One week later a pale Chef Wen came back with a large bag of freshly slaughtered chicken meat.
At this time the group was eating at the Fairy Garden Inn. It was because while the palace was very lavish and easy to indulge in, right now it only held the very recent memories of bloodshed that made everyone unwilling to stay until they could emotionally recover. Everyone was still in mourning over their feathery friend.
However even though they were grieving, everyone was also busy. Duan Mengyao had been forced to take back his old position as the battle had incurred a loss of men and turmoil in the army. Yan Huizhong prepared to make arrangements to leave the palace, and Tang Muxin, Ye Cheng and Pan Shuchun still had their business to cultivate. In a way, everyone used their careers to try to keep their mind off their emotions. They really didn't expect this turn of events.
The moment Chef Wen came back into their lives he insisted on teaching Tang Muxin to use spiritual energy to most effectively cook some of his signature chicken dishes. Tang Muxin who more or less understood where the source of the meat came from was understandably unwilling to touch it.
"I can't." Tang Muxin forcefully refuses the old chef, a flash of disgust in her eyes. Even if she did admire his cooking abilities, she had great distaste for his character. Even ignoring the implications of the bag of meat in Chef Wen's hands, this was a man who not only sided with the seventh prince but also switched sides so easily. For enemies and allies alike, Tang Muxin always disliked those who had little loyalty, easy to convince into betraying someone with just some money and a few promises and threats.
In her original world, it didn't matter what she felt about those people as she had to only think about following orders and being valued. However, now was different. She had grown throughout her journey, she had found friends she trusts implicitly, a silly dull but loyal and strong man and a sense of independence. She was no longer a woman who was strong but submitted to her superiors, she was the superior now, and she refused to be wronged.
Straightening her back she fiercely flares at Chef Wen. "Please leave the… Please leave him with us and then never come back."
Especially toward this old man.
Chef Wen was not stupid and could see he was really not welcome. He smiled bitterly. He also didn't want to be here okay? But who told Tang Muxin to be the protagonist? He could not carry out his promise to the stupid fat bird without her.
Jia Hyson who had barely moved since Da Gong had left finally stirred. Crawling toward the commotion, Jia Hyson activated [Karmic Insight] and saw a darkness hovering over everyone. He frowns.
It seems that they couldn't follow this path of denying Chef Wen's request.
Jia Hyson felt his heart get even heavier. The weight almost made it hard to move.
"Do what he says." Jia Hyson croaks, earning everyone's attention.
"Jin Bao?" Tang Muxin frowns slightly in worry and confusion, "Your voice-?"
"You can speak now?" Ye Cheng gasps.
"It's even cuter than I thought." Pan Shuchun mutters, "And I already thought Jin Bao's voice would be incredibly cute."
Duan Mengyao and Yan Huizhong silently agree. The little dragon's voice was soft and milky, without the whining edge some children have, it instead had a slight kitten-like purring rumble making it almost ticklish to the ears.
Tang Muxin was the one who was most shocked though. After all, she was used to telepathically communicating with Jin Bao and his voice was the same as his original body- a mature and handsome sounding voice. She had long been used to the gap now, and it felt almost unreal to hear this cutesy voice speaking instead.
It felt… a little perverted. Like a 100-year-old legal loli.
Jia Hyson pauses before faking a look of surprise. "Oh! It turns out I can ah!"
Bebe: You have really let your lessons in white lotus acting class down ah.
Jia Hyson: Tsk, shut up.
To be honest, after father dragon filled Jia Hyson with so many heavenly ingredients, if he hadn't improved his dragon skills and gained the foundational ability to speak human, then he probably was a fake dragon. It was only because he had been so depressed that he had no motivation or energy to communicate with others. It already felt like a lot just telepathically talking with Tang Muxin and explaining to the other animals what had happened, much less talking with the others.
Jia Hyson was too lazy to explain to them right now. Instead, he stared deeply at Chef Wen.
Chef Wen's black eyes looked back with some wariness. After all, he also figured out that this Jin Bao was most likely some sort of outsider similar to himself and Da Gong. However, unlike Da Gong who had a deep trust in the little dragon, Chef Wen had barely exchanged three sentences with the other. It would be strange to have a lot of faith in Jin Bao who clearly had a very low moral bottom line if he was willing to try an interspecies relationship with a rooster.
Jia Hyson: I suddenly feel the energy to rush up and smack that old man.
Ignoring the sudden feeling of irritation, Jia Hyson swayed his tail and glanced at the large sack of bloody meat before quickly averting his glowing eyes. Unfortunately, it was too late, he had seen the familiar aura of Da Gong, ruthlessly destroying his last strand of denial.
Swallowing he opens his mouth again, "It doesn't matter right now, Tang Muxin, we should do as he says."
The atmosphere which had become somewhat pleasant after the surprise of Jin Bao's talking cooled again.
"Jin Bao, what are you saying?" Ye Cheng was the most disturbed by his words. "Don't you understand what, what he wants Tang Muxin to do?!" Ye Cheng was usually sunny and fairly gentle tempered, it was a bit shocking to see him raise his voice so hysterically. Shocking but still understandable.
Jia Hyson couldn't look at Ye Cheng and silently nodded.
"You-!" Ye Cheng was about to rush up but was stopped by Duan Mengyao. Yan Huizhong pinched Ye Cheng's thigh, letting the pain sober him up for a bit.
"Cheng, don't be rash." Yan Huizhong slowly and soothingly spoke, however, his red-rimmed eyes also proved he wasn't calm as he pretended to be, "Jin Bao's power of foresight is strong, I'm sure he wouldn't tell us to do what Chef Wen said unless there was a very strong reason for it."
Ye Cheng didn't say anything, clenching his fists helplessly. His reaction couldn't be helped. The years he had been with Da Gong couldn't be so easily thrown away and to Ye Cheng, the rooster was almost like a little son to him. What heartless bastard would give a good face to people that wish to cook his dead son's body?!
Not to mention Ye Cheng, everyone else was upset too.
However the more unwilling they were, the more Jia Hyson could see the bad omens lingering and growing in their auras. He couldn't fully comprehend the situation given the lack of details but now he was sure Da Gong had done something to himself when he had died.
It could be said this was probably his final gift to everyone.
Out of the group, Tang Muxin had the most tacit understanding with Jia Hyson. Seeing his ears droop slightly and his tail anxiously swaying on the floor she also seemed to understand what he was seeing. Her expression was heavy.
"Jin Bao's father said that Da Gong was not an ordinary rooster but held the bloodline of a Phoenix." She suddenly speaks out, "The higher intelligence and larger size was the clearest evidence to show Da Gong had inherited on varying levels supernatural traits. Phoenix are known for revival and rebirth…" Tang Muxin trails off, unsure what else to say.
After all increased intelligence was one thing. But inheriting the clearly magical ability to revive from the dead was leagues away. Even in an online game, this was the sort of OP skill that required a lot of level up points to invest into. It wasn't something that any old chicken with a heavily diluted creature bloodline could easily attain.
While not everyone played or had even heard of online games in everyone's mind, they logically felt that if Da Gong had the capability of bearing such a good skill then he would've had the capability of having other traits like a Phoenix such as a stronger regenerative ability.
"I don't know the exact reason either," Jia Hyson voices out quietly. Still, within the silent and solemn atmosphere, everyone could hear it clearly, "All I know is that this is probably Da Gong's blessings to us. Even if he- no matter what state he was in, he was still stubborn and wilful enough to choose his own fate. There's no way he would let himself die in this manner without reason. And Chef Wen is a lot of things but he's not so sick and stupid to come to us in such a manner where he's practically begging to be beaten to death and have his corpse publicly hanged naked from his toes."
Chef Wen: …Was that really necessary?
Ye Cheng, Pan Shuchun, Duan Mengyao, Yan Huizhong: The cute dragon turned out to be like this huh.
"Why don't we wait for Father Dragon?" Pan Shuchun tentatively suggests.
Chef Wen immediately shook his head. Even though he and Da Gong had been hiding for a week to prepare, Chef Wen still retained a few ways to learn information on what was happening in the kingdom. He knew the adult dragon had gone off to survey the conditions of the land. Most likely it was also to give his grieving son some space as well. Either way, it was clear to Chef Wen that the idea was just a grab for more time. "It may take too much time to wait, the meat will go off. Do you really want that to happen?"
The rest of the group stares at him with narrowed eyes.
Chef Wen rubs his nose awkwardly.
But it was indeed true that the meat will spoil if it's out for too long. The idea that Da Gong not only became an un-intact corpse but even his meat would become rotten and smelly was a bit too unbearable to think about.
In the end, after a lot of mental reconstruction and emotional preparation, everyone solemnly decided to go through with it. If Da Gong really…
….Ah, it was so painful.
With great reluctance, Tang Muxin followed the enthusiastic old man to the kitchens in the inn. She had experienced a lot of bloody things in her previous life. But this was really the most disturbing and conflicting.
It was true that Chef Wen had wholeheartedly taught her. No matter what Chef Wen was probably the most skilled chef and the most proficient in handling spiritual energy alive right now.
Her cooking and her ability to retain the spiritual essence in an ingredient had improved leaps and bounds, the knowledge shared with her had given her insight and understanding of various matters. With her already skilled hands, high intellect and protagonist halo, Chef Wen's lesson was like giving a tiger wings*.
*Making something overpowered
However, this sort of priceless lesson came at a big cost to her mental state. After all, this lesson was about how to carve up and cook a dear friend.
Even the strongest and coldest person would want to vomit and cry holding that knife as she had.
The only saving grace was that Chef Wen had already thoughtfully de-feathered and cut up the meat into large pieces before coming here. However, Tang Muxin had a medical background and a photographic memory. She could still recognise the bloody body parts and organs of a chicken.
Of Da Gong.
For the first time in a long time, Tang Muxin's hand trembles.
After two gruelling hours, everyone sat with pale faces around a table filled with various gorgeous delicacies that utilised chicken as either their star ingredient or held the flavour of chicken through broth and the oils squeezed out of the dripping meat as it sizzled on the ruthlessly hot pans. Chef Wen who placed the last dish on the table urged everyone to start eating.
"It's better if you finish it all," He smiles.
Everyone who was still mourning and feeling nauseous: …You fucking insensitive garbage old man.
Even though Da Gong was a rooster everyone treated him as an equal, on some level as a superior. Therefore they all decided to maintain the mourning period tradition of eating simple and mainly vegetarian food for a year.
And even if, if they could ignore their emotional ties, and didn't care about the rooster, objectively, it was still too much to ask. Da Gong was an abnormally large rooster. He could probably run with two toddlers on his back safely if he had the inclination. Asking them to eat everything was like asking five children to eat a whole turkey and make sure to lick their plates clean afterwards.
Chef Wen: …Guys, for real, I'm really sorry.
Chef Wen felt fucking wronged. He worked in the palace, he worked with the seventh prince, he wasn't stupid and he had good EQ. If he didn't know what was clearly written all over their faces he probably deserved to die years ago. Even if he didn't he had the goddamn common sense not to feed people their dead pets okay?
He didn't want to do this either!
"This is Da Gong's last request." Chef Wen repeated feeling incredibly embarrassed. Even if he had a thick face it really was hard to bear this atmosphere. The pot in his hands was heavy and black but he didn't dare drop it. "He didn't want to see you in the appearance he was in, and he knew that his body has a lot of good things. He insisted I help him because not only could he do one last thing for all of you, but he could also be shown beautifully for the last time."
Ye Cheng choked back a sob and everyone was wiping their tears or leaning on each other as their hearts ached at the words. They didn't even have the thought to question how Chef Wen, who may be talented in handling and understanding spiritual energy but should not be able to have any real supernatural ability in itself, could speak to Da Gong, a rooster who only spoke rooster.
Chef Wen also felt a bit moved by the atmosphere but said nothing, letting everyone have a bit more time to cry. The wheel of fate has already started to turn, if he messes up now then it's his own shard piece that will be ground up by this ruthless wheel.
This is why he was really unwilling at first. It was clearly an 'if I die, you die with me' plan. Unfortunately, Da Gong was a real piece of shit bastard and threatened him with another special shard skill they had, one that essentially promised complete annihilation either way.
Chef Wen at the time: …Are you fucking sick???
Looking at the gloomy faces of the people before him, all emotional over such a mean-hearted rooster, and then thinking of himself whose wife had decisively left with their children without even asking his situation Chef Wen felt like this was a really hard life he had ah.
Jia Hyson also couldn't help but shed tears too, after all, it was still never easy to grieve for a loved one. His chest was stuffy and dense it was like a storm cloud had been stuffed inside him, intangible yet suffocating. However, he was more clearheaded them others and understood there is a reason for Chef Wen's urgency.
Thinking of the item he had given to Da Gong before he left, Jia Hyson steeled his resolve and looked at the nearest plate of food in front of him.
Chef Wen saw that the little dragon had more or less collected himself and wasted no time to quietly introduce the dish.
"This is braised chicken heart with stir-fried garlic and an assortment of wild mountain mushrooms."
Jia Hyson stares down at the beautifully plated chicken heart dish.
Jia Hyson: …
Feeling its host's fluctuating emotions Bebe, who had been quiet for a while suddenly spoke up.
Bebe: 'Well… Bebe guesses even if Da Gong is gone…'
Jia Hyson: 'Bebe… what are you doing?'
Bebe: 'You could say…'
Jia Hyson: 'Bebe this is not the time to find your sense of humour.'
Bebe: 'He will always be…'
Jia Hyson: 'Omg.'
Bebe: 'A real tasty dish*.' •̀.̫•́)b✧
*Attractive. Good enough to eat. It's more western slang. Idk some people didn't get it.
Jia Hyson: '…' ಠ_ಠ
Bebe: '…Too soon?'
Jia Hyson: 'HIS BODY ISN'T EVEN COLD YET YOU FUCK!' (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
Bebe: …Isn't that just because he's been freshly braised?
It's a good thing Bebe didn't say the last thing out loud or it would really have gotten trashed when this world was over. Still, the usual bickering helped. After the initial anger, Jia Hyson's strained emotions eased somewhat.
As expected, after so many words, no matter how bad their relationship looked to outsiders, Bebe knew him best.
Jia Hyson sighs and his claw reached over to stab the sliced up heart.
Everyone watched Jin Bro before they glanced at each other. No matter how emotionally, this sort of matter was incredibly hard to accept, it really didn't change the fact the objectively…. The smell of the meat had filled their mouths with saliva.
Hesitantly, and under the begging eyes of Chef Wen, they all reached their chopsticks out and picked up some rooster meat to place in their mouths.
Everyone: …
Everyone: …
Everyone: …
Oh shit. Da Gong tasted really good.
Guiltily they chewed the food in their mouth with stone-cold expressions, wiping away their tears and guiltily trying not to give away how the salty and crispy outside of the meat crackled under their teeth, allowing the juicy flavour of chicken to burst out. The meat was slightly smokey but neither tough, dry nor too chewy. Even after swallowing the sensation and taste in their mouths lingered and whet their appetites even further.
Fuck.
It was truly the most delicious chicken they had ever tasted.
Everyone: …We're so sorry Da Gong.
Even Duan Mengyao, who wasn't a big fan of the taste of bird* in the first place was immediately conquered by the taste of this big black cock and couldn't help wanting to swallow it whole.
*the word for bird can also be used for dick :,3
Jia Hyson also couldn't resist. He had actually eaten all of Da Gong's heart as if possessed. It was as if he couldn't bear to let anyone else touch his heart except himself, only satisfied after consuming the entire thing before he finally raised his eyes to the other dishes. While the sudden obsession that had overtaken him had strangely dissipated, and his body seemed to have warmed a bit abnormally, the delicious taste in his mouth made him ignore it in favour of the pursuit of good food.
Only Bebe who was carefully monitoring Jia Hyson's body frowns and silently notes this down while swallowing its' own saliva with a little bit of jealousy. The simulated taste it could receive from what Jia Hyson was experiencing was not the same as eating the food itself after all.
Still after a while of eating, no matter how good it tasted, even if it was truly the best tasting meat they had ever tasted, inevitably their stomachs will eventually be filled and the gluttony that took over them would fade and be replaced with what they had done. Soon the sounds of chewing were once again being replaced with sniffling and crying.
Chef Wen felt very distressed. Even with the larger appetite of the dragon Jin Bao, and the big ma Duan Mengyao, there was still a few more dishes left. However, at this rate, it really didn't look like they'll be able to finish it for a while.
Suddenly the older widow who manages the Fairy Garden Inn enters their private dining area, opening the door before bowing respectfully as an older gentleman enters.
It was the emperor in incognito.
Seeing that he'd clearly entered at an awkward time, the emperor stopped in his tracks awkwardly. The emperor had let them leave the palace to respect their space but he still wanted to give his condolences and gratitude to everyone. After all, he knew without the group's help the casualties would probably be far worse than before.
Unfortunately after such a big thing, the emperor was very busy cleaning up the mess, looking through various reports, checking the administration, giving out compensation money for the fallen and ordering people to do restoration around the areas that had been burned up. It was only until now could he, with some help from his loyal servants and ministers, sneak out to make a personal visit that didn't require any great fanfare that would disrupt the group of youths.
He did not think that the day he managed to slip out, these people would be crying over their meals so aggrievedly.
The emperor pinched the edge of his sleeve, unsure what to say now. After all, he was not particularly close with the large rooster and found it difficult to really emphasise over the loss. He was a man in a position that required him to kill a whole family if needed. To him, Da Gong was indeed very unique and seemed like a good companion but he was still an animal and a pet. As an emperor, he subconsciously looked down on others and while he was considered very good in comparison to other emperors, in modern times there would probably be more than a few people who would deem him heartless.
Either way, he really didn't know what to do and was tempted just to turn around and leave. After a few seconds of hesitation, he glances at the table full of food and was startled to find the remaining dishes were all chicken dishes.
Because he had been recently been blessed by father dragon his insight and intuition was also much better, as was his health and eyesight. The emperor noticed that the chicken bones scattered around were much larger than usual as well. Suddenly a thought struck his mind and his expression distorted for a second.
Ah, it turns out they were paying their respects to their fallen feathery friend like this?
Really… hardcore!
However, after a bit more thought the emperor relaxed a little. He knew more rituals given his standing. There was a funeral tradition in a neighbouring country where the corpse is devoted by vultures under the open sky*. Their beliefs on this were that the tradition would help the person go to heaven and it is of the greatest of respect there.
*Tibetan sky burial
While it wouldn't be acceptable if Da Gong was a person, given he was a chicken, the emperor no longer felt so perturbed by their choice of mourning. It was like the reverse of the sky ritual, moving Da Gong's spirit not to the open sky by vultures, but to accompany his companions throughout their lives.
Feeling moved by his own thoughts the emperor no longer felt so awkward and boldly decided to continue walking toward them, sitting on an empty chair and greeting them softly.
Still muddled in their emotions everyone nodded at the man respectfully but couldn't say much in their embarrassing states. Even Duan Menyao who was the most respectful to the emperor was too busy trying to wipe away his tears.
Jia Hyson made a soft noise of acknowledgment as well. Even though their responses were considered cold and rude, the emperor didn't mind and was very understanding. He didn't have the face to interrupt their 'ritual' but it seemed like their depression was very dark right now.
Feeling he needed to do something, the emperor began to quietly tell them about what has been happening at the palace, the result of everyone's contributions and help, as well as emphasising the good that has been done and the changes that have been made for the better. As the emperor, he had many eyes and therefore he had many things to say. While it wasn't much, it helped everyone gain a bit of focus.
As he talked the emperor noticed everyone was struggling to consume the food on the table. Pausing, the emperor blinks before hesitatingly looking at Tang Muxin who, as the dragon saintess, he felt had the most say in the group. "This.. do you need some assistance? With the food, I mean."
The emperor felt like he vaguely understood. Wasting food was considered disrespectful to the chef and the ingredients used. As an emperor of course he tends to waste food, especially during times of good harvests. But he also knows that in this case, if the meat isn't all consumed it probably represents that Da Gong's spirit would not be whole, half tethered to the mortal realm or something along those lines.
The palace was full of various superstitions, while the emperor didn't want to ask the specifics he could tell consuming the entire body must be important in some way. However, it is clearly taking both a physical and mental toll on everyone.
The group hesitates, it felt a little wrong to let an outsider do this even if it is the emperor. However, they really couldn't eat anymore. Seeing the indecision the emperor seriously bows his head. "I understand your unspoken words," He slowly and calmly speaks as he raises his head again, eyes clear and earnest, "However do not worry, while I cannot comprehend the depths of your camaraderie with Da Gong, I truly do respect and admire the achievements and accomplishments he had done, especially given he is a rooster. Just his fierce combat skills had put many of my soldiers to shame."
He chuckles, making everyone else crack a faint smile. Looking deeply into their eyes, the emperor seriously tells them, "It would be an honour to pay my respects and help you finish your ritual."
Ye Cheng felt a burst of pride and pain. To think Da Gong, the rooster he had raised, would even be honoured by the emperor.
If only Da Gong was here… he probably wouldn't care much but he would still puff up his chest arrogantly as if it was a matter of course.
Thinking about it his eyes watered again.
Tang Muxin paid attention to Ye Cheng's reaction. While she was essentially the leader, Ye Cheng was the closest to a father to Da Gong. His reaction was the most important. Seeing he was not repulsed, she also acquiesced to the emperor joining. While she didn't know what 'ritual' he was talking about it was evident he had nothing but good intentions.
Chef Wen however had an ugly expression. Stepping in he was about to speak up but who knew the emperor was so agile with his chopsticks and already swallowed a piece of meat. Maybe the emperor thought that if he could clear the dishes faster the drawn-out pain of seeing their friend be slowly eaten piece by piece would be cut short sooner, or maybe the meat was really just too delicious but the emperor began to eat with a decorum more befitting a hungry beggar.
Chef Wen: …Fuck.
Well, as long as everything was eaten at least he would be safe. As for the extra unexpected person that ate the meat?
Ahahaha, it's not like it's his problem anymore ah _(:3」∠)_