The Awakening of Mo Yu

It raised its head and looked at Gu Changge. The aggrieved expression on its face was instantly replaced by an inexplicable pride.

It seemed that Old Bull was still useful after all. With that thought, it said in its deep, practiced voice:

“If Master wants to eat it, then eat it. The meat from your old bull is nice and chewy…”

The ingratiating look on its face, contrasted with its imposing body that had only just achieved Emperorhood, was so striking that it was impossible not to laugh.

“Pfft—”

A completely unrestrained laugh, thick with mockery, rang out.

Little White was already laughing so hard that it could barely stand, its golden-black vertical pupils filled with schadenfreude.

“Hahahaha! You silly bull! Serves you right for showing off! You just became an Emperor, and now you’re already missing a chunk of your butt!

This is killing me! You’re truly the first bull in history to become an Emperor, and you’ll definitely be the last! Hahahaha!”

Lao Huang’s face flushed red from embarrassment and annoyance. Just as it was about to lash out at Little White, it saw Gu Changge turn his gaze toward Little White.

Little White’s laughter abruptly stopped. An ominous feeling instantly enveloped it.

Then—

“Awooo—!”

Little White let out a short cry of pain and disbelief.

A chunk of crystal-clear meat, with starlight seemingly flowing within it and an alluring fragrance wafting from it, separated from its body and floated beside the enormous piece of beef.

Little White’s entire body went rigid. Its golden-black vertical pupils were filled with shock and grievance.

“M-Master! I…”

Gu Changge glanced at it. “Weren’t you laughing happily just now?”

Little White instantly wilted. It trembled lightly and did not dare make another sound.

Gu Changge paid no further attention to the two of them. With a wave of his hand, a massive cauldron flew out, while blazing flames rose beneath it.

The two pieces of meat flew over the flames on their own. Invisible force sliced and turned them over, and amidst the sizzling sounds, an indescribably enticing fragrance instantly filled the entire Purple Bamboo Peak.

Without bothering with the silent quarrel between the bull and the dragon, Gu Changge calmly called out toward the courtyard entrance, “Come over, everyone.”

As soon as his voice fell, several streaks of light arrived one after another.

Xiao Ruobai, Fang Hanyu, Ling Xi, Fatty Wang, and even Mo Yu had sensed the disturbance at Purple Bamboo Peak and the indescribable aroma of meat. They all hurried over.

The moment they landed, their eyes were instantly drawn to the two pieces of meat suspended above the massive cauldron, sizzling in the dao flames and radiating an irresistible glow and fragrance.

The aroma blended the rich fragrance of Azure Heaven Wild Bull with the domineering freshness of dragon meat. Just one breath was enough to make their pores relax and their spiritual power stir faintly.

Then, almost in unison, they cast strange yet knowing looks at Lao Huang and Little White.

A conspicuous chunk was missing from the hind leg of Lao Huang’s imposing body, the wound smooth as a mirror.

Little White likewise had an obvious scar on its body.

The corner of Xiao Ruobai’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, while a trace of amusement flashed through Fang Hanyu’s eyes.

Ling Xi’s gaze shifted between the meat and Lao Huang and Little White, allowing her to figure out most of what had happened.

Fatty Wang was the most straightforward of them all. He swallowed hard, his eyes going round as he looked at the meat, then at Lao Huang. His face was filled with the excitement of “I understand what happened, but I still want to eat it.”

As for Mo Yu, he first looked at the two pieces of meat, which contained an enormous amount of vital energy, then at the eerily familiar “gaps” on Lao Huang and Little White.

He was stunned for a moment. Then, thanks to his keen perception of auras, he instantly confirmed where the meat had come from.

“T-That aura belongs to the Ox King and Senior Little White?! Could it be…”

An absurd yet horribly familiar thought struck his mind like lightning.

He suddenly remembered the looks he had received when he first came to Purple Bamboo Peak—from the Honored Master, Master, Fang Hanyu, and especially that deadweight fatty, Fatty Wang.

The way they had looked at him, their gazes blazing as though they were appraising an unparalleled delicacy—

Mo Yu felt a chill shoot from the tip of his tail straight to the crown of his head. The crimson-gold scales covering his body nearly stood on end.

A terrifying truth that he had subconsciously ignored, despite countless clues pointing toward it, exploded in his mind like thunder, instantly resolving every doubt he had ever harbored.

No wonder!

No wonder that when his bloodline had first recovered and his foundation had been reforged, the Honored Master had looked at him with that soul-chilling scrutiny and assessment!

No wonder Lao Huang, the former Overlord of the Southern Region, had looked at him with such drooling eagerness—as if he were appraising an unparalleled delicacy!

No wonder Senior Brother Fatty Wang was always secretly swallowing his saliva!

No wonder there was always something indescribable in the eyes of Xiao Senior Brother and the others—something like “anticipation” and “encouragement”!

He instinctively—and hurriedly—covered the thickest-scaled parts of his body with his hooves, especially those parts that were presumably the most “chewy.”

The back of his neck turned icy cold, while his enormous qilin heart pounded like a war drum.

So… so it hadn’t been his imagination after all!

Purple Bamboo Peak really had such a tradition?!

Even Senior Little White and the Ox King, who had become Emperors, had…

So that was what their gazes toward him meant. They weren’t looking at a fellow disciple or a companion mount. They were looking at—

At a top-tier ingredient that could cultivate on its own, work hard to grow more meat, and strive to reach its optimal “edibility” standard as soon as possible!

Silently and without drawing attention to himself, he took half a step backward, trying to make himself less noticeable.

Gu Changge seemed not to notice the storm raging through Mo Yu’s heart. He expertly controlled the dao flames, occasionally flicking in wisps of chaotic energy or a few drops of spirit liquid that gave off a refreshing fragrance.

Under the licking flames, the meat inside the cauldron became increasingly golden and tempting. The fat was rendered out, producing pleasant sizzling sounds.

Blended with the aromas of spirit medicines and meat, the fragrance grew ever richer and more domineering, almost condensing into substantial clouds of glowing mist that enveloped the entire courtyard.

The aroma poured into Mo Yu’s nostrils. It not only stirred his appetite but also caused the spiritual power within his body to circulate on its own. Every pore across his body relaxed, as though one breath could equal several months of painstaking cultivation.

Mo Yu’s throat rolled involuntarily.

He was horrified to discover that even after learning where the meat had come from, even with all the absurdity and wariness in his heart, the instinctive yearning for life essence originating from the depths of his bloodline—and the enormous temptation this fragrance posed to his cultivation foundation—had somehow made him feel a trace of anticipation.

No! I’m a noble qilin! A sacred beast of auspiciousness! How could I have such thoughts?!

Mo Yu harshly condemned himself inwardly and tried his best to look away from the cauldron.

But his nose betrayed him. It uncontrollably drew in a deep breath.

Hmm… This fragrance, blended from the essence of the Azure Heaven Wild Bull and the flesh of a true dragon, was truly extraordinary.

The Honored Master’s culinary skills had already reached the level of divine mastery.