The old Ancestor listened calmly to her story, and only became a bit interested at the end, as Shang Wei recalled the sensations of the battle outside the restaurant, and the apocalyptic scene she saw afterwards.

"Curious. Your new employer risked a great deal to rescue you, and now you owe him a big karma debt. But you say you never talked to him?" the Ancestor asked in a more wary tone.

"I guess? I only worked a full day, before this old monk came with your emblem." she answered while frowning a little. It was curious, but then again the Divine Cook was busy cooking. She also barely had time to rest in between new clients. The restaurant seemed to be full every single hour.

"The monk doesn't have the Dao of Cooking. I can sense mainly Wood Dao, Yin and Yang, Lightning Dao and some other things, but that man never cooked a meal in his entire long life. And he's probably just as old I was, when I died." the divine voice spoke from all around, with a tinge of suspicion in his tone.

Shang Wei sighed and sat down under the Peach Tree, enjoying the smooth qi the tree emitted, clearing her mind with its fragrance.

"The monk does seem quite strong. But you're not actually asking about him, right?" she asked instead.

"To defeat an Enforcement Elder in the Copper Realm is not an easy feat. Those types are sent to hunt the sect's enemies, and rarely fail. But, someone in that restaurant of yours managed it so quickly, and without even leveling the Cloud Province and the nearby starfields. I have fought plenty such battles myself, and only killed a single Copper Realm, the Butcher of Kunlun. When his Dao Core detonated, it erased the entire Spring Rain province and left the Desolation Void instead." the Ancestor said in an ashamed voice, a clear sign he never forgot himself for that massacre.

Shang Wei had learned the Middle Heaven topography in the Temple School, but they never mentioned an ancestor of hers being involved with Desolation Void.

"So, you are saying I'm fairly safe with my employer. He must be strong." she asked in a more hopeful tone.

Instead of answering, the voice condensed into a force field that removed her ring and broke open its ownership restrictions, then simply poured the contents on the floor, in front of Shang Wei. Thousands of high-level crystals, colorful beast cores, precious herbs, various weapons or treasures, even some Dao scrolls with the Temple cultivation arts. Which were actually illegal to remove from the Temple library.

Shang Wei took inventory of her new wealth, feeling a bit annoyed at her former Elder Disciple, but also grateful for his efforts to enrich her.

"So poor? It seems this was only a youngster's ring. Oh well, I did accumulate tons of riches over the cycles." the Ancestor spoke in an unimpressed voice, and a silk pouch fell from above into her hands.

Shang Wei poked it curious with her coresense, then fell to her knees in awe. "Ancestor! There are billions of crystals here! And millions of weapons..." she muttered while trying to center herself. She thought thousands of crystals meant wealth? Then what about all this? You could buy ten sects with this.

"The pouch is not for you, little Wei. How would you use it, without getting robbed and killed in the next moment?" the Ancestor's voice said in a harsher tone.

She nodded slowly, as reality hit her face hard. Go to an auction house and buy a Silver Realm Pill? Would she even survive long enough to digest one? Not to mention the Temple would still search after her, exactly for this wealth.

But the restaurant did make millions of crystals with their burgers and wine, and while greedy people did try to rob them, all the waiters she spoke to just laughed at the attempts. They could even kill Copper Immortals...

"I'll ask the Divine Cook to buy me a few Silver Realm pills." she declared with a more willful tone.

"You will not. You will give everything I have to that old monk, and only keep your Copper Realm ring and your personal wealth. You really think you found that by accident?" the Ancestor growled in near anger.

Shang Wei blinked in confusion a few times, as her mind cleared. It did seem an unlikely coincidence to find exactly the ring worn by her Elder Brother.

More likely, the restaurant staff left it there for her, as a welcome gift to the new job.

She sighed and nodded slowly. "I understand, Ancestor. Karma has to be repaid, and I already gained so much. Not only my new realm and immortality, but also safety and cultivation aids." The restaurant staff could buy their own burgers or wine at the minimum price, and her new wealth would suffice her for years, even without the extra income from the waiter job.

"I don't really understand why someone that strong would mask himself as a cook, but I'm dead and you're not. Live well, little one. Maybe we'll meet again, once you Ascend to the Upper Heavens and restore me to life." The Ancestor said in a level voice, then faded away, leaving the silver room into darkness.

Shang Wei bit her lips, then focused on the task. She collected all the wealth and herbs left behind by the Ancestor, including his blood chalice, and stored them in the silk pouch, only keeping a single Paramita flower in her new ring. Mostly as a reminder.

She didn't need outside aid to reincarnate anymore, and while the Immortal Peach Tree was nice, she couldn't keep it either. The monk surely saw it, and the restaurant people were certainly not saints. They actually ate Dragons, not to mention cooking them into burgers and selling their meat for profit. She did not want to be eaten.

As she slowly made her way towards the exit, she noticed the crypt tunnels had become darker, missing several glowing stone tablets and even a few gem-studded statues. Not everything, but enough to reduce the opulent look of the crypt to a somber tomb.

Shang Wei nodded to herself. Her Ancestor's will should dissipate soon, now that the inheritance had been passed. A somber tomb was more proper.

A few days later, she found the Silent Monk waiting near the exit, and simply passed him the silk pouch in silence.

The old man peeked into her eyes, then patted her shoulder for comfort. "I know, Silent Monk. I won't lose heart just because my Ancestor failed. But I would like to visit the Immortal Peach Tree once in a while."

The old monk smiled a little, then took her hand and stepped out, crossing the starfield at immense speed, without stopping to check for a trajectory anymore.

-------

Pef and his Avatars worked in the kitchen, mixing dough, mincing dragon meat, adding herbs and spices, frying burgers and pouring wine into expensive bottles. The rich spiritual qi of the Middle Heavens aided with the cooking, as did the purer air outside the city walls. And while the Cooking Dao percentage remained fixed at 100 percent in his inner screen, Pef could sense his skills improving little by little anyways.

'The Dao never ends, my orange glove. We need to change the percentage thing, it is obviously wrong.' he complained as he managed to cook two cloud-lined burgers in a row. Perhaps his higher cultivation also helped, since 5 Stars were almost 10 times stronger than 3 Stars, at least in pure energy levels.

He didn't feel 10 times stronger, but then it was a bit hard to compare. What could he do, punch the Taotie in his ugly face until his fists cracked?

Then Pef sensed the Silent Monk return, moving almost too fast for his senses. Almost, but he did see him, this time.

'The old monk has become stronger again. Must have been quite the trip.' the glove observed in a smug tone.

Pef sighed and left his Avatars to continue cooking, while he stepped into the Blue Realm just as the old monk landed.

"Hello? I'm Shang Wei..." the new girl said in a wavering tone, seemingly hesitating if to kneel or not.

"Let's sit and have some wine. He doesn't talk much, so you can recount the trip for both." Pef invited her, while setting down a table and a pair of armchairs.

The Silent Monk ignored them both, going to sit under the Nine Shades Bamboo with his eyes closed.

"I know, he must be damaged by a failed Ascension. I saw many..." Shang Wei began to speak when Pef raised his palm.

"The Silent Monk is not impaired nor damaged, little Wei. His Words are simply too strong, and would change reality by force. He is just too kind to kill billions with every word." Pef explained in a soft tone, then began to pour wine for both of them.

Shang Wei turned towards the old monk meditating under the strangely colored tree, and bowed in shame.

"Don't worry, he never hurt someone in all the years I've known him." Pef added as encouragement, then sipped some of his new wine. Maybe a bit more cinnamon? Some other spirit herb? Eh, the perfect wine was too hard to make anyways.

"Right, the Silent Monk was rather kind with me as well, even if I insulted him by ignorance. So, I met the Will of my Ancestor and he gave me a big treasure to bring back. For you, Divine Cook." She explained while pointing at the old monk with her eyes.

"What is it, Silent Monk? If you want anything from the treasure, it's yours. Not like I can beat you, anyways..." Pef muttered in a low growl, as he saw the monk clench his hands on a silk pouch.

The Silent Monk took out a small tree from the pouch, then flared his Wood qi to plant it beside the Immortal Bamboo.

The qi inside the Blue realm began to grow in quality rapidly, even causing the Immortal Bamboo to sprout a bit early.

In turn, the Nine Shades Bamboo glowed with a green aura, making the Immortal Peach bloom and dozens of pinkish flowers to appear.

'What is this?' Pef asked inward in surprise.

'Another sapling from the World Tree. It even has a Great Dao Fruit.' the glove said in a more reserved tone. Perhaps it was a bit impressed?

The Silent Monk continued to plant more red and purple flowers under the Nine Shades, all releasing spiritual qi and blooming rapidly as the green aura touched them.

Shang Wei jumped from her chair and took out another purple flower from her Artifact ring. "Plant this one as well, Silent Monk. It would be a pity to keep her separated."

The old monk nodded in silence and planted the last flower as well, then held out a hand to snatch the wine bottle from the table. He then began to pour the precious wine at the plants roots, making them grow even larger and stronger. Another peach began to form on the Immortal Peach Tree, although it was still small and green.

"Wow! You're really good with plants, Silent Monk!" Shang Wei exclaimed in wonder.

Pef sighed and took out another bottle of precious wine. Hopefully that peach will taste good.