Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 286 - 25: The Genius Middle-Aged Man

Deep night on January 14, 2018, the moon was bright and stars were sparse.

While Shen Qingming, Li Chaolu, and others were engrossed in questioning whether Wang Jiu and Qian Yue had any inappropriate relations outside of work, Shen Rong and Shen Fang were faithfully reporting the fruitful results of the past two days to Deputy City Lord Shen Yueying.

The Deputy City Lord, who was always strict with subordinates, surprisingly commended the two and shared an exciting piece of news.

Tomorrow at noon, the Li Family entourage would be escorted back to the Shen Family Outer Courtyard, finally bringing this exhausting tour guide task to an end.

Because the Shen Family Outer Courtyard was finally about to welcome back their saviors.

Shen Feihong, Shen Feihu, and Shen Qing, the three most outstanding young members of the current generation in the Shen Family Outer Courtyard, had finally concluded their five-day long vacation and returned from Golden Jade City, fully loaded.

With these three overseeing the Outer Courtyard, the Li Family's unbridled and wanton behavior at the Shen Family Outer Courtyard would forever be history.

At this moment, everyone believed so firmly.

——

At dawn, on the outskirts of Shen City, outside a small restaurant by the official road, the first wave of customers for the day arrived.

Old Zhang's only son, rubbing sleep from his bleary eyes, shuffled to the door with zombie-like steps, grumbling about how these early-rising customers were preventing him from enjoying a good lie-in.

Knock knock knock. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The second round of knocking was slightly more urgent than before.

"What are you dawdling for, Pillar? The customers are already at the door, and you haven't even opened it for them!"

The old man's annoyed shout from the kitchen snapped the young man back to his senses. He quickly slapped his cheeks to wake himself up.

No matter how much he hated being a waiter, working at his father's teahouse during the winter break was crucial for earning his tuition. The young man wanted to escape this damned teahouse and not rely on that miserable old man's generosity, to explore a broader world. To achieve that, he needed to earn enough tuition money, learn skills at the Martial Arts Hall, and then secure a military position with the Outer City Patrol Team. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about a livelihood for the rest of his life, and could even bring honor to his family.

Forcing himself to perk up, the young man quickly went to the door, lifted the latch, pulled the wooden door back… but still saw nothing but darkness ahead.

The young man curiously tilted his head to glance at the window in the hall, from where a few rays of dawn light were streaming in. So why was it still all dark at the door? When did the old man install a second door?

While he was startled, the mass of darkness before the door shifted slightly, and then a deep voice erupted.

"Hello, three for dining."

Hearing this dark mass in front of him speak, the young man was fully awakened, realizing that it was not a door, but a man dressed in black, exceptionally tall and robust, with a body so broad that it nearly blocked the restaurant's small entrance, and the top of his head almost reached outside the door frame!

Where did this bear come from!?

Even in Shen City, known for brawny men due to martial pursuits, such a giant towering over the door was rare. Behind him stood two young men of average stature who appeared like children in the giant's shadow. One was yawning groggily, while the other had a spark of sharpness in his eyes but with a face full of impatience.

Recognizing the unusual presence, the waiter deduced that these guests were not ordinary — possibly practitioners of special cultivation techniques or members of a famous traveling circus. He hurriedly nodded and stepped aside, inviting them, "Please, honored guests, come inside!"

The three entered the small restaurant, and before they could find a seat, the arrogant young man furrowed his brows: "Feihu, is this the three-star restaurant you mentioned? Ridiculous; how could anything decent come from such a shabby place?"

The languid young man shook his head and chuckled, "Haha, Ah Qing, you don't understand. The shabbier the place, the more likely it has good things. Look at these beams and the floor; they're at least twenty or thirty years old. To operate for decades on the outskirts of Shen City takes some skill. The cook here might not be as versatile or adept as chefs in big restaurants, proficient in an array of dishes. But surely, they'll have one or two specialty dishes particularly well made, becoming the eatery's signature."

"What signature dish here made you rush us out here so early?"

"Pork buns," the slothful young man said with increasing excitement, his eyes shining, "It's said that their pork buns have an exceptionally delicious flavor. Paired with a unique herbal tea soup, it can uplift your mood for the whole day."

"Hmph, again with what that food guide said?"

"Of course, how else could I, confined to the Outer Courtyard for ages, know about such a small place in the city outskirts? It's said that the buns here are best in the first steamer because the owner personally mixes the stuffing and steams it. But the owner's health is declining, so afterward his wife and children help out; their skills are slightly inferior. So if you're going to eat, the first steamer is the one to try."

"Tsk, making a fuss over nothing."

The waiter was taken aback, repeatedly glancing at these three at the table, a bit bewildered.

Father's health isn't good, so he can only personally handle the first steamer of the signature pork buns, with mother and sisters helping later — that wasn't something even many regular customers knew. How could these apparent strangers be so well-informed?

Looking at it this way, it seems it's not a traveling circus, but actually those mysterious Immortal people. It's said that cultivators have ways of divination, knowing both astronomy and the human body. The little secrets in our own kitchen are probably not worth their amusement.

However, upon realizing this, the young man was not only unafraid but became even more excited.

This little restaurant in the suburbs, on ordinary days, forget about dignitaries, rarely even gets patrons generous enough to tip. Today, receiving an Immortal Master is an opportunity not to be missed!

Then he thought of those stories in novels and paintings, where protagonists, born ordinary but grasping immortal opportunities, rise to great success. A fire seemed to ignite in the young man's heart.

At this moment, there was no trace of perfunctory laziness in those drowsy eyes, replaced entirely by a keen light.

The three people entering, every move and shift, were eagerly captured by him completely.

The first person was exceptionally burly, appearing about forty to fifty years old, likely the leader and elder of the group, so the young man decided to regard this person as such. Considering his unusually large stature, ordinary seats might be inconvenient for him to sit on, the young man had an idea, then led the three to a secluded yet spacious table in the corner of the hall. Without waiting for a prompt, he brought over a few long benches and placed them together on one side of the table, smiling at the tall man in black, "Please sit here, sir."

This kind of attentive and personalized service earned a nod of thanks from the tall man.

The lazy young man looked up at him and smiled, "Three pounds of meat buns—your first tray usually has this amount, right? Also, two pounds of roast lamb, two pounds of sauced beef, and two pounds of pork head, all well-rated dishes from you. And..."

Just as the words fell, the middle-aged man interrupted, "Wait, something this greasy isn't in accordance with the family's dietary recommendations for us. Breakfast should include a sufficient intake of various nutrients, including grains, eggs, and meat products..." He paused, then turned to the waiter, "Do you have a combo meal with both meat and vegetables here?"

The waiter, seeing the Immortal Master asking questions, quickly perked up and replied, "Yes, of course! We have a father-son combo here, assured to be nutritionally balanced!"

In fact, such a small eating place certainly didn't have any fancy combos; the waiter just improvised, trying to flatter the group of three as though they shared a deep father-son bond.

However, as soon as the words were out, the middle-aged man's face instantly darkened.

As he turned, the temperature in the small restaurant plummeted with him, the waiter couldn't help but shiver, bewildered, knowing he had probably spoken amiss and caused trouble, even if he didn't understand the exact issue.

Fortunately, the young man next to him seemed to be familiar with such scenes, laughing heartily and signaling the waiter to prepare breakfast, so he wouldn't continue to struggle in his predicament.

After the waiter left, laughter erupted in the hall.

"Hahaha, Brother Feihong, look at you, always following the family's dietary guidelines for balanced meals, and at just 20 years of age, you're already prematurely aging, practically a generation older. While I indulge in meat and liquor all day, yet I'm still rosy and tender."

The burly man, appearing around forty to fifty years old, indeed turned out to be Shen Feihong, the top general of the Shen Family Outer Courtyard. At this moment, his face darkened like the night, keeping silent, obviously hitting a sore point deeply.

After a while, the waiter timidly brought out dish after dish prepared by the busy back kitchen.

Aside from the selection of meats ordered by Shen Feihu, the waiter also brought out a large bowl of pure vegetarian salad. Together, there were over ten pounds of delicious food, typically enough to satisfy seven or eight strapping men, but in front of cultivators, it was barely an appetizer. In no time, the three devoured the entire table's meal like a storm wind sweeping through clouds.

Shen Feihu, looking fully satisfied, nudged his companion with his elbow, "Ah Qing, how did it taste?"

Shen Qing replied with an indifferent face, "Just so-so."

"Haha, seems like you were quite satisfied, not giving a bad review for once. How about you, big brother? Want to add another tray?"

Shen Feihong shook his head, "Cultivators shouldn't be overly indulgent with culinary desires, especially since the Deputy City Lord has already used the Communication Spell to instruct us on today's mission. We must give the Li Family a proper show of strength, and this matter must be handled with seriousness and responsibility. We should return and adjust our state soon."

Shen Feihu shrugged, "Big brother, why are you always so serious about everything? Those few from the Li Family, apart from the leader, the oldest isn't over 17 and their cultivation is merely at the Cloud Surge Realm. You and Ah Qing can handle them easily enough, why so serious?"

"Even a lion uses its full strength against a rabbit, especially since the opponent includes the champions and runners-up of the Qingyun Grand Competition, they can't be underestimated."

"We also have champions and runners-up from the Shen City Grand Competition, yet you think the weight of Shen City and Qingyun City is the same?!" Shen Feihu still disagreed, yet didn't insist on going against his elder brother's intention. "However, if you really feel uneasy, let's leave now, though it's a pity I wanted to take the last morning of holiday to stroll through Shen City's food street."

——

Of course, the three didn't go to any food street. Shen Feihong, bearing the mission, led the team back to the Shen Family Outer Courtyard at once, canceled his leave early, and prepared to give the Li Family delegation a proper show of strength through the most dignified method— a martial contest.

And when Shen Qingming and others returned from Lingshan to the outer courtyard, they were indeed quite shocked.

"Hey, have you guys no shame? Can't find opponents in your age group, so you bring this old guy to bully the young? Not to mention you fudge your age reports, but this old fellow can't even be bothered to put on some makeup, that's just disrespectful to the opponent!"

Subsequently, the challenge suddenly rose from an ordinary level to a hellish difficulty.