Fu Hua's home was a villa... a massive house built directly by the Fu family in the countryside suburbs. However, although it was in the countryside, the traffic conditions were not bad because the roads had been repaired... and it wasn't far from the city, only about a half-hour journey.
After Li Xuan and the others had rested, they came to the first-floor hall to enjoy the Fu family's welcome feast... Mm, it was Cantonese cuisine that Li Xuan hadn't eaten properly for almost a year...
Although St. Freya High School was located on an island in the Far East, the food was still predominantly European in style... After all, a large portion of the academy's members were still Westerners... They preferred to eat bread.
Even when there was Chinese food, it wasn't very authentic. On the contrary, due to its proximity to the sea... sashimi and sushi were more popular... and Li Xuan hated eating raw things!
The dining table was filled with all sorts of food... all exquisite delicacies meticulously prepared by a local chef, such as salt-baked chicken in a clay pot, its golden skin covering savory, tender white meat; char siu drizzled with a special sauce; fragrant steamed pork ribs with fermented black beans; and soft steamed meatloaf topped with golden salted egg yolks....
The scene was silent for a moment... only the sound of chewing echoed throughout the hall. Li Xuan, who was completely engrossed in eating, forgot to restrain his two sisters and girlfriend, whose appetites were like bottomless pits... And so, before Fu Hua could even react, they had polished off nearly two-thirds of the dishes on the table...
Even Fu Hua's father, who had been smiling kindly ever since Li Xuan sat down, found his smile a little stiff... This turn of events was a hundred and eight thousand li different from what he had expected... Had the young guests been starving for three days and three nights?!
"Ah..." By the time Li Xuan came to his senses, only leftovers remained on the table... Fu Hua, sitting beside him, still had her chopsticks suspended in mid-air... She didn't know where to reach for food...
"That was delicious~" Yaoye and Yae Sakura exclaimed in unison, patting their completely unchanged flat stomachs in satisfaction... The delicacies of the Divine Land had completely captured their stomachs.
Li Xuan looked up and saw the mess on the table. Even with his thick skin, he couldn't help but blush and say to the middle-aged man who was watching him with a smile, "Uncle, I'm really sorry..."
For the guests to finish all the food prepared by the host as soon as they sat down... this seemed quite improper from any perspective...
"It's alright... little friend. If you're not full, we can serve more dishes..." Fu Hua's dad wasn't angry at all. He said with a smile, "Don't worry, there's still plenty of food..."
"Uncle, I'm full... no need for more..." Li Xuan said earnestly, his face flushed. If he kept eating, wouldn't he give off the impression of being a glutton?!
"Brother, can we still eat?…" In contrast to Li Xuan's objection, Yaoye said with great anticipation... A Familiar's constitution could easily digest all this food without gaining any weight... so Yaoye and Yae Sakura could eat to their hearts' content...
"..." Li Xuan looked at his sister's expectant gaze, and at Yae Sakura chewing on her chopsticks... he felt a sense of guilt would wash over him if he disagreed...
"It's no trouble... it won't take much time to make another table full of dishes." Fu Hua's father said quite magnanimously, "Fu Hua... go to the kitchen and ask the chef to make some more food..."
"Okay, Father..." Even Fu Hua's placid face showed a hint of shock at her classmate's appetite, but she quickly calmed herself, nodded calmly, and walked towards the corridor...
"Little friend Li Xuan..." Fu Hua's father looked at Li Xuan with a somewhat ardent gaze and said softly, "I have something I'd like to discuss with you in the study... is that alright?"
"Uh... okay, okay..." Li Xuan was stunned, a little puzzled as to why Fu Hua's dad wanted to talk to him... However, one doesn't bite the hand that feeds... he couldn't very well refuse...
But why did Fu Hua's dad's strange gaze send a chill down his spine?! It was like looking at a treasured possession... Could it be that Fu Hua's dad was actually gay?! Li Xuan, his mind running wild, clenched his butt...
.......................
Fu Hua's family study wasn't really a place with that many books... The room faced southeast, and sunlight could shine through the wooden doors and windows, illuminating the entire room... The tatami-style door opposite the main door led to the backyard... The fresh scent of grass mixed with the smell of wood was refreshing...
There was even a small pond not far from the study, its bottom paved with pebbles... A few golden carp blew bubbles as they slowly moved their bodies...
"Uncle, is there something you need?..." Li Xuan said, feeling uneasy all over. As an ordinary member of St. Freya High School, he couldn't imagine why this tycoon would want to talk to him...
"Just call me Uncle Fu, little friend Li Xuan.... I just want to verify some ideas, no need to be so nervous..." Fu Hua's dad said with a wry smile.
A wisp of steam gently rose from the teacup on the small wooden table between them... Uncle Fu held the cup of green tea with its faint aroma and took a gentle sip...
"Little friend Li Xuan..."
"Uncle Fu, just call me Xiao Xuan..." Li Xuan felt that the title 'little friend' made him a little uncomfortable...
"Hmm, alright..." Uncle Fu didn't mind. He smiled slightly and continued. "Do you know the origin of our surname, 'Fu'?"
"..." Li Xuan was completely baffled. How would he know the answer to a question like that?! After all, no one would randomly go and research a surname that wasn't their own...
"The surname 'Fu' actually has a very simple origin. It comes from the surname 'Ji', so we are also descendants of Houji, the ancestor of the Zhou people... If we trace this surname further back through the long river of history..."
"Xiao Xuan, do you know who the original ancestor is?" Uncle Fu asked with a smile in his eyes, and hidden deep within them was a trace of imperceptible pride...
"...Who is it?" Li Xuan had an inkling, but instead of saying it, he asked.
"It is... our common ancestor, the 'Yellow Emperor'…" Uncle Fu said faintly. He picked up the blue and white porcelain teacup in his hand, took a gentle sip, and then spoke.
"Also, let me show you something familiar..." Uncle Fu said to the still-baffled Li Xuan. He stood up and took a long wooden box from the cabinet behind him...
The box was easily opened by Uncle Fu... revealing the object inside, an item that was incredibly familiar to Li Xuan...
"Xuanyuan Sword?!" Li Xuan's eyes widened, and he blurted out its name...
It was a simple, ancient sword of gold...
(End of Chapter)