40: A carefully prepared breakfast

The morning sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, dancing on Lin Luo's eyelids.

He opened his eyes, and the first thing that sprang to mind was the residual sensation on his fingertips from last night—the surprisingly full and warm curve that pressed against his hand through the maid outfit fabric when Tohru grabbed his wrist and forcefully placed it on her chest.

"Dragon..." he murmured unconsciously. The word felt particularly apt at that moment.

"Lin Luo~ Time to get up for breakfast!" Tohru's voice, full of energy, approached from a distance. She pushed open the bedroom door without hesitation, dragged Lin Luo, who was meditating and adjusting his breathing, out of the room, and pulled him all the way to the dining room.

On the dining table was a massive plate, holding a seared, fragrant meat patty as large as a washbasin. The rich aroma of meat, mixed with a peculiar spice scent, permeated the entire room.

"Hey, Tohru, I entrusted breakfast to you, but isn't this giant slab of roasted meat a bit much for first thing in the morning?" Lin Luo rubbed his sleepy eyes, looking helplessly at the "extravagant" breakfast. "Also, what kind of meat is this? I don't remember having this ingredient in my fridge."

Tohru puffed out her chest proudly, hands on her hips: "My tail!"

"Huh?"

"My tail, plump and chewy!" She proudly flicked the perfectly intact green tail behind her, as if showing off a treasure. "Hurry up and try it! I specifically used Dragon Flame to roast it medium-rare and sprinkled it with spices unique to my world!"

Lin Luo stared at the massive meat patty on the plate, then looked at the lively tail wiggling behind Tohru, momentarily speechless.

"Hah!!!! Wait, Tohru, this is really wrong!" He pointed at the completely intact tail. "And isn't your tail still right there?"

"It recovers really fast for me~" Tohru waved her hand carelessly, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Lin Luo. "Just try it! It's filled with all my love for you!"

Looking at Tohru's expectant gaze and smelling the genuinely tempting aroma of roasted meat in the air, Lin Luo fell into deep conflict. Logic screamed that this defied common sense, but curiosity was stirring... Finally, under Tohru's intense scrutiny, he carefully cut off a small piece of meat. The meat was a perfect pink and full of juice.

"Ah—" Tohru had somehow moved closer, resting her chin on her hands, her vertical pupils slightly constricted with anticipation. "How is it? How is it?"

The moment the meat entered his mouth, Lin Luo's eyes widened in surprise.

"This is..."

The rich meaty flavor exploded between his lips and teeth. The texture was firm yet tender, carrying an indescribable sweetness. With every chew, savory juices overflowed, mixing with the exotic spice aroma to create a wonderfully layered flavor. This was truly a delicacy he had never tasted before.

But what shocked him more was the physical change that followed.

When he swallowed the first bite, a gentle yet immense energy spread out from his stomach, surging like a warm current through his limbs and bones. This was not ordinary heat, but special energy imbued with rich vitality. Wherever it passed, his Meridians became smooth, and even his blood flow quickened.

"Tohru, this meat..." He looked in surprise at the expectant dragon girl beside him.

"How is it? A Dragon Clan's tail is a part that stores essence!" Tohru proudly puffed out her chest. "Especially for a powerful Dragon like me!"

Lin Luo didn't have time to respond, because astonishing changes were happening inside him. After circulating once, the warm current spontaneously converged toward his Dantian, transforming into a pure source of energy. His Spiritual Power, which had been stagnant for a long time, seemed to be injected with vitality and began to flow faster through his channels.

What made it even more unbelievable was the old injury in his chest—a chronic ailment left over from his last mission—now sending waves of numbness and itchiness. Looking inward, the damaged Meridians were being repaired at a visible speed, and his congested Qi and Blood flowed freely again.

He couldn't help but cut off another large piece of meat and put it in his mouth. This time, the energy was even more turbulent, the Qi vortex in his Dantian accelerated its rotation, and a faint golden light radiated around his body.

"Hey, hey... isn't this effect too exaggerated?" Lin Luo muttered to himself, feeling the long-lost vitality within his body. At this rate, the injury that had troubled him for months would be completely healed in less than three days.

Tohru watched his shocked expression, wagging her tail proudly: "Hehe, as long as you like it, Lin Luo! I can cut off a piece of my tail for Master to supplement his meals every day!"

"Wait, that's not necessary..." Lin Luo quickly waved his hand, but looking at the remaining meat on the plate, he couldn't help but swallow.

Lin Luo barely managed to eat one-third of the roasted Dragon tail meat before feeling a warm fullness in his stomach and an overwhelming surge of energy filling his Meridians—this was already the limit his body could currently handle. More than half of the seared, fragrant meat patty remained on the plate, radiating an enticing sheen.

"You're so weak, Master~" Tohru leaned closer, a mischievous glint in her molten-gold vertical pupils. She reached for the plate, and under Lin Luo's astonished gaze, dumped the entire remaining meat patty into her mouth and chewed it with relish.

"Hey, wait... that's your own tail, after all..."

"What does it matter!" Tohru swallowed contentedly, licking the corner of her lips. "It does taste quite good!"

Lin Luo watched her lack of concern and shook his head wryly: "Well, that's truly self-production and self-consumption..."

He stood up, carefully feeling the warm current filling his body. To his pleasant surprise, the injury that had previously troubled him was completely healed. His pure flesh-and-blood body, nourished by the essence of the Dragon meat, had become exceptionally sturdy. The power flowing through his muscles even subtly surpassed the strength he had previously achieved with the aid of Talismanic Incantations. The flesh and blood of the Dragon Clan were indeed extraordinary.

"Let's go," he said, picking up his jacket and speaking to Tohru, who was curiously fiddling with the tip of her newly regenerated tail. "Today, I'll take you around the neighborhood so you can learn the way."

"Okay!" Tohru immediately followed him excitedly, the hem of her maid outfit swaying lightly with her steps.

Looking at the horns on her head, which certainly added to Tohru's charm, this Dragon Clan feature was far too conspicuous and would inevitably attract unnecessary attention in this ordinary human city.

"Can you disguise yourself as a human?" He pointed at Tohru's Dragon Horns.

"No!" Tohru immediately shielded her horns. "These are the symbols of a Great Dragon's glory."

Seeing her stubborn look, Lin Luo gave a helpless chuckle: "Fine, let's just pretend it's cosplay." He pushed open the door. "Then we'll..."

His words stopped abruptly.

Yukino Mifuyu was raising her hand to knock. Her smile faltered slightly when she saw Tohru, but she quickly returned to normal: "Good morning, Mr. Lin Luo. Lady Tohru."

Tohru poked her head out from behind Lin Luo's shoulder. Her Dragon Horns shimmered golden in the morning light, and the corner of her mouth curled up with the innocence and provocation unique to the Dragon Clan. "From now on, I'm Master's exclusive maid~ If Little Snow Spirit knows what's good for her," she deliberately drew out the words, "she'd better not interrupt our alone time, okay?"

Seeing Yukino Mifuyu's eyes redden slightly, Lin Luo quickly pressed down on Tohru's Dragon Horns: "Stop messing around." He then spoke gently to Yukino: "I just got the message that the storefront we contacted earlier has been cleaned up. Would you like to come see the place we'll be running?"

Tohru immediately pouted: "Eh? We clearly said we were going out to play!" She flicked her tail, the hem of her maid outfit swaying gently with her movement, her Dragon Horns flashing with dissatisfaction in the sunlight.

Lin Luo smiled and reached out, gently holding Tohru with one hand and naturally taking Yukino's hand with the other: "I didn't say we weren't going to play. We'll go look at the storefront first, and when summer arrives—" He deliberately drew out the phrase, looking at Tohru, "you'll have endless Shaved Ice, with all the flavors you can choose from."

"Shaved Ice?" Tohru tilted her head, her Dragon Horns reflecting curious light in the sun. "What is that? Is it delicious?" Her vertical pupils slightly constricted with anticipation, and her tail unconsciously swished gently, completely forgetting her earlier annoyance.

"It's a cold, refreshing dessert that beats the summer heat," Lin Luo explained patiently, feeling Yukino's fingers move slightly in his palm. He turned to look and saw Yukino smiling with pursed lips.

"I can make melon flavor," Yukino added softly, "as well as lychee and mint."

Tohru's eyes grew brighter and brighter as she started imagining the unfamiliar flavors: "Then why wait for summer! Let's go make it right now!" She tugged on Lin Luo's arm, trying to walk in the opposite direction.

"It's only early spring right now," Lin Luo said, pulling her back with a wry smile. "And the shop isn't open yet."

Seeing Tohru's face instantly fall, Yukino couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. This laughter, however, caught the attention of the dragon girl. Tohru suddenly leaned close to her: "Little Snow Spirit, you know how to make that... Shaved Ice, right?" Her eyes flashed with cunning light. "Make it for me now!"

Yukino was startled by her sudden proximity and subconsciously leaned closer to Lin Luo. The three of them stood there on the morning street, drawing sidelong glances from early-rising neighbors—a girl in a maid outfit with Dragon Horns, a gentle and lovely girl, and a young man caught between them. This combination was simply too conspicuous.

"Alright, alright," Lin Luo intervened helplessly. "Let's go look at the storefront first. I'll buy you Ice Cream on the way."

"Ice Cream?" Tohru's attention was immediately caught by the new word. "What is that?"

She leaned close to Lin Luo like a curious little animal, her Dragon Horns brushing his cheek inadvertently. In the morning sun, her molten-gold eyes sparkled, filled with anticipation for the unknown delicacy.

"They are both frozen desserts, but the texture is different," Lin Luo explained, gently pushing away her overly close face. "Ice Cream is creamier and sweeter..."

Before he could finish, Tohru was already tugging on his sleeve and walking forward: "Then what are we waiting for! Lead the way quickly!"

The storefront selected for Yukino Mifuyu was right next to Kouhei Teishoku, and its size was indeed smaller than its neighbor's. Rather than a commercial shop, it looked more like a small family-run store. However, it had the advantage of two floors: the first floor was currently empty with somewhat patchy walls, while the second floor retained a simple bed, clearly having been used for residential purposes before.

"This place needs a thorough renovation," Lin Luo said, looking around, planning to hire a construction crew for the repairs. "We can't open yet."

"What a wonderful place." Yukino Mifuyu was already happily examining every corner, her fingertips gently tracing the empty walls, her eyes shining with anticipation. She could almost see the future: exquisite tables and chairs placed here, and the scent of desserts wafting through the air.

Tohru, licking the strawberry Ice Cream she had just bought, wandered around carelessly: "Hmph, there's nothing here." She poked the dusty corner of the wall with the tip of her tail. "How much longer do we have to look? I want to go play!"