Cooking still required some time, and Kui Qingqing seemed tired. Tao Ran said, "Sister, why don't you go take a bath and get some rest? I'll wake you up when the food is ready."
Kui Qingqing agreed and got up to take a shower.
Tao Ran looked at the remaining food in the house and realized that it wouldn't be enough to feed several people for the next few days. He decided to go find Luo Shuang and quietly get some food to bring back.
He walked towards Luo Shuang's pig farm but felt a tremor in the air before he even arrived. There was a flash of lightning in the sky ahead of him, and Tao Ran contemplated which way to go.
As he approached, he felt an intense coldness making him shiver, despite it being summer. Tao Ran peeked around a corner and saw Qin Ke and Old Zhang standing together, facing five strangers from the north.
Among the northerners, the man in black who appeared to be their leader said, "Qin Ke, don't think that by groveling and licking the government's boots, they will spare you."
Qin Ke's face turned cold as he replied, "I don't need anyone's mercy, and I detest being threatened. If you dare say another word, believe me, I'll make sure you regret it."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the five people across from Qin Ke turned grim. Each of them was a powerful ability user, but together, they were no match for Qin Ke alone. Whether in terms of reputation or anything else, they couldn't accept this.
However, there was nothing they could do about it. They couldn't really die here, could they?
With a resentful look, the five people glared at him and angrily walked away.
As they turned around with stern faces, they noticed a young boy hunched over in a corner, discreetly observing the scene. Their faces flushed with embarrassment as they realized they had been witnessed in their moment of humiliation. Feeling ashamed, they didn't dare cause any more trouble and all just glared at Tao Ran. Meanwhile, Tao Ran blinked innocently and flashed a sweet smile at them.
Qin Ke also noticed Tao Ran and walked over. "What are you doing here?"
Tao Ran asked, "What are you guys doing?"
"Don't worry about adults' affairs, kid." Old Zhang said, "Don't wander around if there's nothing to do."
Tao Ran said, "The food at home is about to be devoured by Qin Ke, the big eater. I'm going to ask Luo Shuang for some."
At the mention of food, Qin Ke's eyes lit up. He said, "Why bother asking Luo Shuang? I still have some at home." With his right hand on Tao Ran's shoulder, he pulled him towards his house and said, "I feel bad for finishing all the food at your place these days, so how about I give you mine? Just make sure to set two extra pairs of chopsticks when we eat, so Zhen Ling and I can join in."
Lao Zhang leaned in and said, "I'll give you my share of food too, just add an extra pair of chopsticks for me."
Tao Ran wore a mocking smile and said, "You eat food made by a kid?"
Lao Zhang remained silent.
Qin Ke, feeling both proud and sighing, shook his head. Lao Zhang's mind was just too slow. Didn't he realize that even as the boss, he never dared to offend this kid? Qin Ke had already understood that Kui Qingqing's cousin was skilled in cooking but had a particularly petty and vengeful nature. Fortunately, he was relatively easy to flatter. A few compliments and everything would be fine.
Qin Ke walked while saying, "Chao Ge, how come you're so talented? You're so young, and compared to you, we older folks are simply nothing."
Tao Ran thought to himself, it's good that you have some self-awareness, and replied modestly, "You're not bad either. Just now, those five people couldn't even beat you alone. It's more than enough."
"I feel like it's not enough," Qin Ke said. "I wish I could be as powerful as you."
Tao Ran responded, "That depends on talent..."
One person was intentionally flattering and the other was enjoying the flattery. When Kui Qingqing woke up to eat, she found two people already seated in the house. Qin Ke smiled and said, "Oh, you're up? You've worked hard."
Kui Qingqing's mouth twitched, and she glanced towards the kitchen, wondering, didn't Chao Ge dislike Qin Ke, why did he allow him to come over for dinner today?
When Kui Qingqing saw Zhen Ling also coming to join them for a meal, her mood soured. At that moment, Tao Ran happened to bring out a dish. Kui Qingqing complained, "Why are we eating only now? Do you want to starve me to death?"
Tao Ran accompanied her with a smile, admitting his mistake. Qin Ke couldn't stand it and said, "It's not that late. He's already quite fast."
Kui Qingqing glared at him. "What's it to you?"
Qin Ke stuttered, "Um..."
Being rebuked in front of others, Qin Ke felt his pride wounded, so he changed the subject and said, "Wow, braised fish. Where did the fish come from?"
Tao Ran glanced at Kui Qingqing and replied, "We caught it from the lake in town."
Kui Qingqing's back stiffened as she remembered the incident on the lake when she was asked for a kiss forcibly.
Qin Ke hadn't eaten fish in a long time, and he looked at the deliciously braised fish with saliva almost dripping. "That lake has quite a few mutant fish, huh? How did you manage to catch them?"
Tao Ran said, "We just caught them casually. If you want to eat, you can come with me to catch fish later."
"Alright, alright," Qin Ke eagerly agreed. "Let's catch some fish for the brothers to taste."
The meal basically went into Kui Qingqing and Qin Ke's stomachs. If there was something in common between them, it would probably be their love for food. Unfortunately, two foodies being together was destined to have no good outcome, so Tao Ran and Zhen Ling came to their rescue.
After the meal, Zhen Ling took the initiative to wash the dishes, while Kui Qingqing slumped on the sofa and asked, "Is there any fruit left? Bring some over after washing."
Tao Ran went to wash the fruit, and Qin Ke said, "I've already declined their offer, but..."
Kui Qingqing interrupted, "Are you thinking of secretly informing the government?"
"Yes," Qin Ke readily admitted, then continued, "They operate in secret, and the government is unprepared. It's very likely that..."
"Don't forget your identity, you're a supernatural being," Kui Qingqing glanced towards the kitchen and said, "We support you if you don't side with the other supernatural being, but that doesn't mean we'll support you helping the government."
"Alright," Qin Ke sighed, "I won't say anything. Let's leave it to fate. After so many years of hardships, I wonder if humanity can overcome this obstacle."
Kui Qingqing remarked, "Dinosaurs thought the same back then."
Qin Ke remained silent.
The five individuals from the north returned and reported Qin Ke's attitude. The leader of that supernatural being alliance wore a displeased expression. They had long heard of the names of Qin Ke and Kui Qingqing, the two powerful individuals. Losing their support would make this war much more difficult.
The five individuals, having suffered Qin Ke's wrath, noticed the leader was still trying to win over Qin Ke. They said, "It's impossible for them to help us. Qin Ke is close to the government, and his girlfriend is an ordinary person. They won't assist us."
The leader's expression immediately changed. Their plan had to remain confidential; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to catch their opponents off guard. If Qin Ke was truly aligned with the government, would he pass them the information?
The leader asked, "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. I heard that the woman is an important figure on the government's side."
"In that case, we can't just leave them alone. Our plan must not be leaked. Contact the several forces near the town. If Qin Ke is likely to betray us, we can't let him go."
Tao Ran brought a plate of peaches, and the four of them sat together, eating the peaches. Zhen Ling suddenly remembered something and asked, "What were those five outsiders here for?"
Kui Qingqing glanced at Qin Ke. Qin Ke knew that once Zhen Ling found out this information, she wouldn't let it go so easily. She would either find a way to leave or force him to disclose the information to the government. To avoid getting himself into a difficult situation, Qin Ke had to keep it from her and said, "They just came to inquire about the situation. You know, supernatural forces also need to communicate with each other regularly, in order to prevent some countryside supernatural beings from living too ignorantly."
Zhen Ling nodded, still feeling a bit puzzled. However, since the town remained as peaceful as ever, she didn't dwell on it too much. Tao Ran knew what was going on, but he pretended not to and just obediently ate the peaches without saying a word.
Qin Ke said, "Our town is self-sufficient enough, but it's a bit monotonous. We mostly have pork for meat, and although we have plenty of vegetables, I don't like eating vegetables. I think we should find a way to have more variety of meat. We still have time to do it now, so in winter, we can have lamb and beef hot pot..."
Zhen Ling interjected, "Animals like sheep and cows have more variations, and their attack power increases after mutation, making them difficult to raise."
"What's there to fear? We're all supernaturals here. Are we afraid of not being able to handle cows?" Qin Ke turned to Tao Ran and asked, "You said that we would go fishing together. How do we do that?"
Tao Ran glanced at him silently and said, "You put your hand into the water and give them an electric shock."
Qin Ke: "..."
Although this method might be effective, Qin Ke couldn't guarantee that he would be able to retrieve his hand intact. So he declined his suggestion. Tao Ran looked at him with regret, as with his help, catching fish would be much easier. He, the fairy, would have simply summoned a large amount of water along with the fish, picked the non-mutated ones, and ensured he didn't get attacked by the mutated fish.
Kui Qingqing seemed to enjoy eating fish. As a man, he should fulfill all his woman's needs.
Kui Qingqing was unaware that Tao Ran had already categorized her as his woman. After Qin Ke and the others left, she went upstairs to rest. It had been exhausting these past few days, and Kui Qingqing knew she wouldn't fully recover unless she rested properly for three days.
At night, the town was quiet. A strange mutated frog jumped onto the shore of the lake and croaked.
Qin Ke lay on the bed, his hand touching the wall, while Zhen Ling slept on the other side of the wall. He was sadly wondering when would he be able to cross this wall and embrace Zhen Ling in his arms?
A gust of wind blew, carrying a slightly sweet and fishy scent in the air. Tao Ran abruptly opened his eyes and quickly went upstairs, reaching out his hand towards Kui Qingqing.
Kui Qingqing opened her eyes and grabbed Tao Ran's hand, asking, "What are you doing?"
Tao Ran whispered, "Shh, hold your breath. There's something toxic in the air."