Jia Junjie took his sweet time savouring each unique flavour in all the meaty dishes prepared by Xu Xingjuan. Some were heavily reliant on the meaty flavour and texture, whilst others had it merely as a contributor to the total flavour. All in all, it was a solid culinary experience.
Saddened by the fact that he had only one bite left, he accidentally let it show a little too much on his face. More than just one pair of eyes noticed his expression too. Out of the mother-daughter pair, though, Xu Lihua was the first to speak.
"Why do you look so sad? The food is definitely not bad, but it isn't that good." She spoke with certainty, as if there were better dishes in this world.
"You little brat! You better savour whatever is left on your plate because that meal is your last!" It seems like Xingjuan wasn't very happy about Lihua's slip-up.
After a bit more back and forth between the two, Junjie finally spoke up.
"Well, as you know, I haven't been 'alive' for very long, or at least haven't had any of my memories. So this is actually the first meal I've eaten, and it is easily the most amazing thing I have ever eaten." He didn't seem so witty when he spoke; in fact, it seemed as if he was just genuinely impressed by the cooking.
"Thank you, dear; it means a lot to finally have someone in this house, not naming any names, appreciate my cooking." No names had to be named because, by process of elimination, the picky eater became obvious.
"Anyway, I'm sure you don't want to talk about small matters like how amazing I am at cooking, so let's talk about your living arrangements and cultivation going forth." Xingjuan had already prepared herself to take Junjie in and wouldn't hear any rebuttals!
"Are you implying what I think you are?" Not meaning to be hasty, Junjie probed to see if he could get a conclusive answer and not make a total fool of himself.
"If by that you mean living with us, then yes, that is exactly what I am implying." She was giving him the kind of look that was unyielding, as if saying, "I dare you to try to argue against me; you will only be humiliated!"
"Alright, well, it's not like I have many other options, so for the time being, please take care of me." Junjie bowed his head slightly to show respect for Xingjuan, as he also wanted to leave a good impression so she wouldn't kick him out.
Sighing inwardly, Junjie thought to himself seriously, 'I need to get a place of my own; I hate owing favours to people. I guess I was just born for the solitary life.'
How miserable this young man was.
Before any further conversation could take place, the third person, who had been there the whole time, suddenly spoke up.
"Mother, you are going to let this guy into our home without thinking twice? You seriously see nothing wrong with that? In the end the call is up to you, but if I were you, I would rather swallow a thousand needles than leave my back wide open to the enemy." Lihua was still suspicious of Junjie, and rightfully so; his background and very convenient story just fit a little too perfectly, as if everything wasn't some mere coincidence.
"My instincts are sharper than most because of my cultivation, and they tell me this boy means no harm, so I will trust them with my life." Xingjuan wasn't actually lying either. Gut feelings become much more real the further down the cultivation path one progresses, as their body is more in line with the nature of the world, which knows the truth and from which all truth originates. So it is in turn very hard to lie to a cultivator without the appropriate techniques.
With a simple snort, Lihua retreated from the table into a door Junjie hadn't seen earlier, and it presumably led to a bedroom or bathroom.
"Well, with that matter settled and approval from my daughter, how about we start talking about your cultivation? From your questions I can assume the Path of the Divine doesn't sound very interesting to you. Are you, perhaps, one of the crazy bastards that wishes to pursue body refining?"
"It's almost as if you read my mind. Yes, body refining did indeed catch my attention, and although you've already done a lot for me by letting me stay here, could you also assist me with my cultivation?" Junjie asked shamefully. Give them an inch and they will take a mile!
"Yes, I suppose it isn't out of the cards for me to help you with that, but how will you help me in turn? Remember, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
"You are right, Ms. Xu, and I was wondering if you had anything in mind that I could possibly also help you out with?" Junjie really wanted to refine his body. It was funny; just an hour ago he didn't even know cultivation existed, let alone what it was, and now he wanted to dedicate himself to one of its teachings. How strange.
"I have something in mind. It would not only benefit me, but it would also help you get started with body refining too. While it helps me more, it's still a win-win, so what do you say?" Xingjuan purposefully tried to skip the details because she thought he'd be hesitant to accept if he knew what she wanted from him.
"Unfortunately you are going to have to be a bit more specific than that. Without know how I am to help, how could I possibly do it?" It was almost as if Junjie had read through her mischievous intentions.
"Well... I was hoping you could help Lihua train. And in return you could establish a foundation to begin building upon for your body refining thought it would require you to get, ahem, ...beat?" Even trying to put it kindly it still sounded pretty mortifying to get beat by that brute of a daughter she has. But if it was to repay this family's hospitality then what other choice did he have?
"Alright, I'll... do it." Much to Xingjuan's delight and surprise, Junjie had actually accepted her offering of letting her kid beat him up! But then she got the chills as she thought of something more sinister.
'Maybe he's a masochist?'