Those who survived were all stunned by everything that had just happened in front of their eyes. Their brains couldn"t process the information right away.
Tears were streaming down Qin Luo"s face as he squatted down while holding his head. Chen Yun, on the other hand, adopted the Carp Flip1 technique and got right back up as if nothing has happened.
“Are you okay?” asked Chen Yun, concerned.
Qin Luo wanted to preserve his manly image in the eyes of this girl that he was fond of so he got up immediately, “I am fine. Doesn"t hurt at all? How"s your knee? Did my skull hurt your knee? Do you need me to rub it for you?”
While he embarra.s.sing questions were making Chen Yun blush, a shriek came from the crowd.
“Hey, look! Those that were eaten were still alive!”
Among the heaps of meats were a stomach that was wiggling non stop. Leaving Qin Luo, Chen Yun went over, pulled out her sword, and directly sliced through the stomach wall. Four bodies covered in sticky stomach fluid rolled out from the inside.
Other than the first man that was swallowed was unconscious, the other three were fine.
Feng Buping quickly instructed the others to wash them off, even though the stomach acid of the gu diao wasn"t too strong, but it would still cause damage to the skin over time.
At this moment, the female voice rang in Qiu Luo"s head again, “Obtained Cla.s.s F ingredient gu diao. Recommended method of preparation: Grilled, braised, or baked with soil. Effect: Strength x 2. Duration: 1 hour.”
“Who are you?” asked Qiu Luo, “and why are you talking in my head?”
There was no response.
“Is it a ghost?” Qiu Luo felt a light breeze at the back of his head and suddenly a large palm patted him on his shoulder.
Qiu Luo jumped and whipped around while gripping his cleaver tightly. It was Feng Buping standing behind him.
Qiu Luo let out a sigh of relief, “Uncle, please say something first next time, okay? You scared the s.h.i.t out of me!”
Feng Buping was dumbfounded, “I called you several times, but you just stood here talking to yourself and never responded.”
Qiu Luo knew he was too distracted earlier and laughed embarra.s.sedly, “Oh, pardon me. Do you need something from me?”
Feng Buping placed a small pouch in Qiu Luo"s hand. Qiu Luo opened it up and saw that it was a pouch full of copper coins.
Qiu Luo was confused, “What is this for?”
“Don"t misunderstand,” smiled Feng Buping. “This is a token of appreciation from all of us. You must accept it.”
“I can"t do that!” As a 5-good2 chef of the new century, naturally he"d have to turn it down. “Uncle Feng you had already saved my life before. Let"s just call it even, okay?”
“Then let"s consider this the fees for hiring you, how about that?” Feng Buping continued, “We are still a good dozens of kilometers from the city of Ning Zhou. We"d feel much better to have you travelling with us.”
As it turned out, this merchant group was based out of Ning Zhou. Once a year they"d travel to a village deep in Mount Chongxi for specialty mountain merchandises. They have ran into gu dian twice before, and have always remained silent and just watched their companions got eaten.
___
Note:
1. If you are curious what a Carp Flip technique is:
2. 5 goods:
i) patriotism, obey the laws, give back to the community
ii) study hard in school, dedicated to one"s work
iii) equalities between the two genders, respect the elders, love the youths
iv) embrace new (better) customs, less kids but provide best education
v) financially responsible, environmentally conscious