Chapter 344 - 306: Specialty Cuisine, The Demonic Beasts Come Down the Mountain

Chapter 344: Chapter 306: Specialty Cuisine, The Demonic Beasts Come Down the Mountain

Qingshui North Garden.

Lin Yi, Wei Nan, and Zhou Qi got out of the taxi.

They stared at the elegant little courtyard before them.

They all exchanged bewildered glances.

"Lin Yi, are you sure this is really a place to eat?" Zhou Qi asked, a bit shocked.

While doing his research on Lishui City,

he hadn’t seen a single mention of Qingshui North Garden.

The place was completely unfamiliar to him.

Besides, from the outside, it didn’t look like a restaurant. It looked more like a private residence.

Lin Yi shook his head. "I don’t know. This is what that Meng Meng person told me."

"We’ll know once we go inside and take a look!"

With that, Lin Yi took the lead and walked into the small courtyard.

Wei Nan and Zhou Qi exchanged a look and quickly followed.

The moment they stepped through the gate,

the sound of a wind chime rang out.

The crisp tinkling echoed throughout the entire yard.

It seemed to be alerting the owner of the courtyard that guests had arrived.

This couldn’t help but remind Lin Yi of Old He’s courtyard back in the Old District.

The style of decoration, the elegance of the yard—it was exactly the same as the one before him now.

’Could Old He have come all the way here to open a private kitchen?’ he couldn’t help but wonder.

Just as he was thinking this, three people walked out from the inner courtyard.

Two women and one man. The man was in his thirties, with a very muscular build and standing just over six feet tall.

He was built like a moving tank.

The two women were in their twenties.

The one in the lead had a mature look, with a hint of allure in her eyes.

Her clothes were also quite bold. The girl behind her looked more like a college student, or perhaps a recent graduate.

When they drew closer, the woman in the lead said with a light chuckle, "You must be the students from Xingwu University. I just called you. My name is Meng Meng, and I’m the captain of the Lishui City Demon Hunting Squad!"

The woman introduced herself first.

Lin Yi quickly replied, "Captain Meng, I’m Lin Yi!"

"Oh? So you’re Lin Yi? You look quite sharp. No wonder Captain Chu thinks so highly of you!"

"Let me introduce you. These two are my team members. This is Su Xiaoxiao. You could consider her your senior, as she just graduated from Xingwu and is now a full-fledged member of my team."

"And this is Peng Wu..."

After Meng Meng finished the introductions,

Zhou Qi, Wei Nan, and the others introduced themselves as well.

Then, Lin Yi said with a smile, "Sorry to trouble you, Captain Meng. We originally didn’t plan to disturb you. We were just going to hunt some demons on our own, as a form of training..."

Meng Meng smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "It was Captain Chu who called me. He said his little brother and a few classmates were coming to Lishui City to hunt demons and asked me to look after you. When Captain Chu asks for something, how could I dare refuse!"

After saying this, Meng Meng couldn’t help but laugh.

Lin Yi realized that Chu Zhengxiong held a fairly high position in the Demon Hunting Bureau.

Even though he was just a captain of a local squad,

everyone else treated him with great respect.

This went beyond just the issue of one’s personal cultivation realm or level of ability.

A high realm and strong abilities, while part of the laws of survival, are only one factor in earning others’ respect.

In short, Chu Zhengxiong was very well-liked.

People showed him deference wherever he went, which proved that Chu Zhengxiong handled his interpersonal relationships quite well.

This man, who seemed so carefree and unconcerned with anything,

also had a meticulous side.

After all the introductions were finished, they walked deeper into the courtyard.

Inside, there was an open area with several tables.

A grape trellis overhead blocked out the scorching sun.

A gentle breeze wafted by, carrying a faint, fruity fragrance.

Eating here was actually very cool and pleasant.

At Meng Meng’s invitation, everyone sat down.

Meng Meng took a file from Su Xiaoxiao’s hands and passed it to Lin Yi.

She said with a smile, "This contains some information about Lishui City."

"Specifically, it has data on the Demon Beasts that frequently infiltrate the city. You can take a look; it should be a valuable reference."

"Lishui City isn’t like the other cities in the New District."

"The truth is, Demon Beasts have always been a constant problem here."

"They’ve always existed. It’s just that this time, it’s a bit more serious than usual."

"Overnight, a massive number of Demon Beasts came down from the mountains. They aren’t just beasts from the local mountains, but also some from outside the area."

"That’s why the situation seems a little more severe."

While Meng Meng was explaining the situation,

Lin Yi flipped through the file in his hands.

Just as they had guessed, the Demon Beasts in Lishui City were different from those in other places.

They were all wild animals from the mountains that had cultivated into Demon Beasts.

There were records of lynxes, black bears, foxes, weasels, and tigers all becoming Demon Beasts.

There were even cases of herbivores like rabbits and deer cultivating into Demon Beasts.

Once they became Demon Beasts, it was as if they had all been possessed.

They became bloodthirsty carnivores that preyed on humans.

Some even specialized in hunting humans...

After Lin Yi finished reading, he passed the file to Zhou Qi and Wei Nan.

He looked up at Meng Meng and said, "The situation in Lishui seems quite serious. Why not request that the Demon Hunting Bureau send a couple more squads to help?"

Meng Meng smiled and shook her head. "Didn’t I just say? The Demon Beast situation in Lishui has always existed."

"Besides, the Town Martial Department and the Martial Arts Alliance have had people stationed here before."

"And they did a good job of controlling the Demon Beasts in Lishui."

"It’s only this time that the Demon Beasts are running rampant, and really, there are just a few more than in other cities."

"Demon Beasts have invaded all the provinces and cities in the New District now. Our brothers in the other Demon Hunting Squads have their own work to do. We can still handle this, so if we can avoid troubling them, we will."

"If one day the Demon Beasts truly become a catastrophic plague, we will naturally report it to the Demon Hunting Bureau and request support."

After Meng Meng finished speaking,

Lin Yi nodded lightly. He could tell she was a strong-willed woman.

And one who didn’t like to trouble others.

It was just that this personality didn’t quite match her choice of clothing.

’But how could I possibly ask about something like that?’

’I’ll just chalk it up to personal preference.’

"Captain Meng, it’s no problem if there’s no backup! Now that we’re here, just give us a few days, and we guarantee we can clear out all the Demon Beasts here!"

Wei Nan, sitting beside them, puffed out his chest and declared.

But as soon as the words left his mouth,

Lin Yi, Sun Tao, and Zhou Qi all turned to glare at him.

They didn’t even know how bad the Demon Beast infestation here really was.

Even the professional demon hunters here wouldn’t dare say something like that.

’And you have the guts to make such a boast? Aren’t you afraid of eating your words?’

However, Meng Meng just smiled and nodded.

"Captain Chu told me that although you’re still students and not an officially certified Demon Hunting Squad,

your Demon Hunting experience is even richer than that of the interns."

"Even more experienced than some full-fledged Demon Hunting Teams!"

"I believe that with your arrival, you’ll definitely help us control the Demon Beasts in Lishui. I’m very much looking forward to cooperating with you!"

With just a few words,

Meng Meng defused Wei Nan’s boast and gave them an easy way out.

She spoke of helping to *control* the situation, not directly confronting Wei Nan about having to *clear out* all the Demon Beasts.

Lin Yi shot another glare at Wei Nan.

This time, Wei Nan also realized he had boasted a bit too much.

He lowered his head in embarrassment and didn’t say another word.

Just then, someone who looked like a waiter walked over.

He approached Meng Meng very respectfully.

"Captain Meng, may we begin serving the food?"

"Hm? Yes, you may. Let’s serve the food. We can eat and talk."

Lin Yi smiled and nodded lightly.

The waiter left, and a short while later,

one delicious dish after another was served.

Every dish was a feast for the senses, perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

The moment they were placed on the table, an irresistible aroma filled the air.

Meng Meng said with a smile, "Don’t be shy. These are all specialties of Lishui City. They’re definitely a bit different from what you usually eat. See how you like them."

Lin Yi, Zhou Qi, and the others all smiled and nodded.

Everyone picked up their chopsticks and each took a piece of meat they wanted to try.

After tasting it, Wei Nan exclaimed in surprise, "Is this... wild Demon Beast Meat?"

Meng Meng, Su Xiaoxiao, and the others couldn’t help but laugh.

"Aren’t all Demon Beasts wild these days? It’s just that these ones came running down from the mountains."

"You could consider it wild game from the mountains!"

"However, preparing these mountain Demon Beasts properly is something not just any Spirit Chef can do."

"The Spirit Chef here specializes in cooking this kind of Demon Beast Meat."

"Eat up! This stuff is all incredibly nourishing. Eat as much as you can!"

Lin Yi, Zhou Qi, and Wei Nan didn’t hold back.

They all dug in.

The main reason was that they hadn’t eaten dinner yet.

For martial artists, missing even one meal could lead to a deficiency in their Qi and Blood.

Therefore, they couldn’t afford to skip any meals, and they paid no mind to their table manners.

They began to eat with gusto, devouring the food like a whirlwind.

Seeing this, Meng Meng, Su Xiaoxiao, and the others couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Peng Wu, who had been sitting to the side without saying a word,

seemed to have his appetite whetted by Lin Yi’s group.

He also picked up his chopsticks and joined the ’battlefield’.

However, as they ate, the waiter continued to bring out dish after dish.

Before long, there were more than twenty dishes on the table.

For ordinary people, this amount of food would be impossible to finish. They would have to pack the leftovers and eat them for several more days.

But for a few growing young men like Lin Yi and his friends, finishing it was hardly out of the question.

Besides, they were all martial artists, and their appetites were much larger than those of ordinary people.

In less than an hour,

half of the dishes on the table had been swept clean.

And yet, Lin Yi and his friends didn’t seem full. Each of their stomachs was like a bottomless pit.

It was impossible to tell just how much they could hold.

They ate until the sky had turned completely dark.

The small courtyard was brightly lit.

Gusts of mountain wind blew down, causing the temperature in Lishui City to drop sharply.

The wind even carried a faint, bloody scent.

Lin Yi, who was in the middle of eating, slowly stopped chewing.

He glanced around and said, "The Demon Beasts are coming down from the mountain."

"Oh? How do you know?"

Meng Meng was taken aback and asked, puzzled.

Lin Yi smiled. "Every Demon Beast has a specific scent."

"No matter how they change, they can’t hide that smell."

"When that scent appears, it means they’re not far from here."

"Some might have even entered the city already!"

After Lin Yi finished speaking,

the expressions on the faces of Meng Meng, Su Xiaoxiao, and the others changed.

Their brows furrowed slightly.

Lin Yi then looked at Wei Nan and Zhou Qi. "Finish eating. It’s time to get to work."