Chapter 1074: It's Good That Nothing's Wrong

"Is there nothing to eat?" A flicker of subtle disappointment crossed Yun Mengmeng's eyes. She had thought she could get some good food here, but her luck was so bad; the ingredients were all gone.

"Absolutely nothing to eat?" Yun Mengmeng asked, still hopeful.

The woman in the sky-blue dress recalled what was left in the kitchen and said seriously, "There's still a plate of Laba garlic."

"...Never mind that, have you eaten yet?"

The woman in the sky-blue dress was momentarily stunned. "No, why do you ask?"

"Then let's eat together!" Yun Mengmeng cheerfully held up the paper bags she was carrying, full to the brim, and warmly invited the woman in the sky-blue dress.

Eating on the go was nowhere near as comfortable as sitting down. Originally, she had planned to order a few dishes at the restaurant and then eat some of the spirit food from her paper bags, but now it seemed she would have to slightly alter her plan. The woman in the sky-blue dress felt that Yun Mengmeng had no ill intent, and eating together wouldn't be an issue, so she agreed. "Alright."

Yun Mengmeng tore open a paper bag, while the woman in the sky-blue dress went to the kitchen for bowls and chopsticks. On a small table, the paper bags were neatly arranged, full to the brim.

"Come try this meat pastry; the Second Leader and I both think it's delicious." Having company for the meal swept away her previous disappointment, and Yun Mengmeng's mood brightened considerably.

The woman in the sky-blue dress carefully took a small bite, poured the juice into a spoon, and then delicately ate the meat pastry, her movements graceful.

"It is indeed good."

Seeing this, Yun Mengmeng felt her own eating habits were a bit unrefined, so she began to imitate the graceful manner. In their conversation, she learned that the woman in the sky-blue dress was named Xiao He and was the head chef of the restaurant. The restaurant only had two people: her and the owner. Due to staff shortages, the owner even had to go out to buy groceries personally, leaving Xiao He to mind the shop. It sounded like they were living quite frugally; otherwise, the restaurant wouldn't be in such a remote location.

Xiao He also learned that the guest's name was Mengmeng. From her frequent mentions of the First Leader and Second Leader, and her regular residence on a mountain, it was highly likely she was a bandit from some mountain stronghold. Xiao He felt that the girl wasn't very bright and probably got tricked into joining them. Moreover, it sounded like this Second Leader often deceived the First Leader, making him seem not like a good person.

The two clinked their teacups together and continued their previous conversation.

"Is your shop really that unlucky? Before, a demonic sect came, and a battle broke out that almost leveled your shop. Fortunately, your owner had some skill, which saved the small establishment. After that incident, you felt the original place was too dangerous, which is why you moved to Demon City?" Yun Mengmeng ate the honey-drizzled tortoise jelly, quite surprised by Xiao He's experiences.

"It sounds like you've had it quite tough too. You ran away from home to seek refuge with your good sister, but your good sister immediately introduced you to a First Leader and a Second Leader, and then pretty much left you to fend for yourself, always following the two leaders."

Xiao He ate a freshly baked mung bean cake; it was warm and fully brought out the aroma of the mung bean, leaving a pleasant scent on her lips and teeth. Its only drawback was that it was a bit dry.

"Actually, it's fine. The First Leader and Second Leader are both very good people. The Second Leader wasn't very willing to come to Demon City initially; he only accompanied me because I said I wanted to come."

The more Xiao He listened, the more she felt Yun Mengmeng had been deceived.

Seeing that they had finished eating, Xiao He rose to see her off. "By the way, Mengmeng, how long will you be staying in Demon City?"

"Until the Spirit Chef Competition ends."

"Will you come back?" Xiao He rarely had a chance to chat with people on weekdays. She felt an inexplicable connection chatting with Mengmeng today and wanted to talk more with her. There were still many days left until the Spirit Chef Competition ended.

"I probably will." Yun Mengmeng felt that after the Second Leader was pulled away, he would likely be quite busy and wouldn't accompany her shopping like he had these past two days. So, she didn't want to trouble him; it would be nice to just come and sit here.

"Well, if you want to come, how about in the evening? Do you have time? The owner usually goes out to buy groceries in the evening. She... is quite reluctant for me to interact with people."

"Sounds good." Yun Mengmeng readily agreed. A chef chatting with guests during work hours was probably something no boss would be happy about.

A while after Yun Mengmeng left, the gray-skirted woman returned, carrying a grocery basket. She saw Xiao He wiping tables and found it a bit odd.

"Did something good happen? Why do you seem a bit happier than before I left?"

"You're overthinking it."

The gray-skirted woman instantly became vigilant. Had Lu Yang been here? No, she could always sense Lu Yang's location, and he hadn't come towards their small shop. The gray-skirted woman shook her head, realizing she was overthinking.

Ever since she learned that Lu Yang was connected to the Immortal Fairy, the gray-skirted woman had a premonition: the person she was looking for was connected to Lu Yang, and finding Lu Yang would lead her to the Immortal Fairy. However, when she sensed Lu Yang's arrival in Demon City, the gray-skirted woman found herself conflicted. Yet, she didn't know what she was conflicted about. Was it fear of meeting the Immortal Fairy, or some other reason? She didn't know, and she had never felt this way before.

"Let me help you." The gray-skirted woman took the rag from Xiao He's hand and began wiping the tables, chairs, and benches.

"Second Leader, are you there?" Yun Mengmeng knocked on Lu Yang's door.

"Yes, come in."

Lu Yang had expected Yun Mengmeng to return earlier than him, but unexpectedly, he was back first.

Yun Mengmeng carried several paper bags and placed them on Lu Yang's table. She had bought these on her way back.

"I found a few really tasty spirit foods; the First Leader and Second Leader probably haven't tried them yet. Want to taste some?"

"Yes, yes." Lu Yang said "yes" twice, one of them on behalf of the Immortal Fairy. Spirit chefs of later generations had many innovations, and many spirit foods were things the Immortal Fairy had never seen. Often, Lu Yang would take a bite, then the Immortal Fairy would possess Lu Yang and take a bite, then return the body to Lu Yang, while incessantly critiquing the spirit food's flaws in the spiritual space. Lu Yang would then listen to the Immortal Fairy's commentary as he ate.

"Second Leader, why were you just pulled away by someone?"

"It was the leader of the Taotie clan. He wants to compete for the position of leader of the Spirit Chef Alliance, so he trained a large group of people to participate in the Spirit Chef Competition to win ingredients so he could make his ideal dishes."

"Because I eat dirt, they thought I could devour the heavens and earth. Well, what I *can* do is devour the heavens and earth. Anyway, there was a slight misunderstanding; they took me for one of their own and wanted me to participate in the Spirit Chef Competition too. I thought it was a rare and novel experience, so I just went along with it."

Yun Mengmeng felt that the Second Leader truly possessed great fortune, encountering a power struggle among Tribulation Transcending cultivators so quickly.

"What about you, Mengmeng, did you encounter any unexpected issues? You're back so late."

"Not really, I just happened to meet a spirit chef I got along with, so we chatted for a bit longer," Yun Mengmeng said, a little embarrassed.

"As long as you're okay. If anything happens, tell me. We have connections in Demon City."