In the land of Shenzhou, hot pot has a long and storied history.
The earliest hot pot can be traced all the way back to the reign of that emperor who loved stroking foxes.
By then, the pot had already evolved into the chimney-style pot that would become familiar to later generations.
After thousands of years of development, by the time Li Yuan was on the throne, hot pot had been given all sorts of bizarre and novel variations.
And the people of Dongsheng Shenzhou, who believed that absolutely anything could be thrown into a pot, had developed countless ways to enjoy it.
For example, pig brain—the kind of thing only people from Sichuan and Chongqing could truly appreciate.
Wang Tietie loved hot pot.
But he loved pig brain even more.
As a genuine Sichuan-Chongqing businessman, Wang Tietie adored hot pot.
Staring at the bright-red broth bubbling away in the brass pot and breathing in its slightly choking yet irresistible aroma, Wang Tietie couldn’t help swallowing.
“It’s time.”
Unable to wait any longer, he picked up the large, pale-pink, glistening lump on the plate and carefully lowered it toward the boiling red broth.
Only Devil-Soul Chili could reignite his happiness when it came to food. Years of eating spicy food had numbed Wang Tietie’s sense of taste. Only the savage heat of Devil-Soul Chili could make him experience the joy of delicious food once again.
The pot was roiling with Devil-Soul Chilis imported from Nanzhanbuzhou.
Gurgle, gurgle.
Double the dose. Double the dose. Double the dose.
The red broth boiled furiously.
Amid the swirling steam, Wang Tietie slowly tilted the plate.
The white, fleshy mass began sliding toward the red broth.
“NO!”
Plop~
By the time that desperate cry rang out, it was already too late.
With a thunderous boom, an immense force burst through the doorway and sent the entire copper pot flying. Wang Tietie was knocked unconscious by the impact as well.
Xuchen’s figure flashed into view. Braving the splashing hot broth, he caught his own brain.
It was scalding hot.
He needed to let it cool down first. Clearly, this was not the time to start eating.
Delici—aaaaah! No, wait, it’s cooked! AAAAAH!
Xuchen’s current feeling could be summed up in one word—
Spicy.
Extremely spicy!
The brain itself clearly had no sense of pain, so why was it still this spicy?!
It felt as though his very soul were on fire!
Damn those people from Sichuan!
Why was it so freaking spicy?!
So what if you people liked eating brains? Why did you have to make them this insanely spicy too?!
Xuchen crouched down in agony, painstakingly picking out the peppercorns and chili flakes wedged between the folds of his brain.
Thankfully, he’d arrived in time.
It was only about thirty percent cooked.
At thirty percent, it would recover completely in no time.
With his mind in utter chaos, Xuchen carefully cleaned every peppercorn and scrap of chili from the crevices of his brain. Then he began washing the outer layer with an enormous amount of clean water.
Why is it so greasy?!
AAAAH! Why won’t it come clean no matter how much I wash it?!
He hated mala hot pot!!
***
After confirming the reason why Qiao Xiaoxian had obtained ten billion, Jiang Ke’er decided not to bother Lord Li any further. She still didn’t want her peaceful, lazy life to be disturbed.
As for what happened to this world…
As long as it didn’t affect her and Qiao Xiaoxian, she couldn’t care less.
Jiang Ke’er nodded in satisfaction, feeling full of motivation. She returned to the fishing village and looked at its plain and humble appearance, her heart filled with joy.
The village’s security problem had been solved.
However, she still hadn’t achieved her goal of “becoming the pillar of the family.”
So what if it was ten billion?!
Qiao Xiaoxian could go out to sea once and earn ten billion. Then Jiang Ke’er would spend nine million to build an industrial chain worth one hundred billion!
She would not lose!
“Who cares if it’s delicious? Absolutely not!”
“So, what’s with this Blue Lotus Sword Sect?”
Qiao Xiaoxian glanced at the plaque. “I’ve only been gone for a few days, and you’ve already got yourself a disciple.”
“Uh… It’s a little complicated.”
Jiang Ke’er’s face flushed bright red with embarrassment.
“It was an accident. I need to explain it to you slowly…”
Qiao Xiaoxian gave a soft laugh and covered Jiang Ke’er’s lips.
“You can explain it later. It’s been so long since we last saw each other. I’ve missed you.”
Qiao Xiaoxian’s cheek slowly drew closer to Jiang Ke’er.
“Don’t you want to give our little Bao Bao an older sister? I’ve thought about it. How about we make one?”
“Girls are wonderful, but Bao Bao is enough!”
Jiang Ke’er stared at her in horror, eyes widening.
“Stop! Stop! How are we even supposed to make one?”
“But we can’t give birth!”
Faced with reality, Jiang Ke’er felt a little guilty as she said it.
Of course, she knew exactly how.
As long as she made Qiao Xiaoxian happy one hundred times in a single day, the system would bestow upon her a bottle of “Mother-Child River Water.”
After drinking this bottle of Mother-Child River Water from Qiao Xiaoxian, Jiang Ke’er herself would give birth to a child with her.
But she absolutely didn’t want that!
She wanted to turn the tables and become the one in charge!
She wanted to make herself happy one hundred times, then force “Mother-Child River Water (Jiang Ke’er)” into Qiao Xiaoxian’s little mouth!
Then, beneath the gentle spring breeze, she would watch Qiao Xiaoxian’s belly gradually grow bigger.
She would watch her go through ten months of pregnancy and childbirth, then recover during confinement, all while witnessing the steadily growing maternal love in Qiao Xiaoxian’s eyes and watching her gradually become a gentle, wonderful mother.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ke’er would fulfill the duties of a perfect husband—earning money to support the family, taking meticulous care of her from the sidelines, enjoying her dependence on her, and becoming the pillar she could rely on emotionally…
Now that was the beautiful life she longed for!
But if things went the other way around…
It would turn into a horror movie!
She absolutely would not compromise!
“This thing is the savior of same-sex couples throughout the world. Unfortunately, records of it can only be found in certain ancient secret realms… Looks like I’ll have to explore more secret realms.”
“I heard there’s something called Mother-Child River Water. I just don’t know when the next Dijiang Trial will open.”
“Exactly. We can’t give birth.”
Qiao Xiaoxian still had no idea about Jiang Ke’er’s little secret.
It seemed that Qiao Xiaoxian’s current goal was treasure hunting.
This immediately set off alarm bells in Jiang Ke’er’s mind.
Whether Qiao Xiaoxian found the Mother-Child River Water or some other priceless treasure, it would be extremely detrimental to Jiang Ke’er’s grand plan to turn the tables!
“Let’s just lie low for a few days, okay? Don’t forget that we’re currently supposed to be ordinary villagers—just random passersby. At most, we’re supposed to be at the Three Talents Realm.”
Jiang Ke’er gave her a solemn “reminder.”
“Going into a secret realm will expose our strength. Then our peaceful life will be ruined!”
“So that’s why you turned this village into a fortress?”
Qiao Xiaoxian retorted, “When you blew up those two sword sects, why didn’t you worry about exposing your strength?”
“I did worry about it~ As long as we don’t expose our strength, it’s fine~”
Jiang Ke’er smiled.
“Look, even though the village is safe now, we’re still lazy villagers~ It’s not like we built those powerful formations ourselves.”
“Either way, I’m going to find the Mother-Child River Water.”
Qiao Xiaoxian’s pretty face turned slightly cold as she flipped Jiang Ke’er onto her back and pinned her down.
“No one is going to stop me.”
“Right?”
Jiang Ke’er stared at her in horror, shrinking her head back as she tried to crawl away.
“Maybe that thing will take a lot of energy… right? Right?”
“Ahem… Fine. Then you should at least conserve your energy and prepare yourself.”
“Maybe that…”
“You’re right.”
Qiao Xiaoxian reluctantly let Jiang Ke’er go.
Jiang Ke’er couldn’t bear to see her disappointed expression.
But this was one matter she absolutely could not compromise on!
To keep herself from giving in, Jiang Ke’er deliberately pretended to be busy and slipped off the bed.
“Where are you going?”
Qiao Xiaoxian asked, puzzled.
“I’m going to discuss the village’s future plans with the village chief. We still have to make a living, after all.”
“Something’s not right. Why are you avoiding me?”
Qiao Xiaoxian keenly sensed something unusual and narrowed her eyes.
“Do you know something?”
“I don’t know! I-I’ll go! I still have to discuss turning the village into a resort with the village chief!”
Jiang Ke’er quickened her pace and vanished into the night in a flash.
Under the moonlight, a dangerous glint appeared in Qiao Xiaoxian’s eyes.