Chapter 1444: A Spark That Starts a Prairie Fire |
In the underground world, the cleansing was underway.
In the world above, the flames of war had already been burning fiercely.
The four great Tusi families believed the resistance force was extremely weak, with only a few thousand fighters. On ordinary days, they might cause some trouble, but they could never overthrow their rule. So when they decided to enter the demon kingdom beneath the great snowy mountain, they left only thirty percent of their elite troops behind to hold the line.
However, when the war truly broke out, those nobles were stunned to discover that their real enemy wasn't coming from outside—it was from within!
The Snow Mountain Divine Eagle had spent two full years planting sparks within each of the great families. These sparks received orders to reveal their identities only when the final battle arrived. At any other time, they were forbidden from acting suspiciously in any way. Even when the four families and the Sangga Monastery ordered them to kill their own comrades, they had to strike without hesitation!
All of this was to avoid arousing suspicion from the four families and the Sangga Monastery monks. Every sacrifice was made only for a day like this one.
The flames of war spread across the entire snowy highland.
Among these people, some were even noble-born children themselves.
On the land shrouded in darkness, rays of hopeful light would always bloom.
The heinous crimes committed by the four great Tusi families on the snowy highland had long stirred hatred in many hearts. The only reason they hadn't resisted was the existence of the Burial Master and the lack of a proper opportunity. If the Burial Master and most of the four families' elite combatants left the snowy highland for the underground, then their chance would come!
This prairie fire of rebellion spread uncontrollably. Many key figures within the Tusi families turned traitor on the spot. Once their internal structures were shattered, the once-arrogant power of the four families rapidly crumbled.
At this moment, the sole Tusi left to hold the fort, Pagyi Gesang, stared at the intelligence reports on his desk, his face terrifyingly dark.
"How could this happen? The La Min family only held out for three days before being breached! La Min Ouzhu's own cousin was one of the rebels!"
By his side, his iron-tower-like bodyguard, Suolang Deji, was no longer there. The front lines were in such a desperate state that he had no choice but to send Suolang Deji to suppress the rebellion.
But as the flames of war rapidly engulfed the entire snowy highland, Pagyi Gesang's brow furrowed deeply. For the first time in his life, he began to fear that he would lose everything he held.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, accompanied by an intoxicating aroma of meat.
"Patriarch, it's time for your meal."
The voice of the chef, Luodan, rang out from outside.
Pagyi Gesang's eyes lit up at the sound. No matter the time, this delicious food was his greatest love. His mood was terrible right now, so some good food would be just the thing to smooth out the creases in his heart.
"Come in!"
The door opened, and Luodan pushed a cart into the room, setting dish after dish of delicacies on the table. His movements were very graceful, and today's meal was especially lavish.
Pagyi Gesang sat down at the table and began to eat, attended by the maids and Luodan.
Luodan meticulously introduced each dish, explaining everything from the ingredients to the cooking methods with exceptional clarity.
"Luodan, having you in the Pagyi family is my greatest fortune! Without you here, my mood would probably be terrible every day. I'd probably only find pleasure in executing those damnable serfs."
Pagyi Gesang held a large leg of meat in his hand, gnawing at it with great delight.
"But today's ingredients seem a bit different—fresher than before. Did you get some new materials?"
He asked curiously as he ate.
Luodan smiled faintly and bowed as he replied, "This is wild yak meat. The flesh is firm. I marinated it overnight in a secret sauce to keep it from getting dry while still maintaining a chewy texture."
Hearing this, Pagyi Gesang's hand froze mid-air. He turned to look at Luodan in shock.
"What did you say this meat is?"
"It's wild yak meat."
Luodan smiled and answered again.
Pagyi Gesang was dumbfounded. "But didn't you say before that this was..."
Luodan replied flatly, "Before was before. Now is now. The times have changed, Patriarch."
Pagyi Gesang stared down at the wild yak leg in his hand, dazed for a moment. Then, a horrifying thought suddenly struck his mind.
"If you can make such delicious food from a wild yak leg, then why did you have me raise so many people in the past?"
Luodan's smile grew even deeper.
"If I hadn't done that, how would the four great Tusi families and those false monks of Sangga Monastery have stirred up public outrage?"
His voice came from afar, like a demon from hell.
"Do you remember what I told you was the finest ingredient? It's the young ones."
"And the more noble and pure a person's bloodline and status, the more delicious the young they produce."
"Do you still recall how many children you've taken from your own clan?"
By now, cold sweat was pouring down Pagyi Gesang's body. From head to toe, he was so chilled that his entire frame trembled. He hadn't wanted to do those things, but somehow, after eating Luodan's cooking, he became bewitched. He began to sacrifice everything for the sake of his appetite. He hadn't been so fat before; it was Luodan who, with those meals, had gradually bloated his appetite until now he was like a three-hundred-pound pig!
For the sake of gourmet food, he had even buried his conscience later on, chasing only the finest flavors.
Pagyi Gesang suddenly whipped his head toward Luodan, a vicious glint in his eyes.
"Luodan, are you with the resistance too?"
A cryptic smile curled at the corner of Luodan's mouth.
"No."
"But our goals are the same. They're just a knife on my chopping board."
The wild yak leg in Pagyi Gesang's hand was suddenly hurled at Luodan.
From the sleeve of his right hand, Luodan dropped a gleaming kitchen knife. With one clean, sharp motion, he sliced the wild yak leg cleanly in two.
Pagyi Gesang bounced up like a ball and, from somewhere, pulled out two pistols encrusted with jewels, pulling the triggers at Luodan repeatedly.
An identical kitchen knife appeared in Luodan's left hand. His face expressionless, he stood there like a symphony conductor, elegant and poised, while both his hands moved at a speed the naked eye couldn't follow.
A constant clattering rang out as every bullet that came near him was sliced apart, then fell to the ground.
The maids in the room had already fled, shrieking in terror. In Luodan's hands, the number of kitchen knives multiplied to dozens.
He hurled the knives with both hands, and the spacious room had no blind spots—every inch was within his attack range.
The pig-fat Pagyi Gesang suddenly became surprisingly agile, desperately dodging one knife after another that flew toward his body.
