“I suppose so.”
Sodlan nodded.
“Today is the first time my son is showing off his cooking skills, and I shouldn’t be a killjoy father.”
Saying this, Sodlan reached out and opened the lid on the plate.
In the next second, a steaming, golden-bright, and aromatic Crocodile Tail appeared on the dining table.
Zhu Qiu’s pupils dilated as she looked at the plate in shock, unable to believe her eyes.
‘What am I looking at? Zhu Xiaxia, tell me what this is. You call this a delicacy?’
On the other hand, Sodlan, who was sitting nearby, was also surprised, but his thoughts were entirely focused on whether the dish tasted good.
He couldn’t wait to taste his son’s cooking.
He forked a piece of the tail tip, put it in his mouth, and wore a satisfied expression as he gave Zhu Qiu a thumbs-up.
“Son, I didn’t expect your cooking skills to be on par with mine. It’s quite good.”
Zhu Qiu could only smile awkwardly.
“Haha, yes… that’s how it is.”
“It’s my first time seeing such a rare dish; I’ve never even seen it before. Could you tell me what animal’s tail this is?”
Sodlan asked curiously.
‘What tail? I didn’t make this, so how could I possibly know what tail it is?’
“It’s probably a Crocodile Tail.”
“A Crocodile Tail? It seems crocodiles live around here. I’ll have to check it out in a few days and try making this dish myself.”
Sodlan was full of smiles.
“Son, you’ve made great progress. As your father, I should learn more too so we can improve together.”
“Ha… haha, you’re overpraising me, Father.”
Zhu Qiu watched her father take the tail from the plate piece by piece, chewing and swallowing each bite.
She only felt a rhythmic sting coming from her own tail.
‘Hiss… I shouldn’t let this kind of thing appear again. I must mention this to Zhu Xiaxia when I go to the Dragon Race Imperial Palace tonight.’
“N-no, it’s fine. I’m not hungry. By the way, son, why are you just sitting there in a daze instead of eating?”
Sodlan looked at Zhu Qiu.
“Look at your bowl; it’s empty.”
Zhu Qiu instinctively backed away.
“No, it’s fine. I’m not hungry.”
“Come now, son. Look at you; you’ve gotten thin these past few days. You’re still growing, so you must eat more.”
Saying this, Sodlan went straight to the Kitchen to get a knife.
He cut off a large piece of the tail from the plate and helped put it into Zhu Qiu’s bowl.
“I really don’t need it!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Eating more isn’t a bad thing.”
Zhu Qiu’s face twitched as she looked at the strange food in front of her.
It was truly difficult to swallow.
“Father, I’ll eat outside. I want to get some fresh air.”
“Alright. Oh, I have something to tell you after you finish eating.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Zhu Qiu nodded hastily, carrying her bowl out of the house.
“Honestly, can’t Zhu Xiaxia prepare some normal food, like rice, noodles, or something similar?”
Zhu Qiu complained as she walked, but then she thought about it.
It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing that her father said it tasted good.
And since he liked it, it meant Zhu Xiaxia probably didn’t make it.
‘That’s right. If Zhu Xiaxia didn’t make it and Xiaguang isn’t at the Imperial Palace, then where did this plate of tail come from?’
“Whatever. “
She would just throw it away; she didn’t like it anyway.
A few minutes later, Zhu Qiu returned to the house.
Sodlan was still sitting in his original spot, but there was a small bag on the table now, looking quite mysterious.
“Son, you’re here.”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
Sodlan picked up the small bag from the table, walked over, and handed it to Zhu Qiu.
“Father? Why are you giving me this?”
“Soran, you’re not a child anymore. Now that the burden on your shoulders has been lifted, you should consider what a man ought to do and think about your future.”
Zhu Qiu scratched her head, looking confused.
“Father? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
‘Think about my future? I still don’t really get it.’
Sodlan looked at her, feeling a bit helpless.
“You child, can’t you answer my questions seriously? I saw that you’ve been wearing a Silver Bracelet on your left hand since you returned, so I assume you’re in a relationship. Which girl gave it to you? Bring her home one day so I can see what she looks like.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t just ‘huh’ me. Can’t you say something else? For example, describe where you met that girl, how you met, and how your relationship is going now.”
‘A Silver Bracelet? In a relationship? A girl?’
Zhu Qiu’s brain simply couldn’t link those three things together.
However, the Silver Bracelet was indeed a gift from someone — it was from Zhu Xiaxia.
‘Wait, does Father think I’ve confirmed a relationship with Zhu Xiaxia?’
‘What a joke! That’s not a thing at all!’
“Father, what are you thinking? I’m the Human Sword Saint. I have my own mission. How could I go looking for a girlfriend?”
“Our Human Status has been revoked, and our mission has vanished along with it. We are free now.”
“I don’t care. Even if my Human Status is gone, I will persist in my mission. Besides, I can’t let women influence me. As the saying goes, when there are no women in one’s heart, drawing a sword is naturally divine.”
Sodlan slapped his thigh, a strange look in his eyes.
“Son, stop joking. A Sword Saint’s mission is to protect the Human Race. But now that our Human Status is gone and the Human Race has abandoned us, what mission is there to talk about?”
Zhu Qiu was left speechless.
But what was the difference between a Sword Saint without a dream and a salted fish!
“I don’t care! I won’t be an idle Sword Saint. Even if the mission ends, I’ll set my own goals. A girlfriend? Absolutely unnecessary!”
Zhu Qiu responded forcefully.
Sodlan let out a helpless sigh.
“Sigh, if you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you. I only hope you can bring a chubby little boy home soon so I can give her an explanation.”
“Father, stop daydreaming! I told you, I’m a Sword Saint. It’s impossible for me to find a girlfriend. Never!”
Zhu Qiu shouted.
Sodlan didn’t say anything else.
He only sighed, walked back to his room step by step, and closed the door.
Zhu Qiu sat for a while, and after her emotions calmed down, she realized something.
‘Did I hurt Father’s feelings?’
‘But I don’t just want to avoid this; I can’t even do it. Besides, now that I’ve turned into this, even the most important Magic Prop is gone. How am I supposed to get you a chubby little boy? Pick one up?’
‘Seriously, he’s always thinking about such unrealistic things.’
After Sodlan fell asleep, Zhu Qiu walked out of the house and closed the door.
Now it was time to go to the Dragon Race Imperial Palace.
“It was just…”
Zhu Qiu looked back at her father’s small wooden cabin.
Could this aged house really withstand a Green-skinned Tyrannosaurus that might appear at night?