Chapter 85 : Dishes Cooked by a Demon Race Beauty
Chapter 85: Dishes Cooked by a Demon Race Beauty
Spider Brother Luo Yunluo had already been invited away.
That situation was nothing surprising—his younger sister’s performance in the secret realm had been dazzling enough, so as her elder brother, his strength was certainly no weaker.
He must have been snapped up early by another secret realm team urgently in need of combat power.
“This time, we really owe you, Long Tao.” Luo Yusi’s voice pulled his thoughts back.
Her tone was sincere.
“If you hadn’t thought of a way back then to help my brother and me join this secret realm team, we really don’t know how long we would’ve had to endure before everyone in the sect accepted us like this.” She turned slightly to the side, gesturing toward the lingering bustle left behind by the earlier visitors.
“Hey, saying that makes it sound too distant,” Long Tao waved his hand dismissively.
“You already had the strength. Gold always shines sooner or later. Even without my help, it would’ve just taken a bit more time.”
“It’s not like that.” Luo Yusi shook her head gently.
A trace of complicated emotion flashed through her six bewitching eyes.
“Actually… the quota to come to the sect this time was originally meant for my brother and another younger brother. It was because I really wanted to leave the Myriad Demon Mountains and see the outside world that I… shamelessly begged Mother for a long time and forcibly snatched this spot.”
She paused, her voice dropping lower.
“In an earlier letter, Mother already said that if I still couldn’t make something of myself this time, then… then she would call me back.”
Huh? That reason was something Long Tao had never expected.
Hearing it, it sounded exactly like a melodramatic struggle over internal resources within a big family.
“So… forgive my bluntness,” Long Tao probed carefully, mentally spinning up a scene of sibling conflict, “could it be that your younger brother has always been resentful because you took his quota?”
“That’s not it.” Luo Yusi shook her head again.
“It’s because my mother… she only has one daughter—me. She’s always wanted to keep me by her side to accompany her. How should I put it… her desire for control is a bit strong. That’s why I’ve always wanted to find a chance to come out. But if I didn’t make any real progress, I’d be too embarrassed to insist on staying outside… after all, the expenses for my brother and me living in the sect aren’t small. We can’t keep taking resources from the family with a clear conscience.”
This… was yet another unexpected reason.
Long Tao didn’t know how to respond for a moment, but he quickly caught a contradiction and couldn’t help asking out of curiosity.
“Uh, forgive me for being straightforward,” he tried to make his tone less offensive.
“You spiders… aren’t you said to be able to give birth to… a lot at once? How did it end up with you being the only daughter?”
Hearing such a blunt question involving reproduction, Luo Yusi’s cheeks immediately flushed with two red clouds.
However, she didn’t seem angry—just a bit shy as she answered honestly.
“Our demon race… isn’t the same as you humans. Not every offspring is born with complete spiritual intelligence. Although the number of offspring in a single pregnancy is indeed very large, most brothers and sisters… um, using your terms, are more like ordinary… animals. They can only be counted as common offspring. Mother usually doesn’t pay them much attention—she just ensures they can survive normally.”
Having lived in the human world for a long time, Luo Yusi understood well the differences in moral ethics and cognition between the two races, so she explained as carefully as possible.
“Only those like my brother and me, who are born with awakened spiritual intelligence and can step onto the path of cultivation, are acknowledged by Mother as true family bloodline and given resources and nurturing. Among all of Mother’s offspring, twelve awakened their spiritual intelligence in total—but only I am… a daughter. So toward me, she really is a bit… overly concerned and protective.”
“Oh… so that’s how it is!” Long Tao suddenly understood.
“Eleven sons before finally getting one precious daughter! Any normal person would treasure her like the apple of their eye. My family only had me and my younger sister, and my parents were obviously more partial to her too.”
It wasn’t that the cultivation world lacked cases of favoring sons over daughters, but those were mostly in bottom-tier regions with sparse spiritual energy and little exposure to cultivation knowledge.
For people like Long Tao, who lived near major sects, were immersed in such an environment daily, and even occasionally saw Golden Core True Persons, having a son or a daughter was basically the same—after all, who knew which child would have spiritual roots?
The two chatted idly about family matters for a while longer, until the sun tilted westward, casting a warm golden glow over the courtyard.
Luo Yusi seemed to suddenly remember something.
With a hint of hesitation and expectation in her voice, she spoke softly.
“Oh right, Long Tao… recently, I… studied some of your human recipes and tried making a few dishes. I don’t know if they suit your tastes… could you… help me try them?”
Oh?!!
Hearing this, Long Tao’s heart leaped violently.
Th-this was… the plot where an exotic beauty personally cooked for him?!
An indescribable surge of emotion rushed straight to his chest, even making his nose sting slightly.
Thinking of this life after transmigrating—aside from his own mother and Xiao Ying, there hadn’t been a single other woman who had personally cooked even one bite for him! His opposite-sex appeal had clearly been abysmal.
And now… it had finally come! Who cared how many legs her true form had as a spider spirit—at this moment, in his eyes, Luo Yusi was simply a blushing, cooking beauty!
“Yes, yes, yes! Of course!” Long Tao replied almost impatiently, his eyes shining.
“Bring them out quickly! I can’t wait!”
Luo Yusi had actually guessed in advance that, given Long Tao’s usual politeness and thoughtfulness, he probably wouldn’t refuse.
But she had expected that he might agree with some difficulty out of courtesy.
After all, food made by a demon race while imitating humans—most people wouldn’t dare eat it.
Even tasting a bite would already be giving face.
But looking at Long Tao’s reaction… why did he seem even more excited than she was?
This completely unfeigned enthusiasm instantly infected her, sweeping away her lingering anxiety and replacing it with an indescribable delight.
She immediately nodded hard, a bright smile blooming across her face, and turned with light steps to slip into the kitchen.
After about half a shichen, Luo Yusi brought the dishes out one by one.
To Long Tao’s surprise, what sat on the table were actually several very ordinary home-style dishes: twice-cooked pork, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, braised meatballs, and a simple bowl of egg drop soup.
There were none of the demon-race specialties he had imagined.
“Impressive! You made all this by yourself?” Long Tao looked at the table filled with dishes and praised her sincerely.
“It-it’s okay,” Luo Yusi said a little embarrassed.
“I didn’t know your tastes and didn’t dare make anything too complicated, so I just made four dishes… try them first?”
Long Tao didn’t stand on ceremony.
He immediately picked up his chopsticks and took the lead, putting a glossy, fragrant slice of pork belly into his mouth.
Just as Luo Yusi had worried, since she didn’t know his preferences, the seasoning was a bit light—but the heat and amount of oil were perfectly controlled.
It absolutely counted as delicious.
He then grabbed a few bites from every plate, eating without the slightest regard for etiquette.
He knew very well that for someone who cooked, this kind of unrestrained, single-minded eating was the highest praise.
“Delicious! This twice-cooked pork, these meatballs! And this stir-fried greens… mm… vegetables really are the most fragrant when stir-fried with lard!” He praised between big mouthfuls, his words muffled, his expression one of utter satisfaction.
“That’s great! As long as you like it!” Watching him devour the food, Luo Yusi’s six eyes were full of joy, but she still asked, “Is it too light or too salty? Just say it directly.”
“Mm… it’s a bit light. Next time you can add a small pinch more salt,” Long Tao said after swallowing, offering a very specific and sincere suggestion.
“Okay! I’ll remember that!” Luo Yusi nodded seriously, as if carving his words into her heart.
Just as the two ate and chatted, the atmosphere warm and harmonious, even faintly tinged with a hint of ambiguity, the wooden door to the small courtyard—which hadn’t been fully closed—was suddenly pushed open with a soft creak.
The conversation stopped abruptly.
Long Tao and Luo Yusi both turned their heads in unison toward the sound.
Before the person pushing the door had fully entered, a crisp, lively girl’s voice, carrying a smile, had already come in first—
“Young Master! Xiao Ying came to see you!”