[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-immortal-food":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-immortal-food-lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-14":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Lord of the Immortal Food",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2313137,4524,"Chapter 14","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-14",14,"\u003Cp>Pei Ye couldn’t bear to watch any longer; he lifted the two ten-year-old children onto the horse’s back and shouted, “I’ll take these two—we leave now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a hand grabbed the reins; Cheng Feng, drenched in sweat, said, “Brother Pei, let me take one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more people you carry, the higher the chance one of them is chosen—and children are dead weight. Cheng Feng’s act was both righteous and brave; this was no time for hesitation. Seeing the boy’s resolute gaze, Pei Ye handed him one child, and the two horses galloped side by side out the courtyard gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small green shadow brushed past them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye instinctively turned his head and saw its outstretched wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soul bird had returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he saw it, he knew why it had been so late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A jade box rested on its back—far too heavy for this battered bird to carry normally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been flying straight toward its master, but upon seeing the scene in the courtyard, it displayed remarkable intelligence, executing a graceful arc before landing in Chang Zhiyuan’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The horses were already at speed; Pei Ye didn’t know what happened next, but after galloping a few paces, he felt the raindrops momentarily freeze, then reverse and surge backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This must be a good sign—the fighting inside the courtyard was still ongoing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fenghuai County had no permanent streetlights; the people, frugal, didn’t light lamps every night, so once darkness fell, the streets were no different from the wilds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Pei Ye and Cheng Feng dared not slow their pace; even as dread of suddenly falling from their mounts gripped them, the four riders on two horses raced west like the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exit through the west gate!” Pei Ye shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it!” Cheng Feng yelled back against the storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Pei!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t Master Shen win?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a sudden emptiness surged behind him; Pei Ye turned and his pupils shrank instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black Chi entering dreams, divine spirits drawing talismans—no matter how strange or miraculous, their visual impact could not match the boy’s simple fantasies of controlling water and fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now those fantasies stood before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The horses were not slow; they had covered considerable distance, yet when he looked back, the magistrate’s courtyard, brightly lit, remained strikingly visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rainwater within a radius of dozens of zhang had been drained away, all rushing toward the magistrate’s compound, where a water dragon several meters long twisted and soared, as if hunting something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, jets of water pierced into the courtyard—like arrows, blades—piercing, slicing, cutting, hacking—as if countless tiny water soldiers were unleashing their utmost force against the target within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining rain floated magically around the small courtyard, forming a mist-like ring, like disciplined soldiers awaiting orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the water dragon plunged entirely into the courtyard, as if binding the target tightly, followed by Shen Yanping’s signature blue qi exploding outward—the water hanging in midair surged down en masse. It was unimaginable what state the small courtyard had been reduced to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Feng gaped, instinctively pulling his reins: “Brother Pei—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t stop!” Pei Ye barked. “Keep going!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This display had indeed stirred hope in him, but before the dust settled, he could not afford to turn back—after all, if Shen Yanping won and returned, it would be fine; if he lost, there would be no chance to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hooves pounded like drums; his chest pounded like drums. He looked back at the magistrate’s courtyard—everything had fallen silent; all lights had been drowned out. Who had won? Who had lost? No way to tell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if the criminal had won, he would soon begin selecting sacrifices—after all, every moment, each of us candidates scattered further. Since no blue flame talisman had descended, each passing minute increased the likelihood that Shen Yanping had prevailed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carrying this anxious hope, the four reached the west gate, where two large lanterns hanging beneath the archway provided some light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Split at the fork ahead! I go north, you go south!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Going south would lead onto the main road toward the prefectural capital; going north led into the mountains. Pei Ye gave Cheng Feng no chance to object, turned his horse, and spurred it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep running—don’t stop! If dawn comes and neither of you has a flame talisman on your head, then… you can return to the city!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last words stirred hope in all of them, including Pei Ye himself. He met Cheng Feng’s panting gaze for a moment, then turned away, pressing the child to his chest, ready to spur his horse—when the child said, “Brother… your head is glowing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye froze, instinctively covering his forehead. When he glanced at Cheng Feng’s horse, his heart sank to the bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the pale forehead of Zhang Xiaoyan, cradled in Cheng Feng’s arms, a faint blue flame talisman was slowly forming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The outcome was decided. The selection had begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Shen, Master Chang—both likely dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he realized these two pillars had collapsed, pressure crashed onto his shoulders; the gloomy rain-soaked night grew suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye looked down and saw no mark on the child before him; he immediately dismounted and lifted the boy off the horse: “Cheng Feng, swap! Give me Zhang Xiaoyan—I’ll take him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Pei—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take this child back to the city. Don’t take the main roads. Find a house and stay the night. Remember! Don’t wander the streets!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Feng gritted his teeth: “Brother Pei, let him go back alone—I’m staying with you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words ignited something; a surge of fury rose in Pei Ye. He seized Cheng Feng’s collar, nearly yanking the boy off his horse: “You’re coming with me?! Who do you think you are? What skill do you have?! I could kill you with three punches!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Feng froze. Pei Ye took two breaths, then released him coldly: “How little is your life worth? Who am I to you, that you’d die for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Feng’s lips trembled. Pei Ye picked up Zhang Xiaoyan and turned toward his horse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No reinforcements had arrived; the authorities had fallen. Fenghuai was now a hunting ground where the enemy slaughtered without restraint. The situation had reached its worst: they were rats, the enemy was the cat. Only decisive endurance, evasion, and abandonment could minimize losses—one less death, one more life saved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need for “I’ll follow you” loyalty. No need for “I’ll fight with you” bravery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither he nor the child in his arms showed signs of soul-loss. The enemy’s “selection” and “call” were two separate stages—he didn’t know when the next would begin. All he could do was run as far as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment he stepped into the muddy field, the mud suddenly became a bottomless abyss, yanking him in with a whirl of dizziness—until he crashed hard onto the ground and realized he had fallen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the violent cramping in his chest and abdomen surge through his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been warned repeatedly, yet the boy had never cherished these chances—still throwing himself into the cold autumn rain. Now his wounded body had delivered a merciless punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>",1183,"2026-06-20T13:17:09.438Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7aa747114ef91ad402f185cbebc78a7240e11f9b8f657203a04bb136ec49b20e","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-15","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-13",771,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-immortal-food-cover.jpg"]