Chapter 70: Only Children Love Sweets

Twilight draped like gauze fell silently, and the hazy heat, carrying the sulfur scent unique to the hot spring, drifted through the air.

Lian Ye and Hashirama, dressed in the kimono issued by WenquanGuan, stepped out of the hot spring pool in wooden clogs.

In Hashirama's arms, a mottled stray cat curled into a fluffy ball, purring contentedly and occasionally nudging his broad palm with its head.

"Xiao Lian Ye, what name do you think would suit this cat?"

Clearly, he was already considering adopting the stray cat…

Lian Ye didn't understand Uncle Hashirama's decision, but still offered suggestions.

"It's a Lihua cat, so let's call it Lihua."

"Haha, that's a good name; from now on you'll be called Lihua," Hashirama chuckled, gently rubbing the Lihua in his arms.

Lihua instinctively licked Hashirama's palm, seeming to like the name.

"Uncle Hashirama, you want to adopt this ugly cat?" Lian Ye frowned and complained, "The cat is hideously ugly; just discard it."

"Meow meow meow—" Lihua seemed to understand and haughtily called out at Lian Ye.

"Oh? This dead cat can understand?" Lian Ye raised an eyebrow.

In the Ninja World, ordinary stray cats never speak to humans; only Spirit Beasts possess the sentient ability to communicate.

So the stray cat before him could understand human speech, which surprised him…

"Meow meow meow—" Lihua glared at Lian Ye, its eyes seeming to say, "And what if not, human?"

"Haha, I knew Lihua was clever," Hashirama gently petted Lihua's head, and the cat immediately closed its eyes contentedly.

"What a scheming ugly cat," Lian Ye muttered softly.

He was not at all interested in such an ugly pet.

The two left WenquanGuan and stepped onto the street.

Under the eaves of the storefronts, dozens of vermilion lanterns lit up.

Men and women in kimono strolled leisurely along the road.

Vendors on both sides called out enthusiastically, and amid the rising and falling cries, the roasted chestnut aroma, the sweet scent of grilled sea‑bream cake, and the mellow fragrance of sake mingled, piercing the nose.

Lian Ye subconsciously swallowed, indeed feeling a bit hungry.

He had been on the road these past days and hadn't eaten anything decent.

"Xiao Lian Ye, you're hungry, right?" Hashirama said with a smile. "Come, I'll take you to eat."

He led him to an izakaya, where three gilt characters reading TangYinTing swayed gently in the wind on a wooden sign.

"The Tea House Owner of WenquanGuan said their signature grilled sea‑bream ramen tastes good; I heard the broth uses a Signature Recipe that's a hundred years old,"

Hashirama swallowed, then led Lian Ye inside.

Upon entering, hot steam carrying a rich bone‑broth aroma hit their faces, making both of them swallow reflexively.

Needless to say, this century‑old establishment seemed to have something special.

The interior was laid with tatami; candlelight projected diners' silhouettes onto paper sliding doors, accompanied by soft chatter.

The Tea House Owner, apron tied, greeted them warmly: "Please follow me, both of you."

They seated themselves at a low table by the window; Lihua was placed in a bamboo basket lined with a thick plush rug, instantly curling into a fur ball to nap.

Hashirama took the menu, tapped a signature dish with his fingertip, and said, "Two bowls of sea‑bream ramen, plus a hot‑spring egg."

Soon, steaming ramen was placed on the table.

Floating in the bowl were caramelized sea‑bream pieces, a soft‑boiled egg bathed in amber broth, and a tasteful scatter of verdant scallions and pink char‑siu.

Hashirama picked up a piece of fish, gently blew it cool, and fed it to Lihua, who had curled back onto his knee; the little creature immediately stuck out its tongue, eating until its whiskers were soaked in broth.

"Uncle Hashirama, this fellow seems to have latched onto you," Lian Ye scooped a ladle of broth, "Too bad the cat looks too…"

His words were cut off by Lihua's sudden meow—

The little creature had somehow appeared on the table, staring hungrily at the char‑siu in Lian Ye's bowl.

Lian Ye: "……"

Hashirama smiled, tearing his own bowl's char‑siu into bite‑size pieces, "Lihua, look here."

Lihua, hearing that, hopped forward eagerly and began eating the char‑siu Hashirama offered.

After eating his fill, it returned to the bamboo basket to nap.

Lian Ye was speechless, "That creature is both ugly and lazy."

…………

After the meal, the two left the izakaya.

At some point Lihua awoke in Hashirama's arms, now clawing at his collar and curiously inspecting the street lanterns.

From afar drifted a fragrant mix of caramelized and sweet aromas, brightening Hashirama's eyes.

Nearby, at a Meatball Shop, the owner was skewering glutinous rice dumplings coated in sugar glaze onto bamboo sticks.

"Xiao Lian Ye, would you like some after‑meal sweets?" Hashirama looked at Lian Ye, "I think the SanseMangzi at that place are excellent."

Hashirama stepped forward while speaking, giving Lian Ye no chance to reply.

Lian Ye watched Hashirama's eager back, sighed lightly, "Only children like sweets."

Having lived two lives, he considered himself past the age of sugar cravings.

At that moment, two bamboo skewers threaded with pink, amber, and white dumplings were placed before him.

"Who says only children enjoy sweets?" Hashirama shook the skewers, the sugar glaze sparkling under the lanterns.

He winked, slipped a skewer into Lian Ye's hand, "Try it; the shop's owner once made sweets for a Daimyo."

Lihua joined the fun, extending its pink tongue toward the nearest dumpling, only to be playfully shooed away by Hashirama.

Under Hashirama's expectant gaze, Lian Ye reluctantly bit into a pink dumpling.

The soft glutinous rice melted between his teeth, the sweet‑tart jam blending with honey's richness.

Lian Ye instantly squinted his eyes in comfort, the taste was unexpectedly good.

"Xiao Lian Ye, is it tasty?" Hashirama said cheerfully.

Hearing that, Lian Ye only then realized he had just blundered.

He flushed, turned his head away, and gave a light cough: "It… it's okay."

"If it's tasty, have some more." Hashirama, ignoring Lihua's irritated meowing, handed the dumpling in his hand to Lian Ye.

Lian Ye subconsciously took the dumpling, stared blankly at it, wondering what on earth he was doing.

Lihua, seeing this, meowed even more fiercely, as if saying:

"Human, you've changed!"

Hashirama, seeing Lian Ye didn't refuse, let the corner of his mouth lift slightly.

That inevitably reminded him of the scene when he was with Ban.

That guy Ban, like Xiao Lian Ye, initially was very resistant to sweets.

In the end Ban couldn't bear his pleading, and reluctantly ate a dumpling.

As for whether the dumpling was tasty, Ban never gave a definite answer.

Seeing Lian Ye's earlier reaction, he finally knew the answer.

Because Ban's reaction then was exactly the same as Lian Ye's…

"Meow meow meow~"

Lihua suddenly leapt down, circling around Lian Ye's wooden clogs.

"You ugly cat are really gluttonous."

Lian Ye bent over and fed a dumpling to Lihua.

"Meow~" Lihua swallowed the dumpling in one bite, eyes full of anticipation, clearly wanting more.

It just looked up and saw Lian Ye only had two bamboo skewers left in his hand.

Lihua: "Meow meow meow!!!"