The Demonic World I designed-Chapter 697 - 688: Can’t Take It Out...

Chen Qing did not meet the Emperor, as the location where the Emperor was invited differed from theirs; it was inside the Imperial Palace of Yundu, while they were situated in what was once the Honglu Temple of Yundu.

According to Zhang Xiaoyun, His Majesty is the recognized Saintly Emperor of the present day, and Yundu naturally also extended imperial reception rituals. The Imperial Palace of Yundu was always the Emperor’s sleeping quarters, so it was entirely normal for His Majesty to reside there.

As for Chen Qing, being an external prince, it was inconvenient for him to stay in the palace, so he was arranged to stay in the Honglu Temple instead.

This excuse left Chen Qing bewildered.

What was the meaning behind Yundu’s actions?

Recognizing the Emperor and even inviting him to stay in the Imperial Palace of Yundu?

On a legal basis, recognizing the Emperor, did that signify Yundu extending an olive branch to the Emperor?

Both Chen Qing and Shen Qi furrowed their brows; the Siao Family was currently at a clear advantage, possessing the most difficult to deal with powerful ghost soldiers at this time. If the unfathomable forces of Yundu were to also support the Emperor...

It didn’t sound like good news.

"Yo, long time no see, Your Highness, the King of Qin."

While they were settling in at the Honglu Temple, a familiar voice interrupted Chen Qing’s thoughts, and upon looking up, the person approaching took him by surprise.

Chen Baifeng, the Minister of Personnel, whom Chen Qing once had a good impression of, hadn’t been seen for almost a year since the Dragon Palace incident. Back then, with the tense situation and a hasty farewell, Chen Qing didn’t expect their next meeting would be here.

"Minister..." Chen Qing gave a cupped fist salute in return.

"Your Highness, the King of Qin, you are too polite. Now that you are a noble and I am a subordinate, how could we observe the rites of equals?"

Chen Qing smiled at the other party: "Minister, you’re now in charge of the Southern Sea, how is that different from a noble?"

"Eh, Your Highness must not speak so carelessly," the other party quickly waved his hand: "I merely follow His Majesty’s commands, just managing the affairs of the Southern Sea, and have never harbored any intentions of becoming a king."

"Oh?" Chen Qing looked at him thoughtfully. What did this mean?

Was he suggesting that he stood together with Emperor Siao?

Chen Qing was not convinced. The Emperor had grand ambitions and would never allow an ancient force that threatened him to grow. Chen Qing did not believe that during this northern campaign, the forces of the Southern Sea would not take the opportunity to make their move.

He knew that the three hundred flood dragons of the Southern Sea desperately needed essence blood for sustenance, and with so many Dragon Palace troops yet to be revived, the giant pythons of the north represented a natural blood pool; how could he miss this opportunity?

But if he wanted to seize the resources of the north, there would inevitably be conflicts with Emperor Siao, unless... the two had already secretly reached an agreement, or he was simply probing Chen Qing?

Unable to decipher the other party’s thoughts for the moment, Chen Qing could only temporarily suppress his doubts and smiled, "Having hurried all the way here, I haven’t even had time for breakfast. Minister, have you eaten?"

"I haven’t, not yet. Shall we dine together?" Chen Baifeng personally invited.

"Sure..." Just as Chen Qing nodded, he suddenly heard a woman’s voice behind him also speak up.

"Since Minister is in such good spirits, why not allow me to join as well?"

That voice left Chen Baifeng astonished, and a flicker of surprise crossed through his perpetually unextinguishable golden pupils.

Ever since his Dragon Transformation, his senses had become incomparable to those of ordinary living beings. Even a Super First Rank warrior within ten miles could be detected by him, but he had failed to notice the sudden appearance of the red-dressed woman at all.

This person... what was her background?

-----------------------------

"This cuisine... Huaiyang cuisine?"

The group found a rather upscale restaurant, booked a private room, and when the recommended dishes were served, Chen Qing recognized some familiar scenes.

Particularly, the Squirrel Fish and Crabmeat Lion’s Head were almost immediately identified by Chen Qing as remnants of his past life.

Chen Qing was born in Jiangnan and had lived there for many years, but the Jiangnan of this world was quite different from the Jiangnan in his memories. Although Jiangnan here also favored river and seafood, the dominant flavors were mostly fresh, fragrant, and spicy. He had thought that such a light and delicate cuisine did not exist in this world.

Because in the whole Central Plains, the humidity was quite heavy, and it was the same even in the north; heavy reliance on Sichuan pepper and strong spices was common everywhere. The Huaiyang cuisine of Yundu was very distinctive, and significantly, the preparation... wasn’t much different from his previous life.

Is there such a setting?

Chen Qing couldn’t quite remember, the world setting wasn’t his own creation, but another lead designer’s. However, he remembered that designer seemed to hail from Sichuan, so it seemed unlikely they would include such detailed settings for Yundu, right?

"Such nostalgia," Shen Qi said, picking up a morsel with his chopsticks and squinting his eyes in satisfaction after a taste. "I’m afraid it has been a hundred years since I’ve had the unique cuisine of Yundu."

"Unique to Yundu?" Chen Qing was curious. "Given how vast Jiangnan is, has no one tried to open a restaurant featuring Yundu cuisine?"

"That... it seems not," Shen Qi frowned and said, "Eh? Why is that? Although this cuisine, which emphasizes the natural taste of freshwater fish, might not suit everyone’s palate, it’s so refined and delicious that it should be popular with the wealthy. Why has no one tried to open a restaurant outside?"

Zi Yue also frowned; she was originally from Jiangsu and was accustomed to this cuisine. It seemed like it was a staple in Yundu, but why couldn’t she remember anything about it once outside...

Hmm?

Zi Yue suddenly came to a realization, squinting at the dishes on the table. freewёbnoνel.com

Couldn’t remember...

"I suddenly recall..." Chen Baifeng suddenly spoke up. "There used to be a branch of the Chen Family in Yundu as well, but during the times of war, that branch never left Yundu and seemed to have lost contact. If I have time later, I could perhaps pay them a visit. Maybe a relative could lead me there to taste some genuine local specialties."

"The Chen Family has a branch here?" Shen Qi looked up, curious. "I’ve never heard of it before."

"Perhaps they’re just low-profile," Chen Baifeng said with a smile.

But suddenly, something felt off.

Even if they were low-profile, as a branch family, they should still have dealings, right? But Chen Baifeng suddenly realized he had never interacted with the Yundu branch.

Not right... it seemed he had before, but as soon as he left Yundu...

"How interesting..." The lady in red picked up a dish, a curious expression flashing in her eyes. "This trip was not in vain, Yundu really is something special."

Seeing the lady in red speak, Chen Baifeng took the opportunity to ask, "May I know who you are?"

"Oh, this is the High Priestess of the Celestial Serpent Palace from the Northern Territory, Master Shen Le."

"Oh?" Chen Baifeng was surprised and hurriedly bowed, "I apologize for my ignorance."

Those demonic forces from the north?

She was also among those invited to Yundu, which managed to invite not only the Emperor but also these outsiders—demons. Indeed, Yundu was no ordinary place.

Master Shen Le quickly returned the bow: "Chief of Staff, you’re too kind."

Chen Baifeng took a long look at her; clearly, the red-clad woman understood the meaning of ’Chief of Staff.’ These northern demons seemed to be no ordinary demons, as they were very familiar with the human race’s Imperial Court system.

Perhaps, like the Dragon Palace, the Celestial Serpent Palace had its own influence and agents in the mortal realm. But given that the Chen Family was connected with world’s noble houses and that after the establishment of the Southern Sea, over eighty percent of the sorcerer families pledged their allegiance, which family did this red-clad woman belong to? He had never heard of her before.

"Does Master Shen Le know something?" Chen Qing asked, looking at Shen Le.

"What is King of Qin referring to?"

"The abnormality here," Chen Qing stated, looking around. "Shen Qi just mentioned that the local cuisine has never spread beyond Yundu. I also suddenly realize, not just the cuisine, seemingly nothing from Yundu has ever spread."

Hmm?

It was only then that everyone started to realize, it seemed to be the case.

Each place has its own uniqueness—like Jiangnan’s tea culture, the northern Khagan dances, polo, and the Quyi opera of Guanzhong, among others. Every region has its own distinctive features, which surely includes Yundu.

Upon arriving in Yundu, they noticed the local tunes, the special flower arrangement skills, and the street lanterns. Logically, these should have been easy to spread in bustling cities.

But Chen Qing had never seen them elsewhere, almost as if outside of Yundu, people would unconsciously forget about these things.

"It seems... King of Qin has realized," Shen Le said with a smile. "You’re right in your guess. The reason nothing from here has spread is not because it’s not accepted elsewhere, but because these things... can’t be taken out!"

Visit freewe𝑏nove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience