Master of Nine Stars

"SLURP... Ahhh..."

Rong Taotao set down his rice bowl, looking as if he were savoring an endless aftertaste. His face might as well have had a single word written across it: Satisfied!

Rong Taotao was utterly captivated after a single mouthful of the crucian carp and tofu soup.

’If I get the chance, I really need to give Coach Li a piece of my mind. Isn’t this so much better than liquor?’

At the dinner table, Gao Qingchen and Xia Fangran drank and chatted merrily. Both were accomplished in their respective fields, and since they had largely operated in the same areas, they found plenty of common ground.

Cheng Yuan watched Rong Taotao with a loving expression. The sight of the young man enjoying himself so thoroughly made her chuckle softly.

Without a doubt, this was the highest praise for her cooking.

Gao Lingwei gently nudged Rong Taotao’s arm and said, "Another bowl of rice?"

"Here, child, give me your bowl." As she spoke, Cheng Yuan was already getting to her feet.

"Oh, I couldn’t let you do that." Rong Taotao quickly snapped out of his daze and stood up. "I’ll get it myself. Aunt Cheng, your food is amazing."

Delicious or not, one thing was for sure: Rong Taotao was a real sweet-talker!

By the time they were halfway through lunch, Cheng Yuan was already feeling much more at ease.

She knew, of course, that Rong Taotao was descended from a Soul General and had imagined he might have his share of faults. He was a "second-generation" talent, after all—likely spoiled, with a bad temper. What else could you expect from the heir of a renowned Soul General?

Although Gao Lingwei had also told her mother about Rong Taotao’s personality, seeing is believing, after all.

And it wasn’t just Rong Taotao. The two famous Soul Martial Teachers from Songjiang were also very approachable and didn’t put on any airs.

"Eat more of the side dishes, less rice," Yang Chunxi said.

As if Rong Taotao would listen to that.

The moment he sat back down, his spoon was already headed for the braised pork.

’Pouring the braised pork sauce over this fragrant rice... let my soul take another journey through this delicious broth...’

’At this moment, who can stop me!?’

Watching his ravenous eating, Cheng Yuan said softly, "Xiaowei gave me the gift you brought earlier. I love it. Thank you, Xiaorong."

"Just call me Taotao is fine." Rong Taotao shoveled a mouthful of rice in. It was hard for him to maintain a dignified image in the face of such good food. "You have my sister-in-law to thank, too."

Cheng Yuan repeated, "Sister-in-law?"

Rong Taotao gestured to Yang Chunxi beside him. "I have an older brother, Rong Yang. This is his wife, my sister-in-law."

"Oh?" Cheng Yuan faltered for a second. She’d been thinking of Yang Chunxi as her daughter’s university instructor, her teacher. ’So she’s Rong Taotao’s family?’

Suddenly, the mood of the meal shifted.

Cheng Yuan looked toward Yang Chunxi. "I did know that Xiaorong—er, Taotao—has an older brother. I believe he’s also in the Snow Burning Army?"

"Yes." Yang Chunxi smiled and nodded.

"Sigh..." At this, Cheng Yuan seemed overcome with emotion and couldn’t help but ask with concern, "You must be apart more than you’re together, then?"

Yang Chunxi faltered for a moment before replying, "We are."

Cheng Yuan glanced at Gao Qingchen, who was drinking beside her. "It was the same with my husband. If he hadn’t retired early, I’d probably be living all by myself. Once they enlist, it’s hard to even get a glimpse of them."

"Mom." Gao Lingwei frowned slightly, her leg gently bumping her mother’s under the table.

"But you have it a bit better than I did," Cheng Yuan said, catching herself and forcing a smile. "At least Coach Yang is a Soul Martial Artist. I’m just an ordinary person..."

Gao Lingwei had her mother’s brows, and they shared almost identical eyes, but their auras were worlds apart. Cheng Yuan had a very kind and amiable presence, imbued with the characteristic gentleness of a Huaxia woman. Even the light in her eyes was soft, not sharp and piercing like Gao Lingwei’s.

Yang Chunxi smiled and nodded politely, not responding further.

Her romantic life wasn’t exactly perfect. Although their relationship was stable, the road ahead was fraught with difficulties.

’Actually, it would be a great option for Rong Yang to become an instructor at Pine Soul Soul Martial,’ but this thought existed only in Yang Chunxi’s mind. It was next to impossible to achieve.

Rong Yang and Yang Chunxi were both prodigious talents of their generation. Their exceptional abilities meant they shouldered immense responsibilities.

"So, you two enlisted together." Finally, Gao Qingchen, in the middle of his cheerful drinking, shifted his attention to them.

Rong Taotao reluctantly put down his rice bowl and nodded.

The look of gratification and joy on Gao Qingchen’s face was utterly genuine.

By the same token, the worry on Cheng Yuan’s face was just as real.

Gao Qingchen continued, "The special unit, the Twelve Zodiacs. I heard your brother had a big hand in it."

Rong Taotao nodded. "It’s true we’ve joined the Snow Burning Army, but we’re still just reservists in the Twelfth Squad. We’ll have to wait until after graduation to be officially assigned, or we might be sent to other units."

"Hahaha! Excellent, excellent!" Gao Qingchen repeated, grabbing his glass and downing a mouthful. The fiery liquor burned its way down his chest, and he grinned, exhaling a breath of alcohol.

Normally, parents are almost always unwilling for their children to enter the same profession.

Because they’ve spent their entire lives personally experiencing the hardships of the trade.

Let alone the Snow Burning Army. It wasn’t just about hardship; it was a matter of life and death!

And yet... Gao Qingchen, as a father—even one who had lost an arm and a leg—was still immensely gratified that the two of them had joined the Snow Burning Army. It was plain to see in his reaction.

By contrast, the mother, Cheng Yuan, had a much more typical reaction. Anyone could see her anxiety, but she forced herself to hold her tongue for the sake of keeping up appearances.

"Hm?" Cheng Yuan was taken aback. A hand suddenly reached out from under the table and gently took hers.

Cheng Yuan turned to look at Gao Lingwei, but her daughter’s gaze was fixed forward. She was still looking at her father, answering his questions alongside Rong Taotao.

’This...’

Cheng Yuan lowered her head and looked at her daughter’s hand. For a moment, she actually shook her head and smiled.

’Is my daughter trying to comfort me?’

’She’s grown up. She knows how to care for people now.’

In fact, what Cheng Yuan didn’t know was that Gao Lingwei’s heart was filled with guilt and self-blame.

Because she didn’t know when this kind of life for her parents would ever end.

Her father was another matter. He might actually be happier returning to the Snow Realm.

Gao Qingchen was, after all, a Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist. The days he’d fought, the majority of his life’s time and memories, were rooted in the Snow Realm.

But her mother...

She was just an ordinary person, yet she had to stay here in the Snow Realm.

No matter how prosperous Songbai Town became or how closely it resembled normal society, one fact negated everything for an ordinary person: it was perpetually winter here, with an ever-present cold wind and falling snow.

The vast Songbai Town, to Cheng Yuan, was more like a prison.

No one had forced her to return. She had come back on the strength of a single request from her daughter.

Words could be dressed up in a thousand pretty ways, but actions never lied.

With her actions, Cheng Yuan showed her greatest support and deepest love for her daughter.

It was all to put Gao Lingwei’s mind at ease, to allow her to be more focused and to thrive without any worries holding her back.

"Mr. Gao."

Gao Qingchen’s face was flushed; he had clearly had a fair bit to drink. He looked at Rong Taotao and suddenly said, "You can call me Qingchen."

’Rong Taotao was taken aback. ’That’s another way to address him, I guess. Is it meant to be more intimate? Maybe.’

"Qingchen."

"Heh." Gao Qingchen’s eyes looked distant, and as he gazed at Rong Taotao, his smile grew increasingly complicated.

Gao Lingwei looked at her father. ’He’s had a little too much to drink.’

But on such a happy occasion today, she didn’t feel it was right to say anything.

Seeing Gao Qingchen’s vacant stare, Rong Taotao felt a bit lost. He swallowed the question he’d been about to ask and said, "Qingchen? Are you thinking of something?"

"Mmm." Gao Qingchen came back to his senses, smiled, and said, "We once had a young soldier in our squad. He was special. When he first joined, he would call me that in private. His eyes were a lot like yours."

But in Rong Taotao’s eyes, Gao Qingchen’s smile looked somewhat bitter.

Rong Taotao’s heart skipped a beat. "And he..."

Gao Qingchen shook his head. "He was lost. Lost during a mission. He was left behind in a Snow Realm Vortex and never made it back."

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

"Lao Gao," Cheng Yuan suddenly broke the silence. "Mind our guests. Let’s eat."

Clearly, she shouldn’t have used the word "guests"—it created distance—but it also served as a reminder to Gao Qingchen.

"Ah, right! Haha, look at me. Once you get old, it’s easy to get lost in the past and start rambling," Gao Qingchen laughed, raising his glass to Xia Fangran and clinking it gently against his.

"CLINK~"

At that moment, the sound of the glasses clinking together sounded more like a heart breaking.

Xia Fangran took a drink. Ever the slick old operator, he immediately changed the subject. "Taotao, for the New Year, you should bring your Coach Li over. Let him have a good drinking session with Qingchen. I think I’m nearing my limit, probably about to drag everyone down..."

Rong Taotao immediately played along. "That won’t do! The whole table is counting on you to keep my uncle company with the drinks. You’ve got to step up!"

Xia Fangran: "Huh?"

Rong Taotao stood, picked up a large serving of a cold dish, and placed it on Xia Fangran’s plate. "Eat. Look at this authentic cold salad—cucumber strips, dried tofu, minced pork, glass noodles, and chili flakes. One bite of this and I guarantee you’ll be ready for another three rounds."

"Hahahaha." Gao Qingchen couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Alcohol really does amplify a person’s emotions.

Whatever his personality might have been back in his soldiering days, right now, this retired veteran in his mid-fifties, missing an arm and a leg, was a truly good-natured man.

Rong Taotao knew, of course, that this was the result of Gao Qingchen’s conscious effort to adjust over the years.

Any exceptional Soul Martial Artist has blood on their hands, to say nothing of a soldier from the Snow Burning Army. If he were to unleash his killing intent, the combined presence of Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei wouldn’t even come close.

Xia Fangran looked pained. "You’re a heartless brat! I don’t even have a girlfriend, yet here I am, eagerly tagging along with you to meet the potential in-laws! Is this how you repay me?"

Rong Taotao: ???

Gao Lingwei’s hand, which was picking up food, froze slightly.

Yang Chunxi lowered her voice, her tone reproachful. "Coach Xia!"

"Hahahaha!" Gao Qingchen roared with laughter again. "Let’s drink, let’s drink."

"Right, drink, drink." Xia Fangran awkwardly clinked glasses with Gao Qingchen and threw back a mouthful. The fiery spirit went straight up his nose...

With Rong Taotao there, an awkward silence was never going to last.

He nudged Gao Lingwei’s shoulder. "Does that mean my uncle approves?"

Gao Lingwei: ???

Rong Taotao said, "Look how happily he’s laughing."

Gao Lingwei picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and placed it in Rong Taotao’s bowl.

Her pretty face was flushed a faint red. Her beautiful eyes narrowed, glinting with a hint of danger as she squeezed two words through her teeth: "Just eat."

’Tsk, tsk... Da Wei’s getting all flustered now~’

Rong Taotao lifted his bowl and took a blissful bite. ’Man, this is good!’

Rong Taotao instantly forgot all about meeting the in-laws. He grabbed his chopsticks and dove in for the chicken and mushroom stew...