The day had reached noon, and the sun blazed overhead, baking the blue-tiled roofs of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's guest courtyard until they were scorching hot.
Tang San and the others made their way through several covered corridors and arrived at the courtyard where the kitchen was.
The courtyard was quiet. An indescribable smell drifted faintly through the air, making the group unconsciously slow their steps.
Tang San walked at the front and raised a hand to push open the kitchen door.
"Teacher? Are you there?"
Before he could finish speaking, a pungent, almost tangible stench surged toward them like an invisible tidal wave!
The smell was so intense it was as though hundreds of jars of aged vinegar had all been knocked over at once, mixed with the stench of protein that had rotted after fermenting too long. It went straight to their heads!
A layer of blue-gray mist filled the kitchen. It was so thick it seemed almost solid, roiling beneath the dim yellow light as if something indescribable were gestating within it.
"Cough, cough, cough—!"
The fumes made Tang San and the others' eyes turn red in an instant. Tears streamed down their faces, and their throats felt as if someone had stuffed them full of chili powder. They broke into violent coughing fits.
Ma Hongjun's face had turned the color of pig liver. He clamped both hands over his nose and mouth so tightly his knuckles went white.
"Teacher, what are you doing?"
Suppressing the churning in his stomach, Tang San covered his nose and mouth as he entered the kitchen. He activated his Purple Demon Eye and carefully surveyed the room.
A flash of purple glimmered in his eyes as he took in everything inside the kitchen.
At that moment, the scene inside