Having been given a second chance at life, I choose to join the Demonic Sect!

Chapter 20 Spiritual Cuisine - Gazing at the Stars!
After making her decision, An Yingji suddenly pointed in a certain direction and exclaimed:

"Junior brother, look over there they're offering free samples of Grade 5 spiritual food!"

"Fifth-grade spiritual cuisine! Free tasting!"

Cao Meng looked in the direction An Yingji was pointing and indeed saw those large characters.

Before Cao Meng could even figure out what was going on, An Yingji dragged him away towards the tasting area!
……

Xia Yulan is the chief elder in charge of the sect's dining hall; the entire sect's dining hall is her territory!

She has recently developed a fifth-grade spiritual dish, but no one has tried it yet, which is causing her great distress.

She's been hoping for another big, innocent child lately!
No, it's a lovely disciple who came to sample her Grade 5 spiritual cuisine!

An Yingji dragged Cao Meng to Xia Yulan and asked:
"Uncle Xia, are there any more Grade 5 spiritual dishes left for tasting?"

Cao Meng wanted to save money, but his senior sister treated him to a free meal—a fifth-grade spiritual dish!

How understanding my senior sister is!
"Yingji, are you here for a taste test?"

Upon hearing that they were there for a food tasting, Xia Yulan immediately perked up, and her voluptuous chest began to tremble violently.

Xia Yulan's question startled An Yingji, who quickly explained:
"Uncle-Master Xia, my junior brother is here to sample the food!"

An Yingji dared not try Xia Yulan's new dish, after all, Xia Yulan's track record speaks for itself.

An Yingji estimated that in the entire Hehuan Sect, only those newcomers who were unaware of the situation dared to try Xia Yulan's new dishes.

Back then, the peak master of Hundred Flowers Peak and Xia Yulan were best friends known to everyone in the sect.

Back then, the peak master of Hundred Flowers Peak ate a fifth-grade spiritual dish created by Xia Yulan, and even a powerful Nascent Soul stage expert was poisoned!

Afterwards, the Hundred Flowers Peak Master even cleaved the sect's canteen in two with a single sword strike, severing the friendship between the former best friends!

Upon learning that Cao Meng was the one who tasted the dishes, Xia Yulan first glanced at An Yingji, then looked at Cao Meng:
"You must be Cao Meng, the new disciple of Senior Sister Duanmu, right?"

"Uncle-Master, I don't have much to offer you, but please eat plenty of the fifth-grade spiritual food later!"

Although Xia Yulan is not a peak master, she is of the same generation as Duanmu Fei and the other seven peak masters, belonging to the high-level of the Hehuan Sect.

"Uncle-Master Xia, I was just passing by!"

Cao Meng sensed something was wrong. He didn't want to be a guinea pig for testing the food; he wanted to run away.

Cao Meng wanted to run away, but it was too late. He had already arrived, and Xia Yulan was unlikely to let him go easily.

Xia Yulan, the mature and sophisticated senior sister, grabbed Cao Meng's arm, preventing him from running away.

Xia Yulan affectionately took Cao Meng's arm and led him into the private tasting room... a private room.

An Yingji transmitted her voice to Xia Yulan and asked:
"Uncle-Master Xia, my junior brother is only at the first level of Foundation Establishment. Will he get sick from eating this?"

An Yingji is starting to regret it; she feels she's gone a bit too far.

"Yingji, don't worry."

With me, a Nascent Soul cultivator, here, nothing will happen!

Xia Yulan assured An Yingji that although her cultivation level was not as high as that of Duanmu Fei and the other seven peak masters, she was still a genuine Nascent Soul cultivator.

Xia Yulan kept Cao Meng seated and then brought out the spiritual meal she had prepared in advance:
"Junior Nephew Cao Meng, I haven't decided on a name for this fifth-grade spiritual dish yet. Why don't you try it first?"

Cao Meng looked at the large-headed fish, its eyes wide open in death, staring up at the sky on the plate, and said tremblingly:

"Is this what it means to look up at the stars?"

Although Cao Meng hadn't eaten it yet, just looking at this "culinary cultivation version of gazing at the stars," he knew it was a culinary disaster.

"Look up at the starry sky!"

“That’s a good name!”

Xia Yulan thought Cao Meng's choice of a dish name was good, and she decided to use it.

Xia Yulan cast an expectant look at Cao Meng, gesturing for him to quickly try it and then praise himself!
"Uncle Xia, my master has summoned me, so I must return first!" Cao Meng estimated that eating this fifth-grade spiritual dish might kill his own people, so he could only use Duanmu Fei as an excuse to save his life.

“Nephew Cao Meng, eating is the most important thing; everything else is secondary.”

If Senior Sister Duanmu blames you, your Uncle-Master will back you up!

Having finally found a guinea pig to test the food, how could Xia Yulan possibly let Cao Meng escape?

Even if the sky were to fall today, the other party would still have to eat this spiritual dish first.

At this crucial moment, the system went live.

"Beep, based on the special situation faced by the host, a task reward is issued:"

Option 1: Fight to the death and refuse the culinary horrors and spiritual food—Look up at the stars!
Task reward: None!

(Friendly reminder: Xia Yulan is a Nascent Soul cultivator, and the host's chance of successfully resisting is zero!)

We recommend that the host choose option two!

Option Two: Drag An Yingji into the mess. The senior and junior disciples should share both good fortune and hardship!
Task selection reward: One Innate Gengjin Bodhi Fruit!

Cao Meng stared blankly at the task options presented by the system.

This isn't a choice between two options; it's clearly a single option!

What a terrible system!
"System, I choose option two!"

Left with no other choice, Cao Meng had to opt for option two.

Cao Meng glanced at An Yingji beside him, then suggested to Xia Yulan:
"Uncle Xia, if I were to taste this 'Looking Up at the Stars' dish by myself, my evaluation alone would not be a fair assessment of it."

Why not let my senior sister try this spiritual dish as well? She's cultivated for many years and has tasted countless spiritual dishes; her opinion will surely be more insightful!

Cao Meng decisively dragged An Yingji into the mess, making her taste the bizarre cuisine together.

This dog of a woman is heartless, so don't blame yourself for being unjust.

"Nephew Cao Meng, what you say makes sense!"

Xia Yulan immediately agreed, saying that it's better to have two people tasting the food than one.

Moreover, since they are senior and junior brothers, he, as their senior uncle, must treat them equally and not discriminate against them.

An Yingji glared fiercely at Cao Meng, then pleaded with Xia Yulan:

"Uncle Xia, I just ate, I'm not hungry!"

An Yingji dared not eat Xia Yulan's terrible cooking. She had eaten it once when she was young and naive, and it made her feel unwell for several months.

"Senior sister, what are you saying? As juniors, isn't it only natural for us to help Uncle Xia taste the dishes?"

"Uncle Xia has worked hard to establish the spiritual cuisine, and we younger generations should support him."

Cao Meng knew he couldn't escape, so he decided to stand on the moral high ground and rebuke An Yingji, forcibly dragging her down with him.

"Uncle Xia, you must not listen to this scoundrel's slander!"

When An Yingji saw that Xia Yulan was about to be bewitched by Cao Meng, she panicked completely.

At the same time, she began to retreat little by little towards the exit, preparing to escape.

"Nephew Cao Meng, how wonderful it would be if you were my disciple!"

Xia Yulan was deeply moved by Cao Meng's words; finally, someone understood her.

After praising Cao Meng, Xia Yulan's eyes suddenly turned cold as she glanced at An Yingji, who was preparing to flee, and scolded her:
"Yingji, as a senior sister, you are not as enlightened as your junior brother!"

Your performance has greatly disappointed me, your senior apprentice!"

As Xia Yulan finished speaking, she directly pulled An Yingji over and restrained her in her seat.

(End of this chapter)