Douluo Continent: Gourmet Prisoner

After spending the night in the wild, Tang Ya woke up in the morning with a sore back and aching waist, and once again fell into self-doubt, wondering if she had been out of her mind to come back with Shi Yu.

"A beautiful day begins with a hearty breakfast!" Shi Yu stretched and said energetically.

"Okay, okay! What should we have for breakfast?" Shi Qiu'er immediately came over, her eyes sparkling, her mind full of food.

Shi Yu looked around and quickly spotted a strangely shaped tree not far away: "Let's eat that, that bread tree."

"Huh? You can eat trees?" Tang Ya looked blank. She had only ever heard of eating fruit from trees, never of eating the whole tree.

"You don't understand," Shi Yu stepped forward, reached out and tore off a branch, stuffing it into his mouth without hesitation. "This isn't an ordinary tree, it's a real 'bread tree'—you can't eat its fruit, you can only eat the trunk and branches."

The twig entered her mouth, releasing a wheat aroma mixed with a subtle sweetness, its texture soft yet chewy. Shi Yu closed her eyes, a look of pure enjoyment on her face: "This wheat aroma, this subtle sweetness, this soft texture, it's amazing!"

Shi Qiu'er couldn't contain herself any longer. She rushed to the tree, opened her mouth and took a bite of the thick trunk, eating with relish, with bread crumbs still stuck to the corners of her mouth.

Seeing the two of them wolfing down their food, Tang Ya, with some skepticism, also tore off a branch and carefully put it in her mouth.

The next second, her eyes lit up: "This...this is even better than the best bread I've ever had in Tiandou City!"

"This is nothing," Shi Yu waved his hand. "This is just an ordinary bread tree without any capture level. There are plenty of things in the Star Dou Great Forest that taste much better than this."

"Is there anything even tastier?" Tang Ya swallowed hard, instantly forgetting her backache and self-doubt.

"Of course!" Shi Yu was about to say something more when Shi Qiu'er interrupted him.

"Stop talking! Hurry up and finish your breakfast so we can go find out what to have for lunch!" Shi Qiu'er urged while chewing on a twig.

"Oh, right, Uncle Red King!" Shi Yu suddenly called out towards the depths of the forest, "Could you please find some soul beasts and help us build a house?"

"You've just gotten back and you're already summoning a beast?" A loud voice rang out, accompanied by heavy footsteps. A three-headed dog engulfed in dark red flames slowly emerged—it was the ferocious beast, Crimson King.

"What was that just now?" Tang Ya asked, hiding behind Shi Yu in fright, her voice trembling.

"The ferocious beast Crimson King of the Star Dou Great Forest," Shi Yu said calmly.

"Why can you say the word 'ferocious beast' in such a calm tone?!" Tang Ya was on the verge of a breakdown.

"I've lived here for six years, so I'm used to it." Shi Yu patted her shoulder. "Let's go find lunch in the mixed zone; the food there is much better!"

The two humans and one beast set off towards the mixed zone. The mixed zone was no longer what it was six years ago—modified by the gourmet cells, it was now teeming with strange gourmet creatures, and the air was filled with all sorts of tempting aromas. But beneath the deliciousness, unknown dangers also lurked.

"Wow! There's a whole roasted pig that's ten thousand years old!" Shi Yu's eyes lit up as he pointed to a huge, charred whole roasted pig not far away. "Just looking at it makes my mouth water!"

"Hiss—a whole roasted pig that's ten thousand years old!" Shi Qiu'er swallowed hard. A whole roasted pig that's a thousand years old already left her with a lingering taste, but a ten-thousand-year-old one was simply unimaginable.

"Wait! Why is the whole roasted pig alive?!" Tang Ya suddenly realized what was happening and looked at the whole roasted pig, which was leisurely strolling around and occasionally swishing its tail, with a look of horror on her face.

The Wannian Roasted Whole Pig seemed to sense their gaze, staring warily at the two men and the beast, its muscles tense, clearly feeling threatened.

"This whole roasted pig is not to be eaten." The Red King's voice came again; he had somehow caught up with them.

"Why can't we eat it?" Shi Yu and Shi Qiu'er asked in unison, their voices full of disappointment.

"This is the king of the whole roasted pig herd, which Di Tian specially kept to observe," the Crimson King explained. "It has already developed intelligence, and Di Tian wants to see what these gourmet creatures will look like after they grow to be 100,000 years old."

"Alright." Shi Yu shrugged helplessly. "Then let's find something else to eat."

The two people and the beast continued to stroll in the mixed zone when suddenly, a thunderous roar came, shaking the ground slightly.

"What's that sound? Is it thunder? But it's a clear day!" Tang Ya looked up at the sky in confusion.

"Hiss—it's Dorodakara!" Shi Yu's expression changed. "That's the sound they're making as they beat their chests. They're warning us to stay away from this place."

"Hey! Is there any place my Imperial Beast can't go?" Shi Qiu'er said defiantly. "This warning is definitely suspicious! There must be something delicious hidden inside!"

"Qiu'er is right!" Shi Yu's eyes lit up, and he suddenly realized something. His mouth started watering uncontrollably. "If that's what's inside, then their behavior makes sense!"

"Hey! Your drool is disgusting!" Tang Ya handed her a handkerchief with a look of disgust. "And what is this 'thing' you were talking about?"

"Yeah, yeah! What is that thing?" Shi Qiu'er also came over, licking her lips with longing.

"Rainbow Fruit!" Shi Yu swallowed hard, his face filled with longing. "A dreamlike fruit that displays seven colors and seven flavors depending on the temperature and humidity. Its juice is extremely concentrated; if you drop just one drop into a small lake, the entire lake will turn into a rich and fragrant juice, perfect for making desserts and drinks!"

"Is there really such a miraculous fruit?" Tang Ya and Shi Qiu'er asked in unison, their eyes full of anticipation.

"Let's go and see for ourselves!" Shi Yu led the way towards the direction from which the roaring sound came.

The further we went, the clearer the roar became.

Soon, a group of green-haired, four-armed gorillas came into view. They were all tall and muscular, and they were pounding their chests and roaring around a towering tree.

"It's huge!" Tang Ya exclaimed as she looked at the Doraemon in front of her.

"Be careful!" Shi Yu's expression hardened. "This is a Vajra of the Doro who has just reached a hundred years of cultivation. It's about to attack!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Dorodakara suddenly lifted a huge rock and hurled it at them.

Shi Yu reacted quickly, pulling Tang Ya aside with a leap, while Shi Qiu'er also nimbly jumped to the side.

"Watch this!" Shi Yu lightly touched the ground with his toes and rushed towards Doruo Vajra like an arrow. He gently touched the body and pressed the pressure point on its neck.

Dorokonō's movements froze instantly, then he slowly collapsed and fell into a coma.

"You just poked it lightly and killed it?" Tang Ya stared at the fallen Dorokon, speechless with astonishment.

"It's not killing, it's anesthesia," Shi Yu explained. "By pressing specific acupoints on a creature, it can temporarily incapacitate it."

"Why didn't you kill it?" Shi Qiu'er asked regretfully. "It looked so big, it must have had a lot of meat!"

"Its meat is all sinew, it doesn't taste good at all." Shi Yu shook his head. "Besides food, I don't kill animals easily—if I kill one, I must eat it all, I can't waste it."

"Alright." Although Shi Qiu'er was a little disappointed, she still nodded. "Let's hurry up! I can already smell that damn sweet aroma. We've defeated the gatekeepers; it's time to eat the fruits of our victory!"

"Wait," Shi Yu reminded them, "Dro Vajra are gregarious creatures. This is just the weakest of the gatekeepers. There's a whole group waiting for us behind them."

"What? There's another group?" Tang Ya was so frightened that her face turned pale.

"What are you afraid of? I'm here!" Shi Yu patted his chest and continued forward.

As they got closer to the Rainbow Fruit, the enticing sweet aroma grew stronger, causing the two humans and the beast to drool, which dripped onto the ground.

"This smell...it's absolutely irresistible!" Tang Ya exclaimed, drooling, no longer caring about being reserved.

"We're almost there!" Shi Yu said, pointing to a large tree in front of him that was emitting rainbow light. "The Rainbow Fruit grows on that tree! Its sweetness can make animals lose their minds. Although Dorokon doesn't eat the Rainbow Fruit, he will guard this place and prey on other animals that are attracted here."

"Look! There's a group of Dorje Kings ahead!" Shi Qiu'er exclaimed excitedly.

Under the rainbow tree, a dozen or so Dorje King Kongs surrounded the area, each one looking fierce and menacing, watching their surroundings warily.

The rainbow tree is laden with fruits that radiate seven colors, beautiful and tempting.

"Be careful, these guys have a grip strength of at least a ton," Shi Yu said in a low voice. "We need to find the leader and defeat it as soon as possible, or we'll have to deal with the entire tribe."

"Then how do we find the leader?" Tang Ya asked nervously.

"It's very simple," Shi Yu said. "Qiu'er, release the aura of your ten-thousand-year-old soul beast; Xiao Ya, observe carefully, whichever one hides first, that's the leader."

"Why is the leader hiding?" Tang Ya asked, puzzled. "Shouldn't the leader be the bravest?"

"On the contrary," Shi Yu explained, "In addition to being powerful, the leaders of a tribe must also have crisis management skills."

A leader's wise move is to immediately conceal themselves upon sensing danger.

"I understand!" Tang Ya nodded, focusing her attention on observing the group of Doraku.

Shi Qiu'er took a deep breath, and her body emanated a powerful aura befitting a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast.

Instantly, all the Vajra warriors were stunned, stopped what they were doing, and began to tremble.

Shi Yu then rushed into the group of Tara Vajras, leaping back and forth among them, his fingers constantly pointing out, and one after another, the Tara Vajras fell down and fell into a coma.

"Shi Yu! I saw it!" Tang Ya suddenly shouted, "The white one at the very back! The moment Qiu'er released her aura, it hid behind a tree!"

Shi Yu looked in the direction Tang Ya pointed and indeed saw a white-haired Doraemon hiding behind the rainbow tree, secretly observing them.

"White hair, a symbol of elders, signifies leadership!"

"Thank you, Sister Xiaoya, you're very observant!" Shi Yu smiled at Tang Ya. "Qiu'er, protect Sister Xiaoya, I'll take care of it!"

Having said that, Shi Yu's figure flashed, and like a ghost, he darted through the group of Vajra Kings, arriving in front of the white leader. A fierce glint flashed in the white leader's eyes, and he raised his huge fist, smashing it down fiercely towards Shi Yu.

Just then, Shi Yu suddenly unleashed the powerful aura of a gourmet demon—that domineering aura that seemed to treat everything as food instantly enveloped the entire area.

The white leader abruptly stopped, the fierce glint in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by fear and submission.

It slowly lowered its fist, lay down on the ground, closed its eyes, and signaled its submission.

Seeing this, the other Tara Vajras also lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to move.

"What... what's going on?" Tang Ya asked, dumbfounded.

"They're submitting to Shi Yu!" Shi Qiu'er said triumphantly. "Alright, let's go over there. I can't wait to eat the Rainbow Fruit!"