Chapter 161: A Rare and Unforgettable Delicacy

The four women, seeing Gu Qingyi enjoying himself, each picked up a skewer and took careful bites, savoring the flavors.

“Brother Gu, how is it? Tastes alright?” Nangong Lin asked, settling down beside Gu Qingyi.

“Yeah, it’s actually really good. What surprises me most is that this so-called Alien Race turned out to be an unexpected delicacy.” Gu Qingyi sat down while replying.

Nangong Lin gave a little smile. “Of course! The moment we arrived in the Upper Realm and got hungry, someone showed up to deliver food. It’s like being tired and someone handing you a pillow—life just works out that way sometimes.”

“Here, Brother Gu, try this one. I added a bit of chili on top—might be a touch spicy.” Nangong Lin passed a skewer over.

Gu Qingyi didn’t stand on ceremony. He took it, chewing slowly, lost in thought. The urge to return to Blue Star quietly grew inside him.

Just as everyone was enjoying the meal, a flag radiating thick black energy suddenly appeared in the courtyard out of thin air.

The intense, swirling black aura made everyone pause mid-bite. In perfect unison, they raised their heads to stare at the flag, confusion clouding each of their eyes.

“What in the world is that? I’ve never seen anything like it before—it’s puffing out black smoke all over the place.” Liu Ruyan lowered her octopus skewer with a frown.

Nangong Lin looked baffled too. “No idea. But that flag is seriously creepy. Even from here, I can feel chills down my spine.”

Wang Wan’s face hardened with concern. “My gut’s telling me that thing is dangerous. We need to be careful!”

Their eyes met one by one. In a flash, everyone grabbed their sword, pointing them toward the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. The tension in the courtyard spiked instantly.

Wang Wan shouted, “Whoever’s behind this trickery, show yourself! Quit hiding and get out here!”

“Not coming out? Fine—let’s tear you apart!” Liu Ruyan swung her sword with force.

Just then, the banner unleashed a terrifying pressure, pinning the four women in place, freezing them to the spot.

Gu Qingyi’s face turned dark. “Zhuge Xingyun, you think this is funny? If you don’t get out here right now, I’ll rip your flag to shreds!”

As he finished, Gu Qingyi shot to his feet. A golden divine disc spun into view behind him, his left hand gripping the Skydome Sword.

His long, silver hair flared to gold, his whole figure wrapped in a glowing golden aura.

Gu Qingyi released a burst of pressure, instantly breaking the restraints that had held the four women still.

As soon as the binding force melted away, all four women collapsed to the ground, gasping in relief, staring in awe at the ominous banner.

At that moment, thick clouds of black energy began swirling densely around the flag, taking form until a figure emerged clearly from within.

Zhuge Xingyun appeared, plastering on a smile. “No need to be angry, Fellow Daoist Gu. It was just a harmless joke! Besides, this banner—there’s only one like it in all the world!”

“You can’t just destroy it, really you can’t!”

As Zhuge Xingyun landed gently next to Gu Qingyi, he added,

“So, what brings you here?” Gu Qingyi pressed the Skydome Sword right to Zhuge Xingyun’s neck.

Zhuge Xingyun swallowed hard. “Let’s talk this out, Fellow Daoist, please—no need to draw your sword over every little thing! Accidents always follow cold steel!”

Gu Qingyi’s tone was sharp. “I asked you a question, Zhuge Xingyun! Why are you tailing me? What do you want?”

“Heh, it’s nothing serious. I was just bored and wanted to see what you were up to, that’s all! Nothing else, honestly. Now, can you take the sword away, please?” Zhuge Xingyun nudged the blade away from his neck.

Gu Qingyi shot him a sidelong glance, then finally put away both the Skydome Sword and the divine disc.

Zhuge Xingyun breathed a sigh of relief, then caught a whiff of something delicious. “What smells so good? Ladies, what are you eating? Could I possibly have a taste as well?”

“Help yourself,” Nangong Lin said, giving Zhuge Xingyun a dismissive glance.

Rubbing his hands together with excitement, Zhuge Xingyun grinned. “If the fairy herself insists, how could I refuse?”

With that, Zhuge Xingyun leaped over and plopped down right next to the four women, boldly grabbing a skewer loaded with octopus tentacles.

“Huh? What even is this? It looks awfully familiar… kind of like that octopus monster.” Zhuge Xingyun squinted at the skewer in puzzlement.

Liu Ruyan replied sourly, “Just what you think it is—the tentacle of the octopus monster.”

“What?! This is really from the octopus monster? You’re actually eating a piece of the Alien Race?” Zhuge Xingyun stared at everyone in disbelief.

“Eat if you want, don’t if you don’t. Spare us the whining,” Gu Qingyi said, shoving Zhuge Xingyun aside.

“Hey, take it easy, Fellow Daoist!”

Zhuge Xingyun staggered with the octopus skewer in hand. The irresistible aroma had him swallowing hard over and over.

But he still hesitated, clearly nervous about eating something so strange. He’d never even heard of it being edible.

While Zhuge Xingyun was second-guessing, the others dug in heartily, making the rich aroma even harder to resist.

At last, hunger overtook caution. Unable to fight temptation any longer, Zhuge Xingyun popped the octopus tentacle into his mouth and started chewing.

The instant he took a bite, Zhuge Xingyun’s eyes flew open in shock. He’d never imagined the thing he was so wary of could taste this amazing.

“Fellow Daoist Gu— (munch munch) this stuff’s incredible— (munch munch) so delicious— (munch) I never thought it’d be this good!” Zhuge Xingyun licked his lips, still wanting more.

To the others, Zhuge Xingyun looked every bit the scoundrel, but he couldn’t have cared less.

“Such a taste could only exist in the heavens. Would you all mind moving aside for a bit so I can sit too?” Zhuge Xingyun plopped himself down in their circle, not waiting for a response.

Still in shock, Zhuge Xingyun snatched up a few more skewers and quickly devoured them.

Murong Qingxue stared at him, stunned. “Weren’t you supposed to be our guide? Why are you acting like you’ve never seen food before?”

“Guide or not— (munch, munch, munch) what does that matter— (munch, munch) to real foodies, image is nothing! (munch) Barbecue like this is all that counts.” Zhuge Xingyun didn’t slow down, scarfing down everything in sight.

Nangong Lin was just as taken aback. “Wow, Senior, why do you act like you’ve been reincarnated as a starving ghost?”

“Don’t tell me you became the guide just because you ate something you shouldn’t have and got punished for it?”

Zhuge Xingyun let out a long sigh. “A true hero never dwells on past mistakes, and scars need no picking. But honestly, you guessed pretty close.”

“I once stewed all my dad’s prized white geese—thousands of them. So he made me take on this job as punishment, guiding newcomers like you.”

“Honestly, do you think I wanted to come to some forsaken place like this? I’d rather be lazing in bed with a roasted chicken and a crispy duck—now that’s a life!”

“Anyway, enough about that. But seriously, how did you even find out this alien thing was edible?”

Zhuge Xingyun gawked at the others, dying to learn their secret recipe, hoping to secure himself a lifelong feast.

He was drifting off into food fantasies when, suddenly, a crowd of people appeared at the entrance.