Tiancheng City.
Dragon's Ramen House, a bustling ramen joint.
Mu Lingxi sat on a stool.
*slurp* *slurp*
She was buried in a bowl of ramen, using chopsticks to sweep noodles into her mouth and slurping down the broth whole. While others around her were also eating, most of the men had stopped when they noticed how Mu Lingxi gulped down her ramen like it was water.
Suddenly, Shu Fu, the hefty elderly chef, emerged from behind the counter and glanced at Mu Lingxi's gluttonous eating. "Eh, Grandmaster Mu, is everything alright?"
Mu Lingxi nodded, noodles still hanging from her mouth as she replied, "Yes, all good," before diving back into her meal.
Stupid Yang Wei! He's really stressing me out. It's hard to believe he's more fixated on women who can cook? I can't imagine that's his only criterion for a good wife. Maybe that's why he's so close to Lin'er, even letting her cook for him and worse... feed him.
Tch! As the elder sister, I should be the one who's good in the kitchen!
Shu Fu's eyebrow twitched as he observed her voracious appetite and the stunned expressions of the other patrons.
Every man looked at her with their mouths hung open.
"Are you sure you're fine?" Shu Fu asked again.
Mu Lingxi slurped up the last of her noodles, downed the broth, and slammed the bowl onto the counter with a satisfied exhale. She shot Shu Fu a slightly annoyed look and retorted, "What's with the interrogation? You should know by now I hate being interrupted when I'm eating."
Shu Fu hesitated, then explained, "It's just... I've never seen you eat this much before."
Mu Lingxi's temper flared, and she slammed her palm against the counter, shouting, "Are you calling me fat?!"
The restaurant fell silent as everyone held their breath, ready to flee at any moment.
No one took the rage of a cultivator for granted.
The moment they heard "You dare?" or "Courting death?" they would immediately exit the vicinity without much thought.
Since Tiancheng City was a popular hub for cultivators, denizens of the city learned to adapt quite immediately. After all, if a cultivator were to kill anyone, the chances they'd be held accountable was substantially low.
Shu Fu backpedaled frantically, waving his hands. "No! No! No! I would never dare! You're the sexiest, most beautiful Grandmaster of the Dragon Blossom Sect!" he exclaimed in a panic.
He was a married man, but he'd say any words to keep his wife from being a widow.
"Wait, you haven't collected your prize yet!" Shu Fu shouted from behind the counter.
Mu Lingxi ignored him and continued walking, but then Shu Fu mentioned, "It's a coupon for free 30 servings... and a plus one!"
Pausing abruptly, Mu Lingxi turned back and returned to snatch the coupon from Shu Fu's hand before resuming her departure.
"Hmph!"
That was all she uttered.
...
As she strolled through the streets of Tiancheng City, nothing caught Mu Lingxi's interest—not the pagodas nor the passersby; most of which dressed in an interesting fashion.
She let out a heavy sigh, finally noticing that evening had crept upon her. "Oh, it's getting dark already," she murmured, surprised at how time had slipped away unnoticed. "Damn you, Yang Wei," she muttered under her breath, frustrated.
She made her way to a bench in the small park's open space and sat down.
With a dejected expression, she lowered her head and sighed once more. "He can be so stupid at times," she lamented, her voice a bit dull.
As the hours passed, Mu Lingxi sat on the bench, lost in her thoughts.
Suddenly, she jolted back to reality.
"Hm?" she uttered, realizing it was now night.
Surrounded by darkness and nothing more; not even people, she sighed again, feeling the weight of her emotions pressing down on her.
Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on her knees, cradling her chin in her palms.
"I don't know if I should keep chasing after him or just go back to the Sect..."
Then, from the shadowy corner of the park, a man's voice broke the silence.
His voice was calm, smoothe, like an angel's.
"Why waste your time on such an incompetent man?" he questioned.
Mu Lingxi, lost in her thoughts, absentmindedly replied, "I don't know... Maybe I like him more than I realize."
The man in white garments walked forward, stepping into the moonlight. His voice softened, "It hurts to hear you say that, my beautiful wife..."