Chapter 68: Big Crab
After uncovering the hidden sub-map, Fu Yi and Lu Yunxi made a daily ritual of clearing the weed monster dungeon. Half a month later, Lu Yunxi successfully shattered the Level 70 threshold. At this tier, her teammates were strong enough to anchor the instance on their own, even without her master-level healing.
Finding herself no longer essential to their grind, she bid a fond farewell to Fu Yi and his squad and set out for Jinzhou.
“I’m back!”
“Xiaoxi?!” Hearing the familiar voice, Zhou Xiaoyu, who was sitting behind the main counter, tilted her head tentatively.
“It’s me!” Lu Yunxi looked around happily, but her smile faltered when she realized the shop was completely deserted. The vibrant atmosphere was gone, replaced by an eerie silence. If the place hadn’t been scrubbed so clean, she would have assumed it had been abandoned for decades.
Her brows furrowed in concern. “Where is Yasi?”
Xiaoyu’s smile became strained. “She’s… out.”
Lu Yunxi sighed. “What happened?” Xiaoyu looked far too worried for this to be a minor issue. If something wasn’t wrong, she would eat her own hat!
“…It’s nothing major, really,” Xiaoyu muttered, avoiding eye contact. “Our head chef jumped ship a few days ago to work for our competitors. Yasi was furious; she went to ‘settle the score’ with them.”
Lu Yunxi didn’t wait. She asked for the address and set off to find her friend. Halfway there, she spotted Yasi stomping back toward the shop, her face a mask of rage. Every step she took was so forceful that it kicked up clouds of dust.
“Yasi!” Lu Yunxi called out, patting her shoulder.
The moment Yasi saw her, the fury in her eyes vanished, replaced by a radiant smile. “Xiaoxi! You should have sent word you were returning! I would have had someone prepare a feast for you…” She trailed off, remembering her empty kitchen, and quickly pivoted. “I’ll cook something amazing for you myself!”
“I’m going to take a bath first,” Lu Yunxi said, letting out a breath of relief. Since Yasi didn’t want to talk about the chef situation yet, she wouldn’t push it until they were both rested. She was exhausted from the journey and needed a moment to decompress.
While Yasi went to gather groceries, Yunxi boiled two large pots of water, found an empty guest room, and washed away the grime of the road. By the time she emerged, the scent of cooking—though a bit strange—filled the air.
Lu Yunxi stood by the table, drying her hair with a towel, and stared at the spread Yasi was laying out. “So… what exactly did you make?” She leaned in, squinting at the charred, black masses on the plates. She couldn’t identify a single ingredient.
“Can’t you tell? This is stewed pork belly, those are steamed ribs, here are the stir-fried greens, and this is the spicy pork intestines…” Yasi looked at her with genuine shock, introducing each dish as if it were a culinary masterpiece.
To welcome her home, Yasi had clearly gone all out, but Lu Yunxi felt a wave of genuine hesitation. She watched as Xiaoyu sat down with a cheerful smile, picking up her chopsticks and eating with apparent gusto.
“Xiaoyu… is it actually good?” Yunxi watched her friend’s face closely, resolving to have a detoxification pill ready the moment she saw Xiaoyu’s eyes roll back. Fortunately, Yasi’s cooking only looked lethal; it wasn’t actually a threat to their lives.
After a meal that Lu Yunxi privately categorized as “glorified slop,” the three friends sat together in the quiet shop. Lu Yunxi reached out, taking Zhou Xiaoyu’s hand, and tentatively channeled her advanced recovery skill.
Yasi sat bolt upright, her eyes wide with a mixture of desperate hope and agonizing anxiety. A soft, pristine white light enveloped Xiaoyu’s face. Within seconds, the girl’s features shifted. Her skin, once marred, became as soft and pink as a newborn’s.
Xiaoyu felt a change. She tentatively opened her eyes. The sudden influx of light was so brilliant it brought instant tears to her eyes. She squeezed them shut again, her body trembling.
“I saw it! I saw the light!” she sobbed, clutching Yunxi’s hands. A wide, joyful smile broke across her face even as the tears fell.
“The initial brightness was probably a shock. Let me stabilize your vision,” Lu Yunxi said, casting the spell once more. “Try again. Can you see us?”
This time, Zhou Xiaoyu opened her eyes fully. She looked intently at her two best friends, reaching out to touch their cheeks as if to confirm they were real. “Xiaoxi… Yasi… you’re both so beautiful!”
Yasi’s own eyes brimmed with tears. The three of them pulled each other into a fierce, silent embrace.
Over the next few days, Lu Yunxi helped her friends solve their staffing crisis. She taught Xiaoyu several high-tier recipes, and with the girl’s natural talent, she quickly broke through the beginner rank to become an Intermediate Chef. With a unique menu and Xiaoyu’s new skills, the shop was more than capable of thriving again.
Having seen her friends settled, Lu Yunxi resumed her search for her aunt. Two months of traveling across the continent yielded no leads, but the time wasn’t wasted. She spent every spare moment grinding her auxiliary skills.
Standing on the shoreline, staring out at the terrifying depths of the deep sea, she paused. I should take those pills before I cross the ocean. More mastery means more ways to stay alive.
She found a secluded spot, triggered a protective barrier, and sat cross-legged. She swallowed all five of her custom-made pills in one go. Aside from a faint bitterness, there was no discomfort. Almost immediately, the system notifications began to chime.
[Ding—Congratulations! Your Cooking skill has reached Grandmaster level. Your Exploration, Breeding, Medicine, and Construction skills have reached Master level.]
Lu Yunxi beamed. This was better than she had dared to hope. Grandmaster cooking meant she could produce god-tier consumables, while Master-tier exploration and medicine would be vital for the journey ahead.
She stood up, stretched her revitalized muscles, and prepared for the crossing. She had heard rumors that the only way to reach the neighboring continent was to swim the entire distance. Even her master had confirmed this ridiculous requirement.
I guess it’s now or never.
She changed into waterproof gear, took a deep breath, and stepped toward the surf. But before her foot could hit the water, a massive beam of energy slammed into the sand beside her. She dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the impact.
A colossal crab was skittering toward her, its massive claws snapping. It was chasing a figure in the distance. Yunxi was stunned—she had never seen a crab move that fast! She dodged its next lunge and plunged into the sea.
Just as she submerged, she spotted a familiar silhouette above the water. Wait—is that my apprentice?!
Shen San saw her at the same moment. “Master! Don’t be afraid! I’m coming to save you!” he roared, leaping into the waves.
The crab followed without hesitation, swimming after them with predatory speed. Lu Yunxi’s eye twitched. Seeing Shen San’s legs cramp as he began to sink, she lunged forward and hoisted him onto her back.
Seeing them together, the crab sensed an opening. Its black eyes rolled, and it hoisted its massive claws. Yunxi gripped her fire poker, prepared to go a hundred rounds with the beast, but the crab didn’t attack. Instead, it began to spin. First its claws, then its entire massive shell became a high-speed whirlpool.
Lu Yunxi: ?
After a few rotations, the crab suddenly darted away into the depths. Yunxi tried to swim back to shore with Shen San on her back, but the water around them suddenly warped. A massive vortex formed, pulling them into its center.
Damn crab! Yunxi cursed inwardly. If I ever catch you, you’re becoming a feast!
In the next heartbeat, the vortex swallowed them whole, and Lu Yunxi lost consciousness.
