Chapter 13.1 - Awkward dinner (Part 1)

Li XinWen stared at Min XiaoYu but didn't say anything. Li JingHua was confused, and Xue Rui had an annoyed look on his face.

"How did you catch up to us?" Xue Rui asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Min XiaoYu.

"Even if I explain, you wouldn't understand," Min XiaoYu replied with a smile on his face. "So, let's just say that I have my ways. Now, are we going to continue talking out here?"

"Ah'Wen, Hua-er, hurry up inside or dinner will get cold."

A warm, gentle voice sounded from the direction of the house, making the three turn to face the front door. "Oh, do we have a guest? Why are you two being rude? Don't keep him waiting outside! Hurry and invite him in!" Li mother, who stood by the door reprimanded both of her children.

Left with no choice, Li JingHua approached Min XiaoYu who stood behind the gate. "Mr. Min, please come in. Have you had dinner? If not, how about joining us? We are just about to have dinner," Li JingHua said as she opened the gate manually.

"Thank you! Then I will be in your care," Min XiaoYu shot a friendly smile to Li JingHua. "But I don't believe I have introduced myself yet. How do you know my name?"

"I work in a brokerage firm and your name pops up quite a lot in my workplace," Li JingHua answered. Of course, it was a lie. Sure, Min XiaoYu is a young master but compared to Xue Rui, he was not as well known. His name may pop up once or twice a month but that was it.

The reason why Li JingHua knows Min XiaoYu is due to her knowledge of the future. Min XiaoYu was one of the powerhouses during the apocalypse. Though he only awakened a single ability, he was able to integrate his ability with his use of martial arts. The period of the apocalypse revealed that he was actually one of the direct descendants of the first Emperor of the Min Dynasty. There was also the fact that Min XiaoYu was able to create a medicine that helped fight the virus that infected those wounded or bitten by the zombies.

Li XinWen just stared as Li JingHua and Min XiaoYu exchanged pleasantries. Then Min XiaoYu went into his car and drove it into their driveway. Li XinWen decided to hide the cauldron out of sight knowing that this was Min XiaoYu's target. He picked up the box containing the cauldron with one hand and went into the house. Before he passed his mother though, he made sure to give the older woman a kiss on the cheek. "I'm home, mother," he smiled then rushed upstairs to his room.

As soon as Li XinWen entered his room, he locked the door and looked around for a place to hide the box. "If only I still had my Qiankun bag. It would be easier to hide this!" Li XinWen lamented. His eyes landed on the walk-in closet and decided to hide his treasures inside. He also left his jian beside the box, thinking that he would look at them later after dinner. The next thing he did could only be described as childish - he took off the clothes that were hanging in the closet and dumped them on top of the two treasures he got.

Only after he felt that they were well hidden did he walk away from the walk-in closet. Smiling triumphantly, he opened the door and was greeted by Xue Rui who held the other jian. "XinWen," Xue Rui smiled when he saw Li XinWen. "You forgot this," as he held up the jian in his hand.

"Ah, yes!" Li XinWen responded as he took the jian from Xue Rui. He unfastened the leather belt and unwrapped the velvet fabric, then pulled the blade out of its scabbard to inspect its quality. The blade was actually well forged but to Li XinWen, it looked nothing more than a toy - to his disappointment.

'Of course... As expected… although the blade is well-forged, the craftsmanship does not compare to Long Xin's jians that are made by craftsman cultivators…' Li XinWen sighed before he placed it back into its scabbard then placed it on his bed.

"That Min XiaoYu person, is he downstairs?" Li XinWen asked as he turned towards Xue Rui.

"Yes. Your mother invited him for dinner. There is nothing I can do about it."

"I don't expect you to, Rui-ge. Mom misunderstood that he's our friend and Hua-jie seems to know him. Well, he wants the cauldron, but I won't be giving it to him. He will go home empty handed," Li XinWen said with a confident smile on his face. "Let us go down and eat dinner."

When they reached the dining room, Li XinWen saw that Min XiaoYu had already settled down. Comfortably talking with his mother as if they had known each other for a long time. This scene, for some unknown reason, annoyed Li XinWen a lot. He took his seat beside mother Li, which was opposite Min XiaoYu.

Xue Rui, at first wanted to sit beside Li XinWen but seeing the only empty chair left was beside mother Li and the other was beside Sun Xiao, he ended up choosing the chair beside Sun Xiao. After all, it will be awkward to sit beside mother Li. At the very least, he hoped that he could sit opposite Li XinWen but Li XinWen chose to sit on the other chair instead.

Not long after, Li JingHua came out with a tureen and placed it in the middle of the table. "Ah'Wen still cannot eat hard food, right? So, don't pick up the meat. You can eat the tofu instead," Li JingHua reminded Li XinWen.

"Wait, is that the meat that I bought with mom earlier this morning?" Li XinWen asked, alarmed.

"Yes, ah! Since you bought it, it'll be a shame not to cook it!" Li JingHua said with a playful grin on her face.

"But," Li XinWen couldn't believe his ear. He also wanted to enjoy the meat. If only he could just tell them that he had fully recovered but alas, that would make him sound suspicious.

"Hua-er, don't tease your brother too much," mother Li reprimanded Li JingHua in a gentle manner as she rubbed Li XinWen's arm as if to soothe her son's feelings.

"I am joking, Ah'Wen," Li JingHua chuckled when she saw her brother's wronged expression. "You can eat the meat. We made sure to pick something that is soft and tender, and they are cut into small pieces."

Li XinWen picked up his chopsticks and was about to start eating when Min XiaoYu asked: "Did something happen that you are not allowed to eat hard food?"

"Why do you ask?" it was Xue Rui who replied, his tone held a kind of hostility.

"I am simply curious," Min XiaoYu replied with a friendly smile on his face.

"Ah'Wen got into a car accident few months ago. He just got discharged yesterday and the doctor advised us not to let him eat hard food," Li mother, who did not notice the hostility between the two answered Min XiaoYu.

"Is that so? But..." Min XiaoYu glanced at Li XinWen who had already started eating. Upon feeling Min XiaoYu's gaze, Li XinWen frowned and looked up. The moment their eyes met, Li XinWen felt a foreign spiritual force entering his meridians.