Chapter 239: Exquisite Dinner

Chu Tianqiu, wearing a coat, was about to head towards the cemetery in the night when he was stopped by a young man.

Jin Yuanxun stood in front of him, his face filled with distress. He stared at Chu Tianqiu for a long time without saying a word.

“What’s wrong?” Chu Tianqiu asked with a smile. “Do you need something from me?”

“Ge…” Jin Yuanxun lowered his head and gathered his thoughts before speaking. “Will you kill me to keep me quiet?”

“Kill you?” Chu Tianqiu grinned, revealing his white teeth. “What for?”

“Because I saw that thing…” Jin Yuanxun swallowed hard. “Ge, what exactly are you doing down there?”

“Of course, I’m trying to leave this godforsaken place,” Chu Tianqiu said seriously. “I’m just conducting experiments… all kinds of experiments.”

“Those masks… and your body… they’re all part of the experiments?” Jin Yuanxun asked skeptically.

“Of course.” Chu Tianqiu nodded. “I told you before, I’m a biology doctor.”

Jin Yuanxun couldn’t meet Chu Tianqiu’s eyes and turned his head to the side, looking troubled as he asked, “Ge, have you ever killed anyone?”

“That’s quite a question… Why would I kill anyone?” Chu Tianqiu chuckled happily. “As far back as I can remember, my hands have never been stained with a drop of blood.”

“Is that so…?”

“How could you not believe me?” Chu Tianqiu stepped forward and patted Jin Yuanxun on the shoulder. “In your memory, am I some kind of cold-blooded monster?”

Jin Yuanxun sighed. “Ge, I don’t remember anything from before.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Chu Tianqiu sighed as well. “Jin Yuanxun, just relax. If I ever manage to leave here, you’ll all benefit from it.”

“Benefit from it?”

“Mm.” Chu Tianqiu smiled happily. “Your Chinese isn’t great, so you might not know… We have an old saying: ‘Yi ren de dao, ji quan sheng tian.’”

“De dao… sheng tian?” Jin Yuanxun looked up and blinked. “What does that mean?”

“It means if one person becomes a god, everyone around them will ascend to heaven,” Chu Tianqiu smiled gently. “Do you understand?”

“Ge… I believe you…” Jin Yuanxun nodded quietly. “I have no other choice but to believe you.”

“Good, go back and get some sleep.”

With a complicated expression, Jin Yuanxun turned and left into the dark night. As he walked, he felt that he was similar to the man named Qiao Jijin, yet not entirely the same.

They had the same personality but followed different “brains.”

In the end, whose path was the right one?

After saying goodbye to Jin Yuanxun, Chu Tianqiu arrived at the cemetery and found the third gravestone from the left, then descended into the secret passage.

It was a small warehouse he had discovered by chance, and after some simple modifications, it had become his hiding spot.

But now that the hiding spot was exposed, he needed to move it as soon as possible.

Chu Tianqiu went down the stairs and pushed open the door to the warehouse. A fresh wave of stench hit his nose.

He inhaled deeply with a hint of intoxication, then smiled and entered. He pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit the candles on the wall.

At the same time, the animal masks on several shelves in the room were illuminated, their hollow eyes floating into view.

“My exquisite dinner…”

Chu Tianqiu casually took a boning knife from the wall nearby and walked over to the table.

On the table lay the corpse of Qi Xia.

The body had already had many organs removed, and now even the skin was cut up and mangled.

“This damn shen shou didn’t leave me much…”

Chu Tianqiu held the knife as if examining a fine ingredient.

“Which part should I eat today…? Eating the heart didn’t work… Could the ‘hui xiang’ be in the brain?”

Chu Tianqiu thought for a few seconds and then made his decision.

He picked up the knife and grabbed a hammer.

Gripping the knife in reverse, he pressed it against the top of the corpse’s skull and began slowly chipping away with the hammer.

If the corpse in front of him weren’t Qi Xia, he definitely wouldn’t choose to eat that white stuff.

After all, without any seasonings, that part had a strong fishy taste and a soft, greasy texture.

In comparison, he preferred fingers.

Especially beautiful ones.

Fingers shouldn’t be stewed too soft—just seven or eight parts done.

The taut skin clings perfectly to the bones. Just pick it up, gently lift the nail, and tear off a piece of flesh with your teeth, and the bone comes right out.

Have you ever eaten chicken feet that are almost falling off the bone?

It makes a “crunch crunch” in your mouth, chewy and satisfying.

Both visually appealing and delicious.

After eating, pop the pretty nails in your mouth and chew them—that’s a true exquisite dinner.

“What a shame you don’t have any fingers left.” Chu Tianqiu shook his head helplessly and continued to open the skull of Qi Xia’s corpse.

He tapped the hammer rhythmically, humming Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat Major, making the whole scene even more bizarre.

After about half an hour, a bloody piece of bone was carefully removed.

Chu Tianqiu looked at the somewhat dark red interior of the skull and slowly smiled. He then took out a spoon and scooped it in.

Like digging out the sweetest part from the middle of a watermelon, he twisted the spoon around and scooped up a portion of the red-and-white substance that looked like tofu.

Next, he lit a fire with some wood, rubbed some aged butter on a frying pan, and placed the ingredient in it with satisfaction.

“Sizzle—”

As the slightly rotten brain met the hot pan, a strong aroma spread out.

“How about making a butter cheese bake today…?” Chu Tianqiu rummaged through his cabinet and looked disappointed. “Too bad there’s no cheese. Just a simple fry it is.”

He used the spoon to gently press down on the ingredient in the pan, ensuring even heating while shaping it into something more square.

To make food more refined, you have to shape it during cooking.

Thirty seconds per side, until the outside is lightly golden.

Once the white smoke stops rising, it’s ready to plate and enjoy.

Chu Tianqiu placed the part from Qi Xia’s body onto a large flat plate, spread a napkin on his lap, and picked up his knife and fork.

He carefully cut off a small piece from the pale edge, speared it with his fork, sniffed it near his nose, and then put it in his mouth.

The outside was slightly crisp, the inside soft and creamy.

With a gentle press of his tongue, the delicacy spread in his mouth, releasing a burst of flavor that lingered far better than Chu Tianqiu had imagined.

“‘Ji dang’ ah…” Chu Tianqiu looked utterly content. “Maybe when I wake up tomorrow… I’ll be the ‘ji dang zhe’…”

He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and smoothed it out on the table.

It was still in his own handwriting.

“As long as you eat it, you can gain that person’s ‘hui xiang.’”

His expression quickly darkened, and he thought to himself, Chu Tianqiu, oh Chu Tianqiu, you’re so clever, but why didn’t you write it more clearly back then?

Exactly what do I need to eat?