"Uh, what's wrong?"
Seeing the man in front of him act strangely after asking his age, Keke tilted his head, a little curious.
At this moment, Keke hadn't thought to connect it to his own background.
Mainly because he had only just learned yesterday that his origins were not simple.
And today, he just so happened to bump into someone related to his past?
How could there be such a coincidence in this world?
"It's nothing..." The man paused slightly, "I'll have a Blazing Cup, a large egg fried rice, a Dongpo Pork Knuckle, and a Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb."
"Alright, sir." Keke took out his pen and paper to write down the order.
He was about to remind the man that wasting food would get him blacklisted, but upon reconsidering the man's physique, he figured he could probably finish it all, so he didn't say anything.
Watching Keke walk away, the man slowly retracted his gaze. His large hand reached inside his bamboo hat and rubbed his brow firmly.
He needed to think carefully about what to do next.
Reveal the truth to Keke now?
As soon as that thought surfaced, the man quickly dismissed it.
On one hand, Star Luo City was teeming with hidden dangers right now.
Something big was likely to happen soon.
If those with ill intent learned Keke's true identity, complications would surely arise.
Besides, even though many things matched his memories, the blackness of Keke's pupils still made the man unsure if this was really the child from back then.
If he hastily revealed the truth only to find it was all a coincidence and Keke wasn't the child, that would be difficult to handle.
Forget it.
He would wait and observe for a bit.
He could have someone investigate Keke's past to see if it matched the details from years ago.
...
"Sir, your Blazing Cup is here." The first item to arrive was the drink the man ordered.
The man's large hand reached out to take the wine jug from Keke.
There was a hint of joy in the eyes beneath his bamboo hat.
Alcohol was forbidden in the army, and he always led by example.
It had been a long time since he'd had a drink.
And according to Keke, this drink was no ordinary one, surpassing any in Star Luo City.
He wouldn't believe such claims from anyone else, but if Keke said it, he was willing to trust it.
Lowering his head slightly to hide his face, the man poured a glass of the Blazing Cup.
First, he carefully observed the slightly thick and dazzling liquid, then he lifted the brim of his hat slightly, bringing the exquisite glass close to his nose.
After a deep inhale, he took a hearty sip.
The man froze in place, slowly setting the glass back on the table. His eyes closed tightly, as if in pain, or perhaps savoring the taste.
After a long pause, his eyes shot open, glowing red and blue, as if the light was about to pierce through the veil of his hat.
If Keke had been there, he would have been shocked to see that the man had heterochromatic eyes, just like his own—one red, one blue.
"Excellent wine!"
The man couldn't help but exclaim.
Despite his deliberate efforts to conceal it, no one noticed anything unusual about his eyes.
Only another nearby patron, also enjoying a drink, heard his comment and smiled in agreement. "You're right, my friend. I've never had such a fine wine in all of Star Luo City. And if you add an ice cube, it has a whole different flavor~"
Hearing this, the man was slightly taken aback.
He quickly glanced at the ice cube sitting nearby, unsure of its purpose.
So, the ice cube was meant to go in the wine?
His mind raced.
He used the tongs to pick up an ice cube, still emitting a frosty chill, and dropped it into the glass.
He gently swirled the cup, watching as the fiery liquid gradually coated the surface of the ice cube, merging the cold and heat together.
A hint of coolness seeped through, felt even through the cup in his hand.
The man followed the instructions and took another sip.
The burning sensation from before was now entirely different, tinged with an obvious chill.
The perfect fusion of fire and ice—nothing short of extraordinary.
The sensation of experiencing both fire and ice at once caused the man to shut his eyes tightly, his face showing an expression of pure enjoyment.
After just two sips, he already felt slightly tipsy, but he hadn't lost his senses.
Though he felt as if floating on air, his mind remained clear.
Such an amazing drink?
The man couldn't help but marvel at it.
With his status, there wasn't a drink in the world he couldn't try.
But to encounter such a fine wine—this was truly a first.
It seemed the high prices at this restaurant, despite attracting eager customers, weren't without reason.
Having found Keke and tasted such fine wine, this trip to Star Luo City was already well worth it.
...
"Keke, stop daydreaming."
Seeing Keke staring blankly at the door for quite some time, Qin Yue couldn't help but wave a hand in front of his face.
"Oh, Sister Qin Yue, sorry." Keke snapped out of it and smiled apologetically, then glanced back at the door.
The guest in the bamboo hat had already left.
For some reason, despite only exchanging a few words with the man, Keke felt a strange sense of closeness to him.
It must be an illusion.
Keke shook his head, then picked up a plate of food from the counter and delivered it to the waiting customer.
Time to get back to work. The day wasn't over yet.
No slacking off now.
If I slow down, Sister Qin Yue will have to pick up the slack.
...
Lunch service soon came to an end.
After seeing off the Qin sisters, Qi Han and Keke returned to the third floor.
Keke was very eager to check out the books he'd bought, and now he finally had the time.
After a quick word with Qi Han, he went straight to his room.
Qi Han was happy with that, smiling slightly as he entered his system space.
The afternoon passed quickly, and when Qi Han emerged from his training space, he couldn't hide the smile on his face.
The Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat training was complete!
Now, Qi Han had six 2 Star recipes, two 3 Star recipes, and one unopened 4 Star recipe.
Instead of unlocking the 2 Star recipes, he chose to unlock the 3 Star one: Wensi Tofu.
The reason was simple: As Ru Yi had mentioned before, completing this dish would perfect his knife skills, and his first spirit ring would simultaneously reach the ten-thousand-year level.
The power of his thousand-year spirit skill was already impressive, so his anticipation for the ten-thousand-year skill was even greater.
And with plenty of dishes already on the menu, there wasn't a pressing need to introduce new ones, so he could afford to delay the 2 Star recipes for now.
Of course, Qi Han had only just unlocked the recipe and hadn't had time to study it yet, as he had to leave the training space in a hurry.
It was almost time for the restaurant to reopen, and he was a bit short on time.
As he emerged from the training space, the lingering soul of the Wensi Monk, which had just coalesced, pressed its palms together and softly murmured "Amitabha."
However, Qi Han wasn't worried that the monk's lingering soul would dissipate early.
As long as it wasn't in teaching mode, the lingering soul consumption was negligible.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have lasted for thousands of years.
Qi Han knocked on Keke's door, reminding him that it was almost time to reopen, then quickly made his way to the kitchen.
He could hardly wait to try the Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat he had prepared.
And he was curious—what kind of mystical phenomenon would accompany this 1,200 gold coin dish?
<+>
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