Chapter 12: The Li Family (2)
Xue Yang spent the entire day cooking and casually chatting with Li Hua.
Because he loved food of all kinds, he paid particular attention to ingredients when designing the simulation. He ensured the cuisine was wide and varied across the heavens.
Thanks to this, he had almost everything he needed to create exactly what he wanted: Polish goulash.
It was a simple meal that his mother made whenever she was having a rough day.
After everything he went through recently, he subconsciously thought of it.
It was a meal that was possible to find within the central plains of the first heaven.
He was missing some key ingredients, like certain spices, but fortunately, almost everything was there.
By the time the meal was finished cooking, the evening had come.
Xue Yang believed that the father-daughter pair should be arriving momentarily.
As if summoned soon after, the front door opened wide.
A man walked through the door. He had a bald head and a short beard.
He appeared in good shape for a mortal man getting up there in years.
To Xue Yang's surprise, right behind him wasn't a woman but someone who appeared to be a young man.
They had a small frame and baggy clothes.
Their head was covered with a bandana, and they seemed pretty tired.
Their face was covered in dirt as if they'd been working out in the field the entire day.
"I don't remember them having a son." He thought to himself.
They had blue eyes that appeared shocked the second they caught sight of Xue Yang.
As soon as their eyes met, the young man swiftly ran into another room and shut the door behind them.
"Looks like our guest is finally up." The man said.
He had a deep and rough voice, yet somehow, it seemed warm and friendly.
"Hello, my name is Xue Yang." he introduced himself.
"I woke up earlier in the day, and I've been waiting for the opportunity to thank you for taking care of me."
"I'm Li Qiang, and there is no need to thank me."
"The one you should be thanking is that little rascal that just ran off into her room."
Xue Yang tilted his head in confusion.
"Her? Wasn't that your son?"
Li Qiang and Li Hua looked at each other briefly before erupting in laughter.
Li Hua then cleared up the confusion while stifling her laughter.
"That was our daughter Li Qing."
"Oh, I apologise for my mistake." Xue Yang replied, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"It's fine, boy," Li Qiang said, patting Xue Yang on his back.
"You will discover why she looked like that in a moment."
Li Hua added, "That's right, it's a mistake everyone makes, but we make sure not to correct them."
Moments later, Li Qing came out of the room.
When he saw her, Xue Yang couldn't believe his eyes.
It was as if he was looking at an entirely different person.
He saw a beautiful woman with medium-length azure hair.
Her baggy clothing was replaced by a tight-fitting robe that perfectly showed off her curves.
Even though Xue Yang had met a couple fairy-like beauties, he still wasn't used to the sight.
This was one of the perks of being forced into this world, yet he couldn't stay long, as misfortune was sure to follow.
He was still lacking in strength and first-hand knowledge of the world.
It would be a while before he'd have the confidence to keep a beautiful woman like that by his side and be able to protect her.
He was momentarily in awe, yet he quickly composed himself and introduced himself again.
"My name is Xue Yang."
"I wanted to express my deepest thanks and gratitude for saving me and looking after my wounds."
"I promise that I will return the favour a hundredfold soon."
"Li Qing." She said briefly.
Li Qiang erupted into laughter once again.
"Seems like my little Qing Bao is a little shy."
As soon as he said it, a slap landed on his bald head, leaving a red handprint.
Li Hua spoke as he rubbed the back of his head in pain.
"Don't embarrass our daughter in front of a guest."
"Now, how about we sit down and eat? We can chat after we are done."
The four of them proceeded to sit down around the table.
Li Hua filled their bowls with the food that Xue Yang had prepared.
As the bowls filled, the room became filled with a wonderful aroma.
After taking their first bites of the food, the faces of the family of three lit up in joy at the taste.
The only one whose expression didn't change was Xue Yang.
To him, it was far from great. While all ingredients you could find on earth existed here, getting them was another matter.
To him, it was at most 2/3rd's complete. While it didn't taste bad, it was far from what he had imagined.
Yet the others seemed to enjoy it, so he chose to keep his mouth shut.
"Mmm, what is this? I don't think you've cooked this before, my dear."
"That's because I didn't. Our guest wanted to help and prepared the meal himself."
"I was intrigued by what such a handsome man would prepare, so I let him make our meal tonight."
"Handsome?" Li Qiang asked with a serious expression.
"Aww, is my dear husband jealous?" She teased him.
"Don't worry, you are still the most handsome man I have ever laid my old weary eyes on." She said, grabbing him into a hug.
"Hehehehehe", Li Qiang laughed, looking like a fool while doing so.
"I guess it's true what they say about a man in love being a fool for his wife." Xue Yang thought to himself.
"I know it's not much, but I wanted to do something for you."
"I promise to return and repay your family properly." Xue Yang said, appearing determined to keep his word.
"Let's eat dinner first. After we are done, you can take a walk outside with Li Qing and discuss such things."
"Aren't you afraid of leaving me with your daughter?" Xue Yang couldn't help but ask.
After seeing how she looked, he determined the reason for her earlier appearance.
"We don't believe a man with such otherworldly good looks and temperament would use any underhanded tactics with our Qing Bao." Li Hua stated.
Xue Yang simply nodded, and the four of them ate their food.
He listened as the family of three spoke comfortably about their day, choosing not to get involved in this family time.
After everyone finished their meals, Li Qiang told Li Qing to take a walk with Xue Yang.
The pair left the house and walked towards a lone tree on a hill overlooking the village.
As they reached the top of the hill, the entire village was visible below as the lights in the various houses twinkled and shined like stars in the night sky.
Xue Yang wanted to once again say that he would repay for the help he had received, but she said something that shocked him before he could.
"Why do you need blood?"
Xue Yang's head started to spin as words evaded him.
"W-what do you mean?" He asked, trying not to sound flustered.
She then pulled up one of her sleeves, showing a bandaged-up arm.
Taking off the bandage, she revealed two minor yet clear marks.
Xue Yang knew what those marks meant, even if he wanted to lie to himself.
Lowering his head, Xue Yang apologised.
"I'm deeply sorry."
"While I'm not sure what happened, I guess I owe you an explanation."
"I have a very special and unique physique."
"While it does bring many benefits, it also comes at a cost."
"One of such costs is the requirement for blood." He said with a stern expression.
"Are you a cultivator?" She asked as her eyes begged him for an answer.
"Something like that."
"What happens if you don't drink blood?"
"Like anyone without food, I will mindlessly do my best to get some at all costs."
He took a brief pause before continuing.
"But if I'm unable to get any at all, I will eventually fall into a deep slumber from which I won't be able to wake."
"... So you'll die…" She said bluntly.
"Heh, not exactly, but that's one way to think of it." he chuckled.
"Are you perhaps interested in cultivation?" He asked her, recalling her expression when she asked him if he was one.
She nodded her head vigorously.
"Yes, I've dreamed of becoming one since I was a little girl, but I never had any talent." She said with a sombre smile.
"I work at a restaurant with my father in the nearby town, and ever since I was young, I've seen cultivators and heard various tales."
"I dreamt of becoming like them and carving my own stories to inspire others one day."
"But because of my lack of talent, I would have never achieved much, if anything."
"My only real option would have been to follow a truly talented genius, but I didn't want to become known for being someone's woman."
"That's commendable." Xue Yang praised her.
"It takes a strong will to abandon lifelong dreams like that instead of achieving them while riding someone else's coattails."
She smiled at Xue Yang's words, yet deep sadness was evident in her eyes.
Hearing this story gave Xue Yang an idea as to how he could repay this girl.
He remembered the manager's words and knew that the odds were fate would be cruel for a girl like her.
But he didn't want to turn her into a vampire only to leave her soon after to fend for herself.
Only tragedy would follow, one that he would be entirely responsible for.
So, for now, he would merely suggest a way to repay her.
"What if I told you that I could change your fate?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
This seemingly random question knocked Li Qing out of her stump.
"While it's not something I can do right this moment. I do have the ability to change your talent and life in the process."
"I can't promise it will be everything you've dreamt of, but even those they call geniuses here wouldn't be your match."
"What? How? Is that even possible?" She fired questions at him rapidly as she looked at him with puppy eyes.
Xue Yang nodded his head.
"Yes, it's possible, but only because it's me."
"As to how? Let's just say it's one of the benefits of my physique."
A wide smile appeared on her face.
"So you mean I'll be able to become a cultivator?"
Xue Yang simply nodded his head. The next moment, Li Qing launched into him, almost knocking him over and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you, Thank you!" Tears of joy swelled up in her eyes as she thanked Xue Yang.
He gently rubbed her head.
"No need to thank me. It will be my way of repaying you."
"Unfortunately, you will need to wait until I can return."
She looked up at him, "Until you can return? Are you going somewhere?"
"Yes, there is something I need to do before I'm confident that I can help you properly."
"I see…" She said, disappointed.
"Will you be gone long?"
"I'm not sure." Xue Yang shrugged.
"I don't suppose you know how far from here the town of Travellers Rest is?"
"That's where my father and I work. It's about 100 li upriver from here."
"Is that where you have to go?"
He shook his head.
"No, but now I know where I roughly am and how far I must travel."
"I will do my best to return within a week."
"Two at most." He added
"Does that mean you're leaving now?" She asked, trying not to seem upset at the abrupt separation.
Xue Yang once again nodded his head.
"It's for the best that I do. The faster I get this done, the better."
"B-But can't you at least wait until the morning?"
He shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I can't travel during the day for certain reasons. I should hurry while it's still dark."
"I see…" She looked down at her feet.
"Don't worry, I'll be back in no time, and we will meet here again soon." Xue Yang smiled.
"I promise I'll explain everything then and repay you properly."
"So just wait for me."
She nodded and spoke barely audibly, "Okay, I will wait for you, Xue Yang…"
Xue Yang smiled again before disappearing like the wind and disappearing into the distance.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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SWHT What do you think will happen while Xue Yang is gone?
Spoiler alert: it most likely is and isn't what you expect.
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This chapter ended up being twice as long as I expected it to be, but I didn't want to split it even further.
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