The Damned Hunger

Chen Zhou felt a sudden chill.

"Omnipresent hunger, illusions born of obsession, food that drives one mad upon consumption."

"No wonder commoners find it impossible to escape the path of hungry ghosts once they enter."

A massive swarm of hungry ghosts had gathered, their resentment billowing toward the sky. Even as an evil spirit who had no need for sustenance, Chen Zhou felt his stomach twitch at this moment.

He felt as if a voice was lingering in his mind, refusing to dissipate.

"You are hungry. You need to fill the void. You need to devour."

Chen Zhou steadied his mind and swept his gaze across the ground.

The hungry ghosts had practically plowed through the earth earlier in their scramble for the meat soup.

However, amidst the wreckage, a few things remained perfectly intact.

They were several pitch-black objects scattered in the mud.

Even while those crazed hungry ghosts were tearing out their companions' entrails, they hadn't touched these black lumps.

Yet, before the scramble for feathers began, every hungry ghost that passed by had clutched these things like treasures, gnawing on them desperately.

With a thought, Chen Zhou sent out a strand of death qi, coiling a mud-stained black lump from the ground and bringing it into his hand.

It was cold to the touch, yet not as hard as stone; instead, it possessed a strange leathery resilience.

Chen Zhou squeezed it.

It felt somewhat like meat.

He examined it closely but couldn't discern the specific material.

It was as black as coal and had no scent—no aroma of meat, nor any stench of rot. It was like a lifeless, dead object.

He looked around. Many hungry ghosts were still wandering in the distance.

Most of them retained their original human forms.

There were palace maids, eunuchs, and guards with sallow complexions and hunched backs, their heads lowered as they gnawed on the black meat held in both hands.

"In normal circumstances, these hungry ghosts seem to rely on eating this stuff to maintain a certain balance."

"The fragrance of the crane feathers broke that balance just now, causing them to lose control and go on a rampage."

"So, what exactly are these black lumps? Where do they come from?"

Chen Zhou was lost in thought.

He did not rashly attempt to eat it. Instead, he put it away and looked at the Nine-Age Crane lying on the ground.

"Get up. There is work to be done."

The Nine-Age Crane raised its head with difficulty, its eyes unfocused.

The resentment of the hungry ghosts was too thick, amplified by the power of the path of hungry ghosts.

Its mind was currently filled with the taste of the meat soup from earlier. Even though it was fake, even if it was just pus and blood, it wanted to take another sip.

"Gaa..."

It issued a weak protest, indicating it could no longer fly.

Chen Zhou frowned. After a moment of thought, he commanded, "You do not need to fly far. Just stay here and release your fragrance."

"Your scent can attract them, so we will lure even more."

"If we can create a large enough commotion, we might be able to find the person you are looking for more quickly."

Hearing this, the Nine-Age Crane immediately understood Chen Zhou's intention.

It forced itself to stand and shook its wings.

The fragrance instantly intensified several times over, spreading rapidly through the dilapidated imperial palace along with the wind.

Chen Zhou stood in place, waiting quietly.

Soon, movement came from the shadows all around.

Massive swarms of hungry ghosts converged from all directions.

Some crawled out of withered wells, some squeezed out of cracks in the walls, and some even burrowed directly out of the ground.

They were packed together, numbering in the thousands and tens of thousands.

The Nine-Age Crane was startled by the scale of the gathering and instinctively wanted to fly higher.

It knew the area was dangerous, but if it could attract more ghosts, perhaps Song Zi'an and the Heavenly Chef would be safer.

At the very least, it was drawing all the attention to itself.

As the Nine-Age Crane continuously intensified the release of its exotic fragrance, the hungry ghosts went completely mad.

"Fragrant! It's so fragrant!"

"I want to eat! Give it to me!"

The hungry ghosts began to attack and devour each other.

Chen Zhou closely monitored the movements of all the ghosts.

As the resentment reached a crescendo, wisps of cooking smoke suddenly rose from the corners of various halls throughout the imperial palace.

There were hundreds of such wisps...

The aromas of various dishes surged forth like a tsunami.

There was the rich scent of braised pork, the freshness of steamed fish, the wheaty aroma of freshly baked buns, and even the fragrance of spirit rice that Chen Zhou recognized—the kind only found in the City of the Wrongfully Dead.

All these scents mixed together, rushing straight into the Nine-Age Crane's head.

"Gaa?!"

The Nine-Age Crane was dazed by the assault.

With so much delicious food, this was practically heaven!

It felt the hunger in its belly grow even more intense. Its vision began to blur, and its consciousness grew hazy.

It felt as if it had returned to Zhenlong Mountain, squatting beside the Heavenly Chef's stove, smelling the freshly cooked delicacies.

Golden-roasted chicken dripping with oil, tender stewed pork hock, steaming buns, translucent rice cakes...

"Gaa..."

The Nine-Age Crane swallowed hard, a trace of confusion flashing in its eyes.

It felt that it truly couldn't endure the hunger any longer.

It was so hungry... it felt like gnawing on its own wing.

It lowered its head, looking at its own snow-white feathers.

The flesh beneath the feathers seemed to be emitting a certain alluring fragrance.

If only it could take a bite...

If only...

The Nine-Age Crane's eyes gradually lost focus. It opened its beak and slowly lowered its head, intending to bite its own wing.

A hand firmly gripped its beak.

Chen Zhou appeared before it, lifting its entire body by the beak.

"Do you want to die?"

Chen Zhou's voice was as cold as ice, instantly making the Nine-Age Crane shudder.

Chen Zhou pried the old crane's beak open and roughly shoved a flesh-reconstitution pill into its throat without a second look.

"Mmph, mmph..."

The Nine-Age Crane was forced to swallow. It wasn't until the pure essence of the flesh-reconstitution pill entered its stomach that the burning hunger was slightly alleviated.

"Hold on to your heart!"

Chen Zhou barked sternly. "As a spirit crane of Zhenlong Mountain, you are an auspicious beast. You should have the integrity of one!"

"Will you throw your life away for a few mere illusions and bites of food?"

"I know you are anxious to see your master, but this will only harm you and the person you seek."

"If your old master saw you eating yourself, how heartbroken would he be?"

"Would he even recognize a stupid bird like you?!"

The Nine-Age Crane was stunned by the scolding and felt a deep sense of shame.

It didn't want this either.

It knew it had been too impatient.

Because it missed its old master too much, it had allowed the illusions to take advantage of its weakness.

As an auspicious beast of Zhenlong Mountain, it possessed high intelligence and should have been beyond worldly desires, unmoved by the cravings of the palate.

But the laws of the path of hungry ghosts were too domineering.

With its level of cultivation, it was difficult to withstand the sensation of hunger.

Furthermore, it was truly worried about Song Zi'an.

Song Zi'an was only at the fifth stage; it had watched him grow up.

If a weak lad who couldn't even take care of himself entered a place full of hungry ghosts, would he, in his extreme hunger, act like those ghosts and eat dirt, stones, or even himself?

It was even more worried about its old master.

If its old master was truly here, how many years had he been trapped?

Hunger would only intensify over time; it knew that pain all too well.

The Nine-Age Crane didn't dare to imagine if, when it finally found the Heavenly Chef, he would be like those hungry ghosts—having eaten everything except his own head, still opening his mouth to cry out in hunger.

At the thought of that image, the Nine-Age Crane felt a sharp pang in its heart, and its mental defenses collapsed once again.