Uh…
When it came to fun places around Liyue's outskirts, Kael honestly couldn't think of much besides sightseeing.
Inside Liyue City, though, he actually knew a few interesting spots.
Back when he played the game, wandering around Liyue to enjoy the scenery or running domains was his go-to pastime whenever he was bored.
But he obviously couldn't take Mona and Xiangling to go clear a domain.
And right now, he only earned twenty Attribute Points per wild beast he killed.
He had no idea how the System calculated domain boss rewards.
Risking his life for twenty Attribute Points didn't sound worth it anyway.
In the end, Kael decided to make good use of the System map. He teleported around the outskirts of Liyue, taking Mona and Xiangling sightseeing before returning to Wangshu Inn.
He had booked two nights here.
And he definitely wasn't going to waste the last one.
The huge bed in Wangshu Inn's luxury room "603"… of course they were going to enjoy it again…
The next morning, Kael got up from the bed.
Mona was already a chronic late riser, and after how late they slept last night, she simply couldn't wake up.
Kael didn't disturb her. He went out to the viewing deck and found Xiao first.
He let Little Gold have a full meal.
When he returned, Mona was still asleep with her eyes tightly shut.
So he accepted his fate, cleaned her up, and carried her out of the room.
It wasn't until they were sitting in Wangshu Inn's lobby that Mona slowly wake up.
The moment she realized she'd been sitting in Kael's arms, her face turned crimson in an instant.
She wriggled out of his hold.
Then shot him a furious, embarrassed glare.
This was all Kael's fault.
She had told him…
Hmph!
Kael rubbed his nose.
He turned to Xiangling beside him. "Is everything ready?"
Xiangling nodded obediently.
Kael took a deep breath.
He had already planned it out. Today, they were heading back to Liyue City.
But the closer the moment came, the more nervous he felt.
Maybe it was because Liyue was where he had spent the longest time in Sensory Mode during the life simulation.
He had even stayed in Wanmin Restaurant for a while in soul form.
Whenever he thought of Chef Mao, Kael felt a deep, uneasy ache in his chest.
But this was something he had to face eventually.
Kael placed Mona and Xiangling into the Serenitea Pot.
He tapped the teleport marker closest to Liyue City.
[Teleport?]
"Yes."
In an instant, the city gates of Liyue were right in front of him.
The map also showed teleport waypoints inside the city.
But at this hour, Liyue City would definitely be full of people.
Suddenly appearing in the middle of a crowd would draw way too much attention.
The moment Xiangling emerged from the Serenitea Pot, her face lit up with excitement.
"We're here! Liyue City!!!"
She grabbed Kael's hand and dashed toward the entrance.
"Brother, Mona! Come on! I'll take you to Wanmin Restaurant!"
---
"Chef Mao, this Crispy Shrimp is amazing! And the price is great! I'll bring my wife to try it in a few days."
A middle-aged man praised Chef Mao as he left.
"Alright, Old Chen, come again next time!"
Chef Mao waved him off with a smile.
Of course the Crispy Shrimp tasted great—after all, it was… a newly invented dish!
Chef Mao froze at the stove.
Who invented this dish again…?
Recently, Wanmin Restaurant had launched many new dishes.
It was as if Chef Mao had suddenly opened his meridians in a dream.
Every morning, he woke with fresh inspiration for a new recipe.
And not just a passing idea.
The ingredients, cooking steps, seasonings—everything appeared in his mind as clearly as if he were reading a recipe book.
But Chef Mao knew these weren't his original creations.
No matter how he tried, he couldn't remember whose hands these dishes came from.
---
As the number of new recipes increased, Chef Mao spent more and more time staring blankly into space.
He also seemed to have developed a new problem—intense chest pain.
For some reason, his heart would seize up with stabbing pain.
Sometimes it was so bad he collapsed and couldn't get up.
Because of that, Wanmin Restaurant had closed for several days recently.
Chef Mao realized he was spacing out again and could only smile bitterly.
His symptoms were getting worse.
But he wasn't old. Far from it. Calling this an old man's illness would be ridiculous…
Was it because Wanmin Restaurant was too busy, too exhausting?
Maybe he needed to take some time off.
Even so… he found comfort in the fact that Xiangling had already grown into a capable chef.
If he really couldn't continue, letting Xiangling take over Wanmin wouldn't worry him at all.
Except… a part of him felt that someone else might be better suited…
Who…?
Who was that person…?
"Dad!!! I'm back!!!!!!!"
A clear, bright voice rang out from outside, snapping Chef Mao out of his thoughts.
His face lit up as he recognized the familiar voice.
"Xiangling, welcome ba—"
His words stopped abruptly.
He stared at the man running in behind Xiangling, unable to tear his eyes away.
It was him.
It was definitely him.
He had never seen this man before.
But the very second he laid eyes on him, Chef Mao felt as though all of his unanswered questions had finally found their explanation.
---
As Kael approached Wanmin Restaurant and saw Chef Mao's face, a sting rose behind his eyes.
His impression of Chef Mao was still frozen in the life simulation.
Back then, Chef Mao's hair had gone white, his back had been bent, and he looked like a man at the end of his life.
But seeing him now—with dark hair and clear, bright eyes—reminded Kael of something important.
Xiangling was only fifteen or sixteen right now.
Chef Mao was at most in his early forties.
A man still in his prime.
But grief over a lost son had turned his hair white overnight.
It had aged him decades in a single moment.
That kind of pain was something no father could ever bear.
Chef Mao's hand trembled violently around the spatula.
His eyes reddened, and he stared at Kael with a mix of aching affection and overwhelming sorrow.
It took a long time before he managed to utter a shaky whisper.
"It's good… it's good you're back…"
The moment he said that, his eyes rolled back and he fell straight backward.
Chef Mao had fainted, unable to withstand the flood of emotion surging through his heart.