Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

Zhou He knew that something was wrong with him.

Unlike before when his mind was completely blank, he knew what he was doing and was aware of his state.

But when that fragrance wafted over, he simply couldn't control his body.

There was no way to resist getting closer to the source of that fragrance.

As he got closer to the pot, the young chef raised his eyes, a hint of suspicion in his expression:

"My friend, didn't you have a master to teach you before you went out to do business?"

After saying this, he took a wooden lid and placed it on the stone pot.

The aroma swirled in the air a few times before wafting into Zhou He's nose. Zhou He became even more eager and reached out to grab the pot.

With a "smack," the spatula hit Zhou He's hand.

It didn't hurt, but it instantly pulled Zhou He out of his confused state.

His first reaction was to flick his sleeve, take out the drumsticks hidden inside, and without saying a word, strike the air.

"Ding!"

The faint sound was like striking an invisible drum, and Zhou He's money in his body decreased by a little.

He wanted to knock a couple more times, but the young chef frowned and stopped him.

"Friend, I mean no harm. Use your belongings sparingly; we're just travelers on the road, and our travel expenses are high."

Zhou He took two steps back, looked at the other person with some wariness, and pressed down on the student cap on his head.

The feel is different from my own fisherman's hat; the material is better and feels more comfortable to hold.

After calming down, he pursed his lips and asked:

"No malicious intent?"

The chef noticed Zhou He's wariness and defensiveness, and shook his head helplessly, the spatula in his hand dangling in the air. Zhou He gripped the drumsticks tightly.

"Friend, I'm a cook. I just happened to be passing by and picked up some good food. Seeing the food, I got excited and started cooking. I knew you were sleeping, and I didn't mean to disturb you. Well..." He gave a somewhat awkward, wry smile.

"It's understandable that you're wary of me, but the pot is boiling and it's tempting. I didn't expect your family didn't teach you that."

Zhou He looked at him with some suspicion. His eyes, expression, actions, and tone all seemed to indicate that he wasn't lying.

I really didn't have anyone to teach me.

The body he transmigrated into had no memories; the memories existed in Young Master Zhou's mind, but he didn't know where they were hidden.

All the information was fragmented, pieced together bit by bit from the memories of the old hunchback, the peddler, Yongqiang, Dai Liangxuan, and others. Some of it was even based on my own analysis, making it even more difficult to distinguish.

Zhou He was actually unaware of some common-sense facts about this world.

Zhou He coughed lightly, relaxed slightly, spread his hands, put away the drumsticks, adopted a nonchalant posture, considered his tone, and then said:

"There are indeed some reasons, and I'm just starting out, so there are some things I don't understand. If I've offended anyone, please forgive me."

The young chef seemed easy to talk to and didn't mind. He found a spot by the pot, sat down on the ground, and patted the pot to signal Zhou He to come over as well.

Zhou He thought for a moment, a smile appeared on his face, he gripped the drumsticks in his hand, placed his black leather bag on his lap, and sat down opposite the chef.

Seeing Zhou He sit down, the chef's smile softened even more. He pointed to the pot and introduced himself:

"My name is Li Ping. You've already seen my line of work; in the professional cooking world, it's usually called 'side dish preparation.' Have you heard of that?"

Zhou He honestly shook his head; he had indeed never heard of it.

Li Ping seemed like a kind-hearted person, unlike the hypocritical peddler he was often portrayed as. On the contrary, he began his introduction with great patience:

"We cooks are also from the 36 proper professions. When we start out, we're chopping vegetables and other things. But when we get to the next level, we need to know the characteristics of the ingredients, the basics of the five flavors, and be able to combine and match them to make a delicious stew."

At this point, Li Ping raised the shovel in his hand and reminded Zhou He:

"Friends, please note that I'm about to boil it; it won't taste good if I cook it any longer."

Zhou He gripped the drumsticks tightly, momentarily unsure of what to do, and quickly stopped Li Ping:

"Please wait a moment, sir. Your dish smells so tempting, I don't know how I can resist it."

Upon hearing this, Li Ping laughed heartily and slapped his forehead:

"Oh dear, I forgot about that. Here's the thing: the aroma of the dish comes from the ingredients and seasonings. When I said I found something good here, I was referring to what's cooking in the pot."

"This thing is called a ghost, or more specifically, a hanged ghost. It's a ghost that hanged itself in this forest. The soul of the dead person is filled with resentment and unwillingness to accept their fate. Plus, this forest itself is a bit unusual, which makes the hanged ghosts taste especially good."

"I haven't gone far yet, so I can only do simple cutting, preparation, and stewing. If a master in the industry could cook this into a dish, that would be truly delicious."

As they were talking, Zhou He noticed Li Ping's unusually large belly, which was rolling around inside her white clothes, as if something was constantly moving inside.

Zhou He didn't interrupt him. Although Li Ping always rambled on and on like a chatterbox, he didn't seem like a riddle-maker at all.

"Oh, I've gone off on a tangent. This hanged ghost has a lot of yin energy and resentment. It doesn't have much of a mind of its own and only wants to find a ghost to take its place, but it doesn't have any skills or techniques."

At this point, Zhou Ping groped around on the ground for a while, pulled out a straw rope, and handed it to Zhou He:

"Take this rope and hang it on that tree. As it hangs there, people will see it and become infatuated. Those who love money will see mountains of gold and silver, those who crave power will see promotions and titles, and those who are lustful will naturally see..."

Li Ping chuckled twice, then composed himself slightly and continued speaking to Zhou He:

"I took advantage of its alluring qualities, added some ingredients I had on hand, and stewed this soup. Naturally, the soup gained a touch of allure."

"Friend, the fact that you're being attracted means you're hungry. Haven't you had a proper meal in a long time?"

Zhou He thought for a moment and nodded.

"That's right! Oh my, after saying so much, my stomach is rumbling with hunger. Don't worry, we chefs are all about feeding the world. Come on, don't be shy, have a bowl of soup first."

Zhou He didn't take the bowl from him, not out of wariness, but because there was something contradictory in what Li Ping said.

First, the other party told me to be careful when the pot was about to be opened, and then directly invited me to drink the soup.

Is it because the other person is a carefree, unconcerned, and not very meticulous person?

Or is it because there were some hidden traps in what the other person said?

Zhou He had no choice but to think it through carefully.

Although what Li Ping said made some sense, everyone Zhou He had met so far could be described as an absolute villain.

He can't trust others so easily.

What's more, before Li Ping's hand even touched the pot lid, he felt a surge of cravings rising in his throat.

"Mr. Li, please don't rush to drink the soup. If I lift the lid, I'm afraid I'll lose my composure, which wouldn't be appropriate."