Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Change

When Robin left the consultation room, he took the sweet and sour fish Lu Xiao had given him.

He cradled it in his arms as if it were a rare treasure.

Touching the warm food container, he felt as if its heat could warm his very heart.

The military officers who escorted him knew it contained food personally made by the young female.

The moment they thought about how it was handmade by Lu Xiao—Healer Lu—a delicacy prepared by a female’s own hands, the two officers had a strange thought. Maybe having an S-Class danger assessment for their Spirit Sea wouldn’t be so bad. It might even be a way to meet a gentle female like Lu Xiao.

The two men stared enviously at the food container in Robin’s arms, wishing they could trade places with him on the spot.

Robin felt uneasy under their stares. He didn’t dare say anything, simply hugging the container in his arms tighter.

He was nothing like these army grunts. He was just an ordinary person who had never been a soldier, let alone set foot on a battlefield. If these two really decided to take it from him, there would be nothing he could do.

Fortunately, these escorting officers were bound by strict discipline. Aside from staring at the food container in his arms, they didn’t do anything out of line.

Even so, the experience left Robin on edge.

After all, no one would feel comfortable being stared at by two hungry wolves.

It wasn’t until he was back at the containment center that Robin could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Robin was in a four-person dorm. Barring special circumstances, everyone here—regardless of their identity, status, or background on the outside—was reduced to a cold, impersonal number.

The only person who made the effort to remember their names was probably Lu Xiao.

Whenever someone returned from treatment, the others would gather around to ask how it went.

Their voices were filled with envy. Even if they hadn’t managed to get an appointment in Healer Lu’s clinic yet, seeing someone else get better gave them a renewed sense of hope.

Living with purpose, compared to just waiting for death, was a path always filled with hope.

“Robin, what did you bring back? Did they actually let you buy something?”

Ever since they heard that using names was a form of therapy, they had taken to calling each other by name when they were alone.

Whether it was for this reason or not, a new layer of intimacy had formed between them.

“I didn’t buy it. C’mon, get down here! Healer Lu was making good on her promise. It’s sweet and sour fish she made herself. Come and have some, it’s still warm.”

Robin carefully placed the food container on the table. When the others heard him, they all stirred. “What did you just say? Sweet and sour fish made by Healer Lu herself? She can cook? No way!”

One of them voiced his doubt, while another, without a word, reached out to feel Robin’s forehead, as if to check if his condition had worsened.

Robin swatted his hand away. “I’ve told you all, Healer Lu isn’t like other females. She can do anything! She’s the most amazing female I’ve ever met. You can only understand how wonderful she is once you’ve experienced it for yourself. Now, enough talk. Hurry up and try it.”

When he opened the lid of the food container, Robin discovered it was a whole fish.

Since it was still warm, they could eat it without reheating.

After entering the containment center, they were only given nutrient solution each day. It had been a long time since they had eaten real food like this.

Now, upon suddenly seeing and smelling it, their mouths began to water uncontrollably. “It smells so good! This fish looks incredible!”

“I still can’t quite believe this was handmade by a female. Since when do females go into the kitchen?”

“If you’re still hung up on that, you can go stew on it in the corner. We’re going to eat!”

“Fine, forget it. I’m not hung up on it anymore.”

’Are you kidding me? No matter who made this fish, he was going to have a bite today.’

Robin suggested, “There are four of us, so we can each have a piece. Should we draw lots for the head and tail?”

“You’re the one who brought this back; you don’t have to give us any of it. Why would we make you draw lots? The head is yours. The three of us will split the rest evenly.”

“That’s right, Robin, the head is yours. If you don’t like the head, just pick whichever part you like best.”

“I’ll take the head, then. You guys split the rest.” Robin didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the fish head and started eating off to the side.

He knew how to make sweet and sour fish, too, but his version probably didn’t taste very good. It certainly hadn’t been popular back when he was at Egger Restaurant.

But for some reason, this sweet and sour fish made by Lu Xiao smelled incredible. Robin wasn’t sure if he was just seeing her through a biased filter or if it was truly that amazing.

With the fish head in his hands, Robin no longer hesitated and took a bite.

The moment it entered his mouth, he was met with a perfectly balanced sweet and sour flavor—not a hint too sour, not a drop too sweet. But beyond that, Robin tasted other flavors, and his eyes couldn’t help but light up.

Lu Xiao’s method for this sweet and sour fish was completely different from his own, but the taste and texture were even better. Most importantly, there was no fishy taste.

“This is way too good!”

“Oh my god, this is the best sweet and sour fish I’ve ever had!”

“What am I going to do? I want to lick the container clean!”

…

Hearing the exclamations from the others, Robin felt it all even more deeply.

As a chef, he understood the value of this dish far better than the others. He was truly stunned by the young female’s culinary skill.

’So Healer Lu’s cooking skills weren’t just not inferior to his—they were even better.’

’How could there be a young female in this world who was so skilled at cooking?’

’And how could Healer Lu be so incredible? Was there anything she couldn’t do, anything she didn’t know?’

If before he had merely been grateful to Lu Xiao, now Robin was filled with worship and admiration.

A single dish of sweet and sour fish had completely captured the hearts of the four men in Robin’s dorm room.

Lu Xiao, for her part, was oblivious to what was happening in Robin’s dorm. Having finished her work for the day, she returned to her office, preparing to perform Spiritual Soothing for the four teachers.

To her surprise, she found that both Teacher Ai Li and Teacher Sherry seemed to be in excellent condition today.

Lu Xiao blinked. “Did you all take the day off today?”

Teacher Ai Li, who had been sitting calmly at her desk, suddenly laughed. “Hard to believe, isn’t it? That we look perfectly normal, with none of that weakness we used to feel?”

Lu Xiao nodded, looking at Teacher Ai Li in confusion. “So… you’ve already had your sessions?”

Teacher Sherry couldn’t hold it in any longer and jumped to her feet. “Of course! We just finished our sessions, but this time, I wasn’t affected by all those negative emotions at all! Can you believe it?”

This time, Lu Xiao was truly stunned, her eyes widening involuntarily. “For real?”

“Would the four of us gang up to lie to you? Of course it’s real! Actually, I had an inkling before, but I wasn’t sure. I thought it was just my imagination. But then we all talked and realized we were all feeling the same thing. So… we think it might have something to do with you?”

“With me?” ’What does it have to do with me?’ Lu Xiao was completely baffled. ’Could it be my purification power? Does my purification power have this kind of effect?’

’How come I didn’t know that?’

It was no wonder Lu Xiao was surprised. This was, after all, her first time performing Spiritual Soothing on other females. She hadn’t anticipated such a result, and she had no prior experience to draw upon.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep