Please Call Me the God of Gluttony!

Old Aunt was dumbfounded. She hadn't expected that Big Male Student would still dare to take the Torch after it had burned two people in a row.

Wasn't he way too brave?

The next instant, Old Aunt was overjoyed and hurried after him.

If I can leave here alive, I'll set up a longevity tablet for you and worship you like an ancestor.

"Holy shit, that's awesome!"

Sima Mu was stunned by Lin Baici's courage.

You were a real man!

Although Sima Mu's left hand was bandaged and hung in a splint, it didn't hinder his running at all. He was also quite clever, staying five steps away from Lin Baici instead of getting too close.

He was clearly afraid of being burned to death.

"H-how about I take over?"

Jin Yingzhen suggested.

The longer God's Taboo Objects were used, the more likely they were to cause Rule Pollution. Switching users might reduce the contamination.

"No need!"

Lin Baici was not only running, but also setting fires, igniting the nearby Peach Trees. He remained vigilant the whole time; if he felt any discomfort or had any strange thoughts, he would immediately throw away the Torch.

So far, everything was normal.

Still, Jin Yingzhen's words made Lin Baici trust her a little more.

"Don't run!"

"Don't run!"

"Eat me!"

"Eat me!"

The Peach Monsters were incredibly fast and caught up with them. Several bolder ones even charged at the survivors.

"Ah!"

Old Aunt screamed as her right calf was bitten.

Lin Baici swung the Pine Torch even harder, forcing the monsters back. "Hang on, we're almost out!"

The Moon Gate of Bodhi Peach Garden was already in sight, just over forty meters away.

At that moment, seeing that these people were about to escape, the horrifying Peach Trees, which looked as though they were performing some bizarre ritual, suddenly began twisting in unison.

Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!

The sound of branches and leaves was like a Curse, sending chills down their spines.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

More Peach Monsters fell from the trees, sprouted four legs, and sprinted wildly toward Lin Baici's group.

Ahead of them, Peach Monsters had already gathered.

"Fight our way through!"

Sima Mu gripped his sickle, his eyes vicious.

Whoosh!

The monsters charged like a surging tsunami, intent on swallowing everything.

"Don't be afraid!"

Sima Mu had just wanted to encourage Lin Baici when he saw him charge out first. The Torch in his hand danced wildly like a brush splashing ink across a page.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The flames touched some of the monsters and instantly set them alight. Even the scattered sparks were terrifying; the smallest ember falling onto a monster would ignite it.

A wind blew through, carrying drifting ash.

Lin Baici rushed through the Moon Gate and immediately turned back.

Sima Mu was second, and Jin Yingzhen was third.

Old Aunt was older and had poorer stamina, so she fell behind.

"Save me!"

Old Aunt cried.

Lin Baici took a long stride, quickly accelerated, and charged back through the Moon Gate. He grabbed Old Aunt by the arm and hurled her backward with all his strength.

The monsters were upon him.

Lin Baici swung the Pine Torch, driving them back before retreating from the peach garden.

The Peach Trees that had been set alight were now blazing fiercely like massive bonfires, igniting the trees beside them as well.

Firelight swirled.

The Peach Monsters gathered before the Moon Gate, crying, "Eat me!" but none of them came out. Even the monsters that had bitten Sima Mu and the others voluntarily let go.

"We're safe!"

Jin Yingzhen looked at Lin Baici with worshipful eyes. "Oppa, you're my Superman!"

Thud!

Old Aunt's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground. With her Hands Clasped Together, she continuously bowed to Lin Baici.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

Old Aunt had been wearing light makeup, but it was now all washed away by tears.

All five of her mahjong friends were dead.

So now, her heart was filled with gratitude toward Lin Baici.

"That aunt didn't make it out!"

Jin Yingzhen spoke regretfully.

The last aunt had been just over ten meters from the Moon Gate when a Peach Monster bit her neck. She died on the spot.

"Pah!"

Sima Mu looked at his wounds and spat. Then he walked over to Lin Baici and squeezed his shoulder hard. "I owe you my life, kid."

"You're overstating it!"

Lin Baici smiled faintly.

"Oppa, shouldn't you put out the Torch?"

Jin Yingzhen stared warily at the Torch. That thing was too dangerous.

"Yeah!"

Although Lin Baici didn't feel any discomfort, he didn't dare keep holding it forever. But how was he supposed to put it out?

Lin Baici remembered that when Cui Feng and the other man died, their Torches had gone out after leaving their hands. So he tossed the Torch away.

Less than ten seconds later, the Torch went out.

Jin Yingzhen was deeply impressed.

"Oppa, you reacted so fast!"

If it had been her, she definitely wouldn't have thought of throwing away the Torch to extinguish the flames.

"Right, right, that Torch is too dangerous. Hurry and throw it away..."

Old Aunt stopped halfway through her sentence when she saw Big Male Student pick up the Torch again. She couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath.

"Young man, there's no need to take the risk of carrying it!"

Old Aunt was concerned for him.

"It's fine!"

This thing was excellent for setting fires and could be used as a weapon. Lin Baici planned to keep it for self-defense. Then he looked at the increasingly fierce blaze in the peach garden and frowned slightly, complaining in his heart.

"Hey, Gourmet, this was the way you pointed out? Do you know I almost died?"

Since the Mysterious Voice mostly spoke about food, Lin Baici had decided to call it Gourmet.

[Please call me the God of Gluttony!]

"I could call you handsome too!"

Lin Baici was speechless. It actually looked down on the title Gourmet.

Man, I'm starving!

My stomach was cramping.

[Ripe honey peaches are extremely delicious. What a pity you burned them all. What a terrible waste!]

God of Gluttony complained.

"I, Lin Baici, would rather starve to death out here than eat peaches with legs!"

The fog dispersed a little more.

Waiting around to die was definitely not an option, so Lin Baici prepared to continue exploring.

With this Pine Torch, their safety level had gone up just a tiny bit.

"Let's go. If we can't find God's Remains, we'll all die here!"

Jin Yingzhen glanced at Sima Mu's bandaged left hand, then looked at Sunhat Old Aunt, whose stamina was clearly failing.

Aishiba!

These two new teammates seemed useless.

She still had to rely on Oppa Lin!

The fog dispersed a little further, but the terrain had changed completely. None of them could find the way out of Longchan Temple.

Of course, even if they found it, they couldn't leave.

Jin Yingzhen had said that as long as God's Remains remained, the fog would not disperse, and this place would forever be a maze.

After passing through a corridor, the four of them saw a cluster of Monk's Quarters.

The low Tiled Houses stretched together like a giant snake sleeping on the ground.

"How about we check the Abbot's Meditation Room?"

Jin Yingzhen suggested.

"Sure!"

Lin Baici had no idea where to go anyway, so he might as well see how lucky this Goryeo Woman was.

Creak!

Sima Mu pushed open the door to one of the Monk's Quarters.

The sudden sound startled Old Aunt.

"What are you doing?"

Old Aunt reproached him. Her name was Xu Xiu, and she was a local from Guangqing.

"Checking whether anyone's inside!"

Sima Mu was quite bold.

"Don't mess around. Listen to Baici!"

Xu Xiu only trusted Lin Baici now.

The four of them left the Monk's Quarters. After passing a pavilion with a plaque reading Heart Washing Pavilion, they entered a courtyard through a Chuihua Gate.

The courtyard was not large, but it had artificial hills, a pond, flowers, and greenery. A Mulberry Tree stood before the gate like a loyal old servant.

[Hollow Iron Guanyin. When brewed with boiling water, it gives off a unique fragrance. After drinking it, one loses all emotions for dozens of minutes, becoming cold-hearted as iron and turning into a hollow person!]

"What the hell is that? Tea leaves?"

Lin Baici looked around, his gaze settling on a plant in the corner that resembled a Tea Tree.

That was probably what God of Gluttony meant.

[Drink a cup of clear tea, savor life's rises and falls, and behold the myriad worlds!]

Lin Baici didn't like tea, so he ignored it.

[No way, no way. Is there really someone who doesn't want this kind of tea? After drinking it, you'll lose all interest in poetry and faraway places, dreams and women, and directly enter Sage Time.]

[Tired of it all. Destroy it already. Hurry up!]

Lin Baici raised an eyebrow and walked toward the Tea Tree in the corner.

"What is it?"

Sima Mu was peering into the main house. There seemed to be someone inside.

Jin Yingzhen followed Lin Baici over. When she saw the leaves on the Tea Tree, she was stunned. "These leaves are actually shaped like Guanyin?"

The tea leaves were emerald green and the size of fingernails. Every leaf was shaped like Guanyin sitting atop a lotus. It was miraculous, clearly naturally grown without any signs of human trimming.

Lin Baici reached out and picked the biggest leaves.

"Could they be dangerous?"

Xu Xiu wanted to pick some too.

She often drank tea, and now that she smelled the tea leaves' fragrance, her panic and unease had actually eased a little.

This should be something good.

"I don't know!"

Lin Baici still didn't completely trust God of Gluttony's Gourmet Reviews.

After all, different species had different understandings of food.

Lin Baici picked a large handful of tea leaves and put them into the backpack he had found.

Jin Yingzhen and Xu Xiu followed his example and collected some as well.

"What are you doing?"

After Sima Mu spoke, he looked at Lin Baici and the other two, then suddenly froze. "Baici, Xu Xiu, y-your necks!"

"What's wrong with my neck?"

Xu Xiu reached up to touch her neck.

Huh?

It felt like there was something there?

Lin Baici looked at Old Aunt, and his expression changed. A vine as thick as an intestine was wrapped around her neck like a noose.

Jin Yingzhen had one around her neck too.

"Get away from that tea tree!"

Sima Mu urged them, secretly relieved. Good thing I didn't touch anything at random.

"Wh... what do we do?"

Xu Xiu yanked hard at the Vine Lasso, only to find it incredibly sturdy. She could not pull it loose at all.

Was this thing going to strangle her to death?

"Sima Mu, you've got one around your neck too!"

Lin Baici felt the vine around his neck and guessed it had nothing to do with the tea tree. They had probably encountered another God's Taboo Object.

"What?"

Sima Mu froze, then hurriedly felt around his neck. The moment he confirmed that there really was something there, he instantly deflated.

"This is too hard!"

Jin Yingzhen felt utterly hopeless.

If they could not find God's Remains, they would surely die from radiation. Yet while searching for it, they might also fall into the Rule Pollution of God's Taboo Objects and lose their lives.

"Get into the Meditation Room!"

Lin Baici guessed that the problem was probably inside.