Chapter 218 – Spirits Blossoming (VII)

Chapter 218

Spirits Blossoming (VII)

Luckily, Long Tao didn’t do anything stupid… I don’t think.

He’d gone and come back, and the city wasn’t falling apart, and there wasn’t a martial law being put in place, and there weren’t squadrons of guards patrolling the streets looking for him.

So far, so good.

As for where he’d gone and what he’d done? I don’t actually know. He came back at the crack of dawn, which was precisely when Gu Hai swung by to drag us all to the canteen–or, well, they called it a Dining Hall here–to have breakfast.

While the kids sat down with the sect’s disciples, I was ushered to the seat of honor right up there with the elders and the sect master.

“Sit, sit, young friend!” Gu Zhao seemed rather jovial (likely because I said I’d help him deal with his biggest headache)–though I do wonder how he’d feel if I told him that the girl (woman?) will likely die long before he prepares any kind of a ‘cure’. “Everyone, this is our guest of honor, Junior Lu! Treat him as you would treat me! No, wait, you treat me worse than a criminal–so treat him the opposite of the way you treat me!”

They laughed, though beneath that guise were the examining looks; I looked to be about thirty but had still limited my cultivation realm to the peak of Spirit Manifestation. All kids, actually, did this per both Long Tao’s and my instructions.

To others, only Wan Lan looked to have broken through into the Foundation Establishment, while everyone else was hovering between the 10th stage and the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm, including Long Tao.

Honestly, of all the utility arts, this one was likely second only to the Art of Survival, as it’s like a secondary layer of secrecy.

“Welcome, Junior Lu.”

“I hope the kids haven’t bothered you.”

“I haven’t seen old Zhao this excited about someone since our last visit to a brothel.”

“What brothel, you bastard?! Don’t drag me down to your dregs!”

Though I really did want to interact and feel a part of it all, I couldn’t. The reason was simple: the food. It looked so appetizing that I don’t know why everybody isn’t immediately jumping on it. I thought they’d be vegetarians or something since, you know, they’re alchemists and all (does that even make any sense?), but no.

The spread was massive, and there was everything–there were boiled eggs, slices of beef jerky, fresh fruits and salads, poached salmon, honey-coated chicken breasts, a few soups and stews… and I could see it. The tiny glistening specks of spices adorning their juicy, well-prepped surfaces.

Oh my God.

They even have curry rice with chili.

“Are you alright, Junior Lu?” My expression must have twisted at some point as the voice dragged me out of the haze. I glanced sideways at Gu Zhao, smiling at his concerned expression.

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“Yes, sorry. We’ve been travelling for a long while, so all this food…”

“Ah, how impolite of me. Everyone, dive in. Time to eat.”

And eat I did.

Within seventeen minutes, I was in a food coma, so slumped in my chair I looked like one of those PSA pictures for lower-back problems if you keep sitting wrongly in a computer chair.

I’ve sweated thrice over, twice due to just how hot some of the spices were (namely chili), and once because… well, I don’t know, honestly. Maybe meat sweats? I sure did eat a lot of meat.

A lot.

I’m pretty sure that at some point I’ve become an exhibit, as they all finished eating and just stared at me, like I was a hungry ghoul who hadn’t eaten in weeks.

I didn’t care, though. Let them judge me.