Chapter 81: Pork Chop
byChapter 81: Pork Chops
"Are you there?"
"Of course I am. Are you ready? The appointed day is almost here."
"I've found the place, but it might be... a bit crowded."
"That's alright. Oh, and prepare another ten thousand yuan in cash. I'll trade you some items from the Demon Realm."
Wen Ying regretfully couldn't use the wallet he had his eye on, as Lu Qingyuan didn't seem to be very wealthy, so he couldn't go on a shopping spree.
Although he hadn't taken advantage of Lu Qingyuan, the Demon Realm items that would be traded wouldn't be sold by Lu Qingyuan, but used personally. Thus, the cash wouldn't multiply.
He hoped that the rare collectibles at the upcoming Devil Mobile Game Commemorative Exhibition wouldn't be too difficult to obtain and wouldn't have excessively high resale prices.
The agreed date was three days later. Wen Ying confirmed that the city Lu Qingyuan was in was also where the exhibition was being held. He was fortunate; if Lu Qingyuan could take him there, he could happily attend the event.
When Wen Ying mentioned this to Aruda, the latter thought for a moment before descending to the basement. When he returned, he was carrying a large bag full of bottles and jars, similar to the biggest size one would find when grocery shopping.
Wen Ying gazed at the multitude of potions and said, "Grandma, I was just planning to visit an exhibition, not... to kill anyone."
Aluda handed the bag to Wen Ying with a grin. "It's alright, take it just in case. If you encounter any demons collaborating with the Extremists and don't dare to act, bring them back. There are a few bottles of transformation potions inside that can make them appear human, each effective for six hours."
This was indeed very necessary.
After some thought, Wen Ying asked, "Grandma, apart from the exorcists collaborating with the Extremists, are there any other human world specialties I need to bring back?"
Aluda chuckled. "Bring me some blood from the exorcists."
Wen Ying nodded calmly, no longer feeling horrified or anything out of the ordinary. It would have been abnormal if Aluda didn't mention this specialty.
Sure enough, the blood packaged like Thai milk tea that he saw when making the care package for Perseus previously wasn't from a magical beast. He wondered which unlucky demon it belonged to.
Lai Yehua sneezed.
Three days later happened to be Saturday. Wen Ying counted on his fingers, looking forward to spending a pleasant weekend in the human world. Hopefully, Lu Qingyuan's magic power could last a bit longer.
Wu Fei's sadistic boss was also in that city that week. Wen Ying felt that this trip to the human world would be quite interesting. Apart from having to knock out a few exorcists to draw their blood, Aluda had even prepared syringes for him. How thoughtful.
He didn't immediately tell Beros about it. It wasn't until Friday after school that Wen Ying called out to Beros and informed him that Aruda needed his help with something, specifically a new body-enhancing potion.
If it had been a few days ago, Beros would have been cautious. But after observing Wen Ying's lack of action over the past few days, he relaxed. Without a second thought, he followed Wen Ying back to Aruda's castle.
Seeing Beros arrive, Aruda was somewhat puzzled, but upon seeing Wen Ying's excited expression, she understood. She told Beros, "Stay here tonight."
Beros looked at Wen Ying. Had Aruda not finished preparing the new body-enhancing potion yet?
Wen Ying took Beros' hand and led him in, heading straight for the kitchen pantry to retrieve a steak from the fridge, unwrapping it to reheat.
"Grandma only cooked two portions for dinner today. I'll make you some steak."
Beros' eyelids twitched wildly. He strode into the kitchen in three large steps, his gaze fixed intently on Wen Ying.
Feeling the unignorable scrutiny behind him, Wen Ying's expression darkened slightly. Could Beros have discovered something? He turned around to find Beros' attention mainly focused on his hands – more precisely, the food.
Wen Ying smiled. "Are you very hungry?"
Beros didn't respond. He fell silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought as he surveyed the contents of the kitchen.
Boros strode in, pushing past Wen Ying, and declared, "I'll handle it myself."
"How can that be? You're a guest."
Before Wen Ying could finish his sentence, Boros snatched the steak from his hand and forcefully chased him out of the kitchen.
Confused, Wen Ying turned his head as he was pushed out. Boros even pulled the kitchen door closed, nearly hitting his nose.
Aluda sauntered over and stood by his side. Wen Ying shot her a questioning glance, to which she chuckled and replied, "Don't judge Boros by his appearance. He's actually an excellent cook, especially when it comes to preparing meat dishes."
Aluda came over and stood before Wen Ying, ruffling his hair affectionately. Then, with an arm around his shoulders, she guided him to the dining table and helped him sit down.
"Perhaps he wants to showcase his culinary skills."
It made sense, but something still didn't feel quite right to Wen Ying.
Soon, the aroma of delectable food wafted from the kitchen. Swearing inwardly, Wen Ying recalled Aluda's praise for Boros' cooking abilities. He had assumed it was mere flattery, but the scent was so alluring that he almost couldn't resist getting up to sneak a peek into the kitchen.
Wen Ying gazed into the kitchen for a moment. Finally, Beros emerged expressionlessly, carrying a plate filled with a visually and aromatically appealing meal, which he placed on the table.
The steak Wen Ying had prepared was rather large, about as thick as a finger and as wide as two adult men's palms combined. Now, it was sliced into four pieces, sizzling and fragrant on a white plate, still hot and glistening with oil. A layer of red fruit jam sauce adorned the top, accompanied by some vibrant green vegetables and rolled pasta.
This dish looked like a filtered food photo one might find online, but now, it was reality, unfiltered.
The tantalizing aroma pierced his nostrils, and Wen Ying couldn't help but ask Beros, "Your cooking skills are actually this good?"
After consuming too many visually unappealing dishes, Wen Ying was almost forgetful of what a full-flavored dinner looked like. He swallowed his saliva.
Beros brought over two empty plates, took one of the steak slices, and under Wen Ying's expectant gaze, cut off a small portion.
Wen Ying: "...."
Beros picked up some rolled pasta onto a smaller plate, scooped a bit of the red sauce with a spoon, and handed it to Wen Ying before turning to Aluda.
Before he could speak, Aluda shook his head. "I'll pass."
Wen Ying stared at the thumb-sized piece of meat in front of him, then lifted his gaze to meet Beros's, his eyes involuntarily conveying a hint of resentment.
Boros's expression remained unchanged as he sat down to eat.
Wen Ying picked up the meat, took a bite, and his eyes lit up with delight. It was delicious!
He finished it in three or two bites, then gazed at Boros. Boros looked up, "What?"
The gaze carried a familiar hint of mischief.
Wen Ying grinned and asked, "Can I come over to your place to play?"
Boros seemed surprised, his eyes widening slightly before returning to normal quickly.
"Why not?"
Aruda chuckled, "You want to taste Boros's cooking, right? Are you embarrassed to say so because I'm here?"
Wen Ying scratched his cheek, looking bashful. "It's not that your food isn't tasty, it's really good, but even the most delicious things can make one crave a change of flavor after a while."
Indeed, Aruda's cooking tasted quite nice, but the appearance of his 'dark cuisine' could mentally kill off a quarter of its taste.
Boros: "..." It was actually all for food. Just now, he had been so agitated, and now he felt like punching Wen Ying, feeling thoroughly displeased.
Was he inferior to food? This subtle sense of being outdone made Boros emit a cold, oppressive aura. Considering Aruda, an elder, was present, he refrained from saying or doing anything.
After the meal, Aruda arranged a room for Boros on the second floor, right next to Wen Ying's bedroom.
Following Aruda to the second floor, Boros stood at the entrance of the room assigned to him, where he could easily glance at Wen Ying's room next door.
That room always seemed to hold events he didn't want to recall. The slap still lingered in his memory, and during his last visit, there was that peculiar book added to the mix.
This time, hopefully, there wouldn't be any strange items in the room, Boros thought subconsciously, glancing through the slightly ajar door.
Wen Ying had silently crept up, intentionally holding his breath. As he approached Boros, who was peeking into the room, he loudly asked, "Do you want to go in?"
Startled, Boros instinctively swept his hand backward. Wen Ying, anticipating this, spread his bat wings and leaped two meters back.
"What are you doing?" Boros growled, his tone low and filled with displeasure, along with a barely perceptible hint of embarrassment.
Almost imperceptible to other demons, but Wen Ying had been observing Beloros for quite some time and knew him well. He could tell that Beloros was feeling a mix of embarrassment and anger. Smiling, he asked, "What were you looking at just now?"
Beloros's heart pounded, still reeling from the encounter.
"Looks like you two get along splendidly," Aluda commented cheerfully as she headed for the stairs, "Go on, play. I'll be going down."
"Lord Aluda, about that new physique enhancement potion, do we need it tomorrow?"
Without breaking her stride, Aluda answered, "Yes."
She appeared to walk leisurely, but in reality, she moved swiftly. Within seconds, she was out of sight.
After exchanging glances with the seemingly innocent and smiling Wen Ying, Beloros entered the guest room expressionlessly and shut the door with a thud.
"Mood swings," Wen Ying mumbled softly. However, the thought of seeing the adorable, animated mini three-headed puppy tomorrow made his smile turn increasingly lascivious.
Puppies were meant to be cuddled.
Suddenly, Beloros felt a chill run down his spine in the room. He paced back and forth, feeling restless ever since arriving. He was worried but didn't know how to address it.
It felt like ever since he met Wen Ying, apart from that brief initial period, he had been on the defensive for a long time until now.
How frustrating.
Wen Ying entered his room, and Little Bai was inside, as usual. Upon Wen Ying's arrival, the little fox leaped onto his shoulder and affectionately licked his chin.
Little Bai's tongue had barbs, and it was fortunate that Wen Ying was now a demon. If he still had his fragile human skin, which was tender without the exposure to wind and sun, Little Bai could easily have licked through it in just a few licks.
Following his usual routine, Wen Ying carried the small pouch to his desk and pulled out a thick tome on potions to study.
Boros took out his homework to write, but he couldn't concentrate. The mere thought of Wen Ying being in the adjacent room made him restless and uncomfortable, unable to focus on his work at all.
At eleven, after studying potions for his target duration, Wen Ying brushed his teeth and washed his face contentedly before going to bed, looking forward to the next day.
—His two-day tour in the Human Realm, along with the exclusive Hellhound plush toy to pet… Just the thought of it made Wen Ying wish it were already tomorrow.
Boros lay in bed, wrapped in his blankets, inexplicably shivering several times.
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