The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

Keke nodded approvingly, a smug expression on her face saying, "You're quite sensible."

After making Xu Zihuang's bed, Keke went to the next room. From what Keke said, she and Ju Zi would be sleeping in the next room tonight. She seemed completely unguarded around Xu Zihuang.

Taking advantage of this break, Xu Zihuang went back down the stairs to the lobby on the first floor. At this moment, Ju Zi was busy in the kitchen next door.

As a girl with a particular fondness for food, she always keeps a variety of ingredients in her storage soul tool.

The table was laden with fresh vegetables, fruits, frozen fresh meat, and various seasonings. There were also fresh black matsutake mushrooms picked along the way. The two pheasants that Lü Li had given them had also been prepared by Ju Zi.

She looks gentle and beautiful, but when she gets to work, she's quick and efficient.

Xu Zihuang quietly watched Ju Zi as she busied herself, and only walked over after Ju Zi finished what she was doing.

"Senior Orange, let me cook a dish too."

"You can cook too?" Orange looked at Xu Zihuang in surprise, her face full of curiosity.

Xu Zihuang smiled calmly.

"This is my first time cooking, but it shouldn't taste bad."

Orange's curiosity deepened, but for some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of trust in the boy in front of her.

"Okay, feel free to use any of the ingredients here."

Xu Zihuang didn't stand on ceremony. He stepped over the orange, picked up a cleaver, and began slicing the black matsutake mushroom, which still had a few glistening water droplets clinging to it. Each slice was extremely even and thin.

After slicing the three black matsutake mushrooms, I also sliced ​​several other fresh mushrooms into thin slices.

The curiosity in Orange's eyes gradually turned into emotion, and her red lips parted slightly as she murmured to herself.

"Black matsutake mushroom stewed with pheasant? How could this be a dish?"

At this moment, Xu Zihuang was completely unaware of Ju Zi's true thoughts and was only focused on making the dish.

For various reasons, he set aside his pride as a member of the royal family to engage in this act of serving others.

One reason was naturally to make Orange fall, thus becoming an asset in his future unification of the continent. The other was guilt towards Orange, or more accurately, guilt towards all the people who lost their lives and loved ones in that war.

If they can't even protect their own people, what kind of pride do they have to talk about?

He is now too weak to change anything.

Where there are people, there will be conflict; this is unavoidable. But one day, he will create a unified and peaceful Sun and Moon Empire.

Orange's gaze was almost fixed on Xu Zihuang. His skillful movements made it impossible to tell that this was his first time cooking.

Finally, Xu Zihuang sprinkled the chopped black matsutake mushrooms into the boiling chicken soup and then covered the casserole with the lid.

"Senior Orange, you can continue with your work. It needs to simmer for about half an hour to achieve the best flavor."

Not long after, Keke came downstairs and sniffed the air with a slight wrinkle of her nose.

"It smells so good! Sister Orange, you even made chicken soup? I could smell it from far away."

Ju Zi glanced at Xu Zihuang subconsciously, but Xu Zihuang just smiled and placed the dishes that Ju Zi had prepared on the dining table in the first-floor hall.

Orange made three dishes in total: roast chicken, stir-fried braised beef, and a plate of stir-fried vegetables. She knew Keke was an impatient person, so she always made dishes that could be prepared quickly.

It wasn't a particularly lavish meal, but the portions were generous. Paired with hot, freshly baked flatbread, Coco ate with gusto, her mouth drooling with oil.

"See? I didn't lie to you. Isn't Orange Sister's cooking delicious?" Keke boasted to Xu Zihuang.

Xu Zihuang smiled and nodded in agreement, then stood up.

"The chicken soup is ready, I'll go get it."

The chicken soup, clear as amber, the tender pheasant meat, and the fresh aroma of the black matsutake mushrooms all demonstrate the maker's exceptional skill.

Stimulated by the rich aroma and appealing presentation, Keke couldn't wait to take a sip of the chicken soup. Her eyes immediately narrowed comfortably, and she exclaimed excitedly.

"Wow, Sister Orange, did you make this? It feels like your skill level has improved a lot compared to before!"

Ju Zi's eyes, however, held a hint of bewilderment, a deeper, indescribable emotion stirring within her. She savored the chicken soup in her bowl with obvious relish, occasionally glancing up at Xu Zihuang, her voice gentle yet tinged with a strange, unspoken emotion.

"I didn't do this, Tianhuang did."

"You made this?" Keke stared at Xu Zihuang in disbelief, her reaction far more exaggerated than when she saw the orange.

"I never expected you to have this trick up your sleeve?"

"Senior Keke, eat it while it's hot. It won't taste as good when it gets cold," Xu Zihuang replied with a smile, her gaze meeting the orange across from her.

He saw a variety of emotions in Ju Zi's eyes. Although it was currently more of a spiritual refuge, he knew he had achieved his goal.

Keke and Ju Zi sat together, and because of the blind spot, Keke didn't notice the strange expression on Ju Zi's face. As a foodie on par with Ju Zi, upon hearing Xu Zihuang's words, Keke didn't bother to ask any more questions. She wolfed down a piece of tender chicken and put it in her mouth, followed by a big gulp of chicken soup.

Keke stopped eating when she was absolutely unable to eat anymore.

Orange stood up and said to the two of them.

"It's getting late, you should get some rest. I'll clean up later."

"Sister Orange, I'll head back to my room now. You should come back soon too."

Keke smiled ambiguously, and without thinking much of it, went upstairs first.

Xu Zihuang followed closely behind, returning to his own room and peacefully entering a meditative state.

Orange, lost in her own world, ladled out another bowl of chicken soup from the casserole, savoring it slowly, the tenderness in her eyes turning into endless sorrow and remembrance.

"Mom and Dad, did you send him to protect Little Orange? Otherwise, why would there be such a coincidence in the world? He saved me back then, and now the black matsutake mushroom stewed pheasant he makes tastes exactly like yours, Dad."

Chapter 263 All-Terrain Detection Soul Guidance Device

The next morning, when it was still barely light, Orange woke up.

She looked radiant, a faint pink hue on her delicate face. Last night, she hadn't cultivated, but it was the best rest she'd had in ten years.

She rose gently and stepped past Coco, who was lying sprawled on the wooden bed, completely out of sorts.

Keke's situation is similar to Ju Zi's; both of them relied on drugs and special methods to cultivate to the Soul King realm. In terms of physical strength and resilience, they are far inferior to traditional Soul Masters like Xu Zihuang, who have a profound foundation.

Yesterday, I used the flying soul tool to travel more than 2,000 kilometers in a row, and stopped several times to recover my soul power. It's inevitable that I feel tired.

After exchanging a few words last night, the two fell asleep one after the other.

After getting dressed and washing up, Ju Zi left her room. However, she paused unconsciously as she passed Xu Zihuang's door.

As soon as she left, Xu Zihuang, who was sitting cross-legged on the wooden bed cultivating, opened his eyes. A golden light flashed in his deep purple eyes, and he silently got up and walked to the balcony.

The town is surrounded by mountains, and night has not yet fallen. The pale light of dawn in the distance is mostly blocked by the towering Mingdou Mountains.

Orange was walking along the irregular cobblestone path towards the edge of town.

Xu Zihuang watched with deep eyes as Ju Zi's slender figure gradually disappeared from sight.

Extending from the Mingdou Mountains, on the branch closest to the town, sits a cliff about 500 meters high.

From here, you can take in the entire view of the town.

A series of footsteps sounded, and Orange emerged from the dense forest behind the cliff. The air in the southern mountains was humid. At dawn, a thick fog hung in the air.

Orange calmed her slightly rapid breathing. Because she was in a hurry, she didn't use her soul-guided shield to block the water mist, so her clothes were mostly wet and clung tightly to her curvaceous body.

But she paid no attention to any of that, and simply walked to the edge of the cliff where a solitary grave, newly repaired with rocks, stood. A bluish-white stone tablet stood in front of the grave.

The surrounding flowers, trees, and thorns showed signs of being broken, indicating that they were regularly tended to.

"Mom, Little Orange has come to see you."

Orange crouched down, stretched out her right hand, and gently touched the cold stone tablet. Crystalline tears slid down from the corners of her eyes, adorning her fair and delicate cheeks.

However, she didn't seem as sad as she had been when she first revealed her background to Xu Zihuang last night; in fact, she even had a slight smile on her lips.

"Mom, do you know what? Last night, Orange smelled Dad's scent again."

It seemed as if he was talking to himself, or perhaps to his departed mother.

"His name is Yu Tianhuang, and he's from the Tianhun Empire. He's the one who saved Ju Zi here. And the black matsutake mushroom stewed pheasant he made tastes exactly like Dad's."

"He's incredibly talented, the kind of person who's born with exceptional talent. I can tell he's an extremely proud person, but he's willing to set aside that pride to cook for me and Keke. He's truly a wonderful person. To do this for someone we've only known for a few days. He must have noticed I was upset and wanted to comfort me." As she said this, the curve of her lips became even more pronounced.

However, the tenderness in her eyes was quickly replaced by a hazy look.

"With his talent, he will surely become a leading figure among the younger generation of Shrek Academy in the future. If I could, I really wouldn't want to meet him on the battlefield. But in order to avenge my father, I can only persevere step by step. Perhaps in the end, I will have no choice but to lead the army to invade the Heavenly Soul Empire where he was born."

"..."

As time passed, a ray of golden sunlight finally crossed the Mingdou Mountains and shone down.

Xu Zihuang, standing behind Ju Zi, was bathed in the warm golden light.

He's been standing here ever since the oranges arrived.

Dazzled by the first rays of sunlight, Ju Zi instinctively looked over. But when she saw Xu Zihuang standing in the hazy morning sun, she didn't show much surprise.

Ju Zi stood up, looked at Xu Zihuang with gentle eyes, and smiled, "Tianhuang, you've had your suspicions for a while now, haven't you? That's right, I am the girl you saved back then."

"Just as I thought." Xu Zihuang gave a wry smile.

Six years ago, Ju Zi was only about twelve years old, but now she is almost twenty. That means she has gone through the most significant period of her teenage years.

It was perfectly reasonable for him to pretend he didn't recognize the orange at first. Coupled with his masterful acting skills, he wanted to leave the orange with no room for doubt.

Orange's ability to endure is no less than his. For the sake of revenge, she doesn't hesitate to disguise herself, transforming herself into a stunningly beautiful girl whom no one would suspect. But in reality, Orange is smarter than many others.

Therefore, he must be cautious.

As for revealing his true identity to Ju Zi, it's too early. After all, his current situation is too dangerous, and he can't unconditionally trust Ju Zi for the time being.

Rather than putting himself in a passive position, he prefers to take the initiative.

Ju Zi and Xu Zihuang looked at each other, their gentle voices filled with the true feelings deep in their hearts.

"Tianhuang, thank you for saving me. And thank you for letting me taste my father's flavor again."

Before Xu Zihuang could respond, Ju Zi smiled and came to his side.

"Let's go back. We'll visit everyone in town this morning, and then prepare to enter the Mingdou Great Forest this afternoon to begin our training."

Xu Zihuang nodded and walked into the forest side by side with Ju Zi. In an unspoken understanding, neither of them mentioned those things.

As soon as they got back to town, Orange woke up Keke after making breakfast.

Keke was initially a little resentful because the oranges had disturbed her sleep, but when she saw the steaming dishes on the table, her gloom instantly vanished.