Haiyue stared at this scene in a daze.
In her eyes, Qianyu at this moment was more real and more captivating than the god sitting on the throne.
That lofty divinity intertwines with this extreme, down-to-earth atmosphere.
It created a fatal attraction.
"I understand."
Haiyue said softly.
She imitated Qianyu, rolling up her priceless, flowing sleeves to reveal a section of her jade-like wrist.
This time, she did not use any soul power.
Instead, he carefully reached out and touched the icy well water.
The touch from my fingertips was a little oily and a little cool.
But this was the first time in thousands of years that she had so truly felt the weight of the word "life".
Just then, Qian Renxue's loud and boisterous voice came from outside the door.
"Father!"
"The scallion shoots are here!"
"I accidentally stepped on the vegetable patch behind me and collapsed it, but I managed to salvage a few scallions!"
Before she could finish speaking, Qian Renxue rushed in, clutching several scallions still covered in dirt.
There were still some mud spots on her face, but this did not affect her beauty at all; on the contrary, it added a touch of playfulness.
Qianyu took the scallion, glanced at the broken leaves, and shook her head helplessly.
"Alright."
"Just make do with it."
"Go, start a fire."
Qian Renxue responded and skillfully ran to the stove and squatted down.
She didn't use a flint.
Instead, a wisp of golden flame quietly condensed at his fingertips.
That is the sacred fire of the angels.
The ultimate fire, said to be able to purify all evil in the world.
But now it was used to light a few dry firewood sticks.
If the long-dead Qian Daoliu were to see this scene, he would probably turn to death.
"call--"
Flames rose.
The oil temperature in the pan gradually increased.
Qianyu poured the drained ribs into the pot.
"Sizzle—"
A loud bang.
The rich aroma of meat instantly filled the kitchen.
Qianyu skillfully stir-fried the ingredients, added sugar, poured in vinegar, and thickened the sauce.
The series of movements were fluid and seamless.
Haiyue stood to the side, holding a rag in her hand, ready to hand it to Qianyu at any moment.
Her gaze remained fixed on Qianyu's figure, never wavering for a moment.
"Father."
Qian Renxue, who was squatting in front of the stove tending the fire, suddenly spoke.
The firelight shone on her face, flickering in and out.
"What's wrong?"
Qianyu didn't even turn her head, focusing on the reduction of the sauce in the pot.
"Tang San, he..."
"Is he really not going to get up again?"
Qian Renxue's voice was very soft.
Although she had overcome her inner demons, that name, which had once been like a nightmare, still left a deep mark on her heart.
Qianyu paused slightly with the spatula in her hand.
But it only lasted for a moment.
He then continued to stir-fry it.
"Xue'er".
Do you know why we need to eat?
Qian Renxue was taken aback, not understanding why her father suddenly asked this question.
"Because... you're hungry?"
"No."
Qianyu shook her head.
He placed the cooked sweet and sour pork ribs into a plate; their bright red color was enticing, and the sweet and sour aroma filled the nostrils.
"For people at our level, we've long since stopped fasting."
"Eating is not for survival."
"It's for the sake of appreciation."
Qianyu, holding the plate, turned to look at Qianrenxue.
"The same principle applies."
"I'm keeping Tang San around not because of me, nor because you're soft-hearted."
"But in the long course of life, there has to be some fun."
"A clown who thinks he's the protagonist but is repeatedly mocked by fate."
"Watching him struggle in the mud, watching him rekindle hope time and time again only to fall into despair again and again."
"Isn't this more interesting than just killing him?"
Qianyu's words were very calm.
It's like evaluating the cooking time and temperature of this sweet and sour pork ribs.
Qian Renxue nodded thoughtfully.
"I see."
"He's the vinegar in this dish."
"Although it's sour, it enhances the flavor."
Qianyu laughed heartily.
"That's quite a novel analogy."
"However, it's about the same."
"Alright, stop thinking about those unlucky people."
"Serve the dishes and eat."
...
On the stone table in the courtyard.
Three dishes and one soup.
Sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a tomato and egg soup.
It's extremely simple.
But it was also incredibly heartwarming.
The three sat together.
There is no distinction between superior and inferior, or between elder and younger.
Qian Renxue couldn't wait any longer and picked up a piece of pork rib and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Waaah—"
"Hot! Hot! Hot!"
She breathed out a puff of air and mumbled indistinctly:
"tasty!"
"This is the taste!"
"Ten thousand times better than what the imperial kitchen makes!"
Qianyu watched her daughter wolf down her food, her eyes filled with doting affection.
He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of pork rib, but didn't put it in his bowl.
Instead, it was naturally placed in Haiyue's bowl.
"Try it."
"Let's see if it suits your taste."
Haiyue was flattered.
She looked at the bright red pork rib in the bowl, her hand holding the chopsticks trembling slightly.
This was made by the owner himself.
It was picked up by the owner himself.
At that moment, she even felt that even if the ribs were poisoned, she would swallow them without hesitation.
She carefully picked up the rib and took a small bite.
The sweet and sour taste explodes on the tip of your tongue.
The meat is tender and melts in your mouth.
An unprecedented sense of satisfaction spread from my taste buds throughout my body.
Haiyue's eyes were slightly moist.
She has been alone in the desert for a thousand years.
She waited for a thousand years in the illusory moon.
No one had ever cooked a meal for her.
No one has ever given her even the slightest bit of warmth.
"How about it?"
Qianyu asked.
Haiyue raised her head, and her once clear and cool eyes were now filled with tenderness.
"tasty."
"This is the most delicious thing Yue'er has ever eaten in her life."
Qianyu smiled, picked up her wine glass, and took a sip.
"I'm happy as long as you like it."
"I'll make it again if you want to eat it later."
"But next time you wash vegetables, remember to use less force."
"I don't want to eat moonlight flavor for every meal from now on."
Haiyue stopped crying and smiled, nodding vigorously.
"yes."
"Moon will remember."
Qian Renxue watched the two exchanging glances and poked at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, feeling a little jealous.
"Father, you didn't put any food on my plate."
"The ones I picked up myself don't count!"
Helpless, Qianyu picked up the largest piece of pork rib and stuffed it into Qianrenxue's bowl.
"Eat, eat, eat."
"You talk too much."
"By the way, after you finish eating, go to the Elder Hall of the Spirit Hall."
Qian Renxue's mouth was stuffed full of meat, and her cheeks were bulging, like a hamster.
"Where are you going?"
Qianyu put down her chopsticks, looked up at the distant sky, and her eyes gradually became deep.
"Those old guys have been kneeling for too long; their knees are rusty."
"Go and tell them."
"Times have changed."
"From today onwards, the rules of Douluo Continent need to be changed."
"We don't practice that kind of theocracy."
"But don't let just anyone take advantage of you."
At this point, Qianyu paused, her tone becoming casual again.
"Most importantly."
"Tell them to clean Jialing Pass up and down right now."
"I'm going for a walk there tomorrow."
"If I can still smell even a trace of blood."
"I threw them all into the sea to feed the fish."
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue swallowed the food in her mouth, and her eyes instantly sharpened.
That was the authority of those in power.
"I understand, Father."
"Leave this small matter to me."
"Anyone who dares to slack off, I'll chop them up."
Chiyu nodded in satisfaction.
This is his daughter.
She was like a warm cotton-padded jacket in front of him.
Outside, it's a rose with thorns.
"Alright, let's eat."
"One should not speak while eating or sleeping. Although I am not particular about this, the food will get cold if I don't eat it soon."
This meal.
They ate very slowly.
It smells very good too.
On the ruins of this chaotic world, behind the smoke of this war of gods.
This small courtyard seems to have become the only pure land in the whole world.
Who would have thought?
That terrifying being who had just single-handedly suppressed the entire divine realm.
Right now, he's arguing with his daughter at the dinner table over who gets the last piece of pork rib.
"This piece is mine!"
"I am the father, don't you understand the importance of respecting the elderly and caring for the young?"
"I'm your daughter, you should give in to me!"
"Haiyue, you be the judge."
"Ah? Master...I...I think..."
Hearing Qianyu and Qianrenxue arguing, Haiyue, holding her bowl, froze in shock.
Her clear eyes darted back and forth between the father and daughter, her beautiful face filled with helplessness.
In her mind, Qian Yu was the supreme ruler of all gods, the absolute faith she was willing to dedicate everything to follow. Qian Renxue, on the other hand, was of the same bloodline as her master, equally noble.
These two people are now demanding that she, their subordinate, judge the matter over the last piece of sweet and sour pork rib on the plate.
"I… Yue'er…"
Haiyue opened her mouth, but her voice was barely audible, as if she didn't know which side to take.
Seeing Haiyue's uneasy appearance, Qianyu couldn't help but chuckle.
He didn't argue with his daughter anymore, but naturally reached out with his chopsticks and picked up the meatiest piece of rib.
Under Qian Renxue's resentful gaze, Qian Yu flicked her wrist and directly placed the ribs to Haiyue's lips.
"Since no one can determine the truth, then it's yours."
Qianyu spoke casually, yet with an irresistible gentleness.
Haiyue froze, the aroma of meat mingling with Qianyu's unique, cool scent instantly disturbing her mind.
She even forgot to reach out to take it, but subconsciously opened her red lips and, following Qianyu's movements, bit the piece of rib into her mouth.
A warm touch swept across my lips.
Two blushes instantly rose on Haiyue's cheeks, and even her smooth earlobes were tinged with an astonishing crimson.
"Is it tasty?"
Qianyu put away her chopsticks, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at her with great interest.
Haiyue chewed haphazardly a couple of times, nodded repeatedly, and even her voice trembled with a hint of panic.
"Delicious...delicious. Thank you...thank you, young master."
She remembered Qianyu's teachings in the kitchen and swallowed back the word "master," temporarily replacing it with a slightly awkward form of address.
Qian Renxue sat to the side, watching the two of them act like this, and sighed helplessly.
"Father, you're being biased."
"With a pretty older sister around, they forget about their own daughter."
Although Qian Renxue complained, her eyes were full of smiles. She put down her chopsticks and gracefully took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth.
"Alright, I won't disturb your time together anymore."
"I will go to the Elders' Hall right away and take care of the matter you entrusted to me."
The moment she finished speaking, Qian Renxue's demeanor changed abruptly.
The girl next door who used to snatch meat at the dinner table has disappeared, replaced by a high and mighty god who wields the holy sword of angels.
Six dazzling golden wings flashed past behind her.
Qian Renxue bowed slightly to Qian Yu, then transformed into a dazzling golden streak of light, soaring directly into the sky, breaking through the array barrier above the courtyard, and speeding towards the direction of the Martial Soul Hall camp.
The courtyard returned to silence.
The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the bamboo forest, casting a warm orange hue on the bluestone pavement.
Qianyu leaned back in her chair, her gaze calmly fixed on the leftover food on the table.
Upon seeing this, Haiyue immediately stood up.
She carefully stacked the bowls and plates on the table. Although her movements were still a little clumsy, her attitude was extremely serious.
"Young master, I'll take care of it."
Haiyue said softly, picked up a stack of bowls and plates, and walked towards the kitchen.
Qianyu didn't stop her. Instead, she slowly stood up, put her hands behind her back, and followed Haiyue into the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Haiyue placed the bowls and plates into a wooden basin.
She kept Qianyu's words in mind and did not use even the slightest bit of her soul power or divine power.
She rolled up her shimmering long sleeves, revealing her fair, jade-like arms, and dipped her hands into the cool well water. She picked up a loofah and clumsily scrubbed the grease off the bowl.
Because she wasn't very skilled, a strand of her long, silvery-blue hair slipped from her ear and fell across her cheek, swaying slightly with her movements, and looked like it was about to get into the oil in the basin.
Just as Haiyue was about to turn her head to avoid it, a warm hand suddenly reached out from behind her.
Qianyu had already stood behind her without her noticing, the two of them very close.
He stretched out his long, slender fingers and gently lifted a strand of Haiyue's long hair that was hanging down.
Haiyue's body trembled violently, and the porcelain bowl she was washing almost slipped into the basin.
She could clearly feel Qianyu's chest almost pressed against her back, and the warm breath of a man spread along her neck.
"Young...Young Master..."
Haiyue's voice became very hoarse, and her breathing became completely out of rhythm.
Qianyu did not speak.
He focused intently on gathering Haiyue's long, cascading silver-blue hair.
Her hair was as smooth as fine silk, with a faint, cool fragrance.
Qianyu's fingers inevitably touched Haiyue's slender and delicate nape, and the delicate touch from his fingertips made his eyes darken slightly.
He casually pulled out a wooden hairpin from his storage space, made of some kind of ancient divine wood.
With gentle and skillful movements, she gathered Haiyue's long hair and secured it at the back of her head with a wooden hairpin.
"When you're working, you have to tie your hair up, otherwise it will get dirty."
Qianyu's voice rang in Haiyue's ears, deep and magnetic.
Haiyue lowered her eyes, her thick eyelashes trembling violently.
"Moon will remember."
She suppressed the ripples of emotion welling up inside her and continued washing the dishes in her hands.
But those hands, which were originally cool and steady, now seemed very clumsy.
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(End of chapter)