Mortal Bones

After a while.

"Alright, the last dish, stir-fried yellow lamb meat, is ready!" Xu Taiping said, as he scooped the lamb meat from the pan and walked into the dining room with the plate.

By the time he entered, the table was already full with a variety of dishes. Although most of the ingredients were yellow lamb meat, the cooking methods were all quite different. There were soups like "Lamb Heart Soup," "Lamb Kidney Soup," and "Lamb Bone Soup," and meat dishes such as "Stir-fried Yellow Lamb," "Steamed Lamb Head Meat," "Grilled Yellow Lamb Leg," "Roast Lamb Meat," and "Wine-braised Lamb."

These recipes were ones Xu Taiping's grandfather had learned while traveling the world when he was young. Xu Taiping had heard his grandfather talk about them often, his mouth watering, and so he asked for the recipes and promised to cook them once he could afford meat. He hadn't expected to actually use them today.

"Mm... it smells so good... These seven merit coins were well spent." Uncle Jiu sniffed the air and immediately slapped the table with enthusiasm.

"If I had known you were such a good cook, Taiping, I should have come to eat here more often!"

White Rainbow looked at the table full of food and couldn't help but lick his lips.

"If you like it, White Uncle, you can come often," Xu Taiping said earnestly.

"Heh heh, I'm just saying, I can't keep bothering you while you're practicing," White Rainbow chuckled, shaking his head.

Uncle Jiu, however, couldn't help but feel envious. After sneakily grabbing a piece of meat and popping it into his mouth, he tentatively asked Xu Taiping, "Taiping, after this meal, can we call ourselves friends?"

"Of course not," Xu Taiping replied with a serious face.

"You can't be so one-sided, Taiping. Look, I helped you with the fire, and I wiped the table. Shouldn't we at least be considered friends?" Uncle Jiu's face fell immediately.

White Rainbow, who had been watching this exchange, couldn't help but feel a bit smug. He thought to himself, "Who would have thought I, White Rainbow, would have a moment of one-upping my master uncle."

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Just as the three were enjoying their meal, the door to the small courtyard was suddenly knocked.

"White Rainbow, why did you invite me here?" came a voice from outside.

"Taiping, besides Uncle Jiu, I've invited a few friends over. Do you think we can add a few more bowls and chopsticks?" White Rainbow didn't answer the person outside, but instead put down his bowl and looked at Xu Taiping with a smile.

"Since he's also White Uncle's friend, let him in," Xu Taiping nodded.

"Don't forget, he has to pay! I already paid seven merit coins!" Uncle Jiu shot a playful look at White Rainbow.

"Of course, of course!" White Rainbow quickly nodded and stood to open the door.

"White Rainbow, what do you want me here for? I don't have time for old talk with you!"

Soon, Xu Taiping and Uncle Jiu, who had been nibbling on a lamb rib, saw White Rainbow bring in an elderly man dressed in splendid attire with neatly combed hair.

"Liu, no special reason, just that Uncle Jiu, you, and I haven't gathered in a long time. I wanted to have a meal together," White Rainbow said with a smile, pointing to the elderly man who was chewing on a lamb rib.

"Liu? Who's Liu?" The elderly man, who White Rainbow referred to as Liu, looked impatiently at the man chewing at the table. His eyes met Uncle Jiu's.

"You... how come..."

"Enough with the nonsense, sit down and eat!"

As soon as their gazes locked, a flicker of fear flashed across the elderly man's face, though it quickly vanished when he was sternly glared at by Uncle Jiu.

"Yes... yes!"

The elderly man hurriedly sat down.

"Hmm, aren't you Liu Songshan, the Sect Leader of West Wind Pavilion?" Xu Taiping recognized the elderly man as he entered.

If he remembered correctly, this man was the same Liu Songshan who the senior sister Linglong had introduced to him when he first arrived on the mountain.

"I'm talking with my brothers, and you have no place to speak," Liu Songshan said coldly as Xu Taiping interrupted him.

"Liu Songshan, you're not that skilled, but your arrogance sure is impressive!" Before Xu Taiping could respond, Uncle Jiu suddenly put down his chopsticks and sneered at Liu Songshan.

"Uncle... Uncle Jiu... I..."

"Hey, hey, hey, Liu, Liu, let's keep it civil. Uncle Jiu was just reminding you to be more polite. All the dishes on this table were cooked by our young friend Taiping," White Rainbow intervened, looking at the elderly man with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Liu Songshan's face turned pale, and he trembled, almost falling off his chair. Luckily, White Rainbow was quick to support him.

"Yes, we're gathered here today thanks to our young friend Taiping. You came in with your attitude, lacking manners," Uncle Jiu said, his tone softening a little as he took another bite of meat.

"Yes, yes, Uncle Jiu is right..." Liu Songshan, seeing Uncle Jiu soften, quickly nodded in agreement.

"Liu, why not try some of Taiping's cooking? Uncle Jiu couldn't stop praising it," White Rainbow said as he placed a set of chopsticks in front of Liu Songshan.

"Since Uncle Jiu is praising it so much, it must be good," Liu Songshan said with a smile, taking the chopsticks, his expression full of flattery.

"Wait!"

Just as Liu Songshan was about to grab some food, Uncle Jiu suddenly seized his chopsticks and looked at him with disdain.

"Pay first!"

Xu Taiping, who had been watching the scene, immediately realized what was going on. He extended his hand toward Liu Songshan, saying, "Sect Leader Liu, just like Uncle Jiu, this meal costs seven merit coins."

Xu Taiping understood that Uncle Jiu's identity wasn't ordinary, and that this meal wasn't just about eating. But he wasn't going to turn down the merit coins that were handed to him. As for whatever game these important figures were playing, he didn't care, nor did he want to know.

"They could just be passing through. I'll just enjoy the show," Xu Taiping thought to himself.

Seeing Xu Taiping collect the payment without hesitation, Uncle Jiu nodded in satisfaction. He continued eating while casually asking Liu Songshan, "Who's the leader of the Fierce Wind Hall now?"

"It's Xu Youzhi, a disciple from the second peak of the Qingzi generation," Liu Songshan quickly replied with a serious expression.

"Xu Youzhi... I've met his master before. How about inviting him to join us for a meal?" Uncle Jiu said nonchalantly while sipping some soup.

"Xu Youzhi... but Fierce Wind Hall is quite far from here..." Liu Songshan began to sweat, clearly nervous.