Huo Qiyuan did not answer the little overlord's question, nor did Su Muqing. He reached out and took Su Muqing's arm in his palm, then slowly rolled up her sleeve to cover it. The latter obediently put her hand down and gave Huo Qiyuan a somewhat ingratiating smile.
Seeing their intimate behavior, the little overlord instantly forgot about the sleeve pocket. He pouted with disdain, surprised that these two grown men were so intimate in their actions.
Yikes! From his unique perspective, there was definitely something going on between these two! Could it be that they had some peculiar kinks?
Leng Ren and the others were very fast. After waiting in the front hall for more than forty minutes with their own thoughts, dishes began to be served from the kitchen. It was only then that the little overlord shifted his attention from the pile of lollipops.
The first dish was the spicy pickled fish, which they all liked. As soon as it was placed on the table, a peculiar aroma entered everyone's nostrils.
The little overlord stared at the large bowl covered with chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, leaned forward, and took a deep breath. He was immediately choked by the pungent smell and coughed. In a short while, his originally tender and pink face turned the color of Guan Yu.
"Cough cough cough… cough cough cough… What is this stuff? Why is it so pungent? You're not trying to poison me, are you, and then take all this delicious food back?"
The little overlord, who was originally full of anticipation, lost much of his interest after seeing the Sichuan peppercorns and being choked by the pungent smell.
Su Muqing rolled her eyes elegantly, impressed by the person's thought process. Thinking that she would have to pay so much because of him, and yet he still slandered her, accusing her of trying to poison him, her words became unpleasant.
"You think too much! I might as well just not give it to you! Why would I give it to you, then poison you, and then take the food back? Isn't that like taking off your pants to fart – completely unnecessary?"
"You still dare to quibble! I recognize this, this is the numbing fruit. There's a large patch of it on the back mountain. Eating it will make your tongue go numb and your body break out in a cold sweat…"
The little overlord pointed indignantly at the strings of green Sichuan peppercorns in the bowl, glaring at Su Muqing as if to say, "Don't think you can fool me! I know more than you think!"
Su Muqing's eyes darted, and she said with a smile, "Oh! You mean these Sichuan peppercorns! Fine then! If you say they're poisonous, then they're poisonous. Don't eat them later! Almost every dish made by my subordinates contains these poisonous numbing fruits. Be careful, or you'll be poisoned."
Su Muqing deliberately provoked the little overlord, emphasizing the words "poisonous" and "poison you" every time. She sounded as if she was gritting her teeth, making it hard to tell if she was telling the truth or not.
"You! You just said you wanted to treat me to something delicious, and that we're friends who met through conflict. Now you're giving me poisonous food. What are you plotting?"
After the little overlord finished his outburst, he thought about it carefully. He didn't believe that every dish would contain this stuff. He decided that he would eat whatever Su Muqing ate later. These people wouldn't be foolish enough to eat genuinely poisonous food.
"Believe it or not! Eat it if you dare, and just watch if you don't have the courage. Anyway, I said I'd treat you to a meal, and I have. Now it's you who's afraid to eat it, so how can you blame me?"
After speaking, Su Muqing ignored him, took out a pair of chopsticks from her sleeve pocket, turned, and handed a pair to Huo Qiyuan with a smile. Seeing that the little fatty was speechless and looked foolishly hesitant to eat for fear of being poisoned, her mood was clearly very good.
She used her chopsticks to push aside the dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns in the large bowl, then first picked a piece of fish for Huo Qiyuan.
The tender and white fish meat was springy and smooth, coated with bright red chili oil. It looked incredibly appetizing and, paired with her secret pickled vegetables, was incredibly refreshing and stimulating.
Spicy pickled fish was a dish suitable for all seasons. Even in such a hot summer, it was so delicious that one wished they could swallow their own tongue.
Seeing Su Muqing pick a piece for the silver-haired man and then pick a piece for her own bowl, they both ate with great relish right in front of the little overlord.
The little overlord swallowed his saliva and watched them. Seeing them eat so heartily without any signs of discomfort from the numbing fruit, he was unsure if it was true and began to have doubts.
Could it be that this stuff only looked similar to the numbing fruit but was actually a different kind of fruit? Otherwise, with so much numbing fruit together, they should have felt uncomfortable after eating it.
However, to be safe, he decided to observe further. He would make a decision about whether to eat it at least after the other dishes were served.
Before long, the second dish was served – sour and spicy chicken offal, Leng Ren's specialty. The little overlord saw that this delicate young master hadn't lied to him; this dish also contained the numbing fruit and some small red and green pieces.
Seeing them enthusiastically pick up food with their chopsticks, the little overlord finally couldn't hold back any longer. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and tentatively picked up a piece of fish.
After watching it for a while, he carefully put it into his mouth.
Pain! That was his first sensation. Having never eaten chili peppers, he didn't know that the world had spiciness. He only felt something jumping and bouncing in his mouth, stimulating every nerve. With just this bite, his pores seemed to have opened.
Numbness! That was his second sensation. Soon, his mouth began to feel a little numb. Now he could confirm that this stuff indeed wasn't just similar-looking; it was the numbing fruit. However, combined with the sensation of pain, the numbness didn't seem so unbearable.
Sour and refreshing! That was his third sensation. After the numbness and pain in his mouth slowly subsided, he clearly tasted a sourness. Unlike the sourness of the candies he had just eaten, this taste was somewhat like the pickled dishes made by his family's chef, only this taste was much more refreshing than his chef's, making it very appetizing even in the stuffy summer.
Salty and fresh! That was his fourth sensation. He often ate fish, but he had never eaten fish meat that was so tender, smooth, and slightly chewy.
Sweet and fragrant! That was his fifth sensation. After chewing the fish meat, a sweet fragrance filled his mouth, without any fishy smell at all. This made the little overlord feel incredibly surprised.
He carefully savored the complex sensation brought by a piece of fish. For a moment, he couldn't quite describe what kind of taste it was. He had eaten his way through half of the Great Yu Dynasty, but he had never tasted such a flavor.