The woman suddenly covered Jiang Ke’er’s mouth, muffling her voice.
“Keep it down! If anyone hears us, we’re done for!” she whispered anxiously.
“Mm—” Jiang Ke’er hurriedly nodded.
In that brief moment just now, the overwhelming aura the woman revealed in her panic gave Jiang Ke’er a feeling akin to facing a Warlord of the Xian!
This Gambling Den Boss Lady was definitely not an ordinary person!
Yet, despite her strength, she still hid quietly in this cave, sneaking around without daring to make a sound…
What kind of existence could have forced her into such a state?
“Sigh, why does it have to be you,” the Gambling Den Boss Lady said after releasing Jiang Ke’er, her expression conflicted as she muttered, “If you recognized who I am, I absolutely couldn’t have let you leave…”
Jiang Ke’er tightened her nerves and tried not to show any weakness as she replied, “Senior, I’m a disciple of Lingyin Valley, and many senior sisters saw the Crane carrying me away… If I went missing, Lingyin Valley would definitely search everywhere.”
“I know, I know,” the Gambling Den Boss Lady sat down angrily, “I was going to tie you up and make you my cook… Ugh, this is so frustrating!”
“Actually, Senior, you don’t need to worry too much,” Jiang Ke’er said respectfully, “I will definitely keep my mouth shut.”
“Someone else said the same thing before,” the Gambling Den Boss Lady curled her lips, “Until I lost her sword to someone else… Hmm, that sword hanging on your waist.”
“Eh?” Jiang Ke’er pulled out Shuang Ying, “This one?”
“Yeah.”
It reminded Jiang Ke’er that Xun Fang-jie, who was sealed in the Void Realm, had once said that she won this sword from a Gambling Den Boss Lady in Ao Lai Kingdom.
She also advised Jiang Ke’er that if she ever needed money, she could try gambling a few rounds with that legendary Gambling Den Boss Lady in Ao Lai Kingdom—though she wasn’t sure if the woman was still alive.
Now that the woman before her was that legendary Gambling Den Boss Lady, it meant she and Xun Fang-jie were terrifying contemporaries who had lived for thousands of years!
This kind of powerhouse was someone Jiang Ke’er could not afford to offend!
But… fortune favors the bold, after all.
“Senior, how about this,” Jiang Ke’er bowed her head respectfully with a smile, “I’ll come every day to cook for you, but if we don’t establish some solid trust between us, you won’t feel comfortable letting me leave.”
“I see.” The Gambling Den Boss Lady squinted, sitting by the bedside and crossing her legs as she looked at Jiang Ke’er, “So?”
“So, after each meal, you’ll need to give me some form of payment… As long as the reward is enticing enough, how could a humble little cultivator like me ever betray you?” Jiang Ke’er said earnestly.
“…Cut the act! Do you think I’m stupid?” The Gambling Den Boss Lady suddenly exploded, “Someone else tried this on me before! They gave me a bunch of worthless lottery tickets and almost swindled all my underwear! I’ll never fall for that again! Do you think I’m just some fat sheep to be slaughtered?”
Jiang Ke’er’s heart skipped a beat, cursing inwardly at whoever had beaten her to it.
But this actually boosted her confidence.
Since there was a successful precedent, she could manage it too!
Thinking quickly, she rolled her eyes and said, “This is different. First, I don’t have any ill intentions, and it wasn’t me who sought you out… It was you who needed a cook’s help and approached me, right?”
The Gambling Den Boss Lady was stunned, touching her chin, “That’s true.”
“Besides, this is just a legitimate trade—give and take, mutually beneficial,” Jiang Ke’er smiled, “I cook for you, you give me a small payment to guarantee my loyalty. It’s like hiring a cook. How could there be any trap in that?”
“Hmm…” The Gambling Den Boss Lady fell into thought.
It did make sense.
Maybe she was just being too paranoid.
“Of course, if you’re short on cash right now, I could accept credit or some secret clues,” Jiang Ke’er coaxed gently, “That way, you can immediately enjoy a wonderful meal.”
“No need for that,” the Gambling Den Boss Lady said, casually stroking the Qiankun Bag at her waist.
It seemed she always carried her valuables on her.
So she had fled here to escape gambling debts…
“What do you want to eat today, Senior?” Jiang Ke’er got straight to the point.
She didn’t bring up payment first.
She would say: Just pay as you see fit.
Yes, just pay as you see fit.
“I’m sick of fish; make me some meat,” the Gambling Den Boss Lady said.
“No problem.”
Fortunately, Jiang Ke’er had some beef ingredients and vegetable seasonings in her inventory.
She quickly cleaned the beef, then set up a small copper pot, sliced the beef thinly, and arranged the vegetables on a plate.
The pot was divided into yin and yang sides: the yang side held Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Soup thawed from a few days ago, while the yin broth was filled with bright red, freshly fried spicy beef tallow.
Then she went outside the cave to fetch a pot of clear mountain spring water, boiled it, and poured it into the pot.
The charcoal crackled, and fragrant white steam slowly rose from the hotpot—
For someone starving and craving meat, a beef hotpot would bring an almost spiritual level of satisfaction!
The Gambling Den Boss Lady’s eyes went wide as she watched, her mouth watering nonstop until Jiang Ke’er served the seasoning carefully in a delicate white porcelain bowl in front of her.
“Please enjoy, but watch out for the heat.”
The Gambling Den Boss Lady immediately lost all poise.
Gone was any trace of the ethereal Warlord demeanor—she pounced on the table like a starving tiger, her chopsticks flying so fast they left afterimages!
Put food in, eat, put food in, eat.
“Is there more? Is there more?”
Two hours later, her hair was messy, and her eyes red as she stared at Jiang Ke’er, “More meat! I want more!”
“…You just ate the equivalent of three cows,” Jiang Ke’er rubbed her forehead, “That’s all. There’s no way my Qiankun Bag can hold any more.”
“What a pity!” the Gambling Den Boss Lady cried, suddenly lifting the copper pot and tilting her head back—
Thump, thump, thump—
She drank the entire pot of steaming broth, red and white, and after finishing, she still pursed her lips for more.
“You’ve got talent,” the Gambling Den Boss Lady burped and lay down sprawled on the ground, “Hotpot is usually hard to get the flavor just right. It all depends on the broth and seasonings, but your broth clearly has effort put into it. I can’t say exactly what’s different, but it’s ten thousand times better than the rest!”
“You flatter me, Senior.”
“Don’t call me Senior anymore—it makes me sound old,” the woman pouted, “My name’s Luyia. You can just call me Luyia-jie from now on, or ‘Boss’ is fine too…”
“Alright, Boss!” Jiang Ke’er obediently called out.
“Mm,” Luyia nodded with satisfaction, “In exchange, the meal payment… Let me think…”
Luyia lowered her head to ponder for a moment, then suddenly slapped her thigh with a realization, “You’re a disciple of Lingyin Valley, so you’re probably studying medical arts, right? In that case, I’ll teach you a unique medical technique…”