Fortune Longevity Tower.
A banquet of thirteen grand dishes.
Bai Hehuai and Xiao Chaoyan both had their eyes gleaming, waiting only for the guest of honor, Xin Baicao, to take the first bite before they would immediately descend upon the feast like a storm.
Xin Baicao’s lips twitched slightly. “Ah, to think my junior sister, once a scourge of the world, would fall to such a state.”
Su Changhe waved his hand. “Waiter.”
“At your service, honored guest!” The waiter hurried over, waving a towel.
“Another banquet, served in half an hour,” Su Changhe said helplessly.
“Right away!” The waiter cheerfully acknowledged before retreating.
Su Muyu took a bite of the osmanthus fish, his eyes lighting up. He waved again, and the waiter returned. “What else can I do for you, honored guest?”
“This osmanthus fish is quite delicious. May I ask how it’s prepared?” Su Muyu inquired politely.
The waiter blinked, then smiled. “Honored guest, I’m just a waiter—I don’t cook. But perhaps when you leave, I can introduce you to our chef so you can ask him?”
Bai Hehuai, in the midst of her busy eating, waved dismissively. “Go on, ignore him.” Then she pointed at the fish with her chopsticks. “If culinary skill were divided into realms, you imagine yourself on the second level, but in reality, you’re on the first. This fish, however, is on the fifth. Please stick to making first-level dishes.”
“What’s a first-level dish?” Su Muyu asked earnestly.
Bai Hehuai tapped her chopsticks against a nearby plate. “This—scrambled eggs with green peppers.”
Su Muyu stroked his chin, eyeing the dish meaningfully. “This looks far too simple.”
“Su Muyu, there was once a swordsman who practiced only the nineteen moves of the Rusty Sword, yet he still became a Sword Immortal,” Su Changhe advised. “Start with the simplest dishes, and one day, you might even prepare a royal feast!”
Bai Hehuai coughed lightly. “That’s a bit much.”
“At the very least, you could become the head chef of a tavern!” Su Changhe, realizing the exaggeration, quickly amended. “And when that time comes, we’ll name our tavern—Dark River Palace!”
“That sounds rather shady,” Su Zhe remarked, taking a bite of the osmanthus fish. The flesh melted in his mouth, and he closed his eyes to savor it. “Absolutely divine. I’m never leaving Nan’an City—I’ll grow old and die here!”
Xin Baicao sat among them, growing increasingly dazed as he ate. Beside him were Su Zhe, the Puppet of the previous generation of Dark River; Su Muyu, the strongest of this generation’s Dark River; and Su Changhe, the current Head. The number of lives these three had taken could probably form a line from Fortune Longevity Tower all the way to Crane Rain Medicine Manor. Yet here they were—one utterly engrossed in the feast, another obsessively studying culinary arts, and the last reveling in the thrill of ordering more dishes. He sighed softly. “How unpredictable life is.”
“Indeed. How unpredictable,” Su Changhe echoed, his gaze flickering toward the window before he stood up.
Su Muyu frowned slightly and made to rise as well, but Su Changhe pressed him back down with a hand. “You all keep eating. I’ll wait for the second banquet. The pastries here are mediocre—I’ll take a stroll and buy some osmanthus cakes from Apricot Brilliance Tower.”
Bai Hehuai praised, “Su Changhe, since when did you become so kind and considerate?”"That's a well-used idiom." Su Changhe waved his hand and walked out the door.
Su Zhe and Su Muyu exchanged a glance, and Su Zhe shook his head slightly at him.
Xin Baicao took a sip of wine, thinking to himself: As expected, it’s not that simple.
Su Changhe left the Fushou Tower and walked alone down the long street, his hands tucked into his sleeves. Impatiently, he muttered, "Stop playing tricks. Show yourself."
Two black-clad figures appeared at either end of the street—none other than Su Changfeng and Su Zhetian, who had entered Heaven Revelation City on behalf of the Su Family that day. The two stood guard at both ends of the street, swords in hand, exuding a faint killing intent.
Su Changhe flicked his wrist, and a dagger appeared in his hand. He sneered, "What? Has the Dark River changed so much in just a few days? Are you here to kill me?"
Su Zhetian snapped angrily, "We’re not here to kill you—but we were nearly killed ourselves!"
"What do you mean?" Su Changhe raised an eyebrow.
Su Changfeng sighed softly. "Su Luandan incited internal strife within the Dark River. Many were injured and imprisoned by him. We barely managed to escape to this Nan'an City."
Su Zhetian scoffed. "One, the head of the Su Family; the other, the master of the Dark River—yet instead of managing sect affairs, you’re here eating and drinking, leaving us to die!"
"Su Luandan… So he’s finally made his move." Su Changhe walked forward, stopping beside Su Zhetian and patting his shoulder. "You know, some people harbor resentment but can’t show it openly because of my strength. I know he’s ready to stab me in the back at any moment, but since he hasn’t done it yet, I can’t just eliminate him. So, what should one do in such a situation?"
Su Changfeng approached from the other end of the street and whispered, "The Head means to say…"
"Give him the chance to bare his fangs first. Then, you can justifiably eliminate him!" Su Changhe laughed.
Su Zhetian froze. "So… all of this was part of The Head’s plan?"
"All in my hands!" Su Changhe extended a palm, grinning triumphantly.
Su Zhetian urged anxiously, "Then, please, Head, return with us to the Dark River at once and kill that Su Luandan!"
"Now, now, no need to rush." Su Changhe led the two forward until they reached the entrance of Xingcai Tower. "The osmanthus cakes here are delicious. I’ll buy a pound for each of you."
Su Changfeng was stunned. "Head, we didn’t come to Nan'an City to eat osmanthus cakes."
"Those who achieve great things must first learn not to rush." Su Changhe advised. "Truthfully, the banquet at Fushou Tower is even better, but if you two showed up, they’d lose their appetite. Take a pound each, find an inn, and wait for me. After tonight, I’ll return with you."
Su Zhetian frowned. "And you still have the mood for banquets?"
Su Changfeng scolded in a low voice, "Do not disrespect The Head."
Su Changhe sighed. "Ah, you people, always stuck in the Dark River—your hearts know only killing, none of the world’s Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon . Eating osmanthus cakes, strolling through Nan'an City… What’s the harm in leaving the Dark River behind?"
"Head…" Su Changfeng could hardly believe these words came from Su Changhe."Don't worry, only Su Muyu would think that way." Su Changhe stretched lazily. "As for me, I was never meant to live a peaceful life. Let's get some sleep, and when we wake up, we'll go suppress the rebellion!"
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