518: Chapter 518 Human Relationships

"Alright, alright. I know." Shang Wan Ning took over the conversation. "So, tomorrow night, it will just be me, the Yama King, and AQi, and we'll call Qing Dai and a few others to round out the numbers. There won't be many people, but the sentiment is what counts."

"Then why did you spend over ten million…"

"A sense of ritual, understand?" Shang Wan Ning finally raised her eyes, glaring into the void. "What is the Yama King's status? An eighth-rank peak complete entity, an existence who governs the netherworld reincarnation. It's his first day on the job, and you want me to let him gnaw on steamed buns and drink cold water? I am not a muddled ruler who mistreats subordinates!"

Shang Wan Ning closed the shopping cart interface, tapped on the desk twice, and summoned Qing Dai. "Go, relay my oral decree: a welcome banquet will be held at Chenfeng Palace tomorrow evening at the Hour of the Rooster. Invite the Yama King and the Secretary-General to attend on time."

"Also, go and summon Old Granny Ghost's kitchen crew. They are to arrive at the Chenfeng Palace side hall first thing tomorrow morning to prepare the dishes. I will personally deliver the ingredients later."

Qing Dai acknowledged and withdrew, her footsteps three parts faster than usual.

Old Granny Ghost's crew only lit their stoves for the highest-specification celebrations in the underworld; one could simply not hire this venerable master chef for ordinary banquets.

[Her Majesty is really sparing no expense this time.]

Early the next morning, Old Granny Ghost led twelve ghost chefs and arrived at the Chenfeng Palace side hall on time.

The Old Woman in the lead had two rows of kitchen knives hanging from her waist, their handles wrapped in aged red ropes, with small bells attached to the knots that jingled incessantly as she walked.

Shang Wan Ning had been waiting in the side hall. She raised her hand and took out entire crates of ingredients from her storage space, pointing them out one by one to introduce them to Old Granny Ghost. "Eight Xuanyuan Ice-Patterned Abalones, two Lingquan Jade-Scaled Carp. The base ingredients for the Du'e Lotus Soup are all here too. Prepare the rest of the side dishes according to Grandma's usual rules. Don't skimp on the ingredients, and don't cut corners on the craftsmanship."

Old Granny Ghost lifted the crate lids and glanced at them. Her withered fingers pinched an ice abalone shell and weighed it. A hint of surprise flashed in her cloudy eyes, and then she snorted, which served as her acknowledgement.

She turned and gestured to the ghost chefs behind her. A dozen people moved in unison. In the blink of an eye, the stove fires were lit, and the sound of chopping boards rang out in a series, without a single word of nonsense.

Old Granny Ghost strolled over to the main stove herself, peeled off the seal of a black pottery jar, leaned in to sniff it, and frowned slightly. Then she pulled a small knife from her waist and scraped the rim of the jar twice.

She stared at the sauce-colored paste remaining on the blade for two breaths before snorting contentedly. "Twenty-year-old Netherworld Sauce; it pairs perfectly with the ice abalone."

The time spent preparing the dishes passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was nearly the Hour of the Rooster.

Ling Qi arrived at the main hall of the side hall a step early. Today, she had changed into a smoky-gray qipao, covered by a thin velvet shawl of the same color, with the chain of her gold-rimmed glasses hanging by her neck.

Upon entering, she glanced at the table arrangement and raised her hand to slightly adjust the position of two cups.

In the center of the main hall stood several carved black sandalwood chairs surrounding a round table. In the very center of the tabletop sat a three-legged bronze tripod, in which light golden calming incense was burning. The smoke rose straight up, splitting into nine wisps at a height of three feet, swirling around the beams endlessly.

Qing Dai was leading several maids to set out the cups and dishes.

The bowls and dishes were all plain white porcelain, with a circle of silver thread traced along the edges, revealing hidden patterns only under the light. This was the frost porcelain native to the underworld; it didn't burn the hands when holding hot dishes, nor did it chill the bones when holding cold platters.

Beside each set of tableware was an ink-colored silk handkerchief, with the words "Reserved for Chenfeng Palace" embroidered in small gold characters on the corner.

"Your Majesty, the seating has been arranged according to protocol." Qing Dai walked over and bowed to report. "The guest of honor seat is set to your right, and the Secretary-General will sit on your left to accompany the meal."

Shang Wan Ning took the seating chart and nodded. "Mm, that is appropriate. When Old Granny Ghost has finished serving all the dishes later, let the kitchen crew dine in the side room, and charge it to my private treasury."

Qing Dai smiled and replied, "Understood," before turning to wait by the side door to serve the dishes.

At the third quarter of the Hour of the Rooster, the Yama King arrived for the appointment on time.

He had changed into casual attire, not wearing his nine-tasseled black crown, but only using a black jade hairpin to tie up his hair. Upon entering, he first bowed to Shang Wan Ning, his movements proper but not stiff, and then, guided by the maids, took his seat in the guest of honor position.

"I have arrived as promised; I have troubled Your Majesty to wait for so long."

Shang Wan Ning waved her hand. "Not late, the timing is just right." She turned her head to signal Qing Dai. "Begin the banquet."

The first course was three cold dishes, served in slender frost porcelain plates. The ink-patterned crispy bamboo shoots were sliced as thin as paper and folded into a fan shape; the cold-stage magnolia slices were placed beside them, shaped like translucent petals, looking like they were coated in a layer of thin frost under the light; the middle dish was blood glutinous rice osmanthus cake, cut into neat, square pieces.

Qing Dai walked over with a wine pot, first filling Shang Wan Ning's cup, then circling to the Yama King's side. "This is the first time Lord Yama King has dined at Chenfeng Palace," Qing Dai said, her voice sweet and soft, smiling brightly. "This wine is the Forget-Worry Brew stored in Her Majesty's private treasury; you cannot drink it outside. Please taste it, My Lord, and see if it suits your palate."

The Yama King picked up the wine cup, first inspecting the color of the wine, then bringing it to his nose to sniff, before taking a shallow sip. "Smooth on the palate, with a strong aftertaste; this is good wine." He turned to Shang Wan Ning, his tone shifting. "Your Majesty's way of treating guests is much more thoughtful than I had expected."

"What way of treating guests." Shang Wan Ning picked up her own cup. "Since the Yama King will be stationed in the underworld from now on, if I were unwilling to even throw a welcome banquet, my subordinates would say that I am stingy."

The Yama King smiled and fixed his gaze on the plate of ink-patterned crispy bamboo shoots in front of him, picking up a piece and putting it into his mouth. After chewing twice, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. "This bamboo shoot… is pickled in an interesting way. It's crispy upon entering the mouth, and the aftertaste carries a hint of coolness, rather like the wind by a mountain stream when the snow melts in early spring."

"It's Old Granny Ghost's unique craft." Shang Wan Ning also picked up a piece. "She doesn't use ordinary brine to pickle the bamboo shoots; she uses spring water from a cold spring upstream of the Lingshui River, saying that the spiritual energy contained within it can bring out the natural sweetness of the bamboo shoots."

The Yama King picked up another piece, this time chewing more slowly, as if tasting some rare tea. Ling Qi sat quietly on Shang Wan Ning's left, not in a hurry to use her chopsticks, holding her teacup and slowly blowing away the tea foam floating on the surface while listening to the two of them chat.

When the second course was served, the atmosphere in the side hall relaxed a bit more.

There was one Xuanyuan Ice-Patterned Abalone per person, served in a palm-sized celadon dish. The layer of ice crystal patterns on the surface of the abalone slowly melted under the steam, revealing the translucent flesh beneath.

Old Granny Ghost's method for this dish was different from that of the mortal realm—the abalone was marinated in advance with Netherworld Sauce for two hours, then steamed quickly over high heat before being served. The sauce's aroma permeated the meat, yet it retained the cool aftertaste of the ice patterns themselves.

Qing Dai came over with the wine pot again, this time testing the temperature of the pot's wall with the back of her hand before pouring, and only then slowly tilting the spout.

"Lord Yama King, please taste this abalone. Old Granny Ghost adjusted the sauce more than a dozen times," she said with a smile. "If you find it to your liking, I will have the Imperial Kitchen Department record the recipe so it can be kept on hand in the future."

The Yama King picked up his chopsticks and poked the edge of the abalone. Seeing the flesh tremble slightly, he then picked up the whole thing and put it into his mouth. After chewing carefully, he put down his chopsticks. "Your Majesty has put a lot of thought into this meal."

Shang Wan Ning picked up her wine cup. "Effort is worthless. What is valuable is the underworld's political affairs from now on."

The Yama King lifted his wine cup as well, clinking it gently against Shang Wan Ning's. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Since I have accepted this task, I will not be perfunctory."