"One serving, no spice."
"Certainly, Miss." The waiter pushed the door open and then glanced back at me as he closed it, perhaps mistaking the order for mine.
If I were to order, I'd go for oysters. My aunt told me that the "bull's flank" doesn't actually have aphrodisiac effects, but rather stems from the deeply ingrained notion in people's minds during the hot summer that "like cures like" or "you are what you eat." It's actually quite useless. The flank is mostly collagen, though women might benefit from eating it, as it genuinely contributes to beauty and a youthful complexion.
However, oysters are indeed beneficial because they contain a significant amount of zinc, an essential element for male health.
"Leader, do you and the Miao King have any grudges?" I ventured to ask while waiting for the food.
Bai Qingcheng bit her lip hard, then released it, her lips now pale. "That beast..."
And that's it?
I secretly activated my Qi-sensing technique, hoping to glimpse her inner thoughts through her emotional changes, but it was unsuccessful. Her killing intent was strong, yet her aura remained relatively stable. Wait? What's going on? Wasn't Bai Qingcheng a two-aura demon? How has she suddenly transformed into a three-aura human?
I initially thought it was due to seeing her from the side, causing an overlap of auras. So, I deliberately leaned my head towards the center of the table, moving to face her directly to get a clear look at the auras above Bai Qingcheng's head. It was indeed three auras!
"What are you looking at?" Bai Qingcheng asked with a frown.
"Uh... two days ago, you had two auras. How did you get three today?" I asked directly.
"What two or three auras? Why aren't you wearing a red scarf? Stop staring!" Bai Qingcheng frowned again.
I knew that a high-ranking official from Shabia had been annihilated for merely hugging Bai Qingcheng before, so I didn't dare to look again and continued to eat my own food.
Before long, Bai Qingcheng's two dishes arrived. One was an exquisite pink raw beef, topped with a small green broccoli floret. Next to it, the plate had some soy sauce or something similar smeared on it for seasoning.
The other dish was stir-fried bull flank, still emitting a hot and fragrant aroma. The green parts within seemed to be green peppers instead of chili peppers. Regardless, I have no appetite for collagen and found it unappealing.
Normally, demons cannot enjoy these two delicacies. Even the raw beef, being imported and transported from afar, meant the cow had been dead for too long for humans to notice much difference from fresh beef. But demons are different; they consume the vital essence of raw fresh meat. If it's not fresh, it would be as bland as eating food from the underworld, like I and Bingbing did.
Yet, I saw Bai Qingcheng skillfully using a knife and fork, eating with gusto. Especially when she bit into a large piece of bull flank, she closed her eyes, chewed slowly, and her expression seemed quite enchanted. It wasn't that she was lost in thought about some scene, but rather it made me feel a shiver of dread. I didn't mistype; it was dread. If you were "enchanted," you wouldn't have a chance to dread; you'd be dead already!
The others were all intently watching Bai Qingcheng. Xiao Nu and Zheng Baobao were mostly curious, with Xiao Nu appearing a bit envious and licking her lips. Bingbing and the World Barbecue Master, being neighbors, must have eaten such dishes before and perhaps were even tired of them. Knowing the texture, they both frowned as they watched.
Bai Qingcheng ate relatively quickly. Since we had all finished, we could only wait for her.
Five minutes later, Bai Qingcheng had finished both portions. Lin Chi handed her a napkin. Bai Qingcheng wiped her mouth and turned to me, asking, "Where are you sleeping tonight?"
"Ah?" My heart skipped a beat. "It's... not decided yet."
Bai Qingcheng turned to Lin Chi. "Arrange accommodation for them at the guesthouse."
"Understood."
"I'm leaving first. Tomorrow morning, wait for my call, and we'll meet at Jinling," Bai Qingcheng said, standing up to leave. We also rose to see her off, but Bai Qingcheng indicated we didn't need to and should continue.
After Bai Qingcheng left, everyone at the table let out a long sigh of relief.
"The Yin energy on her feels heavier than mine..." Zheng Baobao remarked.
"Is she human or demon?" Bingbing asked. She could now sense Qi as well, but only at a rudimentary level, and her perception wasn't as accurate as mine.
"Human," Lin Xi confirmed. "However, because she has killed over a thousand demons and absorbed quite a few high-level demon cores, her aura is unpredictable, allowing her to switch freely between human and demon forms."