Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Marquis Lang Gu was screaming. As the plume of white steam hit him in the face, a rich aroma erupted out of it and wrapped his head, plunging him into the world of delicious food.
The onlookers were confused. Xiao Ai’s tiny nose twitched uncontrollably. As the steam kept gushing out, the aroma gradually enveloped the entire restaurant and even drifted out the door. It was so rich that it seemed to penetrate through the skin and made one shudder.
Xiao Ai turned to look at Bu Fang. With his hands clasped behind his back and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, he was beaming with confidence. For some reason, she thought he looked handsome at this moment.
Nethery, on the other hand, puckered up her lips. She had believed in Bu Fang from the very beginning. Ever since their journey started in the Hidden Dragon Continent, Bu Fang had cooked countless dishes, and she had never seen him suffer even once.
The steam, which lurked inside the monkey brain, had stopped gushing out, and something began to happen to the undramatic brain. Colorful streamers and the strange power of the Law swirled around it, glowing like the neon sign boards in the city and enchanting like the aurora.
‘Beautiful… This is so beautiful!’ Marquis Lang Gu was deeply intoxicated. He had never tasted food, and because of the Queen, he had a prejudice against food. But after witnessing this, he was beginning to feel that food was pretty… amazing.
He brought the spoon up. The tender monkey brain was wobbling on it, glowing dazzlingly like some gemstone. Even the pattern on its surface was emitting an enchanting color.
“Well… Do you mind if I start?” said Marquis Lang Gu.
Bu Fang nodded, signaling him to dig in.
Outside, the nobles swallowed.
“Is he really going to eat that?”
“Food is forbidden!”
“I admire Marquis Lang Gu’s courage…”
Looking at the marquis, Xiao Ai thought of the first time she ate the bowl of noodles Bu Fang had cooked. In the beginning, she refused to eat it, but after giving it a taste, she turned her back on her faith in the Queen of Curses. ‘This dish is… poisonous!’
Marquis Lang Gu gave Bu Fang a deep look. After that, he held up his pinkie and shoved the delicacy in the spoon into his mouth.
It was extremely soft. The tender texture his tongue felt as soon as it touched the monkey brain stunned him, its taste spreading across and crawling through him in an instant. He felt as though he had been shocked by electricity, but at the same time, it felt like first love.…
‘This… This is a monkey brain? No…’
“Ahh!”
Marquis Lang Gu covered his face, and his eyes turned misty. He felt everything in front of him had changed. What laid before him now was a vast expanse of water stretching as far as his eyes could see. Monstrous waves were rolling and crashing, filling his ears with a deafening rumbling sound.
Holding his pellet drum and standing in a little rowboat, he howled as the rolling waves rumbled around him. The spray wet his clothes, accentuating his body shape, but he did not mind at all. At that moment, he let himself go.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
He kept shaking his pellet drum. The beads struck the drum, producing a rhythmic tune and making the water droplets on the surface of the drum jump. The feeling of bliss and intoxication made him experience an unprecedented orgasm at that moment!
The drumbeats grew louder as Marquis Lang Gu threw his head back and screamed. His throat grew wider and wider, and everything in front of him turned misty and white.
In reality, his face was flushing, his head threw back, and tears were slowly trickling down from the corners of his eyes. “So this is food…” he said in a choked voice.
The onlookers were struck dumb. No one knew what happened to him and why he looked so wretched as if someone had just violated him.
Marquis Lang Gu turned to Bu Fang with a plaintive look in his eyes. The monkey brain did not taste like a brain. It was extremely tender. There was a fishy taste, but it was not strong. In fact, the fishy taste was the finishing touch that gave the dish its soul, making it taste like a real monkey brain.
The dish was not a monkey brain, but it made him feel like a real one. It was not something that materialized out of thin air, but a creation that went deep into the soul.
‘Food… So this is how food tastes like…’
Suddenly, Marquis Lang Gu was a little confused. Food was an amazing thing that could cleanse one’s soul, but why did the Queen of Curses forbid them to taste it? He did not understand this feeling until today. It was the feeling of first love!
“How is it? Is it delicious?” Bu Fang asked. He pulled a chair over and sat down, facing the marquis. A teapot appeared in his hand. He poured himself a cup of warm green tea and took a sip.
“It’s delicious,” Marquis Lang Gu said.
He could not help but squeeze his legs together and sigh. A cuisine like this would make people turn their back on their faith. He scooped up another spoonful of the throbbing monkey brain, which appeared like a peerless beauty in his eyes, and put it in his mouth.
The taste was perfect, not too salty nor too bland, and the texture was tender. Marquis Lang Gu could not help but immerse in this feeling.
“And now… You know what you should do,” Bu Fang said, pointing a finger at the Cavalry of Death who was waiting outside the restaurant.
The nobles woke up, and their eyes were filled with horror.
“Heresy! This is heresy! This is the demon that deceives your souls!”
The twin brothers bellowed as their faces grew grave. They almost lost themselves the moment they smelled the aroma. Fortunately, their faith in the Queen of Curses saved them.
“Cavalry of Death, charge! Bring down this demon-making restaurant with your hooves! We must stick to the Queen’s faith! All these are heresy!”
The leaders of the Cavalry of Death, the two Chaotic Saints, Pi Dong and Pi Xi, roared at the top of their lungs, their eyes red and filled with towering anger. Just now, their unwavering faith seemed to have shaken. This, to them, was a deafening alarm!
The soldiers’ eyes lit up. The next moment, a rumbling sound filled the air as they began to charge! The Cavalry of Death under the command of the twin brothers was a terrifying force, feared by many universes! The whole District A was shocked by the deafening bestial roar of their mounts, and the ground shook violently!
Marquis Lang Gu swallowed the spoonful of the monkey brain. A hint of a relaxed smile came over his eyes, while tears trickled down his gentle face. “Owner Bu, keep this delicious food for me. I’ll be… right back!” he said.
After that, he rose to his feet, held the pellet drum tightly in one hand, and walked out of the restaurant. He was not afraid of facing the Cavalry of Death alone.
He wanted to protect the heartwarming feeling he experienced just now when he put the food into his mouth, even if that meant he had to fight the whole starry sky! From today on, food would be his religion!
Xiao Ai’s jaw dropped as she looked incredulously at Marquis Lang Gu, who strode out of the restaurant like a brave warrior. At that moment, she sensed the power emanating from him! Was this still the Marquis Lang Gu she knew?!
…
Meanwhile, in the Palace of Cursed Goddess in District A…
Soul was clad in a white robe, the hem of which spread across the ground like the tail feathers of a peacock. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, she stared at an orb in front of her with a serious expression.
She had taken a bath and changed into fresh clothes just for this thing. Brought back by her from the Soul Demon Universe, the orb contained the essence. The power of the seven Soul Overlords, including Pride, Greed, and Gluttony, was held together inside this little orb.
Tap! Tap!
Someone knocked gently on the door. Soul’s eyes flicked. With a thought in her mind, the black orb turned into a streamer and burrowed into her palm. The orb was her secret, something given to her by the person who saved her from her peril in the Soul Demon Universe. It was her faith.
After tidying up her clothes, she said, “Come in.”
The door was pushed open, and a figure weak enough to be blown away by a gust of wind walked through it. She was Duchess Tianlian.
“Soul, did you order the Cavalry of Death to kill Nethery?” the duchess asked. She was very beautiful, not the kind of stunning beauty, but one that would make others want to pamper her.
“The battle for the heir has reached a critical time… Why can’t I kill her?” Soul rose to her feet. With the long hem of her robe streaming behind her, she walked up to Duchess Tianlian, put her arms around her waist, and lightly placed her head against her chest.
“It’s not that you can’t… I just want you to be merciful. After all, you are all Cursed Goddesses, the treasures who have survived countless hurdles. You are all precious to Void City…” said Duchess Tianlian.
Resting her face on Duchess Tianlian’s chest, Soul sighed. There was a deep look in her eyes, and her face was indifferent.
“It is because I’ve survived all the hurdles that I have to kill them… The Cursed Goddesses compete with each other. If I don’t kill them, they will kill me one day… I’ve been through too many betrayals and murders in the Soul Demon Universe.”
Duchess Tianlian sighed. “Flowers fade and fall and fill the air, but who pities the loss of your fragrance when you die… Of the three flowers that compete with each other, some will have to fade…”
She patted Soul’s little body and closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes fluttered. “Don’t be afraid. I will always support you.”
…
The moment the Cavalry of Death moved, all the nobles in District A knew that the competition of the Cursed Goddesses had reached the stage of a showdown.
Many nobles retreated. It was not appropriate for them to choose a side in this kind of competition. They chose to be neutral, waiting for the situation to come clear.
There were three Cursed Goddesses. In addition to Nethery, who did not have many supporters, there was also one from the Primitive Universe. The latter was also weaker than Soul, but she was backed by the entire Primitive Universe. It was really hard to tell how things would turn out.
Meanwhile, Soul had taken the initiative to kill another Cursed Goddess. This had put her on the wrong side of the fence. After all, all Cursed Goddesses shared the same root.
The city shook as the iron hooves struck the ground. The black cavalry charged toward the restaurant as if it was going to trample the building into pieces!
Marquis Lang Gu walked out of the restaurant. His eyes focused as he looked at the cavalry. He took out the pellet drum and shook it with gentle motions. Although he was facing such a fearsome force, he did not flinch, and the corners of his mouth lifted.
‘I’ll make this battle as my gift for Her Excellency Nethery. With a chef who can create miracles in her company, perhaps Her Excellency is not without her fortune. Perhaps… she might even emerge as the heir soon.’
The twin brothers, Pi Dong and Pi Xi, squinted at Marquis Lang Gu. The next moment, they produced a black dragon-bone bow and an arrow with black phoenix feathers as the fletching. Pi Dong held the bow, while Pi Xi notched the arrow on the string.
Together, they pulled the string and unleashed the arrow. A piercing whistle echoed throughout the whole District A as the arrow shot straight toward Marquis Lang Gu. The murderous Cavalry of Death followed the black arrow.
With a thud, the arrow pierced the pellet drum in Marquis Lang Gu’s hand, took the drum with it as it sped into the restaurant, and shot toward Nethery, who stood quietly at Bu Fang’s side. As for the marquis, he was drowned by the Cavalry of Death in an instant, trampled under the iron hooves of countless savage beasts!