nice and listen to your thoughts…"

"Thank you, Auntie. But it's fine."

"Really?"

"Haha, yes it's fine Auntie. I'm more than grateful for your kind words."

"If you say so… Well I guess I can finally pay for the repairs back at home. Damn thing has been leaking forever." She mumbled under her breath. Adil smiled at her comment.

"Well, I'll be off then"

"Yes, yes. I'll see you tomorrow dear." She waved him off and quickly went on to serve the angry Outer Disciple who had been patiently waiting in line behind Adil.

Adil looked around at the disciples around him.

Some were eating sat on the floor of the grassy area making a circle with their friends. Some sat at the benches and seats provided. A few loners were seen carrying their food back to their rooms.

'Maybe I'll sit somewhere here today. I can't remember ever eating in this area.'

It felt odd that he had never used any of the facilities in the cafeteria area that doubled as almost a lounging area for the Outer Disciples despite having lived here almost all his life.

He looked around and saw that most of the benches and tables were occupied. He noticed a relatively free area towards the end of the grassy seating area that acted like a picnic ground.

He slowly made his way there. He tried not to attract the attention of those around him needlessly, but his tall 190cm stature and red eyes stood out like a sore thumb.

"Hey, isn't that…"

"Yea it is. I wonder what's up."

"Does he usually eat here?"

"Never seen him before, who is he?"

"Don't you know? He's famous. You know Janus Ashford right."

"Of course I do! I saw him once when I was younger when he was participating in a tournament. I've been admiring him since. Don't tell me…"

"Yup. He's Janus' son. The blight. Urgh"

"The audacity to come here and eat as if he hasn't ruined the greatest rising star of the Divine Sword Sect."

Their conversation continued but Adil ignored them.

He felt horrible about the situation with his father but that was why he felt that his decision was the correct one.

Adil eventually reached the free seat on the grass and promptly sat down.

Since he was seated at the very edge of the picnic area, he could watch over everyone else in the cafeteria area.

He began eating the noodles in silence, appreciating their taste.

'The broth is too salty, and the noodles are undercooked.'

Frankly, the noodles he received from Auntie Gemma were never particularly tasty.

But when he put the noodles in his mouth and chewed, he could feel the uneven thickness of the noodles. He loved this texture.

The broth tasted as if it were an imitation of the real thing, a fake. But that was exactly what it was.

The first time she had made the noodles for Adil, it was frankly horrible.

She had clearly never made this before and had simply tried making it in the image of what she thought it should taste like.

She did this for Adil. She wanted to do something, anything for the young boy.

But food was the only thing she knew, so cooking was all she could do for him.

She knew her food wasn't tasty by any means. Her popularity was the poorest amongst all the other stations after all.

But what else could she do?

For the poor boy suffering by himself in the sect, this was all she could think of.

Adil chewed on the noodles, the uneven thickness of the noodles made him imagine the scene of Auntie Gemma rolling and cutting out her own noodles for him.

Even to this day, she hadn't mastered how to make this dish. He knew this since the taste always changed.

He knew that the flavourings and spices of the dish always changed since she was experimenting, trying to make the noodles as tasty as possible.

The fact that she was always trying to make her best version of this dish for Adil was what made him love this dish. In fact, his love for this dish had made him love all types of noodle type recipes, not just this.

The meal itself was a clumsy display of her feelings and it made Adil tear up slightly knowing that this would be the last time he ate it.

Although he had never told her, he came to see her as a mother figure. Adil had never met his mother and had spent too his childhood cultivating.

He wasn't sure what it meant to be a mother, but the warm eyes with which she looked at Adil and her considerate and gentle gestures was 'motherly' in his eyes.

'But still. Even to this day, these noodles taste terrible. The work of an amateur.'

Adil smiled to himself feeling the noodles on his tongue.

'But I guess that's why I love them.'