Chapter 23: Jade Maiden Feast

The sudden appearance of a third secret technique disrupted the plans Li Yu had already begun to form.

He was just about to ponder it, but this basic-model alchemy furnace from the Heavenly Crafts Sect gave him no chance; once the pre-set intelligent program finished, the furnace lid opened automatically with a hiss of steam.

"Master!"

"Are you still alive?"

Before Li Yu could even take stock of himself, he saw Hong Dou’s delicate, pretty face leaning in close.

She saw her master, whose clothes had long since vanished and who was curled up inside the furnace chamber, completely bare.

If she were the maid from before she had been partially repaired, possessing little intelligence, she would only have stood stupidly in place at a moment like this, waiting for Li Yu to give an order.

But the current Hong Dou playfully asked him if he was still alive.

Discovering he was alive, that little head retracted again, and just as Li Yu was wondering what she was going to do—

Suddenly, the alchemy furnace shook violently; it was clearly being lifted by someone.

In an instant, Li Yu guessed what his maid, whose intelligence fluctuated, was trying to do.

She wanted to flip the furnace and dump him out from inside!

"Stop, put it down."

"Go, go find me some clothes."

Li Yu wore a look of utter absurdity and helplessness as he shouted his instructions.

Before long, Li Yu, having put his clothes back on, walked out of the storage room again, accompanied by Hong Dou, who kept looking him over and scanning him.

The latter seemed to have returned to normal, and a young girl's mechanical voice began to spill from her mouth:

"Detected that the master's body has undergone a fundamental change... parasite has been excised... now belongs to an extraordinary creature."

"New information being recorded... Master is now a Sequence 8 cultivator of the Spirit Venerable path, [Alchemy Apprentice]..."

"Starting alchemy module to provide assistance to master... Startup failed."

Li Yu ignored Hong Dou, who was behind him, having failed to show off her treasure.

As he walked out, he was adapting to his powerful, transformed body.

He couldn't help but compare it to the state of the Child of the Forbidden God he had experienced earlier.

"If comparing physical strength alone, the latter should still be stronger."

"Drug resistance, poison resistance, hmm, I reckon the mature Child of the Forbidden God is stronger there too."

"As for the ability to kill? Without a doubt, the Child of the Forbidden God is stronger."

After muttering these three points, there wasn't a shred of discouragement or disappointment on Li Yu's face.

On the contrary, there was only intense joy.

From this day forward, he would no longer have to worry about being possessed.

Nor would he have to worry about falling into depravity and turning into a man-eating demon.

Alchemy Apprentice sequence!

Just hearing the name, one knew it wasn't an extraordinary path skilled in killing or combat.

But even so, it was a proper, genuine Sequence 8, at least more powerful than the neighbors around him like Cui Yuan, Chen Canglu, and Sikong Nian, who hadn't officially advanced yet.

Because he was thinking of his neighbors and diners, Li Yu looked again at his gloomy courtyard, which looked entirely like a private kitchen.

In his heart, he pondered very seriously:

"Should I keep running this spirit-food private kitchen?"

"If I were a normal [Alchemy Apprentice], I naturally couldn't do it anymore; I doubt they would dare to eat the immortal pills I concocted."

"But as it happens, I am not; that medicinal cuisine technique looks clearly more attractive than the extraordinary culinary arts of the 'food-people.' Following the jargon of those evil cultivator diners, with my current set of skills, I could go to the Garuda Grand Restaurant on the East Side opened by the old demon Zhu Can—at the very least, I'd be the ceiling of the third floor, and I might even be able to touch the floor of the fourth."

"If I continue to do it, I'll have to stay here..."

"Hong Dou!"

"Calculate for me, if I want to leave Wanfu City, how much money do I need to save?"

"Yes, Master. Hong Dou is calculating based on existing information... Calculation successful."

"As a Sequence 8 extraordinary, if the master wishes to leave Wanfu City permanently, you must first pay three exit fees, totaling 15,000 taels, to be paid to the Heavenly Mystery Workshop, the South District, and the City Lord respectively."

"Besides that, the master must also pay a redemption fee; this fee is calculated based on the number of years the master has been in the city, requiring 10,000 taels."

"Additionally, if the master does not wish to venture through the three forbidden danger zones—the Ten Thousand Ghosts Tundra, the Ancient Black Forest, and the Terror Valley—to leave, but chooses a safe route, you must pay another fee, also 10,000 taels."

"Warning! Warning!"

"According to Hong Dou's residual memory, once one enters Wanfu City, very few people can leave safely, even if they have paid sufficient fees. Please, Master, choose carefully."

Silence!

Whether it was the fees calculated by Hong Dou or the subsequent warning, both left Li Yu in deep silence.

It once again confirmed his earlier cursing of Wanfu City, a place supposedly full of outstanding people and simple folk customs.

In reality, it was a shitty place. Muttering a curse under his breath, Li Yu couldn't help but look up at the sky in all directions again.

The somewhat familiar ten-story palace towers, giant bronze trees, towering ancient temples, neon signs, and steam airships... no matter how many times he had looked at them before, they had left Li Yu feeling deeply shocked, constantly marveling at the wonders in his heart.

At the same time, he was also puzzled: how could such a place where humans and ghosts lived together and evil cultivators ran rampant build so many wonders?

Now, he vaguely understood.

"Heh, so it's a place where once you come, you can't leave; they have to squeeze every drop of blood out of the city's residents."

"I am indeed an extraordinary at Sequence 8, but in the eyes of those high-sequence powerhouses, I'm afraid my extraction value is higher, and there won't be any respect."

"It seems I can't run for the time being."

Li Yu said with a tone of resignation.

However, there was something strange on his face; he didn't look dejected after being hit by the news.

On the contrary, there was a sense of intense curiosity and eagerness to try.

It was as if Li Yu had suddenly become interested in the entire "Wanfu City" and had a strong desire to explore it.

=9+Book_Bar

Although, as of now, let alone the whole city, he hadn't even figured out the [Heavenly Mystery Workshop], one of the eight major workshops under the South District, and was still holed up on the old street.

"Bang."

"Bang, bang."

Just as Li Yu had made his decision and was starting to ponder in his heart how to continue his private kitchen business, as well as how to increase his strength and find the next sequence for the Spirit Venerable path—

Suddenly, his courtyard gate was knocked upon.

Before he could go over to open the door, a familiar, coquettish voice drilled directly into his ears from outside.

"Little Brother Jiao, open the door. It’s me, Cui Yuan."

"I ate the spirit food you made last night and was very satisfied. My whole body was restless, and I couldn't sleep, so I simply went into the kitchen myself and tried to make a dish of spirit food."

"I've come to find you to taste it; it would be best if you could give me some pointers."

When Li Yu heard these words.

His whole body couldn't help but stiffen.

The voice indeed sounded like Cui Yuan, but the "malice" contained within it was a hundred, a thousand times more intense than the original Cui Yuan.

What made Li Yu even less willing to open the door was the inexplicable sense of familiarity and nausea the voice brought.

It seemed that seeing he didn't make a sound and didn't open the door—

Outside the door, another voice came in, thin and dense, sliding stickily into Li Yu's ears:

"Good little brother, open the door. Big sister knows you are at home."

"This spirit food of mine is not only delicious to the extreme, but it also has clever methods and techniques within it."

"It is called [Jade Maiden Feast]. Look at these green onion-like jade fingers, look at this slender willow waist, and this snow on the chest, these exquisite feet... it is both the serving vessel and the spirit food itself; it is simply beautiful beyond compare."

"Big sister guarantees that you will definitely want to eat this dish of mine again after you try it."

When these words rang out.

The feeling of Cui Yuan was completely gone.

Replacing it was an elegant yet disgusting, horrifying, and perverted aura, which also allowed Li Yu to almost guess the identity of the person who had come.

Someone from the Forbidden God Sect!

To be precise, an evil cultivator within that sect responsible for recovering the [Child of the Forbidden God].

He immediately remembered the warning from Zhu Mei and the others last night; Cui Yuan had even chimed in to remind him then.

Yet, he hadn't expected that she would be the first to suffer.

Li Yu looked at the daylight that was still bright and couldn't help but form a guess, cursing in his heart:

"Coming this fast?"

"Could it be that when I was dragging the forbidden egg to the alchemy furnace earlier, those few cries of it attracted them?"

"They couldn't find me at first, and for some reason, they bumped into Cui Yuan, killed her, and then tracked me down."

"But since this fellow found the door and didn't act immediately, but instead pretended to be Cui Yuan and came over to deliver some spirit food, is he playing a role with me?"

"I suppose he has some special hobby?"

"Perfect, I just need a little bit of time."

After cursing these few sentences, a look of intense heartache appeared on Li Yu's face, and then he spoke.

"Oh, it's Big Sister Cui!"

"Wait a moment, I haven't put my pants on yet; I'll be there right away."

Before the voice had even faded, Li Yu used his last remaining opportunity to Analyze All Things without the slightest hesitation.

At the surface of the eye membrane!

The third bubble of truth shattered abruptly.

PS: Requesting monthly votes.

(End of chapter)