Chapter 203
Silence.
Silence was the night’s bridge to nowhere.
Wait, no…
The humanoid light-form of the Heavenly Dao twitched at the corner of its mouth, staring at Jian Yunlan’s sincere face as he held out the braised pig trotter.
Was this human… serious??!
I’m the Heavenly Dao!
Do you even understand what that means?
As the embodiment of the world’s will, its consciousness spanned across all planes, all timelines, all corners of existence—omnipresent, omnipotent. Sure, Jian Yunlan’s food was indeed the best in every plane, but trying to tempt the Heavenly Dao with it? Wasn’t that a little too ambitious?
In fact, the Heavenly Dao had already been paying attention to Jian Yunlan for a long time. It knew everything about the foods sold from his snack stand—wontons, fried rice, fried chicken, spicy skewers… A wisp of its awareness had sensed all of it. But it never felt anything particular while watching.
In other words—if it could be tempted by Jian Yunlan’s cooking, it would have been tempted already. Why wait until now?
After all, the Heavenly Dao was an eternal, undying existence—fundamentally different from all living beings. It didn’t need to eat. At its core, it didn’t even possess the concepts of “hunger” or “craving.”
The Heavenly Dao cast a dismissive glance at the pig trotter in Jian Yunlan’s hands.
Just one glance—and all its details were taken in vividly—
The pig trotter was glistening and richly red, its surface seemingly coated in a glossy, crystal-clear glaze. Steam rose from it in waves, carrying the fragrant aroma of star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and a medley of savory sauces.
The tip of the trotter trembled slightly, dripping with thick, glossy sauce. The semi-transparent fat shimmered enticingly, and the tendon looked so soft it seemed like it would melt at the slightest touch…
Gulp.
…The humanoid light-form of the Heavenly Dao involuntarily swallowed.
A second later, the Heavenly Dao conjured a finger from its glowing human-like form, pointed it at itself, and burst out laughing:
“You want me to try it? …Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA! …What kind of joke is this? You’re hilarious… You can’t possibly be serious… I’m the Heavenly Dao! Why would I care about your braised pig trotter? So what if it smells a little good,” the Heavenly Dao scoffed, pretending to be composed as it lifted the wine jug and took a swig—yet it couldn’t help but sneak another glance at the pig trotter, “So what if that sauce looks rich and perfect for rice, so what if those tendons look like they’d be so satisfying to chew…”
“It’s just a braised pig trotter, that’s all!”
Its voice was full of false nonchalance and casual dismissal.
But the blank surface of the humanoid light-form remained still for a long time.
The nonexistent “eyes” of the Heavenly Dao were now firmly locked onto the pig trotter, unable to look away.
S-S-Strange…
I am the Heavenly Dao—an existence without hunger or appetite.
So why, at this very moment, was that nonexistent stomach rumbling uncontrollably, stirred by a primal longing?
What is going on??!!
Meanwhile, in the Multiverse Realms Livestream:
[It looks so good so good so good I want to eat it I want it I NEED it ahhhhhh]
[Didn’t I join a cute couple romance stream?? Why did it suddenly turn into midnight food torture?! Why?! AAAHH!! Breakdown imminent!!]
[Boss Jian, you sinful, sinful man… I really can’t resist your temptation anymore (bitter smile) (shoving an eraser into mouth pretending it’s pig trotter)]
[Heh. I’m already eating Boss Jian’s pig trotter]
[The above commenter is likely hallucinating from starvation after trying to order takeout from a parallel universe]
[Let’s stop resisting, everyone. Think about it—wasn’t it Boss Jian’s cooking that brought us all together here in the first place? (hands clasped in prayer) Don’t fight your instincts. Accept them. Accept yourself. We are all slaves to food now.]
[The thought of billions across all planes starving with me right now… weirdly comforting.]
*
The Heavenly Dao was the embodiment of the world’s will.
And in this “world,” that included all the people living within it. When emotions and desires from enough people became intense enough, they could influence the will of the world—thus affecting the Heavenly Dao itself.
—And for the first time in its endless existence, the Heavenly Dao became truly aware of the terrifying power of the internet!
A mouthwatering street food stall, no matter how wildly popular in real life, could at most stir the emotions of thousands or tens of thousands of people. It was far from enough to affect the world’s consciousness.
But livestreaming… changed everything.
Just like this moment.
That single braised pig trotter in Jian Yunlan’s hands, through a micro camera, was broadcast live to the entire Multiverse Realms Livestream. And that livestream connected not only to all the planes of the Multiverse Realms, but also to tens of thousands of lesser planes—each with countless viewers watching in real time.
And the moment they laid eyes on the pig trotter, every single person instinctively swallowed, their stomachs rumbling…
The delicious pig trotter, like a small pebble dropped into a calm sea, sent ripples outward—ripples that built and echoed until they turned into a colossal tsunami!
Back in the Mountain and Sea Plane, on the Annihilation Platform, the humanoid light-form of the Heavenly Dao was struck like lightning, frozen in place.
—The thoughts of people from thousands of planes, their heart’s voices, were being received by the will of the world. Tidal waves of collective craving surged in from all directions, forming a 360-degree surround-sound mental onslaught, bombarding the Heavenly Dao’s consciousness:
“That pig trotter smells sooo good slurp slurp”
“So hungry! Sooo hungry!”
“I want to hold it in my hands and just take a huge bite—do those tendons taste as soft as they look?”
“!##@%! Eat! Eat! EAT!”
“I want to shred the pig trotter and mix it into rice, that fragrant sauce would make the rice SO good”
“If only I could become the Heavenly Dao so I could eat it ALL”
“Who’s the lucky soul who gets to actually eat Boss Jian’s pig trotter?”
“Hungry! HUNGRY! HUNGRYYYY!”
Inside the Heavenly Dao’s mind, its whole body trembled as it clutched its head in agony and cried out, “Master, please stop chanting!!”
But the endless flood of voices continued to pour into its mind without a moment’s pause.
The fervent, overpowering desires of the people had transformed into a towering wave—and the shadow of that wave now loomed overhead…
BOOM—
SPLASH!
The tsunami finally crashed down in full force, engulfing the Heavenly Dao in a wave born of raw, unfiltered craving. There was no escape. Tossed about in the surge, the Heavenly Dao completely lost all sense of self!
In reality.
The Heavenly Dao stood frozen in place, still holding the same pose as moments before, like it had entered a meditative trance.
But the thunderous rumble from within the glowing orb’s “stomach” betrayed it.
“GURRRRGLE! GURRRGLUGLUU!!”
The almighty, all-knowing Heavenly Dao…
Was hungry.
“…?”
Hearing the earth-shaking rumble, Jian Yunlan was stunned. “Where’s that sound coming from?”
The Heavenly Dao gulped and instinctively reached out for the pig trotter—only to hastily pull its hand back at the last second!
Under Jian Yunlan’s puzzled gaze, the Heavenly Dao burst into a coughing fit and turned away dramatically, covering up with a rapid-fire denial:
“Ahem, cough cough! It wasn’t me! I don’t know anything! It has nothing to do with me!”
Jian Yunlan replied slowly, “Oh~.”
It was clear the Heavenly Dao was desperately trying to hide it.
But the hardest things to hide in this world—besides poverty, a cough, and love—include… hunger.
And as a seasoned, sharp-eyed street food vendor, how could Jian Yunlan possibly miss such an obvious clue?
Sure enough, just as he expected—people’s emotions really could influence the Heavenly Dao.
His plan… was already halfway to success!
Jian Yunlan’s spirits soared, and a bright smile lit up his face.
“Honored Heavenly Dao, you must be hungry, aren’t you?”
His smile carried a sly hint of someone whose scheme was working. He lifted the pig trotter a little higher, offering it up temptingly.
“Why not give it a try? It’s free! If you wait any longer, it’ll get cold, and that would really be a waste of this delicious pig trotter…”
Wait—if it gets cold…?!
What a horrific waste of treasure!!!
The Heavenly Dao’s eyes widened. It was this close to falling for it.
The dark clouds in the sky stilled, and the tightening web of light stopped contracting. In the Heavenly Dao’s mind, the voices of the countless humans across the realms grew even more vivid, filled with joyous anticipation at the thought of sinking their teeth into a pig trotter.
Its glowing humanoid hand was already stretching out, trembling—
But in the final moment, rational thought took back the high ground.
The Heavenly Dao barely, barely pulled its hand back.
“Whew, that was close! Almost got tricked by you humans! Heh, you really think some little pig trotter could lure me in? Not that easy—”
Before it could finish the sentence—
Whoosh!
Another hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
That hand was lean and calloused, the fingertips hardened by countless battles. Swift, precise, and merciless—it grabbed the pig trotter and, in the very next instant, shoved it straight into an open mouth!
Everything happened so fast, faster than the eye could follow.
Both the Heavenly Dao and Jian Yunlan stared, wide-eyed, at the owner of that hand…
Silver hair cascaded over strong shoulders. In his dark golden eyes shone a glint of smug satisfaction. Taotie, holding the pig trotter, was chomping away with gleeful abandon, cheeks puffed up, chewing hard and fast!
Taotie: “Chomp chomp chomp.”
Yes, the one who had snatched the pig trotter—was Taotie!
…The same Taotie who’d appeared to be dozing off the whole time!
…Who was in fact secretly playing possum, biding his time for the perfect moment to strike!
No wonder he was Taotie—the gluttonous beast whose years of food-hunting had trained him into a top-tier opportunist.
Wake up, open eyes, reach out, EAT. That whole sequence of moves happened in mere milliseconds. Smooth and flawless. A masterpiece of instinct.
He had hidden his presence so well, acted so swiftly and decisively, that not even the Heavenly Dao had sensed a thing—left helplessly in the dust!
The pig trotter was gone… before its very eyes.
The Heavenly Dao’s pupils dilated. Its breath stopped.
The entire scene burned itself into its memory with painful clarity.
It could see it—but not eat it. The aroma of the pig trotter was like slow torture, tearing through the Heavenly Dao’s mind:
That steaming sauce dripping down the wrist… the collagen-packed tendon glistening in the light… the pure satisfaction of biting down on that soft, bouncy meat… the way a chunk soaked in thick sauce practically melted between the teeth…
Taotie, smug beyond belief, deliberately took huge bites right in front of the Heavenly Dao, clearly showing off. His expression practically said:
Chomp chomp chomp, wife made this pig trotter just for me~ hehehe~ Hesitation means defeat! Chomp chomp! Missed out? Too bad! Chomp chomp chomp!
Plop.
The Heavenly Dao felt something snap inside its mind.
—I’m done. Let it all burn.
That thought surfaced.
And across the Multiverse Realms, worlds began to fracture at the edges with a single whim from the Heavenly Dao. Dark clouds rolled in. Catastrophes began to stir…
But then—
Like rain falling on a desert, like divine light piercing the darkness, a voice suddenly called out beside the Heavenly Dao:
“Uh… Honored Heavenly Dao, I’ve still got another pig trotter. You want it?”
The dark clouds dispersed. The collapse ceased.
This time, the Heavenly Dao didn’t hesitate.
“EAT!”
Afraid someone might snatch it again, the Heavenly Dao snatched the pig trotter from Jian Yunlan’s hand like a tornado and began devouring it ravenously!
