Douluo Continent: Gourmet Prisoner

Some say there is a miracle well that constantly bubbles up a natural curry sauce made with vanilla in a golden ratio, which people call the Curry Well; there exists a fruit in this world that exudes a rich, sweet milk and butter flavor and overflows with thick toffee syrup, like a fluffy sponge cake. Today is the age of food, an age of pursuing and exploring unknown delicacies.

Di Tian withdrew his dragon aura and transformed into a middle-aged man in a black robe with a cold face. He then entered Tian Dou City of the Tian Hun Empire with Shi Yu.

The destination of this trip is clear—to awaken the Martial Soul, in order to unravel the ultimate mystery of the "distinction between humans and beasts" in the Time Decree.

A long queue had already formed at the entrance of the hall for awakening martial spirits, mostly parents with children, their faces full of anticipation and trepidation.

The guard at the entrance shouted expressionlessly, "Pay 10 gold soul coins, line up in order to enter and awaken your martial soul. No noise allowed!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Yu muttered under his breath, "Good heavens, 10 gold soul coins! If the Tang God King from ten thousand years ago were to transmigrate to this era, he probably wouldn't even be able to awaken his martial soul before he even got started because he was broke!"

"Uncle Ditian, have you brought enough money?" Shi Yu asked, turning his head.

Di Tian nodded slightly: "I don't know the exact amount, but there are still 10 gold soul coins. We soul beasts don't use human currency; these are just remnants from human remains that we've collected."

After paying the gold soul coins, the two entered the Awakening Hall. In the center of the hall stood a huge Awakening Stone, surrounded by several Soul Masters responsible for guiding them.

The repeated pronouncements of verdicts echoed through the hall, tugging at the heartstrings of everyone present.

"Blue Silver Grass, a useless martial soul. Next one, don't waste time!"

"Level 3 innate soul power, scythe martial soul, barely qualified. Register and you can leave."

"Soft-boned Rabbit! Innate Soul Power Level 6! Not bad talent."

The children's emotions were like a rollercoaster. Those who awakened good martial souls and had innate soul power were overjoyed and were even recruited by the forces present. Those who awakened useless martial souls like Blue Silver Grass and Hoe, and had no innate soul power, could only hang their heads and leave the scene in disappointment amidst their parents' sighs.

Looking at the scene before him, Shi Yu also felt inexplicably nervous.

He wasn't worried about awakening a useless martial soul, since his origins were extraordinary. What truly made him uneasy was that if he failed to awaken a martial soul, then the fact that he was a soul beast would be completely confirmed.

"Next, Shi Yu!"

Upon hearing his name, Shi Yu took a deep breath and quickly walked to the Awakening Stone.

Upon seeing this, the guiding Soul Master immediately released his Martial Soul—a short staff gleaming with a faint light. He chanted incantations, and golden light patterns surged from the staff, enveloping Shi Yu and the Awakening Stone.

Instantly, Shi Yu felt his whole body heat up, and a strong sense of hunger suddenly struck him, as if countless delicacies were calling to him.

At the same time, an invisible aura suddenly spread out from him! Everyone in the hall, including the guiding soul master and Di Tian in human form, froze on the spot, and a strange image appeared in their minds: they seemed to be placed on a huge plate, with a huge figure whose face could not be seen above them, holding a knife and fork, looking at them with greedy eyes, as if they were about to be devoured in the next second.

"Mommy! Waaaaah, I'm scared!" A young child broke down first, bursting into tears. Following this example, the other children also started crying loudly, leaving the hall in a mess.

The guiding Soul Master was stunned for a full three seconds before he came to his senses, his face filled with shock and excitement.

Having worked in the field for many years, he had never seen such a domineering martial spirit aura. He quickly said to Shi Yu, "Child! Your martial spirit level is absolutely top-tier! Come here quickly, let me test your innate soul power!"

But as soon as he finished speaking, he discovered that Shi Yu, who had been standing in front of the Awakening Stone, had already disappeared.

At this moment, Shi Yu was being pulled away by Di Tian, ​​and they quickly left the place.

"So you really aren't a soul beast, kid?" Di Tian's expression was complex, his tone filled with disbelief. He'd raised this child for six years, always believing it to be a special-looking auspicious beast, but it turned out to be a human. "But how could a human hatch from an egg? That doesn't make sense at all!"

"I don't know either, Uncle Di Tian," Shi Yu shrugged, but felt a sense of relief—being able to awaken a martial soul at least proved that he was human. "Maybe I'm just a special case."

Di Tian pondered for a moment, then quickly let it go: "Forget it, there's no use dwelling on this. After raising you for so long, you're already a part of the Star Dou Great Forest, and the changes in Star Dou are largely thanks to you."

He changed the subject, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes, "By the way, what kind of martial soul did you awaken? That aura just now, even I felt like I was being served dinner, and I almost couldn't help but want to fight back."

Shi Yu recalled the feeling from just now; the enormous figure looking down at the plate clearly had the same aura as her own.

He recalled the days when he was a child, when the wolf king Ginnes fed Red Netero as a snack, and he remembered Grandpa Jiro saying that he himself was a gourmet demon. Gradually, he found the answer in his heart: "My martial spirit... should be myself, from body to spirit. But I prefer to call it 'gourmet demon'."

"A gourmet demon?" Di Tian raised an eyebrow. "That's a peculiar name. Why call yourself that?"

Shi Yu scratched his head and came up with a simple reason: "Well, Uncle Di Tian, ​​as you know, I love food, and over the years in the Star Dou Great Forest, many soul beasts think I'm like a 'demon,' so that's what they call me."

Di Tian scoffed, "You little brat, you do have some self-awareness. You've caused quite a ruckus in Star Dou over the years, and the soul beasts have complained about you to me quite a bit."

"Hey? You can't blame me entirely!" Shi Yu immediately retorted, "The Three-Eyed Golden Lion caused trouble too, it was even more troublesome than me!"

The man and the dragon chatted and strolled around, the bustling city of Tiandou leaving Shi Yu overwhelmed with its splendor. Before he knew it, the sky was gradually darkening.

"Alright, it's time to go back to the Star Dou Great Forest, lest that little gluttonous cat can't find you and starts crying again," Di Tian said.

"Uncle Di Tian, ​​wait for me!" Shi Yu's eyes lit up as he pointed to a kitchenware store not far away. "I'm going to buy a set of kitchenware. With better kitchenware, I might be able to make some different kinds of delicious food!"

"Go quickly and come back soon, I'll wait for you here." Di Tian shook his head helplessly; this child always thinks about food no matter where he goes.

Shi Yu excitedly ran into the kitchenware store and haggled with the owner for a long time before finally buying a complete set of exquisite kitchenware at a satisfactory price—including an iron pot, a kitchen knife, a cutting board, and even a set of carved tableware.

Although he didn't lack the money, he found the bargaining process particularly interesting.

Carrying brand-new kitchen utensils, Shi Yu hummed a little tune from the culinary world as she slowly walked towards the agreed-upon location.

As I passed through a quiet alley, I heard a faint, painful groan.

"Huh? Do city people do this kind of thing? In the alley at night?" Shi Yu stopped curiously and peered into the alley.

But the next second, a child's sobbing broke his reverie: "Daddy...Mommy...Waaah..."

"Oh, so that's not it." Shi Yu stroked his chin, then paused, "Wait, why do I feel a little disappointed?"

He strode into the alley and, by the dim moonlight, saw a small figure curled up in a corner. It was a little girl of about ten years old, covered in dirt, with dark red bloodstains on her clothes. She had fallen asleep, her brows furrowed, and she was making pitiful sobs, repeatedly calling out "Daddy, Mommy."

"So, this means... I picked up a little girl?" Shi Yu squatted down and poked the little girl's cheek. The girl whimpered but didn't wake up.

He hesitated for a moment, thinking: leaving her here is definitely not a good idea. It's so dark, what if she runs into bad guys? I should take her back. At worst, the Red King can take care of another one.

Having made up his mind, Shi Yu scooped up the little girl and carried her on his shoulder, while the kitchen utensils were slung over his other shoulder. He strode out of the alley and headed in the direction where Di Tian was.

"Uncle Di Tian, ​​I'm back—"

Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Di Tian's cold gaze.

Di Tian pointed at the little girl on his shoulder, his tone unfriendly: "Explain to me what you mean by 'picking up a little girl on the street'?"

"It means exactly what it says." Shi Yu looked innocent. "I saw her lying unconscious in the alley, covered in injuries. She looked so pitiful, so I brought her back."

Just as the two were arguing, the little girl on their shoulder slowly opened her eyes.

She looked around in a daze at the two unfamiliar figures before her—one tall and aloof, the other delicate and adorable. Startled, she shrank back, struggling to slide off Shi Yu's shoulder and curling up in the corner, asking warily, "Who are you? Where am I?"

Shi Yu's eyes lit up, and he immediately struck what he thought was a cool pose, mimicking a line he'd heard in the "Gourmet World": "Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll mercifully tell you! To prevent the world from being destroyed, to protect... ouch!"

Before he could finish speaking, Di Tian tapped him on the back of the head.

"Speak properly!" Di Tian said irritably.

"Oh." Shi Yu scratched the back of his head and said obediently, "My name is Shi Yu, this is Uncle Di Tian, ​​this is Tian Dou City, I found you in an alley, and you are currently in the inn where we are staying."

The little girl carefully examined the little boy in front of her: his fluffy white hair was soft and fluffy, his blue pupils were like flawless sapphires, his features were incredibly delicate, and his skin was fair. He looked like a pampered young master.

She hesitated for a moment, then asked softly, "Why did you pick me up?"

"Do I need a reason?" Shi Yu asked rhetorically.

"Don't you need it?" The little girl tilted her head.

"The reason is that I'm kind-hearted!" Shi Yu shrugged. "I saw a young girl like you collapsed in an alley, covered in dirt and blood. I was afraid you wouldn't live to see tomorrow, so I brought you back."