Vol 2 Chapter 3 (2/2)

I looked around at everyone’s faces, and it felt like they were thinking that they wanted to back out but it was a hard-to-come-by chance… As for myself, I felt like the prize was okay, and I was in it just to partic.i.p.ate along with everyone else but now I feel like backing out would be a wise decision.

“Big brother do your best, it will be us soon.” Yun Chang encouraged me as she held my hand.

“Ha~~”

Un… Just from the atmosphere alone, it doesn’t seem like I can back out easily.

“A-re~~ I got a jade stone as well~~~ I forfeit~~~”

Just then, Hua Tuo said in an unusually drawling tone.

“Maa, if it’s like that, it can’t be helped…” Guo Ji seemed to be unsatisfied but she did not pursue the matter and seemed to imply that those who want to back out may do so.

“Me now!” Yi De seemed to very happy for some reason and reached out with her chopsticks and brought it out instantly, the quickest person to pick something out thus far, “What is this huh? Maa, never mind! I’m starving already.”

I don’t know what Yi De picked as she put it in her mouth and swallowed it before I could see.

“Oh~~” Guo Jia cheered happily and clapped lightly, “Please learn from her, everyone… What was that, ah yes, this is how adults eat. Our game can only end quickly if everyone eats like this.”

More like our nightmare will end more quickly! It’s not like everyone can be like Yi De and swallow without chewing at all. Moreover, wouldn’t this just hasten our end?

“… Yi De, what was it that you ate? What does it taste like?” I asked out of concern, hoping that nothing untoward would happen to my little sister.

“I don’t know. I’m very hungry so I just swallowed it down without chewing.” Yi De said happily, upon which I could hear her stomach growling… As they say, hunger is the best spice after all.

“Xuan De, you’re up next.” Meng De suddenly called out to me, and seemed to be eagerly antic.i.p.ating what would happen to me…

“Big brother do your best!” Yun Chang was cheering me on from the side. But what help was encouragement in a gamble…

So–

I stuck my chopsticks in deep and made for the bottom, searching for the jade stones.

Though I feel bad for the girls who are so serious about this, my heart can’t take this anymore and my only safe way out is to graciously forfeit after picking a jade stone.

Found it! … Un… It’s hard to pick up, how the heck did Hua Tuo and the Xu state 3 do it? … Come over here, you… It slipped away again! … No good, if this keeps us, the others will get suspicious… d.a.m.n it!! … Alright! I got a firm grip!

“You’re it!” I yelled out loud as I swiped out what was in my chopsticks in one go!

—- A-re? Why is the jade stone burnt like charcoal? And doesn’t this shape look like…

Meat stew?!

“Ah, th, that beef stew was from me.” Yun Chang stammered shyly as she saw that I had picked her food.

To think, to think I… But why is this ‘meat’ so hard?

“No, I made that meat stew!” All of a sudden, Gan Qing slammed the table and yelled at Yun Chang. “I made meat stew too! What Xuan De is eating is definitely mine!”

The same dis.h.!.+ The same level of cooking! To think they clashed head on!

“I made the meat stew!”

“I made it!”

The two of them began arguing immediately.

Whoever made it doesn’t matter, my fate has been decided. No matter how I think about it, this scene is exactly the same as before…

Hai, I’ve gone this far already, and I no longer have a legitimate reason to back out. I can only hope that these 2 have improved their cooking skills.

Ahen~ I put the piece of ‘slightly hard meat stew’ into my mouth and intended to swallow it without chewing just like Yi De. But, of course, things never go as simple as I hope for.

Wu! Ue~~

What is this? Just placing it in my mouth induces a strong wave of nausea. Could it be trauma from the last time? Though it does seem better than before, just from the nausea, I can conclude that they have not actually improved much.

Speaking of which, this meat is really hard. It will probably scratch my throat if I swallow without chewing.

As I thought so, I carefully chewed in–

Guee~~ This meat has a lot of juice in it~~~ But the taste is so weird, it’s a little sweet and for some reason has some Chinese medical herb taste… Ah the strong attack on my senses is overwhelming me!

I’m dying! I’m dying!

“”How is it?”” A nervous Yun Chang and an eager Gan Qing asked me simultaneously. Of course, there’s no way I can tell them that it’s nasty.

“Un, you’ve improved.” I said with a bitter smile.

Well just a teensy bit of improvement. If it weren’t for my sufficient mental preparations, I would have been carried in like Xiahou Dun.

“Is, is that so.” “That’s great.” Though the 2 of them gave different replies, they seemed rather pleased with the review I gave them.

“Un, seems like you made it.” Meng De said and seemed somewhat unsatisfied.

“My turn now.” Yun Chang said with a scarlet face as she reached out with her chopsticks. “This is it!”

— Chilli

“O-tto, looks like you got the prize huh!” Before Yun Chang could even react, Gan Qing had already walked up to Yun Chang and gave a sarcastic comment.

… But she’s right, looks like Yun Chang did indeed step on a landmine.

But it feels like this chilli is different from before~~

“I didn’t put this chilli in?~~~” Guo Jia said dubiously with creased eyebrows. Looks like this chilli really is different from the ones before.

Just then, one person’s hand rose up high.

This person was Meng De.

“M, my lord!” Guo Jia exclaimed in surprise.

“When I saw you go out this afternoon, I realised that it was for preparing the ingredients.” Meng De said, and picked out something from the cauldron– My tofu. “I saw your chillies and thought I’d bring some chillies of my own as well. However, the chillies I brought, are from Jing state.”

Ahen, Meng De ate the tofu after she finished.

“You actually brought chillies from Jing state! Chillies from there are the spiciest in all of the Central Plains!”

What?! … I didn’t think that Meng De would be so s.a.d.i.s.tic in a time like this.

Yun Chang looked terrible, but she still brought the chopsticks to her mouth. She stared right at the chilli in her chopsticks, while she uttered under her breath, “For the reward, for the reward…”

And then, she put it inside her mouth—-

“Yun Chang!” I cried out in concern as I watched Yun Chang begin chewing.

Yun Chang shut her eyes tight as she moved her teeth slowly and chewed the small chilli. Even though I was just looking, even I was terribly nervous.

“Uhn.” Yun Chang swallowed, but her eyes were still shut. After a long while, Yun Chang finally said slowly, “Let me lie down for a while.”

And as she said so, she lay down on the table.

“General Guan Yu, won’t you forfeit?”

“… I,” Yun Chang said weakly as she lay on the table, “I can still continue, I’ll recover.”

At this, Guo Jia did not say anything more.

And just like that, the first round of the game came to an end. However the game hasn’t ended. And because of the chillies from Jing state, the end of the game seems ever closer than before.

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