Black Altar Bowl

One second!

Two seconds!

Three seconds!

Everyone's hearts leaped into their throats, like death-row prisoners kneeling at Meridian Gate at High Noon, willing to trade a lifetime of luck for someone to shout, "Stay the execution!"

The Cook's stern face suddenly bloomed into a smile, like the sky clearing after rain.

"Honored guest, congratulations. You may take them and leave now!"

The Cook offered her congratulations.

"That's wonderful!"

"We survived! We survived!"

"Thank heavens!"

The Tourists burst into excited cheers. Quite a few of them slumped over the tables as if all their strength had drained away, gasping for air.

That had truly scared them half to death.

He had actually guessed right again?

Wasn't he absurdly lucky?

No one believed Lin Baici could taste how long it had taken to cook that pot of porridge. It was simply too unbelievable.

"What does heaven have to do with it? Oppa saved everyone!"

Jin Yingzhen curled her lip.

"You guessed, right? You must have guessed, right?"

Hua Yueyu stared at Lin Baici, her heart pounding as though a curiosity-filled kangaroo had been stuffed inside it.

"Right!"

Lin Baici smiled faintly.

Wow, it's that calm, unruffled smile. I love it so much!

Hua Yueyu grabbed Sister Xiao Li's arm and shook it hard.

I actually used to like those pretty-boy idols?

How shallow!

I hereby declare that, from today onward, Lin Baici is my dream man!

"What are you waiting for? Let's get out of here!"

Old Man urged them, smiling ingratiatingly as he spoke to Lin Baici in a humble tone. "Handsome Guy, I was wrong earlier. Once we get out, it's on me. I'll book a feast at Fujing Tower to apologize to you!"

Fujing Tower was the best restaurant in Guangqing City, where the average customer spent around a thousand yuan.

Old Man would never actually be willing to pay that much.

He was only writing a bad check to make Lin Baici take him out of Longchan Temple.

"Can we leave now?"

Someone asked the Cook impatiently.

"Ask him!"

The Cook pointed at Lin Baici.

Everyone looked at him again with pleading eyes.

"Handsome Guy, let's get out of here already?"

"Let's go! Let's go!"

"Hurry up!"

Everyone hurriedly urged him on. They did not want to remain in this terrifying Dining Hall for even one more second.

"Shouldn't you thank him first?"

Jin Yingzhen complained. "You people really have no manners at all!"

Everyone froze at the rebuke, then awkwardly hurried to thank Lin Baici.

For a moment, cries of thanks rose one after another.

"No need to thank me. Just get out of here!"

Lin Baici waved them off. Saving these people had merely been a convenient thing to do. With the God of Gluttony around, he only had to say one extra word: "time."

Everyone glanced at the Cook and, seeing that she did not stop them, swarmed toward the exit.

"Wait!"

Lin Baici stopped them.

Everyone halted at once, looking at Lin Baici in confusion.

"I wasn't talking to you!"

Lin Baici looked at Old Man. "Who said you could leave?"

"Huh?"

Old Man's face filled with panic.

He was scared.

Was this kid really that spiteful?

"Handsome Guy, I..."

Old Man forced out a smile, his mind racing as he tried to think of something that could persuade Lin Baici.

"Cook, I'm not taking this guy with me!"

Lin Baici's voice was icy.

Everything this Old Man had done was utterly disgusting. Especially when he had kicked over Little Girl's stool to distract the Cook. That was no different from murder.

Even if Lin Baici's brain had rusted away, he still would not help him!

"No! No! I'll kneel for you! I'll kowtow to you!"

Old Man's face turned pale with fright. With a bang, he dropped to his knees and began kowtowing to Lin Baici.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"I still have two grandsons to raise! I can't die!"

Old Man began crying, trying to win sympathy.

"You only need to taste how many kinds of Ingredients were used in the fragrant porridge, and you won't die!"

Lin Baici chuckled. "Pretty simple, isn't it?"

Simple my ass. I'm not the God of Gluttony!

Old Man cursed inwardly, but he did not dare show the slightest disrespect on his face.

The Cook walked over and glanced at Old Man.

"A spineless coward who kneels and kowtows to anyone doesn't deserve to drink my porridge. Turn him into firewood!"

As she spoke, the Cook grabbed Old Man by the hair and dragged him toward the kitchen, clearly intending to stuff him straight into the stove.

"Let go of me!"

"You fucking bitch, I'm an old man! Don't you know to respect the elderly and care for the young?"

"I was wrong! I apologize! Give me another chance!"

Old Man shouted incoherently and tried to struggle, but it was useless. The Cook was a fierce woman over two meters tall, with arms powerful enough to race horses on.

One slap shattered more than half of Old Man's teeth and dislocated his jaw.

Seeing this terrifying scene, everyone ran even faster.

At the same time, they came to fully understand just how great Lin Baici's help had been.

One word from him—

could truly decide whether they lived or died!

Everyone left the Dining Hall and arrived in the courtyard outside Xiangji Kitchen.

Bang!

The wooden door shut.

Some people trembled, their legs weak as they sat on the ground. Others came over to strike up conversations with Lin Baici.

They were not stupid. They knew that only by clinging to this powerful backer could they improve their chances of leaving Longchan Temple, so they wanted to team up with Lin Baici.

Old Aunt watched anxiously, fanning herself nonstop with her sunhat. If so many people followed Lin Baici, she would become a peripheral figure.

"Brother Lin, your tongue is incredible. Have three generations of your family been chefs?"

Brother Gu was very curious.

"Three generations? Who are you looking down on? Brother Lin's ancestors must have produced an imperial chef!"

Sister Xiao Li analyzed.

Lin Baici did not leave. He turned back to look at Xiangji Kitchen, wondering whether that God's Taboo Object inside had any Divine Grace.

After enjoying the benefits of Eidetic Memory, he had only four words for Divine Grace...

He wanted it very badly.

[Why leave? Find a way to grab it!]

[I've never seen anyone spot money on the ground and refuse to pick it up. Don't miss out on something you can get for free, or even the Goddess of Fortune will despise you.]

"Wait here!"

Lin Baici gripped the Pine Torch and walked toward the Dining Hall's entrance.

Grrr...

His stomach growled as his hunger intensified.

"What are you doing?"

Hua Yueyu instinctively grabbed Lin Baici, not understanding.

"Oppa, do you want to take the God's Taboo Object?"

Jin Yingzhen guessed what Lin Baici intended to do and hurriedly tried to dissuade him. "Only God's Taboo Objects sealed by a Black Coffin Seal are safe. Otherwise, getting close to one carries the risk of Rule Pollution!"

Jin Yingzhen held the Herbal Cushion in her arms. She was actually terrified; if she had a choice, she would have thrown the thing away long ago.

"It's fine. I'll play it by ear!"

Lin Baici reassured her, strode forward, pushed open the door, and headed straight for the kitchen.

Because he had just completed the God's Taboo Game, Rule Pollution had not yet taken effect on him again.

The kitchen was not very large.

Lin Baici swept his gaze around quickly but did not see the Cook. It seemed she only appeared when new diners were drawn in by the aroma.

Inside the stove, flames roared as they burned a corpse. It had already been charred black beyond recognition; it was impossible to tell that it had once been Old Man.

"Which one is the God's Taboo Object?"

Lin Baici's gaze passed over the kitchen knife, chopping board, iron pot, skimmer...

[Well, well, what do we have here? A Black Altar Bowl. This is quite a practical piece of tableware!]

A bowl?

Wasn't that the kind of bowl monks used when begging for alms?

Tang Sanzang had one in Journey to the West.

Following the God of Gluttony's words, Lin Baici found a black bowl on the stove.

It was large and flat-round, like the container used to hold Go pieces.

Lin Baici quickly walked over and picked up the Black Altar Bowl.

It was rather heavy!

Its surface was black, as though a moonless night had been solidified onto it, with a ring of gold trim around both the base and the rim.

Lin Baici knew it was the one.

The moment he picked up the bowl, his hunger vanished.

[Use it to hold food. After letting it sit for one minute, it can purify all impurities and toxins from the food!]

[The world is severely polluted. When people eat grains, vegetables, poultry, and meat, they inevitably ingest harmful substances. Those substances accumulate in the body over time, causing illness and shortening one's lifespan!]

[With this Black Altar Bowl, even food fried in gutter oil, expired snacks, and drinks mixed from chemicals can be consumed without worry!]

The God of Gluttony gave a three-part appraisal.

Lin Baici raised an eyebrow. This was good stuff.

But once his vacation ended, he would be reporting to university. During his four years of University Life, he would surely eat at the cafeteria. He could not carry a bowl around every day, could he?

Would students who did not know the situation think I was a monk who had returned to secular life?

No, wait!

Even proper monks probably did not use these things to eat nowadays, right?

Lin Baici felt depressed.

Having something good but no way to use it was such a waste.

[Its greatest function is that it contains a "Granary." You can store rice, flour, grain, oil, vegetables, and fruit inside. As long as you carry this bowl, you will never have to worry about starving to death.]

Hearing this, Lin Baici perked up. "What?"

[Case closed. You really are a Nine Leak Fish. You still can't understand such a straightforward explanation? I suggest you redo nine years of compulsory education!]

The God of Gluttony was viciously sarcastic.

"No, of course I understand. I mean, there's really a 'Granary' inside this bowl?"

Lin Baici reached a hand into the bowl and felt around, then turned it upside down and shook it hard several times, but nothing came out.

Anyone who had lived through the pandemic knew how important survival supplies were.

That was why Lin Baici was extremely excited about the Granary effect.

[Please call it an alms bowl. Repeat after me: boyu!]

The God of Gluttony's pronunciation was extremely standard, good enough to host the News Broadcast on CCTV.

"Where's the Granary? How do I open it? How much space does it have?"

Lin Baici pressed.

[If you mutter "drink porridge," "drink porridge" at it, you can open the Granary!]

Lin Baici immediately held up the Black Altar Bowl in one hand and brought it close to his mouth.

"Drink porridge!"

"Drink porridge!"

After Lin Baici spoke, a whirlpool-like halo instantly appeared over the mouth of the bowl.

Excited, he widened his eyes and peered inside.

"How do I use it?"

Lin Baici was utterly fascinated, like an Ultraman who had spotted a little monster attacking.

[I am the God of Gluttony, not a Nanny!]

The God of Gluttony refused to teach him step by step.

Lin Baici set down the Pine Torch, picked up a kitchen knife from the cutting board beside him, and placed it into the whirlpool-like halo.

He had always been cautious. Ever since entering the kitchen, he had not put down that Pine Torch, ready to fight at any moment.

Lin Baici waited a few seconds, then reached his hand into the halo and fished around. When he pulled it back out, he was clutching a kitchen knife.

"Ha ha, this is fun!"

Lin Baici was delighted.

Wait!

Even though this was a Granary, it never said it could only store food, right?

Clothes, shoes, socks, bedding, computers—they should work too.

Doesn't that mean I won't have to carry tons of luggage whenever I go somewhere?

"By the way, God of Gluttony, how do you know all this?"

Lin Baici realized that the God of Gluttony seemed to know everything about these God's Taboo Objects!