Chapter 110 Bait
When Zhou Wei saw them, he hesitated a bit when he greeted them, clearly still getting used to how Fu Qinghuai was addressed.
But only for a moment, and then he casually handed over the selected menu.
"Come on, see if you want to add anything else. Don't be shy, this meal is on me."
He pointed to the menu as he spoke, “I’ve heard that their freshly sliced beef and tripe are exceptional.”
"We're not picky eaters, this should be enough, we'll order more if it's not enough."
After saying that, Xie Xun sat down, casually took out a small paper figure the size of his palm from the cloth bag he carried with him, and flicked it. The little thing wobbled away from the private room.
Fu Qinghuai sat down next to Xie Xun, his gaze sweeping over the bubbling soup base filled with chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, which was bright red and smelled especially delicious.
At this moment, Lin Huairou couldn't wait to cook a piece of tripe. After dipping it in the oil for a while, she put it in her mouth, panting as it was hot, but she didn't want to spit it out.
"Wow! Captain Zhou, you definitely made the right recommendation, this tastes absolutely authentic!"
Lin Huairou's eyes lit up with delight, and she exclaimed in a muffled voice, "So fresh and fragrant! I feel like my soul is being sucked away by the aroma!"
Xie Xun didn't touch his chopsticks, but just stared at the things on the table with a faint look in his eyes, and even drank several sips of tea.
Fu Qinghuai, contrary to his usual behavior, would have eaten his fill long ago, but this glutton was even more like a big glutton than him.
As expected, while waiting for the food to be served, Zhou Wei took a sip of Longjing tea, his expression became slightly serious, and he lowered his voice to look at Xie Xun.
"Speaking of which, some things were discovered during the subsequent cleaning of the Liu Family Ancestral Hall."
He watched Xie Xun and Fu Qinghuai with a deep gaze, and continued, "We found some tattered notes in a secret compartment of the room. They mentioned some very strange evil arts that even Lao Liu and Huairou couldn't understand. They studied them for more than half a month, and we had no choice but to come to you."
“Indeed, young friend Xie, that evil magic is quite strange.”
Liu Xiuyuan added from the side, his face still showing lingering fear, clearly having been troubled by this matter. He continued, "Although the notes are very incomplete, the general idea is that the lantern... seems to be able to disperse some of its own power and attach it to a specific container."
"Then, they draw nourishment from people's negative desires in different ways."
At this moment, Lin Huairou also put down his chopsticks and, unusually seriously, replied, "It also mentioned words like appetite, fear, and delusion, which seem to be some kind of evil magic. But I can't understand what it is."
As she spoke, she took a photo out of her small bag and pushed it in front of Xie Xun.
The photo shows a page of a notebook, with messy and distorted handwriting, and a few words are highlighted.
"Dividing the lamps to feed the evil spirits"
"Appetite is the trigger, fear is the root."
"Gather the impurities of the seven emotions to nourish an inextinguishable lamp."
Just then, Xie Xun's usually calm expression darkened slightly, and his hand under the table twitched almost imperceptibly.
Almost simultaneously, Fu Qinghuai picked up the vinegar bottle on the table, poured it into the oil dish, and then used chopsticks to dip into the dark vinegar liquid, drawing a crooked circle on the clean tabletop.
At first glance, it seems normal, but the more you look at it, the more sinister it appears.
"can't read?"
Fu Qinghuai's voice carried a hint of cold mockery, "What you were just saying, isn't it just unfolding right before your eyes?"
After saying that, he pointed to the boiling red oil pot on the table, "Appetite is the lure, and this cloyingly fragrant smell is the bait."
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