Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 29 - 28: Delicious Meat Feast, Eating Book Elder

Outside the Desire Pavilion, before the grand archway.

At first, the Desire Slave was quite diligent, explaining to Tao Qian the many services that the Desire Pavilion could provide.

Soon, however, she sensed something amiss.

This Half-Dragon Demon before her, appearing haughty and proud with noble blood, seemed nailed to the spot. Despite her eloquent speech and impressive oratory skills, she could not make him move a step.

What frustrated her even more was how quickly his thoughts changed.

Initially, she was asked to transform into an abstinent fairy, then into a Dragon Girl, and then she was forced to become a cold and imposing Empress, followed by a weird and quirky heroine, and thereafter, she was coerced into other bizarre forms she had never heard of, with exaggerated bodies and odd clothing, forced to speak a contrived language.

She suddenly stopped her introduction, adopting the unfamiliar form of "Dragon Maid," and stared at Tao Qian.

He was all smiles, squinting his gleaming golden eyes, showing no hint of shame on his face.

"Sir, are you perhaps making sport of this humble servant?"

Utilizing the Desire Slave's Innate Divine Ability to fulfill a minor wish of his own, Tao Qian felt a pang of guilt when questioned this way.

Entering the Desire Pavilion for service was clearly out of the question.

As for compensating the Desire Slave, Tao Qian considered himself a poor and stingy Cultivation novice; the only money he had was the seventeen Joyful Gold Coins given by that wretched giant toad.

"Just seventeen coins in total, I must use them sparingly, cannot give them away, just can't."

Tao Qian muttered to himself.

He then noticed that the other Cultivators and Alien Species had already freed themselves from the Desire Slaves and were heading towards the second Banquet Building.

Acting quickly on a brilliant excuse, Tao Qian then put on a bitter expression, placing his hands earnestly on the shoulders of the Desire Slave:

"How could that be?"

"Just hearing you describe it sets my heart and mind racing."

"But alas, when I left home, my family specifically instructed that under no circumstances should I lose my Primordial Yang."

"If it led to my bloodline being drained, I would surely lose half my life."

"It is truly a pity, such a pity."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tao Qian shook his head, showing a look of reluctance and regret.

Then, gritting his teeth, he turned away from the Desire Slave, swiftly caught up with the main group with a few quick steps.

Perhaps because Tao Qian's acting was too excellent and his emotions highly convincing—and his Dragon Clan's bewitching eyes were deceptive—the Desire Slave initially believed him.

But as a Desire Slave of the Desire Pavilion, greeting guests from all directions, she also knew quite a bit about Cultivation common sense.

She soon realized that any Cultivator or Demon with a decent background should know the "Locking Primordial Yang Technique."

He was indeed just making sport of her.

"Who knows where this dragon cub comes from, such a vile nature."

"This old lady curses you to be spotted by some strong Abnormalities that fancy dragons upon entering the workshop, seizing your Primordial Yang along with all your Dragon Blood and essence."

...

Tao Qian obviously could not hear the Desire Slave's curse.

At this moment, he was in a good mood, having freeloaded an introduction from the Desire Slave, and Tao Qian had a preliminary understanding of each Banquet Building he passed by.

Thus, he made up his mind not to enter any Banquet Buildings.

These so-called Banquet Buildings were akin to entertainment venues in the Cultivation World.

Like the second Banquet Building he was about to encounter, "Gambling God Tower," there couldn't be a more direct and brutal name. Even if you had a fortune, once you entered that building, you wouldn't leave unless you were cleaned out.

Then came the third building, "Blessing Building," which sounded promising at first glance. However, Tao Qian, who came from the Mortal World, quickly grasped the gimmick.

"Well, buddy, gambling and drugs, and that's the trifecta."

Tao Qian inwardly ranted like mad.

The first three Banquet Buildings were like this; how could he dare to enter the rest?

Thus, facing the question from the charming Desire Slave now transformed into a Dragon Maid, Tao Qian could only answer: he dared not move, indeed he dared not.

And beyond these Banquet Buildings, the crowd followed the path upwards.

They also encountered "Illusion Dream Tower," where one could freely dream to the point of addiction, or "Alcohol Bug Tower," which offered an experience of extreme intoxication.

Tengshe Town was right there, opening every night.

Thus continuously, Cultivators, Demons, and Alien Species, all intelligent, Transcendent lifeforms, continued to come from everywhere, constantly enlarging the group, with reinforcements arriving periodically.

But the majority of them, before reaching that truly reciprocal workshop, were seduced by these Banquet Buildings.

With each step, the number of people decreased.

By the time they reached the last Banquet Building, "Food God Pavilion," the so-called flesh feast began, and instantly many were pulled away.

This time, those seduced were mostly Demons and Monster Species.

Previously, an Old Demon claimed that the "flesh feast" would feature fresh goods from the Western Territory.

And at this moment, Tao Qian saw it.

He and a group of human Cultivators stood outside the Banquet Building, watching the hall inside where grilling racks were set up, emitting such a strong meaty aroma that it made one want to eat their own tongue.

And what was being grilled was decidedly humanoid creatures.

Yes, humanoid, but not human.

The Desire Pavilion had rules: whether you were a Cultivator, a Demon, or an Alien Species, you could not eat humans in Tengshe Town; violators would be hunted down.

Those being grilled, enticing droplets from myriad Demons and Monster Species.

The external form was undoubtedly that of a half-human, half-fish creature with sharp teeth, known as a "Deceitful Object." They seemed to possess an extraordinarily mellifluous singing voice, and even as they were being grilled, the sound of the seasoning sprinkling and their wailing cries surprisingly made for a pleasant melody.

Such an experience was unprecedented even for the group of old demons.

They praised the uniqueness and amusement of this meat feast, clicking their tongues.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

A few impatient Great Demons, quite simply pushed aside the servants in charge of the grilling and took up the grilling rods themselves, waving their arms about to cook the food faster, almost turning the rods into Wind and Fire Wheels.

Outside the building, Tao Qian, observing this bizarre scene, wore a strange expression.

"Could these mermaids be the Sirens, the cannibalistic abnormalities from the West?"

Tao Qian was somewhat befuddled, clearly struggling to understand this combination of flavors in the delicious barbecue.

Thus, he did not enter the Food God Pavilion to partake of the mermaid meat feast.

As he walked past several Banquet Buildings, the path ahead gradually brightened, revealing a bustling, vibrant street.

Shops lined both sides of the street, offering all kinds of market stalls.

The architectural style and other setups were identical to those in the Mortal World.

Tao Qian immediately knew that this was probably what "Tengshe Town" originally looked like.

However, the throngs of people moving back and forth on the street were not mortals.

Those who maintained a human form, bustling about, were all Cultivators who practiced various righteous and evil magic skills.

They appeared human, but who knew when they "mutated" or paid the price, what horrifying forms they would take.

Just like the Seeking Immortal Leader, Hong Heihu, who looked like a wealthy man before he transformed into a Blood Beast.

Apart from them, the street was filled with demons, ghosts, and exotic beasts.

These "Devils and Strange Objects," which would surely cause a massive disturbance if they appeared in the outside world, were here bargaining with shopkeepers and stall owners just like ordinary mortals.

And the items for sale on this street were all not of the mortal realm.

All kinds of abnormal and transcendent objects were everywhere.

Had Tao Qian not suppressed his "Extraordinary Perception" in advance, his mind would probably be dizzy with the throbbing sensation by now.

After the initial shock, Tao Qian quickly adapted.

Recalling the records in the Nameless Secret Manual, Tao Qian began to wander through this terrifying market.

As he had anticipated, although his avatar as a Half-dragon Half-man Demon was somewhat conspicuous, he blended in quite well.

Those demons, or Cultivator stall owners.

They merely took him for a newcomer, focused on peddling their wares, and did not see through his true identity.

Tao Qian spent half an hour exploring most of the market, leaving only those stores that clearly required Great Demons and Great Cultivators to dare enter.

Those places had too many strong people and strange objects, so Tao Qian temporarily ignored them.

After a few seconds of consideration, Tao Qian strolled over to a particularly unique stall.

This stall was one of the hottest in the market.

It occupied a large space, and the number of customers was astonishingly high.

And the stall owner was a Deceitful Object indeed.

In the center of the market stood a partially unfurled, ancient and mottled giant Bamboo Scroll.

Before the Bamboo Scroll, there were already a dozen customers, both Cultivators and Demons.

And in front of them all stood an old man dressed in Confucian robes, his appearance ugly, and his head large, but his eyes exuded wisdom.

A faint white light enveloped the customers and the old man, also isolating their conversations.

As Tao Qian approached, a description from the Nameless Secret Manual automatically surfaced in his mind:

"In the workshop of Tengshe Town, there exists a strange Deceitful Object, self-proclaimed as the 'Eating Book Elder.'"

"Nobody knows whether it is a human Cultivator or some kind of intelligent abnormal object, or an incomprehensible mystical phenomenon."

"Many Cultivators and Demons have attacked it, all ending in failure; however, it does not strike back, seemingly adhering to a peculiar rule of not killing."

"This entity often places a giant Bamboo Scroll in the workshop market. For a single piece of Joyful Money or another item of equivalent value, one can summon an avatar of the old man from the scroll, obtaining a chance to ask a question."

"The inquiries must relate to the contents of books, and the old man does not guarantee a response. Even if he responds, he only divulges some background stories and taboo practices of the book, never revealing any specific content."

"Cultivators who asked about the Great Lifebook Scriptures owned by the Twelve Major Daoist Sects, several major Buddhist temples, or ancient families were met with a cold sneer followed by a 'ptui,' and the Cultivator was expelled."

"However, if asked about common Cultivation Techniques or Secret Skills, the old man usually tells all the background and taboos truthfully."

...

Mulling over these descriptions, Tao Qian had already reached the Bamboo Scroll.

He pulled out a Joyful Money from his sleeve and tossed it directly at the Bamboo Scroll.

As the coin touched the surface of the scroll, a bizarre event occurred - the spot rippled like water, swallowing the Joyful Money.

Then, an old man materialized from within, stepping out.

When he stood in front of Tao Qian, a pale white light simultaneously enveloped them both.

"Esteemed guest, what book or Secret Skill would you like to inquire about? If I am aware, I will surely inform you."

The old man with the huge head, akin to a monster, finished speaking and did not urge Tao Qian; he simply stood patiently in front of him.

Tao Qian considered for half a second, then swallowed back his initial question about the Immortal Fish Technique.

Instead, he politely bowed and directly said:

"Elder, I would like to know about the stories and taboos related to the 'Bai Qin Play.' May I ask if you could inform me?"

ps: Asking for a monthly ticket!