Otherworldly Affairs Office

Chapter 1026: Heavy-Flavored Breakfast

Once the three of them were seated, Lin Ruxue, who was originally there for a visit, displayed the enthusiasm of a host. She didn’t even glance at Pei Yan and turned to Lin Junzhao with a bright smile, saying, "I came too early today, you probably haven’t had breakfast yet. Can you eat in your current state? Want something to eat?"Lin Junzhao leaned lazily against the Grandmaster Chair, resting her elbow on the armrest and looking at Lin Ruxue with a playful gaze, "If you want to know how much I’ve recovered, just say so, no need to beat around the bush! If you want to eat, then eat. I’ve long recovered enough to condense a physical form."

Lin Junzhao directly exposed Lin Ruxue’s little scheme, yet she didn’t show any embarrassment, waved her hand over the table, and with a ripple of spatial origin, a table full of steaming breakfast appeared. After doing this, she picked up a piece of pastry and with a slightly sorrowful expression, said aggrievedly, "This isn’t like you, always doubting everything. It’s just a simple breakfast, do you need a reason for everything? How long are you going to be suspicious of people? Wasn’t it agreed that what happened is behind us?"

Lin Ruxue’s sudden vulnerability left Lin Junzhao momentarily unable to respond, while Pei Yan, looking at her pitiful face, felt a chill run down his spine and dared not say a word, pretending to be a stick in the mud as he stared at the overly sumptuous breakfast until Lin Junzhao was defeated by Lin Ruxue’s pitiful gaze. He awkwardly straightened up, took a soup bowl close by, and coughed, "Alright, I got it! I won’t talk to you with such irony anymore."

"Hee hee!" Lin Ruxue, who was full of sorrow a moment ago, broke into laughter, skillfully pushing a plate of intricate and fragrant dumplings towards Lin Junzhao, recommending, "These are tri-flavored dumplings I specifically had Linjiang Immortal prepare for you three days ago. I remember during our travels together, you never liked sweets but had a special love for savory meat dishes. This should suit your taste. The crab roe inside resembles the crab roe dumplings of your world but is even more delicious, made from green crab roe from Yanxia Lake under Piaomiao Peak. The lake’s water, formed from melting snow from Piaomiao Peak, is rich with Spiritual Qi, giving the green crabs extraordinary plumpness. Give it a try."

Moved by Lin Ruxue’s detailed introduction, Lin Junzhao picked up chopsticks and placed a dumpling in her bowl, taking a gentle bite that released a burst of aroma.

"Slurp!"

This wasn’t Lin Junzhao slurping the dumplings’ broth; it was Pei Yan who couldn’t resist swallowing his saliva. It’s not that Pei Yan lacked restraint; it’s easy to resist food by looking at it, but seeing someone else eat makes it impossible. Hearing the sound, Lin Junzhao continued eating without lifting her head, motioning to Pei Yan, "Eat, don’t just sit there."

Seeing this, Pei Yan glanced at Lin Ruxue, who didn’t seem to mind him, casually saying, "Eat while you can; there are three sets of bowls and chopsticks, after all, not to mention I’m not holding you back."

"Ah, then thank you, sisters!" Pei Yan laughed, picked up the chopsticks to reach for the tri-flavored dumplings, yet felt a chill when Lin Ruxue accidentally swept her sharp gaze across him, retracting his chopsticks halfway, opting for a bun-like food nearby and scooped a bowl of the closest porridge, returning to his seat and slurping away.

While eating, Pei Yan thought about how this Daoist Realm is different, the food here surpasses what he tasted at home, not that it’s exceptionally high-quality, but the texture is incredibly nuanced. He wondered what made the porridge so soft and tender, noticing it’s just plain rice without any side ingredients, yet after eating, it surprisingly released a meaty fragrance that lingered with a hint of fruit aroma, making him feel a warm energy countering the morning chill, providing exquisite comfort.

"Tasty, isn’t it?" Lin Ruxue asked with a smile upon seeing Pei Yan finish his bowl of porridge, standing up for seconds.

"Tasty!" Pei Yan sat back down with his bowl, smiling.

"Look, Junzhao, our little brother knows how to eat. Of all things on the table, the porridge in front of him is the most labor-intensive to make. Not to mention the amount of fire needed to make broth as clean as water without any grease, but inside the porridge, the Fruit Spirit Mag—."

"Cough... phew." Listening to the introduction, Pei Yan, who was enjoying it thoroughly, choked a little, spurting out porridge upon hearing the last few words, shocked, "What did you say this porridge is made of?"

"Fruit Spirit Maggots," Lin Ruxue smiled at Pei Yan, taking the spoon from the porridge pot, serving herself a scoop, "You’ve been eating without noticing there’s no rice?"

"These, these are maggots!" Pei Yan suddenly felt nauseated, crouching down, examining the scattered "rice grains" on the table in disbelief, "Even delicacies can be maggots?"

"Stop teasing him," Lin Junzhao, seeing Pei Yan’s lost look, knew Lin Ruxue was up to mischief again, picked up a translucent meat slice with her chopsticks, putting it in her mouth helplessly.

"What’s wrong with maggots? Don’t think of them as the grubby ones bred in filthy places. These larvae only grow in our Immortal Palace’s Spirit Fruit Garden, nurtured by special spirit fruits. Every three years, the garden cleans bad fruit, discarding the fruits but using the ungrown larvae for consumption. This porridge isn’t something money can buy in the grand Luocheng; you need at least elder status in a first-class sect to even book, let alone enjoy without waiting."

After Lin Ruxue finished her explanation, with a "I’m gracing you" expression, Pei Yan quietly finished the remaining porridge. He never went for seconds, turning to eat what Lin Junzhao tried, every so often glancing at the porridge with a mix of regret and disbelief.

"I’m impressed you found time during such a busy period three days ago to prepare such a grand breakfast," Lin Junzhao said nonchalantly, eating the second specially prepared tri-flavored dumpling.

Three days ago marked the end of the competition and the time Lin Ruxue planned her internal cleansing act, already having prepared the food for today, indicating that the whole process was under her control from start to finish.

Hearing the main topic, Pei Yan slowed his eating, wanting to listen carefully to what Lin Ruxue might say.