An Exciting Dinner

Xiao Ruohan returned home and habitually checked her phone to read the online comments about herself.

After a long period of begging for forgiveness,

the tone of the online discourse had shifted from initial mockery and ridicule

to gradually include voices of sympathy.

This was exactly the effect Xiao Ruohan wanted.

After all, Chen Feng was now a renowned figure, hailed as a hero of Daxia.

His public image was firmly established.

In her view, given Chen Feng's current reputation, he wouldn’t want others to label him as cold-hearted or unfeeling.

Over time, she believed he might succumb to public pressure, valuing his image enough to forgive her.

And when that happened, she would have the chance to learn the Eighteenth Technique.

The day she mastered it would mark the beginning of her revenge.

As Xiao Ruohan scrolled through news about herself, she was quickly drawn to the duel challenge between Jin Youxi and Duan Yan'er.

"That useless girl actually dares to challenge Duan Yan'er? She’s got a death wish."

In her mind, Jin Youxi was still the same talentless waste,

always clinging to Chen Feng with her coquettish antics—utterly despicable.

Two days later.

Amidst the mist of Kunlun Mountain,

a young man with his eyes closed burst out into the open.

Night had already fallen.

Chen Feng ran forward for a long time before finally reaching the nearest road to Kunlun Mountain.

The familiar scent of car exhaust filled the air.

Only then did he dare to open his eyes.

"Finally out."

"Easy to get in, hard to get out. Even though I didn’t venture deep into Kunlun this time, it still took me over half a month of running blindfolded to escape."

"Only those with strength surpassing a top-tier martial artist could pull this off."

After confirming his direction,

Chen Feng hoisted the velociraptor on his shoulder and sprinted toward Kunlun Sanatorium.

Arriving at the sanatorium’s perimeter wall,

he used the Heavenly Cripple Step to effortlessly leap over it.

However, his maneuver didn’t escape the surveillance cameras.

Soon, professional security personnel reported the incident up the chain.

The first to receive the news was Yang Honghui, the branch president of Kunlun City.

"That kid’s finally back."

"No idea where he’s been all this time."

"Wait—did you say he was carrying a velociraptor on his shoulder?"

"Are you out of your damn mind?"

Yang Honghui picked up the phone and informed the former Grand President, Li Kong.

After failing to secure re-election,

Li Kong had also chosen to retire at Kunlun Sanatorium.

He was exhausted and no longer interested in managing the Martial Arts Association.

Besides, with the new Grand President from the Liu family—a Martial Saint—taking over, there was little left for him to do.

Upon hearing that Chen Feng had returned with a dinosaur in tow,

Li Kong immediately got up and headed out to see for himself.

He also wanted to discuss future prospects with Chen Feng.

During this period, Li Kong had often visited Chen Feng’s home as a guest.

Even though Chen Feng was absent,

he enjoyed chatting with Grandpa Jin.

Over time, they had grown familiar with each other.

Jin Youxi and Liu Weiwei, upon learning of Li Kong’s status,

held him in high regard.

At the moment, Jin Youxi was in the kitchen cooking for her grandfather and junior sister.

Faintly, she heard Liu Weiwei’s voice outside the gate.

"Master, you’re back!"

Jin Youxi’s eyes lit up.

Instantly forgetting about the meal she was preparing,

she tossed a slab of butter into the pan

and dashed outside.

"Master, I missed you so much!"

She leaped onto Chen Feng, clinging to him like a koala.

Grandpa Jin clicked his tongue.

"This doesn’t look like a master-disciple relationship at all."

Just then, Li Kong arrived at the gate.

"Xiao Chen, you’re finally back."

"Well, I’ll be damned—you really did bring back a velociraptor!"

Staring at the dead dinosaur on the ground, Li Kong couldn’t hide his astonishment.

This was his first time seeing a dinosaur outside Kunlun Mountain.

In his youth, Li Kong had also ventured into Kunlun,

but he had only ever encountered dinosaur fossils or skeletal remains—valuable treasures in their own right.

A complete dinosaur like this was unprecedented.

Grandpa Jin was equally stunned by the sight.

His mind raced with calculations.

"A whole dinosaur skeleton—how much would that be worth?"

Chen Feng, noticing Li Kong, quickly set Jin Youxi down.

Surprised, he said,

"Grand President, what brings you here?"

As he spoke, he hurriedly opened the courtyard gate.

Li Kong chuckled.

"I’ve retired. I’m no longer the Grand President—just call me Old Li."

Chen Feng didn’t dwell on it and ushered Li Kong inside,

though he found it odd that the former Grand President had stepped down so abruptly.

Li Kong admired the velociraptor and remarked,

"You didn’t go back into Kunlun Mountain, did you?"

"With a whole dinosaur like this, you’re about to strike it rich."

"Sell me ten pounds of the meat, will you?"

Dinosaur bones could be used in medicine,

fetching prices even higher than tiger bones on the market.

As for dinosaur meat, while not as valuable as the bones,

it was still a highly sought-after tonic.

Rarity alone made it a hot commodity.

Chen Feng grinned.

"No need to talk about selling. I’ll give you ten pounds."

Li Kong laughed heartily, not bothering with excessive politeness.

After all, he had helped Chen Feng in the past.

Jin Youxi poked the velociraptor curiously.

"Is dinosaur meat tasty? I’ve never tried it!"

She rushed back to the kitchen, grabbed a knife,

and sliced off a piece of meat.

Grandpa Jin watched his granddaughter recklessly handling the precious meat,

feeling it was a waste.

But seeing Chen Feng’s indulgent smile,

he couldn’t help but smirk.

Chen Feng took off a small cloth pouch and handed it to Liu Weiwei.

"Put these in the fridge for now."

"I’ll go take a shower and change."

Liu Weiwei obediently unpacked the pouch and stored the contents in the refrigerator.

But when she saw what was inside, her eyes widened in shock.

"Isn’t this Nine-Leaved Yao Grass?"

"Rainbow Snow Lotus?"

"And this… could it be…?"

She stared at these rare treasures,

her admiration for her master growing even deeper.

Meanwhile, Jin Youxi fetched fresh clothes for Chen Feng

and resumed preparing a heartfelt dinner for him.

To ensure her master felt her devotion,

the meal had to be a perfect balance of sweet, savory, spicy, and sour.

Inspiration struck.

"Dinosaur meat stewed with milk tea—boba included. Master will adore this dish."

"For the main course, chocolate-cilantro noodles, paired with strawberry-braised ribs…"

While rummaging through the fridge,

she stumbled upon a few unusual ingredients.

To avoid concocting some bizarre culinary disaster,

she resisted the urge to experiment—

except for two fiery-red fruits that resembled tomatoes.

They looked strikingly similar to the Vermilion Fruits she had once given Liu Weiwei.

Vermilion Fruits, a type of heavenly treasure, could grow on almost any plant,

though their appearance varied slightly depending on the host.

It never occurred to Jin Youxi that their fridge contained five of them.

She simply mistook them for cute little tomatoes.

She diced two and tossed them into the dinosaur stew,

then grabbed a millennia-old blood ginseng,

chopped it like a carrot,

and threw it into the pot.

Humming a cheerful tune,

Jin Youxi’s mood was visibly uplifted now that her master was home.

By the time Chen Feng finished showering,

Jin Youxi had laid out a full feast on the table.

Looking at the table full of dishes, Grandpa Jin thought to himself:

"Would it be too late if I dropped dead right now?"

Li Kong, without any hesitation, chimed in:

"Old man, I’ll shamelessly mooch a meal off you today."

Chen Feng said with a chuckle:

"Elder Li, please have a seat."

Grandpa Jin glanced at the oblivious Li Kong and silently prayed:

"If this last meal kills me, so be it—but please don’t let it take down the former chairman too."

As soon as Chen Feng reached the dining table, he froze.

His eyes instinctively darted to Jin Youxi, and a sinking feeling rose in his chest.

"You made this?"

Jin Youxi proudly lifted her chin.

"Mm-hmm!"