Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Time to Go Home
Seasons came and went beneath the snow mountain. The city’s four seasons stayed distinct and sharp, and Hu Qing never took a single step outside Gourmet House.
It paid off.
She’d saved over three thousand low-grade spirit crystals by now. Master Han and the City Lord’s Manor had provided the bulk of it.
But recently, the City Lord’s Manor’s orders had stopped.
Hu Qing was debating whether to spend money at the city’s information house to buy news of little li realm—at the very least, to buy a route—when Master Han arrived looking practically radiant.
“Da Qing,” he said, “I got news on your little li realm.”
Hu Qing’s eyes went wide. “You’re my lifesaver. Tell me—now!”
Even Juan Bu was buzzing with excitement.
Master Han took a scroll map out of his ring. Hu Qing immediately conjured a table and two chairs, but neither of them sat. Master Han spread the map out and tapped a spot with his finger.
“I asked our ingredient scouts,” he said. “They’re well connected, and I made sure they understood this was a newly risen realm. You know how Gourmet House is—if we find a new ingredient or a new dish, the reward is generous. That means they take it seriously.”
He traced lines as he spoke. “One person tells a hundred, a hundred tells ten thousand, and eventually someone brought back real information. And yes—little li realm actually exists.”
“Of course it exists,” Hu Qing said, half-laughing. “Did you think I made it up?”
Her gaze locked onto the words little li realm on the map, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe properly.
Master Han, worried she’d miss the details, began pointing slowly. “Here. This is little li realm. And this strip here—this is the skybridge connecting it to Canyon Realm Immortal Realm.”
Hu Qing’s heart thudded. Heaven’s Grace Continent.
She forced herself to focus. “Why is little li realm circled in dotted lines?”
Master Han grinned. “That’s Heaven’s blessing.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means nobody can go in,” he said, and when her face went blank, he added, “Our people confirmed it. If you aren’t from little li realm, you can’t enter little li realm.”
Hu Qing froze. “But I saw outsiders on the skybridge—”
“They can’t cross it,” Master Han said. “The Heavenly Dao is protecting the small realm. Good luck, right? If people can’t get in, they can’t harm it. You can finally relax.”
Was that really true?
For now, she let herself believe it.
On the map, Canyon Realm Immortal Realm sat marked in the middle. Below it, a short line connected to the dotted circle of little li realm.
From Canyon Realm Immortal Realm, two routes branched outward, each passing through several Immortal Realms before connecting back up to Deng Yun Realm Immortal Realm at the top.
Master Han tapped the left branch. “These are the two most direct routes. From here, take the west teleport array. You’ll pass through feng yuan, qing ting, a nan shang realm, wei ming realm, and si si realm, then reach Canyon Realm.”
His finger slid to the right. “Or take the east teleport array. You’ll pass wan bang realm, Wu She Realm, then reach wen tai realm, and from there to Canyon Realm.”
Hu Qing didn’t speak. The map didn’t just show the path—it listed teleport fares too.
She did the math in her head. The western route took more stops, but it was cheaper.
“The eastern route…” she said, glancing up.
Master Han’s expression darkened. “Wu She Realm is a devil realm. Wen tai realm is half immortal, half devil. The eastern route is faster, but it’s dangerous. I recommend the west.”
Hu Qing swallowed. “Are the Devil Clan… that vicious?”
Master Han answered plainly. “Their moods are unpredictable. Good, bad, you can’t tell. You can’t gamble your life on luck.”
Hu Qing nodded hard. “West route.”
Then her stomach sank.
Even the cheaper route was brutal. The western route would still cost well over a hundred thousand spirit crystals by the time she was done. The eastern route would be more than five hundred thousand.
Master Han rolled the map up and shoved it into her hands. “Keep it. Decide for yourself.”
Then, like Gourmet House always did, he immediately followed it with business. “Have Da Mu walk you through all our ingredients. When you get back, see if your little li realm has anything we don’t. If you can bring it here, there’ll be a reward.”
Hu Qing couldn’t help laughing. “Fine. But if you hear about any way to make money, save it for me. I’m not leaving yet.”
She rubbed her forehead. “Back then, I didn’t think much of it. How did I end up this far away?”
Master Han hesitated, then said, “I have a guess. Whoever abducted you might’ve used a teleportation scroll. That’s the only thing that could carry someone across multiple Immortal Realms that fast.”
“A teleportation scroll?” Hu Qing stared. “Those exist?”
“They do,” Master Han said. “And they’re expensive.”
Hu Qing exhaled slowly. “Thank goodness outsiders can’t enter little li realm. Otherwise they’d strip it bare.”
From that day on, Hu Qing did nothing but earn travel money.
When she finally scraped together ten thousand low-grade spirit crystals, she bought wine and kept her promise—she treated everyone to a proper drink.
Da Mu tried to talk her out of it. “Save more before you leave. You still don’t have enough for the fare.”
“I miss home,” Hu Qing said simply. “I can’t wait. I’ll figure it out on the road.”
She already had a plan. She just couldn’t tell anyone.
Da Mu thought it over, then nodded. “There are Gourmet House branches along the route anyway. If you need to, you can always work as an assistant again. They won’t turn you away.”
Hu Qing’s chest tightened with envy. If only she could open something everywhere—an inn, maybe. Then she’d never worry about food or shelter again.
Too bad she had no talent for business.
She cooked the farewell meal herself. A dozen cooks sat in the shared courtyard, eating, and squirmed like they were sitting on needles.
“Da Qing, you’re too polite,” someone groaned. “Sitting here doing nothing feels awful.”
They weren’t wrong. Give a cook a pot, ingredients, and a knife, and they couldn’t stay still.
Master Han sat just fine. He sipped slowly, eyes following Hu Qing’s hands as she worked. Hu Qing, for her part, felt a quiet warmth in her chest. She’d run into good people here. If she’d met some noble lady instead, she’d never have had this steady, peaceful life—or the chance to save money at all.
She pulled out her best dishes. Everything—wine, vegetables, meat—came at internal prices. Even so, she didn’t dare buy anything truly extravagant.
Everyone knew she was broke. Ahem.
The courtyard filled with laughter and drunken praise. People patted their bellies, red-faced and happy.
“Da Qing, your food is amazing. It’s even better than what I make.”
“That’s too much,” Hu Qing said, though she smiled.
“It’s better than what the head masters make!”
Now that was definitely too much.
When the meal ended, they were too drunk to walk. Hu Qing carried and escorted people back to their dorms one by one until only Master Han remained, still eating at his own slow pace.
Master Han never wasted food. And there wasn’t much left to waste—everyone had cleaned their plates.
He hadn’t touched the wine. He only drank Neverdrunk, dipping steamed bun into the leftover sauce with a calm, methodical patience that made him look oddly pitiful.
He didn’t seem to think so.
The day before Hu Qing left, he finally put his finger on what made her cooking feel different.
“What a shame,” he said softly. “An old man like me can’t make that.”
Hu Qing blinked. “Make what?”
“Longing,” Master Han said. “Missing someone. The joy of having a home to return to.”
He tore off another piece of bun and dipped it again. “You’re in a hurry to go home. That taste gets into your food.”
His eyes lowered, the corners of his mouth curving in a faint, wry line. “A lonely man like me will never cook that taste in this life.”
Hu Qing was stunned, then suddenly flustered. “Master Han, you like my steamed buns? My whole family loves them. I can give you the recipe—it’s simple—”
“No,” Master Han said, waving her off. “I can’t make it.”
Hu Qing stared. A bun was a bun. How could anyone not make it?
Master Han changed the subject with the ease of someone who didn’t want pity.
“Da Qing,” he said, “you’re a good artifact refiner.”
Hu Qing nodded, already mentally declaring she’d become a top-tier immortal artifact smith.
“When you’re tired of swinging a sledge,” Master Han said, “pick up a ladle and stir.”
Hu Qing blinked. “Huh?”
“Don’t waste your cooking,” he said simply.
Hu Qing laughed, the tension loosening. “I won’t. I can’t waste my many talents.”