Twin female zombies come to the door: My lord, please have mercy!

After the autumn rain, the air in Taiping Old Street is filled with a refreshing coolness, as if all the grime has been washed away.

In the main hall on the first floor of the funeral parlor, a square eight-immortal table was moved to a spacious area.

A small red clay stove sat in the center of the table, with charcoal burning brightly inside.

A copper double-compartment hot pot sits on top.

On the left is a hot pot of spicy beef tallow bubbling with bright red chilies and Sichuan peppercorns, and on the right is a clear broth of three delicacies floating with red dates, goji berries and large pieces of scallion.

The rich aroma of spices and meat mingled and rose, transforming into a large swath of white mist that covered the inside of the shop's glass door with a fine layer of water droplets.

"Seven up, eight down—it's all about timing! Ye Zi, as soon as the tripe curls up slightly, take it out immediately, dip it in minced garlic and sesame oil, and the taste is absolutely amazing!"

Fatty Wang took off his flamboyant floral shirt, revealing himself to be wearing only a tight-fitting white tank top, his forehead covered in large beads of sweat.

He held a pair of long bamboo chopsticks in his hand, precisely scalding a palm-sized piece of black tripe in the bubbling hot pot of red oil.

He was spitting as he shared his secrets to eating hot pot.

Lin Ye leaned back in his chair, holding a bottle of chilled, deadly Wusu beer in his hand.

He bit open the bottle cap, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp. The icy malt juice slid down his throat, instantly extinguishing the heat of the early autumn afternoon.

"Stop pretending to be a chef. You overcooked that plate of brisket. It tasted like a shoe sole."

Lin Ye mercilessly exposed the fat man's boasting.

I casually used a slotted spoon to scoop out a few snow-white fish slices from the clear broth and put them into the dipping sauce dish in front of me.

On the other side of the octagonal table sat two stunningly beautiful women whose style seemed completely out of place in this bustling, ordinary city.

Leng Yue changed into a simple light gray casual home outfit.

Her long, silvery-white hair was loosely tied up with a dark wooden hairpin, with a few playful strands falling onto her fair profile.

She sat upright with her back straight, her slender fingers holding a pair of sandalwood chopsticks, gracefully picking up a piece of tender, cooked beef from the clear broth pot.

Zombies do not need to eat human grains.

Since entering the realm of drought demons, her body has long since shed the stiffness and coldness of low-level corpses, and her five senses are no different from those of ordinary people.

Such hot soup and meat, brimming with the vitality of life, could, occasionally, soothe her heart that had been lonely for a thousand years.

In contrast, Frostnova, the little undead king, seemed to have no manners whatsoever.

The little girl knelt on the large wooden chair, her upper body almost entirely lying on the table.

Her heterochromatic eyes were fixed on the plate of fresh, still bloody beef rolls on the table, and her pink tongue licked her lips again and again.

While Lin Ye and the fat man were arguing...

Froststar stretched out her small, white hand and grabbed a slice of raw beef.

Without even glancing at the boiling hot pot, she opened her small mouth, revealing two sharp little tiger teeth, and was about to stuff the raw meat into her mouth.

"Snapped!"

A long bamboo chopstick flew through the air and struck Froststar's hand with perfect accuracy.

"Ouch!"

Froststar winced in pain, her hand trembled, and the raw beef fell onto the table.

She raised her head with a wronged expression, her deep blue left eye instantly welling up with tears as she looked at Lin Ye accusingly.

"Brother-in-law hit me! Froststar is hungry and wants to eat meat!"

Lin Ye put down his chopsticks, put on a stern face, and scolded:

"Eating raw meat and drinking blood is something those uncivilized wild beasts do. You are now the King of the Underworld, can't you be a little more refined? Put the meat in a pot and cook it before eating."

Froststar puffed out her cheeks, her face full of reluctance.

For a mutated corpse like her, the taste of raw blood was far more appealing than cooked meat.

Her eyes darted around, as if she had come up with some wicked idea.

The little girl picked up the slice of raw beef with her chopsticks, symbolically dipped it twice in the boiling red oil, and before it changed color, she suddenly held it up to Lin Ye's mouth.

"Since Froststar won't eat raw food anymore, let's feed this half-cooked piece to brother-in-law! Brother-in-law, just have a bite!"

She deliberately used a soft, sweet voice, leaned forward slightly, and the collar of her shirt with a Pikachu pattern swayed, exuding a unique, clingy charm characteristic of a yandere.

Just then, Leng Yue put down the wooden chopsticks in her hand.

She didn't say anything, but simply picked up a piece of marbled beef, cooked to perfection and soaked in sesame sauce and oil, from her own condiment dish, and gently raised her wrist to present it steadily to Lin Ye's lips.

A pleasant, cool fragrance of red spider lilies, mingled with the aroma of meat, wafted into Lin Ye's nostrils.

"My lord, this piece of meat is cooked just right. Please try the dipping sauce I made."

Her voice was clear and cool like a spring, but at the end of the note it had a touch of the gentle charm of the Jiangnan water towns.

On the left is a yandere loli holding up raw meat with blood streaks, while on the right is a cold and aloof mature woman offering fragrant cooked meat.

The two women stood on the left and right, their gazes meeting silently in mid-air.

There seemed to be invisible sparks flickering in the air.

The originally lively hot pot gathering instantly turned into a tense and chaotic scene.

Fatty Wang, sitting opposite, was still holding the freshly cooked tripe in his hand, frozen in place.

He looked at Leng Yue, then at Shuang Xing, and finally cast a sympathetic glance at Lin Ye.

Being sandwiched between two female demons, the fat man felt he couldn't possibly enjoy such good fortune.

A faint light flashed on his retina, and the system's chaotic, mechanical voice suddenly exploded in Lin Ye's mind.

"Ding! System notification: A daily dinner table drama has been detected! The battle for favor between two female zombies has begun, and Fatty is watching from the front row. Please, host, maintain composure and show the calm demeanor of the head of the household within three minutes!"

The light screen popped open, displaying three options:

[Option A: Treating all equally, embracing all – opening its blood-red maw, it swallowed both raw and cooked meat, praising, "Both wives' food is delicious!"]

[Reward: Earn the title "Iron Stomach". Consequence: Eating raw and cooked food together will easily cause stomach upset, and you will occupy the funeral parlor's restroom for the next three hours, ruining your prestige.]

[Option B: Unwavering favoritism, perfectly logical—ignoring Froststar's raw meat, he directly bites into the cooked meat Cold Moon offers, and affectionately pats Cold Moon's head.]

[Reward: Cold Moon's favorability +10. Consequence: Frost Star will be extremely jealous and will secretly add mutated corpse poison to your foot bath water tonight, giving you a taste of both ice and fire.]

[Option C: Brothers are like hands and feet—Ignoring the two women's attempts to feed him, he picked up his wine glass, crossed the table, and clinked glasses directly with the fat man, shouting, "Women are like clothes, brothers are true feelings."]

[Reward: Wang Pangzi's loyalty +50, brotherly bond deepened. Consequence: The two female zombies will temporarily set aside their prejudices, but will hold a grudge against you in their hearts, to be settled later.]

Lin Ye looked at the three options and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Logically, in such a chaotic situation, one of the two women must be chosen or a compromise must be reached.

The system, of all things, provided option C as a way to break the deadlock.

Since being bound to the system, he has been walking a tightrope between life and death.

Although Fatty's brother was cowardly, greedy, and lecherous, he never abandoned him to escape alone.

This friendship is incredibly precious in this cold world.

I choose C.

Lin Ye made a decision in his heart, and his eyes instantly regained their clarity.

He turned his head slightly to avoid the two pieces of meat offered to his lips.

Amidst the astonished gazes of Shuangxing and the puzzled looks of Lengyue, he picked up the bottle of icy, deadly Wusu beer in front of him and stood up.

"when!"

The bottle slammed down over the boiling hot pot and landed heavily on the beer glass in front of Fatty Wang, splashing a few drops of golden liquid.

"Fatty, what are you daydreaming about? Drink up!"

Lin Ye smiled broadly, his voice hearty.

"This hotpot was really good. Come on, let's have a toast to how we brothers survived last night!"

Fatty Wang was stunned for a full two seconds.

Looking into Lin Ye's sincere eyes, an indescribable surge of passion rushed to his head.

In this world full of demons and monsters, what is Wang Defa?

A fat guy who can only drive, a burden who holds everyone back.

Lin Ye is now not only a highly skilled individual, but also a master with millions in assets and surrounded by beautiful women.

When faced with a woman vying for his favor, Lin Ye's first reaction was to raise his glass to toast his good-for-nothing brother!

"Yoko..."

The fat man's eyes instantly reddened.

He suddenly picked up a large glass of beer, tilted his head back, and gulped it down in one go.

"Damn it! I'm so incredibly lucky to have Lin Ye as my brother! My ancestors were incredibly fortunate!"

The fat man wiped the foam from the corner of his mouth and roared with heroic spirit.

"Ding! Daily task completed. Fatty Wang's loyalty has soared, and the brotherhood bond has been solidified."

As the system notification faded away, the tense atmosphere at the dining table was completely dispelled.

Froststar pouted, reluctantly tossed the piece of raw meat back onto the plate, grabbed a can of cola, and slurped it down in a huff.

Leng Yue put away her chopsticks and placed the piece of cooked meat into Lin Ye's empty bowl.

Far from being angry, a hint of admiration flashed in her deep red eyes.

Loyalty and righteousness are the true colors of a man.

Wakabayashi Yoru is a cold-hearted person who only sees beauty and forgets kindness.

How could she, a thousand-year-old drought demon, willingly submit?

We enjoyed a very satisfying hot pot meal.

After the meal, the mess was cleaned up.

The rain outside the shop had completely stopped, and a few rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining obliquely into the doorway.

Lin Ye walked to the coffee table and poured two cups of tea.

He waved to the fat man who was picking his teeth: "Fatty, come sit down."

Upon hearing this, the fat man immediately threw away his toothpick, scurried over, and sat down opposite Lin Ye, his expression becoming exceptionally serious.

"Yezi, what are your orders? Should we buy cinnabar or search for magical artifacts?"

Lin Ye shook his head.

He reached into his robes and took out an object wrapped in layers of yellow paper from his system space.

The moment this thing was taken out, the surrounding air temperature suddenly dropped a few degrees.

A fine layer of frost even condensed on the surface of the yellow paper.

Lin Ye pushed the paper package in front of the fat man.

"Open it and take a look."

The fat man rubbed his hands together in confusion and carefully peeled off the yellow paper.

In the center of the paper package lay a stone, only half the size of a fist, as black as ink.

The stone's surface was pitted and uneven, exuding a terrifying aura of death.

"This...this is what...what is it?"

The fat man trembled and withdrew his hand, not daring to touch it at all.

"Netherworld ore, dug out from the ruins outside the city of the unjustly dead."

Lin Ye picked up his teacup and blew on it.

"This stuff is a deadly poison for the living, but for those who practice evil and sinister methods, it is a priceless treasure."

The fat man's eyes widened: "Ye Zi, you just gave this to me directly? No need for any spells or incantations? My little body can't withstand this yin energy."

"It's alright." Lin Ye wrapped the ore tightly with yellow paper again to prevent the cold air from spreading.

He stared intently at the fat man: "Take this piece of ore and go to the antique street to find that old man Chen who runs the Half-Immortal Hall."

"That old fox is a descendant of the Lushan School and has a connection to the Ninth Bureau. There's no underground intelligence network in Jiangzhou's metaphysical circles that he can't reach."

"Put this stone on his table and tell him that this is a deposit. I want to buy some information—where exactly the Yinshan Sect's stronghold in Jiangzhou City, or in Jiangnan Province, is hidden."

Upon hearing the words "Yinshan Sect," the fat man's expression instantly changed.

Those evil cultivators who feed on the dead have no moral compass. Being targeted by them is like having a venomous snake wrapped around your neck.

"Yezi, from what you're saying... you're planning to take the initiative and destroy their base?"

The fat man swallowed hard, his voice trembling.

Lin Ye's eyes were icy cold, like a drawn sword: "If you don't kill the snake, you'll only suffer the consequences."

"They sent a pair of paper figures to test us last night. I destroyed the formation, so they definitely won't let it go. Rather than sitting in the shop waiting for them to come and ambush us, we should strike first and take them down directly."

The fat man remained silent for a long time, then a strange courage welled up from the bottom of his heart.

He slapped his thigh and stood up abruptly: "Damn it! These bastards dared to ruin my hotpot party, we can't let them stay over the New Year!"

"Don't worry, Ye Zi, I'll go to the antique street right now and make sure I get all the information out of that old fox!"

The fat man carefully tucked the yellow paper packet into his inner pocket.

Then he pulled out the menacing boning knife, wrapped in layers of an old coat, from his backpack.

Next, he tied it around his waist with a sturdy canvas strap, and then put on a large jacket to completely cover the handle of the knife.

"With this knife protecting my yang energy, I feel much more at ease."

The fat man patted his waist, grinned at Lin Ye, and strode out of the funeral parlor...