Chapter 53: 053, (Ah Wei is Dead)
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Dawn was breaking and Lu Xun was already up.
Mao Nanbei usually loved to sleep in, but today she was surprisingly up early, and was already sprawled on the wicker chair at the doorway.
Normally so energetic, she seemed somewhat listless today, even her pair of cat ears drooping a little as if she was unwell.
However, with her cultivation base, it was impossible for her to be sick. It seemed she was just in a poor mood.
Although Lu Xun didn’t know the reason, he decided not to ask.
Even though he could be chatty and cheeky, having been the type to talk to anyone no matter where he sat back when he was a student, he was actually not good at comforting others.
There was a chance that he might say the wrong thing and inadvertently exacerbate the situation.
Lu Xun simply stood beside her, smiled and said, “Good morning, Fourth Senior Sister. What would you like for breakfast?”
In the past, Mao Nanbei would always have a long list of food she’d like to eat. Today, however, she seemed rather unenthused. She wanted to say she wasn’t eating, but instead it came out as, “Whatever.”
Lu Xun nodded, ready to head to the kitchen, but was stopped by Mao Nanbei.
Mao Nanbei stopped lazing on the chair and sat up, shuffling her petite derriere over to make some room for Lu Xun.
After Lu Xun sat down, they both gazed at the meadows, forests, and birds on the mountain… It was as if they were a father and daughter on a field trip.
“Little Junior Brother, do you know why I was in Wei City that time?” Mao Nanbei asked.
“I do. It was to wipe out over a hundred ghosts,” Lu Xun replied.
He still remembered that day vividly. In the pouring rain, amidst the ghostly parade, Mao Nanbei had annihilated them all with just a single swing of her sword!
After hearing his response, the little girl hooked her legs up, placing her feet on the wicker chair and wrapping her arms around her bent legs. Then, she rested her little face on her knees.
“Do you know why I had to kill them?”
Lu Xun shook his head and said, “I don’t know that part, Fourth Senior Sister, please tell me.”
Gazing at the forest behind the mountain, Mao Nanbei softly said, “I was originally a cat demon in the forest near Wei City. I was picked up by Master when I had just taken human form.”
“We monsters aren’t as fortunate as you humans. Our cultivation path is far more arduous and difficult than yours. It was my good fortune to have Master as my guide.”
“But I am not human in the end. I don’t hail from any small city, any small village. I’m from that forest.” She softly voiced.
“But it was destroyed, destroyed by a Mountain Ghost that had advanced into a Ghost King.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Xun now understood.
The ghosts that Mao Nanbei had slain that day were merely residual remnants of the Ghost King she had killed, and the main reason why she went down the mountain to kill ghosts was that they had destroyed her home.
Mountain Ghosts are known to wander through the mountains and forests, instinctively feeding on all forms of life, from flora and fauna to birds and beasts.
A powerful Mountain Ghost could certainly decimate an entire forest.
“Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, Little Lolita seems to be homesick,” Lu Xun thought to himself.
He didn’t know how to comfort her, but felt that he should do something. So, he said, “Fourth Senior Sister, come with me.”
Then he dragged Mao Nanbei towards the kitchen.
If she were a normal little girl, Lu Xun could have simply scooped her in his arms, but there’d be no need for such hard dragging.
Upon entering the kitchen, he didn’t speak with Mao Nanbei, but was instead busy getting things ready.
He got out some rock sugar, eggs, ancl milk.
He would have liked to use white sugar, but this world didn’t have any. In fact, white sugar doesn’t have a very long history in China either.
Milk wasn’t uncommon in the Demon Sect, but it’s not exactly the same as the pure milk we usually consume. Raw milk can be harmful, so he had made sure to boil it at a high temperature.
Many people have probably drunk boiled raw milk in their childhood. The taste is actually not bad.
After breaking the eggs and beating them, he poured in a certain proportion of milk and added an appropriate amount of rock sugar. He was preparing to make a milk pudding for Mao Nanbei.
Making an easy version of milk pudding isn’t particularly difficult; it mainly depends on whether the proportions of the milk and egg mixture are right.
Of course, due to the lack of a sieve and the use of rock sugar, the pudding that came out didn’t have a smooth surface, and was a little bumpy.
In terms of taste, it tended to be quite basic, but the flavor was still actually quite good.
After all, Mao Nanbei had never had high-end food. She could be easily deceived!
In Lu Xun’s previous life, whenever his little sister Lu Yu was upset, he would make this for her. Their family was poor back then and a simple milk pudding could bring a sense of satisfaction and happiness.
“Fourth Senior Sister, could you help me freeze this a bit?” Lu Xun asked with a smile.
Mao Nanbei seemed surprised as she started to use her energy. She was cultivating a water-based technique, which was practicable as a refrigerator in this case.
Although this milk pudding wasn’t much to look at, Mao Nanbei had never seen such a dessert before and found it quite novel.
“Try it.” After it was chilled, Lu Xun handed the bowl of pudding to Mao Nanbei.
Mao Nanbei took it, first savoring a small spoonful, and then promptly helping herself to a big mouthful.
It seemed she liked it, eating quite rapidly.
It wasn’t until the end, when she had almost finished, that she realized Lu Xun had not eaten any. She looked at the pudding she’d been spooning at, then at Lu Xun, unsure what to do.
Lu Xun bent down, looking straight at her and said, “It’s alright, it’s all yours.”
There was a touch of indulgence in his tone, which was not the kind of tone a little junior brother should use when talking to a senior sister.
Usually, the tsundere Mao Nanbei would have gotten mad, but today she didn’t resist. Instead, she lowered her head and took another big bite of the pudding!
It’s been known that eating sweets can improve mood, as it helps to release dopamine.
But for foodies, enjoying a dish that suits their taste can already lift their spirits substantially.
Mao Nanbei consumed all of the large bowl of pudding in no time.
Her mood seemed to have improved a bit.
“Thank you, Little Junior Brother,” Mao Nanbei said as she looked up at Lu Xun.
From this angle, Lu Xun could see her large eyes and her pair of cat ears that tipped backward ever so slightly as she tilted her head up.
He wanted to reach out and pat her head, but his hand froze halfway.
After all, Mao Nanbei wasn’t really a child, and given her proud and aloof demeanor, she probably wouldn’t like to have her head patted by her junior brother. Thus, Lu Xun’s outstretched hand hung in the air.
Mao Nanbei stared blankly for a moment before her small hands suddenly grabbed his palm. She then guided his hand to her cat ears, pressing his palm against them.
She then held his hand and rubbed it against her little head.
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