Chapter 7: Green Snake
The so-called "tempura" is a dish where ingredients are coated in batter and deep-fried. Common options include shrimp, octopus, or vegetables like eggplant, asparagus, and even cherry blossoms. Naturally, there are also more unusual variations made from insects like grasshoppers and locusts.
At this moment, Bai Cangshu was eating a conventional shrimp tempura.
Crunch. Crunch.
Japanese cuisine was generally light in flavor, not entirely to Bai Cangshu's liking, but compared to the oden and takoyaki Tang Baduan had sent before, this tempura was significantly better.
[You have consumed 10 types of special dishes in this world. Milestone: Gourmet completed]
[Gourmet — consuming any food grants a random buff, determined by the ingredient and cooking method]
[You've unlocked subsequent milestones: Royal Gourmet, Dark Gourmet]
[Royal Gourmet: Consume over 100 legendary dishes across different worlds]
[Dark Gourmet: Consume over 50 dark dishes across different worlds]
Bai Cangshu wiped his mouth and stuffed a nearby pudding dessert into his mouth. Sweet desserts like this were always excellent, no matter the country.
[You have consumed a dish. Gained buff: Heightened Perception — your senses are slightly enhanced]
The buff wasn't particularly strong, but Bai Cangshu wasn't surprised. After all, pudding was common and not rare. If he could get his hands on something like flying dragon meat from Piccolo Daimaō's offspring, the effect might be much more impressive.
To Bai Cangshu, [Milestones] were much like [Achievements] in video games—completing them yielded special rewards, and they often seemed to have further progression potential.
With that in mind, he figured it was indeed worth pursuing such things within mission worlds.
Riiing—
An old-fashioned phone in the inn's lobby rang. Bai Cangshu didn't answer it but got up and headed toward the mountain path.
This mountaintop inn was currently unoccupied except for him. The phone call was a signal—an agreed-upon code between Tang Baduan and Bai Cangshu.
After killing that bladesman, Bai Cangshu had returned to the town and paid Tang Baduan some money, instructing him to signal whenever someone returned from their task.
To be extra cautious, he'd even given a sum to the driver Feibo. He could tell Feibo was genuinely afraid of him.
This was far easier than standing out in the rain on the mountain path like that bladesman.
Heh. Money might not be taken out of this world, but there were plenty of story characters here who needed it.
Bai Cangshu spun the curved blade in his hand and fastened a red cloth over his face before heading for the trail.
"Two left…"
Over the past few days, aside from having Tang Baduan deliver various special dishes, Bai Cangshu had already ambushed and killed three people along the path. According to Tang Baduan, two others had been killed by their targets during their missions—failures.
That meant, including himself, only two of the original eight participants remained.
One was a middle-aged man carrying a double-barreled shotgun. The other was the woman who had been first to snatch an envelope.
Tang Baduan had especially warned Bai Cangshu that the woman wasn't simple—she was a fairly well-known assassin in the underground world, nicknamed [Green Snake].
Masked in a red cloth and holding a curved blade in his right hand, Bai Cangshu had yet to use the dual-wield weapon scroll. He wasn't sure what kind of proficiency Tao Baibai might teach him, so he had decided to hold onto it.
This disguise was one of his usual tactics. On the foggy mountain path with poor visibility, people would usually focus solely on his blade, only to be shot down by his gun moments later.
Bai Cangshu wasn't obsessed with melee combat. In fact, when not "relapsing," he was extremely rational.
As he pondered, Bai Cangshu arrived at the narrow entrance of the mountain path. He had deliberately chosen a stretch without railings, facing the sea.
In the distance, sure enough, a figure emerged, walking up the foggy trail.
Judging by the silhouette, it was likely the middle-aged man with the shotgun.
Bai Cangshu's eyes narrowed slightly as he stepped forward through the mist.
That day, during the scramble for the envelope, Bai Cangshu had noticed that although the man wielded his double-barreled shotgun like a club, his hands always gripped the weapon by the handles.
In other words, the man was extremely confident in his marksmanship. Even in such chaotic close-quarters combat, he was ready to resolve things with a shot. Against a true marksman like this, Bai Cangshu didn't think he should attempt a ranged shootout using just a revolver.
"Welcome back. Master Tao Baibai sent me to receive you."
Bai Cangshu uttered the complete lie with a straight face, the curved blade in his right hand hanging loosely at his side.
The man carrying the shotgun gave no reply and continued walking forward. The shotgun remained slung on his back.
Bai Cangshu frowned. Could this guy really be so naive—actually believing the lie and letting his guard down completely?
Suddenly, Bai Cangshu halted. A flash of light flickered in his left hand, and the silver revolver [Doom Knocks] materialized instantly.
He raised it and fired.
Bang!
The bullet struck the man squarely in the head. It likely triggered the special effect of [Doom Knocks].
During the day, the mist on the mountain trail was heavy, and even as the man fell, his figure remained somewhat blurry. Bai Cangshu squinted, then quickly bent down.
Bang!
As the middle-aged man's body collapsed, another figure hidden behind him was finally revealed—or rather, Bai Cangshu realized the "man with the shotgun" had been a corpse from the beginning, which explained the absence of a kill notification.
It had been the woman carrying the body uphill the entire time!
Bai Cangshu saw the double-barreled shotgun lift away from the corpse, and instantly ducked low and lunged forward. On such a narrow mountain path, retreating from a long-barreled weapon was riskier than charging ahead.
By the time the shot rang out, Bai Cangshu had already closed the distance. Even the puff of smoke from the barrel seemed to rise in slow motion. His pupils dilated, and he gripped the curved blade tightly, swinging it horizontally with explosive force.
Buzz!
There was no finesse—only raw power. Bai Cangshu's muscles bulged as he unleashed over 600 jin of sudden force, driving the blade to a terrifying speed.
The long-haired woman's pupils contracted. Her waist bent sharply, and she released the shotgun with both hands, watching as the steel blade sliced through the air and then cleanly severed the neck of the still-warm corpse.
Splurt!
A head flew off, and blood sprayed upward like a fountain.
Clang!
The blade, driven by excessive force, didn't stop after the decapitation. It struck the mountainside, and the edge snapped instantly.
Maniac!
The female assassin nicknamed [Green Snake] cursed inwardly. That slash had startled even her. Had she been a moment slower, her head would have been split open on the spot.
She had realized early on that Tao Baibai's so-called trial was designed to incite mutual killing. So after completing her mission, she had remained outside the town, not heading up the mountain.
Seeing three people return one after another with no news, she secretly followed the middle-aged gunman back up the mountain, assassinated him under the cover of the mist, and used the corpse to shield herself on the way up. She hadn't expected Bai Cangshu to be not only sharp but a complete madman with zero hesitation about killing.
Green Snake pushed the headless corpse toward Bai Cangshu, then followed closely behind it, her steps gliding over the ground like she was sliding. From her fingertips, two flashes of cold light emerged.
(End of Chapter)