This time, the system was surprisingly considerate—it even displayed a countdown timer.
Lu Wu’s hand paused for a moment. Looking at the diners gathered together in laughter and celebration, she chose not to mention the mood-killing news.
This was never a time or place that belonged to her. They had come together because of fate, but eventually, they would have to part.
A trace of sadness welled up in her heart.
So she turned that sadness into motivation and sped up her cooking.
“Wow, Boss Lu’s back in top form again!”
“Boss Lu, we’re running out of fries! Refill! Refill!”
“…”
The diners cheered loudly.
Lu Wu wiped the sweat from her forehead and suddenly felt like giving up again.
The laughter carried far into the distance, while her work never seemed to stop.
Today, every diner got to eat the food they had been longing for.
As the ingredients were rapidly used up, Lu Wu also watched the countdown approaching its end.
She lifted the final batch of fries from the fryer and arranged them carefully.
Just like on the first day, half were sprinkled with fine white salt, while the other half were covered with sweet-and-tangy ketchup.
Once everything was ready, she placed the plate before the diners.
“This is the last serving of food for today.”
“Please enjoy.”
She called out cheerfully and watched as the diners rushed forward, all wanting to claim that final serving.
“How wonderful…”
Lu Wu murmured softly.
Truthfully, she never had grand ambitions.
Even after arriving in this bizarre and miraculous world, she had never dreamed of becoming some sort of protagonist.
The only thing she wanted was exactly this.
To find a place, set up a small food stall, sell delicious food, and meet a group of interesting customers.
Watching them express all kinds of emotions because of her cooking was enough to satisfy her.
Perhaps because the time for parting had come, a faint sorrow lingered in her heart.
Unlike Qin Zhan and the others, she had a feeling that she would never return to this world from tens of thousands of years ago.
Parting this time would be forever.
“There’s no need to be sad.”
A gentle voice sounded beside her ear.
The Azure Emperor had arrived.
Just as when they first met, he still wore the warm and refined face of a young man.
He lightly tapped her chest and smiled peacefully.
“We exist here within your memories.”
“And likewise, you exist within ours.”
“Meeting and parting are simply part of life.”
“There’s no need to dwell on it.”
It seemed he had sensed her imminent departure and was comforting her.
Looking toward the crowd that was still laughing and joking together, the Azure Emperor appeared remarkably at ease.
He had lived for a very long time and witnessed countless farewells.
But that was alright.
Old friends always remained in the heart.
He believed that even across time and space, these feelings would find their way to one another.
“I…”
Lu Wu wanted to say something, but then the Blade Emperor and Flame Ancestor patted her shoulders.
“Little girl, don’t overthink it.”
“Perhaps one day in the future, we’ll meet again in another way. When that happens, remember to cook us a delicious meal.”
The ancestors were as free-spirited as ever.
Lu Wu’s eyes reddened slightly.
“Okay!”
She nodded firmly and waved toward all the diners.
“Goodbye.”
Ancestors.
Her soft farewell was swallowed by the sounds of laughter.
The three ancestors watched as her figure gradually faded.
[Return Countdown: 00:00:03]
[Host, please prepare.]
For some reason, even the system’s mechanical voice sounded gentler than usual.
Perhaps it was trying to comfort her.
“Go on.”
The three ancestors watched the miraculous scene with smiling eyes.
No lengthy farewell was necessary.
Bzzzt—!
A sound like crackling electricity rang out.
Lu Wu vanished from that place.
Beside them, the young junior was gone.
For a moment, the surroundings felt strangely empty.
Even the playful commotion began to die down.
Everyone looked toward the stall.
There would never again be a chef who complained with her mouth while her hands never stopped working.
“Goodbye, Boss Lu.”
“Boss Lu, your food was delicious. I’ll remember it forever.”
“Boss Lu, don’t forget about me.”
“Boss Lu…”
One voice after another echoed through the air.
When Lu Wu opened her eyes again, she had returned to a familiar place.
Not Divine Physician Valley.
But the small courtyard in River Town.
The very first place she had settled after arriving in the Qingyuan Realm.
Everything in the courtyard looked exactly the same.
Even though she had been gone for a while, the place remained spotless.
The familiar surroundings soothed the sadness in her heart.
She let out a breath, sat down in the rocking chair, and released the three little companions.
“Chirp chirp!”
I, Huohuo, the big boss, have reclaimed my throne!
“Woof woof!”
This Dog Emperor has returned!
“Meow meow!”
Sleepy. Want to sleep.
Free from the overwhelming pressure of the ancestors, the three little ones immediately regained their lively personalities.
“What a bunch of cowards.”
Lu Wu couldn’t help teasing them.
As she stroked their fluffy fur and gazed at the clear blue sky, the rocking chair swayed gently beneath her.
Everything felt peaceful.
Unfortunately, the peace didn’t last long.
Tap!
A pebble landed on the ground.
It had been thrown from the neighboring courtyard and landed right beside her feet.
Turning her head, Lu Wu saw Old Li peeking over the wall like a thief.
As expected.
Old Li’s spawn point was definitely next door.
The moment their eyes met, Grandpa Li grinned.
“Little girl, it’s almost evening. When are we getting dinner?”
Lu Wu had only been gone a short time, but his starving stomach felt like it had been waiting forever.
That little girl’s adventures were really incredible.
After being dragged around all this time, Lu Wu’s body felt completely limp.
She had absolutely no desire to work.
Strike.
She absolutely had to go on strike!
She was roaring internally when someone knocked on the courtyard gate.
“Boss Lu, are you home? If not, I’ll come back tomorrow and ask again!”
It was Lou Xiaotian’s voice.
“Miscalculation!”
That was Grandpa Li’s annoyed muttering.
Apparently, he had forgotten to disable the gate formation, allowing Lu Wu to hear everything happening outside.
Looking at the old man behaving like a mischievous child, Lu Wu smiled.
With a wave of her hand, the gate swung open.
Lou Xiaotian, who had been peering through the crack in the door, stumbled forward and crashed face-first onto the ground.
“Uh… you may rise?”
Still lounging in her rocking chair, Lu Wu casually raised a hand toward him.
Yep.
This was exactly how her diners were supposed to be.
Lou Xiaotian: “…”
He wanted to disappear from embarrassment.
He scratched at the ground with his fingers, only to discover that even the earth had been reinforced by formations.
There wasn’t even a hole he could dig to hide himself in.
“Ahem!”
Pretending nothing had happened, he climbed to his feet and dusted off his clothes before trotting over to Lu Wu.
“Boss Lu, you’re finally back! You have no idea—while you were gone, every day felt like a year to me. I came to this courtyard every single day hoping I’d get to see you again.”
“Heaven must have heard my prayers and finally let me wait long enough.”
“Luckily I never gave up…”
Seeing that Lou Xiaotian was practically about to break into song, Lu Wu rolled her eyes.
“Alright, what do you want to eat?”
His eyes kept drifting toward the kitchen.
Did he miss her?
No.
He was just craving food!
And when she looked again, Grandpa Li had already climbed over the wall with practiced ease.
Speechless, Lu Wu could only rise to her feet and head toward the kitchen.
Fine.
She’d cook.
“Hehehe!”
Lou Xiaotian grinned foolishly and followed behind her.
“Boss Lu, I’ll help!”
He knew it.
Staying in River Town had been the right decision.
Before everyone else discovered that Boss Lu had returned, he was determined to keep her all to himself for a while.
He, Lou Xiaotian, had finally turned the tables!
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