Chapter 15: it tastes plain
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A small hmph… came from Yin Zhe's throat as he came to a decision. "If he wanted us dead, we would be dead already."
He made up his mind and reached out his hand.
The moment his fingers touched the spoon, the others gasped slightly.
ahh!..
Ren Tie's mouth opened wide. "You're eating?!"
Yin Zhe didn't answer. He had never responded to Ren Tie since they met. Then he scooped a bit of food. It was just hot broth. and brought it to his mouth. The warm smell rose even more as his mouth watered. He closed his lips around the spoon.
sip…
He chewed slowly and calmly. This time he wasn't shaking. Neither was there fear shown on his face. Although his heart rate did rise for a moment. thump. thump. he didn't let it show.
Inwardly he whispered to himself:
"If I die now, that will be too stupid. And Too early. I haven't even started becoming stronger… I've got to survive no matter what"
He felt his throat become tight for a brief moment.
"I can't die before even making a move… I can't…"
But he finished swallowing. And notice that he didn't fall. He didn't choke. Neither did he pass out. There was absolutely no reaction. Or No signs of poison.
The room remained silent. As he ate.
The elder in the straw hat stayed calm. His calm eyes never moved.
Yin Zhe took another slow bite.
sip… crunch…
Then another. And another.
His movements were steady and natural.
The others kept staring at him like he was walking into a pit of fire. Their eyes were wide, filled with fear and shock.
Wen Chong whispered with a shaking voice, "He's… he's eating like nothing is wrong."
Bao Zi leaned forward, whispering sharply, "Is he crazy?. Or just brave?.. perhaps he's both crazy and brave"
Ren Tie couldn't look away. "If he drops dead, I swear..."
Yin Zhe heard their whispers, but he didn't say anything. He had always ignored them and planned to keep it that way.. He kept on eating.
His face stayed calm on the outside. but inside, he felt small waves of pressure hitting his chest.
"They think I'm not scared… but I am. I just can't show it. If I panic too much now, they will see it. I can't look weak."
For a brief moment, he raised his eyes.
All their faces were staring directly at him.
He could tell what they were thinking. He was sure their thoughts went along the lines of. Is he dying soon?. Is he already poisoned?.
The doubt in their eyes was heavy.
Ding!!!
"Doubted reactive points +4."
The system's cold voice passed through his mind like a light tap. He didn't react to it out loud. He kept a blank face.
But inside: "They doubt me… good. Better doubt than pity." He continued eating nonchalantly.
The elder didn't say anything. He only leaned back in his chair a little. The straw hat hid his expression, but Yin Zhe felt the old man watching him or Studying him.
That made Yin Zhe's back stiffen for a moment as his thoughts went wild. "Does he know?. Did the maid notice something earlier? Does he know who I am?" His heartbeat gave one strong hit.
thump!!!..
But Yin Zhe forced himself to stay calm. He didn't want to show fear, because it will only confirm their suspicion if they aren't sure of me.
The others waited for a few minutes. As they Watched him eating.
When Yin Zhe didn't collapse, Ren Tie's shoulders loosened a bit.
"Hmmm…" he murmured, rubbing his chin. "Maybe it's safe."
Tian Zuo swallowed his own saliva.
gulp… "Maybe we should… eat too."
They all looked at each other again. Their faces carried fear, hunger, and uncertainty mixed together.
Bao Zi leaned toward Ren Tie. "What if the poison works slow?"
Ren Tie exhaled with frustration. "If it was poison, that old man wouldn't be sitting here waiting. He would be outside or hiding."
The others fell silent.
A few more seconds passed.
The smell of the food filled the air more and more.
Warm and delicious Smell. It pushed into their noses until they couldn't bear it anymore.
Yin Zhe took another bite. crunch… crunch… and he was Still alive.
Ren Tie stared at him and hissed, "Fine… fine…" He picked up his own spoon with shaky fingers. "If he's still breathing, then. forget it. I'm hungry."
He took a bite. The spoon made a small clink on the bowl.
Bao Zi followed.
Then Wen Chong.
Tian Zuo the last one.
Soon, all four of them were eating.
They ate in Slow and careful bites at first.
slup… crunch… chew…
Their eyes were moving between Yin Zhe, the elder, and their own bowls.
The dining hall stayed warm and quiet except for the small crunching and chewing sounds that were coming from the boys as they kept stuffing food into their mouths. At first their hands moved, then their movement became slower as they tried to act calm in front of the old man in the straw hat.
Elder Zhen watched them with calm eyes. He rested his elbows on the armrest of the chair and tapped the wood lightly with his fingers.
tok… tok… tok…
After a while. his voice broke the silence.
"My name is Elder Zhen," he said. His tone was deep. but at the same time, it sounded calm, like a calm and deep lake. "You lads need not worry about your well-being."
All of them froze for a moment after hearing his words.
Ren Tie paused with half a meat chunk hanging from his mouth. Bao Zi choked a little. "kghh… cough.. " and forced the food down with a gulp. Tian Zuo wiped his mouth with shaking fingers. They all nodded in slowly, but they looked confused.
Yin Zhe didn't even lift his head. He just kept on eating.
He knew the elder was watching him, but he didn't care. His mouth kept on moving and chewing… crunch...chew… chew... He gulped as he swallowed a spoon of tasteless broth.
His mind drifted. He had realized something was wrong with the food of this world.
"The food here… hmmm… it tastes plain again.
No fancy spice. Or care. Like those meals from earth. Just raw spiritual essence inside.
The people of this world don't care about taste at all. The only thing they care about are spiritual quality, cultivation value, and energy purity of the meals… they focus on the spiritual property of the food instead of the taste. And this made the food taste bland. Compared to Earth's meals.. tsk.."
He took another bite of vegetables.
The texture felt plain and damp in his mouth.
crunch… crunch…
If food on earth was a full song, this is like one drum hit. It all tasted Empty. Including the meat.
His chest tightened a bit. Then he let out a small sigh. "I might have to cook for myself in this world. If I make proper food, when I say proper food, I mean real food, I could even drop cultivation and become a chef. A master chef. These people would pay millions of spirit crystals if they tasted real seasoning from earth…" He had a grin on his mind.
But outside, his face stayed blank as he picked a different plate of food and tasted it. He took small bites of everything dishes available, one by one, memorizing the texture and the flaws.
"This meat is too dry. The soup has no real taste. The meats taste like someone washed them in cold water and stopped there. If I mix a little heat, a little oil… some herbs… I could flip this whole world upside down… if not for the fact that I have so many enemies I would have dropped my cultivation right now and because a chef.... imagine how much money I'll make... I'll be rich"