Invitation to a Meal

Gongshu Key’s teacher received the two of them.

The teacher’s surname was Xu, and he had since been promoted to vice dean of the school.

“Dean Xu, I came this time to ask whether Mr. Kong Rong, of [Book Seeker], ever worked at the school.”

The question was rather sudden, and Dean Xu hesitated slightly.

Gongshu Key chimed in to help: “Teacher, I’m just accompanying him. We need to conduct an investigation for a society mission. If it doesn’t involve any confidential information, could you help us out?”

Only then did Dean Xu smile again. “You really didn’t come here for nothing, did you? This isn’t much of a secret. In terms of age, Mr. Kong is my senior, but he wasn’t a member of the teaching staff. He was responsible for maintaining the banyan tree on campus.”

“The banyan tree needs a dedicated caretaker?” Gongshu Key had never even known such a job existed.

“That banyan tree is the symbol of our school. Decades ago, it didn’t need any care, but in recent years it has begun to reach the end of its natural lifespan. Even something called ‘evergreen’ eventually has an end.

“When I was a child, I could run around in the tree. But later, to protect it, your generation—Little Yue—you never got to climb it.”

“Who maintains the banyan tree now?”

“Still Mr. Kong. Although he has already left the job, the maintenance work has never stopped. He still comes every year to take care of it.”

“Every year? Around what time?”

“About this time of year. The date never varies by more than a week.”

Chen Miemie turned and asked Gongshu Key, “When is the annual selection of outstanding individuals from every profession?”

“You actually know about that? It’s happening these next couple of days.”

Afterward, Chen Miemie and Gongshu Key walked around the banyan tree once. From a distance, it looked enormous; up close, it was even more astonishing.

“It’s huge,” Chen Miemie exclaimed.

“Of course it is. The school buildings may be enclosed, but even from a bus passing more than a kilometer away, you can see this banyan tree if the angle is right.”

After leaving the school, Gongshu Key stared at Chen Miemie.

“What are you looking at me like that for?”

“I used my own name to ask around for information for you. You’d better not cause some huge disaster.”

Chen Miemie thumped his chest and declared righteously, “Do I look like that kind of person? Don’t worry. Absolutely nothing will happen.”

Gongshu Key’s face practically spelled out the word “Yes.”

Chen Miemie understood the ways of the world. Since she had helped him out and it was lunchtime, naturally he had to show his appreciation.

“Come on. I’ll take you somewhere with the best food and drink.”

Gongshu Key followed without suspicion as Chen Miemie led her along the roadside.

The two of them arrived at a bench in a secluded spot.

Chen Miemie plopped himself down first. When he looked up and saw that Gongshu Key was still standing, he cheerfully beckoned her over. “Sit here. Don’t just stand there.”

Gongshu Key glanced around in confusion. “There aren’t any restaurants nearby, are there?”

“Restaurants? No idea. I’m going to give you something to eat. I guarantee you’ve never had it before.”

Once Gongshu Key sat down, Chen Miemie snapped his fingers.

A porcelain plate appeared on the bench between them.

Gongshu Key had seen Chen Miemie battle [Knot] before, so she knew about his porcelain-related abilities. She wasn’t surprised when he conjured a porcelain plate.

But what happened next made her suck in a sharp breath.

With a cry of “Plate, come!” another porcelain plate appeared. Then he switched hands and snapped his fingers again.

“Roast chicken, come!”

A steaming roast chicken appeared on the plate.

“Please, help yourself.” Grinning, Chen Miemie handed her a porcelain knife and fork.

The rich aroma drifted into Gongshu Key’s nose and mouth, making her mouth water. She swallowed discreetly.

“This… You made this appear?”

“Yep.”

“You can do that too? Then I won’t hold back.”

“Don’t. Eat as much as you want. There’s plenty more.”

“This ability of yours is incredible. You could make a fortune opening a roast-chicken restaurant.”

“I opened one back home. Business was fantastic. Everyone in the city lined up to fight over my roast chickens.”

Gongshu Key took her first bite, and her eyes immediately narrowed in bliss.

Before she had even finished chewing, a rich liquor burst forth from the tender chicken beneath its crisp, roasted skin. Caught off guard, the violent collision of exquisite flavor and strong alcohol struck her taste buds head-on.

“There’s liquor inside!”

“Right. It’s a new product I developed just yesterday: ‘Drunken Noble Chicken.’ Don’t worry about drunk driving. My sedan will take you home later.”

“It’s unbelievably delicious.” Gongshu Key soon stopped eating. She didn’t hold her liquor well and couldn’t eat much more.

“You have such a tiny appetite. You barely ate anything. Back home, even ordinary people can finish an entire roast chicken in one meal.” Chen Miemie looked down on her a little.

“If ordinary people can eat a whole one, what about the mysterious ones? Can they eat two?” Gongshu Key noticed the peculiar loophole in his wording.

Chen Miemie shook his head and sighed, his face filled with displeasure. “The mysterious ones where I come from have no appreciation for fine food. They’ve all banded together and refuse to eat the roast chicken from my shop. Hmph.”

“Why?”

“They spread rumors and smeared my business. They said that if you ate an entire roast chicken from my shop, you’d turn into a roast chicken yourself.”

Gongshu Key burst out laughing. “How ridiculous! People actually believe that? It’s obviously just a rumor.”

Chen Miemie nodded repeatedly in deep agreement, as if he had finally found someone who understood him.

“Exactly, exactly. Since we’re friends, let me clear things up for you. The roast chicken from my shop doesn’t require you to eat an entire one to turn into a roast chicken.”

“Really?” Gongshu Key paused for a moment, then laughed again. “Leave it to you. That joke isn’t very sophisticated, though. It’s so obviously fake that anyone could see through it.”

Chen Miemie glanced sideways at her. “Is that so?”

Gongshu Key was still laughing. She laughed twice more, then suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

She looked down.

Her hands had turned into two enormous chicken wings!

“Ah! I’ve been mutated!”

“Do you believe me now?” Chen Miemie asked eerily.

“I believe you! I believe you! I don’t want to turn into a roast chicken!”

“Don’t worry. I can change you back.”

A third snap of his fingers rang out.

Gongshu Key watched as her “wings” transformed back into hands.

Cold sweat erupted across her body as the fear finally sank in. Belatedly, she asked, “When you said everyone in your city had eaten your roast chicken, you were joking, weren’t you?”

Even she, a [Mysterious] 5, couldn’t withstand that mutation. How could ordinary people possibly have been spared?

Chen Miemie grinned cheerfully. “I never joke.”

At that moment, Gongshu Key suddenly remembered something Society President Mortar Granny had once told her:

“[Bridge Maiden], Chen Miemie is the future president of [Silvermoon Court]. He and his society are people no one in their city dares to provoke. You should spend more time with them. Although people always mistake them for lunatics, they’re actually very nice.”

Gongshu Key immediately said goodbye to Chen Miemie. She didn’t even take his sedan, instead running straight toward the [Molting Clinic].

“I have to tell Granny right away! They really are lunatics. It absolutely wasn’t a misunderstanding!”