Chef in the Apocalypse

Xia stood in place for a few moments in disbelief. Her pretty face twitched before a surge of anger spread through her body. When was the last time that she was treated in such a way?

’That man wasn’t wearing the crimson robe of a core disciple, does that mean he’s a mere servant?’ At this thought, Xia’s anger increased by leaps and bounds.

In the Vermilion Flame sect, the colors of ones robes were an indicator of their status. Servants, Outer, Inner, Core, Elder, Grand Elder and Sect Master, each of these positions had their own colored robe and they were all different shades of red.

Black robes were reserved for guests of the Sect, however there had not been a guest at the Vermilion Flame sect for many many years. Therefore, Xia had mistakenly took Jayce’s black robes to mean he was a lowly servant.

Jayce who had just arrived in his new residence did not even have time to change into the crimson robes that were sitting folded in his Core Disciple token.

BOOM!

CRASH!

The sound of destruction entered Jayce’s ears as he was returning back to preparing his meal. For a moment he thought it may be the loud grumbling of his stomach which had not eaten in almost 2 days, however the dust cloud that erupted behind him told him otherwise.

"You servant scum dare to be rude to me!?" Xia called out, her small figure radiating power.

"Servant scum?"

Jayce turned around and narrowed his eyes. Sure he might have been a little rude to her, but this was his residence, what gave her the right to kick in his door and spout such crap.

Xia said no more words, instantly appearing in front of Jayce and sending out a punch towards his face. The move was quick, yet Jayce could easily see the trajectory of the strike and moved his head to the side.

A little shocked after not connecting with her first punch, Xia spun her body and sent her heel careening towards Jayce’s body. He could feel that she had increased her strength this time and he finally felt a small sense of danger.

Inwardly he was pissed. Even Elder Ji and the Sect Master had shown him respect, whereas this woman had haughtily broken into his residence and even attacked him.

While Jayce was a calm and agreeable person, there were things that he would not tolerate. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

He grabbed the outstretched leg of the woman and lifted her into the air before slamming her into the ground. The entire residence shook as her small frame became one with the earth.

She let out a whimper of pain as she stared at him from below with shock and hatred etched on her features. "Y-You motherf—"

Jayce didn’t wait for her to finish her expletive, lifting her once again and slamming her into the ground as if she were a ragdoll. This final move seemed to do the trick, helping her shut her mouth by making her unconscious.

He gazed at her for a moment before dusting his hands and heading back to his meal which was almost ready to eat. He picked up the wok ladle and continued cooking, acting as if nothing had happened.

Without raising his head, he called out. "Why don’t you join me for some breakfast, fellow disciples?"

There was only silence for almost a whole minute until finally two figures appeared within the courtyard, both draped in the same bright colored crimson robes as the woman he had just dealt with.

Jayce finally raised his gaze and sent a smile their way, yet it did not reach his eyes.

However, the two shuddered in response. While it may seem as if this newcomer was being friendly, they understood that it was a veiled warning to them to behave themselves.

Xia was of similar strength to them, yet she was so easily dispatched in front of their eyes without the ability to fight back. Sure she might have been caught off guard, but they did not think that the result would have been much different if she was prepared.

The man in the front bowed and introduced himself as Shen. He had long black hair which was tied in a ponytail with a length almost reaching his waist. His angular face and defined jaw gave him a strong and charismatic look.

The other man looked similar to Shen, his name was Chen and Jayce learned that the two were cousins.

"May I ask fellow disciples name?" Shen queried, doing his best to remain respectful.

"Jayce. I have just arrived at the sect only a few hours ago, so forgive me for not visiting you and making my introductions earlier." He said, trying to ease some of the tension.

It was in his best interest to make friends in such an unfamiliar place. Especially since they could become his allies in the future.

"It’s no matter." Shen said, breathing an inward sigh of relief at the easygoing attitude of the newest disciple. Since he was willing to back down and treat them respectfully, he wouldn’t be put in an awkward position.

Chen stared at the food that was inside the wok and couldn’t help but gulp after smelling the fragrance.

"Did you say something about breakfast?"

This time Jayce’s smile was sincere as he grabbed a few bowls out and began to fill the bowls with rice and placed the succulent beef on top, painting a delectable picture.

He gestured for the two to take a bowl each, picking one up himself and taking a mouthful with his chopsticks. The steam rose from the meat which was still nice and hot, dripping with juices.

As he chewed the decadent and mysterious meat, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of contentment.

Seeing as how the host had already begun digging into the food, Shen and Chen did not hesitate to join in. The moment the food touched their tongues they both looked at each other with shock.

"Delicious!" Or that was what they were trying to say as their mouth was full of food.

The three ate merrily, all the while the small pocket rocket Xia was still unconscious on the floor only a few meters away.

Jayce couldn’t help but sincerely smile this time. Despite being on a foreign planet, his cooking still had the effect of breaking down barriers and bringing people together.