Dao of Cooking

Food was meant to be shared. To see a joyous face after that crunch of the first bite could often be enough to forget all the labor it took to prepare a dish. Most chefs lived for that moment, while others could be busy studying the craft, nose deep into the intricate parts of the culinary world, perfecting the little details to bring another layer into the field — the scientific approach, one might say.

The faces Lei had the chance to see across the forest had some part of that joy, but there was more to that expression than the basic pleasure of eating food. There was zest, and desire, and the beasts were all up for it.

They howled and growled, pounced up and down through the trees, mated right out in the open. Now and then a scream echoed, often followed by a black-robed man bolting for his dear life, with a couple of Corrupted Sabertongues hot on his tail. Lei’s group would change directions in order to not disturb the frantic chase of their foes, leaving them alone to their own worries.

“You’re evil!” Fatty Lou screamed, cackling like a madman. “And I fucking love it!”

Lei snickered while shaking his head.

This was certainly not the effect he’d thought the Toxic Dumplings would bring. The mating of the beasts was hardly a surprise, and the shrieks of agony were more than welcome as beasts breathed their last while pus oozed from their pores, but Lei couldn’t understand the reason why these creatures suddenly started showing a deep interest in their human counterparts.

Lei guessed it must be something about the way this world worked. Everything was too spiritual, and he was somehow making it worse.

The group dashed around the trees, sweat pouring down their faces. Little Yao guided them like a seasoned hunter, deft eyes peering wide across the forest, always finding a silent path they could tread without encountering a pair of heated beasts.

Even then, they had to fight off a stray beast now and then. Thankfully, whatever Zhu Luli was doing seemed to be working, as she would leave any creature as still as a stone after a few pokes with her finger.

Reminds me of acupuncture. She must be applying pressure to the crucial nodes of the body.

Your [Tier] has increased by 1 level!

Lei waved the notification off as pain crawled up his chest. He could feel the special energy boiling in the pit of his stomach, drilling invisible holes near his chest, but he was too busy trying to keep up with the squirrel to pay it any attention.

Trees flashed past in the corner of his vision, a picture of green all blurry and distant, breath rasping in his chest. His brother-in-arms didn’t seem any better, his face flushed like a ripe tomato as he kept huffing through his nose.

Another beast lunged at Little Yao from the right. Lei watched as the squirrel somersaulted in the air, turned around, and planted a solid kick into the Sabertongue’s groin. The rotten beast let out a whimper when it crashed down on its back, shaking its head stupidly as if it couldn’t believe it had just gotten kicked by a tiny squirrel.

Zhu Luli didn’t let it breathe, coming right at it with fingers held high. She ducked under a clawed paw, a desperate attempt as the Sabertongue tried to right itself on all fours, and jabbed with her index finger into the creature’s underbelly. The Sabertongue was left wheezing when Lei and Fatty Lou dashed past it.

[Corrupted Sabertongue: 5th Step of the Body Tempering Stage]

Lei shook his head. This wasn’t just about the difference in cultivation levels. Even against that hulking body, the sharp claws, and the nasty stench of rot wafting off from it, Zhu Luli handled the beast as if it were a mere nuisance.

What if she wasn’t here?

Then things would’ve been completely different. Lei didn’t know if they could survive against what seemed like a demonic organization filled with rotten beasts and cultivators. But he was glad he had some part in this twisted mess. These creatures were not of a sane mind, after all. Not after they consumed those toxic little dumplings.

It felt like it had been hours since they started for the mountain, and finally, the stone face came into view a few paces from them. It was a jagged, hideous thing staring briskly down at their group, riddled with cave-like holes and scarce vegetation. For a second, Lei thought he’d seen a staircase running up from the side of it, but he shook off the notion as those stones looked way too steep and dangerous to be taken as steps.

“There’s the entrance,” Fatty Lou said, raising a hand toward the foothills of the mountain.

Over a hundred feet wide, the entrance of the cave looked like the mouth of a hungry beast, the jagged stones hanging from the roof of it resembling razor-like teeth. Two men, saddled over a pair of Sabertongues, patrolled right before it, flinching back whenever a shriek tore through the forest.

Lei shared a look with Fatty Lou before they nodded, and they both pulled out a few Toxic Dumplings from their robes. These were the last ones. As he was about to throw the dumplings, Lei couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle. He was reminded of a wise man’s words:

You can never have too many knives.

He made a mental note to pay more attention to this side of the culinary world. Prepare a bunch of everyday snacks he could use for any occasion. That seemed like a wise thing to do.

They threw the dumplings to the left and right sides of the entrance, making the patrol pair blink at them. The black-robed men lashed their beasts to action, drawing steel swords from the sheaths dangling from their robes. The trouble was, the beasts weren’t following their commands.

Once they got a whiff of that bloody flavor of the Toxic Dumplings, there was no stopping them. They lunged for the snacks, caring not whether their masters rocked back and forth over the saddles, heads lolling about like broken kites. One of them must’ve decided letting go of the reins would be a good idea, except he was launched forward like a missile, screaming loudly before plummeting down right before Lei’s group.

[Lei Zian: 4th Step of the Body Tempering Stage]

Lei flattened the side of the man’s face with a swing of his ladle, blood gushing forth from the man’s now-broken nose. He then leaned down, took the steel sword, passed it to Fatty Lou, and plucked a golden locket from the bastard’s robe.

What is this thing?

He raised the locket while Zhu Luli and Little Yao dashed toward the other guard, who looked pale as a ghost as two beasts eyed each other intently.

[Locket of Substance] - (A special locket filled with the smell and blood of Corrupted Sabertongues.)

Huh? Now it all makes sense.

“Intruders—” a scream was cut short, making Lei scowl toward the entrance. The black-robed man being chased by a rather hungry-looking Sabertongue whose eyes glinted with delight and unmasked lust finally stumbled down to the ground. Zhu Luli and Little Yao seemed to have let them do their own thing after dealing with the other beast.

“Let’s get a move on,” Lei said, pocketing the locket. Now that he only had a single dumpling left in his robe, he reckoned the locket might be useful in case they came across a horde of these beasts.

They left the wailing and screaming behind, trudging silently into the cave. The gaping jaw of the mountain swallowed them and spat them right into a hall of black stone, wide and lit by torches lined across the walls.

It smelled damp and rotten, the stench of beasts hanging low in the air. The ground was slick. Lei slid and nicked his finger on the wall when he tried to balance himself with a hand. Blood trickled down through the black stone, glinting as if the whole hall was made of obsidian.

There was something very wrong with these walls.

Torchlight bounced off the stone as they trudged deeper. Lei had to drag his feet when the ground gave way to a slimy, sickly-looking sludge. It was actually a thin layer coating the ground, yet it felt like they were knee-deep in some wicked marsh.

The smell was unbearable, like a sewer left to fester. Lei pinched his nose as they made their way through the narrow passage. Zhu Luli and Little Yao didn’t seem as bothered; the latter perched on Zhu Luli’s shoulder, peering ahead with sharp eyes. The only sounds were the faint drip of water from the ceiling and the occasional muttered curse from Fatty Lou.

They halted as a fork appeared in the hall, three paths branching off into darkness. All looked equally uninviting. Little Yao leaped down, sniffing the air before raising a clawed hand toward the leftmost tunnel. Lei caught a flicker of tension in her eyes.

We’re lucky to have you here.

Just then a cold breeze swept through the cave, and Lei glanced back, noticing how the light from the morning barely penetrated the darkness.

They sloshed onward, dragging their feet through the sludge. Seemed as though they were creeping into something far worse than the cave itself. Lei's heart pounded in his chest. He kept staring at the stone walls, half-expecting something to reach out and drag him into the shadows.

A sudden squeak shattered the silence. Lei’s head snapped toward the sound just as Little Yao lunged at a shadow, her claws tearing into a flailing, four-legged beast barely visible in the flickering torchlight. Its eyes gleamed green, skin sickly pale and yellow, and dark, foul-smelling blood splattered the stone as Little Yao’s claws ripped deep gashes into its flesh— yet another corrupted beast.

[Corrupted Rockwolf - 5th Step of Body Tempering Stage] - (A Rockwolf corrupted by a special energy that was injected into its veins.)

Lei stepped back, ladle raised, positioning himself beside Zhu Luli as Little Yao leaped away from the dying creature. It stumbled miserably away, breath wheezing through its teeth, and then collapsed against the wall, went stiff as a stone.

“We’re in the den of a demonic cultivator,” Fatty Lou muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Something or someone changed these creatures,” Zhu Luli said, her voice tense as she eyed the Rockwolf’s corpse. “They’re neither alive nor dead, caught in between. This isn’t as simple as it looks.”

“What do you mean?” Lei asked, a chill creeping up his spine.

Zhu Luli met his gaze. “To change a creature’s core like this, to turn them into puppets… Even a Foundation Establishment expert would struggle. This must be the work of an ancient Legacy, or some Master who has a Daoseed.”

“Daoseed?” Fatty Lou echoed, his voice trembling.

Zhu Luli gave him a shaky nod. “Must be a seed. This forest couldn’t contain the sheer might of a Dao Branch.” She then scowled in confusion. “But I’m not sure why a Core Formation expert would bother with mere Body Tempering Stage beasts. It doesn’t make any sense. They could’ve sent a Foundation Establishment beast, and we would’ve been helpless.”

“You’re right,” Fatty Lou said, his voice low. “A Core Formation expert wouldn’t rely on mortal thugs to kidnap children. Something doesn’t add up.”

“Let’s keep moving,” Lei urged, gripping his ladle tighter. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

They pressed on, the oppressive atmosphere closing in around them. The [Spiritual Sensitivity] skill buzzed against Lei’s skin. Thorny weeds grew from the walls, and as they ventured deeper, they passed small caves full of chairs, tables, and other basic furniture. Lei even saw a wine bottle dropped down the ground, shattered and wine spilled round the ground.

It was clear people had lived here, though why they’d choose such a cursed place was beyond Lei’s understanding.

“Too quiet,” Fatty Lou whispered, glancing nervously around. “I can’t hear those beasts anymore.”

“The spiritual energy here is almost nonexistent,” Zhu Luli murmured, her face twisted in discomfort. “It’s as if the place has been sealed off. Be on guard— this could be a formation.”

“A formation?” Fatty Lou asked. “Like the ones that create illusions?”

“Not just illusions,” Zhu Luli answered. “A formation can kill, or seal a place entirely. But this one is strange. It’s keeping spiritual energy out, which makes no sense.”

Lei swallowed hard, his unease growing. The air felt heavy, as if they were being watched by something far more powerful than they could comprehend. Yet, no matter where he looked, he saw only his own distorted reflection in the slick, uneven walls, staring back at him like some twisted, mocking version of himself.

“I don’t like this,” he muttered, grinding his teeth. “Feels like we’ve been led right into a trap.”

Little Yao’s sharp gaze flicked to him, but she didn’t disagree.

Silver glinted from further down the distance. It didn’t take them long to reach it.

“A gate?” Fatty Lou asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he stared up at the massive gate. Chains bound it tightly, disappearing into the stone walls, and strange symbols covered its surface. It towered right before them, blocking the passage.

“What are these symbols,?” Zhu Luli said, pointing at the crooked characters. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Looks like they form a circle.”

Lei’s heart skipped a beat as he stepped back to get a better view. “That isn’t a circle,” he muttered. “They’re snakes… Snakes devouring each other’s tails.”

A heavy thud reverberated from the other side of the door, making the ground tremble. Another thud followed, louder, more forceful. They all stepped back, dread coiling in their stomachs as bits of stone fell from the ceiling.

On the third impact, the gate creaked open, and a furry, clawed hand stretched out through the opening, clenching round the silver handle before pulling it wide. A pair of red eyes glanced furiously at them from under thick brows, cocked deep into a head bigger than any beast Lei had ever seen before.

He checked it.

[Corrupted Silvertongue: Half-Step into the Qi Condensation Stage] - (A Sabertongue corrupted by a special energy that was injected into its veins during its evolution.)

“Not good,” Zhu Luli said.

“Shit,” Fatty Lou muttered.

“Fuck,” Lei said, staring up at the creature as a silvery, sharp tongue slithered out toward them. “This thing looks dangerous.”

…….