Chapter 10: Kitchen Clashes and Heroic Ideals

“Phew—we’re finally here! Come on in! Make yourselves at home, feel free to sit anywhere!”

“E-excuse us…”

“Forgive our intrusion.”

Lin and Xia Ranxin offered polite greetings, then followed in Bai Zhi’s footsteps.

Bai Zhi abruptly pushed open the door, then eagerly lunged towards the sofa.

Trailing closely behind her was Xia Ranxin, who appeared somewhat flustered and anxious, glancing from side to side.

Lin, walking just behind Xia Ranxin, cast a hesitant glance at Bai Zhi and Xia Ranxin ahead of her.

Rena brought up the rear, casually closing the door before giving the lingering Lin a gentle push from behind.

“Don’t block the doorway with that large frame of yours; hurry on in!”

“No, I was merely hesitating.”

Lin’s gaze dropped to the floor.

“Both Lady Bai Zhi and Madam Ranxin removed their shoes here earlier, and I was contemplating whether I should follow suit.”

“Do whatever you want. I’m the one who’ll end up cleaning anyway, so no one will care even if you walk in on your hands.”

Lin pondered for a moment, then spoke with a sudden realization, “I see. The etiquette of this foreign land truly is profound.”

“Stop marveling and get inside—I still have to rush to make dinner! Do you even know what time it is?!”

Rena clicked her tongue in exasperation.

The commotion in the entryway naturally drew the attention of Bai Zhi and Xia Ranxin in the living room.

However, upon seeing that Lin and Rena were merely bickering rather than resorting to their usual physical altercations, Xia Ranxin couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

“Oh, good… it seems Miss Lin and Rena’s relationship has finally improved somewhat…”

“Don’t worry, even if they truly came to blows, I’d find a way to resolve it.”

Bai Zhi playfully waved a fist at Xia Ranxin.

“I’m quite strong, you know.”

Xia Ranxin’s eyes sparkled with the same starry-eyed admiration as Lin’s.

“Bai Zhi truly is an incredible person…”

“It’s not that exaggerated. I’m just a little luckier than the average person.”

Bai Zhi shrugged.

“Aside from that, I don’t really feel any different from other people my age.”

“No, even without such immense power, Bai Zhi is an exceptional individual,” Xia Ranxin asserted earnestly.

“It’s like… yes! It’s like a Hero! Especially those words you spoke earlier…”

As Xia Ranxin recalled the memorable scene from their time in the small house, she closed her eyes, a blissful smile gracing her lips.

‘To respond without hesitation to someone crying for help, even at the risk of putting oneself in danger—that is truly the mark of a ‘Hero’…’

“No, no, no, that’s far too exaggerated, no matter how you put it.”

Bai Zhi hastily waved her hand.

“But… ‘Hero’…”

It seemed those two words had stirred a memory within her, and Bai Zhi momentarily drifted into contemplation, only to snap back to reality after a good while.

“Oh, right, Ranxin, you’ve already requested leave from school, haven’t you?”

Xia Ranxin nodded.

“Yes, I called on the way here, using the excuse that I was ill.”

“After all, with the current danger to personal safety, it wouldn’t be feasible to go to a crowded place like school.”

Bai Zhi shifted into a more comfortable position on the sofa.

After two seconds of silence, she suddenly rolled over.

“Still, I suppose that’s to be expected from an honor student, isn’t it? If I tried to take leave for the same reason, I feel like the teachers would bombard me with endless questions.”

“Uh, actually…”

Xia Ranxin’s expression became somewhat hesitant.

“The teachers did ask me a lot of questions.”

“About your illness?”

“No, it was about why I was calling from your phone, Bai Zhi…”

Xia Ranxin paused, her tone tinged with embarrassment.

“The teachers kept repeatedly asking if you had ‘abducted’ me again, Bai Zhi…”

“?!”

***

Meanwhile, in Bai Zhi’s kitchen.

In stark contrast to the relatively harmonious living room, the atmosphere here was considerably more tense.

“I believe I mentioned earlier that I was about to start preparing tonight’s dinner, didn’t I?”

Rena, barely suppressing her fury, held a kitchen knife that gleamed with a cold light.

Lin’s face remained impassive.

“Indeed. Is there a problem?”

“A huge problem!”

Rena abruptly plunged the knife into the cutting board.

“You’re not here to help, so what are you just standing around for?!”

“I am merely standing here, nothing more.”

Lin stood ramrod straight in the corner of the kitchen, like a pillar, her expression utterly unmoved.

“You needn’t concern yourself with me; simply focus on preparing tonight’s meal. Pretend I am not here.”

Rena clenched her fingers, blue veins bulging on her fair skin.

“Then at least don’t stand next to the refrigerator, alright? You’re in the way!”

“Oh, my apologies then. It seems this ‘iron box’ is of considerable importance.”

Lin said this, yet her body remained perfectly still.

“However, rest assured, I am quite confident in my own agility and will absolutely not interfere with your work.”

“No, just get out.”

Rena’s tone turned icy.

“Or what? Are you worried I’ll poison the food, so you’ve deliberately come to monitor me?”

“It is truly fortunate that you were able to discern this yourself. After all, you are a friend of Lady Bai Zhi, and it would be rather impolite for me to state it directly.”

Thump! Another muffled sound echoed.

This time, a clean, sharp crack appeared in the cutting board; no doubt, it would be honorably retired once this meal was complete.

“Am I to take that as a personal provocation? A ‘Glorious Knight’ would never stoop to something as vile as poisoning!”

“That is entirely up to your imagination.”

Lin’s demeanor remained unshaken.

“I am merely taking necessary precautions. After all, ‘false god worshipers’ always preach morality and righteousness, yet secretly engage in base and sordid acts.”

“Had it not been so, our clan would not have been deceived two years ago, leading to our current predicament.”

“Hah, wasn’t it your ingratitude that came first, betraying the kind knight order that took you in?”

Rena’s face twisted in disgust.

“To now feign the role of a victim is truly sickening!”

The atmosphere grew increasingly heavy, and it seemed the two were on the verge of fighting again.

This time, however, Lin was the first to concede.

“To engage in conflict here is not my intention, and it would also dishonor Madam Ranxin. I shall take my leave now.”

Rena scoffed coldly.

“Good that you understand. Now get out!”

Lin turned to leave, but after taking only two steps, she suddenly turned back.

“Your friend, Lady Bai Zhi, is an exceptional person.”

“W-what is it? I already know that; you don’t need to tell me.”

Rena maintained her relatively cold expression.

“I truly cannot condone what your kind has done. However… I am willing to trust Lady Bai Zhi, and I am also willing to trust you, whom she considers a friend.”

“……”

“May you, in your interactions with Lady Bai Zhi, learn to see the truth with your own eyes, rather than being blinded by false stories heard through hearsay.”

Rena furrowed her brow.

“What do you mean by that?”

“My words end here. Whether you choose to believe them or not is your own matter. I shall depart now.”

Without directly answering Rena, Lin continued, speaking as if to herself.

“Just focus on your work diligently. Don’t serve up anything strange that might discomfit Madam Ranxin in the end.”

“I’d do that even without you telling me!”

Behind Lin, Rena huffily raised her hand in protest.

With that, the small interlude in the kitchen concluded, and the events that followed unfolded peacefully, devoid of further complications.

Rena’s cooking skills were already commendable, but perhaps spurred by Lin’s earlier provocations, she surpassed herself this time, earning continuous praise from Bai Zhi and Xia Ranxin at the dining table.

Even Lin, typically expressionless, couldn’t help but silently nod in approval.

After dinner was concluded, night fully descended.