He had finally squeezed four-digit negative emotion points out of the Chan Sect's foremost Fortune Virtue Golden Immortal!
Yet those negative emotion points had actually come from a bite of food. Clearly, the Chan Sect's foremost Fortune Virtue Golden Immortal was not only the number one Primordial World Knockoff Maker, but also a bona fide glutton!
"This meat... mmm..."
Meanwhile, the moment Yun Zhongzi picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth, he closed his eyes in utter satisfaction.
The first thing he tasted was naturally the skin. It took no effort at all; a gentle scrape of his teeth sliced right through it. Beneath that lay the incredibly soft fat, which filled his mouth with oil yet tasted not the least bit greasy, melting on his tongue. As his teeth sank farther, they encountered a layer of lean meat that had lost all its toughness through stewing and soaked up the rich broth!
Better still, this was prime pork belly, one layer tucked between another, one stacked atop the next, each distinct yet without any harsh edges!
In short, two words summed it up:
Silky tenderness!
Yun Zhongzi searched his heart. Over his years in the Primordial World, he had eaten plenty of delicacies, even Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow, but none could compare with the braised pork before him.
"The finest flavor under heaven!"
That exquisite sensation even made him tilt his head back and release a long sigh. This trip had truly been worthwhile.
"Hm?!"
But when he finished savoring the moment and lowered his head, he discovered that Di Xin had taken advantage of his reverie to scoop another two pieces into his bowl and was feasting away.
[Negative emotion points from Yun Zhongzi: +199...]
In an instant, Di Xin noticed that his system's backend had harvested another batch of negative emotion points from the Chan Sect's foremost Fortune Virtue Golden Immortal.
"The rest is mine!"
The next moment, Yun Zhongzi gave a muffled huff and flicked his fly-whisk. Di Xin felt his body turn weightless and drift backward, only coming to a stop several dozen paces away.
"You're being rather unreasonable, Fortune Virtue Golden Immortal!"
Di Xin teased him with a smile, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
Although this bowl of braised pork certainly could not bind Yun Zhongzi to his war chariot, there was no doubt that it would greatly improve this Fortune Virtue Golden Immortal's opinion of him. And that little bit of goodwill might bring about an enormous change in the future!
"Hm? What brings you here?"
Then Di Xin suddenly sensed something unusual behind him. Turning around, he saw Queen Jiang holding Yin Hong's and Yin Jiao's hands. They had come here and were standing at the courtyard entrance, craning their necks to peer inside.
"Your Majesty... Father..." Seeing Di Xin turn toward them, Queen Jiang immediately gave an embarrassed smile. Holding Yin Hong's and Yin Jiao's hands, she offered him a graceful bow, then asked curiously, "What are you doing here, Your Majesty? Why does it smell so wonderful?"
As she spoke, the beautiful woman could not resist lifting her chin again to steal a few more glances into the courtyard.
She had been supervising Yin Hong and Yin Jiao's reading and writing practice today when an extraordinary aroma unlike anything she had smelled before assailed her nose. She had brought the two children here, following the scent all the way.
"I made a little thing and used it to cook a couple of dishes. Smells good, doesn't it? Want some...?"
Di Xin chuckled and asked Queen Jiang, Yin Hong, and Yin Jiao with a smile.
"Your Majesty is so clever and skillful. I could never compare," Queen Jiang said with a bashful smile, though her mouth was already watering.
If the food smelled so extraordinarily fragrant, what heavenly flavor would it have once she tasted it?
"It smells good! We want some!"
As for Yin Hong and Yin Jiao, their little heads bobbed like chicks pecking grain as they gazed eagerly at Di Xin and answered loudly.
"Unfortunately, there's none left. Our esteemed Daoist elder ate it all."
Di Xin shook his head, smiling.
[Negative emotion points from Queen Jiang: +199...] [Negative emotion points from Yin Hong: +299...] [Negative emotion points from Yin Jiao: +250, cumulative total: +34714...]
In an instant, Di Xin watched with satisfaction as a string of figures changed in the system's backend.
Unfortunately, the system was not sensitive enough to detect negative emotion points generated when he caused one party to resent another. Otherwise, with Queen Jiang, Yin Hong, and Yin Jiao's resentment toward Yun Zhongzi, he could surely have made a push for the forty-thousand mark right then!
"Humm..."
Just then, a powerful aura suddenly appeared between heaven and earth. It was exceptionally familiar, and countless golden clouds gathered.
Then rays of golden radiance showered down upon Di Xin and the artisans who had cast the iron woks.
[Detected the host receiving Heavenly Dao merit points: +2999... additional system reward: +500... in accordance with the host's previous suggestion, merit points have automatically been used to shape the golden body.]
At the same time, the system's notification immediately rang out in Di Xin's mind.
Hm?!
At the sound, Di Xin sensed that the shorts on his golden body, which had previously left his backside exposed to the chilly wind, had now been patched up halfway. Only half his backside remained cold!
"Congratulations on receiving Heavenly Dao merit once again, Fellow Daoist Di Xin!"
By now, Yun Zhongzi had also polished off the entire earthenware pot of braised pork. With his lips gleaming with grease, he congratulated Di Xin.
"Hahaha, just a trifling little trick. Nothing worth mentioning..." Di Xin shook his head and offered a modest remark before continuing, "An eminent master like yourself must be well accustomed to receiving Heavenly Dao merit, surely? May I ask how your merit golden body is coming along?"
[Negative emotion points from Yun Zhongzi: +999...]
The moment Di Xin finished speaking, the backend received Yun Zhongzi's fresh, piping-hot negative emotion points.
"Naturally, I've long since grown accustomed to it. A little Heavenly Dao merit is nothing..." Yun Zhongzi coughed twice, then raised his head and spoke as though it were all beneath his notice. He continued, "Fellow Daoist Di Xin, do you have any spare iron woks? Why not give me one?"
No iron woks, but plenty of black pots for taking the blame. Want one of those...?
Di Xin snorted inwardly, but before he could speak, Yin Hong pointed at Yun Zhongzi and said, "You Daoist, you're so rude! You eat our meat, then you want our wok too!"
At those words, Yun Zhongzi's face immediately flushed scarlet.
"Children speak without restraint, children speak without restraint..." Di Xin laughed, then looked at Yin Hong. "Hong'er, you've misjudged the Daoist. He is the Chan Sect's foremost Fortune Virtue Golden Immortal, a Primordial World Grandmaster Artifact Refining Master, with countless magical treasures at his disposal. No one could be more generous. For a drop of kindness, he repays an ocean! How could he eat our meat and take our wok without offering anything in return? He'll certainly compensate us with something worth ten million times as much. Am I right, esteemed elder?"
[Negative emotion points from Yun Zhongzi: +999...]
Yun Zhongzi stared at Di Xin, dumbfounded. Repay a drop of kindness with a goddamn ocean? All I did was eat a couple of pieces of wild boar! Do you expect me to sell myself to you?!
"Father, look! Uncle Daoist's face has turned yellow!"
At that same moment, Yin Jiao pointed at Yun Zhongzi and spoke to Di Xin.
"Nonsense. That's the wax he applied to keep out the cold!"
Di Xin patted Yin Jiao's head and replied with a smile.
[Negative emotion points from Yun Zhongzi: +199...]
Heavenly thunder rolled through Yun Zhongzi's mind. After a long, speechless moment, he shook his head and said, "Naturally, I won't eat your meat or take your wok for nothing..."
Shing!
As he finished speaking, he tucked his fly-whisk beneath his arm and reached into his flower basket, drawing out a brownish-yellow wooden sword that carried the fresh scent of pine. Yet with a casual flick of his hand, an incomparably sharp, cold gleam instantly flashed along its edge, making their skin prickle and their souls tremble!
"Carved from pine and named Juque, its wondrous uses few can see; though no treasure-light pierces the Ox and Dipper, in three days demons turn to ash and their foul aura flees!" Yun Zhongzi passed the wooden sword to Di Xin, then continued, "This sword was made from thundercloud pine and contains lightning arts. It is especially effective against demons and evil beings. Anything below a True Immortal can be slain!"
This... fuck...
At those words, Di Xin stared blankly at the wooden sword in Yun Zhongzi's hand. His heart churned like rivers overturning and seas surging, and he felt a powerful urge to curse!
Wasn't this the very sword Yun Zhongzi was going to present to him to slay Daji?
He had long since regarded this sword as already in the bag. Who could have imagined that after taking such a long, winding detour, he would end up right back where he started, with the very same sword in his hands!
How was this any different from taking his own belongings and giving them back to him as a gift?!
[Negative emotion points from Di Xin: +99999...]
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