Venerable Demon Chef

Chapter 571: Chapter 568: Snail’s Pace Progress

"Alright!" Mo Qi said with a smile. "As per the restaurant’s rules, you pay first and pick up your order tomorrow."

Qin Hai and the others were already aware of the rules for custom orders, so they raised no objections. After reluctantly parting with the required payment, they didn’t linger and promptly departed.

Watching the four of them leave, Gu Peng couldn’t help but ask, "Brother Mo, are you really going to help them solve their problems?"

Gu Peng didn’t understand. Since they were mortal enemies, why would Mo Qi help Qin Hai and the others resolve their various ailments?

’Why not take this opportunity to expose Feng Gong for cultivating a Demon Skill and have him brought to justice?’

’Then he could let the others reap what they’d sown and wait for death in despair.’

Mo Qi patted Gu Peng’s shoulder. "Brother Gu, things aren’t as simple as you imagine."

"Qin Hai’s curse runs deep; it’s not something you or I can meddle in. Since Feng Gong dares to cultivate a Demon Skill, he must have some powerful backing."

"The He Family has controlled the Void Spirit Flash Flame for tens of thousands of years. Even though they’ve never managed to merge with it, He Jincheng won’t be dying anytime soon, as long as they’re willing to pay the price."

"As for Gu Weitian... he’s the key to curing Lele and allowing her to set foot on the path of the Martial Dao."

"But..." Gu Peng was still uneasy. ’Nurturing a tiger only leads to future disaster. It’s a grave mistake.’

"Enough with the ’buts.’ When have I ever been on the losing end? Relax, I have my own plans. The fates of these people were sealed long ago. Not a single one of them will escape!"

With that, Mo Qi’s figure flickered and vanished, reappearing in the kitchen.

The Pig Emperor set aside the Medicinal Cuisine it was working on and leaped onto Mo Qi’s shoulder. "Mo the kid, how’d it go?"

Mo Qi grinned. "All settled. Now we just wait for the fish to bite."

"However, I did discover something very interesting."

The Pig Emperor’s interest was piqued. "What is it?"

"Do you remember Qin Xueyun, the one who merged with the Evil Seed?"

The Pig Emperor nodded.

Mo Qi revealed the skull tattoo on his wrist—the Evil Demon Mark.

"Elder Ku Mu said this thing is related to Evil Demons. I sensed the same aura from Qin Hai. I’m certain he has an Evil Demon Mark too, but his is different from mine."

"How is it different?" the Pig Emperor asked.

"My mark is merely for tracking my location, but Qin Hai’s has the power to enslave. In other words, he’s been enslaved by someone else!"

The Pig Emperor stroked its chin. "You mean he’s been enslaved by an Evil Demon? He’s been working for Evil Demons all this time?"

Mo Qi nodded. "It’s the only possibility."

"Then what are you waiting for? Go tell that old coot Ku Mu! He seems to know a lot about Evil Demons," the Pig Emperor said.

"No rush." Mo Qi waved his hand dismissively. "There’s no need to startle the snake in the grass just yet. We can wait until everything at the restaurant has settled down."

"Besides, if the Evil Demons are as terrifying as Elder Ku Mu claims, then Qin Hai is likely just a pawn. All I want right now is to raise my Cultivation as quickly as possible. A continent-spanning crisis like this shouldn’t be my problem, and it’s not my place to manage it."

The Pig Emperor nodded in agreement.

Despite Mo Qi being unrivaled among his peers, armed with the Chaos Scripture and an endless arsenal of techniques, he was no stronger than an ant before a truly powerful expert.

Biding his time and building his strength was the wisest course of action.

"By the way, how’s your progress on the Moon Spirit Gate?" the Pig Emperor asked.

A bitter look crossed Mo Qi’s face at the question. "Progress is agonizingly slow. Over the past half a month, I’ve refined more than a thousand different kinds of Immortal Level Spirit Medicine, but their potency was only enough to strengthen half of one finger."

As he spoke, Mo Qi held out his right index finger. He circulated his energy slightly, and the upper half of the finger began to emit a white glow like warm jade, humming with a razor-sharp aura.

"I can only absorb each type of Immortal Level Spirit Medicine once; consuming the same kind again doesn’t count toward my progress. I’ve already absorbed most of the common Immortal Level Spirit Medicines available on the market. The number of new varieties I receive each day is dwindling. Soon, I’m afraid there won’t be any new ones left at all."

"Only half a finger?!" The Pig Emperor was stunned.

’The Moon Spirit Gate, after all, represented the physical body—the limbs, the bones, the internal organs, everything.’

’If a thousand types of Immortal Level Spirit Medicine could only strengthen half a finger, then strengthening his entire body to the stage of Perfection, igniting the Spiritual Fire, and pushing open the Moon Spirit Gate... it was a goal with no end in sight!’

’And after the Moon Spirit Gate, there were still the Mind Spirit Gate, the Life Spirit Gate, and the Necromancy Spirit Gate!’

’My heavens!’

The Pig Emperor clicked its tongue. ’Mo the kid’s path on the Martial Dao is a bit expensive!’

"Well... don’t be discouraged. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Take your time. You’ll reach Perfection eventually." After a long pause, the Pig Emperor managed to squeeze out a few words of comfort.

Mo Qi nodded, his expression earnest. "Right, no rush. Many people are probably still watching from the sidelines. Besides, aren’t there three other major regions? I’ll just keep swindling them bit by bit. One day I’ll have swindled enough. If all else fails, there’s still the Immortal Realm, isn’t there?"

The Pig Emperor was speechless. "..."

’I’m actually speechless,’ the Pig Emperor thought. ’Well, as long as you’re happy. You’re the one who’ll get beaten to death, anyway.’

...

After leaving Mo Qi’s restaurant, Qin Hai and the other three traveled a long way in silence.

Once they were a safe distance from the restaurant, the four of them stopped in unison, as if by unspoken agreement.

They looked at one another, and the atmosphere grew awkward.

Qin Hai’s "curse" was actually a Soul-Catching Slave Seal.

Feng Gong’s cultivation of a Demon Skill was a grave taboo.

He Jincheng’s soul was damaged from a backlash by the Void Spirit Flash Flame.

Gu Weitian was in unspeakable agony from forcibly merging with another’s bloodline.

The four of them were supposed to work together to probe Mo Qi’s background, but instead, Mo Qi had been leading them by the nose the entire time.

Not only had they been constantly on the back foot, but they had also handed over half their fortunes.

"Why did he agree to treat us?" He Jincheng was the first to speak.

"What do you mean, ’treat’? We paid for it with our fortunes!" Feng Gong was the most resentful of them all. "Hmph. He’s just a greedy young punk. What other reason could there be?"

Gu Weitian remained silent, lost in thought.

But Qin Hai shook his head and sneered. "Greedy? If he were truly greedy, why wouldn’t he have agreed to solve all three of your problems? Feng Gong, calm down. Do not underestimate Mo Qi, and more importantly, do not overestimate yourself!"

Feng Gong’s brow furrowed. In the past, he would have immediately retorted, but now, he couldn’t find any grounds for rebuttal.

"Qin Hai, I can’t take this anymore!" Feng Gong snarled like a wounded old wolf. "As soon as we pick up our orders tomorrow and confirm they work, we start your plan immediately!"

This time, Qin Hai didn’t object. After what had happened in the private room, he strongly agreed with Feng Gong’s sentiment.

’Mo Qi could not be allowed to remain!’

"So what exactly is your plan? You can tell us now, right?" Perhaps because his practice of a Demon Skill had been exposed, Feng Gong no longer bothered with concealment. A red glow emanated from the Demonic Energy shrouding his body, within which countless vengeful souls writhed—ferocious and terrifying, letting out agonized roars and shrill screams.

Qin Hai and the other two narrowed their eyes. They knew exactly what those vengeful souls represented: the lives of those who had died unjustly at Feng Gong’s hands.

The three men looked away, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing.

Feng Gong continued, "I’ve said it before. The plan is to kill with a borrowed knife. Mo Qi is holed up in his restaurant, protected by an Array. As long as Elder Ku Mu is there, we can’t touch him."

"So, if we can just lure Elder Ku Mu away, those Arrays will be a joke to us."