The great hall fell silent once more.
The ghost envoys were all very polite in the face of Granny Meng's invitation.
Interactions between ghosts also required a certain degree of courtesy.
Without it, they likely wouldn't get to see Lord Yama.
With their seats destroyed, the ghost envoys could only wait for the great hall to automatically restore itself.
As for those ghost envoys who received a bowl of black soup, holding their bowls and meeting Granny Meng's gaze, they maintained a semblance of a smile on their faces.
They were all colleagues; why make things difficult for each other?
"Gulp~"
In the midst of this quiet atmosphere, a swallowing sound suddenly broke the silence.
All the ghost envoys looked over in surprise. Which brave soul had drunk it?
Were they still alive?
In a corner of the great hall, a newly appointed captain, who had been knocked out since entering, had remained lying there until now.
Everyone had almost forgotten about her.
Unexpectedly, during the recent crisis of the poison rain, she had woken up on her own and even received a special edition of the "New Year's Flavor Soup" to drink.
"Hic~"
Hearing the loud hiccup, the ghost envoys secretly breathed a sigh of relief, yet they were also somewhat puzzled.
Could this soup actually be drunk?
Did it only have toxic effects when applied externally, but was harmless when ingested?
The ghost envoys who had received a bowl of black soup couldn't help but pick up the bowls in front of them and take a look.
No one had ever dared to drink Granny Meng's soup.
After all, everyone knew the peculiar nature of Granny Meng's soup, and even they wouldn't dare to drink it carelessly.
As for this "New Year's Flavor Soup"... it might be a one-of-a-kind.
Just as some ghost envoys were contemplating whether to take a bold step and try it, the ghost soldiers behind Lord Yama suddenly moved.
And not just one, but two of them.
They went straight for the newly appointed female captain who had drunk the soup, then lifted her by the feet and hung her upside down, starting to induce vomiting.
The ghost envoys, who had lifted their white jade bowls, paused: "..."
Had they almost met their demise?
Otherwise, why would Lord Yama have intervened?
They looked at Granny Meng in the center of the circular platform, starting to wonder if they had offended her in any way.
They said a woman's heart was like a needle at the bottom of the sea, and this was the first time they had seen someone so openly administer poison while acting as if nothing had happened and inviting them to drink.
They were just attending a New Year's party; why would she immediately try to eliminate ghosts?
For a moment, the only sounds in the great hall were the ghost soldiers inducing vomiting and the ghost envoys drinking to calm their nerves.
The judge closest to Lord Yama, however, suddenly covered his mouth with a clenched fist, a faint smile in his eyes.
He had clearly seen Lord Yama take a sip of that black soup just now.
He wondered what it tasted like...
Cough, cough!
...
In the silence, Captain Niu Tou, Chu Yong'an, patted his dog, feeling fortunate that he hadn't drunk it.
The red fox beside him twitched its ears and suddenly looked down at the Tibetan Mastiff under the table.
Then it reached out a paw and dug around.
Chu Yong'an was puzzled when he saw his pet dig out an egg.
"???"
When did his dog lay an egg?
This was Chu Yong'an's first thought, and it almost startled him.
Immediately after, he suddenly felt like he had seen this egg somewhere before.
Before Lord Yama entered, he seemed to recall someone chasing this egg.
Who was it?
As Chu Yong'an was pondering, a white jade bowl suddenly flew over from somewhere.
With a "thump," it covered the egg.
Jiang Lin walked over from the side, a hint of joy in his voice, "Caught you now, right?"
Chu Yong'an slapped his forehead; he knew where he had seen it.
Just as he was about to say a few words to Jiang Lin, he suddenly noticed that the atmosphere in the entire great hall felt a bit off.
He looked up and saw all the ghost envoys staring over.
That sound had just made this spot the center of attention.
Jiang Lin, completely oblivious, picked up his seven-colored egg and was about to walk back.
"Alright, next, let's invite our Captain Jiang to introduce himself to everyone!"
Ghost Doll seemed to have finally found an opening and said, "Granny Meng, you can go back and rest now."
In that instant, whether it was Ghost Doll's illusion or not, many ghost envoys felt a sense of relief.
On the other side, Jiang Lin continued walking towards his seat, showing no signs of stopping.
What relationship did Captain Jiang have with him, Jiang Lin?
He was focused on studying this egg properly.
Ghost Doll was stunned, "Captain Jiang? Jiang Wuchang? Lord Jiang Lin?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing the last part, Jiang Lin paused and looked back, "Are you calling me?"
Ghost Doll: "Yes, Lord Jiang, you are a newly appointed captain within the last century. You can come up and introduce yourself to everyone..."
"Wait!"
Before Ghost Doll could finish speaking, he was interrupted.
Granny Meng, holding her large ladle, looked at Ghost Doll and asked, "Who's paying my appearance fee?"
She had performed and even personally brewed a pot of soup; were these people going to get it for free?
As soon as she said this, Ghost Doll and the ghost envoys in the great hall were stunned.
Appearance fee?
You're openly trying to murder us, and we have to pay you in return?
What kind of logic was that?
...
"...Heh~"
Seeing this, Granny Meng understood. She chuckled lightly, her eyelids drooping, and beneath her long lashes, her eyes were red-rimmed.
No money?
She put down her ladle, and a large iron hammer appeared in her hand. She murmured in a low voice:
"Don't think you can bully me just because I'm weak..."
The ghost envoys present had excellent hearing, and the stubbornness and grievance in her voice made them truly feel as if they had done something to bully a ghost.
But!
You're Granny Meng!
You're a fierce ghost who almost got a captain killed, and you're still weak?!
Who would believe that?
...
"Cough... Thank you for your hard work on the performance."
A judge found it amusing. Both Granny Meng's soup and the ghost envoys' reactions were characteristic of the New Year's party.
He was the first to toss a冥币 (underworld currency) towards the circular stage.
Granny Meng caught it with her hand, then swept her gaze across the other ghost envoys in the great hall, her hand tightly gripping the large iron hammer.
Perhaps... a game of whack-a-mole wouldn't be bad either...
"Thank you for your 'hard work' on the performance!"
"This soup... smells quite good."
Seeing that the judge had given his payment, many ghost envoys also began to take out money. With their captains' incomes, they could afford this amount...
But! Why did spending this money make them feel so uncomfortable?
Who was bullying whom in the end?
This performance was "hard work" for the audience, not the performer!
If it weren't for the fact that they couldn't reason with a drunk ghost, they might have gone up and fought.
And it was them who gave Granny Meng the drink...
Alas!
...
"666, Granny Meng didn't lose out on this one!"
"Hahahaha, if it's about making money, Granny Meng is the best. She can even trick people when she's drunk!"
"Ghost Envoy: You're openly robbing us, aren't you?! Aren't you?!"
The viewers in the live stream were thoroughly entertained.
When they saw Granny Meng brewing the soup earlier, the scene looked like dark cuisine.
They had guessed the beginning but not the end.
It was indeed dark cuisine, but it was also poison, with stronger toxicity when ingested.
Didn't they see that ghost envoy still being forced to vomit? They wondered if there would be any lingering effects...
Looking at the great hall, which had been corroded to such an extent.
Thinking about this, the viewers suddenly felt a bit of pity for the building.
"Great Hall: Who did I offend? You want to smash me when you're drunk, smash me when you fight, and now you want to corrode me when you drink soup and perform?"
"The damage is great, and the insult is also strong!"
"Granny Meng is the biggest winner!"
"By the way, isn't it the streamer's turn next?"
"Starting to look forward to it (*❦w❦), artists, please get ready!"
...
(ps: We've reached chapter 200! ✿✿ヽ(°▽°)ノ✿ Thank you to all the supporters and companions along the way. Sending virtual hugs ❤ Let's keep up the good work!)