Chapter 25. Sleeping Paimon
For several minutes after eating Hu Tao's cooking, the Anemo Archon remained completely silent.
No messages. No reactions.
Nothing.
In contrast, Raiden Ei responded rather calmly after tasting the same dish. In her view, although the flavors were somewhat overly complex, the overall taste was still acceptable—far from the terrifying descriptions given by Zhongli and the others.
If anything, she even felt that adding more sweetness would improve it.
After all, she preferred desserts.
This stark contrast created a strange silence in the Chat Group.
[Raiden Ei: "What's wrong? Why is everyone so quiet?"]
Kuki Shinobu hesitated before replying.
[Kuki Shinobu: "This—Shogun-sama, I find it rather unusual. Perhaps you and Hu Tao share a similar constitution."]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "That does seem likely."]
[Yae Miko: "Perhaps a Demon Gods body?"]
Zhongli offered a measured explanation.
[Zhongli: "The bard's silence may not necessarily indicate anything. Given his temperament, he might simply be pretending."]
Azhdaha immediately refuted that idea.
[Azhdaha: "A Demon Gods body isn't that miraculous. Archons can fall, and beings like the little fox are already close to that level. She fainted instantly after eating it—let alone anyone else."]
Lumine added calmly:
[Lumine: "Paimon is the same. One bite, and she turned into a white-eyed 'delicious' repeater."]
Even Albedo showed interest.
[Albedo: "If possible, I would like to study Hu Tao's cooking method. Replicating it through alchemy might yield interesting results."]
[Klee: "Big Brother!!! Klee won't eat it!!!"]
[Albedo: "I won't give it to you. I'll test it on the monsters in Dragonspine."]
Meanwhile, Futsu Mitama grew increasingly uneasy.
[Futsu Mitama: "@Venti, are you still alive?"]
No response.
Maha Rukkhadevata spoke next, her tone thoughtful.
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "Did something truly go wrong?"]
Guizhong followed with analysis.
[Guizhong: "That shouldn't be the case. Archon bodies are nearly immune to poison. Unless it's damage on a conceptual level, it shouldn't affect them."]
"Conceptual damage—" Futsu Mitama murmured under his breath.
Maha Rukkhadevata elaborated:
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "Yes. Archons are essentially immortal. Only laws—authority—can truly harm them."]
Those words made Futsu Mitama pause.
He recalled his sparring match with Raiden Shogun.
Back then, none of his attacks had meaningfully harmed her. Only when he invoked Devotion did he barely pose a threat.
Even now, though stronger, he was only confident in surviving a few exchanges before being completely overwhelmed.
The more he grew, the more he understood—
The Archons were terrifying.
"Is Hu Tao's cooking really that dangerous?"
He turned to Zhongli.
Zhongli didn't answer immediately.
He shook his head.
Then nodded.
Even he seemed unsure how to describe it.
Before meeting Futsu Mitama and the others, Hu Tao's cooking—aside from Ghostly March—had at least been edible. But over the past six months, something had changed.
She had devoted herself to culinary experimentation. And somehow—advanced in a completely unpredictable direction.
Futsu Mitama felt a quiet sense of relief.
Fortunately—he hadn't eaten it.
Still, one question lingered.
Why was Raiden Ei unaffected, while Venti remained silent?
Was it because Ei existed in a different state, while Venti consumed it physically?
Before he could think further, Doctor Baizhu arrived.
After a brief examination of Paimon, his expression turned knowingly amused.
Beside him, Changsheng laughed.
"Another victim! Director Hu is truly wasting her talent. She'd make an excellent master of poisons—but insists on being a chef instead."
Ningguang frowned slightly. "Is it truly poison?"
Baizhu shook his head.
"No. That was merely a metaphor."
He glanced at Paimon.
"This…Paimon—her condition is caused by an overload of sensory input. The moment she consumed the dish, multiple flavors—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, numbing—erupted simultaneously."
He paused before continuing.
"It may indeed be delicious—but it exceeds the threshold of what the human body can process."
In other words—it was too delicious to survive.
Zhongli nodded slightly.
Futsu Mitama looked at Paimon, who had finally gone still.
"So it really is good?"
Changsheng chimed in gleefully.
"This makes five now. Even spirits can't handle it. One bite and they rush here overnight."
She glanced at the dish.
"Wait… it's been eaten twice?"
"No," Futsu Mitama corrected calmly. "One of those bites was Hu Tao's."
"What?" Changsheng froze. "So she's completely fine eating it herself? Is she a monster?"
Baizhu only smiled faintly. Without further comment, he administered prepared medicine to Paimon.
Gradually, her convulsions ceased.
Her eyes closed and she fell into a peaceful sleep.
"Thank you," Lumine said sincerely.
"No trouble at all," Baizhu replied with a gentle nod.
After exchanging a few words with Ningguang regarding compensation, he departed with Changsheng.
The scene quieted.
Paimon lay on the table, breathing softly, like a sleeping child.
Lumine glanced at her—then silently took several photos and uploaded them to the Chat Group.
A small, quiet act of "commemoration" for her unfortunate companion.
Although her time traveling had not been long, Lumine felt that she would never forget this little companion.
When Paimon eventually "woke up" and saw everything that had been recorded in the Chat Group, she would probably fly into a rage and swing her tiny fists in a flurry of protests.
After all—she wasn't dead yet.
With Paimon sound asleep, A Bite of Liyue continued in full swing.
Without her, Lumine sampled dish after dish. Gradually, her palate became more refined. The easy scores of eight or nine she had given earlier began to drop to six or seven. Only truly outstanding dishes could now earn her high marks.
This change caused some chefs—those who had hoped to muddle through—to inwardly despair. But there was nothing they could do. They had missed their chance.
Those who had already presented their dishes early could only regret not seizing the moment when Lumine and Paimon had still been "easy judges."
Meanwhile, the truly skilled chefs remained composed, some even faintly amused.
One dish after another was evaluated.
Futsu Mitama, Zhongli, Ningguang, and Lumine continued to score with precision, and occasionally, a standout dish would emerge—one capable of impressing even Zhongli and Ningguang.
There was even a chef from Xinyue Kiosk who prepared an exceptional Sweet and Sour Squirrel Fish.
Futsu Mitama gave it a perfect ten.
Lumine did the same.
Zhongli, however, gave it an eight. He calmly explained that while the technique was flawless and the taste excellent, the freshness of the fish was slightly lacking—something beyond the chef's control.
Ningguang gave it a nine, acknowledging its quality but noting it did not fully meet her expectations.
Despite receiving an eight, the chef showed no disappointment. Instead, he bowed respectfully, his admiration for Zhongli evident.
He knew the truth.
The fish he had received was already dead when it reached him. Even with masterful technique, the difference between live and dead fish could never be completely erased.
And yet—Zhongli had detected it.
"As expected of him."
Thus, that chef became the highest scorer of the morning session.
Before long, all the morning contestants had completed their presentations.
The afternoon session began.
Yet Paimon—still hadn't woken up.
The chefs in the afternoon brought out even more refined techniques. Both presentation and flavor reached a higher level, and the competition grew noticeably more intense.
Then—a standout appeared.
A chef named Yan Xiao presented his Golden Shrimp Balls.
The result? A perfect score. Forty points.
Futsu Mitama: 10—Lumine: 10—Zhongli: 10—Ningguang: 10
The crowd was stunned.
"Who is this person?!"
To receive a perfect score from both Zhongli and Ningguang—this was no ordinary achievement.
Upon inquiry, it was revealed that Yan Xiao was a chef at Wangshu Inn, someone who had always kept a low profile.
This revelation shocked everyone even more.
People had expected such scores only from the head chefs of Liuli Pavilion, Xinyue Kiosk, or Wanmin Restaurant.
Yet an unknown chef had surpassed them all.
No one questioned the result.
After all—who could possibly influence judges like these?
Zhongli was known for his integrity, someone who would even critique the Geo Archon himself.
Ningguang, as Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, stood at the pinnacle of authority. In Liyue, only Rex Lapis could overrule her judgment.
Even the Adeptus did not interfere.
Thus, the afternoon session concluded under a wave of astonishment.
Finally—the evening session began.
And with it, the arrival of the true heavyweight contender.
Chef Xiangling of Wanmin Restaurant.
Meanwhile, on the judges' table—
Paimon remained fast asleep, drooling slightly, her lips occasionally smacking as if still savoring something.