Chapter 221: Over Peach-Mirrored Stream, Where Perches are Full Grown¹ (First Update)

Warning: Disturbing content

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However, neither the Cave Master nor Su Mei were aware of Long Qingyue’s true intentions for this Hongmen Feast. She thought it was finally her effort that had gained Long Qingyue’s attention, and she felt smug.

Little did she know, they were the main course of this play.

Dishes were served one by one on ceramic plates covered with wooden lids, the contents inside remained unseen.

The Secret Guards placed the plates down, and the Cave Master of Broken Dragon Cave, along with Su Mei, couldn’t help but focus on these Secret Guards, astounded.

They appeared and disappeared mysteriously, but they also possessed considerable strength, with the weakest among them at the Golden Core stage, while several others were at the Nascent Soul stage.

It was a wonder how Long Qingyue managed to enlist the services of these Nascent Soul experts.

Ye Wenxin was already accustomed to it. Long Qingyue excelled in scheming, and naturally had countless methods to recruit useful people. Of course, she showed no mercy to the useless ones.

Her success was definitely not accidental; Ye Wenxin rarely saw Long Qingyue reveal such a powerful side. However, with the presence of the Cave Master and Su Mei, Ye Wenxin anticipated this would be a very interesting night.

Once the wooden lids were lifted, the true appearance of the dishes within were revealed. Ye Wenxin smiled at the sight; the first dish in front of her was shredded pork with garlic sauce, her favorite.

However, this kind of cuisine didn’t exist in this world, which emphasized on martial strength more than food and culture. As long as the food was edible, it was acceptable.

Seeing this dish being served, Ye Wenxin understood that Long Qingyue had even brought chefs along, unwilling to let herself feel uncomfortable, no matter where she went.

She lived delicately and elegantly, like a queen.

Long Qingyue glanced at everyone’s reactions, finally settling on Ye Wenxin’s face, and continued, “Everyone, how do you find this first dish?”

“Delicious wordly flavors.”

“Extremely tasty.”

The Cave Maste of Broken Dragon Cave and Su Mei immediately praised, but in reality, the taste was just average. The lack of seasoning and the differences in various ingredients couldn’t give this shredded pork with garlic sauce² the unique taste it was known for back on Earth.

It could only be described as edible, far from being considered delicious.

“Average,” Ye Wenxin gave her assessment.

Xiao Zhang, who was serving on the side, glared at her, wondering how the usually clever Ye Wenxin could make such a foolish move at this moment.

Su Mei felt even more convinced that Ye Wenxin was as stupid as she had imagined. Although she didn’t understand how someone named “Ye Meijing” had suddenly emerged, Ye Wenxin was ultimately unable to escape from Long Qingyue’s grasp, no matter how formidable she might be.

Su Mei was infinitely smug, believing that this time she could surely use Long Qingyue to completely deal with Ye Wenxin, turning her into a human furnace, ultimately stripping away her dignity and everything she had.

Su Mei could hardly contain her smile. She quickly lowered her head, missing the tacit smirks exchanged between Ye Wenxin and Long Qingyue.

The second dish arrived promptly, revealed to be Mapo tofu, which Ye Wenxin quite liked. However, the tofu looked rather peculiar, resembling something strange.

Ye Wenxin tasted it first, finding the texture refreshing. Despite its odd appearance, the taste was excellent. She couldn’t help but take a few more bites, while the Cave Master and Su Mei struggled to eat across from her.

It was unclear whether they were unaccustomed to the spicy flavor of the dishes, found the taste of the Map tofu strange, or if Long Qingyue had intentionally added something extra for them.

“So, how do you three find this brain tofu?” After taking a few bites herself, Long Qingyue asked quietly, a refined and noble smile adorning her face.

“The taste is excellent!”

“It leaves a lingering fragrance on the palate.”

As the Cave Master and Su Mei continued to sing praises, Ye Wenxin took another bite and happily said, “I like this dish. It tastes just like something I’ve had before.”

“Oh? You’ve tasted something similar?” Long Qingyue picked up on Ye Wenxin’s remark, her eyes still faintly smiling. Both women deeply concealed their mockery, maintaining a distant tone.

“Back when our family faced a famine, with no food, we had to dig up the brains of the dead to eat. It tasted just like this,” Ye Wenxin responded with a smile.

Her words left the other two dinner guests doubting their ears.

Backtracking to the term ‘brain tofu’, their faces turned pale, and they wished they could vomit up what they had just eaten.

Long Qingyue, however, kept smiling, this time with a hint of appreciation. She said, “You have a good eye. These are indeed fresh human brains. By the way, it’s from those male concubines you gifted me.”

Long Qingyue looked at the Cave Master of Broken Dragon Cave, as if implying something.

The Cave Master, putting two and two together, felt his stomach churn even more. But he didn’t dare vomit, knowing it would displease Long Qingyue.

Su Mei was in an even worse state, but she forced herself to keep eating.

Cannibalism was rare, even among demon cultivators. First, cooking a corpse was too troublesome; second, the physiological repulsion was hard to overcome.

Yet now, Long Qingyue was openly making them eat human brains. Naturally, it terrified them.

Moreover, they had seen the deceased just yesterday. Even if they didn’t want to think about it, hearing Ye Wenxin’s continued descriptions only made the imagery more vivid.

“Your Highness, the chefs in your household are excellent. There’s no fishy taste at all. I used to eat them raw,” Ye Wenxin continued chatting about this topic.

However, they were talking about tofu made from soybeans, and naturally, the Mapo tofu in front of them couldn’t possibly be human brains, just made to look like it to scare the Cave Master and Su Mei.

Seeing Ye Wenxin cooperate so well, Long Qingyue continued in a serious tone, “If you like it, eat more, you two as well; the brains of handsome men are quite delicious, especially…”

Before she could finish, the Cave Master couldn’t help but retch. Seeing this, Su Mei also felt nauseous but forced herself to hold it in.

The Cave Master, realizing his actions might anger Long Qingyue, kneeled on the ground, pale-faced. He never imagined that his inability to endure this ordeal would ruin his hard-won connection with the Golden Age Dynasty.

“Your Highness, please forgive me!”

“Oh, you gave me male servants to eat; what is there to forgive?” Long Qingyue remained calm, taking another bite, seemingly on purpose to put on a show for the Cave Master and Su Mei.

This sight made the Cave Master retch again. He believed, based on Long Qingyue’s unchanging expression, that she wouldn’t hold it against him.

Then, he suddenly felt his lower body go numb. With his legs severed, Xiao Zhang pressed him directly onto a plate.

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Footnote:

1. – This line is from the poem, A Fisherman’s Song 《渔歌子》 by Zhang Zhihe, written in the Tang Dynasty, describing the picturesque image of fishing in the Jiangnan waters during flooding season in spring. Goes like this:
   
   In front of western hills white egrets fly up and down
   Over peach-mirrored stream, where perches are full grown.
   In a broad-brimmed blue hat
   And green straw cloak, I’d fain
   Go fishing careless of the slanting wind and rain. ↩︎
2. 
   – Shredded pork with garlic sauce, also known as Yuxiang shredded pork, is a common dish in Sichuan cuisine. Yuxiang sauce is actually sweet and sour, with chilli and garlic, and it’s one of the main traditional flavors in Sichuan. ↩︎

Author: Hope you guys weren’t eating when you read this…