Chapter 27: This Shameless Old Deng Wants to Eat Alone

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: This Shameless Old Deng Wants to Eat Alone

Seeing the outrageous comments from the others in the sect, Qin Zhan felt a sense of superiority, as if he were the only sober one in a crowd of drunks.

’They don’t even stop to think,’ he thought. ’The Great Elder is in charge of all the Bun Sect’s affairs. Why would he promote other food within the sect?’

There could only be one truth!

And that was... this pork knuckle was the work of Boss Lu!

Qin Zhan couldn’t wait to send a private message to the Great Elder, tactfully expressing his desire for a taste.

As for reminding the others? That was out of the question.

’Better to enjoy it alone than with the masses.’

"My good disciple, since when have you decided to betray your master and sect?"

A cold voice sounded from behind him, and Qin Zhan froze.

He turned his head and met his master’s gaze. His master glanced away from the One World Communication, his eyes now filled with the intent to "cleanse the sect," and Qin Zhan nearly screamed.

’Oh no!’

"Master, listen to my cunning arguments... ah, no, my explanation."

"It’s like this..."

Under his master’s murderous gaze, Qin Zhan painstakingly explained, putting his glib tongue to good use.

"It’s really true! I only joined to get more delicious food to honor you, my venerable Master."

Qin Zhan was one step away from swearing an oath.

"Really?"

The Heavenly Wind Taoist was skeptical, and his assessing gaze sent a chill down Qin Zhan’s spine.

"Really!"

’Even if it wasn’t true before, it has to be from now on.’

Qin Zhan knew that the so-called Bun Sect was really just a gathering place for foodies, completely different in nature from a normal sect or even an Evil Cult.

He had just joined for fun.

Of course, if there was a chance to get some of Boss Lu’s delicacies, that would be even better.

And what do you know, his hopes had been answered today.

"Fine. So where’s the food?"

The Heavenly Wind Taoist stroked his beard, retracted his powerful aura, and looked at his disciple with a leisurely air.

"The food..."

THUMP.

Something materialized out of thin air and landed on the table.

Qin Zhan looked over and smiled.

"See, Master? The food is here."

On the plate was a pork knuckle—or to be precise, half a pork knuckle.

Looking at the pork knuckle, which had clear marks of having been picked apart, a flicker of doubt crossed Qin Zhan’s mind.

’Why do I get the feeling someone short-changed me?’

At the same time, Lou Xiaotian also received half a pork knuckle.

But he was in a much worse situation than Qin Zhan, because a pair of tigers, one male and one female, were eyeing it covetously. Wiping away a bitter tear, Lou Xiaotian forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace.

"Dad, Mom, let’s eat together."

’I was too careless.’

「Back at the inn」

Qin Zhan, ever the filial disciple, let the Heavenly Wind Taoist try it first.

Steam was visibly rising from the pork knuckle; it looked like it had just come out of the pot.

Moments after it was placed on the table, the domineering aroma of the meat completely pushed aside the scent of incense in the room.

Qin Zhan handed a pair of chopsticks to the Heavenly Wind Taoist, then stood to the side, waiting with eager eyes.

"Let’s eat together. Otherwise, people might think I’m a master who mistreats his disciple."

The Heavenly Wind Taoist said amiably.

But Qin Zhan felt it was a dangerous sort of amiability, because his master’s face was clearly written with the threat: *If you dare move your chopsticks, I’ll chop off your head.*

Qin Zhan, who knew his master well, could only pretend not to see the Heavenly Wind Taoist’s Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

’This Old Deng is about to start drooling.’

"Ahem. A disciple should be filial. You eat first, Master."

After Qin Zhan’s polite refusal, the Heavenly Wind Taoist moved his chopsticks.

He picked up a piece of glistening skin, which dangled from his chopsticks.

Its glistening, oily surface tempted the taste buds, making one want to ravage it.

In the past, the Heavenly Wind Taoist would have refused to eat something so greasy, but who could resist a pork knuckle this fragrant?

’My cultivation is still insufficient.’

The Heavenly Wind Taoist elegantly brought it to his mouth, intending to savor it carefully. But the moment he tasted the pork knuckle, the instinct to swallow completely and illogically took control of his thoughts.

The lustrous skin wasn’t fatty or greasy as one might imagine; instead, the texture was perfect.

The collagen within, enough to make any woman envious, added a richer complexity to the texture.

His tongue curled, his throat swallowed.

Just like that, the piece of skin was gone.

It was tender and smooth, fragrant and springy.

If Qin Zhan hadn’t been standing right there, the Heavenly Wind Taoist would have picked up the whole thing and started gnawing on it. With just one bite, the Heavenly Wind Taoist felt his Dao heart—his principle of being "unmoved by worldly things or personal feelings"—begin to crumble.

It took a great deal of effort for him to control his fingers and elegantly extend his chopsticks once more.

"I can’t quite make out the flavor. I’ll have another bite."

"Mhm, mhm!"

Qin Zhan nodded, showing his understanding.

"Still can’t quite place the flavor. I’ll try again."

After this bite, the Heavenly Wind Taoist frowned, as if deeply troubled by this fact.

"Mhm, mhm."

Qin Zhan still nodded in understanding.

This time, the Heavenly Wind Taoist ate some of the lean meat attached to the skin. It was so tender it fell apart at the slightest touch of his chopsticks. The meat had been soaking in the braising sauce for some time and was thoroughly infused with flavor.

’Delicious. This is too delicious!’

’I, the dignified Supreme Elder of the Holy Sword Sect... what misery was I eating before today?’

’This is what makes life worth living!’

Though his brain was practically having an orgasm, the Heavenly Wind Taoist remained outwardly impassive.

"Ahem. I still feel like the flavor isn’t quite right. You’ll have to wait a bit longer, my disciple."

The Heavenly Wind Taoist reached out with his chopsticks again. Although his expression revealed no flaws, suspicion inevitably began to grow in Qin Zhan’s heart.

’Something’s not right. Something is really not right.’

’This Old Deng is up to something!’

In the blink of an eye, a large chunk of the pork knuckle had vanished. Then, Qin Zhan had another epiphany.

’This Old Deng wants to eat it all himself!’

"Master, is there something wrong with the pork knuckle? Let me have a taste and see what the problem is."

After speaking politely, Qin Zhan moved with the fastest speed of his life, snatching a large piece of meat from the plate with his chopsticks and stuffing it into his mouth.

As bliss pried open the sturdy gates of his lips, Qin Zhan wanted to melt away in this moment of pure fortune.

In that instant, Qin Zhan felt enlightenment dawning on him once again.

"You brat! You’ll be the death of me!"

Seeing that his scheme had failed, the Heavenly Wind Taoist was furious.

Seeing Qin Zhan try to snatch food from the tiger’s maw again, he decided to suppress him with brute force. His powerful Spiritual Power slammed Qin Zhan down, pinning his face to the table so he couldn’t get up.

He could only watch helplessly as his master leisurely ate the last piece of meat on the plate.

All the while, his master deliberately smacked his lips in his direction, as if to gloat.

SOB SOB SOB!

In that moment, Qin Zhan’s sorrow flowed like a river.

He shot his unscrupulous master an accusing glare. Having finished the delicacy and re-stabilized his Dao heart, the Heavenly Wind Taoist magnanimously forgave his rebellious disciple’s insubordination.

He dabbed the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief and calmly straightened his beard.

"Ah, Little Zhan... that Bun Sect thing. Why don’t you get your master in there to take a look?"

’A powerhouse of my stature would be more than qualified to be an elder in this Bun Sect, wouldn’t I?’

’It would be the Bun Sect’s honor!’

"No!"

But to his surprise, Qin Zhan refused outright.

As the Heavenly Wind Taoist’s gaze turned dangerous, Qin Zhan weakly explained.

"Master, it’s not that I don’t want to, but the Bun Sect is very strict. Newcomers can only start as Outer Disciples."

His own status as a formal member of the sect was only because he had been the third person to join.

Right now, the entire sect consisted of one elder, two formal members, and all the rest were Outer Disciples.

"That’s the rule."