Chapter 85: If You Have the Guts, Hit Me, Hit Me

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: If You Have the Guts, Hit Me, Hit Me

Cang He Guang’s arrival had cleared out Lu Wu’s stall. With her ingredients gone and the hour growing late, Lu Wu decided to pack up for the night.

The doors to the casino were still shut tight.

As she walked home, a cool evening breeze on her face, Lu Wu heard the system’s notification.

[Mission Progress: 21/200]

?

The progress had suddenly jumped. Lu Wu was baffled.

’Is the counter broken?’

[...]

The system’s response was enough to prove it wasn’t broken, so Lu Wu didn’t dwell on it. In any case, an increase was a good thing.

In the City Lord’s dungeon, chains imbued with sealing power kept the gamblers locked in their cells.

In the dim light, the gamblers were like caged animals.

Cang He Guang strode in.

The deliberate sound of his footsteps made all the gamblers look his way.

Their bloodshot eyes were filled with resentment.

"Let me out!"

"What gives you the right to stop me from gambling?"

One gambler charged forward to attack Cang He Guang, only to be held back by his chains.

Cang He Guang looked at them, his eyes filled with pity.

It had been a while since he rescued them, but despite trying every method he could think of, he had been unable to pull them from their frenzied state.

If he didn’t use such measures to restrain them, they would simply return to the casino and gamble until they had lost everything.

But now, there was hope.

"Open the door,"

he ordered his subordinate.

The metal cell door swung open, and he walked inside, retrieving a portion of skewers from his spatial storage.

The conditions were far from ideal; the air was thick with a sour, foul stench.

The rich, overpowering aroma that mixed with the stench was impossible to miss.

The shouting gamblers were instantly captivated. Their eyes locked onto the skewers, and the murky madness in their gazes seemed to recede.

’It’s working!’

As Cang He Guang held the skewers closer, he saw the agitated gamblers visibly calm down.

"Do you want some?"

he asked, taking a skewer and holding it to one of the gambler’s lips.

It was a skewer of pork tenderloin.

Thin slices of tenderloin were wrapped around a bamboo skewer. Even without being marinated, simply coated in the fragrant, spicy broth, its vibrant red tinge was enough to mesmerize.

The scent of meat and spices slowly began to drive out the foul air in the room.

It was like a sudden glimmer of light in the darkness; however faint, it would make any lost traveler sprint toward it.

The gamblers who had been screaming to be freed now watched with yearning eyes, their throats bobbing as they swallowed.

"Eat!"

"I want to eat."

one of them rasped, a rare glimmer of clarity in his eyes.

Seeing the change in the gamblers, Cang He Guang decisively had the skewers divided up and fed to them.

He had bought a large number of skewers from Lu Wu, the bulk of which he’d had sent to the Fire Secret Realm.

The gamblers had already consumed a good portion, so not many skewers remained in Cang He Guang’s possession.

The aroma in the air made his own stomach rumble with hunger.

To maintain his image as the City Lord, he fought back the urge to snatch the food from the gamblers and continued to observe their changes.

"What... what happened to us?"

A gambler spoke after just a few bites, his words much clearer than before.

As far as he could remember, he had just gone to the casino, and the next thing he knew, he had woken up here as a prisoner.

The other gamblers were also showing signs of improvement.

The effects of the Insect Descent Evil Technique were being purged in a way that Cang He Guang could not comprehend.

Although their bodies were still weak, they would recover fully with a bit of nourishment and rest.

Cang He Guang didn’t hide the truth from them and, while he was at it, asked how they had fallen victim to the curse in the first place.

They talked for a long time.

As Cang He Guang left the dungeon, he ordered his subordinates to take the gamblers to the infirmary to be properly cared for.

He issued a series of commands.

Cang He Guang now felt much more confident about his operation against the Fallen Immortal Association.

’I still haven’t eaten mine.’

Back in his room, Cang He Guang took the skewers out from his spatial storage.

He had kept a dozen or so portions for himself, with a variety of all the different flavors.

He arranged them on the table.

Cang He Guang had a sense of ceremony. Only after washing his hands did he sit at the table. He picked up a skewer, but instead of eating it right away, he brought it to his nose for a sniff.

"This smells incredible!"

"The color, the aroma... absolutely flawless."

"A perfect ten."

He sounded like a top food critic reviewing Lu Wu’s skewers.

The perfect score said it all.

He picked up a skewer of tofu skin. The pale-yellow sheets were coated in chili, their soft appearance making him curious about the texture.

Without further hesitation, Cang He Guang took a bite.

There was none of the typical beany or bitter aftertaste.

The slightly chewy tofu skin had soaked up the broth. As he bit down, his teeth pressing it against the roof of his mouth, a flood of rich broth combined with the heat of the chili, making him fall completely in love.

This was Cang He Guang’s first time eating Lu Wu’s cooking, and it was the first time he realized there was something in the mortal realm even more captivating than cultivation.

Next, he snatched up a chicken foot.

This one was the numbing peppercorn flavor.

The chicken feet had been simmered the longest, cooking the normally tough meat until it was perfectly tender. With a flick of his wrist, the flesh jiggled softly.

Cang He Guang swirled it in the hot and sour dipping sauce a few times, then eagerly took a bite.

The tendons and cartilage crunched satisfyingly between his teeth.

The green peppercorns began to work their magic.

The tip of his tongue grew slightly numb, but that couldn’t stop Cang He Guang from devouring more.

The sour, spicy, and numbing sensations made it impossible for Cang He Guang to think. His jaw worked furiously, gnawing away at an incredible speed.

SLURP!

He even licked clean the juices that dripped onto his fingers, determined not to waste a single drop.

’This is all the good stuff.’

Feeling like he hadn’t had nearly enough, Cang He Guang reached for another skewer, but his hand came up empty.

He looked closely. The table, which should have been piled high with skewers, now only had a few left, replaced by a growing pile of empty sticks.

"You little brat, having a feast and not even thinking to invite me. Who taught you to hoard all the good food for yourself?"

A voice of accusation rang out in the room.

Cang He Guang looked up to see a figure materializing in the chair opposite him, which had been empty just a moment ago.

It was Uncle Li.

He must have been there for a while. He was holding a pork skewer, chewing on it leisurely, the corners of his mouth glistening with oil.

In the face of Cang He Guang’s accusing glare, Uncle Li shot him a sidelong glance.

"What? You got a problem with that?"

"If you’ve got the guts, come and fight me! Go on, hit me!"

"If you win, I’ll spit out everything I ate for you."

The very picture of a bandit, Uncle Li leaned back, fearlessly swinging his crossed legs.

If he hadn’t been delayed by some business, there’s no way this kid would have gotten to enjoy this delicacy first.

’I don’t know how that little head of Xiao Lu’s works, but she sure knows a lot of things.’

’It’s a new surprise every time.’

He wiped his mouth, then picked up another skewer and began eating it right in front of Cang He Guang.

It was a fried tofu puff.

He bit into the fried tofu puff, which was chewy on the outside and soft on the inside, and juice instantly flooded his taste buds. Uncle Li slowed his chewing, humming a little tune as he savored the moment.

’Now this is the life,’ he thought, feeling utterly content.

’I can’t beat him, and I don’t dare curse at him.’

Seeing that the majority of his skewers had ended up in Uncle Li’s stomach, Cang He Guang could only stand up and start clearing the mess on the table.

His dutiful display earned him a wolf whistle from Uncle Li.