Chapter 119: Mom, Another Bowl!

Yun Duo’er turned her head away and pursed her lips, unbeknownst to the others.

Her uncle and aunt were far too gullible; they believed whatever she said, which left her feeling rather unfulfilled. Her mother had told her that the existence of the Plant Spirit micro-world was a secret that could never be shared, but the Phantom Lotus Space was a different story. With their current strength, they could easily beat anyone coveting the space until they were begging for mercy.

However, to avoid revealing their true origins—since her mother didn’t want anyone to know she had once entered the 3S-ranked dungeon, "Lake Light and Water Colors"—they had to come up with a different backstory for the Phantom Lotus Space.

The idea of a "strange fruit pit" was something the mother and daughter had agreed upon. It was inconspicuous and sounded quite convincing coming from Yun Duo’er. As expected, the twins believed it immediately without a shred of doubt.

Yun Duo’er instinctively moved a few steps closer to her mother, distancing herself from the twins. She was afraid that the "stupidity" virus might be contagious.

Once the group returned home, Chen Biqin rushed into the kitchen. She quickly prepared a large pot of shredded meat and vermicelli stew, filling a big bowl for Yu Yan and her daughter. "Yan’er, you and Duo-duo eat this to hold yourselves over. The pancakes and wontons take more time; I’ll get started on those right away."

"Mom, what about me and my brother?"

"Do you two not have hands? Can’t you serve yourselves?"

Chen Biqin rolled her eyes at Yu Wan and began rummaging through the cupboards for flour. Since the dungeon worlds had descended, she hadn't been in the mood to prepare such elaborate meals. Besides, the twins were quite capable; they frequently entered low-level dungeons around the village, so there was no shortage of tiger or roe deer meat at home. Consequently, they usually just scraped by with whatever was quick.

She remembered there being a bag of flour, but she couldn't recall where she had shoved it. Finally, she found the dust-covered bag at the very back of the cabinet, wiped it clean, and scooped out a large bowl. After a moment's thought, she scooped out another. "Xiao Wan, go find Uncle Zhang and tell him to get some cilantro and scallions from the vegetable patch."

Yesterday, when the twins' group returned from the dungeon, families who had lost members were inconsolable. Those who hadn't lost anyone, like the friends and family of Yu Wei and his group, were infinitely curious about their experiences. With the addition of villagers flocking in after hearing the news, Lou Yuhui and the others were mobbed.

The twins and Chen Biqin had only managed to squeeze through the crowd of onlookers with the help of Lou Yuhui’s group. Eventually, the villagers learned that it was Yu Yan who had saved everyone, a revelation that went through a cycle of disbelief before finally being accepted. After the initial shock, the village chief decided to hold a celebration for Lou Yuhui and his team. Naturally, this was also an opportunity to discuss the ownership of the Tier-Xuan spirit beasts that Lou Yuhui and his team had brought out of the dungeon.

Those were Tier-Xuan spirit beasts! Even getting a single piece of that meat would be enough to cause their strength to skyrocket. Hadn't they heard Lou Yuhui say that a piece of Grade-5 spirit beast meat the size of a fist could grant anyone supernatural abilities?

These supernatural abilities were the powers displayed by Lou Yuhui, Yu Rui, and the others. Some could summon walls or spikes of earth, while others could manifest shields and arrows of earth. The most impressive was Lou Yuhui; his "Flying Flower Sword Technique" could actually unleash a sky full of wind blades! If they had that kind of power, why would they ever fear the terrifying monsters inside the dungeons?

Since they were holding a celebration and discussing the distribution of the spirit beast carcasses, and since Yu Yan—the heroic protagonist and the actual hunter of those beasts—was rumored to have entered an S-ranked dungeon again, the twins, being Yu Yan's closest relatives, were naturally expected to attend.

However, the twins and Chen Biqin were more concerned with waiting at the dungeon entrance to welcome Yu Yan and her daughter. Thus, the only outsider in the family who wasn't convenient to send to pick them up—Zhang Zhenye, the boyfriend Chen Biqin had recently taken—had semi-voluntarily stepped up to attend the celebration in their place.

They had been gone all night, and there was still no sign of them. Chen Biqin was half-worried and half-afraid that her family would get the short end of the stick. Those spirit beast carcasses had all been hunted by her eldest daughter! While they couldn't hoard them all, they at least deserved the lion’s share, or they would be truly at a loss.

So, Chen Biqin gave Yu Wan her instructions.

Yu Wan was a bit unhappy, as she was just digging into a bowl of shredded meat and vermicelli! However, she understood what her mother meant by sending her to find them. That was Grade-5 spirit beast meat, and Yu Wan couldn't help but feel tempted. If her family could get a larger share, she and her younger brother, both being bloodline enhancers, could benefit greatly. Unlike Lou Yuhui and his group, who could only absorb and refine meat from the same tier as their own, for them, any spirit beast meat was a treasure. Perhaps they could even raise their enhancer rank by a level or two. At the thought of this, Yu Wan couldn't sit still.

"Little brother, stop eating. Let’s go check on things." She was afraid that if she went alone, she wouldn't be able to hold her ground.

Yu Yan’s eyes flickered as she watched the twins leave without comment. She glanced at Chen Biqin, who was busy in the kitchen, and pushed the slightly smaller bowl of vermicelli to Yun Duo’er. She then picked up a large basin-sized bowl—almost the size of her own head—and began slurping down the noodles.

Including her previous life, it had been over three years since she had eaten noodles cooked by her mother. The transparent vermicelli rested in a rich, milky broth, topped with egg, shredded meat, and bean curd skin. The only drawback was the lack of greens and fried tofu puffs, which were essential ingredients in her mother’s cooking. Still, it was understandable.

The dungeon world had arrived; who was still making tofu puffs to sell? Those things didn't keep well, unlike dried bean curd skin. In fact, Yu Yan was quite surprised that her mother still had eggs!

"Mom, I’ll have another bowl." Yu Yan, who had worked up a sweat from eating, still felt unsatisfied.

"Coming right up!" Chen Biqin was unusually patient today, helping Yu Yan serve another bowl. In her memory, it was only before the twins were born, when Yu Yan was the only child, that her mother had been this patient and attentive. Yu Yan sighed inwardly, looking at this bowl, which, as expected, no longer had an egg. The two eggs in her and Yun Duo’er’s bowls must have been the last ones left in the house.

"Mom, there aren't any eggs left at home, are there?"

"These are Golden Plover eggs. They aren't as big as chicken eggs, but the Golden Plover is a spirit bird, so the eggs are rich in spiritual energy." Chen Biqin took a small basket of Golden Plover eggs and glanced at Yu Yan suspiciously. "You don't have anywhere on you to carry things, so where did you get these eggs?"

It turned out that Chen Biqin had been so focused on going to the dungeon entrance to meet Yu Yan that she had only caught a few words from Lou Yuhui and his group. She didn't yet know that Yu Yan possessed a personal space.

Yu Yan explained it to her. Ever since meeting the twins, she no longer carried the camouflage bag she used to wear. Perhaps it was the confidence brought by her own strength. As a peak Grade-4 Plant Spirit enhancer, she was already among the elite of humanity at this stage. A certain level of low-profile behavior was necessary to ensure her own safety, but if she stayed too low-profile, what was the point of all the painstaking plotting and racing against time since her rebirth? If she had to keep hiding the Phantom Lotus Space, living this life would be far too exhausting.

"That... that is truly wonderful." Chen Biqin was full of envy. After a pause, she said, "Do you remember where you got that fruit pit you swallowed? Look, you and Duo-duo both have such convenient spaces, but your brother and sister don't..."