The moment Xiao Yun finished explaining the situation, Jin Huang knew he had found a new friend.
The young master sat cross-legged upon a cushion inside his residence, fingers steepled before his face.
Morning light streamed through the nearby window.
The atmosphere was that of a criminal mastermind revealing the final piece of a grand conspiracy.
"Think about it," Xiao Yun said.
Jin Huang leaned forward. "I'm thinking."
"The First Elder receives a steady supply of ingredients."
Jin Huang nodded, "Go on."
"As one of the most respected figures in the clan, she receives premium ingredients every week."
Xiao Yun lowered his voice. "However..."
His eyes narrowed. "...she doesn't eat."
Jin Huang froze, deeply perturbed. It was as though he had just heard the most unbelievable piece of news one could hear.
"What?"
"She's at the Inner Spring Realm," Xiao Yun continued, the words spoken with all the gravity of a great secret.
"At her level, food is practically optional."
Jin Huang's mouth slowly fell open. "Then what happens to the food?"
Xiao Yun pointed dramatically toward the distance. "It sits there... and just... well... sits."
Silence.
"Just sits?"
"Just sits there. No one so much as touches it- or so I heard."
Jin Huang clutched his chest as he lamented toward Heaven. "What a waste..."
Xiao Yun nodded solemnly. "Her servants sure have it easy. So easy, that I hear they've gotten lazy."
"They clean her residence- all the sweeping and dusting, but they don't have to do much else. They don't eat the food since they usually aren't permitted to touch it."
"Only important guests are served food from her personal reserve, but she doesn't even eat with them.
"And with the stockpile she has, they couldn't even eat all of that food if they tried."
Jin Huang gasped. "She's a monster."
Xiao Yun continued. "Her delivery area is stocked with preservation boxes. Nature magic. Keeps everything fresh for months."
Jin Huang slowly rose to his feet, the world suddenly feeling brighter and more hopeful.
And more delicious.
"You've changed my life, Yun!"
"I know," Xiao Yun grinned.
The two stared at one another, then both began snickering like two scheming raccoons.
Their laughter echoed through the residence.
Somewhere nearby, a servant sighed.
"Young Master Xiao Yun seems to be feeling better. I just hope he doesn't do something to stress out his poor granddad again."
___________
Jin Huang returned to the kitchens shortly afterward, the smell of simmering soup immediately greeting him.
Fatty Bao was busy barking orders while eating bits of raw ingredients.
Several servants chopped vegetables as others carried baskets.
At the corner of the room, Han Jianyu was standing near a table, a knife resting in his hand.
His eyes were closed, his breathing slow and steady. He was entirely focused.
The ordinary kitchen knife seemed strangely sharp.
Suddenly, a subtle aura gathered around it. Something invisible and profound.
The beginning of sword intent.
Just as the faintest trace of it appeared—
"Han Jianyu!"
A shout exploded through the kitchen, startling some of the servants.
Han Jianyu's eyes snapped open, the aura instantly vanishing. The knife became an ordinary knife once more.
Jin Huang appeared beside him, far too close and far too excited.
"I have incredible news."
Han Jianyu closed his eyes. For several moments he simply stood there, breathing slowly.
Trying desperately to maintain his composure.
"What happened, Huang?"
Jin Huang looked around before speaking in a hushed voice. "The First Elder has a mountain of food."
Han Jianyu kept his eyes closed and nodded "I see."
"We're going to fill my spatial ring with as much as we can. I have to refill my reserves somehow."
Han Jianyu sighed. "Not going."
"Why not?"
Han Jianyu said nothing, so Jin Huang launched into the full explanation.
The ingredients, the preservation boxes, the wastefulness, the injustice.
The food. Mostly the food.
By the end of the explanation, Han Jianyu had somehow gone from refusing to listening, then from listening to considering.
He wasn't entirely sure how it had happened. Something deep within him simply lacked the ability to refuse Jin Huang forever.
"When do you want to do this?"
"Tonight."
Han Jianyu sighed. "Fine."
Jin Huang grinned victoriously, his hushed celebration culminating in a raised fist.
_________
Night descended upon the Xiao Clan. The manor grew quiet as lanterns flickered beneath the stars.
Two shadows slipped through the darkness.
One moved with discipline and precision, the other occasionally became distracted by pleasant smells.
Fortunately, they still reached the First Elder's residence without incident.
The delivery area sat behind the main compound. A modest storehouse.
Simple, quiet and unprotected.
Apparently nobody had ever considered that someone might steal food from the First Elder.
However, to Jin Huang, she wasn't the First Elder. She was a woman who barely touched her food. A true menace to society.
The door slid open, and both young men entered before sliding it shut.
Once inside, they froze.
Rows upon rows of wooden crates stretched before them, every box bearing glowing runes.
This was the nature-aspect preservation magic that Xiao Yun spoke of.
Before them were hoards of fresh fruits, rare vegetables, grains, premium meats and dried delicacies.
This was the treasure hoard of a glutton's dreams.
Jin Huang trembled, falling to his knees as a tear slid down his cheek. "Beautiful..."
Han Jianyu merely leaned against a wall, his eyes closed.
His thoughts returned to sword cultivation- to the knife he had been holding and the intent he was beginning to grasp hold of once again.
He recalled the state he had nearly attained earlier.
While Jin Huang admired the bounty, Han Jianyu resumed his contemplation.
Jin Huang wasted no time, beginning to send items into his spatial ring.
He worked quickly, emptying entire crates in a flash before realizing he could just take the entire crate into his ring with a mere thought.
In those moments, he felt an intense love for his spatial ring, and briefly paused to kiss it.
Time passed, and as he reached toward another crate—
Something nearby moved, a large shape rising from between several boxes.
Then, a soft burp echoed through the storehouse.
Jin Huang jumped and Han Jianyu opened his eyes.
The figure stood, turned and smiled, its roundness seeming familiar to them.
"Oh? What are you all doing in my bedroom?"
Fatty Bao rubbed his stomach. "Pardon the mess, I haven't cleaned up in a while."
Silence followed.
Jin Huang pointed, his voice soft, "You! Why didn't you tell me about this treasure trove? Fake friend!"
Fatty Bao pointed back. "Me!? Tell me something, if you had found this goldmine first, would you have told me?"
Jin Huang shook his head, "Of course not! Fake friend!"
Another burp escaped Fatty Bao, "Well, now that you're here, treat yourself to some of the good stuff in these boxes."
Jin Huang picked up a crate and sent it to his spatial ring to demonstrate. "What do you think I've been doing?"
Fatty Bao marvelled, "Spatial magic? How amazing! Can this effect be learned and applied to one's stomach?"
While Fatty Bao and Jin Huang were geeking out over the ring, voices suddenly sounded outside, causing everyone to freeze.
Lantern light approached. A large group.
Another voice cut through the others, and they silenced themselves. It was an older woman's voice.
Calm, sharp and suthoritative.
The First Elder, Xiao Lingxi.
"Prepare food for our guests. They've had a long trip."
Her voice drew closer. "Use only the best."
The storehouse instantly descended into panic.
Jin Huang hurried to stuff a few more crates into his spatial ring. Fatty Bao helped once Jin Huang agreed to share a few things with him.
They moved as silently and as quickly as they could.
Then, outside, someone said, "...did you hear something?"
Their panic intensified.
Han Jianyu glanced around the storehouse, then toward the other two.
"Every man for himself."
Before either could respond, he performed a ninja-like maneuver, silent as a cat, and escaped through a window higher up.
Moments later, he vanished into the night.
Neither Jin Huang nor Fatty Bao had time to be offended. The voices were getting closer.
"We need a plan!" Jin Huang clutched his head, chewing stressfully on a radish.
"I have one!" Fatty Bao moved.
Jin Huang's eyes brightened, "You do?"
"No, I lied!" Fatty Bao grabbed a nearby cloth that had once covered a large number of crates.
Jin Huang immediately rushed over to him, and within moments both men huddled beneath it.
The resulting shape looked like a malformed spirit beast that had consumed too many dumplings.
"Perfect," Jin Huang chuckled.
Fatty Bao immediately lose faith in their last-ditch effort. "It'll never work."
"It'll definitely work."
The storehouse door began opening and, under the large cloth, the two glanced at one another.
Then sprinted for the door!