Feng Xingyun walked into the kitchen and casually glanced at Xuan Jiu.
“You were brought here by Young Master Xu, so you are also a guest. Leave these matters to me.”
He had noticed the players' somewhat suspicious gazes just now.
Thus, he used this single sentence to clarify Xuan Jiu's identity, instantly resolving that minor issue.
Of course, he didn't absolutely have to explain, but when dealing with so many players, avoiding unnecessary trouble was always for the best.
However, Xuan Jiu shook his head very firmly.
“There is no need to persuade me. This is my duty.”
Hearing this, Feng Xingyun stopped trying to prevent him and pointed to a wooden table on the side.
“Breakfast is ready. Let's bring it over now.”
With that, he and Xuan Jiu picked up the prepared breakfast and prepared to leave.
Before leaving, however, Feng Xingyun gave the players a word of advice.
“By the way, you may use any of the ingredients here as you wish.”
“However...”
His tone grew slightly more serious.
“Yao Family Village is extremely remote, making the transport of supplies very inconvenient. Moreover, our household is the only one here; you won't be able to borrow or buy anything nearby.”
“Therefore, please only cook what you can finish. Do not waste any food.”
Zhao Ying's gaze shifted back and forth between the NPC and Tang Luoshan, who was standing at the front.
She kept wondering why the NPC wasn't leaving sooner.
Her arms, which were cradling Huang Shiliu, were already trembling slightly.
It wasn't out of fear, but simply because he was too heavy.
If he were a normal weasel, he would naturally be very light.
But the one in her arms was a spirit patron. She wondered if it was because he was a demon.
This weight...
Seeing that Tang Luoshan didn't reply immediately, her heart skipped a beat.
Could it be...
Fearing that this ghost prince might lose his temper and clash directly with the NPC—thereby wasting time and causing her to drop the Yellow Immortal in her arms—Zhao Ying took the initiative to respond on her own.
“Don't worry, we understand.”
“Steward... Steward Feng, if you're in a hurry, please go ahead. We can handle our own cooking from here.”
Feng Xingyun shifted his gaze to her, then gave a slight nod.
“Alright.”
Soon, the two figures quickly vanished outside the courtyard.
Only after confirming that they were gone did Zhao Ying place Huang Shiliu on the ground.
“Master Shiliu, you're so heavy...”
Huang Shiliu stood on his hind legs and rolled his eyes.
“You're way too weak!”
“My weight is considered very light among my clan!”
“You seriously need to exercise more!”
Zhao Ying smiled sheepishly.
Frankly speaking, she indeed lacked physical strength, but she couldn't help it.
As a girl, she had practiced the Lingfeng Walk since childhood.
It was a movement technique that prioritized speed.
The key was to be light and agile.
If she trained for raw strength and ended up becoming a muscle-bound woman, what would she do?
The speed of her Lingfeng Walk would drastically decrease, rendering her entire skillset useless.
Snapping back to reality, Zhao Ying hastily changed the subject.
“When those two NPCs were talking just now, they seemed to mention that there are two young masters in the dining room?”
Huang Shiliu paced around the kitchen.
“And did that make you think of anything?”
Zhao Ying stood in place, carefully recalling and pondering.
“Steward Feng said the young master just returned and hadn't had time to clean up the guest rooms.”
“He also said this place is remote, desolate, and difficult to transport supplies to, with no neighbors to borrow from. He called it Yao Family Village, yet they are the only household here.”
“Since it's so remote and uninhabited, it's clear they must have some indispensable business to attend to for them to come here.”
“Nine times out of ten, they are up to no good.”
“And this matter is likely related to our main quest. If we can investigate and clarify it, it should help us deduce the location of the path of survival.”
Huang Shiliu waved his little paw.
“Exactly, that's it.”
“So next, what we need to do is build a bit of rapport with the NPCs here, and then find an opportunity to ask what exactly is going on.”
“Once we understand the root cause, we can thoroughly investigate the situation with the specter.”
“The specters that appear in dungeons usually died and transformed shortly before we players entered.”
“So as long as we ask detailed questions, we can generally pinpoint the specter's identity when they were alive very quickly.”
“Finally, by uncovering the details of the specter's life and experiences, we can use that information to deduce the path of survival.”
Zhao Ying nodded slowly.
“That makes sense.”
Huang Shiliu raised his paw and pointed toward the inner kitchen.
“Great. Since you agree, go cook now.”
Zhao Ying was stunned for a moment.
She looked at Huang Shiliu, then at Tang Luoshan.
“Um... cooking is fine, but how many portions should I make?”
Huang Shiliu sighed.
“What is wrong with you, girl?”
“How many portions do you think? Two, of course. Captain Tang can't eat this kind of food anyway. As for the others, they aren't with us.”
“Are you really going to be so kind-hearted as to cook for them too?”
Zhao Ying realized her mistake. She slapped her forehead to clear her mind and began selecting ingredients.
During the process, she repeatedly asked Huang Shiliu about his preferences.
After listing a few things he liked to eat, Huang Shiliu added with emphasis:
“Remember to make that chicken taste extra good. If this young master is satisfied, there will definitely be benefits in it for you.”
Zhao Ying had no objections and agreed with a smile.
Huang Shiliu watched for a bit longer before handing over the cooking duties entirely to her. He then walked over to Tang Luoshan's side.
“Prince...”
Tang Luoshan snapped out of his thoughts.
“Hmm?”
Huang Shiliu stood on his hind legs. “Does the Prince have any plans?”
Tang Luoshan shook his head.
“None for now. Just proceed as you suggested. As long as it helps clear the dungeon, this Prince will naturally lend a hand.”
Huang Shiliu beamed.
“Excellent, excellent. Rest assured, Prince.”
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the rest of the kitchen.
The remaining seventeen players were divided into two groups.
One group consisted of seven people who looked like veteran players. Those who knew how to cook took charge of the stove, while those who didn't prepared the ingredients, showing a clear division of labor.
The remaining ten appeared to be newbie players.
He could tell they were complete greenhorns.
The kind who were entering a specter dungeon for the very first time.
Even so, ten people gathered together still constituted a decent force.
However, upon closer observation, he found that just by looking at their expressions, only two or three of the ten were actually capable.
The rest... were all cannon fodder. Perhaps half of them wouldn't even survive today.
“Prince, there are actually twenty players in this dungeon. It seems the difficulty of this Two-Star dungeon won't be low.”
Tang Luoshan frowned.
“This Prince is aware. Therefore, from now on, no matter when or where, the three of us must stick together.”
Huang Shiliu had exactly this in mind.
“We will have to trouble the Prince then.”
...
Dining Room
Zuo Lin'an looked at the breakfast before him.
“Eat. We'll be busy later.”
Xu Youyou poked the pork bun on the plate before him with his chopsticks, then turned his head to look at the person standing nearby.
Rate on N.U.
