"We're here. This is the place."
Kael stopped and casually tore the cloth out of Kong's mouth, tossing it aside.
"Pho—Phoenix Mapo Tofu?" Kong blurted out in shock when he saw the destination. "Is this… did my sister send you?"
This was his sister's territory. If she'd really sent someone over, then what exactly was she trying to do?
"No," Kael replied flatly. "She couldn't afford to hire me. As for my reason—you'll find out soon enough."
With that, Kael grabbed Kong and headed straight for Yuli's room. With his enhanced hearing, locating her was effortless.
Just like her brother earlier, Yuli wasn't asleep. She was counting money—despite the fact that the accounts had already been tallied. Still, she insisted on counting it herself for peace of mind. Truly siblings through and through.
Since she was awake, Kael didn't bother being polite. Carrying Kong, he slipped in through the window and entered her room.
"You—who are you—?! Ch— Kong?! Why are you here?!"
The sudden intrusion startled Yuli, but her shock deepened when she realized the intruder was actually her brother. Only then did she register the unfamiliar man standing with him.
"I'd like to know that myself," Kong said helplessly as he got up from the floor, shooting Kael a wary glance. After experiencing firsthand how terrifying Kael was, he didn't dare provoke him in the slightest.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Kael. I brought Kong here from Mapo Palace. As for my purpose—I'm not here to take your lives, and I'm not here for your money either. Go bring Meiling. I have something to discuss with all of you. It concerns your father… and the Dark Cooking Society."
Both siblings froze.
Their father had been dead for quite some time. Yet now this man was bringing him up—and tying it to the Dark Cooking Society, no less.
"Go get Meiling, Sis," Kong said after a brief silence. "With his skills, killing us would be easy. There's no need for all this theatrics."
Despite his arrogance, Kong wasn't blind. He knew when he was outmatched.
"…Alright." Yuli nodded after a moment's hesitation. "I'll get her."
As Kong said, Kael had brought him here effortlessly and entered her room without resistance. If Kael wanted them dead, she wouldn't have been able to stop him anyway.
Before long, Meiling arrived.
The youngest of the three, she was also the clearest-headed.
After their parents died, the three siblings had lived together. But their father's decision had separated Kong, sparking constant conflict between brother and sister.
The family was already on the verge of falling apart—something Meiling desperately wanted to avoid.
When she entered the room and saw her brother there—along with a stranger—her mind filled with questions.
"Now that everyone's here, I'll explain why I came," Kael said. "This all starts with Kong."
He turned his gaze to him.
"Let me ask you something. Do you think your restaurant is successful?"
"My restaurant?" Kong straightened up proudly. "Of course it is. My mapo tofu sells hundreds of plates a day, at three hundred a serving. Way better than my sister's place."
He'd been nervous at first, but the moment Kael brought up his business, his confidence returned.
"And what do you two think?" Kael asked, looking at the sisters.
"That's not right. Something's very wrong."
Yuli hadn't even spoken yet— Meiling beat her to it. Both siblings immediately turned to their youngest sister.
"Explain," Kael said, intrigued.
"Sis's mapo tofu uses cheaper ingredients, but the quality is fine. The family name carries weight, and her prices are low. Even so, she only sells four to five hundred servings a day."
"But my brother's prices are thirty times higher. For something that expensive to sell hundreds of servings a day is abnormal. A day laborer would need a full month's wages just to afford three plates."
"Our two shops are close to each other. After they both opened, customers were split between us."
"But I noticed something—Phoenix Mapo absorbed almost all the regulars. Some tried my brother's place early on, but once his prices kept rising, they all came back to us."
"There aren't many new customers around here. It's about the same as when Father first opened the shop."
"So where are my brother's customers coming from?"
"People who can afford food at that price—and in such numbers—that's not normal."
Her analysis stunned both siblings.
They'd been too busy competing over daily revenue to think that deeply about it.
But after Meiling laid it all out, the problem became obvious.
This wasn't a modern era with convenient transportation. Restaurants relied almost entirely on local customers. New customers were rare.
Hundreds of people suddenly appearing who could afford such prices? Anyone with a brain would see something was off.
"So… I was set up?" Kong muttered. "But if that's the case, why were they handing me money every day? What did they want?"
"They're probably after the secret Father kept about the legendary kitchenware," Meiling said calmly, turning her gaze to Kael. "That's your goal too, isn't it?"
Kael smiled faintly.
She was sharp.
"My family doesn't have anything else worth that kind of attention," she continued. "You're not short on money, and you've been funneling money to my brother. The only thing that makes sense is the legendary kitchenware."
"Legendary kitchenware…?" Kong frowned. "But Father was the one who knew about it. After he died, he never told me anything. Giving me money wouldn't help."
"Father never told you?" Yuli exclaimed. "I thought he left the secret to you!"
Back then, favoring sons over daughters was common. Their father had let Kong open his own shop—it looked like clear favoritism. And since the Dark Cooking Society targeted Kong, she assumed he knew the secret.
But now…
"I don't know either!" Kong said blankly. "I thought Father left it to you!"
Silence fell.
"It's obvious," Kael said calmly. "Your father understood both of your personalities. He knew giving the secret to either of you would only harm you. So he didn't. If I'm not mistaken, the information was left with your youngest sister."
All eyes turned to Meiling.
"Wait here," she said.
She left the room and returned shortly after, holding a map.
"This is the map Father left behind," she said, handing it to Kael. "It shows where the Garuda Knife is hidden."
"You're just giving it to me?" Kael asked, surprised.
"What choice do I have?" Meiling replied quietly. "That's what you came for, isn't it? But I have one request."
"Go on."
"I want you to make public the news that you've obtained the Garuda Knife."
Kael laughed.
"Impressive. You're shifting the Dark Cooking Society's attention onto me. That way, you'll be safe."
Originally, Kael planned to explain everything, maybe even show them a Dark Cooking Society outpost to scare them straight before taking the map.
Instead, Meiling exceeded his expectations.
Young, but the sharpest of the three—and the one who saw the situation most clearly.
When she handed over the map, Yuli and Kong felt uneasy. That was legendary kitchenware, after all. Neither of them even knew their father had entrusted the secret to their youngest sister.
But now, they understood.
They'd been outplayed—by their own lack of foresight.
"I agree to your request," Kael said. "I came for the knife, and I'm not afraid of the Dark Cooking Society. Since I've taken what's yours, drawing their fire is only fair."
He paused, then added,
" Kong, your idea of going high-end isn't wrong—but it doesn't work here. The people around here can't afford food at those prices."
" Yuli, your approach isn't wrong either. But you've priced your food too low. Cheap prices force you to use low-quality ingredients."
"You're surviving now because of the family name—but reputations fade. Without strong cooking skills to back it up, that name will lose its value."
"People eat out for something they can't make at home. If your mapo tofu tastes no different from theirs, why would they come?"
"Listen to your sister. She's smarter than both of you. And stop trying to go solo—otherwise you'll destroy the family name yourselves."
With that, Kael left. He still needed to retrieve the Garuda Knife—and see whether he could transfer its lifespan to his own blade.
"He's gone already…" Yuli muttered, watching Kael vanish in just a few breaths. "Incredible. He really came and went like a ghost."
"You didn't see how fast he brought me here," Kong said, shuddering. "Faster than riding a horse—and he was carrying me the whole time. That guy's terrifying."
Still, he felt relieved.
Kael's goal had been clear. He got the legendary kitchenware, and they were left unharmed. On top of that, Kael even agreed to take the heat for them.
That alone was good news.
Kong finally realized something, too—he wasn't cut out for business. Without the Dark Cooking Society propping him up, his shop would collapse sooner or later.
As for his sister, she had issues—but nothing as fatal as his.
"So… what do we do next?" Yuli asked. "It's obvious now—they used you to drive us into conflict. What's your plan?"
"What plan do I have?" Kong shrugged. "Without those people, Mapo Palace is doomed. Might as well close it. I'll come work with you instead."
He paused, then looked at Meiling.
"What do you think?"
"Yeah," Yuli added. "You decide. How do we survive from here?"
"I think we should close both shops," Meiling said after a moment. "Reopen Father's original restaurant. We hire a higher-level chef to guarantee quality, and set the price at twenty a serving."
Kael had already pointed out their problems. Their ideas weren't wrong—just too extreme.
By combining both approaches and running a single shop together, they wouldn't get rich overnight, but they'd live comfortably.
More importantly—
They'd stay a family.
Kong and Yuli nodded in agreement.
That really was the best option.
From now on, listening to their little sister didn't seem like such a bad idea after all.