As Li Yundong brought out another platter of food, he was horrified to find that the Braised Lion's Head meatballs he had just served were completely gone, leaving only a desolate, sauce-stained dish lying forlornly on the dining table. (8 Degree Mobile Site WP..C)

Li Yundong exclaimed in shock, "Did we get robbed? What in the world happened?"

The moment Su Chan saw Li Yundong, she immediately turned around, her mouth pouted high, her face full of grievance, tears welling up in her eyes.

Seeing her appearance, Li Yundong thought she had been bullied and was startled again. "What's wrong with you?"

Su Chan sniffled, choking out, "Yundong, I didn't manage to grab a single bite of anything!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Li Yundong burst into loud laughter, and everyone else in the room followed suit.

The little girl became even more aggrieved, stamping her foot and scolding him in annoyance, "You're mean, still making fun of me!"

Li Yundong quickly turned back to shield the dish, laughing, "Hey, careful, if you knock that over, there'll be nothing left to eat."

Su Chan then noticed the dish Li Yundong was holding—it was a Red Braised Bream. Her mouth instantly began to water, and she said wistfully, "I want the first bite this time."

Li Yundong looked up and saw all the disciples of the Fox Charm Sect, big and small, craning their necks to look at him, their eyes fixed hungrily on the platter in his hands, each pair blazing with a greenish light. He thought to himself: Good heavens, this is like a group of starving ghosts who haven't eaten in millennia descending to the mortal realm! If I put this food down, it will probably vanish instantly!

Li Yundong hurriedly carried the platter toward the kitchen. Seeing him turn and walk away, Su Chan immediately shouted, "Hey, where are you going? I want the first bite!"

Li Yundong cursed back with a laugh, "If you take one bite, this fish will be gone! I'll bring all the dishes out together once they're ready. Otherwise, if I bring one out and you eat one, what's the point of all this?!"

With that, he slammed the kitchen door shut behind him.

Su Chan felt utterly miserable. She rushed to the door and pounded on it with her tiny fists, shouting, "Yundong! I'm starving! Let me eat something first!"

She knocked for a while, and then the door suddenly swung open. Before the little girl could close her wide-open mouth, Li Yundong swiftly shoved something into it, then whoosh, he slammed the door shut again.

With something stuffed in her mouth, the little girl initially thought Li Yundong had given her a treat. But when she bit down, she realized the object was incredibly hard; not only could she not crush it, but she nearly chipped a tooth!

Su Chan lowered her head, spat out the object, and saw it was a walnut—an uncracked walnut!

Su Chan stamped her foot immediately. "That's it! You actually threw a hard walnut at me! I don't care, I don't care, I want food!"

Just then, Li Yundong flung the door open again, asking with a straight face, "One isn't enough? How about two?" As he spoke, he offered another walnut.

Frustrated and angry, Su Chan snatched the walnut, then stomped into the living room, sitting alone on the sofa to sulk.

Li Yundong laughed heartily and closed the door. Everyone in the living room, except for the Fox Charm Sect members, stifled their laughter. Cao Yi saw the little girl sitting alone, fuming as she tried to crack the walnut. She suppressed a smile and walked over to Su Chan, offering her a Braised Lion's Head. "Chan'er, I have an extra one here. You eat it first, okay?"

Su Chan turned to look and saw that a large bite had already been taken out of the meatball. How could she possibly eat that now? Her misery and frustration intensified, and she stubbornly declared, "No! I'm not eating anything!"

At this, everyone from the Fox Charm Sect burst into laughter. Some little foxes whispered gloatingly, "That's great! One less person competing for food! We can eat more!"

Hearing this, the little girl secretly pounded her chest, filled with regret. She thought to herself: Idiot, idiot, why are you getting angry at yourself? Not eating just means you starve yourself!

But since she had already spoken the defiant words, and she was rather thin-skinned, it was awkward to take them back immediately. Her eyes darted around as she figured out an excuse to go eat later.

About half an hour passed when suddenly the kitchen door flew open wide. Li Yundong, Ziyuan, and Ruan Hongling emerged in single file, each carrying two platters. They went in and out several times, eventually bringing out over a dozen dishes that completely covered the dining table.

Ruan Hongling looked at the spread with satisfaction, shaking her head grandly. "It's a good thing I am brilliantly wise and foresaw this situation, buying so much food. Otherwise, hmph, everyone would be left howling in the wind."

Ziyuan laughed and chided, "Can you die if you don't show off?"

Li Yundong waved his hand grandly and announced, "My little ones!"

The juniors of the Fox Charm Sect responded in unison, cheerfully and clearly, "We are here!"

Li Yundong hadn't expected such enthusiasm and laughed heartily. He announced, "Prepare to start!"

The little foxes had clearly been waiting for this command. Their eyes immediately gleamed green, and they rolled up their sleeves, ready to charge forward.

Seeing their eagerness, as if they were about to storm a fortress, Li Yundong was startled and quickly shouted, "Stop!"

His single shout was enough to stop the masters of other major sects in their tracks, let alone these little foxes?

Upon hearing Li Yundong’s loud command, the little foxes froze instantly, looking at him in confusion, seemingly unable to understand why they couldn't eat even though the food was fully served.

Li Yundong put on a stern face and said, "Are you going to rush up like a swarm and start grabbing? What kind of decorum is that? My little ones, listen up: Go find chairs for yourselves and sit down in order!"

The little fox spirits of the Fox Charm Sect cheerfully replied, "Yes!" Then they scattered to other rooms to find something to sit on. Someone shouted loudly, "Sect Master, there are no more chairs! What should we do?"

Li Yundong shouted back, "Then stand!"

Zhou Qin, standing nearby, suddenly teased with a smile, "Master, why do I feel like you're the Great King Jiao of the Journey to the West, leading a troop of little monsters?"

When she said this, Cao Yi and the others from the Fox Charm Sect all turned their gazes toward her, smiling but remaining silent. Li Yundong waved it off good-naturedly, "Not at all, not at all. I am clearly the ruler of the Women's Kingdom! Except the ruler in Journey to the West was female, and I am the male ruler!"

Only then did everyone notice that among the dozen or so people in the room, Li Yundong was the only man; all the others were peerless beauties.

Ruan Hongling laughed and cursed, "You must have been single for nine lifetimes to earn this lifetime of romantic fortune! Tsk, tsk, having this many beauties around and being the only man—if Heaven knew about this kind of luck, you’d be struck down by lightning!"

Ziyuan sharply rebuked, "Hongling, stop talking nonsense!"

Li Yundong chuckled, "It's fine, it's fine." He waved his hand, directing everyone to sit. As the Sect Master, he was naturally urged to take the head seat. Cao Yi and the other elders of the Fox Charm Sect sat to his left. Ziyuan, as the future leader of the Spirit Palace Sect and being both his mentor and friend, naturally sat to his right, whether by private connection or public propriety. Ruan Hongling sat next to her.

Li Yundong was about to assign the remaining seats when Su Chan gracefully walked over. He immediately laughed, surprised, "Eh? Didn't you say you weren't going to eat?"

Su Chan had originally hoped everyone would forget the matter and she could sneak in to eat, but unexpectedly, everyone saw her coming and kept silent with shared understanding. Yet Li Yundong had to bring up that very topic—he really knew how to stir up trouble!

Su Chan stamped her foot angrily, "When I asked you for food earlier, you pretended not to hear, but you heard this sentence?"

Li Yundong, wanting to tease her, chuckled, "I didn't hear many things just now, but I certainly heard this sentence! Didn't you say you weren't eating? How can you go back on your word?"

Su Chan snorted, as if she had been prepared for this, and declared triumphantly, "Hmph, I only said I wasn't eating dinner, I never said I wasn't eating dishes!"

At this, everyone burst into laughter. Li Yundong tapped Su Chan's nose and good-naturedly chided, "Sly! Fine, you pass. Sit next to Cao Yi and eat!" Then he turned to address Zhou Qin, "Zhou Qin, you sit next to Su Chan." The rest of you can sit wherever you like.

The table, filled with a dozen people, was suddenly packed tight. Everyone stared intently at the spread of food, then anxiously at Li Yundong, chopsticks hovering in the air, waiting only for his command before they descended to feast.

Li Yundong noticed that even Zhou Qin, usually the most composed and restrained among them, was involuntarily swallowing, clearly ravenous. He waited no longer, smiling, "Alright, let's begin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone cheered, and a wave of hungry pouncing ensued!

Li Yundong watched as exquisite dishes and chopsticks flew together across the table, jade arms blending with the white tablecloth. He gasped sharply, thinking: Oh my God, this isn't 'beginning to eat,' this is 'starting a battle'! Do these people think they are fighting a war?

Li Yundong saw Su Chan snatch a bowl of food and begin wolfing it down. Unable to help himself, he stood up, reached out his chopsticks to tap Su Chan’s bowl, and commanded, "Hey! Considering you're a cultivator, slow down!"

Su Chan made an 'oh' sound, but her pace didn't slow down at all. Li Yundong was annoyed, tapping her bowl again, shouting, "Hey! If you eat this fast again, I'm taking your bowl away!"

Su Chan quickly turned, shielding her bowl with her body, muttering indistinctly, "Zhou Qin is eating just as fast, and she's your disciple! Why aren't you telling her?"

Li Yundong turned his head and saw that Zhou Qin's bowl was also piled high, completely devoid of her usual ladylike demeanor. Li Yundong stared, saying, "Hey, aren't you concerned about your image?"

Zhou Qin gave a dry laugh. "Master, I'm a mortal, not like you cultivators. If I don't eat enough, I'll have no strength." With that, she stuffed two pieces of duck meat into her mouth.

Li Yundong was frustrated. He turned to Ziyuan, seeking reinforcements, and said, "Ziyuan, look, you're not saying anything either. You..."

Before he could finish, he suddenly saw that Ziyuan, observing how fiercely everyone was snatching food, frowned and simply dragged the two vegetarian dishes in front of her to her side. Fortunately, most of the Fox Charm Sect members were starved souls who rarely ate meat, so they were focused entirely on grabbing the meat dishes. Ziyuan managed to drag away two vegetable plates without anyone noticing.

But even though they didn't notice, Li Yundong was stunned speechless. He stammered, "Ziyuan, you're not joining in the chaos too, are you?"

Ziyuan looked at him with a look of helplessness. "Cultivators have to eat too!" Saying this, she didn't stop, and while her eating manner was still refined, her speed was certainly not slow. Li Yundong watched as the two dishes in front of her were rapidly emptied by her and Ruan Hongling!

Li Yundong saw that almost all these hungry ghosts had practically lunged over the table; he couldn't even see the plates anymore. His eyes widened, and he sucked in a sharp breath, saying, "Good heavens, it seems you aren't eating, you're fighting a war! Fine, if you aren't holding back, then neither will I! Watch me sweep the clouds away!"

With a loud shout, his chopsticks clacked twice, producing two crisp sounds.

Hearing his loud call, everyone raised their heads. Just as Li Yundong was about to bring his chopsticks down, he saw that once the group leaned back, the dining table was revealed: every single dish had been swept clean, nothing left at all!

Li Yundong stood there dumbfounded, stuttering, "Y-You guys actually cleared all the food in less than a minute?"

The others exchanged glances and offered dry laughs. Su Chan stuck out her tongue, picked up a soup bowl, and said, "Yundong, there's still some soup here!"

Li Yundong took the bowl and saw that it contained only clear broth—not even a single scallion flake remained! He couldn't help but lose control, "Damn it, you truly are a band of female bandits! You didn't leave a single thing for me, and you talk about seniority and hierarchy! I cooked this meal! You didn't leave anything at all!"

Cao Yi plastered a smile on her face and offered, "Sect Master, I still have one Braised Lion's Head here. Do you want it?"

Li Yundong replied ungraciously, "Bring it over, it’s better than nothing!"

But when he took it, he saw that the meatball had a huge bite taken out of it. How could he possibly eat that?

Li Yundong was so angry his vision turned gold, ready to throw a tantrum, when he suddenly heard Ruan Hongling shout loudly, "Oh, right! There’s more in the kitchen…"

Li Yundong rejoiced, "What else is in the kitchen?"

Ruan Hongling said slowly and deliberately, "...There are two more pots of rice in the kitchen, Li Yundong. You can just have that Braised Lion's Head with two pots of rice!"

After she finished speaking, all the women burst into loud laughter.

Li Yundong wept, thinking: Damn it all, this isn't a romantic encounter; this is sheer torment!