"Damn it," Zephyr muttered, frowning as he quickly hid in the corner, channeling his spiritual energy just in case. Almost simultaneously, the door creaked open, and in walked Reika.
"Huh... what is this place?" Reika squinted her eyes, still adjusting to the dim light. But before she could get her bearings, her foot hit something, causing her to stumble—straight into Zephyr!
Before Zephyr could react, Reika had fallen onto him, soft and unexpectedly close. In the tight space, her face was pressed against his chest. When she looked up, her nose brushed against his chin, and their breaths mingled in the small space between them.
"Uh…" Reika froze, trying to get her footing, but the space was far too cramped. There was no way to escape their current... awkward position.
"Could you maybe…" Zephyr's voice came out low and husky, clearly uncomfortable with the sudden closeness. His usual calm demeanor was cracking, showing a hint of... unease?
"Sorry! I can't get up!" Reika stammered, her hands braced against his chest. Her face was already turning red, and her heart was pounding like crazy.
"Stop moving…" Zephyr's voice dropped even lower, laced with tension. He was trying to stay composed, but every time Reika squirmed, it only brought them closer.
Suddenly, voices came from outside the room. "Who's in there?"
Both Reika and Zephyr froze. The sound of footsteps was getting closer, followed by more murmurs and questions just outside the door.
Reika looked up at Zephyr, her lips barely moving as she whispered, "What do we do?"
A sly smile tugged at Zephyr's lips, and his eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint. He leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "Just follow my lead and don't move."
Reika's breath hitched as she felt the warmth of his breath against her ear, sending her heart into overdrive. She did her best to stay still, suppressing the panic rising inside her.
Zephyr gently helped her stand up, keeping his hands on her shoulders as they adjusted their positions. Even though they were standing now, the space was still too cramped, and they remained way too close for comfort.
The door suddenly burst open, and a black-robed figure stood at the entrance, his sharp gaze scanning the room. Zephyr leaned casually against the wall, pulling Reika close in a nonchalant manner, both of them wearing innocent expressions.
"Who are you?" the black-robed man asked suspiciously.
Zephyr flashed his trademark smile, the one that oozed charm and calmness. "Oh, we're new hires at Drunken Moon. It's our first day, and we accidentally got lost."
Reika's heart raced, but seeing how cool Zephyr remained, she quickly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we just got lost."
The black-robed man studied them for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized Zephyr. He seemed uncertain but didn't press the issue.
"We were just looking for the kitchen," Zephyr added, keeping his voice light and harmless, as if they had no business sneaking around.
There was a pause. The black-robed man glanced between them one last time, then, deciding they weren't worth the trouble, said, "Fine. Just don't wander into places you shouldn't."
With that, he turned and left, closing the door behind him.
Reika let out a huge sigh of relief, her body practically slumping against the wall. The few minutes they had just spent hiding felt like an eternity. She turned to say something to Zephyr, but the smug grin on his face made her stop.
"Why are you so happy?" she grumbled, trying to cover up how flustered she still was.
"You're blushing," Zephyr teased, leaning in closer with a playful glint in his eyes.
Reika's face turned even redder as she glared at him. "Shut up! If I hadn't played along, we would've been caught!"
Zephyr chuckled, giving her a light pat on the shoulder. "You're right, you did great. We really made a perfect team back there."
"Perfect team, my foot!" Reika huffed, stomping out of the room, still flushed. But her heart hadn't quite returned to its normal rhythm.
The two of them quickly left the area and made their way back to the main hall of Drunken Moon. As they walked, Reika couldn't help but stew in her thoughts. What's with this guy? Always acting all smug and flirtatious. It's so annoying!
Yet, despite her irritation, there was a tiny part of her that couldn't help but feel… excited for what might come next.
Once they returned to their posts at the restaurant, Reika busied herself observing the kitchen staff as they painted spirit food onto canvases, while Zephyr kept up his casual act, all the while secretly investigating the layout and searching for clues about the Obsidian Crystal.
Suddenly, the peace of the restaurant was shattered by a storming middle-aged cultivator, who barged in waving a scroll over his head. "Shopkeeper! This painting of yours is defective!"
The shopkeeper rushed over, alarmed. "What happened, sir?"
"I took this roasted fish painting home yesterday, but the fish jumped out of the painting and swam out the window!" the man yelled, his face a mask of outrage.
The shopkeeper looked baffled, while Reika nearly burst out laughing. "A flying fish?"
Before the shopkeeper could respond, another customer ran in, holding his own painting in panic. "Shopkeeper! My painting has gone crazy too! The spirit eggs in the painting all hatched, and now I've got spirit chickens flying around my house, laying eggs non-stop!"
Reika could no longer hold back her laughter, nearly doubling over. "This is turning into a spirit food petting zoo!"
The shopkeeper's face turned purple with frustration. "Who's responsible for this madness?!"
＊＊＊
Drunken Moon was getting more popular by the day, and Zephyr's striking good looks quickly earned him the title of the restaurant's "Face of the Franchise." Every time he was on shift, the place was packed—especially with female cultivators, who showered him with endless compliments and admiring gazes, almost as if they wanted to take him home.
"Hey cut guy Zephyr, could you recommend a spirit painting to help boost my cultivation?" one female cultivator asked softly, her eyes filled with adoration.
"Of course," Zephyr smiled warmly, his gentle tone making her heart skip a beat. He skillfully selected a delicate painting of cloud dumplings and handed it to her, adding softly, "This painting will help strengthen your spiritual energy, but remember, use it in moderation."
"Brother Zephyr, you're so thoughtful!" she blushed furiously, taking the painting with trembling hands as her heartbeat pounded in her ears, the rest of the world seemingly fading away.Standing nearby, Reika observed the scene with a twitching mouth. "This guy… he's way too smooth."
She wasn't exactly jealous, but watching all these female cultivators flock to Zephyr felt... surreal. Especially when one of them asked with dreamy eyes, "Brother Zephyr, do you have any paintings that could improve relationships?"
Reika almost rolled her eyes out of her head.
Zephyr, on the other hand, remained as suave as ever, chuckling softly. "Well, we do have a lovely spirit fruit painting that enhances joy and synchronicity between people."
His smile was so perfectly charming that it was almost criminal.
*That smile should be illegal,* Reika muttered internally. *Is he here to work or to run a harem?*Sensing her gaze, Zephyr turned and raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a teasing grin.
"What's wrong? Do you want a painting to cheer you up, too?"
Reika, caught off guard, huffed in annoyance. "I don't need to rely on my looks to get by like someone!"
"Oh?" Zephyr feigned surprise and nodded thoughtfully. "So you rely on... your spirit food art?"Reika's face instantly turned red as she recalled the infamous "spirit dumpling incident." She shot him a glare. "Don't bring that up! If you hadn't been distracting me, I would've nailed it!"Zephyr chuckled, the amusement in his eyes clear. "Alright, alright. Next time, I won't interfere. I'd love to see how you pull it off."
While the two of them bickered, business at Drunken Moon was booming. However, as time passed, something strange started happening with the spirit paintings.
Three weeks later, a fuming cultivator stormed into the restaurant, his anger radiating off him like flames. "Shopkeeper! There's something wrong with your spirit paintings!"
The shopkeeper rushed over with a forced smile, trying to calm him down. "Sir, what seems to be the problem?"
The cultivator slammed a scroll onto the counter. "Last night, I brought this painting home for a romantic dinner with a female cultivator. And guess what happened? The roasted fish in the painting flew out of the frame!"
The shopkeeper blinked in disbelief. "Flew out of the frame?"
"Yeah! Right in front of us, it flapped its tail and swam out the window!" the cultivator shouted, his rage boiling like the roasted fish he'd ordered.
Reika, standing nearby, couldn't help but stifle a giggle, trying to keep a straight face. Zephyr noticed immediately, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he leaned in and whispered, "So your painted fish decided to go for a swim?"
Reika shot him a side-eye, whispering back, "My fish are just... full of spiritual energy! Maybe too much, I guess."
But before the shopkeeper could resolve this complaint, another frantic customer burst into the restaurant, waving his own painting. "Shopkeeper! Something's gone wrong with my spirit painting too! The spirit chicken in the painting hatched and now it's flying all over my house!"
The shopkeeper's face paled. "Hatched?!"
The customer threw up his hands in exasperation. "Not only that! The spirit chicken won't stop laying eggs! My house is full of them!"
Reika's shoulders shook with laughter she could barely hold back. The shopkeeper, however, was nearing his breaking point, his face turning from pale to purple. "How are the spirit chickens hatching?!"
Reika quickly turned her back, pretending to be busy, but Zephyr was at her side, whispering, "So now your chickens are going rogue too?"
Rolling her eyes, Reika muttered, "I have no idea how they even came to life..."
Things only got worse. Soon, the spirit paintings in Drunken Moon seemed to develop a life of their own. The paintings on the walls began to vibrate and, one by one, the spirit creatures inside started flying out of the frames and darting around the restaurant like they'd grown wings.
"Who's responsible for this madness?!" the shopkeeper finally erupted, his face a deep shade of furious red.
Reika gulped, feeling a pit form in her stomach. *Could this be my fault?*
As the chaos escalated, Zephyr leaned in closer, his voice low and teasing. "This wouldn't be your doing again, would it?"
Reika opened her mouth to protest, but Zephyr leaned in even closer, his tone taking on a soft, playful edge. "You certainly have a creative touch."
Her face turned a bright shade of crimson, and her heart skipped a beat as she quickly stepped back. "Stop messing around! This is serious!"
But Zephyr merely chuckled, his voice full of confidence. "Don't worry, I'll help clean up the mess."
As he spoke, Zephyr's keen eyes caught sight of something glinting in the corner—a shard of Obsidian Crystal. His expression darkened instantly. *Obsidian Crystal? Here? Does this mean Drunken Moon really is involved in the illegal trade?*
Quickly masking his concern, Zephyr discreetly pocketed the shard and turned to Reika. "We'd better leave before things get out of hand."
Reika, confused by his sudden urgency, decided to trust him. Without another word, they slipped out of the restaurant, leaving behind the growing chaos.
As they walked into the night, tension hung in the air. Zephyr's mind was racing with thoughts of the Obsidian Crystal, but outwardly, he remained as calm and composed as ever.
Reika glanced at him, sensing something was off. Finally, she broke the silence. "So, what's the plan now?"
Zephyr stopped walking and turned to face her, his expression thoughtful yet gentle. "We keep working. Don't worry about it too much."
Though his words seemed reassuring, Reika couldn't shake the feeling that something bigger was at play. Still, she nodded, accepting his response for now. "Alright, if you say so."
Under the darkening sky, the two figures slowly disappeared down the street. While Zephyr was carrying the weight of deeper secrets, Reika was just beginning to sense that things were far more complicated than she'd ever imagined.