jdhmnovel Chapter 409, Second Place: Come and try this bowl of Meng Po soup!
Chapter 409, Second Place: Come and try this bowl of Meng Po soup!
It seems that they have now arrived at the legendary "Bridge of Helplessness", and the gurgling water under the bridge is the "River of Oblivion".
As they drew closer, the two slowly walked onto the Bridge of Helplessness.
Looking down from the bridge again, good heavens, the River of Oblivion had an eerie, indescribable color...
It was as murky as ink, so dark it seemed to suck in one's soul, and it was constantly bubbling and gurgling, as if countless wronged souls were struggling and churning in the river.
"啕~"
Qian Lai barely glanced at it before feeling nauseous and his stomach churning.
"It stinks! Brother Di, I smell a putrid stench coming from this water!"
"Hey, these are all fake. They just want to scare us and give us a thrill."
Just hold your breath and let's hurry up and move forward!
Meng Di was very easygoing. Although he could smell the strange odor in the air, he felt it was still within his tolerance range and didn't take it seriously.
Qian Lai was already on the wrong path, feeling helpless and only thinking about getting through this so he could return to the human world!
He followed closely behind Meng Di, walking hurriedly, not daring to glance down the bridge again, for fear of seeing something even more frightening.
The two quickened their pace and soon crossed the disgusting Bridge of Helplessness.
At this moment, Meng Di, with his sharp eyes, suddenly spotted a pavilion standing by the bridge. His eyes lit up instantly, as if he had discovered a treasure, and he hurriedly pulled Qian Lai forward.
"Hey, they actually have Meng Po soup here! Let's hurry up and ask for a bowl to try and see what it tastes like!"
Mengdi loved listening to his grandmother tell him these strange and wonderful legends since he was a child.
When he was a child, his grandmother told him that after people die, they have to drink a bowl of Meng Po soup, which will make them forget everything in the past and be reincarnated...
He was naturally very curious, like a little chatterbox, always asking his grandmother for more details.
For example, what he was most curious about was what Meng Po soup tasted like—was it sweet, salty, or bitter?
What does Meng Po look like? Is she a kind-faced old lady, or a fierce and terrifying figure?
Each time, he would leave his grandmother speechless with his questions. Finally, when she got fed up with them, she had no choice but to tell him that he would only know these things after he died.
But Mengdi was still curious. When he grew up, while others studied the Four Books and Five Classics, he preferred to read strange tales and legends!
He read about demons, monsters, strange tales, and other fantastical stories with great relish, and his curiosity, like a balloon, grew bigger and bigger.
I never expected that I would actually have the opportunity to come here today. This made Mengdi extremely excited, and I felt a wonderful sense of childhood dream coming true.
Especially when he saw the three large characters "Meng Po Pavilion" clearly written on the plaque in front of him, with mist swirling around it, as if shrouding the pavilion in a mysterious veil.
Inside the pavilion, an old woman with a hunched back sat quietly at a bluestone table.
Her head of silver hair was messily tied into a bun, with a few stray strands falling onto her deeply lined face, like the winding cracks on a dry riverbed.
Those cloudy eyes were half-closed, as if hiding countless unknown secrets, but they suddenly lit up when they caught sight of the person who came, like a cold light rising from a dark pool, sending chills down one's spine.
A long, gray, coarse cloth robe trailed on the ground, the fabric long faded and white, as if it had endured countless days and nights of weathering.
A faded red rope was casually tied around his waist, from which hung a black ceramic jar, the jar exuding a sinister aura.
"coming?"
Meng Po's hoarse, deep voice rang out, like the sound of sandpaper rubbing against a stone wall, or as if it came from the distant depths of the earth, carrying an indescribable eeriness.
Her withered, twig-like fingers trembled as she lifted the ceramic bowl, which contained a strangely layered broth, five layers of five different colors—black, white, yellow, green, and red—layer upon layer.
The broth in the bowl was still steaming with wisps of white vapor, as if it had just been simmered...
The terrifying scene before him terrified Qian Lai, who was already in grave danger, screamed for help!
His voice changed at that moment, his heart almost stopped, and he collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, unable to get up for a long time.
Meng Di, however, was not frightened in the slightest. Instead, he curiously leaned closer, his eyes fixed on the Meng Po soup that he cared about most.
After noticing the strange layering of the soup, he even asked curiously, "Is this soup... really drinkable? Won't it cause any health problems?"
Meng Po slowly and deliberately brought the soup bowl closer to him, her voice hoarse as if a rusty gear were turning:
"After drinking it, all past grievances, life and death separations will be forgotten once you've tasted this soup."
After saying that, a half-smile slowly appeared on her withered lips. "You two, please try this soup. It was specially made for you."
"After drinking it, you'll forget your fears. The real show in the underworld has only just begun..."
Meng Po's deep voice carried a bewitching magic.
Meng Di accepted the bowl of colorful Meng Po soup. Although he felt a little nervous, he thought that since he was in the Fairy Realm, there would definitely be no danger.
Because of his extreme trust in the "Fairyland," and also because he was genuinely curious...
So, Meng Di mustered up her courage and leaned closer to the bowl of soup, sniffed it hard, and then took a small sip...
Qian Lai, who was slumped behind him, was shocked to see that his stubborn brother was so bold as to actually drink the soup!
Now he couldn't care less about being scared. Like a caterpillar, he shuffled forward on the ground, his eyes wide open, just wanting to see how Brother Di would react after drinking it.
"Hiss... I never expected that one sip of this Meng Po soup would yield so many different flavors!"
Hmm, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy... salty, all these flavors are present. Could it be that this bowl of soup has captured all the flavors of a person's life?
Meng Di stared wide-eyed, astonished by the taste of the Meng Po soup, and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"Brother Di...is this soup really safe to drink? Will there be any side effects?"
Seeing that he seemed to have no unusual reaction after drinking it, Qian Lai relaxed a little.
Thinking to myself, it seems that Mengdi was right; everything here is fake, just a scare tactic.
Thinking of this, he mustered his courage slightly, braced himself with his hands on the ground, and struggled to get up. He dusted himself off and even tried to calmly straighten his clothes.
Looking at the strange soup in front of him, Qian Lai was unsure whether he should drink it or not.