"We did," Vespera said. She gestured to the wooden pavilion resting on the stone behind them. "But seven days is a small price to pay for... everything that was done for my mother."

  Li Yu nodded and then shifted his gaze toward the heroes that had actually done the saving and guarding. Gongsun Lian and her ten generals were standing in a loose formation with their dark dragon scale armor absorbing the fading twilight. They looked as though they were preparing to depart. They had fulfilled their duties and had nothing else to do here.

  "Before anyone leaves," Li Yu called out as his voice carried effortlessly across the distance. He walked toward the eleven warriors. "You stood guard for seven days for me. And before that, you fought to secure Vespera's mother. You must be tired. At the very least, you must be hungry."

  Lian turned to face him and her posture impeccably straight. "We require no sustenance, Li Yu. Our transaction with Khaos is complete. We would not wish to impose upon your time any further, especially now that you need to consolidate your new realm."

  "Nonsense," Li Yu said while waving a hand dismissively. He stopped a few paces away from them. "I insist. I was already planning to cook before you arrived and it feels entirely wrong to let people who just guarded my life walk away with an empty stomach. Stay. It will just be a simple meal. My own way of saying thanks. You can see if the cooking of the person you helped is worth anything."

  Behind their dark visors, chaos erupted within the minds of the Veiled Lotus generals.

  'The Young Master wants to cook for us?!' General Po’s internal voice was practically a roar of disbelief. 'He’s offering to serve us food?'

  'We must decline!' General Hua thought frantically. 'It is a violation of hierarchy! We should be cooking for him!'

  'But to refuse a direct invitation from him would be a slight against his hospitality,' General Sha reasoned as his mind raced. 'Lord VoidClaw told us to act like professionals. Professionals accept a meal from a grateful employer, do they not?'

  Lian’s mind was similarly spinning. She wanted nothing more than to prepare a royal banquet for him but doing so would break the facade. The temptation of a meal cooked by the Young Master was also too hard to pass up. She looked into Li Yu's eyes and saw the genuine but stubborn kindness. He wasn't going to take no for an answer.

  "If... if you insist," Lian said in a professional tone. "We would be honored to accept your hospitality."

  "Great," Li Yu smiled brightly.

  With a thought, Li Yu tapped into the newly awakened laws of the world that clung so eagerly to his flesh. He didn't even need to form hand seals. He simply willed it and the earth shifted. A perfect, circular stone fire pit rose from the bedrock. A simple manipulation of the earth but the ease at which he could do it made him feel good.

  He flicked his finger and a spark of concentrated fire elemental Qi ignited a set of dry wood logs he pulled from his inventory. He motioned for everyone to gather around. Vespera and Queen Morrigan approached cautiously. They took a seat on the conjured stone benches Li Yu had formed around the fire. These two were on the most edge. Sitting next to beings that could destroy them with a glance.

  The eleven Veiled Lotus members sat down as well but they were moving with a stiff and hyper-aware rigidity. They were much too awkward in such a situation and were constantly afraid of saying the wrong thing. They were warriors, not politicians. They could command and strategize, not lie and manipulate through words.

  Li Yu reached into his spatial ring and then tapped into his Koi Sanctuary. He pulled out several large and pristine fishes from the lakes there. He had a massive stockpile of aquatic life from there.

  He also withdrew massive slabs of high tier beast meat he had stored away from his travels and hunting during those travels. He specifically picked the best marbled cuts from all of the best beasts he had tasted. Li Yu wanted to use this meal to show his sincerity towards his helpers. The Veiled Lotus members of course saw his actions and were smiling to themselves.

  As he began to skillfully clean, slice and skewer the meat, he also pulled out an array of spices he had hoarded. The crackle of the fire was a relaxing and peasant background to his work. The sudden mouth watering aroma of roasting meat and rich spices began to fill the desolate ravine. It was completely overpowering the lingering scent of the demonic world.

  "You can take your helmets off," Li Yu suggested casually while turning a skewer over the flames. "It’s hard to eat through metal. I don’t think you have to be afraid of anyone injuring you here."

  Lian reached up and unclasped her helmet. This allowed her cascading black hair to fall freely down her back. The ten generals followed suit. Beneath the terrifying, faceless visors were ordinary, albeit intensely battle hardened, faces.

  Some were scarred, some were handsome, some beautiful and all of them were currently staring at Li Yu with unblinking eyes as he seasoned the fish. Li Yu instantly regretted asking them to take their helmets off but he resumed his work.

  When the food was ready, Li Yu passed it out on large plates that he also took out from his storage rings. The Veil Lotus noted that he sure had a lot of cooking supplies stored away. Making a mental note that it seemed their Young Master liked to cook. The generals took their first bites.

  It wasn't a banquet that was catered by heavenly cooks. It wasn't a heavenly natural treasure that granted strength or prolonged life. It was just various fishes, various meats from different beasts and spices. Carefully selected, considerately prepared and cooked by someone who tried their best. To the members of the Veiled Lotus, it was one of the greatest, if not the greatest meal they had ever tasted in their long and blood soaked lives.

  'The texture is perfect,' General Po thought to himself as he chewed on a piece of Frost Boar. 'He cooked it perfectly. The Young Master is a culinary genius as well.'

  'The spiritual energy in this trout is incredibly pure,' Lian noted while taking a delicate bite. She looked at Li Yu, who was happily eating his own portion while chatting lightly with one of the generals.

  As they ate, the initial awkwardness faded. Li Yu asked them casual questions about their travels and their experiences as cultivators. He was careful to avoid prying into the specifics of their group. They answered vaguely but truthfully, sharing minor anecdotes of battles and strange realms they had seen.

  In return, they asked him about his own journey. Li Yu told them a bit about his home realm, his encounters with the beast tides, a bit about his cultivation journey till now and the eccentricities of the people he had met. He spoke with a carefree and grounded humility that completely enchanted the eleven warriors.

  It was quite normal conversation but because it was so normal that it stood out. People in their circles wouldn’t talk about such mundane things or go into such passionate descriptions of simple dishes created by mortals. The simplicity of it all made them feel different. It was taking them back in time when they too thought or cared about such things. About how somewhere along the way, they had forgotten about it.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  They got to know the man behind the terrifying potential. He wasn't a tyrant in the making, nor was he an arrogant young master demanding the world bow to him. He was just Li Yu. Perhaps too simple, perhaps too naive and definitely lazy in a large sense. But he was also a boy that had lofty dreams, even though he thought they were simple.

  It was a profoundly wonderful experience for the Veiled Lotus. It impacted them all in different ways. For a brief, fleeting moment, they weren't weapons hiding in the dark; they were guests sharing a fire with the one they had trained, planned and schemed most of their lives for.

  The thing that stood out the most,for all of them today, was that for the first time in their long lives, new seeds of thoughts have been planted. Seeds of thoughts that started to believe that they wouldn’t regret all that time and effort they had put into him.

  But all meals must come to an end.

  Once the plates were cleared, Lian stood up. The ten generals rose immediately and their professional and lethal auras returned instantly.

  "We must depart," Lian said while her dark eyes lingering on Li Yu. "Our time here is done. Thank you for the meal, Li Yu. It was... exceptional. A meal that we might never forget."

  "Thank you for everything," Li Yu replied and went to stand up as well. He brought his hands together and gave them another deep and respectful bow. "Safe travels. I wish you good luck in all your endeavors."

  Lian and the generals bowed back. They were ready this time. It was a bow that was perfectly measured. With a final synchronized nod, the eleven figures shot into the sky and disappeared. They left behind only the memory of their overwhelming power.

  Li Yu let out a long breath and was watching the sky where they had disappeared. For reasons unknown to him it felt like he had lost a part of himself when they left. He couldn’t explain the feeling in his heart but it was there.

  After a long moment of staring, he then turned back to the campfire where Vespera and Queen Morrigan were still sitting. He took a seat on the stone bench across from them and poked the embers of the fire with a stick.

  "Well," Li Yu said. "That was eventful."

  Since the meal was for the seniors that had saved them the two ladies here didn’t speak much. They only answered questions when asked and mostly kept to themselves. Li Yu could tell they were nervous around those beings so he didn’t push the issue. Li Yu instead had focused entirely on the eleven members and was only now able to properly talk with the Queen.

  "I have not properly introduced myself to my savior," she said. "I am Morrigan, of the House of Night. And I owe you my life, Li Yu."

  "It's a pleasure to officially meet you, Morrigan," Li Yu smiled while he gestured for her to sit back down. "And you don't owe me anything. Vespera saved my life first. We're just balancing the scales so to speak. I don’t want it to only be viewed as such though. We are helping each other out when possible."

  Morrigan sat down and her hand drifted to her chest. "The scales are far more than balanced. Three Demon Lords and two Beast Kings are dead. And I am bound to you by a soul seal forged by an entity I cannot even comprehend."

  Li Yu frowned slightly. "About that. I didn't ask Lian to do that and I don’t know how to undo it. I don't need a slave and I don't intend to treat you like one either. You are Vespera's mother, which makes you an ally. As far as I'm concerned, you are free to live your life and rule your people. Just... don't stab me in the back and we'll get along fine. Well, I guess you can’t do that anymore but you understand what I mean."

  Morrigan stared at him and was genuinely stunned by the casual dismissal of such absolute authority. "You are releasing a Demon Queen to do as she pleases?"

  "With Malakor, the Spider Queen and the Rotting Bone Lord dead, there's a massive power vacuum in this realm," Li Yu pointed out the obvious while tossing a small piece of wood into the fire. "Many are going to step up to fill it. It might as well be you in there as well. You should return to your destroyed nation and rebuild it. You have the breathing room now. Most likely nobody is going to dare attack the House of Night when word gets out about what happened today."

  Vespera nodded in agreement. It was something that she and her mother had already discussed. "He's right, Mother. The surrounding territories will be in absolute chaos. The lesser warlords will be fighting each other for scraps. If we move quickly, we can reclaim the capital and even expand our borders without facing much resistance."

  "Rebuilding is only the first step," Morrigan said with a fierce light in her eyes. "My sons, Renato and Ganhao, are out there. I need to track the residual coordinates of the spatial tear and bring them home."

  "And what about Nyx?" Vespera asked softly. "It has been years since she ran away. If we are reuniting the House, shouldn't we look for her as well?"

  Morrigan offered a secretive and knowing smile. "A mother always knows where her children run off to, even when they think they are being clever. Nyx has always been a wild card but I kept tabs on her. She is hiding out in the eastern floating islands. She is playing at being a wandering rogue. When the capital is secure, I will send word for her. It is time the family was made whole again."

  Li Yu nodded approvingly and was happy to see a family of someone he knew come back together. "Rebuild your home. Find your family. But..." Li Yu's tone shifted and became slightly firmer. The casual warmth remained but the gravity of his words increased. "...I do have one condition."

  Morrigan straightened her posture. "Name it."

  "Do not be aggressive toward the human territories," Li Yu said clearly. "I am human. While I don’t have any personal ties there, I don’t wish to see them suffer either. If the humans march on your borders and attack you, you have every right to defend yourselves and slaughter them. But do not initiate a war of conquest against them. Stay neutral."

  "A reasonable request," Morrigan agreed instantly. "War with the humans is costly and rarely profitable anyway. We will stay out of their affairs. It is not a problem at all."

  Li Yu reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a heavy metallic token. He tossed it across the fire to Morrigan, who caught it effortlessly.

  "If conflict does break out or if you run into the major human factions near the borders, show them that token," Li Yu instructed. "Grandmaster Thorne, one of the supreme leaders of the human nations, knows who I am. It should be enough to force a parley and prevent unnecessary bloodshed between forces that shouldn’t fight one another."

  Morrigan turned the token over in her hands.The fact that this young man casually held a direct line to the supreme leadership of humanity here only further cemented the sheer scale of his background. Little did she know that they had just met by chance and Li Yu had little to do with them. He simply wanted to give the humans a better life here if possible.

  "I will keep it safe," Morrigan promised while securing the token within her own robes.

  Vespera looked at Li Yu with a bittersweet expression on her face. "You aren't coming with us to the capital, are you?"

  Li Yu shook his head. "No. I’ve reached a new realm, Vespera. My body is doing things I don't fully understand yet and I got things I need to figure out. I need time alone to adjust to this new state of power. Besides, rebuilding a demon nation is family business. I'd just be in the way. It’s not something I should get involved in."

  Vespera understood. She stood up and walked around the fire pit. She surprisingly pulled Li Yu into a brief but fierce hug. Her armor clanked against his chest.

  "Thank you," Vespera whispered fiercely. "For everything. You said it was to repay a debt to me but the deed done today is a debt our family can never repay back to you."

  "Don't mention it," Li Yu smiled while patting her on the back. "Just don't get yourself killed rebuilding that palace of yours. If you really need my help, let me know."

  Vespera didn’t want to truly leave, her instincts were still telling her to stay with Li Yu. However, her family needed her more right now. If she had to choose between her supposed destiny or helping her family, her family would always win.

  Morrigan stood as well and was offering one final bow. "May the shadows favor your path, Li Yu. When you have need of the House of Night, you need only call. As Vespera said, we owe you a debt we could never repay. Even if there wasn’t this seal on me, we would come to your aid in your time of need."

  With their goodbyes spoken, Vespera and Morrigan turned away from the campfire. They packed up the spatial pavilion with a wave of Vespera’s hand, leaving the rocky bank empty once more. The two took to the sky and shot off toward the east. They were ready to reclaim their lost empire and gather the remnants of their bloodline.

  Li Yu watched them go until they were nothing but twin specks against the starlit sky. He was alone once again.

  The desolate wind howled through the jagged ravine but Li Yu didn't feel the cold. He sat back down on the stone bench and watched the flickering flames of the campfire. He closed his eyes, sinking his awareness inward, ready to finally explore the depths of his newfound strength.