The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 371 The Legend of the Hero of Light
It must be said that Di's mother was a good cook, and with Di You assisting her, the table full of home-style dishes made Qin Lang and the others very satisfied.

But no one could forget the scene of Di You chasing away the warbler before the meal. After the meal, when everyone was sitting back on the sofa in the living room, Qin Lang finally couldn't help but ask.

"Di You, why does your Lanqiu City consider the nightingale an omen of bad luck?"

“Yes.” Cao Dongdong nodded. “I’ve traveled to many cities, and I’ve never seen such a saying in any of them. Some cities even consider the oriole to be an auspicious bird.”

“The same is true in the Feri region,” Fatima said earnestly. “Wrens are lovely birds that can also catch mosquitoes and flies, making them beneficial birds.”

"I can't answer that." Di You scratched his head. "That's how my elders taught me since I was little."

"As for the reason..." Di You turned his gaze to his father, "Dad, do you know?"

“I do know something about that,” Di Zhao said with a smile. “Actually, the reason is related to the legend of Lanqiu City.”

"This legend is the book that Zuo Ge is holding in his hands." He said, pointing to the book Zuo Ge was holding.

For a moment, everyone's eyes turned to Zuo Ge.

"Uh, I haven't seen it yet." Zuo Ge scratched his head awkwardly. "I've only seen a kid named Wei Ran being ridiculed by his clansmen for his lack of talent, shouting 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't underestimate a young man'. I have to say, that line is pretty catchy."

Qin Lang: “…”

This story sounds familiar.

Never mind, my head's a little itchy, I'll stop thinking about it for now.

"Uncle Di, could you tell us a bit about this legend?"

"No problem at all."

Di Zhao smiled and said, "Zuo Ge hasn't finished reading it yet, so I won't spoil the beginning. I'll just talk about the part related to Ying."

"Legend has it that one day in the past, an evil nightingale appeared in Rancho City. Its eerie cries at night plunged the residents of Rancho City into nightmares, and even caused them to lose their lives forever in those nightmares."

"Under the daily torment, the residents of Lanqiu City decided to rebel. They invited powerful spirit chefs from other places, hoping to eliminate the evil nightingale through their efforts."

"But unfortunately, that nightingale possessed extremely powerful strength. Not only did these spirit masters fail to eliminate it, they also lost many excellent spirit masters as a result."

"Realizing that the nightingale could not be eradicated, the residents of Lanqiu City fell into despair. Many residents were forced to leave their homes, and those who had to stay in Lanqiu City could only live a nocturnal lifestyle with their days and nights reversed."

"At that moment, something even more despairing happened."

"The days in Rancho are getting shorter and shorter."

"That evil nightingale can gain greater power from the residents' nightmares, thus prolonging the night."

"In this way, even if the residents reverse their sleep schedules, they will not be able to avoid falling into the nightmare of that evil nightingale."

"In the end, all the residents who remained in Lanqiu City were trapped in nightmares, gradually weakening until the moment they lost their lives completely."

"Just then, Wei Ran appeared."

"He defeated the evil nightingale and sealed it away forever. The daytime in Rancho City was restored to normal, and the night was no longer frightening." "He is the one who brought light back to Rancho City, and the residents of Rancho City, in gratitude, bestowed upon him the title of 'Hero of Light'."

"Legend has it that when Wei Ran was fighting the evil nightingale, a drop of the evil nightingale's blood fell on an orchid, creating the Night Orchid."

"As the saying goes, there are always antidotes near the snake's den, and the blood of the evil nightingale that brings nightmares can also give people sweet dreams."

At this point, Di Zhao smiled and said, "This is the legend related to the evil nightingale. It is because of this legend that the nightingale is considered an ominous symbol in Lanqiu City. If a nightingale lands on a family's window, the family must drive it away as soon as possible, otherwise they will have nightmares at night."

"The Evil Nightingale, huh..." Qin Lang nodded thoughtfully. "With such a legend, I can understand the locals' views a little better."

"So, is that evil nightingale really that powerful?" Cao Dongdong couldn't help but ask. "Being able to extend the duration of night—only legendary creatures could probably do that, right?"

"Do legendary beings also exist in such an evil form?" Zhao Qian's eyes showed worry as she looked at Zuo Ge and Fatima beside her, hoping to get an answer from the two scholars of legends.

“As far as I know, that’s impossible,” Zoge said, frowning. “Legend has it that all living beings were once followers of the first food spirits.”

"Before they went into slumber, the original Food Spirits assigned them different powers and responsibilities to maintain the world order."

"After that, the legendary creatures hid in the mortal world, only appearing under certain special circumstances."

"Legends say that creatures wreak havoc on a region for their own selfish desires; such things should not exist."

“Yes,” Fatima nodded. “I’ve read almost all the legends of the Feli region, and the legendary creatures that appear in those legends have never done anything evil, unless…”

She paused slightly, then said, "Legend has it that living beings have fallen into a frenzy."

Upon hearing this, everyone simultaneously thought of the Leaping Fish, which had nearly destroyed the entire Leaping Lake City in its berserk state.

Could it be that this so-called evil nightingale is also in a similar situation?

“But according to the legend, there are some differences between the Evil Nightingale’s condition and its berserk state.” Fatima then shook her head.

"The Evil Nightingale is a legendary creature, but that's just our speculation. Perhaps in the era of the legend, there were other powerful creatures, or perhaps there are some hidden secrets in the legend."

The group nodded slightly, chatted with the Di family about other topics, and then took their leave. Just before leaving, Zuo Ge asked Di Zhao if he could borrow "The Legend of the Warrior of Light" to continue reading, and Di Zhao readily agreed.

Soon, the group of five returned to the hotel.

In the hotel room, Qin Lang slowly took out the pearl belonging to the Azure Silver Oriole from his backpack, his expression somewhat serious.

There were some things he couldn't say at Di You's house, but the moment he heard the story of the evil nightingale, a thought inexplicably formed in his mind.

They came to Lanqiu City following the trail of the Silver Oriole, and Lanqiu City happens to have a legend related to orioles.

In this legend, the evil nightingale's power even reached the level expected of a legendary being.

"Do you think... that so-called evil nightingale might actually be the Silver Nightingale we're looking for?"

(End of this chapter)