Hearing that there was no stock left, the ghost officials instantly deflated.
What is this? Their cravings had been thoroughly stirred up, only to find out there was nothing left.
The single box had even been bought by Old Five.
That Old Five usually looked so honest and never boasted, yet today he had lied to all of them just for a box of latiao.
Gazing with lingering resentment at Old Five's retreating figure as he hugged the latiao, the ghost officials watched him step out of the vending area and vanish into the cluster of Manjusaka.
Who knows which clever little fellow muttered under his breath: "Fighting is forbidden inside the vending area, but once we're outside, we can take action, right?"
The ghost officials exchanged glances, then suddenly scrambled to fly forward, surrounding Old Five amidst the Manjusaka.
"Brothers, beat the crap out of him!"
"Ah—help!"
The wind blew, and the Manjusaka swayed with graceful forms, concealing all the disarray and wretchedness within the patch of flowers.
In the end, this farce even startled King Yama himself.
All the brawling ghost officials, including Old Five, were placed under arrest. As for the box of latiao that had sparked the disaster, it was confiscated in full under a fine-sounding pretext.
Meanwhile, at King Yama's Mansion.
The heads of the Ten Kings of Hell gathered closely around a single box of confiscated latiao placed in their midst.
Sitting atop the box was a black-robed child.
Everyone was looking at him with undisguised contempt.
"I say, King Chuanlun, you abused your power just for a box of stuff like this?"
"That ghost official Old Five is under your command, right? If he finds out you embezzled his things, will he be angry enough to stage an uprising?"
Denounced by all the Kings of Hell, the black-robed child let out a cold snort. "What do you know? I confiscated this fair and square with my own abilities. If you have the guts, none of you better eat any later!"
Impatiently, the black-robed child tore open the cardboard box. Inside were one hundred fiery-red packs of latiao.
The Kings of Hell crowded around in unison.
Contempt aside, facing this box of latiao that had triggered a massive brawl among the ghost officials, they were still quite curious.
"Is it really just a little packet like this? I heard it tastes even better than the instant noodles Old Bao bought a few days ago?"
"I heard from the ghost officials below that when Old Five was being mobbed by everyone, he held onto the latiao for dear life and refused to let go, and he didn't shed a single tear. But when this box of latiao was confiscated, he cried more miserably than if his own parents had entered the cycle of reincarnation."
"Could it really be that exaggerated? I don't believe it!"
"I don't believe it either."
While the Kings of Hell were discussing it, the black-robed child had already taken the lead, grabbed a pack of latiao, and torn open the package.
Instantly, an aggressively rich aroma rushed into everyone's nasal cavities.
The murmurs stopped abruptly.
The next second, the Kings of Hell, who had looked so disdainful just moments before, pounced forward, grabbing packs right and left until they had cleanly divided up the entire box of latiao.
Eagerly tearing open the packets, they took a bite.
The rich, spicy flavor instantly spread between their lips and teeth, dancing on the tip of the tongue like a burning flame.
"Hiss—so spicy!"
King Qinjiang, who couldn't handle spicy food, had tears brought to his eyes by the heat and tossed the rest aside after a single bite.
The moment it left his hand, the remaining latiao was snatched back by the black-robed child.
Even the opened pack in his hand, which he had taken a bite of, failed to escape the child's clutches.
"If you're not going to eat it, give it back to me! Waste is shameful!"
King Qinjiang: "?"
"Don't you guys find it spicy?"
The remaining nine ate without even raising their heads. "Hoo, hah! It's spicy, but it's so good!"
"It's spicy and savory. I'm telling you, it's even more addictive than Erguotou. You can't stop—you simply can't stop!"
Suspiciously, King Qinjiang smacked his lips and savored the aftertaste.
Earlier, he had been entirely focused on the heat. Now that the fierce spice was fading, the savory aroma of the latiao came surging up.
It actually seemed... pretty delicious.
He reached out to grab his share of the latiao, only to grasp empty air.
All the latiao, including his portion, had already been devoured by the others.
Even after finishing, this group still wore expressions of lingering longing.
"Not bad. Huaxia's cuisine truly lives up to its reputation."
"Mmm, it is indeed tastier than instant noodles."
"It's just that the portions are a bit small; a pack is gone in two or three bites."
After finishing, the black-robed child wore a look of intense vexation.
If he hadn't needed to shut this bunch up, he would never have shared the latiao.
He regretted it to death. Had he known this stuff tasted so much better than instant noodles, he would have hidden half of it away beforehand.
Now look at this—they had eaten every last bit.
With a resentful expression, he stared at the empty bags on the ground while sucking the residual chili oil from his fingers.
The Kings of Hell: "..."
As good as latiao was, sucking on their fingers really wasn't necessary.
Dignified Kings of Hell as they were, abusing their power to snatch food from their subordinates had already crossed the line of decency.
If they started sucking their fingers on top of that, it would completely destroy all decorum!
The figures stood up, preparing to go wash their hands—
"Wait, something's wrong. Why do I feel a warmth in my abdomen?"
"The yin energy within my body seems to have grown a bit denser!"
"Could this latiao actually enhance cultivation?!"
They immediately sat down cross-legged to inspect the yin energy inside their bodies.
Upon confirming that the latiao could genuinely increase their internal yin energy, everyone was so shocked their jaws nearly dropped.
Unclear who started it, following the black-robed child, the remaining eight Kings of Hell lowered their heads one after another and began sucking the residual chili oil from their fingers.
For a moment, the only sound echoing through the grand hall was the slurping of fingers.
What decorum? How could anything be more important than increasing their strength?!
Besides, there were no outsiders around to see them anyway.
King Qinjiang, who had taken a single bite and spat it out: "..."
Don't ask; asking means the person in question was filled with bitter regret.
Having finished sucking all ten fingers, the Kings of Hell still wore expressions of lingering craving.
"What a pity, it's gone."
"When is that Huaxia mortal restocking?"
"Seems like in half an hour?"
"Quick, quick, send someone to keep watch. The rest of the latiao—I'm taking all of it."
...
Sang Lu had no idea that her latiao had already caught the attention of the Ten Kings of Hell. Carrying her newly acquired total of over forty thousand points, she strolled around leisurely.
She had her eye on quite a few items.
For instance, the beast bones sold by that swordsman holding a sword, who supposedly came from the Cultivation World.
Beast bones capable of bringing the dead back to life and regenerating flesh on bones were priced at 5,000 points, which translated to fifty thousand yuan in Renminbi.
Yet as far as she knew, a single wild ginseng root over a century old in Huaxia was worth over a million.
The medicinal value of these beast bones far surpassed that of a century-old ginseng.
However, before she could seek out the sword-wielding cultivator, he took the initiative to find her.
"Young lady, please stay your steps."
Surprised, Sang Lu looked at him. "Does this... Immortal Master need something?"
"I am Jian Shisan, a direct disciple of the number one sword sect in the Cultivation World," the man said, cupping his hands in a salute. "May I ask if the 99 boxes of latiao in your storage space are still for sale?"
Sang Lu raised her head sharply.
The System existed as an entity transcending the Three Realms. How could this person possibly see the latiao inside her System inventory?
"Apologies, I did not mean to cause offense. It is simply due to the cultivation technique I practice; I can touch the laws of space. Therefore, no storage space can escape my divine sense."
Listening to this, Sang Lu was utterly bewildered.
She had the surreal illusion of a fantasy web novel stepping into reality.
"Aren't cultivators supposed to practice penury?" Sang Lu muttered.
Jian Shisan scratched his head, a hint of bashfulness seemingly appearing on his fair face. "Indeed, I have practiced penury for many years. But today, catching a whiff of that aroma by chance, my Dao heart actually loosened a fraction, so I wished to buy some to try."
Good grief, could the charm of latiao prove irresistible even to a penurious cultivator?