Chapter 384: Re-reading the Path of Dao

Staring at the charred, round flatbreads in front of him, Doubao looked up at the smiling Void Emperor with his round eyes, puzzled. “So this is the delicious treat you dragged me all the way here to try?”

The Void Emperor nodded with a smile. “That’s right, go on and eat. This thing is called ‘scorched flatbread.’ Don’t be fooled by its blackened appearance—it’s actually quite tasty. Give it a try.”

“Oh, and if you find it a bit dry, drink some lamb soup. Look at how thick and rich it is—it’s full of fat, you can tell it’s flavorful just by looking at it.”

A great demon, playing tricks on me, huh…?

Doubao ignored Hua Erniang’s subtle signals and picked up a flatbread, taking a big bite.

While eating, he said, “Void Emperor is such a good person, thinking of us when there’s something this good to eat.”

“I’ve had these flatbreads before. Mr. Gu made them a few days ago—it’s his secret recipe.”

“One bite, and I can tell. Innkeeper Hua must have inherited Mr. Gu’s true skills.”

Watching Doubao eat one bite after another with great enthusiasm, the Void Emperor suddenly couldn’t tell whether the little guy was fooling him or not.

And when Doubao mentioned “Mr. Gu’s true skills,” the Void Emperor actually started to feel tempted to try the scorched flatbread himself.

“Gulp~~” Doubao took a big swig of soup, wiped his mouth in satisfaction, and picked up another flatbread, looking like he intended to eat them all by himself.

“I’ll try one too.”

The Void Emperor reached out to grab one, but Doubao immediately shielded his food. “Wait a minute! Wasn’t this meant for me?”

“Look at you being all stingy!” The Void Emperor casually snatched one, effortlessly taking a flatbread into his hand.

Seeing that he couldn’t stop him, Doubao just pouted and sped up his eating.

The Void Emperor, impatient himself, took a big bite of the flatbread.

The moment it entered his mouth, there was no need to chew—just a slight press of his teeth and the flatbread crumbled into countless grainy bits, like sand.

In the next second, an overwhelming bitterness and burnt taste filled his entire mouth!

Damn, I’ve been tricked…

The Void Emperor kept his expression neutral as he continued eating. While doing so, he glanced at the two inn workers and the culprit behind the dish—Hua Erniang.

“This flatbread is truly something. It may look burnt, but this is exactly how it’s supposed to taste. You guys should try it too—Innkeeper Hua has definitely inherited Mr. Gu’s true skills!”

Since the Void Emperor himself had praised it, the other three hesitantly picked up flatbreads and took bites.

A’Wu cautiously ate a small piece, frowned, and forced it down. Little Lian took a bite, her face scrunching up instantly—she couldn’t swallow it, but she didn’t dare spit it out either.

Meanwhile, Hua Erniang outright “insulted” her own creation, spitting it out as she muttered, “Ugh, it’s awful…”

“Doubao!”

“Void Emperor!”

“You two weren’t pretending it was good just to make us eat it too, were you?” Hua Erniang took a big gulp of tea and asked helplessly.

“I wasn’t trying to make you eat it—I just wanted Void Emperor to eat it.”

“Well, as a great demon, getting tricked by this little guy would’ve been embarrassing. So I figured I’d share the experience.”

Doubao and the Void Emperor spoke one after another, both looking as if they had done nothing wrong.

“Alright, I’m off.”

Doubao waved a tentacle at Hua Erniang and grinned. “You should put up a sign at the door. Trouble-making old folks like him shouldn’t be allowed in.”

Buzz!

As soon as he finished speaking, Doubao transformed into a streak of light and shot out of the inn.

“You brat! Insulting me indirectly and then trying to run away?” The Void Emperor cursed, disappearing instantly.

After they had gone, the young worker A’Wu finally spoke. “Innkeeper, was that old man really the Void Emperor?”

Hua Erniang chuckled. “Why? Doesn’t he seem like it?”

A’Wu shook his head. “Not at all. No matter how you look at him, he doesn’t seem like the emperor of Eternal Slumber City.”

Hearing this, Hua Erniang chuckled and shook her head. “That’s right, just like Mr. Gu. Back then, he told me he was looking for the Void Emperor.”

“I thought he was joking at first, but in the end, I realized he really could find the Void Emperor with ease…”

Seeing the innkeeper once again reminiscing about Mr. Gu, the two workers didn’t quite know how to continue the conversation.

Hua Erniang picked up the tray and smiled. “A’Wu, teach me how to cook. It didn’t matter this time since it was just the Void Emperor and the others… but if Mr. Gu comes one day, I can’t serve something this inedible again.”

A’Wu: There goes another batch of wasted rice and flour…

…

The chirping of cicadas filled the air, and tree shadows swayed gently.

Under the moonlight, a figure in white robes sat cross-legged atop a massive boulder, eyes closed in deep contemplation.

Before him lay four books, each titled Path of Dao.

Since leaving Demon Capital, Gu Ning’an had sought out a secluded place, once again opening Path of Dao, a book he had not read in a long time.

Each time he read through it, he felt as if he were traveling alongside the figures within, experiencing the mortal world described in its pages.

The book did not contain detailed explanations of techniques, yet by reading it in silence, one could somehow see various intricate spiritual techniques unfold…

The author of Path of Dao had, in a uniquely creative way, embedded the myriad arts of the world into its pages. Any reader with enough dedication, regardless of their talent, should be able to grasp at least a fraction of the techniques within.

But why, from Great Qian to Great Wu, had he encountered no one practicing this art—aside from the first student he met, Shi Yi?

If talent was not the issue, then could it be that Path of Dao had been tampered with?

Could someone have wanted to suppress its spread? Unable to erase it entirely, had they instead placed some kind of “curse” upon it, turning it into nothing more than an ordinary storybook?

If so, then it must have been the work of those from Outer Heaven. If it was them, they would certainly have such means…

Gradually, Gu Ning’an felt his soul begin to expand and detach from his body—this time, at a much greater speed than decades ago!

The world itself seemed to shrink.

If standing atop Mount Tai made one feel as though they could see all the mountains below, then at this moment, Gu Ning’an felt that even Mount Tai was nothing more than a mere grain of sand among the vast multitude of things in the world…

Wherever his gaze fell, the horizon itself became visible—this was no exaggeration.

Gu Ning’an looked into the distance and saw a roadside teahouse along a narrow official road. Dark clouds gathered over Muyun Dao, and heavy rain poured down in torrents.

Figures clad in straw raincoats searched the road in all directions, braving the storm.

Among them, he spotted the father and daughter of the Wu family. Their faces were full of worry as they called out to someone nearby.

The moment he wished to hear what they were shouting, voices suddenly echoed in his ears…