The head bounced on the ground, emitting a strange sound like a jar being struck.
Chen Xu's entire body was boiling with Qi blood, a surge of peculiar essence Qi rising and swirling from his dantian, rendering his mind exceptionally clear.
At this very moment, the dim light outside the window flickered, and the world seemed once again to plunge into darkness.
Yet, amidst the darkness, Chen Xu had never felt his senses as sharp and clear as they were now.
The sound of the rain outside had returned, crackling like dense beads cascading down.
Chen Xu could smell the damp, fishy scent in the air, hear the sound of blood rushing through his veins, and keenly sense every ounce of strength contained within his body.
Fiery, abundant, and keen.
After experiencing the battle, it seemed he had suddenly attained enlightenment.
[Chopping Wood Level 1 (89/100)]
A single battle increased his Firewood Splitting Knife Technique experience by 10 points!
As for the head still trembling slightly on the ground, Chen Xu gazed intently and surprisingly saw an entry above it.
[Blood Agar, an inferior spiritual object, concocted from Five Elements Sea Red Algae with a trace amount of Spirit Cat's Blood, has a fishy, bitter taste, can be used to refine inferior avatars, and can be consumed after cooking, with a slight effect of supplementing Qi blood.]
Soon after, a message alert emerged from the Food Cauldron Celestial Book.
[You've obtained spiritual material for the first time, rewarded with 500 Fireworks Value, and can unlock related Gourmet Recipes.]
[The Fire and Smoke Kitchen storage function is now open (ingredients only)].
The surprise came out of nowhere, and Chen Xu hurriedly stepped forward, bent down to touch, and tried to store the head, seemingly like black vinyl, into the Fire and Smoke Kitchen.
With a thought, everything inside the Fire and Smoke Kitchen was vividly displayed in his mind.
The black vinyl-like head was placed on a wall-mounted shelf, loaded in a bamboo basket.
However, the head, originally the size of a normal human head, had now been shrunk to the size of an egg.
The head tilted, its features identical to those of Lin Qi True Master, except for slightly distorted eyes and nose, creating a very eerie sight.
Chen Xu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly closed the imagery of the Fire and Smoke Kitchen.
In that instant, he'd thought of many things. Although Lin Qi had been "decapitated" by him, it was apparent that the severed head was merely an avatar.
Lin Qi himself must still be alive, and from this point on, Lin Qi had become a mortal enemy that Chen Xu must eliminate!
Likewise, Lin Qi would certainly regard Chen Xu in the same manner.
He couldn't remain passive; he must rapidly and efficiently continue to improve himself and strive to take the initiative to attack.
Chen Xu then looked at the "body of Lin Qi" collapsed on the other side, with the soft, mud-like jet-black body also displaying an entry: [Millet Paste Mud Embryo, inferior avatar material, not for human consumption, can be cooked in a cauldron for consumption by supernatural entities.]
How interesting, not for humans but for supernatural beings?
Chen Xu immediately stepped forward, waved his hand, and collected the headless body into the Fire and Smoke Kitchen.
Next was the short knife dropped by "Lin Qi" and what appeared to be an entirely pale, rigid silkworm by the bedside.
[Soul-Cutting Silkworm Corpse, an exotic silkworm with the power to suture body and divine soul, already rigid, can nourish the spirit and soul when cooked and consumed.]
Chen Xu first took away the Soul-Cutting Silkworm Corpse before addressing the short knife.
Unbeknownst to him, far away in a large mansion in the East City, Lin Qi suddenly let out a scream as Chen Xu collected the Blood Agar and other items entirely.
In the midst of the midnight storm, Lin Qi clasped his hands around his neck and sat bolt upright from his bed.
"Young Master!"
The servant rushed into the room, looking fearfully at Lin Qi, whose face was turning blue and red.
Lin Qi glared with bulging eyes and laboriously uttered, "Kill, kill Chen..."
Before he could finish, he coughed twice, suddenly spat out a mouthful of dark red blood foam, and with a thud, fell back onto the bed, appearing to exhale more than he inhaled.
The servant urgently shouted at the top of his voice, "Help, someone come quickly! Young Master is in trouble, save him!"
The panicked screams pierced through the rain curtain, immediately illuminating countless lanterns in the seemingly silent large mansion.
Hurried footsteps approached, firelight danced wildly through the rain curtain, followed by chaotic voices.
"What's wrong with the second young master?"
"My dear, my dear... Erlang, don't scare your mother!"
Moreover, a figure came striding over, suddenly lifting a foot and kicking the servant, angrily saying, "You fool! Is this how you care for your young master? Quick, tell me, what's wrong with your young master?"
The servant yelped in pain, tears and blood spurting out as he cried, "Spare me, young master, spare me! I, I... Oh yes, the young master said two words before he collapsed, he said, he said sandstorm!"
"Sandstorm?"
In the dark of night, all the doors of the Lin Family opened simultaneously.
Numerous figures rushed out, some heading straight to renowned doctors around the city, others to various wealthy families friendly with the Lin Mansion, and several, umbrella in hand, marched directly towards North City.
There, a strange person, a famous scholar, had recently arrived in Jichuan County!
Meanwhile, Chen Xu, holding the short knife, pondered how to handle this particularly ornate knife.
The short knife was merely a foot long, the blade gleaming bright, and the handle adorned with gold embellishments and several embedded gemstones, suggesting that its decorative value seemed greater than its combat potential.
If Lin Qi was dead... No, even if Lin Qi was truly dead, Chen Xu could not casually use this knife.
After all, Lin Qi was not a lone figure.
Unless...
Chen Xu paused in thought and sighed faintly.
He twirled the knife in his hand, then circled around his small room a few times.
Eventually, he found a loose wall brick under the desk in the corner.
Chen Xu carefully pried open the wall brick, then used the knife to extend and create a hole along the gap.
He reflected on the saying that killing was easy but hiding a corpse was difficult, thinking that he was not even hiding a body, just handling a knife, yet it was this troublesome.
It's a pity, really, that the Fire and Smoke Kitchen could only store ingredients. Otherwise, he could have stored the knife in the storage space, then later used it to kill Lin Qi!
While digging, Chen Xu suddenly heard a faint rustling sound, followed by the squeaky voice of a small mouse: "Hey, Master Jiu, look at this person, why does he like to dig like us mice?"
The Mouse Demon had arrived!
Chen Xu's heart skipped a beat, wondering if the Mouse Demon had witnessed his life-and-death struggle with Lin Qi's avatar.
Judging by Little Mouse's tone, it seemed unaware of his earlier experiences.
Had the two Mouse Demons happened to be elsewhere at the time? Or perhaps they had observed, but Little Mouse's dull mind couldn't understand it?
From a distant crack, an elderly voice followed: "Ah Shi, don't spy on what shouldn't be seen; the master is hiding something, and we should not peek."
"Oh." Little Mouse sounded regretful but then became excited, "Master Jiu, the food this person left smells so delicious, quick, let's eat! Squeak, squeak..."
[Mouse Demon likes it +1]
Chen Xu paused in his actions, glancing at the like notification that popped up from the Food Cauldron Celestial Book, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.