The women listened to the little cook's cold voice and behaved themselves, not daring to say a word.
The little cook looked at them coldly and withdrew the cleaver from her hand. "..." She glanced towards the stairs.
A quarter of an hour later.
The women left the inn one by one.
As the little cook tidied the tables, she heard movement behind her and said, "You're down."
The waiter walked forward and asked, "Why did you look for Mu Anxiao?"
The little cook, without turning her head, replied, "Mu Anxiao told you." With that, she dropped the rag in her hand and turned to face the waiter.
The waiter stopped in front of the little cook. "I was the one who asked her."
"Are you really not planning... to cooperate with the demon soul anymore?"
"I told you yesterday, she wants to kill me."
"Kill you," the little cook scanned the unharmed waiter from head to toe. "Then aren't you still alive?"
"I am still alive. If I die, it won't do you any good either."
The little cook snorted as she saw the waiter's disdainful expression. "Really, Mu Anxiao saved you, and you've become her dog." "Do you know about Soul Swords?"
"Yes."
"She is the one who possesses the Soul Sword. If I don't obey, she will..."
"Then aren't you afraid the demon soul will kill you?"
"Compared to the demon soul, I fear her more," the waiter said, observing the little cook's calm expression. "Don't you already trust her? Why are you speaking like this?"
"Coward," the little cook glared at the waiter and turned her back. "I advise you to cast aside your fear of her. There's nothing to be afraid of from people like that. Not a single word she speaks is true."
Before talking to those women, the little cook had indeed believed Mu Anxiao's words.
In fact, she had even gained confidence in her cooking during that short time.
But the moment she saw the women leaving leftovers, she recalled what the demon soul had told her before leaving last night, and she realized that Mu Anxiao was indeed not a trustworthy person.
Her talk about good cooking was nothing more than Mu Anxiao's sweet talk.
In the end, it wasn't her, but the demon soul, who could save the business here.
"What stimulated you?"
"Mu Anxiao... said my cooking was good."
"Your cooking is indeed good."
"Good," the little cook sneered and slowly turned to face the waiter. "You know I don't like pretty words."
"I'm telling the truth."
"The truth," the little cook became inexplicably sentimental. "Then tell me, if you're telling the truth, why did those women leave leftovers?"
"Leftovers?" the waiter repeated, peering at the stack of plates the little cook had piled up on the table, and said, "They ate it all, how could there be leftovers?"
"I forced them to finish it, and they all vomited when they left," the little cook said, her mouth suddenly turning down pitifully.
The waiter understood that the little cook was not only insecure but also an extremely sensitive young girl.
She liked praise but hated criticism.
A single criticism could incite her to kill.
However, this kind of personality was unexpectedly common in the demon realm, so the waiter was not surprised and always indulged her.
Initially, her cooking was poor, and many demons denied it, but the waiter always comforted her.
Gradually, her cooking improved.
However, she lost customers, and the confidence she had cultivated over time vanished instantly.
After meeting the demon soul, she found the confidence to cook again, and even more, she found the confidence to earn inner cores.
From then on, she completely sealed herself in the kitchen, becoming a profit-driven little cook.
And to protect her from external influences, the waiter began to guard her.
Until last night, when she heard the news of the demon soul's departure, she collapsed.
The next morning, she sought out Mu Anxiao, and Mu Anxiao's words did indeed give her encouragement.
Unexpectedly, it was shattered by those women who couldn't finish their meals.
Her newly acquired confidence and trust in Mu Anxiao.
It all crumbled in an instant.
"They were just too full," the waiter reached out and took the little cook's arm.
The little cook looked down at the waiter's hand and said stiffly, "Don't try to fool me." With that, she threw his hand away and ran past him.
The waiter: "..." He was bewildered.
By the stairs.
Mu Anxiao witnessed every expression of the little cook's cold sarcasm towards her.
So, she said, "You're not chasing her either."
Upon hearing this, the waiter turned to look at Mu Anxiao, unsurprised, and said, "I felt she would never trust you."
"I know."
"You know?"
"Yes," Mu Anxiao nodded and walked up to the waiter, peering at the bowls and plates on the table. "The moment I saw that magnificent breakfast, I guessed those women wouldn't be able to finish it."
The waiter asked, "Why do you think so?"
Mu Anxiao smiled faintly. "It's only been a few hours since they ate last night until now. How could the food have been digested so quickly?"
"Digested?"
"Yes, calculated by their eating time, that food should not have been digested yet. Naturally," Mu Anxiao sneered, "their stomachs weren't hungry, so how could they finish this breakfast? If you ask me, your little cook is just too sensitive."
"If I tell the little cook what you told me, she might..."
"Explaining won't help. The more you say to her, the more she'll think. I think the best way now is to let her quiet down, and then she can come back, and I'll talk."
"You'll talk?"
"What, I can't talk?"
"No, I just think the possibility of her trusting you isn't very high."
"I know."
"You know, then why are you still doing this?"
"If you were to explain, I think she would definitely believe you've been brainwashed by me, and then things would become more troublesome. In short, when she comes back, you scold me."
"Scold me?" the waiter repeated, his gaze flicking. "I dare not."
"It's okay. As long as you don't do anything harmful, you can scold me however you want," she said, but midway, Mu Anxiao suddenly thought of the demon soul. "By the way, how is your little cook's relationship with that demon soul usually?"
"Relationship," the waiter repeated, taking a deep breath. "How should I put it? I think the demon soul's relationship with her is better than with me."
"You're the boss, shouldn't your relationship with her be better?"
"That's true, but I'm a man."
Mu Anxiao: "..." Drawing on the waiter's words, she recalled the little cook's excited expression when she had asked her to find the demon soul.
Then, she thought about the little cook's fleeing figure just now. Her eyes widened, and she thought that the little cook was very likely to know where the demon soul had gone.
Thus, she looked up at the waiter. "I take back what I just said."
"You?"
"Don't ask. I'll go find her."
Based on her experience in catching vine spirits, Mu Anxiao had a hunch that the little cook definitely knew where the demon soul had gone!