Zisui: Getting Some Fries

Tan Anqing quietly followed Ye Luo down the path she had taken.

He had originally come to demand an explanation. After all, just as he was posing for a photo, the photographer had suddenly abandoned him. Anyone would have been angry!

But as soon as he caught up, he noticed something was wrong.

The guy Ye Luo was following up ahead looked a little familiar.

He was dressed in black, with a hood and a slender build, and stood about 1.8 meters tall.

The Bloody Unified Exam had dealt the Aristocratic Faction a hit of true damage, so its members had burned every detail of the incident into their minds.

That included the many wanted criminals involved.

Thus, Tan Anqing saw something familiar in that inky-black figure from behind.

Suddenly, the figure in the lead paused. As if he had thought of something, he abruptly changed direction and ran to the left.

That brief pause caused the hood to slip off his head.

Under the moonlight, silver-white strands fluttered through the air for an instant before the hood went back up and covered them.

Now the two pursuers were certain of Shisui's identity, and they eagerly followed him.

They chased along the path their target had taken, picking up some crimson-purple dust along the way.

Tan Anqing silently passed Ye Luo and kept accelerating until he left her behind.

His cultivation realm was higher. As a competitor in the tournament's entry round, even if he was only a reserve, he was at the mid fourth realm.

For some reason, he and his target always remained a moderate distance apart, and he suddenly became determined to catch up.

That was right, Shisui had sped up too. He wanted to shake off Ye Luo, who was still useful to him. Since he couldn't eat her for now, she could stop following him.

Shisui led Tan Anqing on a long chase before stopping to wait for the sole lucky winner in an urban village slated for demolition.

"Are you that wanted criminal, the Eight-Tailed Owl?"

"Mm-hmm. You knew and still followed me?"

The straightforward admission caught Tan Anqing off guard, but he quickly recovered and spoke with a show of calm.

"I already reported you to the team leader remotely. Someone will be here in less than half a minute. Why the hell should I be scared?"

As soon as Tan Anqing finished speaking, a pair of scarlet Kakugan appeared before him.

He could even clearly see the bewitching blood-red patterns spreading across those magnificent eyes.

The monster's breath stirred the ends of his hair, and a chill belatedly ran down his spine.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"What makes you think you can last half a minute?"

By the time Ye Luo and the team leader, who had received the message, arrived, all that remained was a sprinkling of crimson and an empty, deathly silence.

"Hum-hum~ hum-hum-hum~"

Shisui dragged the still-warm Tan Anqing along, using space to separate his flesh from the ground so the corpse wouldn't be scraped.

He casually pushed open the door to the home of a minor noble under his control and borrowed the kitchen, intending to practice his cooking for the first time in a while.

Tan Anqing had a distinctive earthy smell, with a faint hint of vegetation mixed in.

In a word, he was really like a potato.

No, that wasn't right!

Shisui tasted some of the bright red liquid that had spilled out and reached a verdict.

He was a potato, through and through!

Shisui heated some oil in a pan, then picked up a long string of potatoes that had been drained of blood.

First, he blanched them in hot water.

Next, he removed the skins and cores, setting them aside for another use.

The next step was to cut the potatoes into strips.

Shisui was skilled with a knife. Frost flashed back and forth through the air, completing all the prep work before the potatoes cooled.

Then the potato strips went into the pan. A moment later, when he scooped them out, they had already fried to a golden crisp.

After that, the fries needed to be fried a second time, then scooped out again and sprinkled with a little fine salt.

Finally, he arranged the freshly made fries on a plate with the potato skins and cores.

Ta-da! A beautiful serving of fragrant, crispy, plain fries was complete!

Shisui gazed at his masterpiece with satisfaction, confirming that his cooking skills hadn't deteriorated through laziness.

Dipping them in a secret dark-red sauce, Shisui polished off the whole basin of fries.

For the first time in a while, Shisui recalled a conversation from his previous life.

I mean, what's the ultimate goal of our lives? When you get right down to it, what are we living for?

Isn't it just to get some fries all to ourselves?!

"Pfft!"

Indeed.

Shisui collapsed laughing onto the soft plush sofa. After a while, he fell asleep, looking forward to his next serving of fries.

"Are you sure that was the Eight-Tailed Owl?"

"Um... not necessarily. I only saw that he had white hair. I didn't see his signature eight tails or wings."

"But a voice in my head told me he was the Eight-Tailed Owl."

The person taking her statement made no comment and moved on to another question.

"Did you get a clear look at his face?"

"Sorry, I didn't. I don't know why, but my memory of what happened not long ago is very hazy."

"Are you feeling unwell anywhere right now?"

"Not at the moment. Thank you for your concern, teacher."

"All right, I understand, Ye Luo. Go get some rest. I'll handle things from here."

"Also, if you remember anything, make sure to report it promptly."

"All right. Thank you for your hard work, teacher."

"Go on, get some rest."

Ye Luo left the team leader's room and returned to her temporary lodgings.

The room was decorated in a cozy, creamy coffee color. Bright light fell on her, making it feel as though a warm current was flowing through her stiff limbs.

Only then did she relax. Her reason returned for a moment, and she thought back on what she had done not long ago with lingering fear.

Curiosity had driven her to follow him, but the chase that followed, as if she were possessed, had been without reason.

When exactly had it started, that feeling of being out of control?

Looking back on it now, she felt as though it had been a nightmare, muddled and bewildering.

She stared blankly at the ceiling as exhaustion gradually swept over her, drowning her reason.

She fell asleep, and a Blade Scale stirred beneath the skin of her foot.

The crimson-purple fragment clinging to her sleeve trembled slightly, then detached from her clothing and floated in the air.

The fragment-like Radiant Feather easily cut open a tiny slit and slipped into the same spot as the Blade Scale.

Then both vanished from sight, leaving only the sounds of peaceful slumber in the room.

The next day, Ye Luo woke up early.

The unconsciousness caused before the toxin went dormant had passed. She was full of energy now, with no trace of the grogginess from the night before.

Swishing sounds overlapped as she brushed her teeth and looked through her itinerary.

Today they were going to discuss the tournament arrangements. The meeting would probably be long, so she needed to eat a bigger breakfast.

She quickly got ready, took the pen and paper and recorder she used to take meeting notes, and hurried out the door.