In the end, they sat at the table, staring at a mysterious dish emitting black smoke. The smoke seemed almost alive, wriggling as if cursed, radiating an eerie aura.
Kiana☆ swallowed hard, pushed the plate toward Siegfried, forced a smile, and said, "Dad, I love you. You take the first bite."
Siegfried's mouth twitched. He pushed the plate back with a determined expression and calmly said,
"My dear daughter, I love you too. But this is the home-cooked meal I made just for you. You try it first."
"....."
The two fell silent, neither willing to be the first to try the obviously dangerous food.
-----------------------------
Just then, Fu Lin happened to walk out of the room, but when he saw the food on the table, he didn't even think about it—he turned around without hesitation, ready to head back into the room.
But before he could take a second step, a strong hand suddenly stopped him, and Siegfried's voice came from beside him,
"Kid, you've suffered such a serious injury, your body needs energy. Come sit down and eat."
Fu Lin was slightly stunned. He turned to look at Siegfried and quickly declined,
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not very hungry."
Siegfried, however, didn't take it seriously and said with a smile,
"Don't be so polite with me. This food was specially prepared for you. It's good for your recovery. Come on, give it a try."
As he spoke, Siegfried pulled Fu Lin to the table and pulled out a chair for him to sit.
As for Fu Lin, while his face was expressionless, his heart was in turmoil as he silently cursed,
'Don't think I didn't hear you say this is supposedly the "taste of home" made for Kiana☆, you old fart. Still trying to fool me! What a cunning old fox!'
However, despite the dissatisfaction in his heart, due to some sort of pressure or helplessness, Fu Lin was silently forced to sit at the table. His posture was somewhat stiff and awkward, as if he didn't belong at the table or in the surrounding atmosphere.
Siegfried enthusiastically pushed a bowl of dark, bubbling, unidentified liquid in front of Fu Lin and introduced,
"This is my specially made nutritional soup, called 'A Father's Love.' It's very beneficial to the body—go ahead and try it."
Fu Lin looked at the bowl of dark liquid, smelled the strange aroma, and his face turned slightly pale. He forced out a smile and said,
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm really not hungry. You guys go ahead..."
Siegfried waved it off with a smile,
"Kid, you're our benefactor. We never mistreat our benefactors. Why be so polite with us? Eat up—there's plenty."
With that, Siegfried pushed more food toward Fu Lin, encouraging him to eat more.
'This is how you repay kindness with cruelty!'
Looking at the table full of food, Fu Lin felt a wave of pressure, but under Siegfried's warm hospitality, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and start tasting the food.
Every bite was a challenge filled with uncertainty, while Siegfried and Kiana☆ watched him expectantly, asking if it tasted good.
Fu Lin forced himself to swallow a bite of food, smiled at Siegfried, and said,
"It's good. You should eat too."
Siegfried nodded with satisfaction and smiled,
"That's great. Then we'll leave the rest to you. The more you eat, the faster you recover."
Fu Lin 'gratefully' looked at Siegfried, his 'affection' for him skyrocketing, with countless words of 'praise' surging in his heart.
As dinner went on, Siegfried looked at the empty plates and nodded with satisfaction, boasting,
"This kid actually finished everything. Seems like I can cook after all—it just doesn't look that great."
Siegfried stood up and carried the plates into the kitchen, leaving Fu Lin, whose eyes had lost their luster and whose mouth was foaming, lying still on the table.
Kiana☆ looked at Fu Lin worriedly and softly asked, "Fu Lin, how are you feeling now?"
Fu Lin didn't respond. The corners of his mouth slowly curled up as he muttered strange words,
"he hu he hu he uh oh This world is never beautiful!"
Hearing those words, Kiana☆ widened her eyes in fear and unease. She couldn't help but swallow nervously, suddenly feeling lucky that she hadn't eaten her dad's cooking.
"That's terrifying—I didn't expect Dad's cooking to be that powerful. Wait, Fu Lin, where are you going?"
Just then, Fu Lin suddenly opened his eyes, covered his mouth, and ran outside. He rushed to a red pine tree and began vomiting violently.
Kiana☆ followed him out, scratched her cheek, and quietly retreated back into the room.
After vomiting up everything he had just eaten, Fu Lin's mind cleared a little. He took a long deep breath and cast several purification spells on himself before wiping the residue from the corner of his mouth.
Looking at the brightly lit cabin, Fu Lin clenched his fists, eyes filled with determination, and made a vow to himself on the cold earth. "This grudge will not go unavenged!"
.....
As time passed, the wound on Fu Lin's shoulder had completely healed.
One day, Kiana☆ suddenly suggested checking his wound again. She gently touched the spot where Fu Lin had been injured and muttered,
"This guy… as a man, his skin is even better than mine. And he didn't even leave a scar. It's just too annoying!"
Hearing this, Fu Lin reached out to rub Kiana☆'s head and smiled in response, "I wish I had one too. Scars are a man's badge of honor."
With that, Fu Lin began putting on his clothes, though he was well aware that due to the Garuda Factor, his body would never retain any scars.
"Rubbing my head again!"
Kiana☆ stomped her foot in place, angrily glaring at Fu Lin, though her eyes showed no sign of annoyance.
Just then, Siegfried shouted from outside the door,
"Kiana☆, we need to head out. More Honkai beasts have appeared!"
Hearing Siegfried's call, Kiana☆ immediately responded, "Got it, Dad! I'm coming!"
"See you tonight, Fu Lin."
With that, Kiana☆ quickly geared up, turned to Fu Lin with a smile and wave, then ran out to join Siegfried in heading to the battlefield to fight the Honkai beasts.
"Come back early."
Fu Lin stood at the doorway, watching Kiana☆ and Siegfried until their figures completely disappeared from view, then slowly turned and went back inside.
With Fu Lin now alone in the cabin, the previously lively atmosphere felt a little quieter, but he didn't feel lonely or bored.
On the contrary, Fu Lin's gaze slowly turned to the dust-covered kitchen. The corners of his mouth curled up, and a mysterious smile appeared on his face.
"Ki-shi-shi-shi"
Fu Lin muttered to himself, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He strode toward the kitchen and began busying himself, preparing a special surprise.
As night fell, Siegfried and Kiana☆ returned to the cabin, exhausted. As soon as they entered, they smelled the aroma of food and immediately perked up.
"Smells so good!"
"Wow, it looks delicious!"
Kiana☆ looked at the table full of colorful and fragrant dishes, drool slowly dripping from the corner of her mouth. She then looked at Fu Lin, who was holding a bowl of soup as he walked out of the kitchen, and asked,
"Fu Lin, did you make all this?"
Fu Lin smiled, looked past Kiana☆, and turned to Siegfried,
"Mr. Siegfried, I've stayed here for so long, I felt a bit embarrassed. So I specially prepared this feast for you."
Gulp~
Siegfried wiped his mouth, then nodded and said,
"Yeah, it is kind of embarrassing, but we never treated you like an outsider."
As he spoke, Siegfried glanced at the dishes on the table again. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he praised,
"Didn't expect you to be this good at cooking. If I'd known, I would've had you cook earlier."
Fu Lin chuckled and placed the soup on the table, then said to Siegfried and Kiana☆,
"Please try it. Let's see if it suits your taste."