NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15 - Sludge and Mud
Yin Hu looked down. Looked back up at the two girls. Then looked back down at the plate of food that sat in front of him. He gulped what could only be considered the most unpalatable food that had ever graced his mouth.
A basic vegetable stew and plump bread.
It should not have been this bad. The meal even looked very appetizing. Pleasing to the eye and delicious. Most importantly to him was that it was not rice! It had been the very first thing he could even remember that was not the bland plate he had stuffed his face with for eons.
The taste of anything else completely foreign to him now. Clearly it would stay that way.
What the fuck?! How can something taste this bad!
Moments. That was all it took for Yin Hu to come to a final and firm decision. Banishing the idea that he would ever eat something like this again.
It felt like dirt sludge of mud and filth. A pigsty would have been more appetizing than the waste that was this meal. Mushy in his mouth and wet. Yin Hu could only come up with two reasons why something like this could exist. Neither one made him happy.
Hu Jun had to be the worst cook to ever grace the idea of cooking. Touched a pot. Gathered water. Or even considered the idea of making a meal. The other reason would break his heart. He couldn't take another plan failing so quickly.
Yin Hu looked up from his plate again. Shui was stuffing her face full of soggy soup bread. Munching away happily without a care in the world. She tore another piece of her bread, dunked it into the vegetable soup multiple times, then plopped it into her mouth.
Without an ounce of hesitation.
Isn't she supposed to be from a special family?! Shouldn't they both have a better palate than this?!
He refused to look towards the criminal who made the food. Mostly because he feared she would burst out into tears if he looked at her wrong or said something that hit a nerve. She'd cried at least twice after the first time. Changing her tune only when Hu Shui showed up.
She turned into the stoic guardian in a moment's notice. Hiding the tears and red eyes by washing her face with water. Expressionless or positive. Never anything negative to be seen.
Fuck!
Yin Hu knew the truth. Even if he refused to believe it. The second option was filled with a level of horror that assaulted his senses and mind in ways he couldn't explain. A horrifying nightmare.
Stolen story; please report.
Is the rice that special? Have my tastebuds been forever ruined?
He had figured out that the rice had miraculous properties. From a boost in health, speed, strength, and more physical benefits. To the general sustenance that should not have been possible. No protein, fats, or any other micro and macro nutrients he required to survive. And yet, the rice had been enough. More than that.
To even consider it had ruined all food for him—
Yin Hu closed his eyes. He could feel the two girls perk up. They hadn't noticed his storm of vitriol and hate towards the plate until now. He was trembling. Nightmares of never being able to enjoy culinary masterpieces again. What was the point of beauties if they couldn't hand feed him grapes?!
Jun cleared her throat. A savage criminal and outlaw. "Is something the matter, Ancestor?"
He allowed his thoughts to go through every single possibility. From whether it was worth the suffering of keeping her oblivious and happy. Lying out right and telling her the food was decent to good. Maybe even distract her and force feed his food to Hu Shui and act like he had licked the plate clean.
But he couldn't do it.
In those scant seconds, he reached a final decision. An oath to himself first before anyone else. His bottom line. The hill to die on. And whatever metaphor like them that existed all packed into a single bundle to show the world his dedication to this matter.
Don't mess with my food!
His hands tightened into fists, scrunching his robes. Yin Hu took a long foreboding, deep breath. Death or the threat thereof would not stop this from happening. Not even the most cracked, nuke cultivator could change his mind. Officially, die on this hill time.
Yin Hu opened his eyes. He met the heinous monster that cooked their food. Eye to eye.
Both girls put their plates down. Hu Shui's was already empty. She had been in the process of licking it clean. They looked at each other. Worry filled their expressions.
He raised his chin. Arrogance and pride surging to the forefront. Channeling every single ounce of ancient primordial predecessor in his bones to the forefront. Disgust and disdain lined his expression. A thousand folds of hatred oozed from his eyes at the sludge he had stuffed into his mouth today.
"You call this food?!" he shouted.
Hu Jun startled. Eyes wide. She tried to speak but could not figure out how to respond.
"Yep! Very tasty!" Hu Shui said.
Jun scratched at her arms. "I thought so too. It's the best we've eaten in weeks."
It was Yin Hu's turn to remain stunned. Staring at them with mouth open and unable to formulate any words. They were laying it thick on him. Even in this matter he had been forced to retreat a dozen steps before even announcing his true intent on the matter.
Of course they didn't have anything good to eat. They're basically vagrants in a village full of vagrants. Only the strongest cultivators and rich ate well here.
Yin Hu took a few more moments to collect himself.
He was their one way ticket out of this hellhole. Best he acted like it. From this moment forth at least, no more bullshitting. There was a veritable tide of rice that would cover a mountain. Enough to feed the population of multiple modern countries in the hundreds of millions for a thousand years.
Waiting for another few days until they figured their food situation was nothing to what he had already dealt with. Even if it meant eating rice during that span of time.
Yin Hu felt his body deflate. Another struggle in what was supposed to be heavenly benefits or an ancestor type figure. Not him cooking!