Noon.

Wuji Market, Yueman Tower.

It was peak mealtime. As the premier luxury restaurant in Wuji Market, the establishment was currently bustling. The five-story building was alive with activity; the main hall, private booths, and VIP rooms were packed with diners.

The sounds of toasting, clinking cups, conversation, and raucous laughter filled the air without pause. Patrons indulged in the delicacies prepared by professional chefs, and the first-floor main hall was particularly crowded.

Clad in the standard uniform of Yueman Tower, Zhang Meng balanced a square tray as she swiftly navigated the narrow gaps between the tables in the main hall. She approached a table briskly, setting down several exquisite dishes. With a slight bow and a warm, professional smile, she said, “Please, enjoy your meal.”

She respectfully retrieved her tray and turned to leave.

Having worked at the restaurant for over a month, she was now intimately familiar with the workflow. Her duties at Yueman Tower consisted mainly of serving dishes and running errands—what was commonly known as a runner.

After delivering the order, she retreated to a small break room just outside the kitchen. Several other servers, dressed identically, were seated there, waiting for the next round of dishes.

Zhang Meng found a spot and sat down.

The moment she did, the gentle smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by a look of deep concern.

Late last night, Qin Lu had suddenly returned home injured, giving her a terrible fright. She hadn’t slept well at all. Although his complexion had improved considerably by morning, she remained on edge.

Originally, she had wanted to request a day off to care for him, but Qin Lu had insisted he was fully healed. With a mix of coaxing and excuses, he had practically pushed her out the door to go to work.

Even now, she still had no clear idea what had actually happened the previous night.

“Ah…” Zhang Meng sighed gloomily.

Her sigh caught the attention of the young girl sitting beside her. The girl turned and asked in a crisp, clear voice, “Sister Meng, you’ve looked worried all day. Did something happen?”

The speaker was about sixteen or seventeen years old. Her skin was as fair as snow, her eyes like pools of clear water, and she radiated the innocent vitality of youth. This was Ning Ning, another server at Yueman Tower.

Zhang Meng looked at Ning Ning and forced a faint smile. Helplessly, she replied, “It’s nothing. Just some trouble at home.”

“Oh? Is it that ‘Brother Qin’ who treats you so well?” Ning Ning blinked as she asked.

“Mhm. He was injured.” Zhang Meng nodded gently.

“But didn’t you say he hates going out? Aside from setting up his stall or staying home… with such a low-key personality, how did he even get hurt?” Ning Ning asked curiously. She was quite interested in this Brother Qin that Sister Meng mentioned so often.

“I don’t know. He came back from the market yesterday already wounded. It looked quite serious, too. I still don’t know the cause…”

“Well then, just ask him again tonight~”

“Mhm.”

Zhang Meng nodded again, her eyes still clouded with worry.

Just then, a chef in the kitchen, vigorously wielding a heavy wok spatula, shouted at the top of his lungs: “Orders up—!”

Hearing the call, Zhang Meng and Ning Ning immediately cut their conversation short and stood up to enter the kitchen. The team threw themselves back into the busy workflow.

…

Night slowly descended.

At the entrance of Yueman Tower.

“Alright, I’m heading off.”

After exchanging a few brief words with the night-shift server, Zhang Meng said her goodbyes. Her day shift had officially ended.

As a large-scale establishment, Yueman Tower operated around the clock, with staff divided between day and night rotations. The night shift required staying awake until dawn—exhausting work. Yet, for some reason, ever since Zhang Meng started working here, she had only ever been assigned day shifts. She had never once been rostered for the night.

Chapter [Fragment]: The Neighbor

“Alright then, Sister Meng! I need to head back and cultivate as well. See you tomorrow!”

Ning Ning raised her hand in a cheerful wave, a bright smile beaming on her face. She turned to leave; having said her goodbyes and with the conversation reaching a natural conclusion, there was no reason to linger any longer.

Zhang Meng waved back in response. Watching Ning Ning’s figure fade into the distance, she patted the money pouch tucked in her bosom, then turned and headed toward a pill shop.

Inside the pill shop, Zhang Meng asked softly, “Shopkeeper, do you have any pills for treating sword wounds?”

“Pills?”

The shopkeeper glanced at Zhang Meng. Noticing her shabby clothes, he picked at his nails indifferently and said, “Fellow Daoist, are you sure you can afford pills?”

Zhang Meng’s face flushed slightly. She clutched her money pouch tightly, which contained the twenty Spirit Stones she had just received as wages a few days prior.

“I should be able to…”

She had little idea about pill prices. Pausing for a moment, she continued, “How many Spirit Stones would a pill for sword wounds cost?”

“There’s no such thing as a pill specifically for sword or blade wounds…” The shopkeeper shook his head helplessly, then held up two fingers and explained,”For injuries, I only have two types of pills here: the Vitality Pill for external wounds, and the Nourishing Qi Pill for internal injuries. Which one do you want?”

“The one for external wounds…”

“Very well.”

The shopkeeper immediately changed his two fingers to five, saying calmly, “The Vitality Pill costs fifty Spirit Stones.”

“Ah?”

Zhang Meng froze in shock, her face registering disbelief. She had never imagined pills would be so expensive.

Seeing her reaction, the shopkeeper shook his head again. “Alright, it’s clear you can’t afford proper pills…”

He pointed to a cluster of jars and bottles in the corner, then continued,”Over there, I have some discarded pill residue left over from failed alchemic attempts. It’s cheap. Would you be interested?”

Zhang Meng looked at the jars in the corner and asked, “Does it actually work?”

“Of course it works—effectiveness is guaranteed. But compared to finished pills, the difference is like heaven and earth.”

“How many Spirit Stones is it?”

“Five Spirit Stones per jar.”

Hearing this price, Zhang Meng nodded slightly; it was within her budget.

She immediately took out her money pouch, counted out five Spirit Stones, and handed them to the shopkeeper.”I’ll take one jar.”

…

When Zhang Meng returned home with the pill residue, she found Qin Lu already up and about. His body was wrapped in blood-stained white cloth as he sat in the courtyard chatting with Lu Xian.

“Brother Qin, are you feeling better?” Zhang Meng hurried over to ask.

“Much better. But I’m still too weak to cook. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to…” Qin Lu smiled faintly.

“Don’t worry, rest well. I’ll take care of it. Oh, and this…”

Zhang Meng pulled the jar of pill residue from her bosom, then turned to Lu Xian and asked,”Senior Lu, I bought this pill residue just now. Could you check if it can treat blade wounds?”

“Oh, you bought pill residue? Let me take a look…”

Lu Xian took the jar, opened it, and sniffed the contents, then nodded gently.”It’s fine. This residue is perfect for Brother Qin’s injuries. But it can’t be taken orally—just apply it directly to the wound.”

“That’s a relief.” Zhang Meng let out a long sigh of relief.

Watching her, Qin Lu felt a warm current surge through his heart. He said apologetically,”I’m sorry for making you worry about me…”

“I just hope you’ll never get hurt again.” Zhang Meng’s eyes softened with tenderness.

“Xiao Meng…”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Qin Lu couldn’t help but reach out and take her hand. He was about to speak when…

“Ahem!”

Lu Xian’s sudden cough interrupted him.”Looks like I should make myself scarce. I’m clearly the odd one out here.”

At his words, Zhang Meng’s face turned bright red. She quickly pulled her hand free and fled to the kitchen.

“I got carried away…” Qin Lu scratched his head, a hint of embarrassment crossing his face.

“It’s fine, perfectly understandable.”

Lu Xian chuckled, then took a sip from his teacup. After a brief pause, he said slowly,”Now, let’s get down to business. What exactly happened with those people last night?”