Chapter 716: Xue Wanshan

When Mia pushed open the door carrying a full basket of ingredients, Celis was standing by the stove wiping her hands.

"Frostwing Bird breast meat, and the Frostmoon Brew and Ice Shrimp you requested."

Mia put the basket on the stove, her tail wagging as she said, "That logistics manager today..."

Celiss paused in wiping her hands, looked up at her, and frowned slightly: "If he makes things difficult for you, I'll go tomorrow."

"No need, no need!" Mia waved her hand like a fan, her cat ears twitching. "Sister Seris, you rest, I'll go."

She took two steps closer and lowered her voice: "You don't know, when that manager saw me today, although he still had that deadpan look on his face, at least he didn't ignore me like before."

He raised his chin ?? (Original source) and asked...

Mia cleared her throat and imitated the steward's stern tone, "'Has Lord Lin been eating normally lately?'"

She straightened up, a smug look on her face: "That tone was actually quite polite compared to before. I knew the lord had a good appetite; he finished every meal."

Seris took the ingredients out of the basket one by one and placed them on the stove. Hearing this, she glanced at her indifferently: "You told the steward that the lord ate everything at every meal?"

"I already said so, what's wrong?" Mia blinked.

Seris didn't say anything, she just continued arranging the ingredients.

Mia became increasingly guilty as she spoke, her tail slowly drooping as she muttered softly, "Anyway... anyway, those logistics people aren't really going to count how many bites the lord ate..."

Celiss didn't reply, but picked up an apron from the stove and handed it to her, a barely perceptible smile curving her lips.

Mia took the apron, her cat ears still red, and began to try to justify herself: "Besides, what's wrong with me eating more for the lord?"

"My lord is so thin, I'm just helping him out! Sister Seris, don't you think so? Right?"

Celiss had already turned her back to deal with the frozen shrimp, only saying, "Remove the shrimp vein."

"Okay, okay!" Mia tied on her apron, wagged her tail again, and peered over to the stove.

"I'll cook these shrimp today! I learned how to make chilled drunken shrimp at the training camp last time. It was marinated in cold moon wine, and it was so delicious..."

Celiss pushed the shrimp towards her: "Don't put too much alcohol in it."

"Don't worry!" Mia had already rolled up her sleeves, full of energy.

...

Mia placed the last chilled drunken shrimp onto a porcelain plate, stepped back half a step, tilted her head to examine it for a while, and nodded in satisfaction.

The long table was already laden with food: Frostwing bird breast meat was pan-fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside; frozen shrimp soaked in Cold Moon Wine, gleaming with a pale blue light; and several dishes of frozen mushrooms and pickled vegetables, with wisps of steam rising upwards.

"Alright, alright, everyone's here!" Mia clapped her hands. "Sister Seris, which do you think the Lord will eat first today?"

Celiss, wiping the stove, didn't look up: "Have some soup first."

"That's not necessarily true, my lord..."

Footsteps came from the stairwell, and Mia's voice stopped abruptly.

She and Celis exchanged a glance and moved almost simultaneously.

Mia jogged around to the back of the main seat, holding onto the back of the chair with both hands, while Celis picked up the soup spoon and stood next to the soup bowl.

When Lin Feng came downstairs, this was the scene he saw: breakfast was neatly arranged on the long table, steaming hot.

Mia stood behind his seat, her cat ears standing straight up.

Seris stood quietly by the table, holding a soup spoon in her hand, her eyes lowered.

As he approached, Mia gently pushed her chair forward, positioning it perfectly next to Lin Feng's legs.

"My lord, please have breakfast."

Lin Feng glanced at her, then at Celis, who was also waiting quietly beside him, and sat down without saying anything.

Seris immediately stepped forward and ladled a bowl of soup to his side.

Mia pushed the bird meat and drunken shrimp toward him, her eyes sparkling as she stared at his face, as if awaiting a trial.

Lin Feng first tasted a sip of the soup, the warmth sliding down his throat and dispelling the chill of the morning.

I picked up another piece of bird meat, which was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, cooked to perfection.

Finally, I picked up a drunken shrimp. The aroma of the cold moon wine melted on my tongue, and the wine flavor was just right, not too strong.

He put down his chopsticks and nodded.

"good."

Mia's cat ears snapped straight up. She pursed her lips, trying to maintain a dignified expression, but she couldn't keep it up for more than two breaths before her smile completely vanished, blossoming into a wide grin.

Celiss stood by the table, no longer hiding the slight smile on her lips.

Lin Feng ate while sighing inwardly.

From childhood, he was taught that everyone is equal.

Back in school, there were classmates from well-off families who wore designer clothes and drove nice cars. He said it would be a lie to say he wasn't envious, but despite his envy, he never felt inferior to them.

Later, when he entered the Nightmare World and became a lord, he didn't change these habits much. Relying on his unlimited energy, he did everything himself and never even hired a secretary.

But now, the two girls have prepared and set out the breakfast, one pushing a chair and the other serving soup, and they are waiting for his evaluation with serious expressions.

He looked down at the soup in the bowl, then at Mia standing straight beside him and Celis waiting quietly.

"Oh well," he thought, "enjoying it occasionally isn't against my principles."

Just then, a muffled drumbeat came from afar.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The entire central city came to life instantly.

Outside the window came the sounds of hurried footsteps, the clanging of armor plates, and deep commands, one after another, layer upon layer.

Mia's cat ears suddenly stood up, and her tail froze in mid-air.

Celiss put down her spoon, turned to look out the window, and her figure tensed for a moment beneath her plain gray dress.

"War drums?" Mia's voice was a few decibels lower than usual. "These are... the drums from the east city wall?"

Lin Feng put down his chopsticks and stood up: "I'll go check on things first. You two shouldn't go out unless you have to."

"Yes," Seris replied.

"My lord, be careful!" Mia shouted from behind, her tail still stiff.

Lin Feng nodded and pushed open the door to go out.

The scene outside the gate had changed completely. The streets were full of Nightmare Clan soldiers, and packs of Shadow Wolves were running towards the east city wall. Corpse Men were advancing rapidly in square formations on the main road, and Wriggle Shadows were gliding silently along the walls.

Several Nightmare Weavers moved among them, their mental pulses spreading silently, diverting organized forces to the east.

Lin Feng took to the air and flew towards the eastern city wall.

Halfway there, Thorne swept in from the side, followed by seven or eight Nightmare Apostles.

His smile remained, but his expression turned serious: "Lord Lin, the Blood Demon Sect has amassed a large force in the east, and Xue Wanshan, the Blood Demon Sect's senior apostle, has also come."

Lin Feng continued at full speed: "They've started the siege?"

"Not yet," Thorne said quickly, walking beside him. "The forwards have pushed five kilometers outside the ice wall and are forming up. Judging by their posture, today might be a big match."

Lin Feng frowned: "Wasn't it just small-scale harassment before? How come it's suddenly escalated to a larger scale?"

Thorne said, "I suspect it's aimed at you. The Blood Demon Sect must have received the news. The Eastern Defense Zone has a new commander, and Xue Wanshan probably wants to take advantage of your recent appointment and unfamiliarity with the situation to launch a surprise attack."

Lin Feng glanced at him.

This was a flawless statement, both clarifying the situation and subtly praising him.

But he always felt there was something else hidden in Thorne's tone.

"We'll talk when we get there." He didn't say anything more and sped up his flight toward the city wall.

The eastern city wall was already crowded with people.

At the top of the hundred-meter-high ice wall, Nightmare Clan ranged units were densely packed together, and Shadowweavers moved back and forth between the battlements, transmitting commands through telepathic pulses.

On the drill ground below the wall, the reserve team was assembling, a dark mass of troops stretching as far as the eye could see.

Lin Feng landed on the city wall, with Thorne following behind.

In the distance, amidst the snowstorm, the Blood Demon Sect's formation was being deployed.

The disciples who had acquired their skills formed a dense square formation, while the masters who had acquired their skills moved between the square formations.

Thirty experts who had shattered the void stood in mid-air, their auras condensed and unyielding, like thirty iron pillars driven into the sky, suppressing the entire snowstorm.

Behind them, the Blood Demon Sect's masters spread out like black clouds, layer upon layer, blotting out the sky and the sun.

Lin Feng remained silent, his gaze fixed on the figure at the very front.

The wind and snow were too heavy to see faces clearly, but the oppressive aura emanating from that person was heavier than all the people behind him combined.

This battle is likely to be difficult.