The reason was simple: the aroma was just too enticing.
Ron set her takeout bag down on the counter and headed toward the kitchen.
Just then, a dark figure suddenly materialized, extending an arm to block her path.
Ron looked up to find a familiar ghostly silhouette.
She recognized it immediately—it was the same spirit Su Fan had ordered to protect her back in New Orleans.
Compared to last time, the ghost’s eyes seemed to hold a bit more clarity and reason; it felt more human.
“Let her in… it’s fine.”
The voice drifting from the kitchen was slightly muffled, as if the speaker had food in their mouth, but the meaning was easy enough to grasp.
The astrologer ghost lowered her hand, and Ron stepped into the kitchen as she’d wished.
Upon entering, she saw Su Fan eating directly from a plate with chopsticks. His movements weren’t exactly crude, but the contents of the plate were vanishing at an astonishing, visible rate.
Glancing to the side, she noticed two garbage bags already filled with kitchen scraps in the corner.
“Uh…”
Ron’s expression flickered with surprise, though she quickly composed herself.
“Sorry, I hope this isn’t rude. I just didn’t realize you had such a big appetite, Master Su.”
“When someone is seriously ill or injured, they need to take in enough nutrients to recover properly.”
Su Fan polished off the last of the scallion beef on his plate, wiped the corner of his mouth, and fired up the stove again.
“You’re a doctor. You should understand what I’m talking about.”
“Well, you could always come to the hotel where I’m staying for lunch. The head chef there used to work at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant. I’m sure you’d be more than satisfied.”
As he spoke, Su Fan tossed the beef he’d marinated earlier into the hot wok.
“In Chinese, the character for ‘eat’ is made up of the symbols for ‘person’ and ‘good.’ It literally means to put a person in a better state.”
“When it comes to food, I prefer to do it myself.”
Moments later, another plate of silky scrambled eggs with beef was ready.
“Want to try some?”
No thanks, I already grabbed a bite at the hotel earlier. I’m not that hungry yet. That was what Ron intended to say.
But faced with the dish before her—so tempting in color, smell, and presentation—she found herself nodding almost involuntarily.
“We don’t have forks and knives here. Just use chopsticks. However you manage is fine.”
Su Fan said this, noticing Ron struggling with the two sticks, unable to pick anything up despite several attempts, a look of mild frustration on her face.
She gave up on trying to grasp the food his way and instead speared a piece of beef, popping it into her mouth.
The moment it hit her tongue, Ron’s eyes widened slightly, her icy blue irises sparkling with delight.
This was a flavor entirely different from the Western cuisine she was used to.
“Absolutely delicious!”
Ron praised, unable to resist spearing another piece.
As she savored the dish before her, a small realization dawned on her.
Ah, so that’s it. No wonder she’d rarely seen Su Fan touch the food at the hotel.
Su Fan gave the wok a quick rinse and turned the burner on again.
Ron set down her chopsticks, watching his back as he stood there in his apron. A peculiar thought suddenly popped into her head, making her expression turn a bit awkward.
But Su Fan didn’t notice.
Right now, he just wanted to keep eating.
With someone watching, and having already eaten a fair amount, he didn’t just eat straight from the wok like before.
After properly cooking a few more dishes, he carried them out to the dining area, bringing the entire rice cooker along with him.
Ron followed him over.
Su Fan grabbed two bowls and scooped out some rice for Ron as well.
A guest had arrived; it would be impolite to let her just watch him eat.
Once that was done, Su Fan dug in with gusto.
Ron, a little unsure of the protocol, mimicked his actions and, for the first time, experienced a proper Chinese meal.
“May I speak?”
“Yes,” Su Fan replied simply.
This wasn’t some formal occasion. The old rule about not talking during meals was too stiff for his own home.
“You seem to be in good shape, Su. Are your injuries fully healed?”
“Not entirely, but I can move around just fine. Overall, I’m much better than I was last night.”
“Your recovery is astonishing.”
“What, thinking of taking me to a medical center for dissection and study?” Su Fan swallowed his mouthful of food and raised an eyebrow.
“That’s not what I meant at all. Though modern medical research involves more than just dissection. That kind of procedure, which causes extreme harm to the subject, is an absolute last resort.”
Ron began to explain, very matter-of-factly.
“Any word from the detective and Carl?”
“They said they’re still investigating. Official results might take another week or two, maybe longer. This morning, though, I got a call from another party involved.”
Aside from the relevant city officials, it was someone from the Mayfair family responsible for managing their business operations.
Since Su Fan had expressly forbidden any family members from setting foot in Los Angeles, they’d sent an underling to negotiate with City Hall.
Things couldn’t be resolved by goodwill alone; getting various law enforcement and municipal departments to turn a blind eye always came with a price.
“So the Mayfair family is aware of what happened?”
“They know.”
What Ron didn’t tell Su Fan was the reaction within the Mayfair family itself.
Upon learning that Su Fan had battled a legendary demon from the Ars Goetia—one of Solomon’s seventy-two pillars—and successfully defeated it, the family members had moved past fear and into something resembling excitement.
Compared to Lasher, this new supernatural force they were aligned with was on an entirely different level of power.
The family members who’d previously grumbled about the old Black woman’s decisions were now completely silent.
The person who’d called Ron that morning had even spoken with genuine, heartfelt deference.
Just days ago, their tone had been strictly business, maintaining a clear distance. The shift in attitude was so stark it actually made Ron uncomfortable.
“Any more conflict between Ciprien and the Talamasca?”
“No more hostility. The Talamasca’s upper echelons had some sort of agreement with Lasher before. Now that the other party to that agreement is gone, things are back to normal. But Ciprien couldn’t accept the organization trading human lives to make deals with demons, so he left the order.”
At the dining table, Su Fan asked, and Ron answered. The atmosphere was remarkably harmonious.
“After this, Paimon will fall into a deep slumber. His cult will scatter like rats from a sinking ship. We don’t need to worry about any sudden attacks from a human societal level. But we do need to be mindful of the other demons.”
Su Fan ate as he spoke, his tone unhurried.
“Just as I was about to destroy Paimon for good, another high-ranking demon intervened at the last second and pulled him out.”
“That one was likely another member of the seventy-two pillars, and a high-ranking one at that. Anyone present at that scene has probably been marked as my associate by that demon. You need to be careful when you’re out and about.”
“Understood.”
Ron nodded gently.
She was about to say something else when an untimely text message alert chimed.
Su Fan fished his phone out of his pocket.
It was from the Winchester brothers.
The message was brief, but after reading it, Su Fan’s brow furrowed slightly.
The Vatican had sent someone?
