"The usual! Stir-fried pork kidney—extra green onions!"
"Senior, a Buddha Jumps Over the Wall over here!"
Among the crowd, a plump female Titled Douluo in a fiery red robe was the loudest. She slammed the table with the menu, her presence fiercer than a battlefield commander.
"Senior! I'm ordering!"
"West Lake Vinegar Fish! Braised Pork Ribs! Big Pork Knuckle! Braised Pig Trotters! And that one—Coke Chicken Wings!"
Listening to the wildly diverse dish names, watching Titled Douluo scramble to order like aunties fighting over discounted cabbage—
Bi Ji stopped thinking.
She surrendered.
There was no resisting this reality anymore.
This unfathomable Lord Deity—whose strength eclipsed even the Dragon God—was, unmistakably, a cook running a restaurant.
Bi Ji felt her mission was basically complete.
She drew a steadying breath, preparing to retreat—dragging along her sister, who was still contemplating the meaning of life by the doorway—and report this world-shattering "intelligence" back to their master.
Then she turned her head.
The doorway was empty.
The purple figure that should have been sprawled on the ground… was gone.
Bi Ji's heart sank. A bad premonition surged.
She spun around, scanning the noisy hall—
And saw her.
At the table opposite the red-robed female Douluo.
Zi Ji had claimed an entire table for herself.
Menu in hand. Eyes blazing. The other hand pounding the tabletop—bang bang bang—her voice competing in volume and ferocity with the woman opposite.
"I want to order too!"
"Red Dragon Ribs! Charcoal-Grilled Dragon Wings! Spicy Dragon Tail! And Stir-fried Dragon Tendon!"
Her posture screamed competitive zeal—like she was determined to out-shout and out-meat the other side.
On Bi Ji's forehead, veins popped—one, two, three—
The final thread of reason snapped.
She lunged forward.
Her fist whistled through the air and dropped mercilessly.
Bang!
"Ow!"
Zi Ji looked up, teary-eyed, clutching her head.
"Bi Ji-jie, why did you hit me?"
She cradled the rapidly swelling bump, aggrieved to the core.
She was just trying to eat. Why did life keep hitting her?
"You still ask why?"
Bi Ji's chest heaved. She crushed her voice down to a hiss.
"Have you forgotten why we came? Our master's instructions?"
"I haven't!"
Zi Ji straightened, righteous as a saint.
"Investigation! That's our mission—investigate this Lord Deity!"
She puffed her chest, solemn to the point of comedy.
"Tasting the food made by the Lord Deity himself—understanding his preferences and abilities—isn't that the most efficient investigation? Sister, you can't hit me just because my method is different!"
"You—"
Bi Ji was choked silent by the logic. Her fist tightened again.
Just as she decided to beat this embarrassment senseless and drag her back—
Zi Ji ducked, neatly dodging the follow-up.
"Sister, sister! Don't hit! Let's talk!"
She waved both hands, plastering on a fawning grin.
"I swear—just this meal. Only this one! After we eat, we go back immediately and report everything, word for word!"
She leaned close, voice dropping to a devilish whisper.
"Sister… honestly. With all these aromas… you really don't want to try even one bite?"
As if on cue, a stronger scent rolled over from a nearby table.
The employee meal.
Golden rice grains coated in egg, colliding with emerald green onions under roaring heat—simple, direct, devastating. The kind of aroma that punched straight through restraint and hit instinct.
Gulp.
Bi Ji's throat bobbed.
Saliva flooded her mouth without permission.
"This is food made by a Lord Deity," Zi Ji pressed on.
"Didn't you hear? Eating his food makes you stronger! Imagine—our strength skyrockets. Our master praises us. This is for the Soul Beast Clan!"
Grrr~
An untimely, unmistakable rumble sounded from Bi Ji's stomach.
All her resolve cracked.
Slowly—stiffly—she turned to Zi Ji's hopeful face.
After a long silence—
"…Then we eat one meal."
Her voice carried resignation and self-hypnosis.
"Afterward, we go back immediately. This… this is to complete the mission better. For the future of the Soul Beast Clan."
"Yay!"
Zi Ji nearly jumped.
Bi Ji shot her a glare. Zi Ji clamped her mouth shut, but her eyes sparkled like fireworks.
In the end, temptation won.
Bi Ji pulled out a chair and sat beside Zi Ji, lifting the menu that still smelled of fresh ink.
Moments ago, they'd been at each other's throats.
Now their heads were together, arguing fiercely—academically—over whether to add extra dragon meat or switch to chicken wings.
Then—
Rumble—!
Heavy footsteps thundered from the far end of the street. The ground trembled.
Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi paused mid-bite, oily mouths frozen.
They exchanged a glance—solemn.
"Something's wrong."
Bowls and chopsticks were dropped.
Golden spirit power flared as they flashed outside.
Bo Saixi didn't bother explaining—she grabbed Sea Horse Douluo by the collar and yanked him up.
"You too."
"Mmm—my food—my food!"
Sea Horse Douluo reached desperately for his bowl of fried rice as it slipped farther away.
Outside.
Qian Daoliu brandished the Angelic Sacred Sword, golden flames roaring skyward. He stood like a wrathful guardian, pointing toward the dust-choked street.
"Who goes there?! How dare you act presumptuously before Feng Ran Pavilion!"
But when the figures finally emerged—
When he saw their faces clearly—
The killing intent drained from his expression, replaced by pure confusion.
"…Why is it you all?"