Chapter 0: Fallen Species (7)
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What could possibly be more shocking than seeing a plate of authentic roast duck from your hometown in a resource-scarce otherworld?
It was noon.
By this point, with Lin Nan’s level of cultivation, food wasn’t a necessity anymore.
But still, the aroma of the roast duck made her stomach do a little dance.
After all, it had been five or six hours since breakfast, and her long-established habit of three meals a day had her thinking it might be time for a snack.
“Is anyone there?”
To her surprise, no one responded.
Lin Nan did a little spin around the room, only to find that she was the only one in the banquet hall.
Besides the door connecting to the side room, every other door and window was sealed tight. Unless you had the strength of a wrecking ball, you weren’t getting through.
But obviously, Lin Nan wasn’t about to go smashing the place up.
After all, right in the center of the banquet table was that mouthwatering, aromatic roast duck!
What a sin it would be to let debris or dust from crashing things down sully such divine food!
Lin Nan furrowed her brows. While she didn’t quite understand why the layout of the banquet hall was so odd, one thing was certain: the owner wasn’t around.
It was as if that roast duck had magically appeared out of thin air, or perhaps it was prepared specifically to greet her.
Only, the banquet hall’s host had slipped away quietly.
People have different tastes when it comes to food; a thousand people have a thousand different flavors.
And roast duck just happened to be one of her favorites—talk about a rare coincidence!
But right now, what really nagged at Lin Nan was that the roast duck’s aroma was fading as the food temperature lowered, and soon, she’d miss out on the best time to enjoy it.
What to do?
Should she just dig in since she couldn’t find the owner?
With her status as the Extermination of Immortals’ ruler, isn’t there anything she couldn’t make up for?
As that thought bubbled up in her mind, it flourished like bamboo shoots after a rain—irresistible temptation!
Lin Nan clasped her hands together in silent thanks, apologetically sat at the dining table, and glanced once more at the roast duck before her.
From every angle, it looked so delectable, like a precious work of art. Just eating a little piece would ruin its aesthetic charm.
But let’s face it, food is made to be eaten, so there’s no point in mulling over it.
Lin Nan gently placed a thin crepe in her left palm, then used chopsticks to pick up a slice of roast duck, positioning it squarely in the center. After that, it was time for the condiments—green onions, sweet bean sauce, shredded radish, garlic paste, and whatever else, mixed together, and finally rolled into an oval shape.
Now, let’s get ready for that explosion of flavor!
Just as she brought the roast duck roll to her lips, her hand suddenly stopped.
Her luscious, full lips were a mere 0.01 centimeters away from that tantalizing, fragrant roast duck roll.
Yet she remained frozen in place like a photo still.
It was as if a wind blew over her head, making the crystal chandelier drip with raindrop-shaped fragments gently sway, producing a sound like wind chimes ringing.
With a blank expression, Lin Nan said, “What? Getting anxious?”
The banquet hall was empty, her voice echoing throughout the room.
“Just a little bit more, right?”
Lin Nan slowly lowered the roast duck roll, and with a swift ‘zap,’ she unsheathed her katana.
Then she spun around sharply, cleaving a massive gash into one side of the banquet hall wall.
Strangely, what sprayed out from that wall wasn’t brick debris, but thick, dark red bl**d that reeked of decay.
As the bl**d gushed forth, the magnificent banquet hall transformed before her eyes.
Surrounding her were gory chunks of raw flesh, fused together to form walls, and the crystal chandelier was no more than a hunk of dangling meat tendrils.
The dining table and chairs in the center were indeed the real deal, but barely held together, like they were about to collapse at any moment.
As for that roast duck that had whetted Lin Nan’s appetite? It was now a grotesque pile of rotting meat, oozing juice, with the condiments looking like a bunch of wilted leaves and twigs.
Great, that roast duck roll she nearly shoved into her mouth was nothing but a bundle of decomposing meat wrapped in dry leaves.
Even though she was somewhat mentally prepared, seeing the truth made Lin Nan’s stomach churn. She couldn’t fathom that what she almost devoured was that gross thing.
Thank goodness she stopped just in time!
If she had eaten that, she probably would’ve become part of this bloody mess of a room!
“You b*stard! Why aren’t you eating it? Why!”
A deep, furious voice echoed through the room.
“You loved roast duck so much! This roast duck’s look, aroma, and taste are all from your memories, aren’t they?
With the previous guys, I only had to throw together a simple burger or grilled chicken wings, and they’d pounce on it like starving wolves!”
Lin Nan sighed.
“First of all, thank you for letting me relive the delightful moments of anticipating roast duck.
You did well, truly! Using food’s allure to lower my guard step by step, and even adding a hint of hypnosis—once anyone steps into this room, it becomes a challenge to escape.
However, don’t you find all of this suspicious? In the resource-scarce Sky Sword City, there’s a place serving roast duck? Plus, before this moment, I’ve never heard of such dishes on Asking Dao Continent.
Even the most famous Eight Immortals Restaurant couldn’t have pulled off a roast duck to this extent.
Not to mention, it’s noon and there’s absolutely no one around in the whole neighborhood. All these elements have me questioning whether what I see is an illusion.
And the most critical point is that the preferences about roast duck you read from me—well, I added some elements from this other world to the mix.
For instance, there’s an ingredient in the condiments that has a crisp, radish-like texture. It’s unique to Asking Dao Continent. I once imagined what it would be like if that vegetable were included in a roast duck roll.
And yet, here it is today, appearing in the roast duck’s ingredients!
What a fortuitous coincidence, right?
At that moment, I realized that everything I saw might be a ruse.
By the way, who exactly are you?
Liu Fei’ang? Or one of his pals?”
“Ha ha, d*e already, and you’ll know!”
At that instant, the banquet hall began to shake violently, as countless long tendrils of flesh sprung from all sides, charging towards Lin Nan, who stood there with her arms crossed.
