"Greetings, Master Zhong!"

Teng County was the first to greet him, and Zou Feng followed, stepping forward to pay his respects.

But Zhong Zhe clearly had no time for pleasantries. He gave a casual nod, then looked at Zou Feng and said, "Elder Zou, the Ancestor’s palate has become quite discerning..."

"If your culinary skills aren’t the real deal, it’s not too late to back out now."

Zou Feng smiled. "Rest assured, Master Zhong. I’ve long heard about the Ancestor’s tastes. I am confident I can satisfy it."

Seeing Zou Feng was still full of confidence, Zhong Zhe didn’t try to persuade him further and gestured for him to follow.

To prevent any mishaps, Teng County brought her disciples along, following them into Hundred-legged Ridge.

Neither Zhong Zhe nor the other disciples of Hundred-legged Ridge seemed to mind, letting them trail behind.

In any case, these disciples of Hundred-legged Ridge certainly fit the description of poison addicts.

Before they could get a hit of fresh Poison Miasma, they were completely listless and apathetic about everything.

It was hard to believe they were all formidable masters of Poison Skills.

However, since it was early morning and the Hundred-legged Ancestor hadn’t begun exhaling its miasma yet, it was understandable that the disciples of Hundred-legged Ridge were feeling out of sorts.

They walked deeper into Hundred-legged Ridge for about the time it takes to eat a meal, and the temperature suddenly plummeted.

At the same time, an overwhelming pressure, so heavy it seemed to make the very air viscous, began to bear down on them from all directions.

Amidst a dense series of crisp, cracking sounds, an obvious behemoth rapidly emerged from beneath the ground.

Zou Feng looked up and saw that, as expected, a giant centipede was now coiled around the huge stone pillar that had been empty just a moment before.

At a rough glance, this Hundred-legged Ancestor was well over a hundred feet long.

Its body was as thick as a water vat.

In truth, most disciples of Biyou Palace, whether from Hundred-legged Ridge or not, had seen the Hundred-legged Ancestor before. Thus, no one present was overly surprised by the behemoth.

After all, the Hundred-legged Ancestor didn’t just stay on Hundred-legged Ridge; it would occasionally wander around Cloud Mist Mountain to hunt.

But no matter how much it rampaged, it would never leave the confines of Cloud Mist Mountain.

Although this was Zou Feng’s first time seeing the Hundred-legged Ancestor, his trip to the forbidden grounds of Silk Cave had raised his threshold for such things. He was no longer easily fazed.

At that moment, the Hundred-legged Ancestor was raising its head, looking down upon the group from Silk Cave.

Its gaze quickly settled on Zou Feng.

It seemed to have seen, or perhaps smelled, that he was the chef who had come to offer it a gourmet meal.

"Elder Zou, please begin!" Zhong Zhe said, making a gesture of invitation.

’The Hundred-legged Ancestor can’t speak, so exchanging pleasantries is out of the question. I really have no choice but to get straight to work.’

But before starting, Zou Feng glanced back at Zhong Zhe.

Zhong Zhe understood his meaning and said calmly, "If the Ancestor is pleased with the meal, you will naturally receive the reward you are due!"

In truth, Zou Feng really wanted to ask exactly how the giant centipede would give him the Poison of the Gu King.

’Will it just spit a mouthful of its most potent venom at me, or will I have to go to a certain part of its body and collect the poison myself?’

Though he had his doubts, Zou Feng decided against asking after a moment’s thought. He turned and beckoned to Zhi Shuang.

Zhi Shuang immediately understood and began taking the ingredients out of the wicker basket one by one.

As for what kind of dish Zou Feng planned to present to the Hundred-legged Ancestor...

He had already thought it through.

First, he wouldn’t make anything too fancy or flashy. The most important thing was the flavor. After all, since this giant centipede was a connoisseur of fine food, what kind of exotic delicacies hadn’t it tasted?

Therefore, simply competing on the quality of the ingredients would clearly not be enough to satisfy its discerning palate.

It had to be a well-seasoned, and particularly bold-flavored, dish—one that didn’t exist in this world. Only that could pique the giant centipede’s interest.

The choice, then, was simple. For a bold-flavored delicacy, Zou Feng’s first choice was Mapo Tofu.

He had often made this dish in his previous life, and after becoming a chef, he had truly mastered it.

Over the past few days, he had prepared all the necessary seasonings. The tofu was freshly made as well, just waiting for the final cooking process.

One of the requirements for a good Mapo Tofu was that it had to be sufficiently "hot."

As the saying goes, heat alone can rival three kinds of freshness. What mattered was that piping-hot quality right out of the wok.

Next, Zou Feng began to cook with great skill, deliberately complicating some of the steps to add an air of mystery to what was originally a simple dish.

Of course, to heat the wok, Zou Feng used his own poison fire.

As for the tofu and other ingredients, they had already been seasoned beforehand with his "Hand of Poisoning".

Soon, under the watchful eyes of the crowd and the Hundred-legged Ancestor, Zou Feng executed a series of fluid and dazzling moves. A large pot of "Dreamlike Mapo Tofu" was ready.

The reason it was called "Dreamlike Mapo Tofu" was because, enhanced by Zou Feng’s "Hand of Poisoning," the steam rising from the large pot of tofu shimmered with a myriad of colors.

As this colorful wave of heat slowly rose into the air, it truly had a dreamlike quality.

At this moment, it wasn’t just the Hundred-legged Ancestor; everyone present wore a look of shock after seeing and smelling the aroma of the tofu.

The previously listless disciples of Hundred-legged Ridge all perked up, staring unblinkingly at the pot of Mapo Tofu. They looked like they wanted to pounce on it and have the first taste.

Even Teng County and the others, who were quite familiar with Zou Feng, were greatly surprised. They had no idea he possessed such a skill.

That’s right. Without even taking a bite, they could tell that the food in that pot was absolutely, soul-stirringly delicious.

Strictly speaking, Poison Cultivators actually had an inherent advantage when it came to cooking. After all, many types of poison could produce intense stimulation and were addictive.

It was just that Poison Cultivators didn’t usually moonlight as chefs; they would just poison the food directly.

As for the Hundred-legged Ancestor, after observing in a daze for a moment, it immediately and impatiently buried its enormous head in the pot.

After just a few bites, the Hundred-legged Ancestor’s massive body suddenly trembled. Then it began to eat even more frantically.

Just by watching how joyfully the Hundred-legged Ancestor was eating, Zou Feng knew this was a sure thing.

Before long, the entire pot of Mapo Tofu had been slurped clean by the Hundred-legged Ancestor.

But it was clearly still unsated, and it stared at Zou Feng with a burning gaze.

Zou Feng was prepared for this. He immediately called over the other disciples from Silk Cave who were carrying baskets, had them take out all the tofu, and started cooking again on the spot.

This time, he made a full ten large pots, enough for the Hundred-legged Ancestor to eat its fill.

A short while later, the Hundred-legged Ancestor had practically drunk all ten pots of Mapo Tofu.

It then threw its head back and let out a shriek so sharp it could set one’s teeth on edge.

The shriek didn’t seem to affect Zou Feng and his group much, but Master Zhong, the Mountain Lord of Hundred-legged Ridge, exclaimed excitedly, "Excellent! The Ancestor is about to... about to..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the Hundred-legged Ancestor, having shrieked its fill, began to violently spew Poison Miasma.

The scene was like a volcanic eruption. Within the red Poison Miasma, sparks even began to flare up continuously.

Seeing this, the disciples of Hundred-legged Ridge went absolutely wild.

They bathed in the freshly-produced Poison Miasma, singing and dancing. All traces of their earlier listlessness were gone.

Even many of the female disciples from Silk Cave were swept up in the incredibly joyous and lively atmosphere, joining the celebration.

But Zou Feng couldn’t relax just yet. After all, what he needed was the Centipede Gu King Poison, not this Poison Miasma that could make people lose their minds.

Fortunately, the Hundred-legged Ancestor hadn’t forgotten. After spewing the Poison Miasma for a while, it turned to look at Zou Feng again.

At the same time, all four of its eyes gushed forth a stream of blood-red venom.

The four streams of venom, after gushing out, seemed to have a life of their own. They converged in mid-air and fused into a small, palm-sized centipede.

Zou Feng knew the Hundred-legged Ancestor was fulfilling its promise. He quickly took out a small vial he had prepared and collected the small centipede formed from the Poison of the Gu King.

"Thank you, Hundred-legged Ancestor!"

Zou Feng put away the Centipede Gu King Poison and cupped his fist in thanks.

The Hundred-legged Ancestor continued to stare blankly at Zou Feng, occasionally letting out some unintelligible cries.

Fortunately, Zhong Zhe could act as a translator. He flashed an obsequious smile at Zou Feng and said, "The Ancestor says to come back often. It wants to try any other specialty dishes you might have."

"Oh, and if there’s anything else you need, Elder Zou, just say the word!"