Chapter 1224 - 1115: Second Elder Seeks Drunkenness
The small mountain village.
As evening approached, the villagers had all gathered, men and women, young and old, making the March springtime exceptionally lively.
Uncle Zhang was already butchering the big bird, Auntie Wang and a group of village women were plucking and cleaning it, and the fire had been lit…
The children gawked on the side, with Wang Erxiao boasting about how amazing his slingshot was.
…
At this time, Li Fan, Dugu Yuqing, Gong Ya, and others also came over.
“So many birds… Not bad.”
Li Fan was quite pleased; so many birds would definitely make for a good meal.
“Let’s go, whatever you want to eat, I’ll cook it for you.”
Li Fan stepped forward, casually tying an apron around him, ready to start cooking.
Seeing this, Fan Paiming and Fan Yaoyao were both shocked. This big shot was actually going to cook by himself?!
This absolutely floored them!
In their eyes, this big shot was already beyond a Great Emperor, even comparable to the legendary Heavenly Emperor.
A Heavenly Emperor, cooking for others?
They… could even choose…
Just thinking about it… made them quiver.
“Can… Can we really eat anything we want?”
Fan Yaoyao bravely spoke up, her voice tinged with apprehension.
Li Fan smiled and said:
“Of course, you can. But today we only have bird, choose any way you like it cooked.”
Fan Yaoyao said:
“Then, I want it braised in soy sauce!”
Dugu Yuqing said:
“Master… I would like grilled.”
Seeing this, Fan Paiming hurriedly spoke up:
“I’d like it in a clear soup!”
Li Fan nodded, then looked at Shui Qingling, and said:
“Miss Shui, what about you?”
On hearing that, Shui Qingling could only stiffen up and say:
“I… I’m fine with anything.”
At this moment, her entire being was engulfed in immense fear.
Because the scene before her was astonishing—the many Thunderbirds were all ancestral breeds with powerful bloodlines, any one of them released could dominate alone!
But now, they were all being butchered!
“This bird is the fattest, bring a basin and let’s catch the blood; we can make blood tofu!”
At this moment, Uncle Zhang even called out, having Auntie Wang bring over a basin, then he grabbed the bird by the neck, and with a fierce cut!
Poof!
Blood gushed out in an instant!
Upon seeing this, Shui Qingling felt her head buzz even more…
That bird…
Was the Thunder Emperor!
And just like that, the Thunder Emperor was neck-sliced as though a common poultry, ready to be butchered?
She was trembling!
The crucial point was, what kind of people were these villagers, not one of them found it strange, as if getting accustomed to butchering a Great Emperor for meat was a daily occurrence…
“These people… must be the strongest among the Forebears!”
She couldn’t help but murmur.
At this moment, the small mountain village’s status in her heart soared infinitely!
“But, why didn’t this small village appear throughout the long years…”
“The Forebears’ Pure Land was looted by the many strong ones of the world, is this village appearing in this life to seek revenge? Starting with the Thunder Emperor…”
She felt as though she was witnessing history!
At this time, Li Fan had already walked over to start cooking.
He chopped meat, poured oil, flipped the wok, but felt an inexplicable sense of unease, as if something was missing…
After pondering for a moment, naturally, an image came to mind…
Though foolish, though utterly clueless about cooking, though always causing more trouble…
But… he had grown accustomed to the days with her by his side.
Hmm… He also wondered if that silly girl had been taking good care of herself outside, it had been a bit chilly these past few days…
Moreover, there was no longer a group of disciples hastily volunteering to dine on his cooking…
Li Fan felt a slight pang of sadness in his heart, but he immediately smiled and said to himself:
“I’m used to the bustle and not suited for solitude…”
He shook his head, decided not to dwell on it further, and started cooking.
Before long, the whole bird feast was nearly ready.
“Let’s eat!”
“Dig in, dig in!”
Men and women, old and young, from the village all gathered at the table for the feast.
On the table were various bird dishes: clear-broth large bird soup exuding a fresh aroma, braised bird legs with an enticing color, roasted whole bird with golden brown fat dripping down… extremely tempting.
In no time, the villagers had started eating.
“This tastes much better, it’s always nicer when Yu Qing brings it back.”
“Delicious, really delicious!”
“Although it’s still far behind what we raise in our village, it’s not bad.”
The villagers were all praise without end.
Li Fan, Dugu Yuqing, Gong Ya, and Fan Paiming, Fan Yaoyao, Shui Qingling were seated at one table; right now, looking at a table full of meat, everyone was drooling.
“Who would’ve thought… Senior Li can actually cook!”
Fan Paiming’s eyes were filled with complexity. Who could imagine that a being even more terrifying than a Great Emperor could cook up a table of dishes, and they… could actually eat them…
“So fragrant, so fragrant!”
Fan Yaoyao couldn’t hold back any longer.
Shui Qingling was in a daze; she had witnessed the Thunder Emperor and his brothers and sisters turned into a dish…
“Let’s eat.”
Li Fan spoke up.
Immediately, everyone began picking up their chopsticks.
“Wow, this is so delicious!”
Fan Yaoyao took a bite of the braised bird meat and suddenly exclaimed.
Fan Paiming also tore off a wing and started nibbling, filled with surprise and joy. Not only was this wing delicious, but it also contained an extremely powerful essence of the Way of Thunder!
Shui Qingling shakily picked up a piece of meat, yet facing this meat, she felt a sense of inferiority!
Because… she didn’t know what the process was for eating Emperor Level cuisine.
Did it require some ritual? Would holding the bowl in the left hand and chopsticks in the right hand give away her countriness?
After all, she was a cultivator from the “upper class,” used to frequenting the Imperial Court, and understood deeply that some rare foods involved a whole set of etiquette before being consumed, including the degree of doneness and the special utensils required.
But then again… even in the upper class, even in the exalted Imperial Court… no one has ever eaten Thunder Emperor!!
At this moment, she felt her poorness, humbleness, and awkwardness!
She sneakily glanced at Fan Yaoyao next to her, but found that Fan Yaoyao… had simply started eating with her hands, holding the bird meat and gnawing on it, not caring about her image at all!
Not just Fan Yaoyao, but most of the villagers were doing the same.
So that’s how you eat… she suddenly had an epiphany, then quickly put down her chopsticks, grabbed the meat with her hands, and began to eat!
For fear of being looked down on by others!
Seeing her like this, Dugu Yuqing was surprised, thinking… Shui Qingling, who seemed gentle and quiet, ate so ruggedly…
Li Fan, however, was nonchalant and with a smile said:
“Eat more.”
…
Soon, the village feast had ended.
Everyone gathered around the bonfire. It was already March, yet a bit of late-winter chill lingered, and the fire provided a warm atmosphere as the villagers chatted cheerily together.
Auntie Wang asked Uncle Zhang to help till her family’s land, Auntie Zhou said she was short on seeds, and Auntie Wu made plans with everyone to go work the fields together…
By now, Fan Paiming and Fan Yaoyao had fully adapted to the rhythm of the village. They could tell that it wasn’t just Senior Li who loved to put on a show, but the whole village did!
Even Shui Qingling, amidst constant shock and growing numbness, started accepting reality…
These villagers, each capable of killing a Great Emperor, never mentioned dominating the world or being invincible; instead, they paid extra attention to farming and raising chickens and ducks…
“Little Li, bring out your fine wine, I shall share a few drinks with Second Elder!”
Second Elder spoke up, and Li Fan smiled, promptly asking Dugu Yuqing to fetch the wine.
In no time, Dugu Yuqing had returned, bringing two large jars of fine wine, pouring some for everyone.
The drinking began in earnest, with toasts and laughter.
Second Elder downed a big cup in one gulp, exclaiming:
“Fine wine, fine wine indeed! Have some more, have some more, tonight I must get drunk first!”
Li Fan was puzzled; though Second Elder had a high tolerance for alcohol, he seldom sought to get drunk like this.
“Second Elder, what’s the matter? Why are you so determined to get drunk?”
He couldn’t help asking.
Second Elder replied:
“Can’t help it… I’m old, not afraid of dying, but I’m afraid of pain, need to cut my wrist later to let some blood…”
Upon hearing this, Li Fan was immediately shocked. Cut the wrist to let blood?!
…