Chapter 35: I Want Immortal Ascension (Part 4)
The first place Liu Sheng naturally wanted to go was the back kitchen.
Although she wasn't sure if it had already been ransacked by others… or other things, she still had to try.
And perhaps everyone was like Shu Jing and her companions, not daring to go there.
She walked along the corridor of the Courtyard towards the stairs.
At this time, the sky was overcast, the crescent moon dim, and there was a deathly silence; only her own hurried breathing and heartbeat could be heard.
The ground was covered in puddles of blood and chunks of flesh, and there was a long drag mark extending straight from one end of the corridor to the other. Liu Sheng knew it was the mark of that mass of flesh.
Besides that, there were many messy bloody footprints, left by the Disciples who had also rushed out when the mass of flesh departed.
Liu Sheng carefully detoured around the remaining body lying on the stairs and walked downstairs.
After only one floor, she reached the first floor. The corridor was covered in severed limbs and minced meat, and the smell of blood permeated the air, making her nauseous.
Outside the corridor was originally a small garden Courtyard, but the flowers and green plants had been pulled out completely. Corpses floated in the small pond, and the water was murky.
Stepping out of the Courtyard's main gate, Liu Sheng looked back. The plaque above the door read “Xichun Dormitory,” which was the name of the female Courtyard.
The male Courtyard was called “Muqiu Dormitory.”
Liu Sheng had confirmed the locations of each area beforehand, so as soon as she exited the gate, she turned left, towards the direction of the cafeteria’s back kitchen.
Liu Sheng moved through the night of the academy, her Little Tentacle already retracted, with only a small eye peeking out from the collar at her back.
Now, the Little Tentacle had absorbed more Guai Qi and had evolved somewhat.
Underfoot was a path paved with bluestone, the slabs polished smooth as a mirror by the countless Xuezis who had trodden upon them for an unknown number of years.
Moonlight spilled onto this bluestone path, surrounded by strangely twisted, towering ancient trees, as well as ancient buildings and deep Courtyards where faint figures seemed to flicker or whisper softly, but upon closer inspection, it felt like an illusion.
Liu Sheng now had only one goal and dared not stray or explore randomly.
Occasionally, she could see one or two Xuezis hurrying past, but everyone was wary of each other, neither speaking nor approaching.
Under the Guai Qi disaster, trust between people had plummeted to its lowest point.
The academy’s cafeteria was located in an independent small Courtyard, enclosed by green bricks and surrounded by several bare old plum trees.
The cafeteria door was half-open, with the three large characters “Qiongxiang Hall” written on the plaque above. A faint light seemed to be glowing inside.
Liu Sheng pushed the door open with her tentacles, and with a grating “creak,” the scene inside came into full view.
A faint aroma permeated the air of Qiongxiang Hall, as if someone was stewing some kind of meat.
The wall-less cafeteria was lined with rows of wooden long tables and benches. In the past, it would have been packed during meal times, but now it was empty and silent, only filled with the cool moonlight.
At the end of these long tables was a wooden door leading to the back kitchen. The door was open, revealing flickering firelight inside, along with continuous clanging sounds and the loud thud of chopping meat in the silence, as if someone was busy at the stove.
As Liu Sheng slowly walked towards the back kitchen, the aroma of meat grew stronger and stronger, so fragrant that Liu Sheng, who had been hungry for many days, was almost losing her mind. Although she was wildly alert internally, she gradually became dazed, taking mechanical steps forward.
The back kitchen was brightly lit and warm like spring, a stark contrast to the dim, unlit, and windy cafeteria.
Flames danced on the stove, pots of food simmered, and the aroma was enticing. Various ingredients and seasonings were neatly arranged around, everything looking orderly.
It was like a cozy and ordinary kitchen.
Of course, if one could ignore the occasional hand or eye popping out of the cooking food, the bloody raw ingredients, and the chef with a pig’s head.
The Pig-Head Chef wore a coarse linen tunic, with a ring of everted, pus-filled flesh at his neck. A blood-stained apron, splattered with tiny bits of meat, was tied around his unusually fat belly, but he was too busy to clean it.
The Pig-Head Chef glanced up at Liu Sheng beside him, then continued to focus on his work, picking up a piece of meat from an unknown creature, chopping it into minced meat on the cutting board, then taking out a bloody basin, mixing the minced meat into it, pouring in soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, and cornstarch, and stirring it all together.
Only after he finished these tasks did he have time to address Liu Sheng, turning his head to ask, “What are you here for?”
Liu Sheng immediately awoke from her drowsy state, mesmerized by the meat aroma and warmth. She saw the Pig-Head Chef’s small black eyes, squeezed together above his nose, staring intently at her, sharp, cunning, and filled with malice. She couldn't help but shiver.
This feeling of being targeted by a predator made Liu Sheng instinctively want to run, yet she seemed to be fixed by some force, unable to move.
Even the Little Tentacle curled up, twitching nervously.
The Little Tentacle had not truly grown yet, mainly because Liu Sheng's main body was too weak. It could bully Mortal like Shu Jing and her companions, but once it faced this unfathomable weird objects, it would probably be torn to shreds.
This was an absolute power suppression from the Soul.
The mass of flesh weird objects in the Courtyard gave her the same feeling.
“You, I’m talking to you, aren’t you going to answer?” The Pig-Head Chef seemed very patient, asking again, the malice in his eyes growing deeper.
“If you can’t speak, I don’t mind helping you find your voice.”
He raised the knife beside him, its sharp blade glinting coldly. His gaze swept over Liu Sheng’s neck and the corners of her lips, a hint of eagerness in his eyes as he considered where to begin.
“I, I’m here to apply.”
Liu Sheng knew she would be finished if she didn't speak up, and in her panic, an idea suddenly struck her.
“Apply?” The Pig-Head Chef narrowed his already tiny eyes, showing a hint of confusion.
“Yes, I saw that Master, um, that you, a pig, were busy alone, having to cook so many dishes, so I wanted to volunteer to help you as an assistant.”
“Assistant?” The Pig-Head Chef mumbled, wiping his greasy face with his large, fan-like, blood-stained hand, seemingly considering the feasibility of the suggestion.
“Yes, I can wash vegetables, cut meat, start fires, and even wash dishes. My father was a chef, and I’ve been his assistant since I was little, so I can definitely help you.” Liu Sheng continued, pushing through her fear, trying to add a bit of competitiveness to herself.
She paused, wiped away non-existent tears, and said, half-truthfully, “And… my family is poor. Studying here costs money everywhere. I want to work part-time and study part-time, and get a hot meal here…”
Unbeknownst to her, one of her sentences touched the Pig-Head Chef. His eyes actually welled up with tears, a flicker of inexplicable emotion passing through them: “Good… it reminds me of my daughter who used to help me like that, but then…”
‘She was eaten,’ Liu Sheng silently finished in her mind.
The Pig-Head Chef casually tossed Liu Sheng a dirty apron. “Put it on. From today on, you are Qiongxiang Hall’s kitchen assistant.”
“Today, we’ll start with making dumplings.”
He pointed to the basin of bizarre meat filling he had just chopped.