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 patron of Boss Lu’s stall on Misty Willow Street.

The three brothers were of average strength, and they had come to the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons in search of an opportunity to improve their cultivation. Unfortunately, the terrors of the valley dealt them a heavy blow. The poisonous creatures within were vicious and lethal, and the new type of toxin they encountered had rendered their antidotes completely useless. Zhang Xiu had risked his life to carry his two younger brothers out, leaving himself severely wounded. The toxins rampaging through his body told him that his time was up.

Before death, his only regret was missing out on one last bite of Boss Lu’s steamed buns. He cared deeply for his brothers, but after discovering Boss Lu’s buns, he had even learned how to keep them all to himself. He never expected to encounter Boss Lu’s stall before he perished, and she was even selling something new.

Though the toxins had destroyed his sense of smell and his other senses were failing, the memory of those buns stirred a lingering phantom of their flavor. As a loyal fan, he decided that if he was going to die, he had to taste the "Death-Defying Pork Knuckle" before he went. He would prove with his life that Boss Lu’s culinary creations were never misnamed. "Boss Lu, wait for me!"

Seeing their eldest brother’s determination to eat that knuckle, the two younger brothers had no choice but to support him over. Lu Wu, having watched the entire process, finally recognized her regular customer. By the time he arrived, she had already packed his knuckle, thoughtfully tearing the meat into bite-sized pieces for him.

"No charge for this one," Lu Wu said, declining the spirit stones offered by the third brother. "Hurry and feed it to your brother."

Big Yellow had proved through his own experience that the system never dealt in empty promises, and this time should be no different. As Lu Wu served her customers, she observed the group from earlier. The "delusional emperor" was currently scratching his backside; he wasn't dead yet. Lu Wu’s piercing gaze made a chill run down his spine. In truth, after all this time, he had realized he wasn't poisoned at all—he just had a gluttonous parasite in his belly. But at this point, he couldn't swallow his pride to admit he was wrong, and so the standoff continued. Fortunately, Lu Wu’s customers were very effective.

***

The speechless Zhang Xiu, with the help of his two brothers, swallowed a piece of the soft, tender skin. Beneath the skin that melted at a touch, the meat inside was fresh and succulent; every bite was a brand-new experience.

Zhang Xiu felt it most intensely. Having lost his sense of taste to the deep-seated toxins, he had regretted being unable to savor the delicacy. But to his surprise, as he ate the knuckle, his runaway sense of taste returned at the speed of light. The transition from nothingness to sensation made every bite feel like a rebirth. Rich, mellow juices bathed every corner of his mouth, and a warmth spread through his belly.

He regained some strength, pushed his brothers' hands away, and began to devour the knuckle with gusto. Even more incredible was the wound on his arm: the blood flowing from it changed from a foul, pitch-black color to a lighter, healthier shade. The color was returning to normal. This meant the toxins in his body were vanishing, and even his blackened lips were regaining their natural hue.

This knuckle could neutralize poison!

"How is this possible?" his second brother, Zhang Wei, exclaimed, his eyes full of disbelief. In the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, they had tried every antidote they possessed, all to no avail. Yet this plain-looking—or rather, quite plump and delicious-looking—pork knuckle was actually curing him.

Facts, however, spoke louder than words. Zhang Xiu’s body was recovering, and one look at his self-forgetful eating told them that the King of Hell had tossed his soul back into his body.

"Boss Lu, give me another... no, ten more knuckles!" As an experienced customer, Zhang Xiu knew the shock Boss Lu’s food would bring to this valley. Thinking back to the scenes on Misty Willow Street, he wanted to eat his fill before the other patrons discovered her new location.

For one hundred low-grade spirit stones—equivalent to one mid-grade spirit stone—he placed the fist-sized stones on the tray. Under Zhang Xiu’s expectant gaze, Lu Wu smiled and packed them up. "Eat slowly."

Lu Wu was satisfied. She shot a sidelong glance at the "delusional emperor" still lying on the ground scratching his rear. The man, who had been peeking, caught her look and turned bright red with embarrassment. Unable to keep up the charade, he stood up.

"Ahem, Boss, I’m sorry. I misunderstood you," he said, scratching his head. His delusions had been based on logic; there was a peerless poison in the valley called the "Overlord Flower" that lured prey into traps with an intoxicating scent.

"Would you like to try some?" Lu Wu asked with a smile, welcoming his willingness to break the rumors.

"Yes, give me two." In truth, he had been hooked the moment he saw that dog eating earlier. He had eaten plenty of meat in his life, including many pork knuckles, but never anything this fragrant. The man who had just been saved clearly knew the boss—perhaps he was a regular—and his own heart was already itching with desire.

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

The situation developed in an unexpected direction. A man in green clothes, who had just arrived and heard what transpired, looked thoughtful and walked over to Zhang Xiu. Facing Zhang Xiu’s guarded look, he produced an identification token. "I am Jiang Yunhe, a disciple of the three hundred and twenty-first generation of the Divine Physician Valley. I wish to examine your body."

"A simple pulse check will suffice. I am willing to offer a Longevity Pill as compensation." Sensing he was being intrusive, Jiang Yunhe proactively offered a reward.

The Divine Physician Valley cured the world’s most difficult illnesses, and their research into various toxins was renowned. Their disciples loved traveling the world to witness rare ailments; walking ten thousand miles was a common form of cultivation for them. Having passed through and heard of the unknown toxins in the valley, he had come to investigate.

Zhang Xiu’s complexion had largely recovered, but Jiang Yunhe could tell the man had been through an ordeal and his vital energy was still depleted. He was skeptical that a pork knuckle could neutralize poison, even though the dish had tempted him—a practitioner accustomed to fasting—to make a purchase. Since the Longevity Pill was useful for ordinary cultivators with limited lifespans, Zhang Xiu agreed and extended his left hand while continuing to gnaw on his knuckle with his right.

The proximity caused Jiang Yunhe, who should have been focused entirely on the diagnosis, to find his gaze uncontrollably drawn to the knuckle. Its captivating color was more bewitching than any rare prescription in his medical texts. The fragrance, in particular, aggressively assaulted his every breath, causing his focus to slip away.

Under Jiang Yunhe’s fingertips, the pulse was steady, but his own heart was in turmoil.