Transcending Dreams 3 - Chapter 5

“You are remembering our conversation with the Grand Elder,” Mei Lingxi commented, shaking her head. “I wish I could help, but I’m afraid it won’t work how you expect. It’s more likely to benefit me in someway rather than the best choice for you.”

William sighed. That reasoning made too much sense. He had hoped to use Mei Lingxi the same way he used Princess Jin as a compass in the Shard.

“So I guess I take my chances on the dishes, unless I pick Azure Dragon’s Breath Rice.” William’s nose twitched as he took in the food's aroma. “Is there a reason Brother Xu didn’t tell you what the dishes were?”

“He’s a man of few words,” Mei Lingxi smirked, “but Sister Wang is not. She was the one that told Chef Xu to give you a ‘welcome dish.’ And no, she didn’t expand on that.”

His followup question was answered before he could ask. It sounded exactly like Wang Xiaoling to do something like that, though he questioned what she meant by ‘welcome dish.’ He thought it was highly unfair that Mei Lingxi has gotten one before him.

“I should just go with my feeling,” William visibly winced. “Saying that out loud makes it sound even more ridiculous.”

“If that’s what you want to do, then I don’t see why you shouldn’t choose based on feeling,” Mei Lingxi unhelpfully added.

He ignored her and stared at his options. Azure Dragon’s Breath Rice would be considered the safe option with a known effect, but he couldn’t help but feel that dish was not for him.

William didn’t know the names of the other dishes, but it wasn’t hard to figure out what they were in general… mostly.

Leaving aside the Azure Dragon’s Breath Rice, the other four were dumplings, a salad, mushroom stir-fry, and soup. All capable of making him drool, but only one that made his eyes return to it constantly.

“Sister Lingxi, this soup—” William hesitated, knowing it might sound outrageous. “It isn’t made of what I’m thinking, is it?”

“I highly doubt it, Young Master,” Mei Lingxi shook her head. “Chef Xu’s cooking is miraculous, but acquiring phoenix feathers is likely beyond him. Even the Emperor will be hard-pressed to find any.”

The soup was golden in color and simmered with heat released by red and gold feathers. Adding feathers to food seemed a terrible idea, yet it looked appealing in this instance.

“What else could it be?” William asked with a lick of his lips. He wanted to pick the soup.

“… I honestly couldn’t say for sure. There are a few spirit beasts that have the blood of an Immortal Phoenix, but the bloodline should be so weak that it shouldn’t be possible to gain any benefits from eating them.”

William glanced at Mei Lingxi with a raised eyebrow. “I would accept that, but this is Brother Xu. Even you say his cooking is miraculous, so what’s stopping him from working his miracle to this?”

“It is as you say, Young Master,” Mei Lingxi chuckled. “I assume this is what you will pick?”

“Hm,” he nodded. Given what a phoenix represented, it made the most sense. He equated vitality with health, and that was sorely needed since it was the one of the few things he couldn’t increase naturally. Plus, he now had a red eye. Maybe the food with some red coloring would help… somehow. “Brother Xu said I couldn’t eat them all at the same time, but did he say anything about me saving the left over dishes to eat in the future?”

“Unfortunately, that’s not possible.” Mei Lingxi gave him an apologetic smile. “Sister Wang wants to give the ones you don’t pick to the workers we hired for the Rising Merchant House.”

William stared at her in confusion, wondering when they had the time to hire employees. He wasn’t in the Abyss for that long.

“… We’ll discuss that later,” he said eventually with a shake of his head.

“Of course, Young Master.”

William ignored the amused tone of her answer and took out the bowl of soup from the box. He licked his lips before putting the first spoonful into his mouth.

Despite the copious number of feathers littering the gold soup, it was the most delicious thing he had tasted. As expected for something Chef Xu cooked up.

He shoveled down spoon after spoon of soup under Mei Lingxi’s interested gaze. It was unseemly, but he couldn’t find the will to care after getting another taste of Chef Xu’s food.

The spoon hit the bottom of the bowl and he had to stop himself from licking it clean. He forced himself to put down the bowl before turning his attention inward to see how his body was affected by the soup.

William expected many things, the least being a strengthening of his Sprit, but as he observed the changes to his body, or lack thereof, he was destined to be disappointed.

Nothing happened.

The soup was delicious, without a doubt, but it seemed to have no effect on him.

“Strange,” Mei Lingxi said quietly.

He glanced at her to see a matching confusion in her eyes. “Did I somehow choose the only one that had no effect on me?”

Mei Lingxi didn’t offer an explanation, since she likely only had vague guesses at best. She noticed his eyes drifting to the remaining food options. “You were to choose only one, Young Master. While I also wish for you to have another try, it might end badly.”

William had to accept had, even if it was with great reluctance. “Maybe I can ask Chef Xu to make me one of these dishes in the future.”

“Maybe.” Mei Lingxi’s tone made it obvious on how high she thought the chance of that happening was. Near zero. “Do you have any instructions for me before I leave, Young Master?”

He gave that a serious thought before eventually shaking his head. There were some things that she could help him with, but it would be better to do it himself when he was released. “Nothing other than giving my thanks to Chef Xu and Sister Xiaoling.”

Mei Lingxi gave him a shallow bow before leaving with everything she entered with.

William stared at the closed door before checking his body to see if there was a delayed reaction from the soup. There was no change.

He sighed before turning his attention to the glowing formation in the middle of the room. Mei Lingxi’s arrival interrupted his testing, but now that could continue.

William picked the previously chosen chair and tossed it at the formation. It should repel the chair and cause a bit of damage as a deterrence.

He flinched in shock when the room flashed with a shockingly bright lightning bolt and thunder following immediately after. The shockwave from the sound forced him back before he regained control.

William could still see the chair get struck despite the blinding light. With the violence of the formation’s defense, the damage would be more than just the ‘bit’ he had assumed, but the speed at which the choir turned into ash surprised him.

The commotion died down, leaving a pile of ashes just outside the faded formation and a ruined room surrounding it.

“… That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

William nudged the pile of ashes with his foot and kicked part of it over the formation to make sure it was powerless. He looked around before he stared at the door, expecting someone to check if he was still alive after the unintended destruction.

Nobody showed up, which was curious.

He looked around the room again before deciding he needed to focus on his Qi. He can’t be going around blowing everything up by accident. The faster he solved the issue of being stuck using only Lightning Qi, the better.