The Plague Rat took the lead in shouting, prompting others to follow suit.
"Live well!"
Chen Zhou drained his cup in one go.
The crowd followed his lead and drank their wine to the last drop.
Chen Zhou sat down and waved his hand.
"Why is everyone just standing there? Let the feast begin."
As soon as he spoke, the citizens who had been waiting impatiently took their seats, their chopsticks reaching for the dishes on the tables in unison.
However, more people kept their eyes fixed intently on the massive black pot on the stage.
Yu He was circling the pot with Song Zi'an following close behind.
Song Zi'an was flushing with excitement, rubbing his hands together as he asked, "Master, Master, shall I serve it?"
Yu He glanced at him sideways. "Can you handle it?"
"Yes, yes, absolutely!"
Yu He thought for a moment before handing him the ladle.
"Be careful, do not spill a drop."
Song Zi'an took the ladle, took a deep breath, and lifted the lid.
In an instant, a rich, concentrated aroma of meat exploded outward.
As the hot white steam rose, everyone froze in place.
Then, a synchronized sound of swallowing saliva echoed through the plaza.
The fragrance was simply overwhelming.
Though it was just the scent of meat, it reminded people of the most delicious food they had eaten in their childhood, the satisfaction of the first bite of rice when they were starving, and every wonderful flavor stored in their memories.
Saliva dripped onto tables, and stomachs growled so loudly they could be heard by neighbors.
Some even fell into a brief trance, as if they were seeing visions.
Song Zi'an was also stunned, standing motionless with the ladle held high.
Yu He gave him a kick.
"Don't just stand there dazing, serve the soup!"
Song Zi'an snapped back to his senses and hurriedly dipped the ladle into the pot.
The meat soup inside was golden, as thick as honey, with a layer of oil glistening on the surface.
The chunks of meat were stewed until they were tender and soft, falling apart with a gentle touch of the ladle to reveal the fine, thread-like textures within.
Song Zi'an served the first bowl and respectfully carried it to Chen Zhou.
"Lord, please, you first."
Chen Zhou took the bowl and looked down at it.
The soup was a brilliant gold, the meat translucent, and the aroma was intoxicating.
He picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of meat into his mouth.
The meat melted instantly, and the rich flavor exploded across his palate.
A warm current rose from his stomach and flowed through his limbs, making him feel as if he were soaking in a hot spring, a sensation of indescribable comfort.
Chen Zhou nodded.
"Excellent."
With those two words, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
Then, the crowd completely erupted.
"Quick, quick, give me a bowl!"
"Don't push, don't push, get in line!"
"Everyone line up! I'll clobber anyone who cuts in! How can you be so disorderly in front of the Lord!"
Song Zi'an and several villagers were busy serving the soup, handing out one bowl after another.
Soon, a basin of golden meat soup was placed on every table.
The crowd could not wait to start eating.
Soon after, gasps of wonder rose from every corner.
"My God, what kind of meat is this? Why is it so delicious?"
"I have never tasted anything this good in my entire life!"
"This soup... drinking it makes my whole body feel warm!"
Someone looked up in shock.
"It's true! The aberrations in my body seem to be getting purified!"
The person next to them quickly performed an internal inspection and immediately cried out in surprise.
"Me too! Me too!"
Even more people began to notice the anomaly.
The spiritual rhythm in the City of the Wrongfully Dead was dense, making cultivation easy. Even those with the poorest talent could reach the fifth-stage within a year.
However, the vast majority of people did not dare to rashly step into the sixth-stage.
The sixth-stage was the true watershed on the path of cultivation, as one would face the terrifying threat of Eerification.
Those with even the slightest weakness in will would quickly be deformed by death qi and turn into monsters.
On the path of cultivation, aberrations were the most troublesome things—they could not be dispersed or dissolved, only slowly endured and ground away over time.
But now, with just one bowl of meat soup, the aberrations accumulated over years of cultivation were simply... gone?
Gone?
The crowd looked toward the black pot on the stage, their gazes becoming incredibly fervent.
Yu He stood by the pot, a hint of pride on his small face.
He looked at Chen Zhou, who was also looking at him with a slight nod of approval.
Yu He grinned.
To receive the Lord's recognition and to wield the ladle for him made the hours of exhaustion well worth it.
As bowl after bowl of meat soup was consumed, the atmosphere in the plaza grew increasingly heated.
With so many good things stacked together, someone suddenly shuddered while eating, their face flushing red.
"I... I'm about to break through!"
The people nearby were startled and quickly moved aside.
The person didn't care about the surroundings and sat cross-legged on the spot, beginning to circulate the cultivation technique taught by the Corpse Soul Sect.
The people around him automatically formed a circle to guard him.
Not long after, the aura on the man's body surged, and he actually broke through a stage directly.
The crowd looked at him with eyes full of both envy and expectation.
Then, more people began to break through.
One, two, ten, twenty...
Everywhere in the plaza were figures sitting cross-legged, and everywhere were the surging auras of breakthroughs.
Some people opened their eyes after breaking through and, without a word, went right back to eating.
"Eat more, maybe I can break through again!"
Someone nearby quickly warned, "Don't eat too fast, be careful not to burst!"
"It's worth it even if I burst!"
The entire plaza was a scene of bustling excitement.
As the awkward performance on the stage ended, Rongrong led Yiyi and Luoluo onto the stage to dance.
The dance of the little flower demonlings was much more pleasing to the eye.
Chen Zhou appreciated the performance while watching the people at his table gorging themselves on the food.
It wasn't for the sake of cultivation—the snow lotus wine and Blood Bodhi had negligible effects on them—it was mainly because the meat soup made by the Heavenly Chef was truly, exceptionally delicious.
The Plague Rat was sprawled across the table, his face almost buried in his bowl.
"So good, so good! Lord Rat has lived for so long, and this is the first time I've tasted something this delicious!"
"Little chef, you should hang out with Lord Rat from now on. I'll make sure to look after you."
He shouted incoherently while eating.
Poison-Wing was fighting him for the food, their chopsticks moving so fast they were almost a blur.
"This meat is mine!"
"Get lost! Don't you know you should respect your elders? I clearly reached for it first!"
"I saw it first!"
"I grabbed it first!"
The two of them bickered incessantly, while Su Xue tried to persuade them gently from the side, "Don't fight, there's still more in the pot."
Both of them shouted in unison, "Not enough!"
Piao was eating very seriously, taking one bite at a time and chewing slowly.
She knew she couldn't eat too much. If she let loose, that small pot wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between her teeth.
Therefore, she could only savor it slowly.
But her eyes were bright, and the corners of her mouth were slightly curled. Good food truly made one's heart feel joyful.
Wu Gou had the worst table manners.
He was grabbing meat with one hand and holding wine with the other, his mouth so stuffed that his cheeks bulged like two steamed buns.
"Mmph... mmph... mmph..."
Chen Zhou glanced at him.
"What are you saying?"
Wu Gou struggled to swallow and took a gulp of wine to wash it down before speaking.
"This monk said, it's too delicious! Too delicious! Too delicious!"
He said it three times before lowering his head to continue eating like a madman.
Chen Zhou looked at him and suddenly asked, "What is your current cultivation level?"
With his mouth full again, Wu Gou answered indistinctly, "Mmph, this poor monk has no cultivation... I'm just a weak, ordinary monk..."
Chen Zhou gave his bald head a light, firm slap.
"Don't get cheeky with me."
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