Even though she was choked by the sudden spiciness, the General still tried her best to maintain elegance and composure, only the faint redness at the corner of her eyes revealing a rare trace of vulnerability.
"General, eat slowly. If you dip it like this, it won't be so spicy." Mu Anqi moved closer to help the General catch her breath, then poured a cup of warm water and handed it over.
"…I'm not afraid of spicy food."
"Mm-hmm, I know. The General just wasn't paying attention when eating something like this and got choked." Mu Anqi looked very understanding and considerate as she spoke. She couldn't help but glance at the General's thin lips again, feeling that their color seemed much brighter than before. She thought: Can ghosts also be afraid of spicy food? Well, the General does have a sense of taste—otherwise, how could she enjoy sweets? Rather than saying ghosts are different, it would be more accurate to say that the demons and monsters of the Shattered Mirror Continent are unique.
"General, there's still some fruit cake in the fridge. How about I bring you a piece?" Mu Anqi sat down beside her, added a few slices of beef into her dipping sauce bowl but didn't rush to eat. She looked back at Ji Huaichu, who was quietly drinking warm water; the redness at the corners of her eyes seemed to have faded, but still…
Still, it made her heart feel soft.
Ji Huaichu glanced at Mu Anqi, her expression still gentle, though now carrying a hint of helplessness. Mu Anqi met her gaze for a moment, then got up and went to the fridge to take out the fruit cake, placing it along with a knife and fork in front of Ji Huaichu.
Mu Xiaobai quietly picked up slices of beef from the pot and ate. She seemed to have no bias toward the food she created. No matter what she ate, it never stirred any emotion in her. But when it came to the process of making food… that was something Mu Xiaobai truly enjoyed.
Mu Xiaobai ate with full concentration, as if she couldn't see anyone or anything around her. With white paper stuck to her face, she didn't have to worry about managing her expressions. She earnestly ate the beef in the pot, then reached out to add some tofu and meatballs. Meanwhile, little Xia Fenghua, sitting beside her and holding a bowl with a slice of beef between her chopsticks, looked visibly shaken. The little girl stared fixedly at the piece of beef, struggling to control her expression.
Is the General afraid of spicy food? Could the General really get choked by something spicy? The General… indeed didn't like spicy food. Xia Fenghua had never seen her eat anything spicy, but the General was already a third-class ghost of the Kaiyuan rank—how could she get choked eating hot pot? Xia Fenghua suspected that the moment the hot pot was brought to the table, a black mirror vortex must have engulfed the main city, and she was caught in an illusion—this was way too absurd!
Mu Anqi's behavior was even more outrageous—pouring water, fetching cake—was that really the General's image? Why did she see a trace of "delicacy" in the General? It made no sense!
Yet… the General truly drew Mu Anqi's attention. Even while eating her favorite hot pot meat, Mu Anqi's gaze kept drifting toward Ji Huaichu from time to time. The relationship between the two seemed to have grown a step closer.
That round of hot pot, Mu Anqi ate very well. She helped clean up the table, then rested for a while on the sofa before getting up to take her leave.
With Ji Huaichu nearby, Xia Fenghua and Mu Xiaobai both seemed a bit tense, so Mu Anqi naturally didn't want to keep disturbing them. But after leaving Mu Xiaobai's house, Mu Anqi glanced at Ji Huaichu and couldn't help asking, "Is the General afraid of spicy food?"
"Spiciness is a form of pain, so naturally, I'm not afraid of it," Ji Huaichu said softly. "But I do have my preferences."
Blinking, Mu Anqi naturally understood what Ji Huaichu meant. She didn't continue that topic and instead asked, "At Kaiyuan third class, has the General gained any new abilities?"
"It can't really be called a new ability, just an enhancement," Ji Huaichu replied. "The number and strength of the ghostly shadows I can command have both increased."
That was one of Ji Huaichu's commonly used abilities—black mist would rise from under her feet, releasing ghostly shadows to fight alongside her.
As for how much stronger Ji Huaichu meant… Mu Anqi tried to imagine it but couldn't form a clear picture. Still, since she would soon be going with the General into the Black Mirror vortex, she'd be able to see it firsthand, so she didn't ask further.
The two walked side by side, slowly returning to the General's residence, which also helped them digest their meal. As soon as Mu Anqi stepped through the gate, the little black dog came running excitedly, tail wagging hard. When it got close to her, it slowed down, circling around her feet. Its tiny tail wagged so fiercely it almost seemed ready to take off. When Mu Anqi stopped walking, it rolled over onto its back, bent its front paws, exposed its belly, and tilted its head toward her—deliberately acting cute.
Mu Anqi… Mu Anqi unfortunately fell for it. She couldn't resist crouching down, rubbing that soft belly with her hand, and giving the dog's head a few affectionate pats.
So cute—this must be the power of fluff!
Mu Anqi didn't pet it for long, since General Ji was watching nearby. She patted the little black dog and stood up, a bit embarrassed. "I just really like these fluffy little animals."
"I know." Ji Huaichu looked at the tail-wagging little black dog and also crouched down to stroke its head. "Do you have any plans for today—training or rest?"
"…Training." Mu Anqi rubbed her wrist. "It's only been two days, but I already feel like my swordsmanship's getting sloppy. General, I want to spar with you—just… don't use any of your abilities, okay? Only pure swordsmanship?"
"Alright," Ji Huaichu agreed, feeling gratified by Mu Anqi's diligence and eagerness to learn. "Shall we start by getting familiar with the sword techniques before sparring?"
"Mm… let's correct my movements first." Mu Anqi imagined herself holding the demon blade in a heroic pose, then pictured the day she could defeat General Ji in swordsmanship—her fighting spirit ignited! Ji Huaichu had taught her so many things: staff techniques, dagger skills, sword forms… She'd been dabbling in all of them without focus. Now that she had such an expensive demon blade, she needed to dedicate herself to mastering swordsmanship. After all… she had plenty of time ahead—years? Centuries? Even if she were a block of wood, after that long she'd surely learn to wield a blade.
Saying so, the two walked side by side into the training ground in the back courtyard. Mu Anqi swung the demon blade skillfully, running through several basic movements, then followed the sequence Ji had taught her to link the slashing motions smoothly. After a short rest, Ji Huaichu casually selected a long sword and began sparring with her.
"It's just a skill sparring session, General—you can't use any other abilities," Mu Anqi reminded. A regular sword and a demon blade weren't on the same level of sharpness; she definitely had the advantage.
"I won't use them," Ji Huaichu reassured her softly. "Shall we begin?"
"Begin!" Mu Anqi said, stepping forward and swinging her blade close. Ji Huaichu didn't dodge, still standing where she was. Mu Anqi froze for a moment—only swordsmanship was allowed, but that didn't mean the General couldn't evade, right? Could it be that movement techniques were also counted as abilities by the General? Just as the demon blade was about to strike down, Mu Anqi—though she knew it wouldn't hurt Ji Huaichu—still couldn't help but pull back her strength. But just as she was about to do so, a flash of cold light flickered before her eyes—she didn't even see how Ji Huaichu drew her sword. A sharp numbness shot through her palm, and in an instant, the demon blade was knocked clean out of her hand.
Little Money Tree was full of openings—even as she was about to strike, she got distracted and tried to pull back her force… Ji Huaichu sighed inwardly. She could roughly guess the reason and couldn't bring herself to blame her. Instead, she asked softly, "Do you want to rest a bit and start over?"
Mu Anqi shook out her numb hand. "The blade… can move that fast? And how—how could a normal sword knock away a demon blade…"
"You held back your strength. I just struck precisely at the weakest point of your force. Without proper control, of course it flew out of your hand," Ji Huaichu said. "Your fundamentals aren't solid, and your stance is unstable… you still have a lot to practice."
"Alright then." In wuxia novels, all the masters had gone through years of hard training—even in the most exaggerated stories, they'd trained for at least a few years. How long had she had the demon blade? It was indeed too early for her to start dreaming. Mu Anqi turned and picked up the demon blade. "I'd better just keep practicing."
In both the Nirvana Space and the Shattered Mirror Continent, there were all sorts of supernatural abilities—so if she wanted to learn something new, she still had to work for it herself. Resigned to her fate, Mu Anqi continued her training. She also thought of Si Suying, who had to prepare materials and craft grenades herself even with blueprints in hand, and of the Fang siblings, who had been dragged back by the vine demons to learn whip techniques…
Even the firearms sold in weapon shops required players to learn how to use them on their own. Of course, guns in the Nirvana Space weren't complicated—they were easy to load and had no recoil—but when it came time to actually fire one, players still had to spend time getting used to it and practicing.
Mu Anqi practiced straight through until dinner time. She shook out her sore arms, and Ji Huaichu came over to steady her. Mu Anqi gave a wry smile and said, "Learning is really exhausting."
"But it feels rewarding once you master it." Ji Huaichu wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Shall I carry you?"
Mu Anqi thought for a moment, then reached up to hook her arm around Ji Huaichu's neck and leaned into her. Ji Huaichu easily lifted her into a princess carry and walked straight to the dining table before setting her down. The table was covered with dishes—Mu Anqi immediately spotted the ones she missed most: spicy boiled fish and shredded chicken with chili oil. There were also tomato beef brisket and stir-fried cabbage. In the center sat a pot of pork rib and lotus root soup, sprinkled with chopped green onions, looking beautiful.
In front of Ji Huaichu sat a plate of black glutinous rice cakes, each topped with a single white lotus seed. They were new pastries made by Mu Xiaobai following a recipe—sweet in flavor. Ji Huaichu hadn't tried them yet, but Mu Xiaobai had delivered them earlier today.
"Oh, this one—I used to love it when I was a kid." Seeing the black glutinous rice cakes, Mu Anqi suddenly felt a wave of childhood nostalgia. Whenever her relatives gathered at restaurants, besides the squirrel-shaped sweet-and-sour fish, this little dessert had always been her favorite! Though her arms were sore, the aroma from the dishes on the table made her feel like she could eat ten bowls of rice.
"Do you need me to feed you?" Ji Huaichu asked with a small smile, noticing the tremor in Mu Anqi's arm as she tried to serve herself some rice.
"No, no, only when I eat it myself can I feel the joy of a real meal." Mu Anqi waved her hand, picked up a large piece of shredded chicken, and took a bite with her rice before eagerly reaching for the pickled fish. Mu Xiaobai's cooking… no matter how many times she ate it, she'd never get tired of it.
Sitting beside her, Ji Huaichu gently picked up a piece of black glutinous rice cake and took a bite. Whether it was the sweetness and chewiness of the cake or the pure joy on Mu Anqi's face as she ate, something about it softened her expression. A faint, tender smile appeared on her lips as she simply watched Mu Anqi.