Chapter 31: Let Me, Elbow, Give This World a Little Shock

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Let Me, Elbow, Give This World a Little Shock

His name was Zhang Xiu, the eldest of three brothers. Recently, he had acquired another identity: a regular customer of Boss Lu on Yanliu Street.

The three brothers were of average strength. They wanted to advance further, which was why they had come to the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons to seek opportunities.

Unfortunately, the horrors of the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons dealt them a heavy blow.

The poisonous creatures in the valley were both vicious and venomous.

This time, they encountered a new type of poison, and the Antidote Pills they carried were completely useless.

He had risked his life to get his two younger brothers out, but he himself was gravely injured.

The poison raging through his body let Zhang Xiu know that he was about to die.

The only thing on his mind before he died was a bite of Boss Lu’s steamed buns.

You have to understand, he cherished his two brothers dearly, but after discovering Boss Lu’s buns, he had even learned to eat alone, hiding them for himself.

But he never expected that, on the brink of death, he would actually run into Boss Lu setting up her stall.

And Boss Lu was even selling a new delicacy.

The poison had destroyed his sense of smell, and his five senses were failing. The memory of eating the buns evoked a phantom aftertaste.

As a loyal fan of Boss Lu, even if he was going to die, he had to taste the ’Love It to Death’ Pork Knuckle before he went.

He would use his own life to prove that Boss Lu’s delicacy was aptly named.

’Boss Lu, wait for me!’

Seeing that their eldest brother was truly determined to have a bite of that pork knuckle, the two brothers had no choice but to help him over.

Lu Wu, who had watched the whole thing unfold, finally recognized her customer.

By the time they arrived, she had already finished packing the pork knuckle. She had even thoughtfully torn the meat into small pieces for the customer to eat easily.

"This one’s on the house."

Lu Wu refused the Spirit Stone that Third handed over.

"Hurry and feed it to your brother."

Dahuang’s own experience had proven that the system never engaged in pointless theatrics. ’This time should be the same, right?’

While serving her customer, Lu Wu kept an eye on the group from before.

The guy who’d overthought everything was currently scratching his butt. He wasn’t dead yet.

Lu Wu’s direct stare sent a chill down the overthinker’s spine.

In truth, after all this time, he had realized he wasn’t poisoned at all. A craving worm had simply taken root in his stomach.

But at this point, he was too proud to admit his mistake, so the situation had reached a stalemate.

Fortunately, Lu Wu’s customer was about to deliver.

Unable to speak, Zhang Xiu swallowed a piece of tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork skin with his brothers’ help.

Beneath the skin that fell apart at the slightest touch, the meat within was succulent and juicy. Every bite was a brand new experience.

Zhang Xiu’s experience was even more profound.

Deeply poisoned and his taste buds useless, he had been lamenting his inability to savor the wonderful flavor. But who would have thought that as he ate the pork knuckle, his long-lost sense of taste returned at the speed of light.

The journey from nothing to something made every bite feel like a rebirth for Zhang Xiu.

The rich, savory juices coated every corner of his mouth, and a pleasant warmth spread through his belly.

Some strength returned to his body. He swatted his brothers’ hands away and began to devour the pork knuckle with gusto.

Even more incredibly, at the wound on his arm, the color of the flowing blood began to lighten from a foul-smelling, viscous black.

The color was returning to normal.

This meant the poison in Zhang Xiu’s body was disappearing. Even his blackened lips were regaining their healthy color.

This pork knuckle was an antidote!

"How is that possible?"

Second Brother Zhang Wei exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

In the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, the three brothers had tried all their Antidote Pills to no effect. Yet this unremarkable—alright, this admittedly plump and juicy-looking—pork knuckle could actually cure poison.

But the facts spoke for themselves.

Zhang Xiu’s body was recovering. Watching him eat with such single-minded abandon, it was clear that King Yan had thrown his little life right back.

"Boss Lu, another one... no, make it ten pork knuckles."

As an experienced customer, Zhang Xiu knew exactly what kind of shock Boss Lu’s food would bring to the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons.

Thinking back to the scenes on Yanliu Street, Zhang Xiu wanted to get his fill before that crowd of foodies discovered Boss Lu’s new stall location.

One hundred low-grade spirit stones, which was equivalent to one mid-grade Spirit Stone.

He placed a fist-sized stone on the tray, and Lu Wu smiled as she packed up the order, meeting Zhang Xiu’s expectant gaze.

"Eat slowly."

Lu Wu was very satisfied.

She shot a sharp glare at the overthinker who was still on the ground scratching his butt.

The overthinker, who had been peeking, caught her gaze. His face flushed with embarrassment. He couldn’t keep up the act any longer and simply got to his feet.

"AHEM, Boss, I’m sorry. I misunderstood you."

"It’s just that your meat smells too good, so my imagination ran a little wild," he explained, scratching his head.

His wild assumptions weren’t entirely baseless. There was a unique poison in the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons from a creature called the Overlord Flower. It captured its prey by emitting an alluring fragrance to lure them into a trap.

"Want to try some?"

Lu Wu welcomed the overthinker’s willingness to personally dispel the rumors and offered him a smile.

"Yes, I’ll take two."

In truth, he’d been struggling ever since he saw the dog eating.

He’d eaten plenty of meat in his life, and gnawed on his fair share of pork knuckles, but he had never eaten anything so fragrant.

And this man who had just been saved from death obviously knew the boss—he was probably an old customer. The man’s heart had long been itching with anticipation.

"Brother, would you mind if I took your pulse?"

The turn of events was beyond what some had imagined.

A man in green robes who had just arrived looked thoughtful after hearing what had transpired. He walked over to Zhang Xiu and spoke.

Meeting Zhang Xiu’s "please don’t disturb me" glare, the man took out an Identity Token.

"I am Jiang Yunhe, a 321st generation disciple of the Divine Doctor Valley. I would like to examine your body."

"I only need to take your pulse. I am willing to offer a Yangshou Pill as compensation."

Feeling his request was abrupt, Jiang Yunhe proactively offered a benefit.

The Divine Doctor Valley treated the world’s most difficult illnesses, and their studies included research on all kinds of poisons.

The disciples of this sect loved to travel the mortal realm, seeking out all sorts of strange and difficult diseases. Walking thousands of miles was a common form of cultivation for a Divine Doctor Valley disciple.

He happened to be passing by and came to take a look after hearing that the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons contained many unknown toxins.

Zhang Xiu’s complexion had mostly returned to normal, but Jiang Yunhe could tell the man had just survived a great ordeal; his qi and blood were still depleted.

As for a pork knuckle being able to cure poison, he was highly skeptical.

And yet, that pork knuckle made even him—a man accustomed to Fasting—want to buy one.

A Yangshou Pill was used to replenish one’s lifespan. For Cultivators of ordinary strength and limited longevity, this kind of Elixir Pill was still very useful.

So, Zhang Xiu agreed. He extended his free left hand.

His right hand was still holding the pork knuckle, his head bowed as he took another bite.

The close proximity made Jiang Yunhe, who should have been concentrating solely on the diagnosis, find his gaze uncontrollably drawn to the pork knuckle.

The alluringly colored pork knuckle was more mesmerizing than any rare prescription in his medical texts.

The aroma, especially, was overpowering. It invaded Jiang Yunhe’s senses with every breath, and his mind unknowingly became captivated by it.

The pulse beneath Jiang Yunhe’s fingertips was steady, but Jiang Yunhe’s own heart was in turmoil.