"Mmm, it smells so good!"
Elder Guo, a true foodie, couldn't wait to get to the chicken congee as soon as he caught its aroma.
He had completely forgotten where he was and his current predicament.
"Old granny, three bowls of chicken congee, please," Master Gui followed closely, speaking to the old woman in the local dialect.
The old woman glanced at Master Gui, said nothing, and simply picked up three washed porcelain bowls.
"Do you know why I could enter and leave the Miao village unharmed back then? It was all thanks to this dialect!"
"I always claimed to be a descendant of the Miao shamans, only to be abducted and brought outside the mountains. This return trip is to trace my roots. That's why most people have no reservations about me, and it allowed me to secretly uncover much information that others couldn't."
Master Gui whispered boastfully to Elder Guo.
Elder Guo scoffed, "Then you need to be careful. What if someone realizes you've been deceiving them? Wouldn't your return this time be like walking into a trap?"
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! Don't jinx it! Besides, I only gathered a little information back then, I didn't do anything else. They have no reason to do anything to me. Don't let the fact that this is the territory of the uncivilized Miao and their black shamans fool you. In reality, they also understand that times have changed. Some of them are trying to embrace the new era and are no longer so hostile towards outsiders."
"How does that saying go? When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you. If you constantly view the outside world with hostility, the outside world will naturally be hostile towards you, eventually bringing you a catastrophic disaster."
"It's a shame I'm not a true descendant of the Miao shamans, otherwise, I would truly try to persuade them to let go of their prejudices and step out of the mountains."
Just as Master Gui was sighing, the old woman returned with three bowls of chicken congee on a bamboo tray.
After uttering a local dialect phrase meaning "enjoy it slowly," she turned and left.
It had to be said, the chicken congee before them was indeed very tempting.
The entire congee was simmered with chicken, and every grain of rice was infused with the fragrance of chicken, coated in golden chicken oil.
Just smelling it made one's appetite soar.
Elder Guo, who had been through a bumpy night, unceremoniously picked up a bowl and started eating.
Master Gui also smiled and gestured for Ying Chen to enjoy before slowly starting to eat.
Only Ying Chen, as if unable to smell the aroma of the chicken congee, remained indifferent.
Instead, he quietly stared at the busy old woman.
"Burp~"
Elder Guo quickly finished a bowl of congee and let out a satisfied burp.
Master Gui had also mostly finished, leaving only the bottom of his bowl.
At this moment, the old woman walked over and, as if a normal shopkeeper asking guests if they wanted more food, asked three words: "Got it?"
Elder Guo didn't react for a moment, mistaking the three words for the local dialect for "Are you full?".
He immediately nodded, "Got it, got it!"
However, as soon as Elder Guo spoke, Master Gui beside him turned pale with fright and reached out to cover Elder Guo's mouth!
But it was too late; Elder Guo had already finished speaking!
"What are you doing?" Elder Guo impatiently removed Master Gui's hand and questioned him.
Master Gui, however, was not himself. He looked at the old woman with terror in his eyes, not answering Elder Guo, but asked tremblingly, "You... you... are you the Grass Ghost Granny?"
"Impossible, impossible! I ate here many years ago, why didn't you reveal your true form then?"
The old woman slowly turned around. Her originally kind face, under the faint light of dawn, somehow appeared extremely sinister and eerie.
It was like the cat-faced old woman from urban horror legends!
"The reason is simple... because you... are not worthy!"
This statement almost made Master Gui jump up and hit her.
Not worthy?
He, a national treasure physician, handsome, young... and accomplished in his later years, was told he wasn't worthy?
If he wasn't worthy, was Elder Guo, this old scoundrel, worthy?
Master Gui had a bellyful of complaints but ultimately dared not utter a single word.
Elder Guo beside him remained utterly bewildered.
"Grass Ghost Granny? What is that? Why are you reacting so strongly?"
Master Gui glanced at Elder Guo, then at Ying Chen, who hadn't touched the chicken congee since the beginning. He sighed, "How could I not react strongly? 'Grass Ghost Granny' is the local dialect for women who have mastered the art of witchcraft!"
"Many of the local witchcraft techniques are only passed down among women. While there are some men, they are few in number. When these women seek a successor, they first consider their daughters. If a family has no daughters, they will consider others."
"They will deliberately lure people into their homes, secretly cast a spell, and then casually ask, 'Got it?' If you answer 'Got it' at this point, you have acknowledged your status as a successor. From then on, you must follow her to learn the arts of witchcraft! Otherwise, the poison in your body will act up, and you'll wish for death but find none!"
"However, in many cases, the Grass Ghost Granny, while ostensibly looking for a successor, is actually just looking for a servant. Especially the elderly Grass Ghost Grannies, who use this method to find people to serve them and see them off in their old age."
"Your answer of 'Got it' just now means you've fallen into her trap and become the servant she has chosen!"
Whoosh!
Elder Guo's face changed dramatically.
He immediately sat cross-legged and began to meditate.
Elder Guo was, after all, someone from the Xuanmen sect, knowledgeable in some Xuanmen techniques. He wanted to use his skills to suppress and kill the consumed蛊虫 (gu worms)!
However, the more he struggled, the more unbearable Elder Guo's abdominal pain became, and he rolled on the ground in agony.
Let alone suppressing and killing the gu worms, he couldn't even perform the most basic act of meditation!
"Heh heh, don't bother. The gu worm I use is specifically for cultivators. Once infected, you won't be able to perform any techniques."
"It's a shame, I originally intended to choose that young man. But he seemed uninterested in my chicken congee, so I had to settle for you."
"Just accept your fate! Serve me diligently for two years, do two years of tasks for me, and perhaps I'll grant you a peaceful end."
The Grass Ghost Granny said with a cold laugh.
Her gaze repeatedly flickered towards Ying Chen, clearly regretting not being able to subdue him.
At this moment, Ying Chen slowly spoke, "Choose me? Then should I thank you?"
"As for your chicken congee, it is indeed well-made. I wasn't uninterested, I just wanted it to cool down a bit."
After speaking, to the shocked and bewildered eyes of everyone, Ying Chen picked up the chicken congee in front of him and drank it down in one gulp!
This action stunned not only Elder Guo and Master Gui but also the Grass Ghost Granny.
After a full pause, the Grass Ghost Granny finally reacted from her shock and burst into laughter, her wrinkled face unfolding like a ghostly chrysanthemum: "Good, good, good! A wise man knows when to yield! I like you, boy! You know that becoming my descendant means a boundless future!"
"Unlike these two old geezers who don't know what's good for them!"
"Since that's the case, then Granny will ask you one question: Got it?"
Hearing the Grass Ghost Granny's question, both Elder Guo and Master Gui frantically shook their heads at Ying Chen.
They were signaling Ying Chen not to answer.
Once he answered, Ying Chen would suffer the same fate as Elder Guo!
Even with immense supernatural powers, he wouldn't be able to use even a fraction of them!
He would have to obediently become the Grass Ghost Granny's servant!
But to the surprise of Elder Guo and Master Gui, Ying Chen, whether out of fear or ignorance of the severity of the situation, actually replied, "Got it!"