"Ryan, why don't you learn from Xiangling? As long as you treat everything as an ingredient, you won't have anything to fear."
As she led Ryan towards Wanmin Restaurant, Hu Tao suddenly made this suggestion.
Although Xiangling herself, whom she spoke of, was actually quite afraid of ghosts...
"That sounds quite reasonable. How about this, Director Hu, you help me catch a ghost so I can practice my courage... Oh no, I mean refine pills. If I can refine ghosts into pills, I won't be afraid of ghosts anymore."
Ryan first stroked his chin in thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up slightly as he suggested this to Hu Tao.
Hu Tao's words had reminded him; perhaps ghosts could also be a rare pill-refining material!
"That won't do. Can This Master give away business that's already in her hands? That's as impossible as Xiangling's boiled Fish swimming in water again."
Hu Tao shook her head, rejecting Ryan's suggestion.
"How about... Ryan, you catch one yourself?"
Suddenly, Hu Tao's face broke into a mischievous smile as she suggested this.
"I'd rather not. Who knows who would be catching whom..."
Ryan shrunk his neck, giving up on the idea.
At this moment, an even richer aroma of food suddenly wafted into Ryan's nose, causing his stomach to let out a faint rumble.
Although he used to be able to control his appetite to some extent, allowing food to digest quickly, he wouldn't usually let himself get so hungry that his stomach rumbled.
But ever since he took the Qilin Pill, he had been getting hungry extremely fast. He wondered if it was because his tail required more energy.
"We're here! This is Wanmin Restaurant."
"Don't let the small size of the shop fool you; the food here is top-notch in Liyue Harbor!"
"And This Master and the chef here, Xiangling, have a relationship of both teacher and friend."
Hu Tao led Ryan to a bustling restaurant and turned to introduce it to Ryan with some pride.
"It looks good..."
Ryan looked at the lively Wanmin Restaurant, bustling during dinner rush, and felt a surge of anticipation.
"But 'teacher and friend'... has Director Hu ever learned to cook?"
Then Ryan curiously asked Hu Tao.
As it was dinner time, all the tables inside Wanmin Restaurant were occupied, so Ryan had no choice but to follow Hu Tao and sit at an outdoor table.
This wasn't Feiyun Slope; the regulations here were relatively lax, and shops were not prohibited from setting up tables outside their doors.
"Of course! Being eager to learn is a virtue of This Master, and in the art of cooking, This Master is diligently cultivating, even more diligently than when This Master used to bury Qiqi in pits."
"Next time you come to order Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's services, This Master will personally cook for you to see."
Hu Tao nodded affirmatively, seemingly very confident in her cooking skills.
"Alright, This Master is treating today, so order whatever you like. There are too many people right now, and Xiangling and the others are too busy. After you order, I'll go tell Xiangling."
After speaking, Hu Tao shifted the topic back to eating.
"I don't know what's good to eat... Director Hu, you order for me. I can eat anything as long as it's not vegetarian."
Ryan rarely ate out, and Hu Tao had directly seated him outside the shop, so the chef, Xiangling, hadn't brought a menu. He didn't know what to order.
"I see. Well, that brings up a new question. Ryan, do you consider stir-fried Slime with Qingxin to be meat?"
Hu Tao nodded knowingly, then gave a mischievous smile as she posed such a question to Ryan.
"Wha-what...? Can you even stir-fry that?"
Ryan's eyes widened at the words, and he subconsciously thought of the Geo Slime that Shenhe called a "little coal ball."
For a moment, Ryan was so startled that he got goosebumps.
"Right, right? This Master thinks so too. It's a pity Xiangling occasionally likes these things."
Hearing Ryan's doubt, Hu Tao immediately nodded in agreement, then shrugged and stood up, walking into Wanmin Restaurant to order.
"Lulu~ Lu~"
Soon, Hu Tao, having placed the order, walked back, accompanied by a small yellow panda standing on two legs.
"This Master ordered the famous Wanmin Restaurant's Boiled Fish, and some side dishes."
Hu Tao explained as she returned and sat opposite Ryan.
The little panda, meanwhile, tiptoed and placed the bowls and chopsticks it was holding onto the table in front of them, with spoons already in the bowls.
"Lulu~"
After placing the bowls and chopsticks on the table, it waved at Ryan, then happily went back to help.
"That's Guoba, Xiangling's good friend."
Hu Tao noticed Ryan watching the departing Guoba and introduced him.
"A pill-refining material with legs that walks..."
Ryan, however, muttered softly.
"?"
"Be careful, Xiangling might hit your head with a ladle~"
Hearing Ryan's muttering, Hu Tao reminded him with a hint of amusement.
At the same time, in the Wanmin Restaurant kitchen.
"So busy, so busy, so busy..."
"Oh, my nose is suddenly so itchy. Who's talking about me... Guoba, quickly, give me a tissue!"
Xiangling, busy stir-frying, suddenly felt an itch in her nose and had to call out to Guoba.
Hearing the call, Guoba hurriedly scurried on his short legs, holding tissues in both hands, and ran back to Xiangling's side...
Soon, the Wanmin Restaurant's Boiled Fish and other side dishes that Hu Tao ordered were served to Ryan and Hu Tao's table.
Because she was so busy, Xiangling only managed to spare a moment to greet Hu Tao and briefly introduce herself to Ryan before rushing back to continue her work.
The reason Wanmin Restaurant was so lively was thanks to the Rite of Descension, which attracted many foreign tourists to witness the ceremony.
And Chihuo Rock was the closest place to Liyue Harbor's eastern port.
"Hmm... the Fish is very fresh, similar to the Fish Master saved. Although it's a bit spicy, the taste is indeed good..."
After a brief taste of Wanmin Restaurant's dishes, Ryan gave a very positive review.
Because the meat he ate on the mountain was either caught and killed by himself, or "rescued" by Cloud Retainer from vendors, it was usually very fresh...
After dinner, it was time for Hu Tao to work.
What kind of work it was, Ryan wasn't very eager to know.
He had intended to escort Hu Tao back to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, but upon reaching the vicinity of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao shook her head and smiled mysteriously, not returning to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, but instead continued with Ryan, passing through Feiyun Slope.
Afterward, Ryan parted ways with her to return to Wangshu Inn, while she headed out of Liyue Harbor.
It seemed her work was not conducted within Liyue Harbor.
"She wouldn't... be going to catch ghosts, would she?"
On his way back to Wangshu Inn, Ryan couldn't help but wonder, after all, she was the Director Hu of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Thinking of this, Ryan suddenly felt a chill wind, quickly wrapped his clothes tighter, and quickened his pace back to Wangshu Inn.
Locking the door tightly, Ryan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew... The Rite of Descension is in four days..."
"I'll refine a pill for the Vanquisher of Evil then..."
"But I haven't seen His Excellency the Geo Archon in so many years. What if he doesn't recognize me and I can't give it to him? Hiss..."
"It shouldn't... come to that, right?"
Under such worries, Ryan, after resting for a while, decided to go to sleep. Everything would be known once the Rite of Descension arrived.
And what Ryan didn't know was that after he fell asleep, his tail quietly pushed aside the blanket, then emitted a faint glow, absorbing something from the air...